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Connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots is a chore. First you fire up your browser, and then you enter a user name and password or credit card information--tasks that can be frustratingly slow to accomplish, especially if you're using a tiny smart-phone screen. Most free hotspots require you to click past a splash screen, too. If you have only a couple minutes in line at Starbucks, logging in to check your e-mail or to make a quick VoIP phone call may not be worth the trouble.

Now there's a way to skip the preliminaries and get connected as soon as you move into hotspot range, just as if you were at home or in the office. Simply visit Devicescape Software's site, download the free software, and set up an account. You can then link all of your hotspot log-in information (both paid and free) to the account--and next time you visit a supported hotspot, you'll be connected automatically. Eventually, Devicescape aims to support all Wi-Fi-enabled devices and public hotspot networks. Thus far, the system works only with Windows XP and Vista, Mac OS X, Windows Mobile smart phones and PDAs, Nokia E and N series phones, Nokia N800 and N770 tablets, and the Linksys WIP300 IP phone.

With Devicescape, even devices that lack browsers can connect at hotspots, which they previously could not. Gadgets that Devicescape will support in the future--such as Skype phones, music players, and digital cameras--will have the software built in, eliminating the need to download and install it. Among the paid hotspot networks supported are AT&T Wi-Fi, Boingo, FON, iPass, Surf-and-Sip, T-Mobile, and Wayport. These hotspots currently require monthly subscriptions to work with Devicescape, but the company expects to offer an automatic day-pass log-in system for them soon.