the thing that bugs me most about internet tablet is why do I have to manually select AP every time I want to connect? It is okay for a laptop, but from convergence device as it is I would have expected that by the time I unlock my n810 it already found open network with best signal and verified that it's not one of those paid APs e.g. it's possible to resolve dns and make tcp connections to remote servers...

is there any reason it can't be done?

Maybe because it's (potentially) illegal? Unless the owner allows you to access their network, you are breaking the law by using some random wireless network. Hence, the described behavior would be quite undesirable. At least you should make the conscientious decision to break the law.

Or how about that most open AP's I've found are crap. They are broken, or are VPN'ed, are captive portals, or a million other little things.

I leave open 3 ap's for many reasons ,and if people wanna take the chance to connect and look up something or find directions or any other info, im all for an open network. i get through some free advertising on while they get the pleasure of logging on to the net. If yah got it, share it. If your worried about getting hacked or used secure your wifi network!

I set a bunch of default ap names as trusted..
like linksys, belkin, defalut, etc..

that way it automatically associates if it finds any of those..
not perfect.. but many times my Nokia will lock onto a random one and have new email waiting for me when I didn't even realize that it had a connection.

Make sure it IS using SSL though. Or else you might get more than you bargained for...

ok, so here are arguments against doing so:
1. legality
2. quality
3. security

it is first time I hear that connecting to open network is illegal, care to provide link to laws that forbid that? so while #1 is highly doubtful it is also hardest to solve technically.

#2 makes a little sense to me - i'm regularily playing with my n810 while commuting and it is always able to find several open ap's with decent signal quality even from the street.

#3 is a serious issue but it doesn't matter whether we connect automatically or manually, risk is still the same. use of application level security is a must those days regardless of connection method.

so all in all pretty lame excuses for not doing great thing.

Laws regarding unauthoriized access of computers and computer networks are nothing new. It's up to the courts as to whether or not leaving a network unsecured is to permit public access, and the trend seems to be toward "not".

You can dislike it. You can disagree. You can make analogies showing you're in the right. You'll be modded up by the script kiddie wannabes on Slashdot, but a quick Google search shows people being found guilty.

I've no interest in being the guy on the Group W bench for pulling lolcatz through a factory fresh Linksys.

Most home users who have a wireless router setup by a lazy installer could have an open network. connecting to that open network without permission is illegal. In NY it would be considered theft of services. Consider it is the same as jacking into your neighbors cable or electrical service without permission. Just because there isn't a wire doesn't make it any less illegal. Imagine sitting on your neighbors deck and plugging into his Ethernet jack just because he has one there and freely browsing the internet without permission you should understand that would be illegal. Why would you think its legal to use that same service wirelessly?

It is also illegal in Arizona to have more than two dildos in a house or to hunt camels. Find this and more Dumb Laws at http://www.dumblaws.com. Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumb_laws

So when was last time you asked for permission to connect to wireless network at <insert your local restaurant, cafe, bus stop, ... name>?