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Leave it to a city to teach newcomers the importance of embracing the latest technology. Whether it’s for a job, university, or simply trying to keep up at dinner parties, understanding the latest gadgets and innovations gets significantly more important when you’re residing in a tech-heavy location. And it’s not just nerds and global businesspeople who are talking now when it comes to technology. With more and more people using everything from smartphones to wireless internet, things that used to be the domain of technology oriented people are now used by everyone.

One of the biggest adjustments newcomers to the city have to deal with is the fact that sometimes, a cramped apartment is not the best place to get things done. Whether it’s telecommuting, writing a paper, or finishing up some business at home, there are plenty of reasons to figure out alternatives to spending all of your time at home. One of the most common ways of getting out and about while still accomplishing goals for the day has traditionally been to locate a cafe in the neighborhood, preferably one with free wireless internet. This way, you can drink a coffee, socialize, and check your email from a room that is roughly four times the size of your apartment.

But the downside to having wireless available is that too often, it’s not that reliable. When the whole coffeeshop is using the same connection, things tend to lag. It might not matter if you’re just going to be working for a couple of hours, but professional freelancers and those who are doing things like downloading movies and music for later will find that not as much can get done in a coffeeshop with a slow connection.
There’s always the option to spend time surfing the web using a phone or an mp3 player, but for those who need the internet for something more serious than just checking a phone or using Facebook status updates, a phone isn’t going to cut it.

Those with laptops, small apartments, and urban zip codes have been abuzz about the latest option for getting online from just about anywhere. Using the same technology that cell phone companies do to bounce signals from tower to tower, allowing for more reliable coverage all over the city (and state), WiMax definitely offers something that did not previously exist. Rather than just a faster version of the same way of getting online, this is actually a step forward.

Think of it this way: most people who are using wireless networks are confined to the range of the network, which is not even a city block. With this new version of wireless, it’s possible to ride the train across town and never lose your signal. Likewise, you can go to any cafe and turn it into your freelancing hot spot, because the super-fast 4G network will be right there.

So for busy and wired city dwellers who need somewhere to get online other than at home or the office, a world of options has now opened thanks to WiMax. Whether you’re finishing up something for a business presentation, catching up with friends on Skype, or simply working on your own projects, it’s a lot easier to be online.

As one of the oldest big cities in all of the United States, Chicago has long been on the forefront of innovation, albeit more quietly than other cities like San Francisco and New York. As a major seat of public art, forward-thinking universities, fabulous architecture, and big politics, Chicago is perhaps the most cosmopolitan spot in the midwest. It’s no wonder, then, that tourists and new residents alike are flocking to the city in growing numbers. Whether it’s to enjoy the big-city wonders of the loop, the chance to stroll on a lakeside beach just steps away from a bustling financial district, or to tuck into one of the incredible restaurants or world-class boutiques, Chicago definitely has everything from old-world delights to new-school touches like wireless internet around the city and speedy public transportation.

For those exploring Chicago who are more attune to things like checking one’s email on the go and taking laptops into coffeeshops  to get a little bit of web surfing or freelancing done, rest assured that you are in good company. Whether it’s a growing population of twenty-something freelancers who spend their days wearing carefully distressed jeans and scowling over their MacBook Pros or the 30-something well-coiffed yuppies who take their lunch breaks in downtown restaurants, enjoying salad while recapping the morning’s deals and transactions, laptops are a big part of life in the windiest of cities.

One of the reasons that so many people are wired is because the city has definitely been forward-thinking when it comes to things like wireless internet. Many of the public buildings have been wired longer than other spots around the country, and Wi-Fi is practically ubiquitous. However, everyone is aware of the shortcomings of Wi-Fi connections. Sometimes, the password doesn’t work, even though the barista swears she gave you the right one. Other times, your favorite table at a restaurant is too far away from the router, meaning that your connection is lagging. And of course, if every broke college student living in Wrigleyville is poaching your wireless internet connection, it’s going to move as slow as molasses.

However, since Chicago is so forward-thinking when it comes to technology, it’s no surprise that it is one of the first cities in the United States to really get on board with WiMax. Unlike Wi-Fi, which depends on a router that basically magnifies a regular broadband connection to cover a couple of feet, this version of wireless is known for sending its signals via towers. The towers can actually provide a solid amount of coverage to numerous people for an area of over 30 miles, and towers can bounce signals from one to the other. This means that it would be possible for you to get all the way from the heart of Chicago’s south side to the leafy suburbs of the north side and not have to worry about dropping your internet connection once along the way.

With WiMax, it’s possible to be truly wireless while exploring Chicago. And in a city with so much to do, and so much thought towards technology, there’s never been a better spot to get along, knowing full well that your wireless connection will be there with you no matter where you choose to head next.