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Taipei gets 1,000-strong fleet of WiMAX-equipped taxis

Looking for something else to be envious of now that in-flight WiFi is starting to be more readily available? Then look no farther than Taipei, which has just announced the roll-out of a 1,000-strong fleet of WiMAX-equipped taxis. Alright, so a short cab ride might not send you into the same sort of internet withdrawal that a five hour flight does, but we're not ones to turn down mobile broadband when it crops up in places normally reserved for a bit of down-time or "conversation." Best of all, the in-taxi WiMAX will apparently be free during the initial stage, although VMAX Telcom hasn't yet decided if it will charge a fee in the future. No word on any expansion plans beyond the initial 1,000 cabs just yet either, but the service will apparently be limited to the greater Taipei area -- at least until VMAX's WiMAX coverage expands to other parts of Taiwan.

[Thanks, Tim]

Update: Our pals at Engadget Chinese have informed us that in-taxi WiMAX will unfortunately only be used provide internet access to small touchscreen devices installed in the cabs, not to your laptop.