wifi

I like free wifi as much as the next girl, but there's nothing worse than going to a coffee shop full of people with laptops with free reign to do anything they want, screeching speeds to a halt. A lot of places will block torrent sites, but still, the number of people using the wifi accumulates all day long when even casual surfing makes the network slow (not to mention all of the people using it in the neighborhood.)

Starbucks is capping people at 2 hours with their new wifi service, and they control it by forcing users to get online via an active Starbucks card. It's not the most convenient way. Recently, I went to Chicago and got online at Argo Tea. They hand out business cards with unique login information which expire 2 hours after logging in. It was simple and effective. But what about cutting out the middle man? Welcome the coin-operated wifi hotspot by Handlink.  read more »

I was really happy a few days ago when I heard that Starbucks was implementing its free internet program. Two hours a day as long as I use their refillable card once a month is a really good deal. That's one cup of coffee a month! Of course, Starbucks knows that the vast majority of people are going to buy something every time they come in, but still, it's a great option to have.

I was so eager to test out the new system that I dropped by my local Starbucks to bask in the atmosphere of a milky latte, Bob Marley in the background, and free internet.

I ordered my latte and asked the barista whether the free internet started today. I was certain that it had, but I wanted to be reminded of the procedure again: getting a refillable card, registering it, etc. The barista looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. Internet? Wifi? Free? She didn't have a clue. She asked the other barista who didn't know either. Then she proceeded to go to the back to ask someone else. The barista came back and said that the free internet did start today.  read more »