Posted on 03/04/2007 4:29:27 AM PST by jalisco555
WI-FI service is quickly becoming the air-conditioning of the Internet age, enticing customers into restaurants and other public spaces in the same way that cold “advertising air” deliberately blasted out the open doors of air-conditioned theaters in the early 20th century to help sell tickets.
Today, hotspots are the new cold spots.
Starbucks became the most visible Wi-Fi-equipped national chain when it began offering the service in 2002. Now, at more than 5,100 stores, Starbucks offers Internet access “from the comfort of your favorite cozy chair.”
Before you pop open your laptop, however, you need to pull out your credit card. Starbucks and its partner, T-Mobile, charge $6 an hour for the “pay as you go” plan. Day passes or monthly subscriptions are available but can be used only at Starbucks stores and other T-Mobile partners like Borders bookstores.
McDonald’s offers Wi-Fi in more than 8,000 of its 13,700 stores in the United States, giving it wider reach than even Starbucks, and it also charges for access. McDonald’s doesn’t charge as much: it asks $2.95 for two hours. You can’t apply your T-Mobile subscription there, however, because McDonald’s works with other partners.
Metering and charging for a service, of course, is the prerogative of any business owner in a free market. One will always find entrepreneurs willing to try new ways to profit by erecting tollbooths in front of facilities that had been freely accessible.
In the past, this took the form of coin-operated locks on bathroom stalls. (You may have first encountered these at a moment when you were least ready to praise the inventor’s ingenuity.)
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The answer for Stubby's, IMO, is free Wi-Fi during off-peak hours.
no-mostly just breads and pastrys-the do have what I would call quiches-but not real filling
get a new dual core laptop, battery life is much improved.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
My T-Mobile account gives me access to their hotspots (when I encounter them, or through my cellphone when there aren't any hotspots available.
Except when they charge you an additional 10 or 15 buck per day for internet access, as many high end hotels do.
I'd love to replace my Powerbook with a new Macbook Pro but the darned thing doesn't want to die. Four years and going strong. But the battery life is lousy.
At Panera or Starbucks if you pay you're paying more for taking up a seat for 2 hours than you are for WIFI.
LOL!! I know just what you mean! I got a Panera card as a gift and decided to go to lunch one day by myself. I had to call my husband (who is much more familiar with the menu) to ask him what I wanted.
I ordered some sort of turkey sandwich and crossed my fingers. It was pretty good.
Starbucks; The coffee place with a name that sounds like a gay bar.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.