This isn’t so much mobile news as it is news that mobile users should probably know about. That coffee company, Starbucks.. maybe you’ve heard of them? If not, open the blinds at whatever location you’re currently sitting at, and look across the street (or, at most, down to the corner). Surprise! It’s a Starbucks! Well, they’re opening up their WiFi; no hourly fees, no registration necessary.
This is something that has been a long time coming. For years, their WiFi was a pay per hour service through T-Mobile. Eventually they moved to an AT&T-powered WiFi network, implementing a crazy system involving gift cards, balances, and a fairly terrible registration process which drove both the customers and the Baristas forced to play tech-support up the wall.
The company has just announced that, beginning on July 1st, the old system is dead. Long live the new system! No registration process, no hourly fees — just good ol’ fashion WiFi juices, flowing for all the gadget-toting children of the land to enjoy. Now you can finally finish that book you’re writing without having to deal with logins, weird interfaces, forgotten passwords, or other such nonsense.
Oh, and don’t forget: Support your local coffee shop. There are 11,608 Starbucks in the US alone, all of them just about identical. At the very least, change up the scenery.