I could find the T-Mobile Hotspot login in the AT&T hotspot splash page in Starbucks the last time I dropped by one with my netbook. However, I noticed that the Seattle’s Best Coffee (owned by Starbucks) shop area in the local Borders Book Store had an actual T-Mobile Hotspot instead of the grandfathered (for another 3+ years) access via AT&T Wireless in actual Starbucks shops. Looking at T-Mobile’s list of hotspots, I see that the wireless service is actually provided by Borders itself and that the Seattle’s Best Coffee shop area benefits from that.
Do you watch TV with a netbook sitting in your lap or on a coffee table? I do. And, so does my daughter. I wonder if the rise of the inexpensive, lightweight and relatively cool-running netbooks (the ones I’ve tried run cooler than anything except my old 12″ Apple iBook) has people returning to the comfort of the coach and TV
Have you noticed that you spend more time watching TV recently because netbooks fit so well in that environment (living room, coffee table, lap)?
Yes, I know that:
– Starbucks changed WiFi hotspot providers last year and that AT&T provides the service now while T-Mobile Hotspot users have about 4 years of free roaming on those hotspots remaining
– T-Mobile’s SSID is now hidden/invisible and that you have to manually configure it for WiFi access
– The T-Mobile hotspot login option is a tiny icon/link on the AT&T hotspot login screen
Here’s what I don’t know/understand…
I walked into a Starbucks that I visited just a few weeks ago and was able to use the hidden “tmobile” SSID with the AT&T provided hotspot. I walked into the same Starbucks this morning and saw the visible AT&T SSID but could not use T-Mobile’s. And, I did not see a T-Mobile hotspot login when connected to an Access Point with AT&T’s SSID. I’m going to give T-Mobile a call in the morning to try to sort this problem out. But, if anyone has an explanation for what I saw, I’d appreciate hearing it.
Very interesting item from Australia’s ITnews…
CeBIT09: McDonalds’ free wifi users soak up seating
McDonalds in Australia started providing free WiFi in their restaurants in November 2008. Unfortunately, as you might expect the average WiFi user stays seated around 35 minutes instead of the 10 minutes non-WiFi users do. So, they’re running out of seating bandwidth with WiFi users hanging around too long.
The 5GB monthly cap on 3G wireless data services in the U.S. means that many 3G subscribers are probably looking for free or low-cost WiFi hotspots to avoid going over their monthly limit. Hotspot providers that figure out a way to balance the longer seating time of WiFi users with their revenue generating products should be able to continue to attract customers of all types (WiFi using or not).
1st generation Zune (left), 1st generation iPod nano (middle), 4th generation iPod nano (right)
If you have a teenager, don’t bother to ask if he or she would prefer an iPod or a Zune. According to CNET’s summary of a Piper Jaffray survey…
Teen survey makes Microsoft’s Zune seem futile
The percentage of teens who want a zune as of the most recent survey is 100%. This is all the more surprising since their Fall 2008 survey showed that 15% planned to buy a Zune while 79% wanted an iPod (3% were looking at Sony’s offering).
I know I performed this survey on a very very small scale (my teenager) a few years ago (when she wasn’t a teenager to be honest). I asked her if she would like a Zune I had received as a gift since it can playback video and has an FM radio. She was using a 1st generation iPod nano at the time which did not have either feature. She looked at the Zune and said she would rather keep using her 1st generation nano. I later bought her an iPod touch. But, she preferred the nano even then, BTW. Last year, I replaced her 1st generation nano with a 4th generation model. She’s very happy with that now (still doesn’t use the iPod touch much).