Bob McCarty Writes

Some news about Wi-Fi access caught my eye today and might be of interest to you, especially if you — or anyone in your family — has a history of heart problems:

It appears Bluetooth wireless technology that allows people to use a hands-free earpiece while making a mobile telephone call could soon alert the emergency services when someone has a heart attack.

After reading the article, I couldn’t help but recall a recent occasion when I found myself in Fort Worth at the home of a relative with no internet access — yes, some folks live without it. Needing immediate access to the internet, I drove to a nearby Starbucks®. Certainly, I assumed, the coffee shop would offer free Wi-Fi access just like the one near my St. Louis-area home did last time I visited. But I was wrong.

Upon my late-evening arrival, however, I nearly had a heart attack when I learned by reading a sticker on the store’s main entrance that it would cost me almost eight bucks for 24 hours of access to a T-Mobile® Wi-Fi set up. Not willing to pay a “Wi-Fi robbery” amount for the few minutes of surfing I needed to do, I found an alternative means of accessing the web.

After realizing their old marketing scheme was stopping too many hearts like mine from beating, Starbucks® appears to have wised up and is now in the process of rolling out complimentary access to the AT&T® Wi-Fi network — but not without a catch, mind you.

According to this piece on the coffee chain’s web site, they’re now offering a number of complimentary and paid Wi-Fi options, whether you need to check your email, download files for your next meeting or just surf the web in coffeehouse comfort:

Complimentary Wi-Fi for Starbucks customers — When you register your Starbucks Card and use it at least once a month, you’ll receive two consecutive hours a day of complimentary Wi-Fi, courtesy of AT&T®;

Complimentary Wi-Fi for AT&T® DSL customers — AT&T’s® more than 12 million DSL customers already qualify for free Wi-Fi at their neighborhood Starbucks®; and

Competitive pricing for paid Wi-Fi — All other customers can receive two consecutive hours of Wi-Fi access for $3.99.

Thanks, Starbucks®, for finally seeing the light. I simply appreciate it when a company sees the error of its ways and adjusts to suit its customers. Now, I’m going to switch from Charter Communications to AT&T® so I can enjoy coffee and Wi-Fi more often.

Note: While I’m not compensated by and do not have any sort of business relationship with Starbucks®, you can show your support of BMW by clicking on any of the Amazon links to Starbucks® products in the article above. Thanks in advance!