As a "road warrior", I'm completely dependent on my laptop to stay in touch with clients and my office. The Blackberry just doesn't cut it. So when out in the field, I admit I'm searching for a Barnes & Noble, Borders, Starbucks, or Panera to give me some wi-fi relief. Rarely do I look for an independent.
I try to be fair about it and buy more than coffee. It's a 50/50 shot if I can find some outlet "juice" so I'm limited to battery life. Only once did I encounter a limitation - a Panera in NJ limited free wi-fi to 1/2 hour during lunch hours (12-2).
But to some degree, they've fallen into a trap of their own making by creating a "cafe culture" that encourages sipping lattes, reading papers, and just lounging about. Starbucks set the standard and certainly could more afford it than the small independent owner.
By the way - the article mentions free wi-fi at B&N. Not been my experience. Both B&N and Starbucks use AT&T which you purchase in 2 hour blocks for access. Borders uses another "pay to play" wi-fi provider. Panera is the only one that provides free service although sometimes you're time limited.
Last, but not least, are local libraries. Been know to haunt a few of these myself as well...
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As a "road warrior", I'm completely dependent on my laptop to stay in touch with clients and my office. The Blackberry just doesn't cut it. So when out in the field, I admit I'm searching for a Barnes & Noble, Borders, Starbucks, or Panera to give me some wi-fi relief. Rarely do I look for an independent.
I try to be fair about it and buy more than coffee. It's a 50/50 shot if I can find some outlet "juice" so I'm limited to battery life. Only once did I encounter a limitation - a Panera in NJ limited free wi-fi to 1/2 hour during lunch hours (12-2).
But to some degree, they've fallen into a trap of their own making by creating a "cafe culture" that encourages sipping lattes, reading papers, and just lounging about. Starbucks set the standard and certainly could more afford it than the small independent owner.
By the way - the article mentions free wi-fi at B&N. Not been my experience. Both B&N and Starbucks use AT&T which you purchase in 2 hour blocks for access. Borders uses another "pay to play" wi-fi provider. Panera is the only one that provides free service although sometimes you're time limited.
Last, but not least, are local libraries. Been know to haunt a few of these myself as well...
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