Personal Technology Tips in Plain English
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Wake Up And Remember By The Coffee
Sep 17th
So I was headed into Starbucks for my Grande Pike Hazelnut Cold Soy and plopped down onto one of the stuffy armchairs to take a load off my heels.
I cracked open my laptop and started to wince because I didn’t remember if I used my Starbucks registered gift card within the last 30 days or not and I just paid cash.
Why is this important? Because you get up to 2 free hours of WiFi daily at any Starbucks if you just use a registered Starbucks prepaid card within the last 30 days. Otherwise, pay up pal.
But then it hit me and I remembered!
And in fact, there was no real need to remember, because my browser screen told me everything I needed to know right then and there:

YUP, Starbucks finally got rid of that last forced-loyalty obstacle and is giving away free one-click WiFi to anyone that seeks it out.
The connection is still on the AT&T Wireless network — which means my iPhone gets free coverage anyway there. But my laptop can now jump on the net instantly without any authentication nonsense.
Whew. One less thing between me and my emails.
BONUS TIP: When you’re out and about, Starbucks isn’t the only national chain to offer completely free WiFi these days. Check out McDonald’s too — you now have access to free AT&T WiFi at those locations as well. That’s not enough? How about Barnes & Nobles? More you say? Ok, stop by any Office Depot or Staples or even Panera Bread nationwide. Heck, you don’t even have to go into a store many times — like when you’re in the NYC metro area, you might find yourself in a free wifi zone in town. Enjoy!

I love tech, gadgets and the web. Hope you pick-up a useful tip or two here today that helps you use technology to your advantage! Better yet, why not share your own expertise in a comment on a post today to help the other readers that land here for answers!