AT&T sending out SMS to confirm free iPhone WiFi at Starbucks
By Darren Murph 
posted Oct 29th 2008 1:31PM
posted Oct 29th 2008 1:31PM
[Thanks, Boy Genius]
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Not too shabby.
yeah, this would be great for all the the "crippled" non 3g iphones , but for all the iphone 3G users out there...who cares. I mean, unless you're stuck in a Edge only market, why bother to bound yourself to the confines of a starbucks and blow cash that you dont to spend, or hang around w/ a bunch of teenage kids when you can surf @ at 100kb/sec+ in some HDPSA areas?
and on a side note, one of these days i'm going to bring my big ass desktop (Antec P180 case and samsung t240hd monitor) into a starbucks to enjoy a cup of brew. I've seen a few funny pics of people bringing in desktops and i love it.
100kb/sec? I get up to 1655kbps on my speedtests.
Then again, if you could tether your iPhone, you wouldn't really ever need ubiquitous cafe WiFi to get you through the day.
Actually I think it's the other way 'round. It's so you can use WiFi on your iPhone instead of slow-ass EDGE or somewhat faster 3G. Obviously you can use WiFi with your laptop too though.
I'm just having a hard time getting excited about buying a new iPhone. At least the cost is reasonable, but the EDGE rarely bothers me because I'm usually at home or work where I have wifi, or I'm just browsing the news where I don't really need the speed.
Looks like my employer *might* buy me a 3G though -- "free" is a pretty damn good deal...
HA! I got Netshare before it was pulled from the app store!!! Tether, away!!!
Too bad I have an iPod Touch...
I tether my iPhone all the time using iPhoneModem, but it's a jailbreak app.
Actually I suggest getting PDANet for your jailbroken iPhone...it doesn't require SOCKS proxies to get working so it works on both Macs and PCs flawlessly with less than 2 minutes of setup.
Its on Cydia
So what happens if you're not even on AT&T's plan or network?
Like for instance I'm on Sprint and I have the Touch Pro. Whenever I go to Starbucks (which is like every other day if not everyday) I do sometimes chill with friends, etc.
Now my TP does see the wireless network there. However I've not connected to it out of fear that I would be charged some money. Would that be the case? Or would I simply be blocked from accessing the Wi-Fi since it would recognize that it's a Sprint phone?
Starbucks *iPhone* WiFi plan
You can't be serious.
Why am I getting voted down?
It was an honest question. I wouldn't have inquired if I ALREADY knew smartass.
Jesus Christ we're not all experts. Sorry for not being all knowing when it comes to this subject.
Assholes.
I am really not sure why you are being voted down either....your post asks a valid, if somewhat trivial, question.
No, you cannot be billed simply by connecting to any wifi network...have no fear there. You would just be presented with the usual 'proxy' page if you tried to visit any website before forking over some credit card details to pay for temporary access. You may want to look into buying a hotspot prepaid card or monthly plan from ATT/T-mobile/whoever so you can access the internet cheaper when in a Statbucks. You would just get a username/pw to login with at that point. The same thing applies to laptops.
Thanks
You should be able to get free AT&T WiFi access if you subscribe to their DSL or Uverse service as well. BTW, does anyone know if you can use subaccounts for that or just the main one? What if you try to log in with two devices at once?
a) It was a silly question, no big deal just kind of ignorant.
b) Your subsequent rant and name calling sealed the deal. You are low ranked for being a complete twunt. :)
You got voted down because this is free WiFi for iPhones. Your Touch Pro is not an iPhone.
What about my 1.0.2 jail broken jalopy(pretty snappy actually)? Will that work there too?
I'm limping along on a 2G 4gig dented iPhone. And I'm doin just fine. I would like to jail/SIM unlock it to the newest firmware. Is that possible? Oh I beg of a kind person to link me to a easy tutorial on how to do it. :D
+1 in advance
Jailbreaking/SIM Unlocking a 2G version is simple just use the QuickPwn or PawnageTool applications by the iphone-dev team
For reals this time? Really? I'll believe it when it stays on for more than a day.
Selling the heat generated by a wi-fi radio as a feature is innovative indeed. It is kinda chilly in NYC this week...
wait how is it JUST for the iphone? shouldn't it be for any wifi enabled phone on the AT&T network?
the bold will have this as well (free at&t wifi access).
too bad they couldn't have sent that out as a mms with that cute little picture to go with it
Not just Starbucks, but any AT&T WiFi access point (including airports, etc). Very cool.
Who needs WiFi when you have blazing 3G speed and no drop-offs??!
Why, those who don't get continuous 3G coverage from AT&T and no drop-offs, aka everyone.
Me.
I'm more than happy with the 3G performance of the iPhone in the twin cities metro area. WiFi ends up being more of a hassle than it's worth (with start pages you have to click through in a browser, etc).
Okay, so what about the rest of us paying for AT&T's overpriced unlimited data? No free WiFi for us? Jerks.
Tch, whatevs, the HSPDA connection to my Tilt is probably faster...
Overpriced? By buying it, you basically agreed that it was priced just right.
HA! Our friends from AT&T/Apple are doing everything they could to fight back the G1 craze. G1's hotspot access was free since its launch....by the way, I am typing this from Starbucks wifi using my T-Mobile G1....I love it!
I'm happy for you, i'm typing this from my computer and i love it. whats your point?
It's not free access. It's part of the $35 a month you're paying for.
What alternate universe are you living in that you think the G1 is a "craze"? To hardcore gadget geeks/readers of Engadget maybe, but not to the rest of the world.
So I go to www.att.com/wifi and I don't see anything about iPhone at all.
I have an iPhone, I walk into an ATT Hotspot, then what? There's no instructions on their site.
wrong url.
try this: http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/internet/wifi.jsp
Any starbucks card holder/member has access to 2 hours per day. The fact that's its Iphone or not is irrelevant, as anyone on any service with a wifi computer or phone can use the wifi if they sign up with the card or club or whatever it is.
Lame.
maybe I don't want a starbucks card...
That was my thought as well.
I do this now but I use my laptop, touch, etc.
I guess it saves you the 5 minutes it takes to register a starbucks card.
This isn't just Starbucks. It is any ATT WiFi Hotspot.
Does that include iPod Touch browsing?
I doubt it, because you aren't giving AT&T a penny if you are using an iPod touch. =
Is this supposed to be a big deal? I mean honestly, how often do you run around the mall/streets looking for a wifi signal with your iphone? I use 3G more then wifi anyway. Some of my applications get limited with a wifi connection that has some security features on lockdown. Not a big plus to run and get a latte.
I love how they send you this via text, and then charge you for the text. What a rip!
Except that they don't charge you for the text.
I didn't get the SMS. Does that mean I'm left out? *sad*
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/internet/accessing-wifi.jsp
Why only 2 hours?
Its not 2 hours a day. It is 24 hours a day. I don't think the writer bothered to actually check out the details.
If you have ATT DSL or U-Verse you should be able to use any ATT WIFI hotspot gratis using your login credentials and any WIFI enabled device.
right from att's website:
Q. What messages am I billed for?
A. AT&T bills for all messages whether sent or received, read or unread, solicited or unsolicited. Also, any message sent or received that is longer than 160 characters will be delivered as multiple segments of up to 160 characters each. Each segment is billed as a separate message.
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/messaging-internet/messaging/faq.jsp#pricing-text
This does not apply to some free messages from AT&T themselves (which usually say so, even)
Thats nice and all, you don't have to believe that AT&T doesn't charge for texts they send if you don't want to. Continue your rant. However, its common knowledge that AT&T does not charge for texts sent by them. However it would not be beneath them to charge, just nobody has brought up in a Staff meeting that if they charge for text they send to their subscribers they can make One Billion Dollars!
If you have purchased a text messaging plan at all from them, then yes you are paying for the text; regardless if the text itself says it is free or not.
Did you recieve the message or are you just trolling?:
AT&T Free Msg: Your Apple iPhone...etc.
hmm, I wonder if it's free...
Starbucks + Wifi = Low battery and a full cup of joe
Just got a gift card for my birthday from Starbucks and what better opportunity. It works seamlessly and fairly fast . Even though the prices are killer I van still return with my 9.08 on my gift card and maybe just look around and post again!
In harford county maryland my 3g iphone now gets 5 bars 3G everywhere, as opossed to switching in between edge and 3g every 10 secs.
I know this doesnt deal with the free wifi but I thought I let someone know.
To the person who asked if you can be on another carrier and get free access, no. This is a service provided by ATT, not apple, so ATT will verify that you have an iPhone in service with them before giving you access.
I believe it's free at all at&t hot spots. I just connected at a McDonalds AT&T hot spot. As an original iPhone user, I think it's awesome!!!
How about going to a Caribou Coffee shop - where all wifi is free for anyone. :P
I live in DC and they cram free wifi up our asses here. This is a city were we've only been able to buy video games within its borders since a couple of years ago, when a Best Buy was built at its edge. Where are people living that something like this even matters?
I was getting worried but I finally got the text message at 4:26 PM EST.
What's the big deal about sitting in an expensive coffe-shop looking at your cell-phone btw? Curious minds in Europe don't get it.
So I take it that the ATT Wi-Fi can detect the type of device, right? Otherwise, we could just use laptop or another phone to log on ATT Wi-Fi.
Looks like I still need to keep using my starbucks card every 30 days for my laptop.
Yay! This means more customers hopefully! Meh...us Starbucks partners get free wifi at all AT&T hotspots anyways but finally more people can join in!
Starbucks is spamming your SMS mailbox.
Darren! How dare you be so harsh towards the companion of Apple!
wow, this is just like having a Starbucks card (2 hours of free Starbucks wifi per day)!
... except i can't put my iTunes on my Starbucks card. :(
Interesting enough I got the message on my unlocked iPhone using AT&T go phone sim card. They must know!
Apple, now please just make it easy to tether our iPhones and we'd be all set.
Sure you don't mean "meddlesome", not "mettlesome"?
Vocabulary FTW!
~Jeff
Never received the text message here, about 12 hours after it was announced... in RI... maybe New England is amongst the last on the list to get it? Anyone else from the area get it yet?