Entries tagged as 'wifi'
all
Posted Monday, 30 June 2008
I’ve been annoyed at Starbucks for awhile - it’s the CD racks, countertop displays and spinners that clutter their stores.
The Starbucks on the mauka side of Bishop and King Streets is a prime example of how this retail initiative is a nuisance to customers. That store is small - I’ve seen closets that are bigger. The CD displays make it much harder to stand in line when there’s more than 3 people waiting for a barista. I’m surprised there aren’t ADA lawsuits pending.
CDs and coffee don’t mix
I can’t imagine that the employees like dealing with these racks, either. What happens when a customer knocks over some CDs or spills a drink on merchandise? How do stores control shoplifting and shrinkage? What about teenagers and young children who decide to “play” with the packages?
Starbucks is phasing out its music CD retail business, according to an AlleyInsider.com article called Starbucks (BUX) Dumping CDs. Starbucks stores will have 4 CD slots per store.
I expect that Starbucks stores will still sell iTunes gift cards, as part of the WiFi promotional campaign for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
In addition, Starbucks has handed over the day-to-day management of its Hear music label to Concord Music Group.
Related articles and pages on billso.com
Tags:
ADA,
Apple,
coffee,
Hawaii,
Honolulu,
iPod,
iTunes,
mobile,
music,
Oahu,
Starbucks,
video,
WiFi
all
Posted Sunday, 18 May 2008
Comments Off
I’ve been writing articles about the iPhone since the device was announced in January 2007.
billso.com uses the WPtouch plugin to provide iPhone and iPod touch users with a touch-friendly interface, search and menus.
Related posts on billso.com
Tags:
3g,
Apple,
at&t,
CIO,
email,
GPS,
GSM,
iPhone,
iTunes,
Microsoft,
mobile,
WiFi
ism tech
Posted Thursday, 8 May 2008
Google is teaming up with Clearwire, Sprint, Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Intel to build a national WiMAX network. See the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Branding Post for more details.
The new joint venture will retain the Clearwire brand name and Clearwire’s existing consumer WiMAX business. Sprint contributes its network infrastructure and 2.5 gHz frequency allocation. It’s possible this deal will clear the FCC and antitrust regulators, because Google isn’t a major owner in the JV.
Yesterday, a Wall Street journal blog referenced my billso.com article of 18 April 2008 in a discussion about Yahoo and Google’s possible cross-licensing deal. The Clearwire deal is a more direct combination that may help the JV partners lock in consumers, businesses and advertisers.
Too many partners?
I’m reluctant to believe if this large joint venture can actually work. Sprint is the lead partner with a 51 percent stake, and this seems like a desperation move to being acquired outright by Deutsche Telekom or another company.
Pricing and marketing may determine if consumers will pay any attention to this JV. Can Clearwire and Sprint can offer their existing customers some compelling reasons to get some new hardware and try WiMAX? Verizon earns 23 percent of its wireless revenue from data calls on that company’s EVDO and other networks.
Google does need a vast network in the US to support its Android smartphone platform, and the company can’t wait or afford to build it from scratch.
WiMAX would give Google an alternate medium for data service, instead of relying on one telecom carrier as Apple has done with AT&T. Even with 3G service, the iPhone’s data transfer rates will seem slow when the user can’t get WiFi access.
Yes, the iPhone does support WiFi. But I’m sure Clearwire and its partners will market Android phones that support WiFi as well as WiMAX and the sponsoring carrier’s cell phone service, but the battery drain for a typical mobile device user may be a serious problem.
Related posts on billso.com
Tags:
android,
Clearwire,
FCC,
Google,
gphone,
Intel,
iPhone,
joint-venture,
mobile,
spectrum,
telecom,
television,
Time-Warner-Cable,
WiFi,
WiMax
all
Posted Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Read 3 comments
According to Fortune, AT&T will sell the 2nd generation iPhone with a US$200 subsidy when it goes on sale on or around 27 June 2008. I’ve compiled a list of my billso.com iPhone articles below, as they contain hints or information about iPhone 2.0
It’s an Interesting way to mark the first year of the iPhone, and it’s unlikely that AT&T will lose money, given the costs of data plans for the iPhone. The subsidy may or may not be available at Apple’s retail stores.
Those discounts would make the 8GB model US$199 with a new 2-year contract, and the 16GB model US$299. Those prices make the iPhone more attractive for consumers. Expect to see more iPhones in Starbucks stores around July, as customers use AT&T WiFi access points to download songs and videos from iTunes.
The new model iPhone will be 2.5 mm thinner than the original model, and will also have 3G, GPS and 802.11n chipsets. Current models support the slower EDGE protocol, a simulated GPS system and 802.11 b/g WiFi connections
It will also include version 2.0 firmware, which will support Microsoft Exchange servers. It will be interesting to see what AT&T charges its corporate customers for iPhones.
Many of these items will help some CIOs justify the iPhone as a corporate device. RIM is preparing its own “iPhone killer” model to support its Blackberry line, according to this New York Times article.
The new firmware will also support true applications for the iPhone, instead of web-based apps.
Related posts on billso.com
Tags:
3g,
Apple,
at&t,
CIO,
email,
GPS,
GSM,
iPhone,
iTunes,
Microsoft,
mobile,
WiFi
ism tech
Posted Monday, 11 February 2008
Read 3 comments
From today’s New York Times: Starbucks is switching WiFi providers. After a 6-year deal with T-Mobile, the milk-and-coffee merchant will offer WiFi access through AT&T. The arrangement gives AT&T 17,000 WiFi access points throughout the US, vaulting the telco to the number one spot in the country. AT&T has 70,000 WiFi hot spots worldwide.
AT&T has added mobile subscribers through its iPhone deal and other initiatives, while T-Mobile has struggled to keep pace. However, AT&T will allow T-Mobile customers to use the Starbucks hot spots free of charge, through a roaming agreement. This should appease some T-Mobile subscribers who used Starbucks hot spots.
Starbucks card users will receive a free 2 hour WiFi session each day. Additional time on the wireless network starts at US$4 for 2 hours. AT&T broadband subscribers already had free access to AT&T hot spots as of last month.
Starbucks benefits by gaining access to AT&T’s larger mobile subscriber base. Other users will have a new reason to get and use a Starbucks card. Enhanced wireless access means that Starbucks customers might stay longer, and buy more items during their visit.
Chains like Starbucks often use a single national vendor for telecom offerings such as WiFi, to reduce security issues, consolidate reporting, and provide consistent services and branding across locations.
They won’t be buying breakfast sandwiches, though.
Tags:
at&t,
broadband,
mobile,
Starbucks,
T-Mobile,
telecom,
WiFi,
wireless
