Unlimited WiFi at Starbucks?

I like it ...

One problem is if you have to take a leak. Don't leave your laptop unattended ...

At LAT, "Free, unlimited Wi-Fi policy begins at Starbucks":

Ted Thompson, a civil engineer from Santa Clarita, likes his coffee without Internet.

But sitting in a downtown Los Angeles Starbucks, he worried that there might not be much room for him in the chain's shops in the future.

"You won't be able to find a place to sit down anymore if more people are coming in to use their computers," said Thompson, 70. "I thought a coffee shop was for drinking coffee."

On Thursday, Starbucks Corp. instituted a free, unlimited Wi-Fi Internet policy for patrons at its nearly 6,800 company-operated stores in the U.S., plus 750 locations in Canada.

Some competitors beat Starbucks to it. Six months ago, McDonald's Corp. launched free Wi-Fi at about 11,500 U.S. locations. The companies have been butting heads ever since McDonald's debuted its McCafe line of coffee drinks a year ago, typically at lower prices than at Starbucks.

Even before the free Wi-Fi policy some customers spent hours in Starbucks shops with their laptops, taking up the tables and chairs. The Seattle company doesn't have a policy regarding how long a person is allowed to stay, even if he or she doesn't purchase so much as a "tall coffee" (despite the name, the smallest size offered).

The new free, unlimited Wi-Fi program could bring in more of those folks.

"This is a double-edged sword," said Eli Portnoy, a Los Angeles brand strategist who stopped going to Starbucks months ago because it was always "littered with laptops."

"It's going to get worse," he said. "But I feel they think it's a no-win situation, that if they don't offer prime amenities that they're going to be at a loss."

The way it works is you buy a Starbucks drink card with a login code on the back. Customers load the card with money (I started with $5.00) and then register with a password. Only one bummer: I had to go home to register since I couldn't log into the store's WiFi when I first got the coffee card. Other than that, I'm more comfortable at home, watching news, movies, and sports while blogging and tweeting!

It's good to have for traveling, that's for sure. I made sure I got all set up before I went to cover the Arizona immigration rallies, just in case I had problems at the hotel, or if I got stranded somewhere hopefully I could find a Starbucks to kill time ...