May 2 - 10:40am EDT   Verizon in a new leak believed close to offering free Wi-Fi access of its own. While talks are described as "fluid," the Wall Street Journal says the cellular carrier will echo AT&T's efforts and team up with hotspot provider Boingo to give Wi-Fi service at airports, coffee shops and other locations for those who use Verizon's DSL or FiOS landline connections. It's not yet certain whether this would extend to everywhere Boingo provides service in the US or just locations that are served by Verizon as well. [full story]

January 9 - 12:50pm EST   Dell today at a press conference at CES revealed the Inspiron Mini 10 (not yet pictured), its third netbook. While only slightly larger than the Mini 9, the new portable is more advanced than either the smaller model or the Mini 12, including through its display. The namesake 10-inch screen is sharper than on other netbooks and produces a 720p (1280x720) resolution closer to full-size notebooks. The system also incorporates a multi-touch trackpad that not only helps with scrolling and zooming but also the ability to jump to a home screen or automatically scroll the contents of a page. [full story]

December 12 - 11:20am EST   AT&T on Friday said it has successfully closed its buyout out Wayport. The deal hands over control of Wayport's Wi-Fi hotspots and gives AT&T about 20,000 access points within the US and a total of 80,000 worldwide. No mention has been made as to if and when Wayport will switch to using AT&T's official Wi-Fi system and how soon users of either service will have a common billing system. [full story]

October 29 - 1:45pm EDT   AT&T has finally resumed its free Wi-Fi service for iPhone owners visiting Starbucks Coffee shops, according to an announcement. American iPhone owners are said to be receiving text messages, informing them of the expansion of hotspot service to include Starbucks; other locations include places such as airports, hotels and restaurants. Gaining access requires picking the "attwifi" network, entering a phone number, and waiting for a text message with a 24-hour link. [full story]

July 18 - 10:40am EDT   (Updated with AT&T denial) AT&T has, after some delay, officially reintroduced a free Wi-Fi plan for iPhone owners. The carrier has changed its policy on the service several times, announcing it and then retracting it; the company now confirms, though, that people should be able to access free Wi-Fi from an iPhone at over 17,000 hotspots, among them more than 8,000 restaurants, many of which should be Starbucks Coffee locations. [full story]

June 25 - 11:15am EDT   Starbucks Coffee will drop most of its music efforts by September, reports say. Indications are said to point to the company doing away with its full-sized CD racks, reducing selection to just four "slots" per store. Critically for Apple, it is believed the company will also drop all iTunes promotions, including gift cards and any special track offers. The one remaining Apple connection will be free Internet access for the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. [full story]

June 11 - 1:45pm EDT   AT&T and Starbucks today said they have struck an agreement with T-Mobile that puts an end to a short-lived lawsuit by the latter over Starbucks' Wi-Fi service. The three parties have come to a "memorandum of understanding" that will both halt the case as well as continue wireless access at US coffee shops. Terms for the deal remain private and don't reveal any change in the pace of the transition from T-Mobile to AT&T for Starbucks Wi-Fi, which began in April after an announcement in February that AT&T had won the rights to handle Starbucks' Internet service. [full story]

June 3 - 10:25am EDT   Yesterday's report of specialty coffee chain Starbucks offering free-of-charge Wi-Fi access to customers has been made official, the company confirms through its sign-up page posted today. The deal offers two hours of uninterrupted access each day to Starbucks Card owners who use or top up their cards at least once a month, encouraging them to make regular visits to Starbucks that the company hopes will translate to increased coffee sales. [full story]

June 2 - 11:30am EDT   Starbucks will launch some of its first universal free Wi-Fi starting from tomorrow, according to a conversation held by former Sling Media official Dave Zatz as well as a company page. Stores from June 3rd onward will give two hours of free Wi-Fi access per day to any Starbucks Card owner who uses the card for other store purchases at least once a month. Unlike efforts that limit access to PC data cards or Apple's iTunes-only usage, the free link will be available to any 802.11 device, the coffee merchant says. [full story]

May 20 - 10:00am EDT   AT&T on Tuesday announced that it would provide free Wi-Fi to all users of its LaptopConnect service. The plan lets owners go online at any of 17,000 hotspots, including almost 7,000 Starbucks locations. Those who install AT&T's connection software for compatible cellular data cards also get an intelligent hotspot finder, the carrier says: the manager will automatically recognize any AT&T-backed Wi-Fi points and give users the option of switching to cut down on their cell network transfers. [full story]

May 15 - 6:05pm EDT   AT&T on Thursday had scheduled its iPhone WiFi service to commence, but pulled the plug at the last minute, with little explanation as to why. CrunchGear reports that a notice went out from AT&T officials, describing that the planned launch was cancelled, and that the project is currently on an indefinite hiatus. The publication theorizes that the announcement was an effort on AT&T's part to offer original iPhone owners speedier internet connectivity, in light of the upcoming 3G version. [full story]

April 25 - 1:15pm EDT   AT&T and Starbucks have announced that they are finally beginning to deploy their joint Wi-Fi service, which lets existing AT&T customers go online from a cafe for free. To qualify, users must have one of AT&T's home or small business broadband packages, or a U-verse IPTV subscription; starting on May 1st, these people will need only login to "ATTWiFI" inside a Starbucks outlet. Some 7,000 locations should have Wi-Fi in May, though customers may already be able to login from San Antonio. [full story]

April 15 - 10:05am EDT   Apple and Starbucks on Tuesday announced a new collaboration, dubbed Pick of the Week. The program offers Starbucks customers free music and music videos, downloadable from the iTunes Store. According to the companies, the content will be available through Pick of the Week download cards, provided at more than 7,000 Starbucks locations in the United States. The cards will be good for 60 days from the date a song is named "Pick of the Week," and allow customers to get a complimentary (though pre-selected) song or music video. [full story]

February 11 - 11:35am EST   Starbucks today said it would begin offering free Wi-Fi access to AT&T subscribers as well as free two hours of Wi-Fi to those who make purchases at the world's largest coffee chain. The move marks a break from Starbucks' longstanding choice of T-Mobile and will see all of Starbucks' 7,000-plus existing Internet-capable coffee houses switch to AT&T for access. All customers of AT&T's DSL and U-verse Internet services will have free, unlimited access to the hotspots. AT&T's cellphone customers will also have the option in the near future, the coffee producers say. Starbucks Card holders will also have two hours of use per day on top of their existing benefits. [full story]