tethering ... the antidote to t-mobile

For several years I have had conflicting feelings: my love for coffee and my desire for free WiFi. This is where matters get complicated. Tonya and I have owned stock in Starbucks since 2000 and I love the company, how they do business, and their coffee. But they do not offer free WiFi access. Instead, they require you to have a t-mobile account.

We already have broadband access at home and I'm too stubborn to pay for another ramp to internet access. So ... what I've been doing is going to independent coffee shops that offer free WiFi. Since I'm working out of the house, it's a great way to get out among people. But it also means that I'm not going to Starbucks.

Hence, the conflict.

Until now. The technical term is called "tethering." I'm actually typing this blog via a connection between my cell phone and laptop. Since my phone has EVDO (Sprint's data network) capability, I can surf the net on my phone anywhere I can get a cell connection. With the addition of a USB cable, I can also fire up my laptop and go online.

Howard Schultz should be partially happy. I'm back buying his coffee, minus the t-mobile account.