Free Wi-Fi: Will Barnes & Noble Lead Us to the Promised Land?
July 31st, 2009Remember the time when you harbored hope of free wi-fi access everywhere? Not just a few select cities, but unlimited hot spots for citizens all across our great land?
The theory was simple: logging on would involve a 15-30 second period where we would be exposed to local advertising. These captive ads, paid for by local businesses, would ensure the costs of access for an entire community would be more than manageable for any city.
Move forward to 2009 and here in the northeast nothing could be further from reality. In the State of Maine one has to hunt down a Panera Bread to be able to find a sit down, leisure option, for such access. Amazingly, one cannot even get free wi-fi while waiting for one of those indeterminably-delayed flights at the Portland Jetport.
Of course, we have figured out how to get by. Mainers, ever frugal, now know they may pull into the parking lot of a Staples or Office Max or even a VIP Auto (yes, one of the strongest signals available is in the parking lot of an auto parts store) to be able to check their email.
But finding one of these entities, wheeling into the parking lot, and popping open the lap top is never easy.
Ultimately, we have longed for what might be.
Barnes & Noble to the Rescue
Given our frustration we were thrilled to learn of at least one major company willing to give the idea another go. Book store giant Barnes & Noble recently announced it would drop its pay-per-use store hotspots in favor of free wi-fi access to anyone with an appropriately equipped laptop, smart phone or PDA.
Of course the action is not simply an act of kindness by the book store chain. Instead, the store is promoting its e-book library in hopes that you might just be enticed to purchase the latest best seller.
That is not a problem in our eyes. As we noted earlier, we had anticipated a sales model in return for access. Even if it does involve significant marketing, it is no different than any other magazine, newspaper or web site.
As long as you are disciplined, there is virtually no negative. There isn’t a requirement to purchase an e-book to get online. Instead, as WalletPop points out, B & N is simply making it as easy for folks to “browse the cyberspace aisles as the real ones.”
Retailer Has a Plan
While great for users, there actually appears to be a larger plan at work here: B & N is on the path to competing with Amazon by developing its own e-book reader. But for now the company is simply offering software that enables you to view the best sellers on your laptop, smart phone or other electronic portable device.
In the meantime, for those who also really like books and the atmosphere of the book culture there is also a sign up available for promotional coupons and notices of book signing events. But for the rest of us, what makes the entire option a plus is that signing up for such promotional material is not required for access.
It is, dare we say it, free wi-fi access!
B & N, here we come.
