This morning, I popped into the Starbucks at the corner of Peach & McKinley – near Fresno Yosemite International Airport, where I work. My reasons for this are threefold – 1. I wanted some coffee, 2. House Blend (which is all they serve at the airport) wouldn’t cut it, 3. I wanted a toasted asiago cheese bagel (also not available at the airport Starbucks).  While I was there, I decided to check my internets for news and twitterings. Instead of the usual AT&T Wi-Fi login tied to my Starbucks Card, I was greeted with a different login screen:

Free AT&T Wi-Fi for iPhone

I inserted my phone number, checked the box and got this screen:

You will receive a text message shortly

I received my text message with a URL to perform the final authentication and get me to my internets. This was much more convenient that entering a username and password into a login box and choosing from a list of potentially confusing account choices. The link is apparently good all day. I have no idea if this is just at Starbucks or if it works at other AT&T locations too. I guess I could always go find a Barnes & Noble and try it out.

Edited to add: I received another text message from AT&T later today:

iPhones get free Wi-Fi at AT&T hotspots