WiFi is OK @ Coffee Bean

In all fairness to the Coffee Bean, I should note that their wi-fi is up and running.

And it logs on MUCH faster than the AT&T Wireless that is now available at Starbucks.

There are rumors that it kicks you off after two hours of use — although I haven’t reached that limit yet. I’ll let you know as I find out.

But as far as internet connections at Coffee Bean go, so far, so good. I’m back at Coffee Bean, although I now have to use up the Starbucks card that I got from the internet blackout from Coffee Bean . . .

 

Coffee Bean Wifi = LAME (RippleTV shows its rookie stripes)

I love my Coffee Bean. And one of the many things I loved about Coffee Bean was that it had nice super reliable and super fast wifi — which I can use because I have AT&T DSL at home and work (of which I’m not a big fan — wifi great, dsl not so great).

But I am writing this blog at Starbucks. Yeah, can you believe it?

Coffee Bean, probably being roped in by whatever slick-in-law-ex-dot-commer dumbass from RippleTV (the people who run the TV ads at Coffee Bean), decides to switch to them as their Wifi provider. I think RippleTV in turn, contract out with another company called Sputnik to do their work.

The whole idea is that the new improved WiFi is supposed to be FREE. You get the access code for your free Wifi by looking at the RippleTV — thereby actually looking at the RippleTV flatscreen rather than ignoring it like you would normally.

So get this — Coffee Bean doesn’t allow former AT&T Wireless users to login, but they won’t let people use their “free” Wifi for another week. BLEH.

It’s minor, it’s not a big deal, but it is annoying — considering that Starbucks performed their transfer from T-mobile Hot Spot to AT&T WiFi pretty seamlessly. And AT&T usually screws everything up (yeah, they’re the number #1 reason why I will NEVER EVER get an iPhone).

So it just goes to show you that things change all the time. I’m praising Starbucks, sitting here at the Starbucks and actually talking trash about my beloved Coffee Bean . . .

 

The Coffee Bean

I’m at Coffee Bean.

Before I go on about howgreat Coffee Bean is, I should provide some context.

I went to college in the Bay Area, where everyone is pretty serious/pretentious about their coffee. I used to drink two cups of espresso during the weekday. It was a bad habit. I had to stop when I realized that I could go to sleep half an hour after that second cup. Yeah, crazy. Independent coffee shops were where it was at. And there I was. Reading my Norton Edition of Paradise Lost, looking as pretentious and pedantic as anyone else in this cafe. So I had some serious coffee chops many years ago.

What changed?

I moved to LA. And I fell in love with the epicene powdered sugary drinks.

And Coffee Bean has the best — the Ultimate Mocha. Sweet, but balanced by the bitter aftertaste of espresso beans ground throughout. Deeee-licious.

I’m now going to go watch Oprah.