Free Wi-Fi Makes Money

"Schlotzsky's, small cafes see upturn from free Wi-Fi: Last Thursday's New York Times Circuits section brings us the news that commercial retail shops offering free Wi-Fi are seeing enough of a small uptick in business that it makes sense to continue to not charge. Schlotzsky's has seen 6 percent more business because of Wi-Fi, which could mean $100,000 per shop per year." [Wi-Fi Networking News]

You don't suppose offering free Wi-Fi would bring more people into libraries, now do you?

After all, where would you rather hang - a big comfy chair at the library, surrounded by books and the breadth of humanity's knowledge, or Schlotzky's?

Kate saw a news story about the coolest new gadget for tweens (8-12 year olds), the Thintronix Phone.

"This is a radical twist on the standard wall phone. It's a real working speakerphone that's just over 1" thick and meant to be hung on a wall. The Poster Phone makes group calls easy and fun. The eye-catching design comes in two colors. You can program up to five numbers into the Speed Dial memory and write those names in the erasable spaces on the poster. It's battery operated and comes with all accessories included. Just plug it into any existing phone line and dial away for endless hours of hands-free talk time."

You can actually order this thing now, and it only costs $20! Even though they advertise it for tweens, I'll bet college kids will like it, too (in case you're shopping for a graduating high school senior right about now).

There's also a Thintronix Poster Radio, which I'd order for my office if commercial radio was worth $20.

Lots of other cool stuff listed in the Hasbro press release, all of which is possible thanks to something called "flat batteries."

BTW, Barbara C. says that Bookworm doesn't think "blog" is a real word. Someone please fix this.

The RIAA's image is getting so bad and the music industry is becoming so reviled by its customers that Hilary Rosen has taken to expanding her spin into a Business 2.0 commentary titled Why the Recording Industry Loves Tech. The only problem is that it's still Hilary Rosen twisting the facts. For example: (emphasis is mine)

"...But here's something that may surprise you: I'm every bit as passionate about music as you are.

The reason we do what we do is not a love of litigation but rather a love of music. What other form of entertainment can move you the way music does? And what other form can move with you during every part of your day? Don't overlook these simple facts -- they're the reason that, contrary to the predictions of some doom-and-gloom naysayers, the record industry is poised to rebound.

And what will the vehicle for this rebound be? Technology. Yes, technology.

In fact, record companies and tech firms have long had a symbiotic relationship. Every new music format of the last half-century has come as the result of collaboration between our industries...."

Can she really be this clueless? With their DRM restrictions, music has become the opposite of portable! Some people can't even listen to their CDs in the next room on their computer, I can't take anything I would have downloaded off PressPlay, MusicNow, etc. with me on my MP3 player, and there's less new or old music to take with you.

And how exactly did the record industry collaborate on the MP3 format and make it available to customers? I'm still waiting for that to happen!

If the record industry does rebound, it will be because the RIAA succeeded in destroying alternative formats (webcasting), squashing independent labels, consolidating in order to maintain the status quo, paying off legislators to legislate that status quo, and wiping out competitors.

I can't even post the rest of her commentary because I find it so laughable. If Rosen is one of the "enlightened" executives in the record industry, then they're really in trouble and no amount of spin can help them.