This is good news if, like me, you aren’t quite willing to shell out for a dedicated wireless broadband service plan to use aboard your boat, but you still want to bring your laptop along to keep in touch, periodically.
Gizmodo is reporting that "AT&T is popping Wi-Fi hotspots at over 7,000 Starbucks stores, exploding their own network and razing T-Mobile’s biggest Wi-Fi front in one fell swoop. And they’re offering the true killer app: Two hours of free Wi-Fi a day to Starbucks Card holders (like the gift cards, so just pre-pay for your fix) and unlimited internets to AT&T’s broadband customers and Starbucks slaves. Update: Even though T-Mobile has actually gotten the boot from Starbucks, AT&T is letting T-Mo customers keep using the hotspots for no extra fee."
That’s a pretty good deal. Of course I’m from Seattle, so naturally I live in a fantasy world where everybody loves Starbucks and there are convenient Starbucks locations near every significant cruising destination. 
I’m kidding, of course.
