Macworld reports that Barnes & Noble and AT&T are now offering free Wi-Fi in Barnes and Noble's stores. Previously, this had been a subscription service.
Since its debut in 2005, AT&T access has been a subscription-based affair, but on Tuesday the two companies announced that AT&T Wi-Fi has gone complimentary. Users with laptops, Wi-Fi equipped smartphones and other wireless devices can now surf the Web in stores without having to set up an account or pay.
Barnes & Noble recently fired a shot across the bow of Amazon.com and its Kindle e-book reader, announcing its "eBookstore" and plans to release a dedicated e-book reader of its own, in development by Plastic Logic. While the eBookstore is only passively mentioned in Barnes & Noble's press release, the move to make Wi-Fi available for free in all Barnes & Noble stores seems partly geared to build customer awareness of the new eBookstore, along with promotional content like bestseller lists, new releases, celebrity book signings and more.
Providie free Wi-Fi for customers is another way to get people inside the store. Details about the free Wi-Fi at Barnes and Noble can be found here.
Macworld 
