• Mashable, Friday, August 13, 2010 1:55 PM

Why is Starbucks giving away free Wi-Fi? To promote its Digital Network, or course. "The Starbucks Digital Network (SDN) will be available to customers at company-operated stores beginning this fall," reports Mashable, which got the dish firsthand from Starbucks's VP of Digital Ventures Adam Brotman. "With SDN, Starbucks hopes to engineer an in-store, third-place experience like no other by offering exclusive and premium content from hand-picked content providers, including Apple, The New York Times and leading health publisher Rodale."

The coffee company already knows that computer users spend about one hour per visit on Wi-Fi while mobile users stick around for 15 minutes per web session. In addition, Starbucks has a history of curating music and pop culture content with in-store selections. SDN is therefore "the realization that nationwide free Wi-Fi offers Starbucks more access to its customers; it is a marriage of digital convenience and curatorial prowess," writes Mashable. There's no money changing hands between Starbucks and the content providers. Content providers are giving away restricted access in the hopes of attracting new business.

Read the whole story at Mashable »