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AT&T Can't Make Up Its Mind About Free Wi-Fi For iPhone

This is bordering on ridiculous. Last week, iPhone users (myself included) noticed that they could get free access to Wi-Fi service from AT&T at Starbucks locations. Later in the week, AT&T yanked the service. Early this week, it put the service back up, complete with information on the AT&T Web site. Today, any references to free Wi-Fi for iPhones is once again gone. What gives, AT&T?

Seriously. AT&T gave, took, gave again, and took again. Who's making the decisions over there? Is there some sort of internal argument between two different parties, each of which has access to the "turn it on" button somewhere?

This has to rate as one of the most bungled service roll-outs ever. Ars Techinca provides all the nitty-gritty details about the on-again, off-again service.

Personally, I wonder if this service has anything to do with the impending 3G iPhone. I wonder if 3G iPhone users will have access to free Wi-Fi service, or if this will only be offered to the first generation if iPhones that are limited to EDGE data. Who knows.

Either way, AT&T, you just need to make your mind up and roll with it. You can't give people a service, then stop it, then give it back, and then take it away again. This is especially true if someone bases a purchasing decision on literature from your Web site that mysteriously changes when no one is looking.

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