Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Apple
    • Apple
    • IT Management
    • Mobile
    • Small Business

    Barnes and Noble, ATandT Partner on In-Store Wi-Fi

    Written by

    Nathan Eddy
    Published July 29, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Bookseller Barnes & Noble has announced a partnership with mobile carrier AT&T to provide complimentary Wi-Fi Internet access in B&N’s stores across the United States. Customers can also use the in-store Wi-Fi to access B&N’s collection of 700,000 titles, which it claims is the world’s largest e-bookstore.

      All customers shopping in B&N stores can now freely download and preview any of the more than 700,000 e-book titles, with hundreds of thousands of public domain titles available from Google. The company said its number of e-book titles is expanding every day and expects to hit the 1 million mark soon. The existing AT&T Wi-Fi network at B&N has been available to customers since 2005.

      “We are pleased to expand our relationship with Barnes & Noble as we work together to enhance and deepen customers’ overall experience within the retail stores,” said AT&T Business Solutions CEO Ron Spears. “We currently offer the majority of our AT&T customers Wi-Fi access throughout our more than 20,000 U.S. hot spot footprint, including Barnes & Noble, with their qualifying AT&T services. Now, we’re excited to be able to offer every Barnes & Noble customer the same great Wi-Fi experience at no extra charge whenever they enter a retail store.”

      As a part of the Wi-Fi offering announced, B&N said customers will also soon be able to opt-in to receive personalized messages from the company-such as a coupon to the in-store caf??«, notices on an author book signing or details on where to find a new book release in their favorite genre-on Wi-Fi-enabled devices when a customer enters the store.

      Customers can also download free Barnes & Noble applications, including an events calendar, directions to and locations of the nearest store, and an iPhone application that allows customers to use the iPhone’s camera to snap a photo of a front cover and within seconds promptly retrieve product details, editorial reviews and customer ratings, as well as find and reserve a copy of it in the nearest store.

      Steve Riggio, CEO of B&N, said this service is a natural progression of the company’s digital strategy to provide customers with more choices in how, when and where they want to read. “Barnes & Noble pioneered the concept of retail stores as community centers,” said Riggio. “By providing no-fee Wi-Fi access, we are not only meeting our customers’ needs, but extending the sense of community that has always been in our stores.”

      Just last week the bookseller announced the launch of the e-bookstore. In addition to 700,000 titles so far, the e-bookstore offers more than a half-million public domain books from Google, which can be downloaded for free. First-time users of the eReader will have the opportunity to download free e-books, including staples such as Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary and classics of literature.

      The company also recently announced a strategic partnership with Plastic Logic, a spin-off company from Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory. Their e-reader, seen as a competitor to Amazon’s widely publicized (and criticized) Kindle 2 e-reader, is scheduled to debut in early 2010 after a limited run for select partners later this year. It will reportedly have a thickness of less than 7 millimeters, a form factor of 8.5 by 11 inches and a weight of less than 16 ounces. It will be capable of displaying Microsoft Office documents and PDF files as well as e-books.

      Nathan Eddy
      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×