Coffee shops mix lattes with laptops

By Charles Wright

Melbourne's prime coffee shops are being staked out by wireless internet providers, in a move to generate more profits from a growing trend to stage informal business meetings over espressos away from the office.

The key ingredient in the mixing of laptops with lattes is Wi-Fi networking 802.11b technology, which uses low-power radio waves to zap data to and from portable devices as small as palmtop computers.

Some coffee chains including Gloria Jean's and Hudsons, and even McDonald's, are beginning to install Wi-Fi hot spots. But many of the prime locations - cafes and coffee shops near corporate offices and the top legal and international accounting firms - have already been signed by Melbourne-based Azure Wireless, armed with a $50 million funds injection from Crown Casino founder Lloyd Williams.

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