Perhaps it’s because the blogging industry is primarily fueled with coffee, but Starbucks’ announcement that they are ditching T-Mobile and instead using AT&T to provide their in-store WiFi connections has made big waves over the internet.  Alternatively, bloggers could be a cheap bunch, and they prefer AT&T’s deal: anyone with Starbucks’ free debit card can use the WiFi free for up to two hours a day, while AT&T broadband subscribers get unlimited access. 

Meanwhile, Boingo – who offer an aggregated WiFi plan costing $7.95/mo, giving worldwide access to in excess of 100,000 hotspots – have put the cat among the pigeons with the news that they’re working on an iPhone client for their service [via Raw Feed].  Already they have Windows Mobile 5 and Nokia software, a WM6 version in the works and a Sony Ericsson version to be released in the second half of 2008.

Apparently 6-percent of people trying to access Boingo’s networks do so on an iPhone or iPod Touch; Boingo have been hampered by the lack of a SDK for the Apple handheld, and have pledged to get the client “out as quickly as we can after the SDK is available”.

Boingo undercuts the Starbucks/AT&T deal if you’re neither a Starbucks card holder nor have your broadband with AT&T: users who don’t fall into either of those categories pay $3.99 for two hours or $19.99 a month.  However, the Boingo $8 plan is only for handheld devices, not laptops, and so if you’re a hardcore user you’ll probably save more by picking up a Starbucks debit card.