The café in the Hundertwasser Haus, one of Vienna's most recognizable buildings, has started charging people who plug in their electronics. The owner will allow charging for free for up to 15 minutes, but beyond that customers are charged €1 per device. Vienna coffee houses are traditionally a place for people to meet and hang out, much like a coffee version of the Irish pub. They encouraged lingering, in depth conversations, and reading various newspapers (which were supplied for free by the café).

I can see that some people might abuse the coffee shops, using them as their personal office space, but this still seems a little harsh when a tech mag recently calculated the average smartphone costs about $0.80 per year to keep charged.

Tags: café, coffee, Vienna