Everyone likes free stuff

The New York Times has hooked up with Royal Philips Electronics to offer free access of its online source, Times Select. This limited time procedure will take place today and will expire Nov. 12.

Times Select has 551,000 subscribers, according to spokeswoman Diane McNulty. About 35 percent of them pay for it directly, while 65 percent get it as part of their regular subscription to the print edition of the newspaper.

The company is hopeful to attract more future online subscribers to boost the loss of revenue from the print side of the paper. A few extra perks will also be a part of this new package.

The New York Times could be hot on the trail of something big. It wasn't long ago that phone companies had trial-run texting free of charge. Texting now has a small cost attached but has not scared away users by any means. If Times Select can continue giving readers good bait, chances are they'll get some big catches.