The evidence of this coffee-centric technological revolution is apparent today, with the extensive array of laptops, PDAs and cellphones appearing on the tables of caffeinated and decaffeinated customers alike, at Campbell locations such as Starbucks, the Campbell Coffee Roasting Company, Orchard Valley Coffee and many others.

Visit a coffeehouse in Campbell on almost any afternoon and you will find job searchers, students and even those who use these coffee shops as their primary office. And, with the steady flow of caffeine and wireless Internet capabilities, these bean-grinding businesses have only become more attractive.

Orchard Valley Coffee co-owner Keith Cova has witnessed firsthand the changing face of the coffeehouse at his own E. Campbell Avenue establishment, located in the historical downtown. According to Cova, his location is the largest coffee shop per square footage in the nearby area. And because of its spaciousness, cozy atmosphere, cushiony sofas and numerous tables and chairs, his business draws a sizeable crowd during the week.

But now he sees a number of his customers suffering from the wounds of a bad economy, noting that many customers who used to come in during the week are no longer using their laptops as part of a paying job, but instead are trying to find a job.

"We've been here for almost 11 years, and this is the worst I have ever seen the economy here," he says, shaking his head. "I hope we can turn this around soon."

Cova says he noticed the trend about three years ago at his coffeehouse and that after talking with some of the regulars, he learned that one of the most popular websites visited at his business is Monster.com, a website devoted to helping people find jobs.

"There's less business going on here and more boredom," he says.

Yet even the idle can stay current in the high-tech arena when searching for employment.

For the past five years, Cova has offered WiFi—high-speed wireless Internet access— for those with laptops to surf the web and use electronic mail. And he even offers this service for free to customers.

Day to day, Cova says the atmosphere in Orchard Valley can vary dramatically. Some days, you may see only customers with laptops quietly working, while other days the coffeehouse can be quit boisterous.

"Sometimes, it can seem like a freakin' library in here," he says.

Although there are a number of out-of-work customers who frequent Orchard Valley, it is also a place that draws those who want to get away from the office or use the location as a primary office.

One Orchard Valley customer frequents the coffee shop three to five days a week to get his work done. He owns a dot-com real estate website but preferred to remain anonymous, because he didn't want his employees to know he works outside the office. And, he says that to his knowledge, most of the people he knows try to do the same thing during the workweek.

"I can do the same work here that I would at the office," he says. "I have my cellphone, laptop and wireless Internet. You don't need to be in an office to make money."

Kyle Fukuchi and Marc Licciardi are also regular customers at Orchard Valley Coffee and readily acknowledge that this is their "office." They both work as sales representatives for an electronics manufacturer in China and work with clients in and around the Campbell area. They like the atmosphere at the coffee shop and, like many other patrons, keep coming back, in part due to the business's good customer service—and free wireless Internet.

Campbell resident Wayne Kania is employed but comes into Orchard Valley almost every day for a couple hours to send emails or get some work done. He is a soccer coach and photographer who likes to hang out with the guys at the coffee shop.

He says that, like many of the people in the shop, he is not a "computer geek" and isn't in the high-tech field, but still appreciates the good coffee and unique atmosphere at the coffeehouse.

But this customer mix is not exclusive to Orchard Valley. Just down the street on Bascom Avenue are more laptop-clad people at the Starbucks in the Hamilton Shopping Center.

Richard Helwinkel spends a good portion of his workweek at the Hamilton Shopping Center Starbucks because it's in his neighborhood and he can't get DSL, making the Internet-friendly coffeehouses a perfect fit for him.

For customers like Helwinkel, Starbucks offers a 24-hour free trial with wireless Internet, and then users can sign up with T-Mobile to continue service for $6 per day or $30 per month.

Helwinkel is a freelance photographer who frequents the coffee shop about three times a week to get his work done.

"The people are so great here and I like the social setting," he says. "And everybody here has a common interest—coffee."

Sometimes he will spend an entire workday at Starbucks and, for this reason, he buys the T-Mobile unlimited wireless service so he can connect to the Internet at any time. By purchasing this service, he can also connect to the web at any airport in the country.

On any given day, Helwinkel can be found typing on his laptop and drinking coffee, with his watch, a cellphone, and a laptop laid out on his Starbucks workstation.

At another nearby Starbucks, just across the way, in the Barnes and Noble Bookstore located in the Pruneyard Shopping Center, consultant Steve Perotin spends his workday with the students, bookstore customers and office workers who prefer this location to get some work done.

Perotin finds the atmosphere of area coffeehouses less distracting than working from home. On any particular day he might have his PDA, laptop, cellphone, paper and pens, all resting within the small confines of a Starbucks table.

And this is the way he prefers to work.

"It's nice to be able to work from here, so when I am between appointments, I can just bring my laptop and do some work," he says.

As Perotin and others coffeehouse diehards have already discovered, these places away from the traditional office continue to evolve with the changing times. Yet their morphing from a hot cup of Joe and a haven for conversation to espresso machines that pour double cappuccinos and locations for wireless laptops are just a new version of something old. It's still an atmosphere that can spark innovations, motivate political organizers or bring friends together that began eons ago with the American Revolution.

SVCN staff reporter Allison Rost contributed to this story.