1SRC Podcast EightySeven

[Alan G]

This week we welcome back the PalmAddict and PalmLoyal podcasts, and we talk about NIH's WISER for Palm OS. StyleTap has a new Palm OS emulator available for Windows Mobile/PPC devices, and I also talk about this week's editorials from PalmAddict and 1SRC. [details (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=1638)]

[archangel]

I liked the podcast and I agree about Palm offering upgrades, but I really have to disagree about wi-fi in treos. That is a very vital thing to have in a device. I have free wi-fi at work, at home and at several places along the way and having the option to use free wi-fi is an excellent option. Maybe evdo will replace this, but not everyone wants to spend that kind of money every month on something you could get free or much cheaper with wi-fi hotspots. At this point wi-fi should be included with every PDA device whether a phone or not.

[blues]

I downloaded the PalmAddict and PalmLoyal podcasts, and will listen to them later this afternoon. Thanks for update, Alan.

The wifi debate will never end.
Wifi networks are not allowed where I work, so I guess I'm not as critical about needing it during my day. And I agree with you again Alan, about your impression of the antisocial coffee-shop/wifi/laptop experience. I do love a good cup of quality coffee or latte, but I just don't hangout there because I need to be connected. I'm already pretty well connected.

[iboar]

It has been over a year since StyleTap was first released, sort of, yet it still isn't up to version 1.0 yet! What's up with that? How can they have the audacity to sell a beta version for $30?!? It does work with a few programs, but forget about running programs with graphics, even simple screen backgrounds look like doodoo. In my opinion it is STILL the same POS it was when released over a year ago and it isn't even worth installing. Perhaps someday they will actually hire a programmer and get it working, until then two thumbs down to the idiots at StyleTap who apparently have at least one thumb up their collective [you know what]. :mad:

[Alan G]

It has been over a year since StyleTap was first released, sort of, yet it still isn't up to version 1.0 yet! What's up with that? How can they have the audacity to sell a beta version for $30?!? It does work with a few programs, but forget about running programs with graphics, even simple screen backgrounds look like doodoo.

Dude, chill. They are working on a Windows Mobile app! :)

Alan G

[Alan G]

I really have to disagree about wi-fi in treos. That is a very vital thing to have in a device. I have free wi-fi at work, at home and at several places along the way and having the option to use free wi-fi is an excellent option. Maybe evdo will replace this, but not everyone wants to spend that kind of money every month on something you could get free or much cheaper with wi-fi hotspots.

About a year ago, I would have agreed with you. Then I got a Treo 700p with an unlimited data plan for $15 a month. The only place I even think about using Wi-Fi now is my home.

Alan G

[Alan G]

And I agree with you again Alan, about your impression of the antisocial coffee-shop/wifi/laptop experience.

Actually, I think you are thinking of what PJ Arts of PalmAddict fame was talking about in this Why-Fi article which has a thread going over here also. But, yes, I agree with the statements made in that editorial.

Alan G

[Jowls]

Just finished listening to the podcast.

"Ed Colligan commits to bringing WIFI to Palm OS".

Yes! Not a surprise given the current trend in the smart phone market, but still a very happy announcement that confirms that Palm OS will be around for a long time yet.

I doubt that it will come in the form of a driver for the power-hungry Sandisk WIFI expansion card, since this will - as has been pointed out in the podcast several times - be detrimental to the battery life. More likely it will be in the form of a modern low power built-in WIFI solution.

And if they were to include some form of UMA with it - like Skype or whatever - I would hardly be able to get my arms down for joy.

[Alan G]

Yes! Not a surprise given the current trend in the smart phone market, but still a very happy announcement that confirms that Palm OS will be around for a long time yet.

Notice the lack of a date as to when Wi-Fi will be implemented. From what Colligan said, we can have Wi-Fi next week or two years from now. He simply commited to putting Wi-Fi in there "when the time is right."

Don't get to excited about UMA or Skype like services. Sprint and Verizon won't be too excited about people making "free" calls with VoIP over a Wi-Fi connection.

Alan G

[Jowls]

Notice the lack of a date as to when Wi-Fi will be implemented. From what Colligan said, we can have Wi-Fi next week or two years from now. He simply commited to putting Wi-Fi in there "when the time is right."

I still see it as a positive thing that they are at least contemplating it. When the 700 came out as a CDMA device with no WIFI and thus aimed solely at the US market, I feared that Palm had decided to pull out of the global race. And for us europeans, that would have been sad news.

Besides, I just checked the time... and its definitely right :)


Don't get to excited about UMA or Skype like services. Sprint and Verizon won't be too excited about people making "free" calls with VoIP over a Wi-Fi connection.

Alan G

Good point. The telcos are understandably protective of their market, since they have paid umpteen squadrillions in licence fees and construction costs to get their networks up. But UMA experiments are allready running:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060728-7373.html

As Palm is conservative and carefull, you are probably right in the assumption that they wont get into this fray just yet. But if the Treo 800p is a WIFI enabled device, I'll bet a frame of diet Coke that it wont be long before apropriate 3rd party software becomes available. Just get us the WIFI and we'll do the rest...

[archangel]

About a year ago, I would have agreed with you. Then I got a Treo 700p with an unlimited data plan for $15 a month. The only place I even think about using Wi-Fi now is my home.

Alan G
Just so I can make sure I'm getting this, what is your treo phone bill every month (not counting going over minutes) total up to? I looked into getting a Treo and it was going to increase my phone bill $40 a month to get a data plan and I found that cost unacceptable.

I find the combo of a PDA and my Razr which sets me back $40 a month (my work even pays 75% of that) a perfect combo. Replacing both with a Treo for $80 a month was not a solution I found appealing at all. This was a low end plan. Getting unlimited data was going to put it over $100 a month and I find that pretty awful when I can check email and download files over wi-fi for free every day.

[Scoobie]

WiFi vs EVDO

I understand the argument between the two but isn't there another issue here? There are many of us who would like to have Evdo but don't live in a major metro area where we could even use Evdo. For us, WiFi is the next best thing for those of us in the sticks.

[ewah]

Wifi vs "any cell plan"

I wake up grab my lifedrive and begin downloading the podcasts that have been downloaded to my home PC over the last day using wifi onto my lifedrive. I jump into the shower while that finishes.

At work I need to update some files so I do over the companies wifi. I can also access my companies webmail and various other websites all while I walk around the office.

(future) On the way home I stop by my local bookstore, they have inhouse wifi so I can lookup through their catalog of books that are actually in the store (rfid) with my device. I not only know that they have the book I want but my lifedrive gives me in store directions to the actual book.

Next I met a buddy for a quick beer and want to checkup on the sports scores. Oh look the bar has wifi and I quickly check espn for the score.

Back at home I sync wireless to my home pc using wifi plug my lifedrive in for a good overnight charge and fall asleep all ready for the next day.

Cost $0

tim

[archangel]

Cost $0

tim
I agree. Now I can understand some of the arguement for the Treo owners. If you have a Treo already and are comfortable with an $80 phone bill and adding EVDO is only going to add an addition $15 a month to your bill why would you need Wi-Fi. However, even in this situation I can still see the need for Wi-Fi once in awhile. For instance if you are home its much easier to jump on your Wi-Fi to sync the PDA or get files.

Another problem is having to trust the phone companies. With Wi-Fi you can stream or download whatever you want to your phone. With their network they can restrict your access to certain types of data they want to charge you for or terminate your contract if your usage is too high (unlimited data plans are really not unlimited and I have a friend that can tell a great story about this).

Again, I have to totally disagree with Alan on Wi-Fi. It has become technology that is very essential and very cheap to add to devices. There is just no reason to leave it out. If you don't want to use it leave it turned off like most of us do with Bluetooth, but its a minimal cost increase to have it and it looks really bad when all the Windows Mobile devices include it.

This debate reminds me of Kirvin's opinion about Wi-Fi a couple of years ago. He actually tried to argue that bluetooth was more vital in a PDA that Wi-fi. I think all the Wi-fi hotspots everywhere and the massive number of devices that now use it have proven that incorrect. What has bluetooth given us? Oh yes, a bunch of jackasses walking around with the awful earpieces in their ear all day. Great.

EVDO is great technology, but it does not replace Wi-Fi any more than Bluetooth did.

[Alan G]

I feared that Palm had decided to pull out of the global race.

Not so! Palm is working to expand their international reach this year. They want to be a global smartphone player. Palm has stated this several times in recent analyst meetings and earning statment conference calls.

Alan G

[Alan G]

Just so I can make sure I'm getting this, what is your treo phone bill every month (not counting going over minutes) total up to? I looked into getting a Treo and it was going to increase my phone bill $40 a month to get a data plan and I found that cost unacceptable.

I'm on Sprint. My monthly voice plan is $30. The same as Verizon and the same as my wife is playing for her "dumb" phone. The unlimited data plan on Sprint is $15 on top of the $30.

Alan G

[Jowls]

This debate reminds me of Kirvin's opinion about Wi-Fi a couple of years ago. He actually tried to argue that bluetooth was more vital in a PDA that Wi-fi. I think all the Wi-fi hotspots everywhere and the massive number of devices that now use it have proven that incorrect. What has bluetooth given us? Oh yes, a bunch of jackasses walking around with the awful earpieces in their ear all day. Great.

EVDO is great technology, but it does not replace Wi-Fi any more than Bluetooth did.

Now that you mention it, I also remember having read or heard Jeff Kirvin state that WIFI was a dying technology a while back. The argument being that EVDO is a more comfortable technology at reasonable price, and that the open WIFI hotspots will be drying out fast due to legislative limitation on the personal freedom by the terror-frightened US government ("We dont want Osama communicating anonymously with his shady minions from his local Starbucks").

And I also remember being baffled over this, because I am used to mr. Kirvin being very much in touch with the world of mobile devices and often spot on in his analyses. Normally he is fast to point it out when Palm does something dumb, but alas not this time.


Comparing Bluetooth and WIFI is like comparing apples and oranges btw. They are related, but serve very different purposes. Besides they are not mutually exclusive. Most new 2450 MHz designs supports WLAN and Bluetooth coexistence signalling interface, meaning that you can wear a wireless headset and surf the internet over WIFI simultaneously.

[archangel]

I'm on Sprint. My monthly voice plan is $30. The same as Verizon and the same as my wife is playing for her "dumb" phone. The unlimited data plan on Sprint is $15 on top of the $30.

Alan G
That is not too bad. I was given the idea by my carrier that I would have to pay $40 on top of my $40 voice plan and an additional $15 for the unlimited data. If I had an EVDO option and could get it for an additional $15 without needing a data plan I would definitely consider it.

[whydidyou]

I joined this site due to Jeff's insightful podcasts. He always could explain in plain language why PalmOS blew Winblows away, but now I hear he's using Winblows Docile himself :(

[Jowls]

I joined this site due to Jeff's insightful podcasts. He always could explain in plain language why PalmOS blew Winblows away, but now I hear he's using Winblows Docile himself :(

Well, I can understand that. You really cant gain a broad knowledge of whats happening on the mobile device market without trying out everything.

Besides I believe to have read somewhere that his decision had something to do with the fact that Palm decided to refrain from updating Hotsync to run on 64-bit Windows. Not a smart move on Palms part - lets hope they are ready for Vista as soon as it hits the street.

[g-funkster]

That is not too bad. I was given the idea by my carrier that I would have to pay $40 on top of my $40 voice plan and an additional $15 for the unlimited data.Ah, finally..as I say, "Welcome to 2003"...that's when I first owned an unlimited data Treo. Same monthly price for the data, by the way, it hasn't changed.

Also, many folks now get onto Sprint via Sero:

www.sprint.com/sero

Google it, you can get tons of info on it. You can get the Treo 700p for $400 dollars with a 500 minute (NW free) plan + Unlimited data that only costs $30 dollars a month. total. Seriously, money should not be an issue these days when talking about data plans. It just kills me to see people talk about wi-fi because data plan costs are prohibitive. If you live in the US, you have pretty good options.

[Jeff Kirvin]

Several points...

Yes, I'm using a PPC-6700 now, a Windows Mobile 5 device from Sprint and HTC. I still have a company issued Treo 650, which has been hard reset, loaded with Goodlink and sits in a charger on my desk for testing purposes. The 6700 is my "main brain" to borrow a phrase from The Gadgeteer.

Yes, I switched in large part because Palm has falled hopelessly behind in syncing technology. They don't support any 64-bit version of Windows, XP or Vista, and the Palm Outlook conduits will not sync with Office 2007. True, Office 2007 is in beta right now, but I hold little to no hope that Palm will issue updated conduits in January when the release version of Office 07 ships. The point is, my 6700 syncs flawlessly with both Vista 64 and Office 2007. I also switched because I wanted a larger (if admittedly lower resolution) screen for reading ebooks and less cramped thumbboard. Since switching, I've been not only pleasantly surprised with Windows Mobile (I'm writing up a little how to on making WM5 just as one-hand usable as the Treo 650) and with the ability to do things I simply can't do with the Treo (like redirect the audio stream to my Motorola H500 without using A2DP to listen to podcasts unwired).

Which brings me to WiFi. I have WiFi on my 6700. I've yet to use it. I was sitting at a hotspot today, listening to a WMA stream of my favorite local radio station and reading RSS feeds, but I wasn't using WiFi to do it. I was using the EVDO connection on my phone. It's there, available, and lower-power than WiFi, so why would I turn on the WiFi radio? Just see if I can finally get to the point where I have to break out my spare battery?

For smartphones (not including the LifeDrive or TX here, just smartphones), WiFi is a non-starter. If you have a 3G data plan ($15 from Sprint, and my total bill is around $60) then you simply don't need WiFi. The only reason I could see a use for WiFi over EVDO, other than physical restrictions (you're deep inside a concrete building with no cell signal but an internal WiFi network) is online gaming where the lower latency of WiFi over cellular could be a distinct advantage. 99.999% of the time, I leave the WiFi radio in my 6700 off.

Airlines, too. Some airlines are starting to provide WiFi connections in flight but you still have to keep cellular radios off. So I'll grant you that, too.

In short, while I'm not UNhappy my smartphone has WiFi, it certainly wasn't a selling point and it's not a real value-add feature. For a smartphone. Noncellular devices better damn well have WiFi or really, what's the point? A handheld without an internet connection these days is about as useful as a PC without an internet connection.

So to sum up: Windows Mobile 5 is just as good as Palm OS 5, just different. WiFi is about as necessary on a smartphone as lipstick on a pig. Palm ignores 64-bit syncing at their peril.

Cheers!

[Alan G]

Besides I believe to have read somewhere that his decision had something to do with the fact that Palm decided to refrain from updating Hotsync to run on 64-bit Windows. Not a smart move on Palms part - lets hope they are ready for Vista as soon as it hits the street.

Palm is no longer responsible for Palm Desktop or the HotSync Manager. The job of updating those two important pieces of software resets squarly with ACCESS/PalmSource. The proof is in the pudding. Just go to Help > About in either application and you will see (C) PalmSource. Palm has made some adjustments for newer devices, however, PalmSource is still repsonsible for churning out new versions that support 64-bit Windows, Windows Media Center, Vista (which is still in beta BTW!!), etc.

Alan G

[Alan G]

in]Several points...

All well said.

Alan G

[Jeff Kirvin]

All well said.

Alan G
Well, except where I typed "falled" instead of "fallen"... I hate it when I write like a Texan...

(disclosure: I was born and raised in Houston, pre-Enron. Just so you know.)

[Alan G]

Ya, OK, but I didn't want to go rewording your post. This isn't 1984.

Alan G

[Jowls]

WiFi is about as necessary on a smartphone as lipstick on a pig.

True, if you are in metropolitan US where you have EVDO coverage..... and if you trust the telcos to always offer low price flat fee dataplans, even if they know that you have no other alternative. On the remaining 99.9% of the planet WIFI is an essential supplement to any modern smartphone.

That is why I still have a difficult time making sense of the Treo 700. Consider that CDMA is a stale technology (most new networks in emerging countries are GSM or WCDMA2100) combined with the fact that Palm is a relatively small company and thus lack the ressources of competitors like Motorola, Nokia and Samsung to burn on experiments. How can they afford to come out with a device with such a limited appeal? Other smartphone companies are thinking globally and does their best to broaden their markets and increase volumes, while Palm is making a device that is only usefull for a handfull of american city-people who rarely travels internationally. I find that a bit odd.


To sum it up: The key feature for any smartphone is connectivity and WIFI is the lingua franca of short distance high speed wireless access. It works everywhere - from northern Greenland to Tortuga. Even in the event that you dont depend on it for daily use, having the option is like having a spare tire in your car. You may not have a flat very often, but when you do it is certainly nice to be prepared.
[/QUOTE]

[Scoobie]

True, if you are in metropolitan US where you have EVDO coverage.....

Exactly. Everyone seems to think that Evdo is everywhere and it's not. Maybe someday but for right now I only have the option of buying a $40-$50 data plan (others not provided in this rural area) but only attaining snail speeds.


I understand Kirvins thinking and pretty much agree. But when Evdo simply isn't an option (millions of users fall into this category) WiFi is our only hope.

<Scoobie trots off to go pick out a nice shade of red lipstick for his pig>

[Jeff Kirvin]

True, if you are in metropolitan US where you have EVDO coverage..... and if you trust the telcos to always offer low price flat fee dataplans, even if they know that you have no other alternative. On the remaining 99.9% of the planet WIFI is an essential supplement to any modern smartphone.

Yeah, because you get great WiFi coverage on the raft in the middle of the Pacific or in the Nevada desert or deep in the Amazon rain forest... Don't give me 99.9%. That's crap and you know it. In most US metro areas, the amount of EVDO coverage dwarfs all of the hotspots combined. WiFi is a location-limited technology, which makes little sense in a mobile device. Wow, I can stream radio but only if I never leave this cafe. That's awesome. Not.

And as for depending on the telcos to offer a low, flat fee... How long do you thing WiFi access will remain free? A lot of places are starting to charge, if for no other reason than to discourage cybersquatters from taking up table space while they surf all day. I'd rather pay one company once a month than deal with ad hoc headaches.

That is why I still have a difficult time making sense of the Treo 700. Consider that CDMA is a stale technology (most new networks in emerging countries are GSM or WCDMA2100) combined with the fact that Palm is a relatively small company and thus lack the ressources of competitors like Motorola, Nokia and Samsung to burn on experiments. How can they afford to come out with a device with such a limited appeal? Other smartphone companies are thinking globally and does their best to broaden their markets and increase volumes, while Palm is making a device that is only usefull for a handfull of american city-people who rarely travels internationally. I find that a bit odd.

That's because you're not in Palm's target market. They make the 700 a CDMA phone because in the United States the CDMA carriers have the best and most widespread networks. Palm doesn't give a toasted damn about developing countries or what Europeans are doing. They are a small company, and can only afford to target a small market. If they did release a cheap UMTS/GSM Treo that was a runaway hit worldwide, the demand would kill them. They can't compete at Moto's level so they don't bother to try. And if you're only interested in the US market, CDMA rules.

To sum it up: The key feature for any smartphone is connectivity and WIFI is the lingua franca of short distance high speed wireless access. It works everywhere - from northern Greenland to Tortuga. Even in the event that you dont depend on it for daily use, having the option is like having a spare tire in your car. You may not have a flat very often, but when you do it is certainly nice to be prepared.
In the US, WiFi on a smartphone is a bullet point for the marketing brochure. That's it.

[smoothjordan]

Yeah, because you get great WiFi coverage on the raft in the middle of the Pacific or in the Nevada desert or deep in the Amazon rain forest... Don't give me 99.9%. That's crap and you know it. In most US metro areas, the amount of EVDO coverage dwarfs all of the hotspots combined. WiFi is a location-limited technology, which makes little sense in a mobile device. Wow, I can stream radio but only if I never leave this cafe. That's awesome. Not.



It's in most major US cities... take a look at the evdo map from sprint mr know it all and you would see that a good 20 percent of the country has evdo,while the rest have 1xRTT (CDMA of course). Just because you have evdo doesn't mean that wifi is totally useless. If i recall in earlier podcasts, you were one of the guys complaining about the lack of wifi in handheld devices.... now that they have wifi you say it's unnecessary?!? Good thing alan took over the podcasts, otherwise i would have voted you to be FIRED! (Just kidding on that last one kirvinater)
Jordan

[Jowls]

Yeah, because you get great WiFi coverage on the raft in the middle of the Pacific or in the Nevada desert or deep in the Amazon rain forest... Don't give me 99.9%. That's crap and you know it. In most US metro areas, the amount of EVDO coverage dwarfs all of the hotspots combined. WiFi is a location-limited technology, which makes little sense in a mobile device. Wow, I can stream radio but only if I never leave this cafe. That's awesome. Not.

It is not about "or" - it is about "and". It is about flexibility and options. You want your mobile connected device to be able to connect to as many different tubes (as Ted Stevens would put it) as possible.

Wow, I can stream radio but only if I never leave this cafe. That's awesome. Not.

Technically speaking you cant. Not even inside the cafe according to Verizons condition of usage...

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060727-7365.html

... although I dont know how vigorously they enforce it. But whatever they demand you are forced to bend over and accept because your only alternative option for a high speed mobile connection is to purchase 50 miles of sync cable.


And as for depending on the telcos to offer a low, flat fee... How long do you thing WiFi access will remain free? A lot of places are starting to charge, if for no other reason than to discourage cybersquatters from taking up table space while they surf all day. I'd rather pay one company once a month than deal with ad hoc headaches.

That is true - many places has started to charge. But we also see an increasing number of citywide free WIFI networks. In Paris for instance, they plan to have complete coverage through 400 hotspots in 2007. In the finnish city Oulu they've had it since 2005.

In the US this will happen too, I think. The telcos pack a heavy political punch due to their financial power and they use it to fight any form of free wireless access. But other heavy weights like Google, Microsoft, Skype and Nokia want the opposite since free and easy access is beneficial to their business. So in the end it will probably be about who owns the most senators.

The thing is - while it costs you umpteen squillions to build a cellular network anybody with a broad band internet connection can create a WIFI hotspot for less than $100. This is ultra low cost technology and therefore it will spread, despite its short commings.



That's because you're not in Palm's target market. They make the 700 a CDMA phone because in the United States the CDMA carriers have the best and most widespread networks. Palm doesn't give a toasted damn about developing countries or what Europeans are doing. They are a small company, and can only afford to target a small market. If they did release a cheap UMTS/GSM Treo that was a runaway hit worldwide, the demand would kill them. They can't compete at Moto's level so they don't bother to try. And if you're only interested in the US market, CDMA rules.

I didnt mean "developing" countries, but "emerging" markets. Places like China and India with exponentially growing economies. Billions of people who doesnt own a phone and all of a sudden has started making enough money to buy one. Countries so vast that it wouldnt be feasible to create a cable based communications infrastructure. Thus they go totally wireless. These are the markets that matters today, if you want to sell mobile devices in large numbers.

The argument that Palm might not be interested in volume sales is one that I had not considered. I guess success actually can kill you, if you arent prepared for it. And Palm definitely has a history of doing their own thing regardless of what people expect of them - which is part of what makes them such a cool company. So you might have a very good point there.



In the US, WiFi on a smartphone is a bullet point for the marketing brochure. That's it.

Buying a smartphone without WIFI is like buying a PC without USB. Whether you need it or not in the moment of purchase, your still have one less interface option.

[Jeff Kirvin]

It's in most major US cities... take a look at the evdo map from sprint mr know it all and you would see that a good 20 percent of the country has evdo,while the rest have 1xRTT (CDMA of course). Just because you have evdo doesn't mean that wifi is totally useless. If i recall in earlier podcasts, you were one of the guys complaining about the lack of wifi in handheld devices.... now that they have wifi you say it's unnecessary?!? Good thing alan took over the podcasts, otherwise i would have voted you to be FIRED! (Just kidding on that last one kirvinater)
Jordan
As I said, (kids today, they just don't listen...) WiFi in a non-cellular device like the TX or LifeDrive is a must. But in a phone? Eh. Other than the few exception scenarios I mentioned, I just don't see the point.

And as for coverage, if you don't have EVDO where you live, move out of the sticks, Gomer.

[Alan G]

OK, kids. Let's keep this thread above board. I know that there are some users who love the PDAs and what Wi-Fi. And then there is the group who feel that a high speed data connection to the Internet, like EvDO is the way to go. And just to keep things really in the lurch, there are also those people who want both, high speed cellular network access for those times when they are away from their normal stomping grounds and when then are at their "home base" want to use Wi-Fi.

As someone who uses Wi-Fi at home all the time, I can see both sides of the arguement. As you all will recall, when I was using my Treo 600 with it's 5MB/month data plan, i would have loved to have had Wi-Fi on my Treo so I could access Wi-Fi hotspots in my office park. Now that I have a Treo 700p with EvDO and it only costs me $15/month more than my regular cell phone bill, Wi-Fi is now less important to me. (I still use Wi-Fi on m LifeDrive when I'm home.)

So, I believe that the choice to use Wi-Fi, or not, is really a very personal decision. If you have access to Wi-Fi an home, where you work, or at school, it might may a lot of sence to have a Wi-Fi enabled device. If you live in some gosh forsaken place like, oh, I don't know, let's say Denver (it's just a for instance!!), Wi-Fi coverage may really be poor and having something like EvDO really does make all the difference.

So, please, let's just all respect each others points of view.

Alan G