Who Needs WiFi?

[zerowind]

WiFi is a must for me.

I will admit when I first got my tornado my first thought was "Wifi? Nice but I don't think I'll need it" That was however B.S. (Before Slingbox)

Once I starting using Slingplayer mobile, wifi became a blessing when it was available. For those who think watching TV on a small screen is unbearable, it really isn't once you've got the sound turned up loud (loud enough to fill a small room) It works great as a makeshift kitchen table TV when you're in the middle of watching a show and want to get something to eat. Just turn on slingplayer mobile and walk to the kitchen with the show playing in your hand. Set it on the counter while you get the food out of the fridge, bring it over to the table and prop it up while you eat. Convenient.

The other thing I use slingplayer mobile for is simply connecting to my DVR to record a program I forgot to schedule. Very handy.

In the US, even with 3G (which T-Mo of course doesnt have ready yet) there is the issue of coverage *and* reliablility. I get EDGE in most places I go during the week. However sometimes it's unbearably slow. And sometimes it's down completely. I expect we'll see similiar issues once 3G rolls out. In these situations, it is nice to have wifi as a backup.

I can understand if a phone is manufactured without wifi (like the Samsung i320) However when a phone *does* originally come with wifi and a carrier removes it, that's something I can't stomach. Like Cingular for instance and the upcoming i600. Reports so far are that Wifi has been removed. Carriers that cripple features on a phone like BT tethering and something as useful as wifi to get more revenue by encouraging (forcing) data plan signups will never get my business.

Thank goodness T-Mo USA doesn't do anything like that --yet. However with what they spent on recent AWS spectrum, I wouldn't be surprised if they try something like that to boost data plan sales...

I reallly hope not.

[Kris Kumar]

WiFi for data access is not the primary reason why I would like to have WiFi.

For me WiFi helps me connect with my home network, access files and especially on the work network, I can access Intranet sites and servers. This is something that the carrier's data network will not let me do, unless I open up the firewall.

[freemans]

Think of SkyPe, WIFI is nice. besides, you can get online much cheaper while you are in the hotel, airport, library,... think of that how much you are going to pay to for ringing China from London by direct dail and how much for GPRS internet connection.

[JackmanL]

Like previous responders, I too find WiFi a necessity rather than an obscure sales gimmick. I am often in areas where cell coverage is poor or nonexistent where I travel. However, most of my clients have WiFi in their buildings and campuses. In addition, most hotels now provide WiFi as an amenity. The only difficulty or annoyance associated with using WiFi is having to continually reset the connection settings using the WM5 operating system on my Cingular 8125 phone. It would be nice if the powers to be made using WiFi an automated seamless feature.