do you think future phones will have crippled/no wifi??

[serrano_yejo]

After the release of my SPRINT PPC-6700 somewhere out there a high-end exec must be asking himself:"Why would anyone put WiFi on these pdaphones? Wouldn't that eliminate the need to pay for access to the internet through Sprint's Vision Network?" 'We didn't get where we are today by giving the customer what he wants' approach?

Everytime that i read a news-site or a forum related to SMARTPHONES in general it states that future SmartPhones will either be crippled wi-fi version (XV6700) or no wi-fi at all (TREOS)...

So in this forum opinion will the PPC-6700 be the las of the full functioningn "network/wifi(no crippled)" enabled smartphone?

What do you smartphones users think will be the future? :?: :?:

[Sven Johannsen]

You should be askkng this on SmartphoneThoughts. Maybe you did. I don't think there will be an issue, but I do think you are more likely to find a crippled branded phone than an unbranded one. I think the carriers are just coming to grips with this VoIP thing, which is probably the real issue. With free Skype and free SkypeOut in the US, what would prompt Cingular or T-Mobile to provide you with a way to take advantage of that? I think what you will find is more cell carriers getting into the WiFi space. With some exceptions, you are going to be paying for your WiFi connections, if you want them consistantly. T-Mobile Hotspots are probably the best known and most ubiquitous example. That's $20 a month if you have a $30 a month T-Mobile cell contract. It's $30 a month if you don't.

I think folks are going to have cell plans anyway, and you pay for them whether you use the minutes or do VoIP. I think the networks will figure out they aren't going to lose significant revenue to WiFi users, and it could be an additional source of income. T-Mobile seems to have figured that out.

[Guest979]

I guess for Palm OS, the future is now. :(