If it ain't got WiFi it ain't got ****

Walt Mossberg, in this past Wednesday's Wall Street Journal, reviewed the newest smartphones: Motorola's Q and Palm's Treo 700p (above).

Buried deep within the detailed review was the following sentence, the only one that really mattered to me: "Neither phone has Wi-Fi wireless capability."

Say what?

From now on if a handheld device doesn't have WiFi it's a relic.

The future is connected.

Not making WiFi a default feature is like not having a screen: why bother?

Sure, you say: the shuffle has no screen.

And I say to you: go away.

The absence of WiFi in a device that's portable is like disabling it so that it only works on AC power: again, why bother?

Sure, AC power is everywhere: so does that mean you want to carry along a cord and look for an outlet every mobile waking minute?

The electronics people are so busy adding features they're missing the big picture: all of them are blind to the future.

Who's gonna twig first?

My money's on Apple.

Why do you think I haven't purchased an iPod Video yet?

Simple: no WiFi.

Just wait — but not for long....

Yo, Steve — please don't sue me.