Message 18598894
< CANNES, France -- Consumers are about to be presented with yet another promise of wireless nirvana from gadget makers.
New Wi-Fi phones, expected to be available world-wide within the next 12 months, would allow users to connect to Wi-Fi networks, which can be 100 times as fast as even relatively speedy cellular-data connections. The phones could be used for everything from e-mailing to surfing the Web and downloading music, video or big files such as PowerPoint presentations, and making voice calls to boot. When the devices aren't in the vicinity of Wi-Fi links, which are increasingly found in homes, offices, airports and cafes, users could switch over to traditional cellular services.
Prices haven't been set yet, but the phones are expected to cost about as much as high-end phones or personal digital assistants, which typically start at $500. The Wi-Fi phones also are likely to be bigger and heavier than the tiniest cellphones available today, to accommodate screens and possibly bigger batteries.
Depending on how such a phone is used, there could be cost advantages, because transferring data and even talking on the phone on Wi-Fi is generally less-expensive than using cellphone connections.
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