As my tiny handful of dedicated followers no doubt noticed, this blog has been on a short hiatus. Blame holidays, reorganizations, workload, and procrastination... a deadly combination in any sense!

Anyway, time to get back on track. This is the second half of an article that contemplated the current state and possible potential of ubiquitous WiFi, particularly in the United States. To sum up, the desire definitely seems to be there, there are plenty of devices ready to capitalize on such an ecosystem, but there are numerous holes yet to be filled. Progress occurs in tidal fashion; one entity will surge to launch widespread WiFi while another retreats hastily from ambitious plans. It remains to be seen if there is any true, sustainable forward momentum. Intriguing projects such as the viral FON may offer the most hope, but depend on a great many advanced users in the ecosystem. Boingo also offers some promise but needs broader coverage.

So let's assume that worst case occurs and ubiquitous WiFi sputters. Nokia is looking to a future where handheld computers such as the N810 are prevalent. If WiFi isn't there to fully support them, how will such products connect?

In the case of the N810 and its brethren, one alternative is currently available: virtually tethering to a bluetooth-enabled phone and using it as a highly-mobile modem. I've done this with my N800 and N810 numerous times and for the most part satisfactorily. GPRS has been analogous in performance to a 56K PC modem, which while not stellar can get the job done in a pinch. As cellular data offerings increase in speed, this option grows correspondingly more attractive. The downside remains one of cost, and there is currently much variety (to put it politely) in pricing models across the globe.

One reason WiFi has sputtered in some instances is more political than technical: phone service providers have had difficulty wrapping a bu$ine$$ model around it. Each would of course prefer that your data consumption begin and end at their trough rather than in a wide-open hunter-gatherer WiFi ecosystem. That's why some analysts believe that 3G's successors, HSDPA and the like, have greater potential for near-term traction than Wifi. Check out this opinion piece on the UK's The Register; while the tone of the article isn't exactly objective, it's currently difficult to argue with the ultimate conclusion. Data services provided by the telcos have a better chance of widespread, uninterrupted usage than WiFi in its current state, at least in some areas.

However, cost remains a significant obstacle for the typical consumer. Low-price, flat-rate plans simply must be more available for the cellphone broadband utopia to manifest.

There may be a driver for just that need, too: WiMAX. All but written-off as recently as the end of 2007 by many analysts, the beleagured technology is now showing signs of renewed life, in upcoming services such as Sprint's XOHM in the US. Nokia has announced plans for an N810 WiMAX-enabled variant, to be provided by Sprint. Even if WiMAX suffers the same mixed fate as WiFi, there's reason to believe that at the very least this effort could further encourage the cell service carriers to improve their data plans' performance and cost. A successful Wifi/WiMAX (each has its own sphere of use) hybrid infrastructure should really put some fear into the more conventional telcos!

This industry is still immature in many respects and current drawbacks won't resolve overnight. But at least there are signs of improvement, both in services and products. With its viable mix of technologies supported on current and future devices, it looks like Nokia for one is definitely poised to capitalize on whatever form the future mobile data landscape takes.