[Aristophanes]

Here, free wifi is getting so ubiqitous that a (very) few people are giving up their dataplans and voice minutes and are just using wifi.

If you don't have free wi-fi good luck selling coffee.

[JPT]

My visiting friends are always surprised that free WiFi is almost non existent in Japan. I think it has to do with expectations and economics to be honest. Most Japanese don't expect to get free Wi-Fi and will just use tethering if necessary. From the point of view of restaurants and cafes, they are usually more interesting in getting people out of the door and the next customer in than encouraging people to loiter longer. I wonder whether there's something similar going on in Belgium. In any case, I find it much easier to find free Wi-Fi in Europe than Japan.

[filoxophy]

Here, free wifi is getting so ubiqitous that a (very) few people are giving up their dataplans and voice minutes and are just using wifi.

Last year I switched from a major national cell carrier to a small startup that relies on a (different) national carrier for cell service only when wifi isn't available. Has saved me ~$100/month. Sounds like my desire for basic wifi capability in a camera is tied to my location...except all I want is the ability to send jpegs to my phone...

[thibs]

Here, free wifi is getting so ubiqitous that a (very) few people are giving up their dataplans and voice minutes and are just using wifi.

I'd really like to do as much

If you don't have free wi-fi good luck selling coffee.

Well, most of the time, no wifi. Or often, advertise wifi, protect it but don't give away the password. People might start using it.

---------- Post added 02-09-14 at 06:52 ----------

My visiting friends are always surprised that free WiFi is almost non existent in Japan. I think it has to do with expectations and economics to be honest. Most Japanese don't expect to get free Wi-Fi and will just use tethering if necessary. From the point of view of restaurants and cafes, they are usually more interesting in getting people out of the door and the next customer in than encouraging people to loiter longer. I wonder whether there's something similar going on in Belgium. In any case, I find it much easier to find free Wi-Fi in Europe than Japan.

I dunno the reasons, maybe economics but I'm not quite sure.
I have a data plan for that reason and even then, the data network itself has unacceptable drops in the coverage area. And that's the major operator.
So data plan is really a need if you need the Net for whatever. I'm even chose the hassle of the Dual Sim phone to get as much as possible from voice and from data, trying to play the operators at their own game.

[mecrox]

I guess I am lucky here. There are several big wifi networks which are free if you already subscribe to the network's broadband services. You usually do have to pay if you are not a subscriber. So I get my broadband from the national telco BT and wherever I go I can then log in to BT wifi hotspots in stores, coffee shops and all over the country - and abroad too since they are linked with another network called FON. So a holiday in Madeira earlier this year meant free wifi everywhere on the island since their net their is FON-linked. BT's broadband routers all come with twin signals, one private for the owner and one public, which means that everyone's home is potentially a hotspot too.

Anyway, the ubiquity of wifi here means that folks likely now just expect it on their gizmos since most of them are already subscribing to a network for access. Wifi has become another utility like water or power.

I wonder whether the wifi situation with Ricoh is another reflection of their concentration on the Japanese and Asian markets. Perhaps wifi in the way I've described it is not as common where Ricoh plan to sell most of their products so they don't feel building it into their cameras is all that urgent.

[jatrax]

Free wi-fi is getting to be almost expected here. Nearly all coffee shops that I can tell, most restaurants, all hotels, car dealerships, even the grocery store and department store. Some provide it to draw in customers, at first it was a competitive advantage, but once all coffee shops have it, then it is no longer an advantage just a cost of doing business. No one is going to go to a coffee shop without free wi-fi now.

The grocery store and department store make you log in to their website first and show the weekly ad, so I guess they think the in-store advertising is worth it. I just click 'agree' and never read the ads.

[monochrome]

I wonder whether the wifi situation with Ricoh is another reflection of their concentration on the Japanese and Asian markets. Perhaps wifi in the way I've described it is not as common where Ricoh plan to sell most of their products so they don't feel building it into their cameras is all that urgent.

Well, there you go.

[Aristophanes]

Well, there you go.

Except the competition is bypassing the SD card route and going built-in wi-fi even for the Asian and Euro markets.

Might be some licensing issues and minimums.

Reliance on Flu Card will kill sales. The next iOS release may be able to read RAW via Wi-Fi, so with Wi-Fi totally ubiquitous in mobile OS's and mobile OS's dominating OS sales now, any camera maker not going towards that stream is floating in a circle.

[Pepe Le Pew]

I love my K -30........

[Mistral75]

(...)

Any other cameras out there use the 20mp sensor in this KS-1?

Sony A3000, A5000 and A58.

And now the brand new, just announced ILCE-QX1.

[grahame]

I love my K -30........

Since all my pentax cameras went out for cleaning or repair during the transition from CRIS to precision, I had to get a k50. I like almost everything on K50, ONLY wish the shutter could be quieter. Depends on the lenses mounted, sometime the noise and vibration is so strong and I am almost worrying if the mirror is going to break.
Wonder if the K-S1 has a quieter shutter/mirror as ones in K5