The competition to gain market share of cable cord-cutters just got a little bit closer.  Amazon Prime has just upped the ante with a new desirable feature that Netflix has said it will “never” allow.  The streaming service will now allow subscribers the ability to download certain movies and TV shows directly to your smartphone or tablet for easy, commuter-friendly, on-the-go viewing.  How many times have you been watching a show on the train, only to have Wi-Fi or regular service go out in a dead zone?

Prime’s new feature promises to make that frustration a thing of the past.  I hear the straphangers rejoicing already!  The amazing thing about Prime is that the streaming services it offers are not really that valuable as a standalone business—but they are a perk offered to Prime subscribers who pay $99 annually for access to free 2-day shipping and other perks like streaming movies and television.

Netflix is simply betting (which I admit isn’t really all that unreasonable), that the places free Wi-Fi is offered will continue to increase, and the quality of that Wi-Fi will continue to improve.  The company has confirmed to news media that even in light of Amazon’s news there are no plans in the works to offer downloadable media.  Of course the downside is most mobile devices have limited storage with most users carrying around a plethora of apps as well.  So it might not be possible to queue up an entire season of Game of Thrones at the ready, but at least you’ll have the next few episodes ready for that lagging commute.

What do you think?  Will this sway you away from Netflix’s larger catalogue and towards all the Amazonian perks?