Importance of Wifi?

[Coachbulldog]

Verizon is my carrier. I am going to upgrade to Blackberry as soon as the Storm 2 is released. My thinking is once the Storm 2 is released I can compare it to the Tour and decide which one I want. Setting aside style, the biggest difference between the two phones is the Storm 2 is rumored to be Wifi capable while the Tour is not. My question is how essential is Wifi? When I started comparing handsets my thought was Wifi was essential. But the more I consider the options, I am wondering how often current Blackberry users with Wifi capable phones actually find it necessary to use the Wifi?

[avt123]

I use WiFi on my Bold a lot. It downloads things faster, loads things faster and the quality of streaming seems to be better. WiFi is also great if you are in a poor coverage area. You can turn in on and still receive data.

WiFi is also great for business users who have data caps. You can turn it on to prevent the data cap or if you already have caped.

WiFi is becoming a standard in smartphones so it has to have a pretty big importance if manufacturers keep including it.

[zzycatch]

Some people require it (like myself) others do not (sounds like you fall here).

It can be a nice to have, but if you don't need it, I wouldn't make it a deciding point.

[cd36]

I think it really falls to personal preference. MTS has really good service in Manitoba so there are very few times I have no service (and if I don't have service, there is definately no wireless router near by). I pay $15 a month for unlimited internet access so usage isn't a problem. The small files I download I don't think would make to much of a diference on download speeds. And when I"m using Data I'm often roaming around. I'm not often in one place long enough to justify (if i had the option) of turning on wifi. For me wifi is completely unneccessary, for some people though they may really need it, if you have download caps, no wireless service at the cabin (some people may call that a bonus though), etc. Its up to your needs.

[MoistDef]

I personally rarely use WiFi. I keep it off to conserve battery life. I'm always on the go and not always in a WiFi hotspot.

[raji.t]

I use it only when I'm home if I even require it. Or when I'm out of the city, and in some place that has wifi, ill use wifi so I can be on rogers through uma, avoiding long distance charges. Apart from that, I almost never go over my 500 mb limit, I'm always around 300-400

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Duvi]

Wifi is awesome for cdma devices or non UMTS 3g devices as it will allow you do receive and send data while on the phone. This means a rush of emails/IMs/bbms won't come in after finishing up a call that was an hour long. They will come in as they are received.