1. Capt. Brigg's Avatar
    I'm trying to figure out the advantage of WiFi on a PDA (the Storm 2). If I can down load email and apps through my Verizon data connection what advantage will I have using WiFi to contact the internet? If I need to connect to my PC I use the cradle and USB. If I'm in the middle of Montana on the highway without phone signal I'll also be without WiFi. If I'm in a coffee shop with free WiFi I will most likely have Verizon data access. Someone with more WiFi experience than me, with my Samsung SCH-i760, please explain the advantages to me.
    08-17-09 12:43 AM
  2. drawl66's Avatar
    If you are overseas you will be able to use the wifi without having to pay to use the data.
    08-17-09 12:49 AM
  3. eazid#CB's Avatar
    Some airlines have wifi in flight...
    Some buildings have wifi but have bad signal strength...

    maybe some here might have a phone without a plan for an odd reason... used like an ipod touch... voip skype... no carrier etc...


    etc etc...
    08-17-09 12:51 AM
  4. tarek307's Avatar
    pretty much its just something to have and feel good about i think! lol
    08-17-09 12:53 AM
  5. Sorrows's Avatar
    Well, in my Living Room, I have poor Verizon signal (the only place in my town without 3G), but, I have a Wireless router, therefore, when my wife wants the laptop, and I wanted to have a peak at Crackberry, I could use my Wi-Fi to troll the net.

    P.S. I used to live in Montana, I don't remember bad signal.
    08-17-09 01:32 AM
  6. tarek307's Avatar
    sorrows: you have a point, sometiems the wifi does come in handy
    08-17-09 01:33 AM
  7. WingsFan87's Avatar
    Though yes I love Verizon and yes it does have the best service. It doesn't work everywhere.

    For instance where I live their is a dead zone for Verizon. I get terrible coverage and yes I have called and called and complained about it. I ended up getting a network extender for $100 bucks (normally $250) out of the deal. Now the extender works great for Voice but it does not do Data hence I need WIFI if I want be able to surf the web and other data uses on my phone at home.

    Also there are times when I am at a location inside a building where coverage is terrible where I want to use WIFI for data instead of Verizon's EVDO. And since RIM is supposed to be working on improved WIFI it should be working faster than EVDO service anyhow.

    Just to spout one more reason for me I like to use WIFI just to connect my device to my home network for other needs like file transfer and other uses. And there are even more reasons I won't even get into because my post is dragging out way too long. I think you get the point.

    It also depends on your phone as well. Some phones have better reception in some areas better than others.

    For me I "need" WIFI to be more happy
    08-17-09 02:16 AM
  8. brianr0131's Avatar
    Wifi is faster and you can also recieve emails and surf the net on your BB while talking on the phone.
    08-17-09 08:48 AM
  9. RicanMedic78's Avatar
    biggest benefit is world travel options for connectivity. This is a global phone and wifi is needed for it to play that role. If there are still some dead zones in the US with no 3g coverage, just imagine overseas. Imagine you're at a hotel in Europe or Asia and your 3g does not work, yet, the hotel offers wifi, free or not, you'll wish your phone had the option to connect and you make the choice whether its worth it or not.
    08-17-09 10:35 AM
  10. Rogue9's Avatar
    Though yes I love Verizon and yes it does have the best service. It doesn't work everywhere.

    For instance where I live their is a dead zone for Verizon. I get terrible coverage and yes I have called and called and complained about it. I ended up getting a network extender for $100 bucks (normally $250) out of the deal. Now the extender works great for Voice but it does not do Data hence I need WIFI if I want be able to surf the web and other data uses on my phone at home.

    Also there are times when I am at a location inside a building where coverage is terrible where I want to use WIFI for data instead of Verizon's EVDO. And since RIM is supposed to be working on improved WIFI it should be working faster than EVDO service anyhow.

    Just to spout one more reason for me I like to use WIFI just to connect my device to my home network for other needs like file transfer and other uses. And there are even more reasons I won't even get into because my post is dragging out way too long. I think you get the point.

    It also depends on your phone as well. Some phones have better reception in some areas better than others.

    For me I "need" WIFI to be more happy
    I'm in the same boat.

    Before I moved to my current residence, I got very used to checking scores, stocks, and various other things on my blackberry at home, without having to open up my laptop. Now that I live in my current residence, where I get no signal, I can't do that anymore. Sometimes I also don't get emails or BBM messages due to the lack of data support.

    I do have a wireless network though in my house, so I'll definitely be considering the Storm 2 because of it's wi-fi capabilities, which will allow me to surf the net, check my Yankee, Rocket, Heat and Dolphins scores, etc, without having to open up the laptop.
    08-17-09 10:40 AM
  11. veroj86's Avatar
    many times it's hard to get good signal indoors, but if you have wifi...you can connect and no longer have to rely on the carrier signal. it's great!
    08-17-09 10:45 AM
  12. digital_cataclysm's Avatar
    Verizon themselves know full well the advantages of having WIFI with a communications device - the problem is, they want to charge everybody for everything.
    Consumers having access to a free WIFI connection?! That goes against every capitalist-pig "screw'em for every buck" business instinct that big VZ stands for.

    There are a lot of very good reasons why WIFI is great to have - as other posters have mentioned.
    Indeed, having a "world phone" without WIFI would be like trying to hammer nails, if all your hammer had was half a wobbly handle.
    Yes, you could probably manage - but it would take a lot longer to do, and really annoy the **** out of you.

    The other points such as having access within the confines of buildings (lousy cell phone reception but a nearby local WIFI spot is something you see all the time in office buildings), or use on a home network are likely something most consumers would appreciate as well.

    Using WIFI can drain your battery pretty quickly though - as anyone who's spent an extended amount of time on a mobile device using WIFI can attest to, so I would assume most people jump on and off of WIFI for things they need to do- the Verizon network remaining the primary means for communication and data sharing.

    Thusly, I don't think if VZ "allowed" WIFI on a majority of their branded devices, it would cause the sudden collapse of their company, cause the skys to darken and open the portal to the gates of Armageddon.

    ...But they'd like you to THINK that - or at very least all the reasons why they think YOU don't need WIFI - and continue to bully both consumers and device manufacturers with B.S. such as getting rid of built-in GPS capabilities (to push their own "Navigator" services) and castrating WIFI (to ensure everything you do with your device, is on their paid network plan).

    But it's been going on for years, and their hoping for the status quo, which is that everybody do nothing and sit there and take it like good little bi**hes.

    Better question (and one Congress in my humble opinion) should be asking, among other things carriers have to answer for) is why NOT WIFI?
    08-17-09 11:56 AM
  13. Yesterdays Shoveler's Avatar
    Also there are times when I am at a location inside a building where coverage is terrible where I want to use WIFI for data instead of Verizon's EVDO.
    Yep. I have zero coverage at my desk at work. ZERO. Not a chance of a signal. I do have access to two different wifi networks (secured and public) from my desk. Sure would be nice to be able to hop my Storm over to the wifi network instead of having to turn it off every time I'm at my desk.

    Another use, I have a web interface to my music server at home that has a mobile skin. I've set it up to allow inbound connections on a special port from the Internet so that I can access it from my Storm, thus giving me playback control for music in my whole house from my phone. Since it's visible to the outside world, I've set it to prompt for a login. Sure it works, but it would be a lot better if I could simply hop the Storm to my home wifi network and didn't have to expose a port on my internal network to the outside world and could eliminate the need for a login (which can sometimes be tedious on the Storm).

    Now, what would be really trick would be if the Storm 2 could act like a MiFi and be set up as a wifi access point. Think of it as tethering only with wifi instead of bluetooth providing the PC-Device connectivity.
    08-17-09 02:03 PM
  14. thebignewt's Avatar
    I used to tell everyone that WiFi was way faster than Vzn's
    EVDO but I was probably wrong after seeing speed tests recently. Their network is plenty fast most places, as fast as WiFi in my house on my 8900. So it's mostly a coverage thing now IMO. It's not a battery issue for me with my 8900. Battery's great +/- WiFi. Maybe Verizon's different with battery.
    08-17-09 05:36 PM
  15. Ultrafied's Avatar
    Verizon themselves know full well the advantages of having WIFI with a communications device - the problem is, they want to charge everybody for everything.
    Consumers having access to a free WIFI connection?! That goes against every capitalist-pig "screw'em for every buck" business instinct that big VZ stands for.

    There are a lot of very good reasons why WIFI is great to have - as other posters have mentioned.
    Indeed, having a "world phone" without WIFI would be like trying to hammer nails, if all your hammer had was half a wobbly handle.
    Yes, you could probably manage - but it would take a lot longer to do, and really annoy the **** out of you.

    The other points such as having access within the confines of buildings (lousy cell phone reception but a nearby local WIFI spot is something you see all the time in office buildings), or use on a home network are likely something most consumers would appreciate as well.

    Using WIFI can drain your battery pretty quickly though - as anyone who's spent an extended amount of time on a mobile device using WIFI can attest to, so I would assume most people jump on and off of WIFI for things they need to do- the Verizon network remaining the primary means for communication and data sharing.

    Thusly, I don't think if VZ "allowed" WIFI on a majority of their branded devices, it would cause the sudden collapse of their company, cause the skys to darken and open the portal to the gates of Armageddon.

    ...But they'd like you to THINK that - or at very least all the reasons why they think YOU don't need WIFI - and continue to bully both consumers and device manufacturers with B.S. such as getting rid of built-in GPS capabilities (to push their own "Navigator" services) and castrating WIFI (to ensure everything you do with your device, is on their paid network plan).

    But it's been going on for years, and their hoping for the status quo, which is that everybody do nothing and sit there and take it like good little bi**hes.

    Better question (and one Congress in my humble opinion) should be asking, among other things carriers have to answer for) is why NOT WIFI?
    Holy crap. Why do you use Verizon for your wireless provider? If I felt as strongly as you do, I wouldn't give them a penny!
    08-17-09 09:15 PM
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