[Robert Estes]

Please excuse me if this is a stupid question but if the Atlas is a low end replacement then why hasn't anyone seen any specs and/or pics yet? Everywhere I look I see Tour and Storm 2 pics/specs and these are high end phones. Why so hush hush about the Atlas? Seems like there's a possibility that this phone might be a lot better than some are letting on so that people will buy the Tour and Storm 2. Even Ausch has been sworn not to speak too much about it. Who cares if the phone is really a low end replacement? Why not leak the info then?

[radioguinea]

Atlas could be the pics of the new Storm just leaked. Technically...that isn't the Storm 2.

The Atlas is another CDMA device.

[radioguinea]

Please excuse me if this is a stupid question but if the Atlas is a low end replacement then why hasn't anyone seen any specs and/or pics yet? Everywhere I look I see Tour and Storm 2 pics/specs and these are high end phones. Why so hush hush about the Atlas? Seems like there's a possibility that this phone might be a lot better than some are letting on so that people will buy the Tour and Storm 2. Even Ausch has been sworn not to speak too much about it. Who cares if the phone is really a low end replacement? Why not leak the info then?

Your looking at it the wrong way. Most people want to hear about higher end models, hence why your hearing about the 9630/Onyx. How many Gemini articles have you read lately?

[theanswer3]

once again radio we are on the same page. when u r hearing article after article about the tour and its capabilities and then you read that the atlas is a step sideways and not forward, you lose all interest. FOr those stuck with a curve 8330 or pearl that want to upgrade really would like wi-fi like the curves keyboard and dont care about a 2.0mp camera the option will be available to "upgrade" even though like I said its more of a step sideways or a refresh if you will. If the atlas is a low end curve 8330 replacement it just isnt as sexy as the tour or the storm 2 for that matter.

[gregerator]

I thought the Aries was the 8530 and the Atlas is the supposed 9630 without camera. ?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[El Jefe#CB]

What's possibility of the Atlas being VZW's PTT BB?

[daepex]

Storm 2's code name is Odin

As for Wi-Fi, all CDMA berry's will have Wi-Fi in the future. Niagara will unfortunately be the last CDMA BB to not feature Wi-Fi. This was due to an issue not with Verizon, not with RIM, but with the hardware manufacturer that provided the radio. Chew on that

[noaim]

Storm 2's code name is Odin

As for Wi-Fi, all CDMA berry's will have Wi-Fi in the future. Niagara will unfortunately be the last CDMA BB to not feature Wi-Fi. This was due to an issue not with Verizon, not with RIM, but with the hardware manufacturer that provided the radio. Chew on that

and yes this is what I like to hear..

I was sick of people blaiming Verizon...

I did however think that RIM was just having problems coding it..

but apparently it was worse then that

[bartman0531]

So does this mean that Sprint's Tour will have wifi. I remember hearing that Sprint was waiting for a new type of radio so they wouldn't have to pay royalties.

[radioguinea]

Storm 2's code name is Odin

As for Wi-Fi, all CDMA berry's will have Wi-Fi in the future. Niagara will unfortunately be the last CDMA BB to not feature Wi-Fi. This was due to an issue not with Verizon, not with RIM, but with the hardware manufacturer that provided the radio. Chew on that

Not 100 percent true. There were/are more then a few pre-prod models with WiFi.

[drjay868]

Not 100 percent true. There were/are more then a few pre-prod models with WiFi.

Do you mean there were pre-production models of the Niagara that had WiFi, or just in general that there were BBs with WiFi, so it couldn't have been a hardware issue?

[radioguinea]

Do you mean there were pre-production models of the Niagara that had WiFi, or just in general that there were BBs with WiFi, so it couldn't have been a hardware issue?

Yes sir

[Stang68]

I doubt the Atlas is going to be anything worth second-guessing the Tour for.

[drjay868]

Yes sir

Are you able to speculate on why they ended up going with a model w/o WiFi?

On any phone, if RIM's clearly able to put WiFi on the phone, and it work, why wouldn't they?

I would imagine that the Atlas had 2 models... one with and one without WiFi. As long as all the phones functions work on the WiFi model as they do with the non-WiFi model, are there any other reasons the WiFi model wouldn't get released other than VZW saying no, they don't want it? Could some of it be just that RIM (or the carriers) want to keep the phones tiered "High End" and "Low End?"

[drjay868]

Wait... was there a pre-production model Storm that had WiFi? If so, did it work?

[Stang68]

Wait... was there a pre-production model Storm that had WiFi? If so, did it work?

Yes, there was, according to CX.

[drjay868]

Yes, there was, according to CX.

Any ideas why they went sans WiFi? Was it simply to be able to offer the Storm2 with WiFi as an upgrade? To see how well the Storm would be recieved in the first place? It simply didn't work well with WiFi?

[Stang68]

Any ideas why they went sans WiFi? Was it simply to be able to offer the Storm2 with WiFi as an upgrade? To see how well the Storm would be recieved in the first place? It simply didn't work well with WiFi?

That, I cannot comment on with any certainty. I am just gonna guess that at that time, VZW's policy was no Wifi in Blackberry devices.

[drjay868]

That, I cannot comment on with any certainty. I am just gonna guess that at that time, VZW's policy was no Wifi in Blackberry devices.

Fair enough. I guess I'm not surprised at that, but I am confused on why VZW would want everyone using their towers, thus taxing the system, when they could free up some of those airwaves by people using the WiFi. I would think the system would run faster/better... right?

[Stang68]

Fair enough. I guess I'm not surprised at that, but I am confused on why VZW would want everyone using their towers, thus taxing the system, when they could free up some of those airwaves by people using the WiFi. I would think the system would run faster/better... right?

Lol, that has been debated for a long time. Why, oh why, would they not want that!?

[Xopher]

There have been a lot of changes in the mobile data world this past year. There are more wifi-only sites out now that weren't around even 6-9 months ago. With as much control as VZW wants to have over their network, it doesn't surprise me that a year ago (or more), VZW requested no wifi.

Especially since the BOld came out, there has been a lot more attention being brought to the BlackBerry world about WiFi capabilities. With sites like PrimeTime2Go, systems like SlingBox, and the new FAA rulings allowing WiFI on airplanes, it makes sense that the demand for WiFi has grown over such a short period of time.

In my mind, I can see VZW looking at the way things were over a year ago when the Storm was being designed. The Bold wasn't even out yet. Six months later, the Bold is on the market, the Storm is close to deployment, and the market has changed. Do you hold back the Storm to get WiFi installed, or go ahead with your current plans to introduce the Storm and request RIM to start working on Storm 2 (with WiFi).

With how quickly the market changes, who knows what the BBD will be in six months. The phones being introduced at that time probably won't have those features, but phones of the future won't be too far behind.

[daepex]

Not 100 percent true. There were/are more then a few pre-prod models with WiFi.

Yes. RIM (and the carriers) has been pushing for it for quite a while, but the hardware hasnt been able to cut it as of yet. I'm not sure the details of those failures. Either the pre-prod hardware didnt pass RIM's liking, or the carriers, but it wasn't a simple "we don't want Wi-Fi" from VZW/other carriers. The combo hardware didn't perform as well as expected, and so it was cut.

[radioguinea]

That, I cannot comment on with any certainty. I am just gonna guess that at that time, VZW's policy was no Wifi in Blackberry devices.

Thats partially the reason why the first Storm did not have WiFi.

[radioguinea]

Yes. RIM (and the carriers) has been pushing for it for quite a while, but the hardware hasnt been able to cut it as of yet. I'm not sure the details of those failures. Either the pre-prod hardware didnt pass RIM's liking, or the carriers, but it wasn't a simple "we don't want Wi-Fi" from VZW/other carriers. The combo hardware didn't perform as well as expected, and so it was cut.

The parts in bold, not true what so ever. The hardware worked just fine.

[matrix2004]

So what is the Atlas?