does the fact that the blackberry tour doesnt have wifi make a difference? does it just make the internet slower or does it make it so you cant connect to the internet in certain places? is it a bad thing or just an inconvinience?
Makes no difference to me. I guess if you were in an area with no data coverage, in the middle of nowhere someplace and found a wifi hotspot, you would still be able to use the internet.
Beyond that, it makes no functional difference to me. It seems like the biggest problem with speed is rendering pages, not really actually receiving the data for them.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
Wifi is included in some models to support Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA). If you live or work in a location where the carrier service is weak or inconsistent, UMA provides a full service connection.
I didn't think it was such a big deal until I got my Curve 2 8530. My 8530 was already faster than the Tour (I had a Tour for demo for 30 days and did side by side test) but when it's using the WIFI connection, the speed is awesome. Also, the hospital ER that I go to has no cell reception in their basement ER where I usually get stuck in but they do have WIFI so I'm not totally cut off to the world cuz I can still get my emails, surf the net and a few other things and the best thing for me is that if I'm bored on a phone call, I can surf the net via the WIFI and still be on the call; something that ATT says they can only do. So since I now have it, I don't think I'll like another device that doesn't have WIFI.
Personally I don't need wifi. The only wifi I have access to is at home, and I already have my computer at home. I don't have wifi at work, and I don't visit coffee shops and other places with wifi for a fee.
I get a strong Sprint signal wherever I am, and I just tether my Tour to my laptop when I need internet access. Tethering speeds are extremely fast for me.
