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Chris Jacob
Verizon didn't cripple the Wi-Fi, RIM built the phone without Wi-Fi, the hardware does not exist in the phone. Verizon has several Winmo phones with Wi-Fi if you want it that badly, along with a buggy operating system. Oh, and the personal BB data plan is $29.99 a month, and yes , you HAVE to have it to have the phone. BBerries cannot be activated without it.
i personally deal with blackberry's on a daily basis working in OA/MIS at a luxury retail stores corp office in nyc.
from what i can tell you.
The Storm will a greatest black berry to date for Verizon mostly for the iphone hype and its data speeds.
I havd a 7290 blackberry from verizon which honstly has the best keyboard on a phone and that i cant kill how many times ive tried. sturdy able to take anything and reliable. i can upgrade to a tmobile 8300 curve and att with wifi but i tell i tired one for a week to see. No service in area that im used to with verizon and data wise. my old old ran circles around it. so anyone how says that verizon sux u pay for what u get honstly. the way i see it 1.Verizon.2.ATT. 3. TMobile 4 Sprint.
i say sprint for 4 cause even though data wise there the best. but god after 7 years with them i had so many dropped calls i said screw it. sorry for the rant.....
I held and used a storm last week. The software was buggy indeed, but even then it'll be the best blackberry yet. Nothing unique about it since the iPhone software was first demo'd 21 months ago. I'm looking forward to reading my corporate email on it. Yawn.
At least it won't look so 2002 against my iPod Touch.
More importantly, I'm looking forward to a new round of Apple ads:
I'm not trying to be a troll (honest), but if it has EVDO why have Wi-Fi? Aren't they (verizon) going to be forcing data plans? If you're paying for it, you might as well use it, no?
Again, I'm not trying to be a troll, but when people holler "no wi-fi, no deal!" with no explanation of why ... it just makes no sense. Explain why...
because the price gap between company and personal is too far, probably many people will buy it under company name. It until November 14 the software had not fix yet, why not consider other series like BlackBerry Curve 8900
But the Storm doesn't have WiFi. Right? Is this another example of Verizon crippling a phone or a phone manufacturer not having the expertise to do WiFi or perhaps not comprehending the value of WiFi? If Verizon does carry the Bold, will the carrier also cripple its WiFi? Honestly, the lack of WiFi is a non-starter for anyone who wants a modern smartphone.
You need WiFi to surf the Web with a real browser (like Apple's Safari), or download music, applications and games or work-.pdf's at work in a reasonable amount of time. If that smartphone also happens to be a real computer (like the iPhone), the extra speed and bandwidth greatly extend the versatility of your device. Reportedly, neither the Bold nor the Storm have decent Web browsers yet and the smaller screens make them less useful too.
And don't forget about Apple's terrific (and free) "Remote" software add-on app, which allows your iPhone (or iPod Touch) to control and access your home music system and computer-based iTunes Playlists through your WiFi and Ethernet-connected, network computers. Before getting the iPhone, we already had such a home network in place and it was easy to put together using Apple's other secret weapon -- the popular Airport Express home router ($99). What makes the Airport Express special is this: the 802.11n/g/b/a WiFi device has an RCA mini speaker jack and a USB jack that you can use to connect to a printer AND your A/V Receiver or amplifier. This device extends your home WiFi network and your music system. With WiFi and a speaker system already installed in four rooms of our modest (for California) $300,000 tract home, it was trivial to setup the iPhone to wirelessly control our existing iTunes music system and the speakers in each room. Our music and Podcasts now can be controlled and played via the iPhone! When we add an AppleTV, this remote control will be expanded to video as well.
If all this isn't enough, the iPhone's WiFi radio also serves as a master control for a browser-based home automation system (think room lighting and AC/Heat) for numerous dimmers, outlets and other connected devices purchased from Smarthome.com and added to the 20-year-old house for about $1,800 during a recent, minor remodel. Together, three $60 Smarthome control devices link the WiFi network and the home electrical circuits to make all this happen.
Finally, as many have reported, AT&T does have a weak 3G network that is not yet built out. Call Failed (Dropped) and No Service messages still are commonplace in many areas. However, AT&T plans to rectify some of this in 2009 by adding more 3G cell towers and converting old Edge towers to 3G. In the interim, to alleviate pressure on the existing 3G network and customer base, AT&T just purchased Wayport, which will boost their nationwide WiFi hotspot network to about 20,000 access points (think McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and most major airports and convention centers, in addition to several hotel chains).
Believe me, many want and need a modern smartphone to have WiFi, though some people may not understand "why" just yet.
who the F cares about WIFI? Its got EVDO.. fast enough for browsing on a 3 inch screen... I cant believe how many jackasses are complaining about WIFI.... Verizon has solid 3g coverage just about everywhere I go. The only reason other carriers make sure they include WIFI is because their data networks lack coverage and reliability.
OK kiddies - you want to know why WiFi on a phone is good? Ask T-Mobile.
In an effort to not be complete douchebags, T-Mobile has Hotspot@Home. If you have a Hotspot@Home-enabled phone, when you're at home, your phone will make calls over WiFi - thereby saving you minutes. Back when I was with T-Mobile and had the Blackberry Curve, I saw this feature and the smoothness and ease with which it actually worked, and thought it a killer app. Unfortunately for T-Mobile, no one in their advertising department thought that maybe this kind of feature should be advertised. (Maybe they were afraid of success)
Why would a company do something so seemingly consumer-friendly? Because T-Mobile is in third and is looking to keep the customers it has and win over new customers. A decade ago, the wireless companies decried number-portability, complaining loudly about how customers would willy-nilly switch providers if they could actually keep their number. To a large extent, Chicken Little was right. As a result, companies had to offer features that people actually like.
I presently have an iPhone 3G. I'm in NYC, which means that usually, my 3G speeds are roughly the same as EDGE. WiFi enables me to get +3G speeds on my phone when I'm out of the office but working (like at a deposition or in court). If I need my paralegal to send me a PDF, I can get it that much faster. I don't necessarily want to bring my 5 lb. laptop everywhere.
Wow. So much Verizon bashing. In case you guys didn't know, the GPS is not disabled. The aGPS will be locked for Verizon. You guys say that people by the crowds left Verizon for AT&T for the iPhone but there are a lot who left AT&T and their iPhone because of the lock down that Apple seems to have put on it (opensource). Thats not to include the numerous abilities that the iphone cant do but should for being the multimedia powerhouse phone that it's supposed to be.
As far as the AT&T vs Verizon complaining, I'll chime in and say that if it wasn't for the fact that I don't get decent reception in my house house with all carriers (including AT&T) except Verizon, I would have nothing to bash on AT&T. AT&T reps at kiosks and stores like to keep telling me about all the new towers they built around my neighborhood but receptions is still crap (my bro still has AT&T and I get to hear his complaining when he comes over).
You guys are quick to say that Verizon is busy crippling everything. Other than the GPS, what else have they crippled? I'll take finding my way using Google maps and having stereo bluetooth, copy&paste, and MMS over GPS any day.
If you guys read other forums, there are plenty of people ditching other phone and carriers for this phone. So saying that people won't switch for this phone even though it hasn't come out yet, you have no idea what the result will be. So try to keep all the bashing in check...
"...Enough with the crippled wifi bashing please. When you're at home, you have a computer to use. Do you really need wifi at the hilton pool you stay at 2-3 times a year (probably less in this economy)...."
Well, I never thought I'd use WiFi on a phone until I got the iPhone. Now, I use it all the time -- in place of a MacBook when that device would be overkill (at the breakfast table), on the road to read the news (at restaurants and coffee shops) instead of the newspaper or using the slower AT&T network, and even on the treadmill at the club (music, Podcasts, movies, TV episodes). This iPhone really is a versatile tool and entertainment device, cell phone AND a tiny, netbook computer. What a great creation.
11/08/08
11/08/08
from what i can tell you.
The Storm will a greatest black berry to date for Verizon mostly for the iphone hype and its data speeds.
I havd a 7290 blackberry from verizon which honstly has the best keyboard on a phone and that i cant kill how many times ive tried. sturdy able to take anything and reliable. i can upgrade to a tmobile 8300 curve and att with wifi but i tell i tired one for a week to see. No service in area that im used to with verizon and data wise. my old old ran circles around it. so anyone how says that verizon sux u pay for what u get honstly. the way i see it 1.Verizon.2.ATT. 3. TMobile 4 Sprint.
i say sprint for 4 cause even though data wise there the best. but god after 7 years with them i had so many dropped calls i said screw it. sorry for the rant.....
11/08/08
At least it won't look so 2002 against my iPod Touch.
More importantly, I'm looking forward to a new round of Apple ads:
"Hello, I'm an iPhone"
"And I'm a Blackberry"
11/08/08
11/08/08
Again, I'm not trying to be a troll, but when people holler "no wi-fi, no deal!" with no explanation of why ... it just makes no sense. Explain why...
11/08/08
11/08/08
11/08/08
Seems like the poor college kids need to get their priorities straight if they are the ones whining for wifi.
"Whaaaaaaaa I'm a broke college kid and need wifi on my phone becuase I cant afford a $30 data plan"
11/08/08
But the Storm doesn't have WiFi. Right? Is this another example of Verizon crippling a phone or a phone manufacturer not having the expertise to do WiFi or perhaps not comprehending the value of WiFi? If Verizon does carry the Bold, will the carrier also cripple its WiFi? Honestly, the lack of WiFi is a non-starter for anyone who wants a modern smartphone.
You need WiFi to surf the Web with a real browser (like Apple's Safari), or download music, applications and games or work-.pdf's at work in a reasonable amount of time. If that smartphone also happens to be a real computer (like the iPhone), the extra speed and bandwidth greatly extend the versatility of your device. Reportedly, neither the Bold nor the Storm have decent Web browsers yet and the smaller screens make them less useful too.
And don't forget about Apple's terrific (and free) "Remote" software add-on app, which allows your iPhone (or iPod Touch) to control and access your home music system and computer-based iTunes Playlists through your WiFi and Ethernet-connected, network computers. Before getting the iPhone, we already had such a home network in place and it was easy to put together using Apple's other secret weapon -- the popular Airport Express home router ($99). What makes the Airport Express special is this: the 802.11n/g/b/a WiFi device has an RCA mini speaker jack and a USB jack that you can use to connect to a printer AND your A/V Receiver or amplifier. This device extends your home WiFi network and your music system. With WiFi and a speaker system already installed in four rooms of our modest (for California) $300,000 tract home, it was trivial to setup the iPhone to wirelessly control our existing iTunes music system and the speakers in each room. Our music and Podcasts now can be controlled and played via the iPhone! When we add an AppleTV, this remote control will be expanded to video as well.
If all this isn't enough, the iPhone's WiFi radio also serves as a master control for a browser-based home automation system (think room lighting and AC/Heat) for numerous dimmers, outlets and other connected devices purchased from Smarthome.com and added to the 20-year-old house for about $1,800 during a recent, minor remodel. Together, three $60 Smarthome control devices link the WiFi network and the home electrical circuits to make all this happen.
Finally, as many have reported, AT&T does have a weak 3G network that is not yet built out. Call Failed (Dropped) and No Service messages still are commonplace in many areas. However, AT&T plans to rectify some of this in 2009 by adding more 3G cell towers and converting old Edge towers to 3G. In the interim, to alleviate pressure on the existing 3G network and customer base, AT&T just purchased Wayport, which will boost their nationwide WiFi hotspot network to about 20,000 access points (think McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and most major airports and convention centers, in addition to several hotel chains).
Believe me, many want and need a modern smartphone to have WiFi, though some people may not understand "why" just yet.
11/08/08
11/08/08
In an effort to not be complete douchebags, T-Mobile has Hotspot@Home. If you have a Hotspot@Home-enabled phone, when you're at home, your phone will make calls over WiFi - thereby saving you minutes. Back when I was with T-Mobile and had the Blackberry Curve, I saw this feature and the smoothness and ease with which it actually worked, and thought it a killer app. Unfortunately for T-Mobile, no one in their advertising department thought that maybe this kind of feature should be advertised. (Maybe they were afraid of success)
Why would a company do something so seemingly consumer-friendly? Because T-Mobile is in third and is looking to keep the customers it has and win over new customers. A decade ago, the wireless companies decried number-portability, complaining loudly about how customers would willy-nilly switch providers if they could actually keep their number. To a large extent, Chicken Little was right. As a result, companies had to offer features that people actually like.
I presently have an iPhone 3G. I'm in NYC, which means that usually, my 3G speeds are roughly the same as EDGE. WiFi enables me to get +3G speeds on my phone when I'm out of the office but working (like at a deposition or in court). If I need my paralegal to send me a PDF, I can get it that much faster. I don't necessarily want to bring my 5 lb. laptop everywhere.
11/08/08
As far as the AT&T vs Verizon complaining, I'll chime in and say that if it wasn't for the fact that I don't get decent reception in my house house with all carriers (including AT&T) except Verizon, I would have nothing to bash on AT&T. AT&T reps at kiosks and stores like to keep telling me about all the new towers they built around my neighborhood but receptions is still crap (my bro still has AT&T and I get to hear his complaining when he comes over).
You guys are quick to say that Verizon is busy crippling everything. Other than the GPS, what else have they crippled? I'll take finding my way using Google maps and having stereo bluetooth, copy&paste, and MMS over GPS any day.
If you guys read other forums, there are plenty of people ditching other phone and carriers for this phone. So saying that people won't switch for this phone even though it hasn't come out yet, you have no idea what the result will be. So try to keep all the bashing in check...
11/08/08
Well, I never thought I'd use WiFi on a phone until I got the iPhone. Now, I use it all the time -- in place of a MacBook when that device would be overkill (at the breakfast table), on the road to read the news (at restaurants and coffee shops) instead of the newspaper or using the slower AT&T network, and even on the treadmill at the club (music, Podcasts, movies, TV episodes). This iPhone really is a versatile tool and entertainment device, cell phone AND a tiny, netbook computer. What a great creation.
11/08/08
11/07/08