Do you WiFi (on your phone)?
The official announcement of the Blackberry Storm for the Verizon and Vodafone networks confirmed the phone’s lack of WiFi. This has some folks condemning RIM’s decision to exclude WiFi as a connectivity option on the phone with some even saying it’s a deal-breaker. This got me to thinking about WiFi on phones in general and the more I evaluated my own usage patterns the more I came to realize that I don’t really care about WiFi on the Storm, or any other phone for that matter.
Don’t get me wrong, I too think that the more options for getting online that a phone has the better. In this day and age mobile web usage is rampant and the easier to do that the better. But I came to realize that I have been using a number of phones the past couple of years that do in fact have WiFi integrated but I also realize that I rarely use it. Phones with true 3G connectivity provide bandwidth that is good enough for me and as a result I find I rarely enable the WiFi. WiFi is a big battery drain on phones and with 3G speeds being what they are I have always found that they are quite good enough.
Having WiFi on the iPhone is certainly a good thing, when I first got it I had it turned on all the time. This was due to the 3G problems that the iPhone 3G had when released as I found out when Apple updated the firmware. Now I find that 3G connectivity is seamless and I rarely turn WiFi on as a result. So for me at least I don’t find the lack of WiFi on the Storm to be that big of a deal. Verizon’s EV-DO Rev. A network is blazing fast and I’m confident that this is as good as WiFi for most people in a coverage area. The lack of WiFI will certainly play a role for those in areas lacking 3G coverage but for me that’s not the case.
So do you use WiFi on your phone? If so why? Would you forego it if you had good 3G coverage? Bear in mind that 3G connectivity is much safer from a security standpoint than most public hotspots.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
I have wifi on my VX6700 on Verizon – and I use the wifi because I refuse to pay the $45/month for a data plan. Give me a $15/month plan (like Sprint) and I’ll do it … otherwise, no.
Having said that – I recently picked up an iPod Touch, and use the wifi on that more now instead of my VX6700. If there was a EV-DO chip in there with Unlimited Data for $15/month, I’d jump on that in a heartbeat.
……… how do you have wifi on the verizon phone if the wifi option is removed by them……?….. im trying to get this to work on my vx6900… and there is no wifi option…..if you can email me to give me the instruction on how to set this up i would be forever in your debt….s j o h n v @ a o l
Having Wifi is great for frequnt traverller. Far cheaper than 3G roaming.
It also works great with Wifirouter to connect with my UMPC which is stupidly equip without internal SIM slot.
I use wifi on my T-Mobile blackberry curve, but its rare. I would probably use it more if the transition from using edge to wifi was more seamless. It seems like overkill for me to have to update my browser settings when I’m on wifi vs edge, but thats neither here nor there. It did come in handy once when I was in a hotel where I couldn’t pick a T-Mobile signal in my room. I turned on the wifi and connected through the hotel wireless network and was able to use my phone through T-Mobile UMA. Other than that I use it at home but that only lasts a couple of minutes when you have full featured computers around. Ultimately, I think its always good to have the option though.
As I mentioned in my recent blog entry on the Storm, I need a strong data connection in my basement. Can’t get that with 3G. However, because I did not want to detract from the topic device, I purposely left out the iPhone-specific things I do with wifi, which consist primarily of controlling my computer via my iPhone. But again, those are specific to that device. If I were using another 3G phone, wifi wouldn’t be as critical to me.
WiFi on my WinMo Touch Cruise gets used a lot: both on the home and work networks. Accessing network shares, Orb access and remote controlling various bits of local kit are very common usage patterns.
No WiFi is a definite deal breaker for me and quite a blatant omission from RIM given the plethora of devices that have it these days.
I use wifi on the iPhone quite a bit at home but rarely anywhere else. Also, if I am in reach of a wifi signal then I can use my netbook and dont need the phone.
I turn on WiFi on my Samsung i730 at night to download any new podcasts, such as MobileTechRoundup. Its faster then EVDO Rev 0, and with all the podcasts that I download, it won’t count against my 2GB limit with Verizon.
On the road I don’t use the wi-fi because it sucks down the battery too quickly.
I use WiFi on my Nokia N82 for posting pictures on Flickr, surfing the web, and VOIP. I do worry about security while away from home, so I would prefer 3G instead, but I would still need WiFi for VOIP at home since I get poor cell service there.
First, I think if you pay the premium for a high end 3G phone you should get a discount on the service.
Now that many of the carriers are capping their “unlimited” plans, I find myself using wifi much more often. Of course, I don’t have as great coverage as I would with 3G but XX$ a month for capped “unlimited” is bogus. I see the elimination of the wifi as a push to get more people to go with the more profitable 3G services.
David
I leave WiFi turned off most of the time in my T-Mobile Dash. I do all of my networking from the phone over edge.
I occasionally turn on WiFi just to find out what networks are around me, to make a decision if it’s worth pulling my laptop out of the bag. It’s an expensive wifi detector, but since it reports security status and ssids it is a pretty good one. Plus it’s not one more thing in my bag.