[jrice8002003]

Wirelessly posted

Hey guys:

I apologize if I'm re-posting here, but I'm at a hotel with no free internet for my PC (ridiculous), so I wanted to post tonight with some likely answers by morning.

Currently rocking a Verizon Curve 8330. Eligible for upgrade on July 2nd,and am 99% sure I'm gonna get the Bold 9650. Can't wait to ditch the trackball, and the WiFi sounds like a great feature.

I've never owned a device with WiFi, nor have I seen/used a WiFi device. I was just curious as to what the overall WiFi setup is like for the various BlackBerry devices. Let's say I'm in an area with crappy service, and want to go WiFi. Pretty simple to toggle on/off? Once you enter the network key once, I'm guessing it saves that information for next time? How much faster is it? Do you find yourself using WiFi much, or is it a feature that you don't use much?

Also, has it been confirmed whether the 9650 (or any of the current devices for that matter) will be BlackBerry 6-ready? I'd hate to buy a device that was on the bubble, just missing the BlackBerry 6 cut.

Any other 8330 users out there that upgraded to the 9650 with any regrets?

Thanks for the insight, all.

[devnull]

IMHO wifi is not a cure for crappy service. It only address's the data side of usage.

But that aside, for me(at&T - 9000), it has been pretty much toggle on, scan for networks, connect, enter network key(only if needed) and I'm on.

The speed depends on the wifi service, but it should be faster than typical mobile wireless speeds. Actual numbers are hard to gauge due to many factors like upstream pipe and how saturated the wifi router is.

It can and does save the wifi settings for later use.

I use it mostly at home and work.

[TXLady]

Originally Posted by jrice8002003

I apologize if I'm re-posting here, but I'm at a hotel with no free internet for my PC (ridiculous), so I wanted to post tonight with some likely answers by morning.

If you don't have internet access for your PC, you likely won't have it for the phone either.

[Dubdub]

Axd some carriers (AT&T and Verizon included) require you to have a BB data plan activated before allowing WiFi access.

Keep in mind, free WiFi is only good as long as there is a free WiFi hotspot with which to connect.

[akosnitzky]

Wifi will help with connection and of course that connection is only as good as the host. I will probably keep my extender for my house regardless

[jrice8002003]

Wirelessly posted

Originally Posted by TXLady

If you don't have internet access for your PC, you likely won't have it for the phone either.

What I meant by that was that had I been able to surf on my PC, I might have been better able to find some of the info I was looking for. Posted this via the WAP site and appreciate the answers here.

I had always planned on using my data connection as my main source, and was just curious as to the extent that users out there actually make use of their WiFi capabilities.

Anyone have any insight on the Bold 9650/BlackBerry 6 question above?

[TDSWIM]

I just got the 9650 a few days ago and so far the WiFi experience has been great. It was easy to set up here on the home connection and it is noticeably faster. There is still a general lag between when you click something and it snaps into gear and loads it, but other than that it's great! I haven't tried it at any other locations.

As to the operating system question- Barring any new handset releases that happen either before BB6 or at the same time, I would think the 9650 would be the best phone to handle the new operating system because it has the most application memory of any BB out right now (512mb.) So if there are any features that need more room to work with, the 9650 will be your best bet. Other than that I haven't read anything one way or the other about what phones that BB 6 will work on. I'd guess that prettymuch all the newer released handsets will be fine with it, but I don't know that for sure.

[jrice8002003]

Originally Posted by TDSWIM

I just got the 9650 a few days ago and so far the WiFi experience has been great. It was easy to set up here on the home connection and it is noticeably faster. There is still a general lag between when you click something and it snaps into gear and loads it, but other than that it's great! I haven't tried it at any other locations.

As to the operating system question- Barring any new handset releases that happen either before BB6 or at the same time, I would think the 9650 would be the best phone to handle the new operating system because it has the most application memory of any BB out right now (512mb.) So if there are any features that need more room to work with, the 9650 will be your best bet. Other than that I haven't read anything one way or the other about what phones that BB 6 will work on. I'd guess that prettymuch all the newer released handsets will be fine with it, but I don't know that for sure.

I read a great review from Crackberry.com yesterday. There were a couple mentions of the 9650 being prepped and ready to go for BlackBerry 6:

"On the inside we have juiced up memory to 512MB (in preparations for BlackBerry 6) and the addition of Wifi."

"On the inside the Bold 9650 is juiced up. 512MB (around 300MB free) means there is plenty of room to keep things running smooth. With the planned BlackBerry 6 right around the corner, this device will be ready to roll upon release."

Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9650 Review | CrackBerry.com

Can't wait to get my hands on it.