[joe13579]

Umm, i was thinking about getting this phone when it comes out and after watching a few reviews it came to my attention that there was no wifi conection, instead there is a 3g. Now i dont understand how i would connect to the internet with 3g, when i have wifi at my home, would anyone care to explain this to me?

[CO_BBTechie]

You don't understand HOW or you don't understand WHY? The how is easy... it just connects. The why is subjective.

[Trimix]

Maybe if you look for the GSM version of the Storm, it'll have wifi.

[CO_BBTechie]

According to RIM's specifications of this device, Wi-Fi is not included. They do not specify different specs for different carriers/networks.

[joe13579]

I just asked someone i met on xbox live and he told me that you basicly just pay fora 3g network and you can go on the internet at anytime, or if you choose not to pay you just need to be in a 3g network location, is this correct?

[joe13579]

By the way, i have verizon

[CO_BBTechie]

Verizon will require you to purchase a data plan for your device. Their network is among the best from my experience. Your decision will be which data plan, limited, unlimited, personal, corporate.... The signal is ever-present on your device, while you may have reduced speeds when on the fringe or outside their broadband network area. For the most part, you should rarely be out of coverage, but your speeds may vary depending on the area you are in.

[Smacca]

I'm so disappointed. No wifi? That's ridiculous! I'd be very surprised if this weren't a requirement of Verizon and Vodafone, to try to drive data traffic on their networks.

Those networks are genuinely good, and like everyone else I have an all-you-can-eat package with Vodafone Ireland (subject to "fair usage") -- but it doesn't cover roaming.

I've just got my bill from a trip to the US and France -- 300 euros of data roaming! In my opinion, friends, that is a rip-off. Next time, I said to myself, I'll switch off the data roaming on my gorgeous new Storm, and update my e-mail using local wi-fi.

So I was really looking forward to buying a Storm, now I just feel as if, instead of being offered a fair deal and a great new product, I'm being set up for more data roaming gouging by the network.

Is it true they're going to deliberately cripple the new Curve too -- that it will have wi-fi but not 3G?

If so, I'm getting a bad feeling about RIM. I've had a Blackberry from the very beginning, and I'm a big fan...but I don't like being used.

[Klotar]

I think a fair part of it is packing hardware into a given size form factor, tradeoffs and/or sacrifices have to be made to keep the device a decent size. We now know they can get 3G, WiFi, GPS, and camera into one device; but all previous models prior to the Bold had one or more of those features missing.

With the Storm, it could be that the electronics that make the touch screen and motion sensors functional take up more space than appears to the eye (I have no clue personally, just a theory) which meant "something had to go" in order for the device not to become too large in size.

Later on down the road, production components and chip integration may dictate that the orphaned WiFi can now be added within the same form factor, and a new submodel introduced onto the market (although early adopters will think RIM held back on the advanced model to rake in more cash or something).

An extreme example (just to illustrate the point) would be an all inclusive device with touch screen, full slide-out keyboard, motion detector, GPS, WiFi, Camera, 3G, infrared, bluetooth, 3 memory card slots, attachable bluetooth headset, secondary display, 2 sim card slots, etc etc etc just can't be packed into a 8800/Curve/Bold/Storm sized form factor.

[CO_BBTechie]

Originally Posted by Klotar

An extreme example (just to illustrate the point) would be an all inclusive device with touch screen, full slide-out keyboard, motion detector, GPS, WiFi, Camera, 3G, infrared, bluetooth, 3 memory card slots, attachable bluetooth headset, secondary display, 2 sim card slots, etc etc etc just can't be packed into a 8800/Curve/Bold/Storm sized form factor.

That sounds perfect! Where do I get one?!

[takeshi]

Originally Posted by Smacca

Is it true they're going to deliberately cripple the new Curve too -- that it will have wi-fi but not 3G?

If so, I'm getting a bad feeling about RIM. I've had a Blackberry from the very beginning, and I'm a big fan...but I don't like being used.

Before you go around formulating conspiracy theories realize that there are physical space limitations, product development/pricing costs to consider and that there are carriers without 3G that are looking to obtain the Javelin. "Cripple" is more than a bit of hyperbole IMO.

Actual crippling is when the device has the feature built-in and the carrier decides to either disable it or require customers to pay to use the built-in feature. Your definition of crippling is totally different. It would be as if I claimed that my car was "crippled" because it lacked certain features and options that were just not offered on the model.

[CO_BBTechie]

However, if they gave you brakes, but required a maintenance contract to enable them, I'd consider that crippled

[henryray]

Originally Posted by joe13579

Umm, i was thinking about getting this phone when it comes out and after watching a few reviews it came to my attention that there was no wifi conection, instead there is a 3g. Now i dont understand how i would connect to the internet with 3g, when i have wifi at my home, would anyone care to explain this to me?

I think you may have to sacrifice the Wi-Fi for
1.WAN facility.
2.EV-DO (a faster one, than the UMTS or HSPA networks) and
3.better camera and corporate e-mail facilities.

[Tiny]

Having just got the bold for myself i attempted to talk the misses away from her Iphone and into a BB. I has succeded with it and the conversion to a storm (she likes virtual keyboards) that was until we noticed no wifi :(

Trying to convert her to the Bold now but its hard work, just cant understand why rim have gone backwards on this phone.

[Smacca]

Yeah, that's a fair point -- I shouldn't have said "crippled".

And I see what you mean about the physical space limitations, certainly when it comes to the Storm.

But would you not be less inclined to give RIM the benefit of the doubt about the motivation for no 3G on the Javelin? Doesn't the Bold have wi-fi and 3G, and I think the Javelin isn't going to be that much smaller than the Bold...

In fact, I'd get a Bold if it weren't for that poky keyboard on it -- I've had a try of it a few times, and even though the space for the keyboard is actually wider than that of the Curve, for some reason it's harder to type fast on it. Maybe I would get used to it.

Oh well...