Posted on 08/31/2015 6:49:05 PM PDT by Allen In Texas Hill Country
I'm thinking of upgrading my cell phone. My car has Bluetooth but my phone can't even take pictures. So I see these phones with Bluetooth and along with that most say WiFi.
I have one of Sprints original contracts at $15 a month. Of course there is no internet. texting or whatever. So when a phone says WiFi what does that mean? Does the phone have some type of browser that can access a free WiFi independent of the phones phone software? Pardon my ignorance and thanks.
And I'm looking at used phones, new phones require me to drop my current account.
Definitely worth having.
Tracfone no contract phones cost each if us @ $7.00 a month. We have older LG840G phones. My wife’s works on Bluetooth with her Hands Free system 2010 Toyota Rav4.
Check out Republic Wireless.
It’s the way things should work.
Best value out there. I’m very happy with them (and, they are inexpensive)
Apparently some WiFi is not safe. You can scan and find a network and it actually will steal your info, or so I have read.
I only use WiFi networks I have a high degree of trust in. E.g., visiting a friend in the hospital I used the hospital WiFi. Staying at a hotel I use the hotel WiFi, etc.
No, Wifi means that the phone can access a wifi network instead of using the phone network to transmit and receive data. If you have access to wifi, like through your own home system and router, or public wifi, say at a library or coffee shop(not recommended), or work, your phone can access that network and not incur phone data charges.
Does that make sense?
My Samsung Galaxy Note has Wi-Fi, in that it serves as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
I can turn on hotspot on phone, than have a many as 10 laptops, etc. that don’t have internet connectivity when away from my network, up and on the net.
If you can learn to be the top hacker in the world then you can all the free Wi-Fi you want
Just to give you a sense of it...
Most modern cell phone are actually mini computers that can run a variety of applications, including a web browser. I gave my daughter one of my old phones. It doesn’t even have phone service connected, but - because it has wifi - she can use it like a small tablet, especially when in the house and connected to our wifi. Outside of our house, I connect her to “safe” wifi hotspots, like the Disney wifi when we went there.
With wifi, she can browse the internet, download free games, make skype calls, watch Netflix, and other stuff.
Phones are VERY powerful today, even when you don’t have them connected to actual phone service.
Have you tried just stopping your car and speaking to a real person on the street? I gave my 7 year old grandson $20 to give to a homeless woman. The woman jumped up, thanked him with tears in her eyes, but it wasn’t even about the money. It may have been weeks since anyone thought she was worth talking to. The real riches to her were that someone had acknowledged that she’s a human being. Tomorrow’s junk today won’t love you back.
Do you want to access maps (which can talk you nicely to even a brand new destination)? Do you want to FReep while waiting in line or at the doctor’s? Check your email? Do you have good wifi at home and/or work, and wherever you visit? Then you may wish to have your new smartphone make use of it.
Sometimes wifi will be better than your phone service, and sometimes it won’t. I find that usually it is. But when you are in a coffee shop or hotel on their wifi, and you want to check your bank account or something private, you can go into settings and take your phone OFF wifi so you can still do those things using your phone service. You just need to remember to stay private.
I say get a reasonable service where you have data and can use wifi everywhere. Also, at home if you don’t have wifi, just get a wifi router hooked up - with password - and you can take your interneting to all sorts of places. I haven’t sat at a desk in four years. Why? I don’t need to. I take this wifi iPad to the couch or the kitchen while I stand and cook. You might just love it, and your desk might get cobwebs.
Get a used phone. Wifi means you will be able to access the net if you are somewhere with an open network. So what does this mean? Lunch time in a restaurant you can check out FR or drudge or whatever, check emails, even listen to rush. Most restaurants, oil change places, medical waiting rooms, etc. have open wifi. Consider an iPhone, get the media adapter, jailbreak it, install moviebox and popcorn time, and hook it up to your tv.
You will thank me for that last suggestion.
Many phones have an option for sharing data in what is called a “hotspot.” Other devices with WiFi can the use your phone's non-WiFi data signal for access to the Internet. Doing so typically incurs extra charges or, at least, standard data charges (which add up quickly over a cell signal).
Does this help? Other phones can perform these same tricks, but I can't begin to list examples, as there are too many specifics to randomly know.
You don’t even need to be a top hacker to crack a wifi network. Script kiddies can do it.
As someone who has worked in IT for 20 years, hotel wi-fi is some of the crappiest I’ve found, unless you are staying someone pretty high-dollar. I would avoid using it if you are worried about security.
Popcorn, with extra butter....
This oughtta be a good thread...
Wherever there is wifi for computers you can use it with your cell phone too, as long as you can log on.
A smart phone call is just a little computer that gives you eyestrain, I’m posting with it now. Mine is set to go on wifi when home and several other places I may go automatically. It saves you from using your data package up and adding extra charges from your carrier.
I think the answer is yes. Even tho my phone account doesn’t cover internet access the phones capabilities will still allow web access.
Thanks all.
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