Now that Verizon has finally announced the CDMA iPhone I have a couple thoughts about the device. The Verizon variant adds a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot functionality which is something I have wanted RIM to add for YEARS! The rumored Storm 3 was supposed to include that feature with its new wireless chip but that device has been more or less canned for now. My question is now that Android and iPhone devices have Mobile Hotspot the pressure is really on RIM to add this feature to BlackBerrys ASAP! Don’t get me wrong I can already hear Mike Lazaridis preparing a diatribe about “Bandwidth Optimization” but can’t he finally get with the program? A mobile hotspot feature for BlackBerrys would also make the PlayBook a more useful device allowing it to easily use your BlackBerrys 3G connection.
The other thing I am kind of interested to see is if the millions of AT&T iPhone users flocking to Verizon for the iPhone will lead to improved network reliability for AT&T. For years there has been a back and forth between AT&T and Apple each claiming the other is causing the issue. Maybe we will finally have a chance to tell and I will be able to hold a 5+ minute phone call without failing… 
(image via IntoMobile)
Corey Davis ( View Profile) - Posts: 1293
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 12:20 PM EST
Again, as I mentioned in an earlier post….WiFi hotspot. Come on RIM. You can have a secure hotspot requiring a password, so RIM needs to get over it.
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 12:21 PM EST
Although I agree RIM should have phones coming out with this feature, i don’t think its a feature alot of casual users care about.
On the other hand, it’d be perfect for the playbook,which has a lot riding on for RIM.
I think we’re all basicaly just anxious for new phones from RIM, as good as the playbook presented at CES.
Tom ( View Profile) - Posts: 388
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 12:29 PM EST
My wife’s Droid Incredible has had this feature ever since the Android 2.2 update!
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 12:46 PM EST
Does she use it alot? i just don’t see it being a big deal for most consumers.
Tom ( View Profile) - Posts: 388
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 12:51 PM EST
She does not. I, on the other hand, tether my 9650 to a CradlePoint CTR500 router, which creates a mobile WiFi hotspot — I find it extremely useful.
Edwin ( View Profile) - Posts: 241
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 1:04 PM EST
i don’t cradlepoint my 9700 but i do use it to tether a lot here in my office, ever since they took away our access to facebook and other hacking and game site. what you think my office can stop me let them try. lol. This feature would be great for me especially because i plan on buying the Playbook @jump. Now i am a person that does not like to buy the 1st generation of a product when its 1st release but i want the playbook. i want it so bad i am willing to break my rule and get it on jump. What would make it awesome is if RIM got this out ASAP and i can use my blackberry as a hotspot for my playbook. At least let me tether it through bluetooth, like i do with my MAC and Gateway Laptop.
beamolite ( View Profile) - Posts: 281
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 12:38 PM EST
RIM will make it into a security issue. They care about business not consumers.
CraZy88 ( View Profile) - Posts: 61
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 12:48 PM EST
Diatribe….I love that word!!
I will be going to verizon from att to get away from the att hell that’s is poor coverage and carrier. Ugh! However, I will be waiting for the LTE version so that I can still receive data while talking on the phone. It will be such a better phone when that happens and will put more of a gap between verizon and att when that happens. Att is just cocky and I can’t believe they still think they have “the most bars in most places”. In Orlando, I have full coverage on verizon (and even antarctica) but att I fluctuate between one and four every 3mins. I sit on my couch and up and down the bars. Bullshit. Lol
But I still hang on to hope for Blackberry. I just hope I have patience for two years. Lol
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 12:51 PM EST
If RIM doesn’t have a competent SUPER phone out by then, even I’ll give up!
Edwin ( View Profile) - Posts: 241
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 1:06 PM EST
i have to agree
captainbdsc ( View Profile) - Posts: 179
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 4:14 PM EST
I wouldn’t be surprised if RIM surprised us. (That would be nice.) But on the other hand I wouldn’t be surprised if they get their first 1GHz CPU phone out sometime next year. What ever they are planning it sure is being kept secret.
I know RIM takes pride in their battery life and that is partly why they say they can’t do high end processors yet, but there are multiple devices coming out that have dual core GHz processors right now. As long as it gets through a day, I am fine with that.
So come on RIM make it happen!
Terrence T ( View Profile) - Posts: 1822
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 1:10 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9800 | OS 6.0.0.337
@everyone
Do u think a os update is needed or or chipset refresh is needed?
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 1:44 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9800 | OS 6.0.0.337
I don’t think current blackberries have the hardware for this, I may be wrong. Sounds like we definitely have to wait for new phones
citystars41 ( View Profile) - Posts: 92
Posted: January 12, 2011 at 11:33 AM EST
that is a good question because when i worked in best buy mobile, before mobile hotspots were around, they came out with an application we could install onto phones with wifi to give them that ability, so i think, just by that, that we will be able to have this just by an app or os upgrade as long as the phone has wifi
Tom ( View Profile) - Posts: 388
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 1:37 PM EST
BTW, did Big Red mention the charge associated with using this integrated WiFi hotspot feature? I cannot envision VZW rolling this out without tagging an additional fee to it…
DavidB ( View Profile) - Posts: 1791
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 2:02 PM EST
Verizon press release says the hotspot feature is included in the data plan price.
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 2:09 PM EST
good for them,, nice for Verizon users
Tom ( View Profile) - Posts: 388
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 2:14 PM EST
I missed that part in the press release (http://news.vzw.com/news/2011/01/pr2011-01-11a.html). The only mention of it that I see is “iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless will also include new Personal Hotspot capabilities allowing customers to use iPhone 4 to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.” This only states that the device is capable, not that the feature is bundled in the data plan price (and I have not seen the data plan pricing either).
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 9:55 PM EST
ah so they could very well end up charging for this.. a good bet that they will.. if there’s a service that people want, they’ll charge for it thats for sure
DavidB ( View Profile) - Posts: 1791
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 2:05 PM EST
You nailed it there Ronen. The best news about VZW finally getting the iPhone is the strain will be relieved somewhat on ATT’s network. Of course, those of us tied by corporate supplied phones from VZW may see a hit.
Another angle…VZW was big on LTE Android phones last week at CES. The more Android phones they push out to ride on LTE, the more EV-DO 3G bandwidth is left for the rest of us.
webchetan ( View Profile) - Posts: 280
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 2:51 PM EST
CDMA iPhone…yucks sucks!!! its GSM world dude! NO NO for a CDMA…what in world were verizon thinking?
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 2:52 PM EST
Agreed, all carriers here are moving away from CDMA
Corey Davis ( View Profile) - Posts: 1293
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 2:54 PM EST
Well, CDMA is usable throughout the world too. And everyone I know who has a GSM phone hates it because they don’t have coverage. So if GSM is the way to go, then I’m going back to a landline. lol
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 5:17 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9800 | OS 6.0.0.337
I donno gueSs it depends on where you live . Being able to swap phones just by changing the sim card has been handy for me
Daniel Perez Not Registered
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 5:54 PM EST
I’m less concerned with mobile hotspot (always overpriced) and more concerned with new hardware. The Iphone for Verizon is actually a downgrade from AT&Ts Iphone 4 because it does not have simultaneous voice and data. Which means the dumb phone just got dumber. If Blackberry smooths out their new os and keep adding new features: improved multitasking (the ability to type out emails while in another app), multiple alarms, integrated app launchers, better app storage – these are the features I’d like to see in future Blackberries, 1ghz processor not withstanding.
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 8:05 PM EST
+1
all of those things would be great
c0rinne ( View Profile) - Posts: 385
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 6:46 PM EST
I was kind of indifferent to the mobile hotspot thing until I tried it out and realized it’s awesome.
I’ve got it on my iPhone and it’s so much more convenient than always keeping my phone hooked up. Certainly something RIM should add.
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 11, 2011 at 10:26 PM EST
come to think of it , it would be pretty rad on the train or something where i’d bring my macbook along.. i hope RIM is listening!
Terrence T ( View Profile) - Posts: 1822
Posted: January 12, 2011 at 12:26 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9800 | OS 6.0.0.337
According to BGR, it has been “confirmed” that the personal hotspot feature will be rolled out to all iPhones regardless of carrier with iOS 4.3. (Naturally, the carrier is going to come into play somehow, so AT&T users might not be able to take advantage of this feature so easily.)
Expected to drop in March, the OS version will be 8F5148b and the baseband will be 04.08.00. Users will be able to connect up to five devices to the hotspot via Wi-Fi and possibly Bluetooth. Of course, if you don’t have an unlimited (or at least 2GB) data plan, this will surely eat up your data usage allotment quickly.
-zdnet
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 12, 2011 at 12:32 PM EST
the more i think about it, the more i want this feature…
Joe257 ( View Profile) - Posts: 628
Posted: January 13, 2011 at 1:39 PM EST
Mobile WiFi hotspot is important, but it is not essential.
I think enabling video chat in BBM to compete with FaceTime is CRITICAL for the PlayBook’s launch in Feb/March. We’ve seen the front facing cam, we’ve not seen BBM on the PlayBook… I wonder why
It’s coming and it will be HUGE. FaceTime is gaining a huge following on the iPhone platform, and I’m certain that is on RIM’s radar.
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 14, 2011 at 2:17 PM EST
There has been video of BBM on the playbook, or do you mean a native app and not through the bridge?
Joe257 ( View Profile) - Posts: 628
Posted: January 13, 2011 at 1:43 PM EST
Forgot to mention something…
The BlackBerry Bridge connectivity between the PlayBook and BlackBerry smartphone provides more useful features over the generic mobile hotspot, so it partially fills that void… at least for folks who have both!
barrist ( View Profile) - Posts: 1186
Posted: January 14, 2011 at 9:29 AM EST
Looks like your wish has been granted for the next new BBs!
The new Dakota has everything I need..