Mike,

I have not experienced any problems with the volume on the phone. I've tried playing you tube videos and a built in game and was very satisfied with the volume. Even when I put it down on a flat surface (which covers the rear speaker) the volume was fine.

I've heard that using your phone as a mobile wifi hotspot really eats up battery power. Incidentally, Verizon states in their instructional videos that you must plug in your phone when using it as a wifi hotspot due to battery consumption.

Sorry I can't answer your question concerning how the phone functions as a wifi hotspot. Verizon charges an extra $20 per month (for 2 GB of data useage) to use that feature. In addition, someone told me that the 2GB data maximum applies to all data useage once you activate the wifi feature. So you have to pay $20 more per month AND you go from an unlimited data plan to a 2GB maximum. No thanks. I suppose you could also jailbreak the phone but I wouldn't want to do that.

To use the phone as a WiFi hotspot, I downloaded PDAnet from the Android marketplace. It works beautifully. You must also download software for your computer. I am on a 30-day free trial, and after that, you must pay $23.95 (a one-time charge), but it is well worth it IMHO.

Hmmm..... Doesn't surprise me that Verizon would make you pay extra to use a standard function of the phone (WiFi). Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but that's the current business model with which all the cell phone companies are operating. However, I predict that this will all go away in the not too distant future and we'll be back to flat rate usage. With more and more smartphones hitting the market, these companies will reverse their current direction to maintain competetiveness and marketshare. Right now, they are competing around 3G .vs. 4G and eventually LTE networks and technology. Once those technology investments are sunk, they'll need subscribers to maintain an acceptable ROI... Then, the model will change.

Just my thinking....

That is very misleading. I have had an iPhone for over a year now and service in Hemingway is not very good. About 20% of the calls inside my home fail. There is no service inside the Publix in Colony Plaza. AT&T now has a $50 mini "cell tower" that you can connect to your internet connection for better service inside your home. They should be giving those away. My wife never has trouble with her Verizon service anywhere in The Villages.

I might be wrong, but I think there is a misunderstanding of terms. PDAnet enables you to tether your Android phone to a computer. In other words, connect your phone to a computer via a cable and use the phone's 3G data connection to give the computer Internet access. This is not the same as a WiFi hotspot. By the way, PDAnet does in fact work very well.

memason,

Verizon is supposed to be offering the iPhone by the end of this year. They are already in production. There has been a lot of info on the tech sites.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/product...one30_ST_N.htm

I'm not happy with my AT&T coverage in TV. (Hemingway) I really like the iPhone.

Bob

Bob..... I've been watching, with great interest, the unfolding saga of an iPhone on Verizon. For sure, it seems imminent that Verizon will offer the iPhone, but I'm still a bit skepitical...we've heard these rumors before..

All the talk of AT&T's analyst report [not depending on one smartphone], as well as [unconfirmed] reports that Apple has purchased millions of CDMA chips from Qualcomm, certainly adds some fuel to the fire.

That said and as much as I like my iPhone, I still have interest in the Droid X. Just not sure I'm ready to migrate over to Android just yet...

Maybe Apple will make some announcement at its September 1 event ...

We have the Sprint hotspot that can be used anywhere there is a Sprint Cell tower. It costs $59.95/Mo for 5.4 GB. We usually use just under the 5.4 GB.

We use it in Cal and Fla and in between. Don't have to have specific service in two states that isn't used half the time. Service where we live in Cal is poor, service in TV is very good.

.

"One Ringy Dingy"
 

I still do not have a smart phone. but that's OK. Mr. Boomer would have rushed out to the Verizon Store weeks ago had I not said, "Please wait. I can wait. Let's see where this thing goes with Verizon and the iPhone."

So I remain Boomer-in-Waiting, by choice, but I admit to getting a little impatient with myself on this.

This morning I was looking through the September issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance and found a short article comparing smart phones. Here is the link.....

http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/ar...rt-phones.html

Sometimes I get a little nostalgic for the days when there was no choice involved with phone service. Sure made life a lot simpler. Or did it?

Remember Ernestine? Here she is.....

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9e3dTOJi0o[/ame]


Boomer

Consumer Reports recently tested smartphones. They rated the iPhone the highest. The Droid X came in second at one point below the iPhone. They criticized the DroidX for battery life and voice quality. I have been told that voice quality was an issue on early DroidX phones but that a software update corrected that. I have not had a problem with voice quality. However, it does use a lot of battery power. In fact, this is often a complaint on many cellphones.

VirginMobile USA
 

I'm traveling to TV next week and I'm thinking of purchasing a MiFi 2200 from VirginMobile USA. This will be the only internet access I will have, other than running to the rec centers. You can purchase these at the Walmart in TV and the service is pay-as-you-go for unlimited data access. ie. no contracts

The MiFi device runs on the Sprint data network, so I'm not too sure it'll work well in TV. Our home is in St. Charles, so that is where it will be used the most. The Sprint coverage map shows good coverage in TV, but I'd like to ask my "expert" friends in TV for the real scoop! :)

Anyone have experience with VirginMobile? ...or the Sprint DATA network.

As always, thanks for your insights!

I am a Verizon customer because of their much more extensive coverage
 

nation wide. At our lake home in TN there is NO OTHER service that gets there except Verizon.
I use their air card because again in the TN hills the only internet available is dial up (snoooooze) or sattelite ($$$$$$).

However with the new Droid X and future droid 2.2 and above operating systems I can get upgraded to a new droid phone that has wi fi, pay the 23.95 per month for the access and drop the air card $69.95 per month and save $46 per month.

I am waiting for the new LG Droid 2.2 phones just announced to hit the stores. Between LG and HTC there will be several new droid capable phones that will help drive the prices down.

btk

If you're staying with Verizon/Droid, I agree that LG is a great choice. Our experience with LG products has been consistently excellent quality.

Love it!
 

I just got the Droid 2 last week. I love it!

Pro's - it does about everything but make your bed.

Con's - Battery life is not the best (but I have used it quite a bit) and price (but those cell phone companies are all about the same overall in that area).

You have to pay Verizon an extra $30 a month for the internet access on the phone.

To use it at a hot-spot you end up paying an additional $20 a month for 2 gig (max you can get with the Droid). I tend to use my computer for more than 2 gig so that won't work for me.

I have never had a phone that I had more fun with. I can watch a youtube video all the way - sometimes without it even stopping to load. My computer can't come close to being as quick.

I think I'm hooked. Never thought about getting one to begin with, but I happened to be in the store and I liked the way it looked. Since I have 30 days to try it - I figured what the heck. Now I don't think I could ever go back to a normal cell phone again!

We got the Sprint MiFi 2200 in January and it worked fine in TV. Doesn't work very well here in CA Lake County tho.

.