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Wfi-fi apps? Why?
Can somebody explain the purpose of the wi-fi apps available on the Android Market? Why do I need wi-fi on my phone? I don't get it!!
What do you mean by wifi apps, do you mean apps that require a wifi connection to work? If that is the case a lot of them stream a lot of content which would eat away at your monthly limit where as using wifi would use nothing from your plan. They are also used since wifi is generally 5 times faster which means better content, especially for streaming.,
You may be referring to widgets that let you turn WiFi on/off on the device. WiFi drains the battery so it's better to keep it off when you don't need it.
I don't know to much about Android at this point, but, if I had to use a educated guess I would agree with the two above statements.
Except for the monthly limit part, considering that most people have unlimited data for their smart phones. I don't see that as a reason for an app being wifi only unless the network has put a max data throughput cap for apps, thus requiring the app developer to make the app wifi only.
Except for the monthly limit part, considering that most people have unlimited data for their smart phones. I don't see that as a reason for an app being wifi only unless the network has put a max data throughput cap for apps, thus requiring the app developer to make the app wifi only.
Yeah, I think he's referring to the Wi-Fi widgets that let you turn Wi-Fi on and off. MarkPritchard, you already have WiFi on your phone, for the reasons deinfinityx went over. The WiFi apps on the app store are just widgets that put a WiFi switch on your home screen, as turning it on and off without the widgets generally means digging down pretty deep into your settings.
OK, let's see if I understand.
1. I can download a widget that allows me to turn wi-fi on and off without digging into the settings app. And The advantage of turning it off is to save battery life.
2. The reason I would want to use an app that utilizes wi-fi, as opposed to using my phone connection on which I got an unlimited data plan, is that wi-fi is faster.
It was number 2 that I was really asking about, but it's good to have the information about no. 1 as well. Thanks!
1. I can download a widget that allows me to turn wi-fi on and off without digging into the settings app. And The advantage of turning it off is to save battery life.
2. The reason I would want to use an app that utilizes wi-fi, as opposed to using my phone connection on which I got an unlimited data plan, is that wi-fi is faster.
It was number 2 that I was really asking about, but it's good to have the information about no. 1 as well. Thanks!
Another reason is when you travel internationally. Your "unlimited" plan doesn't work outside of the USA. In Canada, you are charged $10/MB while everywhere else it's $15/MB. This might not seem much, but trust me, you can rake-up a $1000+ bill in a few days with an "always connected phone". I turn off all phone based data roaming and use WiFi to sync up while outside of the USA. So in other words, my rooted G1 is a "phone" while traveling internationally. I sync-up data at WiFi HotSpots. Caveat Emptor!
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