The World Changing Internet Service of Verizon Wireless

Andy, I don't manage to understand how Verizon functions. I have read countless of your posts and in none of them it is clear. Also the website of Verizon lacks the essential information - how it works. What I have to do and what are the restrictions. I would be glad if you help me understand it.

1. Can you access any email account of yours on this system? Gmail, Yahoo, local country emails (say mail.it or email.cn). Does it have to be a pop3 email. Or can it be webbased only too? Or you can only access an email provided by Verizon?

2. How many email accounts of yours can you access. Say if today you get a new email account, can you setup it on your Blackberry minutes after you created a new email account?

3. I do not like to type on Blackberry it's small. Can I type emails in my laptop and send them via Blackberry with a minimal procedure (click on send and that's all, or smth like this). Or I should write emails then save them as files, upload files from computer to Blackberry and then send them from Blackberry. Or rather install some utility that automatically transfers my emails to Blackberry.

4. If I have verizon on my Blackberry (which I imagine it's like a phone service), can I also have a local sim number on the same Blackberry as well?

5. Can I sent files with Verizon. On a reasonable speed. Say I want to send an email with attachements of over 20 Megs. Is it doable?

6. Can I access internet on my laptop, if I have Verizon system on my Blackberry? How much does it cost 69$ or 100$?

7. Can Verizon work on different smartphones? Any examples.

I have not been able to find answer to these essential questions.
I thank you if you can clarify.

Gadget from has written 916 comments

1. You can access e-mail by normal page view, but normally too small. But the operating system, whether BlackBerry, Window Mobile, Iphone, or Android decides how they manage. Bottom line, you can access any type of e-mail account with an smartphone. BlackBerry so far is the best, because they have a proxy server, Android may be good, I never used.

2.You can have as many e-mail accounts as you wish, but the BlackBerry reads them all in one location, I have not figured out how to stop that.

3. You can type on a computer, Tether.com it to the BlackBerry and it is the same as having a slow dial-up connection on your computer.

4. Anyway you do it, you must have the ability to make a call on the phone, you cannot as I understand only use just the Internet access. I try not to use here, a call is probably close to three dollars per minute.

5. 20 Megs is doable, but your e-mail client would need to be able to do it. I am not sure if I can make a 20 meg attachment, inside the Smartphone, I am sure it is dependent up on the operating system you choose.

6. The price is tricky, you must first have a phone, say it cost 40 dollars per month, then you can add on the 69 dollar Global Email plan..

7. Everyone talks about the brand of Phone, they say Iphone, they say BlackBerry, they say Android. This is all just personal toys on the phone, and how it interacts with the Internet. Personally, when the Android comes out with a Verzion global plan, I think this would be the best, because it is google.com based.

Primary, buy the Internet access of Verzion if you are going to travel outside the USA, if not, than you can use about any service. What sets Verizon apart is the number of country, 220, I tihnk ATT is 88, and because you can access without talking to a countries telephone country.

Maybe do this, print out this page:

Take this link to the store.
http://b2b.vzw.com/international/Global_Email/plans_coverage.html

Tell the Verizon people you want global email, then ask which phone are available. The HTC Touch Pro II, I had a better keyboard and bigger, but it would be better with the Android operating system than the Window Mobile. I would say Window Mobile is unacceptable. I would say Iphone is unacceptable. I think either Android or BlackBerry are the only good options for Global, but I am not sure if the Android is global yet.

Iphones are too difficult for service, the last thing for travel is a Mac, it is truly just an American brand.

I just found a place where I can buy BlackBerry Chargers for Batteries here, I think I can buy Batterys for 5 dollars, as opposed to 50 in the USA. BlackBerry is the standard Smartphone worldwide.

I almost guarantee you are going to pay a 100 Dollars per month to have a Smartphone go Global. If you make phone calls on it, the skys the limit. I use a separate phone with a separate SIM to make telephone calls locally. I use Skype.com to make long distance calls.

Thank you for your clarifications.

I think tether.com is the answer to my questions on how can you use your laptop to fully browse and email while your Verizon plan is only on the smartphone.

With tether.com installed on my laptop and Blackberry I will be able to take advantage of the Global internet plan Verizon.

Can you confirm you can browse internet pages, use messengers and skype on your laptop, while this is tether.com software linked to a smartphone with Verizon data plan? Is it a good experience, speed wise?

Say if you are in a village of Ghana that has cellular coverage? Provided that you have tether.com soft on laptop and smartphone and a Verizon global data plan on your smartphone. Can you open your laptop and check say... (Edited -YouTube.com)

Thank you

Gadget from has written 916 comments

You cannot use Skype.com to call a landline, you can make a Skype to Skype call, but the upload is bad at 3G.

This is like a slow dial up, if the country has a 3G you are lucky, Ghana has 3G inside the cities,

When the 4G or whatever is above 3G becomes the standard, I think we will have true worldwide access, Skype good enough. I think this will be in 2011.

Truly to follow more ideas on a Mobile Office, it is best to read the blog post here:
http://www.hobotraveler.com/mobileoffice/index.php

Motorcycle Bob from has written 84 comments

You wrote "You cannot use Skype.com to call a landline"

Please clarify. The only thing I have used Skype for is to call a land line, I have never had the need to call someone on thier skype account. Are you saying Skype does not work well when using the tethering?

Bob L

Gadget from has written 916 comments

Skype.com does not work in Ghana or Tog with a 2G or 3G connection.

Not all connections are the same, and I do not care if they call it 3G, 2G etc.

I believe the next generation for speed will allow skype.com to function around the world.

I can hear, because a connection is four times faster download, then upload. I can hear, but the person talking cannot hear me.

I can do Yahoo to Yahoo computer.

There are an extreme amount of variable for speed, line of site, distance, walls, computer temp files, length of cable, number of bars, location of phone etc.

A call made at 3 in the morning may work.