The Droid 2 is filled with plenty of nifty features, but it really comes to life when you take it online. With it, you’ve got the whole Internet in your hand—and on a screen larger than on other smartphones. Whether you need to search, get maps and directions, watch YouTube videos, or do pretty much anything else on the Internet, the Droid 2 lets you do it.
But first, of course, you need to get connected. You’ll get the rundown on how to do that in this chapter, along with learning about one of the Droid 2’s more amazing capabilities—the ability to turn into a Wi-Fi hotspot to give computers and other devices Internet connections.
Whenever it’s powered on, the Droid 2 is ready to hop onto the Internet. Whenever Verizon’s state-of-the-art third-generation network is available, the phone uses it—you can tell by the 3G symbol in the status bar. The 3G network was built for data and the Internet, so you can quickly send and receive good-sized email attachments, download music, watch YouTube videos…pretty much everything Internet.
With Verizon’s excellent 3G coverage, you’ll be able to hitch a 3G ride in most places you use the Droid 2. Not everything is hunky-dory in 3G land, though; it sucks up more power than non-3G connections, so your battery charge won’t last as long.
When the 3G network isn’t available, the Droid 2 drops down to the older network used for voice calls, indicated by the bars in the status bar. It’s much slower than 3G, but at least you’re not cut off from civilization completely.
To connect via 3G or the voice network, there’s nothing you need to do. The Droid 2 connects automatically depending on what’s available. Wi-Fi, the fastest connection of them all, takes a little more work, as you’ll see in the next section.