Very confused new owner

[tekrsq]

A buddy of mine recently gave me his 1st generation Droid when he upgraded to a new Droid. I have it activated, and have to admit I like many of the features I didn't even think I would use. However, I am not a very computer savy person, and I have couple of questions. I've tried to research them through here, but honestly, I'm more confused now than before I started looking for answers.

1- What is the purpose of the "wi-fi" feature, and how do I use it ? I have set it up to access my home network, and it says it's connected, but I don't know how to get it to access files on other computers on the network. No screen comes up that looks like a "my computer" or "my network" like it does on my computer. I assume that's what the wi-fi is for ??

2- Is there a max size to the mini SD card that can be used ? I'd like to eventually transfer a lot of my music to it so I don't have to carry my MP3 player everywhere.

3- This is where I'm really lost. In very simple terms, please try to explain this to me. How do I "tether" my Droid to my laptop ? I want to be able to occassionally (maybe 4-5 times a year) use my phone to connect my computer to the internet while we are camping. I can't justify the cost of a monthly subsciption for cellular internet for the few times it would be used.

Any help is greatly appreciated !! This forum is a wealth of knowledge, but unfortunately, you guys might as well be speaking a foreign language to me.

Thanks

 

[LtKen]

1) Wifi is just another data connection. If you're browsing on your phone, you use your home network, rather than the cell network (usually resulting in much faster speeds). You can also use this network connection to share files and access media servers in your home (if you have them), but this requires extra software, available in the market.

2) You can use up to a 32GB microSD card in your phone.

3) There's not a terribly simple way to do it unless you pay Verizon. In slightly more complicated terms, you can modify your phone's software to allow this capability for free. You will need to root your phone (apply a hack that allows administrator-level access) and install some 3rd party software.

 

[dylanthecat]

PDANet or Easy Tether allow tethering without rooting your phone. They are not free though.

 

[LtKen]

PDANet or Easy Tether allow tethering without rooting your phone. They are not free though.

I forgot about those... Thank you for the vector check.

 

[Martin030908]

1. You can install EStrongs File Explorer or Astro File Manager and then connect via wifi, provided you have sharing set up on your PC for the appropriate folders, you can then browse/transfer files between Droid and PC.

3. You can use a service such as PDA Net (which is a pay for service) to tether, or you can root your Droid and enable wi-fi tethering that way.

 

[SGTiger]

I can see why you are confused. Pdanet is a FREE app and you do NOT have to pay for service. It does not require root. They do have a paid app if you must access https sites after the trial period ends. The free app continues to work great after the trial period other than the https restriction.

 

[Troops2990]

1. You can install EStrongs File Explorer or Astro File Manager and then connect via wifi, provided you have sharing set up on your PC for the appropriate folders, you can then browse/transfer files between Droid and PC.

3. You can use a service such as PDA Net (which is a pay for service) to tether, or you can root your Droid and enable wi-fi tethering that way.

I didn't know you could do this.. can you tell me how to set this up??