Such phone wouldn't sell here. CDMA2000/EVDO is considered a legacy technology here in Canada. Is AT&T that bad that you prefer a slower (EVDO is slower than HSPA) phone 6 months late? And that such phone can't even use voice and data at the same time?
While HSPA+ is faster than EVDO rev A in theory, the undercapacity on AT&T combined with frequent connection failures decrease the perceived speed even though the AT&T device will be faster under ideal conditions than a Verizon/Sprint device under those same conditions.
For example. at the Chiefs/Baltimore playoff game my Droid worked fine - receiving updated info throughout the game, numerous text messages, and several phone calls without a hitch. In contrast, my cousin's iPhone could never dial out and only established a data connection during the 4th quarter. There is a lot more to service than just speed potential.
No, IPv6. But more spectrum per tower will. Which is exactly what us lucky ATT subscribers get here in CO - 1900 & 850, effectively doubling spectral ca
Same deal here. Last concert I went to left my iPhone a glorified iPod. It wasn't even a large concert, maybe 8,000 people? They all seemed to have smartphones, though. It's times Luke those that I wonder if everyone could ever own a smartphone. The network probably has a long way to go. That, or they need special equipment installed in high density areas.
"Last concert I went to left my iPhone a glorified iPod.... It's times Luke those that I wonder if everyone could ever own a smartphone."
It's times "Luke" those? Ha ha, I think I recognize the iPhone/iOS's auto-typing/correct feature in action! I should know... I've had that happen to me enough times, myself :P
First it's not the leap it's what we wanted last year (as in when I switched to VZW), plus it has a guaranteed six month shelf life since iPhone 5 will hopefully support LTE. And lastly, we have none of the useful information. What are the plans going to be like? This was a half-hour that could have been delayed till February and driven much more excitement. Or MWC. Something other than what amounted to a spoken press release following a really exciting (non-Apple) CES.
CDMA/EVDO was designed to have non-concurrently functioning radios. It is not possible to run the CDMA and EVDO radios at the same time. Do you actually think that Sprint and Verizon would want this?
The 4G LTE radios function just fine when talking on the phone.
It's a policy/software limitation. Other than the fact that there are hardware workarounds, there are also software workarounds, such IP-based VoIP (either full-time or as a handoff when data is requested). This is made practical by EV-DO rev. A (which allows reduced latency by adding QoS, among other things), which Verizon deployed network-wide three and a half years ago.
Sure, there is Qualcomm’s QChat specifically designed for this, which uses many of the same protocols that is in FaceTime (it’s video -AND- voice) as well as others, but that doesn’t mean it’s feasible. There are a lot of tradeoffs when you start using your IP data connection for voice.
There is potentially worse QoS which can affect call quality and put it into a category worse than AT&T’s call quality on GSM and even making the iPhone itself look like the culprit.
Then there is battery usage for a 1 hour call using VoRA (VoIP over EV-DO Rev. A v. CDMA). Battery life is at the center of Apple’s checklist. Now, having a Settings option to dis/enable SV&D with a disclaimer stating the additional drain on the battery for calls might be something they’d be okay with… maybe not.
That’s not to say they won’t enable this, but it does require both the vendor and carrier to work together, something Apple and Verizon appear to be doing. Maybe for iOS 5.0 this will be a feature for the CDMA version on Verizon… maybe not.
The only thing we can know for sure is that it’s a complex scenario that we can’t completely answer.
This is great news for everyone, except AT&T. Although most Verizon customers will most likely wait until iPhone 5 to jump on board. Any word on 4G for the new Apple? Phone 5's debut will mark the first time Apple has ever had any real competition so expect the next iPhone to be Fully-Loaded! Apple is going to blow our minds I do believe, $200 burning a hole in my pocket right now!
The "Verizon or AT&T" issue largely boils down to geography: If you're in the Northeast US, Verizon is significantly better. AT&T's coverage is pretty awful outside the major cities, and quality is not so great inside the major cities. I never had problems with AT&T until I moved up here. I've had no problems with AT&T, but there are large parts of the northeast where you can drive for hours without a signal.
In the rest of the country, AT&T is fine. Their network is much larger in the south and the west, and I can't say Verizon has much of an advantage there (the oft-cited San Francisco is horrible no matter what carrier you use.) In Texas specifically I can vouch that AT&T is better coverage-wise and the speed is excellent.
But it's good to have more choice. Hopefully this will force AT&T to keep up with upgrades on their network now that they don't have a monopoly on the most popular smartphone.
Andand said: "Verizon indicated that you wouldn't be able to use voice and data simultaneously, consistent with other CDMA devices on its network."
That sounds like FUN! Not. I can't imagine having to hang up a phone to look on the Internet.
Just yesterday, I've been looking for a product in a store... so I went online, they were out of stock for online purchase, but their system said it was in stock in some locations. I called a location off the page (a simple press of the finger, no dialing) - the lady asked for the item #, I flipped back to the browser, had to go to another 2 pages to get what I needed to confirm with her the inventory item.
So with an iPhone4 and others on VZ.... I would have been screwed.
Plus.. I totally hate VeriZons interface that is on all their phones and the lack of a SIM card. I've had phones broken, and I can easily go to my older backup phones by dropping it in and continue to use service.
Luckily, in my area... AT&T has good service and more people use it over VZ... which has more weak spots. Go figure.
But you can pull a sim card out of any free AT&T phone put it in your old iPhone that you are not using, give it to grandma Betsy and she has a great phone with no monthly data fee. Zero payments! Awe, I love my grandma.
Okay... how *do* you do that if the phone is dead?
Even a friend of mine, on at&t as well, her phone was damage and waiting for its repair - I handed her my spare phone, dropped the sim - her contacts, etc and she had what she needed for a week or so.
Doesnt matter if the the old phone is dead. You just dial *228 on the the phone you want to transfer TO. They change some numbers on the back end and it's done.
That's the most ridiculous statement anyone has made on this forum. I can go with my Quad band phone and buy a local SIM card in Europe or Dubai or Asia. What are you going to do with a CDMA Verizon phone when you travel? Throw it under the train.
Verizon must love writing commercials for AT&T. I've always been a Verizon customer so I've never had the capability, but I'm not sure how current iPhone owners would feel about that.
AT&T Customer: "Hold on for a sec while I order the tickets!" "Okay, tickets are ordered, see you at the gate!"
Verizon Customer: "Let me order the tickets and call you back." Verizon Customer: "Okay, tickets are ordered, see you at the gate!"
Of course, the AT&T version of this commercial will be more dramatic have more hyperbole than a Sunday morning infomercial.
There would probably be one ticket left and the AT&T customer would end up with it since he didn't have to hang up to go online. Hope my check's in the mail, AT&T...
... It would matter now. As the number of people using smart phones today are far more than a year ago, and beyond.
I myself only started using my very own smart-phone a few months ago (I never wanted an Apple iPhone... and the AMOLED screen is nice)... so my previous phone did voice and text just fine.
Now my phone does email (in a non painful way that is actually usable), internet, GPS, far more advance messaging with photos and video, etc.
Show a split screen of an at&t and Verizon iPhone users trying to do Voice and data at the same time.... and how they have that restriction with Verizon.
The Verizon iPhone user doesn't even get the tickets.... :)
I have no real love for at&t... they just another carrier. In my area in Texas - Verizon has worst service an at*t... and I totally hate Verizon's custom UI. But at&t has applied the SONY-type design to some of the other phones (odd).
The thing is... sometimes the person you're talking to on the phone, doesn't have a computer or phone to text you... especially if its just a person in retail who doesn't KNOW who you are.
The ability to do talk and data is useful as is Multi-tasking (In the OLD-days, MS-DOS geeks were anti-Multi-tasking as a stupid feature that nobody serious actually needs - in response to the 1985~1994 Amiga computers).
Hope they don't delay the launch of the Android phones shown at CES to give the iPhone more time in the sun. I'm up for renewal at the beginning of March and really want the Droid Bionic available then so I can ditch my Windows Mobile POS.
Typical American thinking - always of the view you have the greatest "everything". Before you try to state your opinions as facts, try to do your research.
I wouldn't go to Verizon and lose the capabilities of AT&T's network. Where are you people that you have all of the problems I never encounter? I travel around a few cities in the midwest and have made trips to larger & medium sized cites on either coast and never have connectivity problems or dropped. OK, not never but very rarely.
I still have the 3GS. While it's a good phone, the lack of flash is pushing me to go droid. Besides, I want a bigger screen. If iPhone5 doesn't do something amazing, I think I'm probably going to switch.
The Flash feud seems to petty to me and is probably going to be the reason apple loses my business. Not to mention, they try to prevent jailbreaks. If you have users that want something better than you have to offer, don't stop them, embrace them. It's unfortunate jailbreaking is almost synonymous with warez; this is not the case for me.
Might it be possible to put a voice call on hold to check email or use Safari? Or does the call have to be completely disconnected to use the data stream?
Someone mentioned on a previous page that the downfall of the iPhone will be it's incapability to perform as androids.
I'm no David Rice, but I think our Lil buddy Mr. Jobs over at apple is doing a snazzy job at competing and revolutionizing the functionally of smart phones. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasnt' Iphone 4 the first multi camera communication device to enter the main stream market? Not that android sucks, but like other people mentioned; we "as in us, the forum junkies" are the minority.
Granted that android has taken over the greater majority of the market but can you see why this is? First of all until now, AT&T has been the only true holder of the iPhone. I think they've "at&t" benefited from this, but its hurt the popularity of apple's little Jesus.
If you were to compare all phones that support android OS in compression to apple's OS, the numbers would be purely bizarre. Find me one phone, from one provider; that reigns 19% of all mobile device costumers. Toyota's sales doesn't even pull that off,..IN JAPAN. : D
Even though Verizon is getting iPhone4, it'll soon be outdated by iPhone5 soon in a few months. How many will buy and just claim later that they should have waited for iPhone5 with a worldband chipset and a dual core processor?
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43 Comments
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zorxd - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Such phone wouldn't sell here.CDMA2000/EVDO is considered a legacy technology here in Canada. Is AT&T that bad that you prefer a slower (EVDO is slower than HSPA) phone 6 months late? And that such phone can't even use voice and data at the same time?
metafor - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Being a current 3GS owner on AT&T, I can tell you that yes it is.HSPA on AT&T or T-Mobile is nice when you're in an area with good reception, but that happens for me about 5% of the time.
Yuniverse - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
wow... 5% I guess you DO need to migrate to verizon.As for me in Seattle area, I get very good reception and data coverage ... I'd say about 98.8% of the time.
mcnabney - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
While HSPA+ is faster than EVDO rev A in theory, the undercapacity on AT&T combined with frequent connection failures decrease the perceived speed even though the AT&T device will be faster under ideal conditions than a Verizon/Sprint device under those same conditions.For example. at the Chiefs/Baltimore playoff game my Droid worked fine - receiving updated info throughout the game, numerous text messages, and several phone calls without a hitch. In contrast, my cousin's iPhone could never dial out and only established a data connection during the 4th quarter. There is a lot more to service than just speed potential.
vol7ron - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
I also have such problems at shows/concerts. Shouldn't IPv6 help this?clarketelecom - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
No, IPv6. But more spectrum per tower will. Which is exactly what us lucky ATT subscribers get here in CO - 1900 & 850, effectively doubling spectral caMonkeyPaw - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Same deal here. Last concert I went to left my iPhone a glorified iPod. It wasn't even a large concert, maybe 8,000 people? They all seemed to have smartphones, though. It's times Luke those that I wonder if everyone could ever own a smartphone. The network probably has a long way to go. That, or they need special equipment installed in high density areas.Jacmert - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
"Last concert I went to left my iPhone a glorified iPod.... It's times Luke those that I wonder if everyone could ever own a smartphone."It's times "Luke" those? Ha ha, I think I recognize the iPhone/iOS's auto-typing/correct feature in action! I should know... I've had that happen to me enough times, myself :P
dch58 - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
AT&T is horribly unreliable here.My contract is up very shortly and I can't wait to switch to something that works.
tno - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
First it's not the leap it's what we wanted last year (as in when I switched to VZW), plus it has a guaranteed six month shelf life since iPhone 5 will hopefully support LTE. And lastly, we have none of the useful information. What are the plans going to be like? This was a half-hour that could have been delayed till February and driven much more excitement. Or MWC. Something other than what amounted to a spoken press release following a really exciting (non-Apple) CES.curtisfong - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
VZ won't let you.B-Unit - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Not accurate. Its a limitation of CDMA technology. Has nothing to do with VZ 'letting' you.zorxd - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Which means that CDMA2000/EVDO is not even 3G.So we have 2G branded as 3G, and 3G branded as 4G.
mcnabney - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
CDMA/EVDO was designed to have non-concurrently functioning radios. It is not possible to run the CDMA and EVDO radios at the same time. Do you actually think that Sprint and Verizon would want this?The 4G LTE radios function just fine when talking on the phone.
Guspaz - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
It's a policy/software limitation. Other than the fact that there are hardware workarounds, there are also software workarounds, such IP-based VoIP (either full-time or as a handoff when data is requested). This is made practical by EV-DO rev. A (which allows reduced latency by adding QoS, among other things), which Verizon deployed network-wide three and a half years ago.solipsism - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Sure, there is Qualcomm’s QChat specifically designed for this, which uses many of the same protocols that is in FaceTime (it’s video -AND- voice) as well as others, but that doesn’t mean it’s feasible. There are a lot of tradeoffs when you start using your IP data connection for voice.There is potentially worse QoS which can affect call quality and put it into a category worse than AT&T’s call quality on GSM and even making the iPhone itself look like the culprit.
Then there is battery usage for a 1 hour call using VoRA (VoIP over EV-DO Rev. A v. CDMA). Battery life is at the center of Apple’s checklist. Now, having a Settings option to dis/enable SV&D with a disclaimer stating the additional drain on the battery for calls might be something they’d be okay with… maybe not.
That’s not to say they won’t enable this, but it does require both the vendor and carrier to work together, something Apple and Verizon appear to be doing. Maybe for iOS 5.0 this will be a feature for the CDMA version on Verizon… maybe not.
The only thing we can know for sure is that it’s a complex scenario that we can’t completely answer.
MeanBruce - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
This is great news for everyone, except AT&T. Although most Verizon customers will most likely wait until iPhone 5 to jump on board. Any word on 4G for the new Apple? Phone 5's debut will mark the first time Apple has ever had any real competition so expect the next iPhone to be Fully-Loaded! Apple is going to blow our minds I do believe, $200 burning a hole in my pocket right now!7Enigma - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Haha $200! For an Apple product at release??! Just....wow...Yuniverse - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
??? what does that mean? I got my 3GS and 4G iPhones at $200 at release.vol7ron - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Right, verizon probably wants more $$ hence the $100 difference :)Exelius - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
The "Verizon or AT&T" issue largely boils down to geography: If you're in the Northeast US, Verizon is significantly better. AT&T's coverage is pretty awful outside the major cities, and quality is not so great inside the major cities. I never had problems with AT&T until I moved up here. I've had no problems with AT&T, but there are large parts of the northeast where you can drive for hours without a signal.In the rest of the country, AT&T is fine. Their network is much larger in the south and the west, and I can't say Verizon has much of an advantage there (the oft-cited San Francisco is horrible no matter what carrier you use.) In Texas specifically I can vouch that AT&T is better coverage-wise and the speed is excellent.
But it's good to have more choice. Hopefully this will force AT&T to keep up with upgrades on their network now that they don't have a monopoly on the most popular smartphone.
Belard - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Andand said: "Verizon indicated that you wouldn't be able to use voice and data simultaneously, consistent with other CDMA devices on its network."That sounds like FUN! Not. I can't imagine having to hang up a phone to look on the Internet.
Just yesterday, I've been looking for a product in a store... so I went online, they were out of stock for online purchase, but their system said it was in stock in some locations. I called a location off the page (a simple press of the finger, no dialing) - the lady asked for the item #, I flipped back to the browser, had to go to another 2 pages to get what I needed to confirm with her the inventory item.
So with an iPhone4 and others on VZ.... I would have been screwed.
Plus.. I totally hate VeriZons interface that is on all their phones and the lack of a SIM card. I've had phones broken, and I can easily go to my older backup phones by dropping it in and continue to use service.
Luckily, in my area... AT&T has good service and more people use it over VZ... which has more weak spots. Go figure.
I'm an Android user.
Arsynic - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Sim cards are retarded.Over the air (OTA) activation makes this obsolete. On Verizon all you have to do is hit *228 and go through a 30 second activation and you're done.
MeanBruce - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
But you can pull a sim card out of any free AT&T phone put it in your old iPhone that you are not using, give it to grandma Betsy and she has a great phone with no monthly data fee. Zero payments! Awe, I love my grandma.Belard - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Okay... how *do* you do that if the phone is dead?Even a friend of mine, on at&t as well, her phone was damage and waiting for its repair - I handed her my spare phone, dropped the sim - her contacts, etc and she had what she needed for a week or so.
Hard to do *anything if the PHONE is dead.
extide - Thursday, January 13, 2011 - link
Doesnt matter if the the old phone is dead. You just dial *228 on the the phone you want to transfer TO. They change some numbers on the back end and it's done.RussianSensation - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
That's the most ridiculous statement anyone has made on this forum. I can go with my Quad band phone and buy a local SIM card in Europe or Dubai or Asia. What are you going to do with a CDMA Verizon phone when you travel? Throw it under the train.Arsynic - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Verizon must love writing commercials for AT&T. I've always been a Verizon customer so I've never had the capability, but I'm not sure how current iPhone owners would feel about that.AT&T Customer: "Hold on for a sec while I order the tickets!" "Okay, tickets are ordered, see you at the gate!"
Verizon Customer: "Let me order the tickets and call you back."
Verizon Customer: "Okay, tickets are ordered, see you at the gate!"
Of course, the AT&T version of this commercial will be more dramatic have more hyperbole than a Sunday morning infomercial.
There would probably be one ticket left and the AT&T customer would end up with it since he didn't have to hang up to go online. Hope my check's in the mail, AT&T...
DigitalFreak - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
AT&T already did the "voice and data at the same time" IPhone commercials a year ago. Nobody cared...Belard - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
... It would matter now. As the number of people using smart phones today are far more than a year ago, and beyond.I myself only started using my very own smart-phone a few months ago (I never wanted an Apple iPhone... and the AMOLED screen is nice)... so my previous phone did voice and text just fine.
Now my phone does email (in a non painful way that is actually usable), internet, GPS, far more advance messaging with photos and video, etc.
jnadke - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
I would promptly beat the AT&T person upside the head next time I saw them.There's no reason to waste my time while you book tickets over the internet. Do it after I'm off the phone and text message me afterward.
Belard - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
or a version of that...Show a split screen of an at&t and Verizon iPhone users trying to do Voice and data at the same time.... and how they have that restriction with Verizon.
The Verizon iPhone user doesn't even get the tickets.... :)
I have no real love for at&t... they just another carrier. In my area in Texas - Verizon has worst service an at*t... and I totally hate Verizon's custom UI. But at&t has applied the SONY-type design to some of the other phones (odd).
The thing is... sometimes the person you're talking to on the phone, doesn't have a computer or phone to text you... especially if its just a person in retail who doesn't KNOW who you are.
The ability to do talk and data is useful as is Multi-tasking (In the OLD-days, MS-DOS geeks were anti-Multi-tasking as a stupid feature that nobody serious actually needs - in response to the 1985~1994 Amiga computers).
strikeback03 - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Hope they don't delay the launch of the Android phones shown at CES to give the iPhone more time in the sun. I'm up for renewal at the beginning of March and really want the Droid Bionic available then so I can ditch my Windows Mobile POS.Alberto8793 - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
canada has like the 8th slowest internert worldwide...... also Verizon is migrating to LTE what have you got up there in canda? HSPA? not even HSPA +?RussianSensation - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Typical American thinking - always of the view you have the greatest "everything". Before you try to state your opinions as facts, try to do your research.US's Internet
AT&T's fastest U-Verse is 24 Mbps download for $65:
http://www.att.com/u-verse/explore/internet-landin...
Verizon's fastest FIOS is 50 Mbps for $139.99:
http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/FiOSInternet/...
vs.
Canada's Internet:
Roger's Ultimate is 50 Mbps for $99.99:
http://www.rogers.com/web/link/hispeedBrowseFlowDe...
extide - Thursday, January 13, 2011 - link
BTW... You can get 101Mbit (Cablevision?) & 50Mbit (Comcast) on cable here in the US right now.scook9 - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Perhaps I am a simp.....but which phone is verizon and which is ATT in that video?!Kind of meaningless without that designation
IBMSYSTEM3 - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
I wouldn't go to Verizon and lose the capabilities of AT&T's network. Where are you people that you have all of the problems I never encounter? I travel around a few cities in the midwest and have made trips to larger & medium sized cites on either coast and never have connectivity problems or dropped. OK, not never but very rarely.vol7ron - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
I still have the 3GS. While it's a good phone, the lack of flash is pushing me to go droid. Besides, I want a bigger screen. If iPhone5 doesn't do something amazing, I think I'm probably going to switch.The Flash feud seems to petty to me and is probably going to be the reason apple loses my business. Not to mention, they try to prevent jailbreaks. If you have users that want something better than you have to offer, don't stop them, embrace them. It's unfortunate jailbreaking is almost synonymous with warez; this is not the case for me.
wicktron - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
re: vol7ronIt's the reason why you just can't simply type "fastboot oem unlock" on every Android device.
Nishkabob - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - link
Might it be possible to put a voice call on hold to check email or use Safari? Or does the call have to be completely disconnected to use the data stream?adlertheman - Monday, January 24, 2011 - link
Someone mentioned on a previous page that the downfall of the iPhone will be it's incapability to perform as androids.I'm no David Rice, but I think our Lil buddy Mr. Jobs over at apple is doing a snazzy job at competing and revolutionizing the functionally of smart phones. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasnt' Iphone 4 the first multi camera communication device to enter the main stream market? Not that android sucks, but like other people mentioned; we "as in us, the forum junkies" are the minority.
Granted that android has taken over the greater majority of the market but can you see why this is? First of all until now, AT&T has been the only true holder of the iPhone. I think they've "at&t" benefited from this, but its hurt the popularity of apple's little Jesus.
If you were to compare all phones that support android OS in compression to apple's OS, the numbers would be purely bizarre. Find me one phone, from one provider; that reigns 19% of all mobile device costumers. Toyota's sales doesn't even pull that off,..IN JAPAN. : D
jconan - Saturday, January 29, 2011 - link
Even though Verizon is getting iPhone4, it'll soon be outdated by iPhone5 soon in a few months. How many will buy and just claim later that they should have waited for iPhone5 with a worldband chipset and a dual core processor?