Excited about the prospect of LTE speeds on AT&T’s network? Well, after seeing these speed test results, so are we. Now, keep in mind that these tests are not representative of a live tower with thousands of people on it, but these speeds are comparable with what was available on Verizon during its LTE speedtests.
Oh yeah, and these speed tests were done on the HTC Holiday, HTC’s upcoming LTE Android. Looks cool, no?
Via: BGR
Introduction
Almost everyone who owns a smartphone nowadays started on a simple messaging feature phone and made the transition to something with more capabilities. This guide is meant for those of you who are considering making the switch and entering the wide world of smartphones. This guide will consist of several articles:
Part 1: Choosing your carrier (and plan features)
Part 2: Which OS is right for you?
Part 3: Narrowing it down to one phone
Part 4: Essential apps
Part 5: Accessorizing your device
The most important step in picking a new phone (and the one that most people fail to seriously consider) is which carrier you should go with. In the US, there are four major carriers (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) with multiple smaller, local carriers across the country. All of these carriers have certain features that make them stand out from the others.
GSM vs. CDMA; or, are you a globetrotter?
Generally speaking, there are two major cell phone technologies used around the world: GSM (Global System Mobile) and CDMA (Code Devision Multiple Access). The technical differences between these technologies is uninteresting and, quite frankly, unimportant. What you need to know is that almost every single country in the world uses GSM for their networks. The US, and Japan to a lesser extent, are the only places where CDMA has a major foothold. This means that if you plan to do any sort of regular travel and want your phone to work internationally, you will need to purchase a GSM phone. Sprint and Verizon use CDMA, while AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM. This means that devices on Sprint and Verizon will not work internationally (unless you specifically purchase a phone marked as a “world phone,” which is a CDMA device that also has GSM antennas). Another thing to consider is that most CDMA devices are unable to do simultaneous voice and data, which means no surfing and chatting at the same time. GSM can do that, no problem. This is usually not an issue, but it does bother some people.
Can you hear me now?
Verizon and AT&T have the largest networks in the US, with Sprint in 3rd place, and T-Mobile pulling in last. However, those are average numbers. We have members that get better T-Mo reception than AT&T, including better voice quality and faster data speeds. The very first thing you should do when considering changing to another carrier is look at their coverage maps in the places you spend the most time. Is your house in a dead zone where no signal gets through? Is there a big hole in coverage around your office? Those are probably good signs that you should look into one of the other carriers for service.
What can you afford?
Generally speaking, the larger carriers are going to have more expensive plans and fewer features, but more reliable services. There are always exceptions (dropped calls, anyone?), but those are usually few and far between. Verizon is usually considered the most expensive of the major providers, but their network is rock-solid.
What features do you need?
There are three main aspects to a phone plan: minutes, text messaging, and data. The number of minutes you need is almost entirely dependent on how much you talk. If you are a chatty person by nature, then you will want to go for a higher minute allowance, or an unlimited plan. Some carriers offer unlimited minutes on nights and weekends, or when connecting to another mobile user. If you find yourself mostly talking to other people on their cell phones, then it would be prudent to find a carrier that offers these options.
Data plans are a requirement for all smartphones, regardless of carrier. The amount of data you use is highly variable, and depends on what you do with your device. One thing to keep in mind that many people don’t realize is that data includes everything that you do on the internet: opening pages, sending and receiving emails, watching videos on YouTube, et cetera; it is not limited to downloading music or videos to the phone. If you just check email and news occasionally, you will probably use little data. However, if you stream a lot of music or watch Netflix during your daily commute, then you will almost certainly need a larger data plan. Sprint is currently the only major carrier that still offers truly unlimited data, but T-Mobile has much larger caps on data usage than either Verizon or AT&T.
Text messages are something that we consider to be a questionable investment. Texting is quite convenient, it’s true; however, Google Voice offers texting through your data plan, and is free of charge. Text message pricing is exorbitant if you consider the cost of actually sending the text, and most people don’t realize it. To put it in perspective, it was calculated that sending a text to another cell user costs about four times as much as it does to send the same amount of information from the Hubble telescope to Earth! Even if you don’t want to sign up for Google Voice, you still have multiple Instant Messaging options, as well as the good old fallback, email. If your friends have a Gmail account, they also have a gTalk account, which is another free messaging client with support on most smartphones. We aren’t saying that no one should have a texting plan, but if you and your friends & family are a little tech-savvy, there are cheaper alternatives.
4G or Faux-G?
One of the biggest buzzwords in the phone industry right now is 4G. According to standards set by the International Telecoms Union, no one has 4G connectivity right now. However, all of the current telecoms in the US are advertising phones as being 4G. There are several different technologies in play here, and they all have advantages and disadvantages.
Verizon has had its LTE network deployed since late 2010, and it is continuing to expand. Today most major cities in the US have LTE connectivity for Verizon. LTE is the closest to true 4G as far as speed is concerned; we have seen speeds of between 13 and 20 Mb/s, meeting or even exceeding home wifi speeds. Unfortunately, it is such a new technology that the antennas are… let’s just say that they’re a bit raw. They drain a lot of power, and we mean a lot. The first LTE phone on Verizon, the HTC Thunderbolt, was famous for dying in six hours or less with normal usage, 8 if you were lucky. The power drain has already become better and as the technology continues to be refined, it will become more and more viable for the average person.
Sprint has said that they are going to develop an LTE network in the future, but currently they use a technology called WiMAX, which is owned and maintained by Clear. WiMAX also offers speeds comparable to wifi, and also sucks down battery in no time flat. WiMAX also uses higher frequencies than LTE (2.4GHz, as opposed to 700MHz), which means that it has lower penetration than LTE. Work in an office building? School? Anywhere indoors? Expect to see your WiMAX connection drop sharply. WiMAX does have the advantage of being user controlled; that is, Sprint’s 4G can be turned on and off at the user’s discretion. LTE on Verizon is constantly on unless you use an app, which requires the device to restart before taking effect. It would become a major pain if you had to turn your phone on and off several times per day.
T-Mobile doesn’t have 4G, no matter what they say. That isn’t to say that they don’t have fast speeds, because they do. But they use the same technology as their 3G network but more refined, so we feel it’s disingenuous to call it 4G. That being said, they have very impressive speeds without the major compromise on battery life that LTE and WiMAX currently require. If you live in a T-Mo “4G” area, you will be quite happy with download speeds.
And now for the confusing part. AT&T, you see, has two different 4G networks. One of them is an LTE network like Verizon’s, and the other is like T-Mo’s “4G.” The problem with both of these networks is that the first doesn’t work yet, and the second barely offers any speed improvements, and it is unclear where these speeds are available. AT&T’s LTE is due to be activated in some cities in the next few months, but if their rollout is similar at all to Verizon’s, it will be at least 6 months before it covers a majority of the major cities. Due to the fact that no one has used it yet, we cannot comment on what speeds it will offer; we assume it will be comparable to Verizon, but we can’t be sure.
Their “4G” network offers speeds that are officially 3x faster than their 3G. Unfortunately, theoretical speeds never quite match up with real world speeds. Sure, it is faster, but unless someone pointed it out to you, you would probably never notice. The other problem is, it is only available where “enhanced backhaul” is available. This is another dumb AT&T buzzword that means nothing to the average consumer. Basically, it means that while the towers and the 4G phones are all capable of the faster speeds, the wires connecting the towers to AT&T’s data centers are not. Enhanced backhaul means that the wiring has been upgraded in order to handle the faster speeds of “4G.” The worst part is that you will never know if you are in a backhaul-equipped area, because AT&T’s current stable of 4G phones all display 4G connectivity any time they are within range of at least a 3G network. Oh, and the current 4G phones? They won’t be compatible with AT&T’s upcoming LTE 4G. Confused yet?
Isn’t T-Mo being bought by AT&T?
Short answer: maybe. Long answer: AT&T has offered Deutsche Telekom, the company that owns T-Mo, $39 billion for their US branch in order to expand their network and improve the quality of service, and to free up spectrum for their upcoming LTE network. DT has accepted the offer, but now it has to go through the FCC to make sure it doesn’t break any antitrust laws – after all, a little competition is healthy, right? Well, a couple days ago the Department of Justice announced that they found the merger to be unacceptable, and doesn’t want the deal to go through. That being said, AT&T is looking for an expedited hearing so that they can make their arguments against this proclamation. It is still going to be a year or more before the deal goes through, and AT&T has promised that it will keep several of their lower-cost plans in order to keep the current T-Mo user base satisfied. Will that be the case? We won’t know for sure until the merger happens (or doesn’t, depending on how the case goes).
So you’ve picked a carrier and plan; now what?
In the next installment of the series, we will discuss the major smartphone operating systems and their pros and cons. OS choice is very personal, and really depends on what you plan to use your phone for, but there is no wrong choice. Hopefully the next article will give you enough information to make a sound decision.
Yesterday the Department of Justice motioned to block the proposed $39 billion merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. They stated that “AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market,” and while AT&T claims that they need the spectrum from T-Mobile to improve the quality of their 3G and upcoming LTE networks, the government is still complaining about antitrust issues. AT&T has weighed in on the filing, saying that they are “disappointed” with the government’s position. Sprint, in a surprise move, has offered their own opinion. They seem to be glad that the DoJ is moving against AT&T, and “applauds” their efforts for reaching a “just decision” in the matter. Who asked them, we aren’t sure.
What do you think? Are you in favor of the merger? Do you think that AT&T could use the spectrum to provide an increase in the scope/quality of their services, or is this just an attempt to weed out a competitive service in order to increase their own market shares?
Via: Bloomberg
Well, how about that? It’s been delayed multiple times, but now it’s finally confirmed for a September 4th release date. It’s official sale price was said to be $99 back in July.
AT&T
Will be called the Galaxy S II, rather than the Attain as previously rumored.
4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus
8.89mm thick
1.2GHz Exynos dual-core processor
2MP front-facing camera, 8MP back
Android 2.3
HSPA+ 4G network compatibility
Launch Date: September 18th
Pricing not announced
T-Mobile
4.5-inch screen
4G HSPA+ compatible
Also called the Galaxy S II
Pricing not announced
Sprint
4.52-inch screen
WiMAX network compatible
Launch date: September 16 (first to market)
Price $199.99 on-contract
Verizon
Verizon has announced that they are not going to be carrying the GSII. They are cited as saying that it would be too similar to another device soon to be released on their network (Nexus/DROID Prime or Galaxy SII LTE?).
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