Sure, this 3G thing's been fun and all. But it's getting to be about time for some honest-to-goodness LTE data to give Sprint's Wimax (and arguably T-Mobile's pseudo-4G) a run for its money. And if the screen shots we received today are any indication, Verizon's well on its way to finally launching its LTE service. Engadget got separate confirmation (as well as some nifty 4G fact sheets), and hopefully this all means we'll have some Verizon LTE sooner rather than later. One more shot after the break.
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Sooo, do I snag an X or Incredible next month or do I wait for a 4G phone? If it's just data speed, then I don't care. However, what extra features will this enable?
Don't bother waiting if you want to upgrade, Verizon will initially only be offering LTE for PC cards, Smartphones are supposed to be early next year and figure on middle of next year before you get a decent selection (assuming you actually have LTE in your area by then). This is probably because voice on LTE is much more difficult to get working than data - a pity they waste so much effort on voice when a data-only solution and VoIP gateway would be much more elegant.
I agree. Don't wait, but don't get locked into a long contract either.
verizons put out an update to their andriod app recently, it includes a data usage widget. So.. it looks like they'll be making some changes to their data plans when LTE rolls out
I sincerely DISAGREE. It will be released for phones as well as pc cards.
Did none of you read the article about the LTE phone that just passed FCC last week? LOL. Ok even if 4G service isn't available in your area immediately, if you buy a new phone now, you will have to wait 2 years again to upgrade to a 4G phone?
In conclusion, if your phone still works and is usable till the end of the year, wait for your to upgrade.
This represents the latest from the CTO, let me know if you hear differently but insiders still go by these numbers:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=189051
Don't you just love smacking some people in the face with, FACTS?
i don't understand this. why won't there be a decent phone when LTE starts getting put out? is the EVO, which is the first 4G phone, in some way inferior or a worse choice then any other phone on the market? it actually blows almost all but 1 or 2 phones out of the water. I am going to wait till the end of the year when verizon, hopefully, starts rolling out brand new LTE android phones.
It's Verizon's NETWORK that won't be ready. Supporting LTE voice is a much harder task than data - think of trying to set up your own SIP server at home and getting it to interface with a BRI connection from a landline so you can make your own VoIP calls. LTE is a complete 4G solution, WiMax is a 4G data-only solution and therefore easier. Even still, Sprint had to outsource it to the specialists at Clearwire...
As with everything, the longer you wait the better phones there will be. But plan on waiting until mid next year. This isn't a bad thing, if I had a decent Android phone I could wait but if you're looking to upgrade a phone you don't like I don't know if it's worthwhile.
I don't care if they launch 5G. I ain't messing with Verizon and their overrated, overpriced plans and service.
For the price it is worth it :)
I have to disagree with sprint I'm getting free roaming on verizons over priced network for cheaper then verizon customers.
You get what you pay for ;)
psh! iono what you are talking about. in socal (the la, orange, and ie counties) tmo has the best reception. you gotta keep your eyes out for bargains.
Well out here in the real world, where 80+% of the country lives, you have one carrier that usually rises above them all in a region and with the exceptions of places like western Kentucky, Colorado and a few other places.. its Verizon.
no one cares about those sh*tholes.
Actually a lot of people do. And they certainly aren't sh*tholes.
Verizon all the way!
I here you....I mean who would want the world's first contiguous network backing up there handset anyways?!? I mean seriously ??????????????
Contiguous? Who makes that claim, cause I have a 1500 square mile bone to pick with them.
Besides speed, when fully implimented in the network and a phone, it will mean voice and data at the same time.
Wimax and LTE are not mutually exclusive. Wimax is like a city-wide hotspot while LTE is more of an evolution of cellular. They are both useful depending on the situation and any modern network will likely use both technologies.
True, but wimax is junk technology. there is a reason why 80% of the world ignores wimax and 3/4 carriers in the states decided to go with lte. no one is going to implement both here in the states because it is not cost effective
Talking points, talking points... NEXT!
That's just like GSM and cdma. GSM is short range with more towers and cdma is long range with less towers. Ha ha ha more bars in more places. I would rather pay a little extra and receive my phone calls and data than save a little money and have hit or miss service.
Actually I don't believe more in rumors... bring the beef and I will eat it. Latetly all web sites base their comments on rumors.. froyo, updates, all bs nothing concrete.
Have the Droid X. Will actually wait a year before considering a new phone. Even if 4 G the phones they release at the beginning wont be nearly as good as the ones at the end of the year.
So essentially phones like the Incredible or Droid and Droid X will just operate normally once LTE rolls out. I mean, there's going to be no difference in how they function?
Verizon will maintain their existing 3G network in parallel for quite some time. Remember how long the old analog network stuck around? Trust me, you'll be sick of your phone long before they turn off EVDO support for it :)
Can't wait for those faster data speeds. It's going to be nice. And hopefully my Incredible keeps my interest long enough for this to roll out and some more killer Android phones to match it!
All true - everything was down for the majority of the night - When it came back up, all systems were updated to reflect the changes shown above.
Sprint is considering LTE also. Who got more money to toat around? 4G first while Verizon is still saving. LOL! AND!!! And Sprint rates are cheaper.