Wireless Data
Well, I went to a Clear store to see TRUE mobile broadband for myself. . .
So I can't wait!!! First 6 months is ONLY $20/mo, and $40/mo there after. Also known as $20 less a month than Verizon &
AT&T, and Clear doesn't have a evil data limit!!! The salesman told me he used 12GB's in only 2wks, and the girl there told me she streams Netflix movies!!! Kinda hard to stream movies with current loser 3G speeds, at least without buffering it is.
Thursday the 15th I'm going to order my USB modem on the web, cause they have...
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Something that doesn't really make sense to me about this 4G stuff is Clear's network is currently capable of 3-6mbps with bursts up to 10mbps, the salesman actually told me he hit 11mbps one time!!!
Anyway, with reguards to the speeds, HSPA+ which is a 3G technology, the last evolutionary step for GSM before deploying LTE, is capable of 21mbps. So therefore when I hear "4G" I think of speeds that are capable of more than what 3G is capable of.
But right now, as it stands is HSPA+ is capable of higher speeds than CLear's current "4G" nework.
4g when it launches might seem "slower" than the fastest 3g, but it will get significantly faster. The real benefit of 4g is data capacity though. Where 3g gets saturated rather quickly, 4g will allow more simultaneous high bandwidth users, making the data "cheaper" for the carriers and thus for you.
those "slower" 4g speeds will also be available to a lot more people than the fastest 3g, and that 4g can only get faster.
Think of the PS/PS2/PS3... each year the games get better on the same equipment.
LCDs vs CRTs. LCDs weren't the winner out of the gate.
Solid State Harddrives vs Magnetic Harddrives. SSDs are still improving by leaps and bounds and will surpass magnetic drives at the current rate.
GSM vs WiMax/LET. GSM is on one of it's last upgrades. It's at the peak of it's prime. WiMax/LTE is starting at the same point GSM is peaking.
Give it time.
And by the way, I'm one of those different consumers, I don't believe in contrcts, they're marriage to a business. Clear lets users purchase a modem for $60 and go month-to month.
Businesses are businesses, not women, I don't believe in marrying a frinking business. I hate contracts, and I hate being BINDED to a company. Whatever happened to earning a customer, and keeping a custoemer happy??? Whatever happened to that???
I think contracts benefit that company a whole lot more than they do the consumer.
When you're giving away things to a customer, you need a way to make that money back.
Of course contracts favor the company over the customer. Customers do benefit if thy are content to just have a phone, and don't switch devices more often than they need to, it's great because they would (most likely) be paying for 2+ years anyway. as a bonus, they get the phone for next to nothing.
But the customer wanted something for free, and contracts became the way to get it.
Every choice has a cost associated with it. For a consumer who wants to be free to choose his carrier, they pay the premium for the device, for the customer that wan...
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Back in April 20th of 07 my mother, 55y/o at the time was willing to pay $120 on a 2yr contract for a Samsung Sync, which btw she still has to this day. And she has been month to month now for 6mo's. Samsung Sync isn't a bad phone at all for someone like my mother.
Bravo.
The only company I know of that does it right, as far as I'm concerned, is T-Mobile. They actually charge you *LESS* if you don't get a free phone.
95%+ of people, when they see the retail price of the "nice" phones just laugh.f
There is *NO* way that most people will pay full price for a phone when their phone bill will be the same... might as well get the free phone... and might as well sign the contract.
Start-up cost the first month is $105 + tax. That includes the USB modem, activation, 1st month service. I have good coverage at both my home & work addresses.
I got hit from TMobile on unlimited data mobile phone plan, so yes, by all means, read the fine print, it stated in sublime terms that they do not allow voice over their network, as in VOIP, so I got hit big time as I was trying VOIP over mobile, so lesson learned, read fine print.
VOIP-COIP