Do we need 4G?? And why the Thunderbolt might not be for me anymore.

[ShawnMeds23]

I love technology. I love computers and big screen tvs. I like having the newest and the fastest "toys". I've been following this phone since November... since Verizon turned on the 4G network for data cards. I'm not sure I see the "need" for 4G. How much would some of us even use it? Sounds like it is a MAJOR drain on the battery. I had a blackberry storm for over two years. It was ok to me. I fell in love with Android after seeing one of my friend's Droid X. That huge screen and all those apps... I was in love. Last week I purchased a droid incredible at Bestbuy off of contract that I intend to return. I wanted to get a feel for android and for htc sense before I locked into a 2 year deal. I don't have 4G In my area yet. I'm close to Boston but just outside the 4G footprint. Even if I did have 4G in my town, I'm guessing I would hardly use it. I hardley use wifi. 3G works great in my area. Webpages load fast. Pandora works great. Youtube. All work without any delay. I down apps in a couple seconds. If I wanted to download something quicker(movie or song) I can easily jump on my homes wifi or one of the many public networks that are in restaurants or businesses.

The big advantage I see with a 4G phone is the tethering to a computer. I can see that being the biggest draw to a 4G phone. It seems it can easily replace a cable, DSL or Fios connection for many people. I have tethered my blackberry to my laptop for using a internet connection on the road for work. Truth is, the tethering a laptop on a 3G connection isn't that bad. I woudn't give up my cable modem for it, but I could easily do my work on that connection. I could send and receive email. I could use the programs that we have set up on VPN without any issues. Other than a 4G phone replacing a cable modem for some. I suspect many people that purchase the Thunderbolt will have their 4G radio off 99% of the time to save battery.

I thought I loved HTC Sense and that Motoblur was crap(got that from reading these forums). Well after using the HTC Incredible for a few days. I realized I liked the HTC clock widget(which you can download in the market) but I much prefer the ADW Launcher to HTC Sense. This was a nice revaluation to a Android newbie. Now I can get a Motorola, Sammy or HTC and get the look and feel that I like.

I also thought I wanted the Thunderbolt because of "Unlocked bootloader". After reading this thread I realized the locked bootloadrer on the Motorola phones really isn't an issue from me: http://forum.androidcentral.com/htc-thunderbolt/64957-tbolt-vs-bionic-if-they-unlock-bootloader.html

So I was in love with the Thunderbolt... but now after some educating. I'm a free agent.

 

[anon(149276)]

Well, I would refer you to http://forum.androidcentral.com/htc...tb-different-phone-heres-few-comparisons.html first off. Then I would say, If you don't have a need for faster speeds, tethering or simultaneous voice/data(Google Nav while on a call for instance) I would think you would be better served with a normal 3G phone.

 

[WhitePhone]

Don't forget, Verizon's LTE is very unique because it runs on 700 MHz where 3G/Voice is on 850 MHz. The lower the frequency, the better building penetration and the signal travels farther on one tower. Why does this matter? Well this means you could potentially pick up LTE where your 3G/Voice signal fades out. And this could be very useful when they start to put voice on LTE late in the year.

 

[FatalErrorz]

Don't forget, Verizon's LTE is very unique because it runs on 700 MHz where 3G/Voice is on 850 MHz. The lower the frequency, the better building penetration and the signal travels farther on one tower. Why does this matter? Well this means you could potentially pick up LTE where your 3G/Voice signal fades out. And this could be very useful when they start to put voice on LTE late in the year.

There's a tradeoff in bandwidth with the lower frequency though. Google it. while we're not approaching broadband speeds in cellphones yet, when we do, VZW's LTE network will not be able to meet the "newer standard".

 

[WhitePhone]

There's a tradeoff in bandwidth with the lower frequency though. Google it. while we're not approaching broadband speeds in cellphones yet, when we do, VZW's LTE network will not be able to meet the "newer standard".

Yeah. That is the downside... But at least I am able to use the service indoors (Yes Sprint, I'm looking at you)

 

[FatalErrorz]

Yeah. That is the downside... But at least I am able to use the service indoors (Yes Sprint, I'm looking at you)

It depends on where you are, just like ALL cellphones. We have VZW at work and our coverage sucks. I use my Evo for coverage inside. I also have 4G and 3G with a nice, clear signal. I work in a powerplant with 24" hardened concrete walls.

 

[WhitePhone]

It depends on where you are, just like ALL cellphones. We have VZW at work and our coverage sucks. I use my Evo for coverage inside. I also have 4G and 3G with a nice, clear signal. I work in a powerplant with 24" hardened concrete walls.

Absolutely correct. I personally, had no problems with sprint's voice and 3G services and was very happy with them. I did have major issues with 4G though. Later through research, I learned about the troubles of the ever-so-high 2.5 GHz band. I felt like it was dumb to pay $10 for a service I can't get anywhere besides next to a tower(in my experience). And the main issue, everyone is starting on 4G and I want a slice of it, and Sprint's band wasn't providing it to me. That's why I sold my EVO for the TB

 

[FatalErrorz]

That's why I sold my EVO for the TB

How's that TB working out for you? jk...

 

[templetonryecy]

Once you fall in love with Sense widgets it makes it impossible to use ADW or LauncherPro. The widgets are un-matched by anyone else. I really rely on them. And I don't even use the clock/weather widget - I use Beautiful Smaller Home for my main screen weather/clock.

And Sense 2.0 will be even better. I think you should re-think your launcher decision...

 

[WhitePhone]

How's that TB working out for you? jk...

Lol. Yeah.... I wish I knew...

 

[FatalErrorz]

Lol. Yeah.... I wish I knew...

Couple more weeks...I hope...

 

[WhitePhone]

Couple more weeks...I hope...

Don't we all.....

 

[HawaiiD]

I say get the Thunderbolt.

As an EVO owner in Honolulu where the 4G signal is strong here.

4g is night and day from 3G.

4g I average anywhere from 6-10MB
download and 1-1.5MB upload. Compared to 3G .7 -1.8MB download and
.6 MB-1MB upload. What does this translate to?

Websites load almost instantly,video's play with almost no buffer at all 4G, everything just feels much more snappy in 4G.

Simply put... Overall a much,much faster internet experience.

I almost want to say if you been around long enough to know what it was like to go from dial up to broadband?
That is just how I feel.

Also as with the TB. Voice over Data (3G-4G) is probably one of the most
under rated feature of any cell phone. I absolutely love it when my wife or a friend calls me to check up on a particular website.
What I do next is? I just put them on speaker and talk as I browse.
Awesome,awesome,awesome!

With that said... Having that 4G signal option in your TB is such a huge bonus to have. Once you area gets LTE coverage? I promise you will
not look back!