Phone Call While Navigation on Bionic in 4G?

[pwscott]

I saw the thread on browsing and phone-calling at the same times, but I am hoping that if I am in 4G coverage with a Bionic that I can talk to clients while the phone is stil in the windshield dock navigating me to where I need to go. This si not possible with the DroidX I have, I hope 4G and the Bionic bring that capability...I don't want a Thunderbolt so hopefully the Bionic???

 

[Cruiserdude]

I can do it on my Charge, so I don't see why you couldn't on the Bionic.

 

[pwscott]

Cool....that rules out the Droid 3 for me.

 

[rkeller62]

There is also the possibility, although I have seen no mention of it, that the Bionic could incorporate SVDO. SVDO allows for simultaneous voice and data over Verizon's 3G CDMA network as well.

 

[corymcnutt]

You would be getting data over LTE and voice over 3G is my understanding.

 

[Cruiserdude]

You would be getting data over LTE and voice over 3G is my understanding.

Not quite. Currently, CDMA carries your voice no matter what. EVDO(3g) runs on top of CDMA(1g), which prevents you from using voice while you're using it. But LTE is an entirely different network standard and radio, and so it can run alongside CDMA, whether its carrying voice or EVDO. Of course running EVDO alongside LTE would be redundant, but its still free to carry voice when you're using data on LTE, so any LTE phone can do simultaneous voice and data in a 4g area.

SVDO is currently only available on the T-Bolt. There's been no indication yet as to whether the radios in the other 2 phones support it, or if any upcoming LTE devices will have it. Its an experimental revision to EVDO, that allows it to run alongside voice on CDMA, allowing true simultaneous voice and data on the same radio.

Its similar to what VZW envisions for the future, when they roll out Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which allows HD quality voice calls to be carried on the LTE network, which has enough bandwidth to allow data simultaneously. Its just a VoIP connection using your broadband LTE connection. The advantage is better audio quality, less battery drain, and better signal penetration once the LTE network achieves the same coverage as the 3g network currently has.