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WiMAX/4G/3G/CDMA and the HTC Supersonic

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billsmed said:
Recently, Verizon has released information that they plan to have a 4G phone summer 2011. Humm... I wounder how much LTE coverage they'll have by then?

I'd love to hear from you guys. What are your thoughts?
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Bill: In spite of all the talk about the Incredible, this would be my phone of choice, but not on anything but Verizon. I can't believe that Verizon would not offer something with similar specs at least by the end of the year; then I would be all over it. It seems to be the perfect format for me, size and power...

My plan is to get something on a 1 year contract and hope for news of this phone within a year. I am running WinMo and want to move to the Android platform asap.
 
Thanks, pequeajim,

I've given some thought of going with Verizon when my contract with Sprint runs out, mostly because Verizon has better coverage in my area, but that was when I was interested in the N1 and before I found out about the Supersonic.

In your case, the Incredible will probably turn out to be the sensible choice. From the specs though, I've had a feeling (and it's only a feeling) that the phone is just a upgrade to the Eris like the Legend is to the Hero. If it is, then it won't be nearly as powerful as those people in the Incredible Forum are hoping for. For those eagerly awaiting the phone, it would be a real letdown, so I hope my feelings are wrong.
 
I hope it's not as powerful as the SuperSonic might be, that way Sprint gets more love from the Android must-have-it-now fanatics.
 
I really don't want to go on here too much about Verizon or the Incredible, but I have another hunch. I've already said that phone is likely to be underpowered. I really don't think Verizon wants anything to halt Droid sales just yet. The Incredible will be a nice phone, but it will be more geared to the younger set with flashy colored back plates, etc. It will be a cheaper phone with less memory, less ram and a smaller screen.

On the other side of the coin, I believe there will be a phone even better than the Supersonic coming from Verizon before the end of the year. The rumored Motorola Shadow will have a 4.3" screen with 850 x 484 resolution, an 8-megapixel camera and video capable of 1080p. It's also supposed to have HDMI out.

I would expect even though they don't have their LTE network set up yet that this phone is likely to be LTE ready. I'm sure that Verizon is going to want to best Sprint and that's where the next surprise (might) be. Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 1.3GHz chip to "Limited Manufacturing" (I think that's what they called it) this past January. The reports are indicating this chip will be out before the end of the year, so this makes sense to me. I'm pretty sure that chip is necessary for the 1080p although the 1.5GHz chip might be required for that.

Even though the Shadow will be nice, this next generation chip will really make that phone and will be the next thing everyone wants. So even if the Verizon "Android must-have-it-now fanatics" are a little jealous when the Supersonic comes out, they won't be jealous for long.

I still think Sprint has the advantage. If they come out with the Supersonic soon, it could really help them. That and the fact that they have a big head start on deploying 4G should put them in the driver's seat for quite awhile.

Again, this is all speculation on my part, but I'm really hoping Sprint makes a move soon. For those anxious for a good phone, I don't think you'll have to wait as long for a phone from Sprint as those waiting for a phone to come from Verizon.
 
Sprint has decent coverage in my area, (central pa), but as always, the big deterrent is the number of family and friends that are already on Verizon. There is potential friction stirring up between Google and Verizon, and the nice phones that Sprint is getting, it might make sense to go with Sprint. Those are the things that I will be evaluating over the next month or so. I am on month to month, so I have some real flexibility.

I can be patient. My 3.5 year old 6800 is still chugging along. :o
 
billsmed. Everything from the latest Incredible specs says it will be the best phone on the market specs wise now. The only thing the Shadow (which won't be LTE) has on the Incredible is screen size.

I expect the Supersonic to get the same specs as the Incredible plus 4g and 4.3". The Supersonic will only help those who have good Sprint coverage. I live like 2 blocks outside of their 4G coverage in south jersey, but Sprint has always been horrible in this area for everything.
 
@drhill

What latest Incredible specs? Where can I see them besides the Incredible forum? I know everyone there wants something like the N1 with Sense UI, but I don't think that is the Incredible.

To repeat what I said above, this is just speculation on my part and it's my opinion, so take it for what its worth. Since Verizon is still advertising their Droid very heavily, I don't think they're going to bring in a strong competitor to that right now. We know that the Nexus One will be coming to Verizon very soon and that should satisfy a lot of people, but it probably won't hurt their Droid sales.

Come November the Droid will be a year old, so I would expect Verizon to have a new phone by then, possibly the Shadow, to replace it in time for Christmas.

I'm pretty confident about the Supersonic being released soon. If you want a powerful phone, you might consider it. Sprint's prices are better than anyone else, their customer service is good and their coverage is getting better, so I'm real happy with them.

I would ask you to do one thing and that's to look at the WiMAX video demonstration. The link to it is in the top post in this thread. If you look at that, you'll see that the 4G coverage gets stronger as it overlaps with other WiMAX signals. If you don't have good 4G coverage where you're at, just give it some time. From what I'm seeing, they're trying to get WiMAX to blanket entire cities and it will even work in rural areas.

So far, there isn't any WiMAX coverage in Florida, but I'm interested in the Supersonic because it looks like it will have a big screen and it will probably have the Snapdragon 1GHz processor.

Bill
 
Incredible is 1ghz snapdragon with 512mb+ ram, 8gb internal rom, optical track pad with capacitive buttons, fm tuner, 3.7" OLED (rumored not to have the MT issue), side mounted micro usb plug (good for docking like the droid hopefully). All at the Incredible sub forum.

Sprint just has crap coverage all around here. My wife pitched a fit when I was considering TMobile, I got an "absolutely not" when I mentioned Sprint.
 
drhill said:
Incredible is 1ghz snapdragon with 512mb+ ram, 8gb internal rom, optical track pad with capacitive buttons, fm tuner, 3.7" OLED (rumored not to have the MT issue), side mounted micro usb plug (good for docking like the droid hopefully). All at the Incredible sub forum.

Sprint just has crap coverage all around here. My wife pitched a fit when I was considering TMobile, I got an "absolutely not" when I mentioned Sprint.
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I find any of those specs about the Incredible hard to believe, but time will tell. Too bad your wife won't let you consider the Supersonic. :confused:
 
pequeajim said:
Bill:

Not to ask a redundant question but...

Is WiMAX wifi only? Not a phone service?
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The way I understand it, the data services will run on WiMAX. The beauty is, it will be as fast as your home Internet service and VoIP should work well on the Supersonic. It will work on 3G too, but I imagine it will be a lot better where you have a 4G or a WiFi connection.

Either way, it shouldn't be a problem with Sprint and their Everything plans, since they include both voice and data. Theoretically, with WiMAX, a WiFi connection like at home or a WiFi hot spot, you wouldn't need a voice plan. This is also where Google Voice comes into play.
 
billsmed said:
I find any of those specs about the Incredible hard to believe, but time will tell. Too bad your wife won't let you consider the Supersonic. :confused:
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Aside from the internal ROM they are basically just the HTC Desire. Verizon's version of the palm pre has an 8gb rom on it too. Those specs were taken from documentation given to testers and confirmed by another tester.
 
@drhill

You know what? I'm on this side of the fence and you're on that side. Nothing wrong with that. We can't all like the same thing, that's for sure. Just keep in mind that when the (actual) specs come out and you're feeling letdown, that the Supersonic will be here. It may look super to you then.

That's about all I have to say right now. If someone else has something to add - fine, but I'd like to keep this thread focused on WiMAX and the Supersonic, if possible.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill
 
I'm not trying to tell you what to get. I just have a feeling the only difference between the phones will be the screen and 4g (if you have access to it).
 
billsmed said:
The way I understand it, the data services will run on WiMAX. The beauty is, it will be as fast as your home Internet service and VoIP should work well on the Supersonic. It will work on 3G too, but I imagine it will be a lot better where you have a 4G or a WiFi connection.

Either way, it shouldn't be a problem with Sprint and their Everything plans, since they include both voice and data. Theoretically, with WiMAX, a WiFi connection like at home or a WiFi hot spot, you wouldn't need a voice plan. This is also where Google Voice comes into play.
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Thanks Bill.

After I asked that question, I did what I should have done BEFORE asking it, a little research. Your links at the top of the page helped a ton.

Like I said earlier, sprint coverage in my area is "ok", but everyone I know in my family is Verizon. Sprint does have free mobile to any mobile, but while free for me, it would burn minutes for the person I am talking to.

I have been on Verizon for over 10 years. This phone is a BIG temptation for me to move over to Sprint. We'll see what happens next week...
 
@pequeajim,

For sure, there's no decision to make yet. Let's wait and see what happens with the Supersonic first. As far as the mobile-to-mobile thing on Sprint, you could always tell the person you'd call them back, or just not answer and then call them right away.
 
billsmed said:
@pequeajim,

For sure, there's no decision to make yet. Let's wait and see what happens with the Supersonic first. As far as the mobile-to-mobile thing on Sprint, you could always tell the person you'd call them back, or just not answer and then call them right away.
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Well now...the official release is set for CTIA! billsmed, I saw you over at the Incredible forum and appreciate your posts. Too bad what happened there!

As for this phone versus Incredible. I kind of believe the Incredible specs. I think it will indeed be a blazing fast phone and the leaks sounded quite credible. Now...with that said...we just don't know for sure do we? I have ignored the Supersonic to this point because I have a lot of family on Verizon....but I am currently with Sprint. And...I must say I don't know how to compare the networks...but Sprint has been okay here in Austin. And while I mention Austin...it's one of the markets that will have WiMax 4G coverage. So now...I'm starting to get VERY curious about the Supersonic!!! I may just stay the course for the next few years and remain with Sprint if the SS is as incredible as it sounds! My only worry will be...how good is the network...will we have complaints of browsing speed etc etc. Glad to see you're over here keeping the faith. I would expect a lot of people will join you here shortly! :D
 
Covert_Death said:
check out the other posts bout the SS announcement on the SS forum here. as for browsing speed i DOUBT youll have ANY trouble, its a MUCH bigger bandwidth and can handle alot more data, AND there will only be one phone to access it that hopefully NOT everyone will have
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This definitely gives me a reason to pause. I was just sure I would leave Sprint because 99% of my family is on Verizon. So it's hard to make the mental adjustment from the idea that I will be getting the Incredible...to now possibly going with the Supersonic. Now with the official CTIA announcement of the Supersonic...and the rumor that we could hear an announcement from Verizon in the next 2 to 10 days makes me think I will wait and see a few reviews before I make any moves. I can't wait to see the final specs and user reviews for this phone!
 
I'm really looking forward to this phone. I live in Atlanta, so I'll have 4G immediately. I do hope it comes with Android 3.0.

I've been with Sprint for 10 years now, and have been pretty happy with their coverage. It isn't often that I can't get connected, and that's only when traveling.

One nice thing about Sprint that I recently discovered: At 10 years I get to upgrade my phone every year. No more two-year wait suffering through faulty equipment. My HTC 6800 keyboard started giving me problems after 6 months, so it's been a long year-and-a-half wait for upgrade time.
 
andiron said:
Well now...the official release is set for CTIA! billsmed, I saw you over at the Incredible forum and appreciate your posts. Too bad what happened there!
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Andiron, I saw your posts last night too. I believe your comment followed right after mine. My original post is still there on page 154, but I just looked again for your comments and couldn't find them.

Edit: I do see what you wrote on page 155.

I haven't posted in the Incredible forum much, mostly because I'm interested in Supersonic, but they have such an active community that I would at least go there on a daily basis to read the posts. When I went there last night, I found out what happened with the thread and thought it was terrible. Even though it wasn't my place to say anything, I was really upset about what happened and I couldn't help but speak out about it. One of the mods told me to "get over it", but I couldn't.

This morning, it spilled into The Official: "I'm Mad They Closed the ***Official HTC Incredible Thread*** Thread" and the mods got involved again. One of them asked if we weren't blowing things out of proportion and I couldn't help myself. Something had to be said. At least in the end they did the right thing and everything is okay now.

============

Okay, I'm so happy about the Supersonic information that came out today. I hope we learn a lot more about it next Wednesday. Maybe get some specs and some pictures. That would be great!
 
timmertc said:
I'm really looking forward to this phone. I live in Atlanta, so I'll have 4G immediately. I do hope it comes with Android 3.0.

I've been with Sprint for 10 years now, and have been pretty happy with their coverage. It isn't often that I can't get connected, and that's only when traveling.

One nice thing about Sprint that I recently discovered: At 10 years I get to upgrade my phone every year. No more two-year wait suffering through faulty equipment. My HTC 6800 keyboard started giving me problems after 6 months, so it's been a long year-and-a-half wait for upgrade time.
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Welcome to the Supersonic forum timmertc. So far, no news about WiMAX in Florida, so you're one of the lucky ones. We should know more about the specs next week, but from what I've read, the Supersonic will be released with Android 2.1, then updated later to 3.0.

Bill
 
This is such a noob question....but it's not like straying off topic. So here goes...what's up with WiMax. Is it basically fast WiFi? In other words...will the Supersonic have WiFi Access. I feel it MUST have WiFi...but while I'm here..and lazy...thought I would ask! :o
 
I wonder if there is a deployment plan (timing) for WiMAX. I saw the Walmart thing, but I am in central PA, Lancaster area and would like to find out when and if it will be coming to this area. I guess a call to Clear, or Sprint might get me that information?
 
andiron said:
This is such a noob question....but it's not like straying off topic. So here goes...what's up with WiMax. Is it basically fast WiFi? In other words...will the Supersonic have WiFi Access. I feel it MUST have WiFi...but while I'm here..and lazy...thought I would ask! :o
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It's funny, because I just replied to your question in the poll: Supersonic or Incredible. In my reply, I mentioned this same exact question. The Supersonic will connect to WiFi for faster data speeds (even my HTC Hero does that), but when you're out in the wild, you'll connect to WiMAX in your area (I'm so jealous) which will give you speeds comparable to DSL or Cable on your desktop computer.
 
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