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Article on VZW, gnex and lack of updates

How can I decide what the best option is? Verizon is the dominant network in my area, Sprint is really no better than Verizon.

I need to go "unlocked," I suppose, and use either AT&T or T-Mobile. But when will they have 4G? While HSPA+ gets great reviews, it's not the future. I'm afraid as soon as I get switched, the LTE networks will really have their act together.

What do you guys think is the real future for someone who wants to own the latest Nexus device and get updates without carrier interference. (Non-root).
 
I hear ya, on the one hand I'm pretty fed up wrt verizon and updates, but on the other hand it does have a great network, and I get a 25% discount from an employee discount. I guess the other option is if we really want the update is to root and go the rom route. I hear a lot of good things about tmob in our area (minneapolis). I'm still have a year to make a decision.
 
Jay3 said:
How can I decide what the best option is? Verizon is the dominant network in my area, Sprint is really no better than Verizon.

I need to go "unlocked," I suppose, and use either AT&T or T-Mobile. But when will they have 4G? While HSPA+ gets great reviews, it's not the future. I'm afraid as soon as I get switched, the LTE networks will really have their act together.

What do you guys think is the real future for someone who wants to own the latest Nexus device and get updates without carrier interference. (Non-root).
Click to expand...
the only way to do that is to go unlocked. T-mo or ATT for right now are your best bets (or someone who uses their network) you have to ask yourself what is more important. updates to your OS or network coverage. one is going to have to give.

as for ATT and T-mobile's 4g coverage....ATT already has LTE. T-mobile will be getting it early next year. neither one is nearly as large as verizons LTE netowork. but i really haven't been overly impressed with VZW's LTE speeds where is pend most of my time (home and work) i get about 4MB down here. my buddy with his HSPA(not plus) T-mobile phone pulls down 2MB. i think the N4 on T-mo will be a great combo. I couldn't care less what is "the next gen tech" as long as my DL and UL speeds are around 4mb. its fast enough for what i do.

drbugsmn said:
I hear ya, on the one hand I'm pretty fed up wrt verizon and updates, but on the other hand it does have a great network, and I get a 25% discount from an employee discount. I guess the other option is if we really want the update is to root and go the rom route. I hear a lot of good things about tmob in our area (minneapolis). I'm still have a year to make a decision.
Click to expand...

you can always Root and ROM...i have been doing that since i got the phone and i have very FEW complaints about the nexus. its a great phone and i am on 4.2.1 with everything working as it should.
you also have to consider your data plan. verizon is phasing out unlimited data. so if you are like me and use roughly 10gb/month, you have 2 options....buy off contract phones in the $600 range which you will not be completely happy with and pay $70+ month for coverage.....or jump ship to prepaid, pay about $50/month or less and buy off contract nexus for $350. its a no-brainer for me. especially since all carriers have great coverage here in Orlando.
 
Yeah, that is the beauty of the GNex on Verizon, their official updates are still slow as molasses (same as all phones), but unlike other phones, ROMs are lightning fast, with stock AOSP ports almost the same day.
 
Turdbogls said:
you can always Root and ROM...i have been doing that since i got the phone and i have very FEW complaints about the nexus. its a great phone and i am on 4.2.1 with everything working as it should.
you also have to consider your data plan. verizon is phasing out unlimited data. so if you are like me and use roughly 10gb/month, you have 2 options....buy off contract phones in the $600 range which you will not be completely happy with and pay $70+ month for coverage.....or jump ship to prepaid, pay about $50/month or less and buy off contract nexus for $350. its a no-brainer for me. especially since all carriers have great coverage here in Orlando.
Click to expand...

At some point I'll end up doing the root/rom thing, it's one reason I wanted the gnex. Mostly a combination of busy and lazy (ie it works good enough for now) has been my excuse to not rom yet.

Excellent point on the data plan, as I am in the unlimited bucket for now. once vzw stops that, I'll really have no excuse to stay with them. I need to check my usage, it's been pretty low as I usually use wifi at home, and whatever gig my work has me at (when available). Have to look at options like that when we lose the unlimited.
 
Jay3 said:
How can I decide what the best option is? Verizon is the dominant network in my area, Sprint is really no better than Verizon.

I need to go "unlocked," I suppose, and use either AT&T or T-Mobile. But when will they have 4G? While HSPA+ gets great reviews, it's not the future. I'm afraid as soon as I get switched, the LTE networks will really have their act together.

What do you guys think is the real future for someone who wants to own the latest Nexus device and get updates without carrier interference. (Non-root).
Click to expand...

Android Cnetral had a dude on their podcast that said that the Nexus 4 has LTE bands for T-mobile (whenever they get LTE up and running). It was very technical and I had no idea what he was saying with the specifics, but interesting. So it is a possibility that it will run LTE in the far, far, far future.

Also, if you go off contact with the Nexus 4, and the next Nexus comes with LTE, you an always buy that phone and go to whatever carrier supports it with LTE.
 
DWasilew said:
Android Cnetral had a dude on their podcast that said that the Nexus 4 has LTE bands for T-mobile (whenever they get LTE up and running). It was very technical and I had no idea what he was saying with the specifics, but interesting. So it is a possibility that it will run LTE in the far, far, far future.

Also, if you go off contact with the Nexus 4, and the next Nexus comes with LTE, you an always buy that phone and go to whatever carrier supports it with LTE.
Click to expand...

"An LG spokesperson is attempting to lend some clarity to the case of the mystery LTE chip that was found inside the Nexus 4 during an iFixit teardown. As we initially speculated, the leftover hardware was included as a carryover from the LG Optimus G, namely its Snapdragon chipset. Here
 
The nexus 4 has the necessary hardware to run LTE on band 4 only.
For T-Mobile and some carriers in Canada that is all your going to need.

I never liked Verizon.
I used to work for the company (I&R) and our union had no balls to call them out.

I used GSM phones since before time itself and always found it to be a better, more open tech than CDMA.
I went to Verizon because they had some devices I liked... so I switched from T-Mobile after many years.
Just when I was about to jump ship due to their shenanigans they announced the Thunderbolt so I decided to hang around.
They turned on LTE in this area about 2 months later and it worked "ok" but it was full of holes and handoff problems.
Then the Galaxy Nexus was announced and I was content to hold on for that.
Well we all know how that turned out.

After 4 or 5 devices and getting stuck with a couple of Rezounds I ETF'd off Verizon and I am once again happy as a clam.
I personally know of almost 10 people that switched off of Verizon in the last 6 months because their network is going to complete crap.
Their LTE doesn't top 4 or 5 megabits down now.
My DC-HSPA One S tops out at 25-30 down no matter the time of day.
The Nexus is between 8 and 10 down. (It's not DC-HSPA)
I also no longer have the dropped calls I had on Verizon... at least 1 a day.

I get my updates and I do not have to bow to the whim of Verizon.
Verizon is rumored to be working on locking devices so you cannot swap the sims.
(I still know people working for Verizon.. and I believe they would do some S--T like that.)

If you want timely device updates that is at odds with Verizon.
I am happy with a lot of my freedom back.

I asked myself the following questions....
1. Am I going to go someplace that a GSM carrier has no coverage and how often?
2. Do I really care about LTE all that much while HSPA is almost as good in most cases?
3. Do I want timely device updates?
4. Can I justify paying Verizon all that coin for "premium coverage" I do not use? (over $200 a month for me)


The carriers make switching appear harder than it is.
I did not like it so I left.
I would empower anyone that does not like the situation to evaluate their choices.
You have more choices now than ever.
 
AntimonyER said:
Yeah, that is the beauty of the GNex on Verizon, their official updates are still slow as molasses (same as all phones), but unlike other phones, ROMs are lightning fast, with stock AOSP ports almost the same day.
Click to expand...

Yep.

GNex with LTE Speed + ROM Updates + Extended Battery = win

I left VZW though to cut my bill from $80 to $30, and so I can get the nexus 4. Paying that much wasn't worth it to me because I could barely get a 3G signal at work from verizon. So 90% of the time I wanted to use LTE, I could barely even get a 3G signal.
 
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