Sprints Lack of WP .... what are you going to do?

[AKA Preluva]

I will wait for everybody to put there cards on the table and then decide. I'm thinking everything will be out by the end of the year. The US version PadFone should be available by then and HOPEFULLY Asus will give word on a WP8 version of it. If the maybe some day network still hasn't said jack then it will be time to look at my options for whatever phone I will get.

 

[brmiller1976]

Regarding the valid concerns about unlimited data, I do have a question; In our wifi world, where about 90% of my time I have access to a wifi network, how Important is unlimited data via cell network anyways?

Not very important, until you go over. Then it's vital.

AT&T's 3 gigs are pretty easy to blow through if you decide to watch a few movies/TV shows while you're out and about. If you're a heavy e-mail user, with attachments, it's also not hard to get to those "we're adding $10 to your bill for another gig" messages.

Wifi bugs me for a couple of reasons.

First, if I'm paying beaucoup bucks for wireless data and other services, I expect coverage and availability when I need it. If I hang out on WiFi most of the time, there's no point in paying for service at all -- just use VOIP on a PDA! Or go for super-cheap 2G voice and text service and use only WiFi, and save $80 or so per month.

Second, there's no REAL reason to throttle and cut back data speeds (or worse, cap) other than sheer laziness on the part of the carriers. They're not adding sufficient backhaul. And consider on the flip side, when carriers sold people MUCH more than they needed... they tried selling my mom a crazy smartphone plan with "unlimited data" years ago for $180/month until I stepped in and screamed at the carrier rep. Nobody called her and said "you've only made 4 mins of calls, sent 15 texts and used no data." Yet once people started USING the "unlimited data" plans they were selling, oh it was bloody murder -- those horrible "data hogs" USING what they paid for!

Third, WiFi has security and access concerns. There are exploits to hijack and packet-sniff WiFi data, which could be used on public networks to grab confidential or sensitive information that's inadequately encrypted (including e-mails, even stuff like bank/credit card details). And if I had $1 for every time some public WiFi system decided that content (including this web site, as well as app updates) was "inappropriate" or "out of scope" or "blocked," I could afford an unlimited Verizon plan.

That's not to say I don't use WiFi -- I have 100 Mb/second service upstream and downstream at home, which is faster than any wireless carrier. But if I have to rely on or "look for" WiFi on a regular basis for any reason (coverage, data caps, etc.), I think that means I have the wrong provider.

T-Mo has been good for this city boy in that regard. Fast speeds, good connection quality, low prices, and uncapped service.

 

[brmiller1976]

Does Sprint still cut people off, ie, terminate their contract, if they roam over 50% of the time?

Yes. The technical barrier is two months of more than 300 megs of roaming data and/or 800 minutes of roaming calls. I got a warning letter about it when I was doing lots of travel in the central desert of the USA (NM/AZ/west TX) and kept roaming onto Sprint "partners."

Sprint's coverage map didn't show it as "roaming," but it was. Very annoying.

I ended up switching earlier this year, not because of that, but it was maddening to essentially get upbraided for using my phone on a "national network."

 

[Arcticwolf]

Cool. Below cost even. Being unlocked, is that a European version, as AT&T is not providing unlock keys till after 10/8?

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

Yes, its not ATT branded. I havent run across any unlocked ATT models.

 

[illegaloperation]

What's the point of having unlimited anyway if Sprints's network is so oversaturate that it's barely usable.

 

[brmiller1976]

I don't think it's the network that's oversaturated in Sprint's case -- rather, the backhaul.

Sprint's "network vision" has been swapping out ancient T-1 lines (1 Megabit/second) with modern fiber and/or microwave lines at 100x that performance, and EVDO speeds on towers that received the upgrade have snapped way up from 80/100 Kbps to 2.2 MBps (near the theoretical max for EVDO).

They just took FOREVER to update backhaul and didn't invest much in the network over the last five years until recently. Even their 4G WiMax network was operated by a partner (Clearwire) on separate infrastructure.

 

[havox22]

Turns out I lost my 20% discount when my sister joined my plan with her iPhone, so I have no reason to stay with them, best news I've had today. Now time to pray that the 920 comes to Verizon, along with an NFL Mobile wp8 app

 

[brmiller1976]

Go to Sprint's web site and use the filter for "Windows Phone" to find a handset. Then try not to laugh (or cry) at the result.