Nice post there. You obviously put a lot of work into it and I hope others appreciate it.
About the phone you hate--Motorola makes a Barrage; Casio makes a Brigade. Convoy seems to be the best-seller; I would like one but it may be updated soon; or completely discontinued, so don't know. I guess buying one would be safest thing to do.
You are right. I had the Casio, it broke the 1st week I had it. It fell from my belt holster and fell on the ground and broke. The Barrage is what I have now. It actually isn't bad for the phone use, it's the other features that are frustrating.
I was looking at the Convoy, but you say it's up in the air?
I have been eyeing the Casio C771, a new Android smartphone that may be PTT...I have a brigade and a barrage and both have had to be replaced but they are working for now. I saw an article that showed what the proposed phone looks like and it passed FCC this past November....but not sure when the release date is.....Maybe March???? Here is a link I have found....http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=7256 I am hoping that Verizon changes the plan packages to where one can get data+phone minutes+texting at one price....I found this also about a test going on and hopefully this plan will go nationwide....I have three phones up for upgrading but want to get a phone I will like...so far the droid pro is what I like if there were nothing else being proposed for release, but will try to wait till March to see what will happen..http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20022136-1.html
Toughbook, no I don't know if it is up in the air. I just know it's been out since Nov '09. I was interested in it because of the reviews--based on EVERYTHING, it seems to be the best all around phone that Verizon has. Already have had Droid 1 (water damage), Droid X (stolen), I'm using a Samsung flip and recently received the Palm Pixi to use as modem. Between being impressed by some of Samsung's cheap flip unique features and the reviews on the Convoy, I wanted one. I'm juggling upgrade dates and the possible discontinuing of the Convoy vs any successor. There has been very little price change on the Convoy ever since it came out. Once in a while, it is $30 less, maybe twice in six months. As of now, it is the same price it started ($70 online w/ 2-year). A price drop might signal EOL.
Kenteoth, your post was interesting; didn't know anything about those til I saw your post. Nothing in phonearena yet.
Good luck to both of you on gettting what you want.
Anyone notice the 4g success stories discussion? Doesn't look like anyone has a good story to tell. They have 2 whole posts!! WOW!
time to switch to TMobile
its a rumor but hope its true starting 4g plans for smartphones could be 29.99 check it out http://www.droid-life.com/2011/02/03/is-best-buy-hinting-at-29-99-4g-lte-plans-for-verizon/
I just purchased a new iPhone with the $30.00 Unlimited Data Plan over the weekend. I already have the 4G card that I use while I am on the internet in my van. I was going to either wait to upgrade my current expired contracted phone with a SmartPhone that either was 4G or 3G Unlimited. I have to admit, of all the things that I would be using Data for on a phone the 3G is plenty fast enough for me.
The problem with LTE/4G deployment is NOT spectrum as you people like to think, it's back-haul. VZW requires their suppliers to supply a 1GbE, GigE, 1Gbps, or GigabitEthernet-X fiber/fibre MetroE circuit from their MSC (Mobile Switching Center) to their cell sites in a metro area for LTE. The MSC also has to be upgraded to 10G (SO-NET/OC-192/10GbE) back-haul onto the nation-wide Verizon Business/Verizon IP backbone. This is easy in metro areas, rural areas, not so easy.
Think of it this way: If your area has a supplier (telco of any sort, power company, cable company, etc, etc...) that has fiber optics in the ground that they will lease/sell to VZW and is in the path from their cell site to their switching site to their major metro aggregation back-bone point then you will probably get LTE in the next 6-12 months. If it doesn't have fiber VZW is doing some creative strategies of getting a suppler to lay/trench fiber to a central aggregation point and using high-capacity microwave for remote cell-sites. 4G requires fiber. VZ needs a supplier that has it. It costs money, sometimes A-LOT OF $$$ to trench fiber if it isn't already there.
ALL of their 4G cell-sites in the markets they launched are on fiber back-haul or fiber back-haul+high capacity microwave in the 5GHz+ range (100/FE minimum, preferably GigE).
The high capacity microwave systems THAT DELIVERY ENOUGH CAPACITY that VZ wants only go as far as 15-30 miles max at most. If you are in a rural area VZ will eventually have LTE come to your area if they can get fiber 30 miles max close to you to a fiber aggregation point.
willzzz99 wrote:The problem with LTE/4G deployment is NOT spectrum as you people like to think, it's back-haul. VZW requires their suppliers to supply a 1GbE, GigE, 1Gbps, or GigabitEthernet-X fiber/fibre MetroE circuit from their MSC (Mobile Switching Center) to their cell sites in a metro area for LTE. The MSC also has to be upgraded to 10G (SO-NET/OC-192/10GbE) back-haul onto the nation-wide Verizon Business/Verizon IP backbone. This is easy in metro areas, rural areas, not so easy.
Think of it this way: If your area has a supplier (telco of any sort, power company, cable company, etc, etc...) that has fiber optics in the ground that they will lease/sell to VZW and is in the path from their cell site to their switching site to their major metro aggregation back-bone point then you will probably get LTE in the next 6-12 months. If it doesn't have fiber VZW is doing some creative strategies of getting a suppler to lay/trench fiber to a central aggregation point and using high-capacity microwave for remote cell-sites. 4G requires fiber. VZ needs a supplier that has it. It costs money, sometimes A-LOT OF $$$ to trench fiber if it isn't already there.
ALL of their 4G cell-sites in the markets they launched are on fiber back-haul or fiber back-haul+high capacity microwave in the 5GHz+ range (100/FE minimum, preferably GigE).
The high capacity microwave systems THAT DELIVERY ENOUGH CAPACITY that VZ wants only go as far as 15-30 miles max at most. If you are in a rural area VZ will eventually have LTE come to your area if they can get fiber 30 miles max close to you to a fiber aggregation point.
You know..... that's exactly what I was thinking......... Hehe!
"Isn't fun the best thing to have?" Quote by Arthur from the movie by the same name.
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