So I was at Best Buy tonight

[ramcharger1979]

I went to Best buy tonight with the wife and I had not really played with an Evo before, but we have 4G service here in Boise, ID. So I ran speed test on my Dinc and the Evo at the same time. And.............

The winner was my Verizon 3G service.

Dinc 2121 down and 921 up 3G
Evo 2011 down and 971 up 4G

Also on a side note I really like the Amoled screen

Just more and more why I love my Incredible!!

 

[jwalker87]

Interesting. I've heard 4G is VERY spotty, wonder if it was actually running on 3G service (due to the close speeds)

 

[mrmangos02]

That is odd. Might have been running 3G like the previous person said. Having said that, I'm tired of sprint saying 4g when its not 4g speeds. Everyone will see the difference when LTE comes out and blows 4g out of the water.

I'd wait for verizon's LTE 4g (prob around late 2011). dont waste 2 years on crappy 3.5G sprint.

 

[ramcharger1979]

It had 4G up on the top. Who knows. I would think if it was running 3G it would say like when my phone drops to 1X

 

[Lifeguard17]

I have a Sprint store up the street and was in playing with the Evo while waiting for the wife. I had similar results using "4g" on the evo and 3g on the Incredible. I was in Chantilly Va just west of Washington DC. According to the Sprint store manager 4g has been in this area but they are not announcing it untill more towers are updated. He wasn't surprised when I told him the Dinc was faster, as I was getting ready to leave he pulled his Dinc out of his pocket and smiled.

 

[jamor]

Verizon's LTE will be just as bad as Sprint's WiMax until lots and lots of towers are built.

With LTE production just beginning, and tiered pricing on LTE, I see no point in getting a 4g phone until 2012.

And that's being conservative.

 

[Wiggin21]

this tiered pricing thing is about to get out of hand. i can't stand the way these american phone companies work.

 

[MutantCheese]

Doesn't 4G simply mean fourth generation of cellular wireless standards, it doesn't mean 4GB per second?

 

[Wiggin21]

Doesn't 4G simply mean fourth generation of cellular wireless standards, it doesn't mean 4GB per second?

yes, but there are early reports supporting the claim that verizon may follow AT&T with it's tiered and limited data options.

 

[tudmf]

Please see Verizon's LTE rollout is imminent, computers updated for 4G SIM cards -- Engadget

Compares carrier speeds and technology planned and/or used.

 

[kyler13]

If the evo indicated 4g in the status bar, it was a 4g connection. There's a number of factors to play here. You could have been much closer to the Verizon 3g tower and farther from the Sprint 4g tower. More importantly, you were in a huge steel structure. Wimax is 2500mhz which mean poorer penetration of structures. You could have been on 900mhz with verizon which would penetrate much better. Bottom line is that Verizon's 4g at around 700mhz will be less susceptible to these types of losses as long as it's deployed appropriately.

 

[appleaj]

Doesn't surprise me, Sprint's horrible. And wow, sometimes I get between 5 to 12 Mbps from the crappy internet at my apartment, lol.

And just FYI for those of you less tech savvy, Mbps is not the same as MBps. So be careful when talking about these numbers, because there's a big difference between 10 Mbps and 10 MBps.

Mbps = MegaBITS per second
MBps = MegaBYTES per second
1 Byte = 8 bits
Also, the prefix Mega means 10^6, meaning 1 Megabyte = 1,000,000 bytes

 

[mrmangos02]

yes, but there are early reports supporting the claim that verizon may follow AT&T with it's tiered and limited data options.

No, 4G refers to the speed of the connection (which is also the next generation). If you dont have the correct speed, you cannot call it 4G. Thats like saying you have broadband speed because you're just barely faster than dial up.

 

[jwalker87]

No, 4G refers to the speed of the connection (which is also the next generation). If you dont have the correct speed, you cannot call it 4G. Thats like saying you have broadband speed because you're just barely faster than dial up.

Also, Sprint's 4G isn't REALLY 4G. Check out 4G on Wikipedia, and it has been defined as NO LESS THAN 100mbps when moving 'fast' relative to the tower, and up to 1gbps when stationary. Sprint's max speed is 100mbps, which is why it's been called 3.5G and other such monikers

 

[buckweet]

Who cares about speed.. I want low latency.. 1Mbit on a network with 30ms of latency will feel many timers faster than a 10Mbit network with 350ms of latency.

 

[kyler13]

Also, Sprint's 4G isn't REALLY 4G. Check out 4G on Wikipedia, and it has been defined as NO LESS THAN 100mbps when moving 'fast' relative to the tower, and up to 1gbps when stationary. Sprint's max speed is 100mbps, which is why it's been called 3.5G and other such monikers

You're partially correct. While the speeds don't fall under the true definition, it's still a 4g network because it is ultimately scalable to achieve the defined requirements. LTE will be subject to the same criticism at launch, but again is scalable.

Interestingly enough, most mobile technology hinges greatly on your mobility relative to the tower, yet the carriers toss around theoretical and typical speeds under ideal conditions. Case in point, 4g technologies are designed for higher data throughput in motion. T-mobile wants you to believe that 3g-based 21mbps HSPA+ provides 4g speeds to compete with 4g networks without the need for a new network build out. In theory, yes. In practice, it's a poor man's upgrade over typical evdo and HSPA speeds. HSPA+ pushes data faster, but the increased speed drops off drastically with distance from the tower and cannot sustain high data rates when the receiver is moving. Under most conditions, you can expect no better than good ol' HSPA speeds. And of course HSPA+ suffers from traditional latency issues like all 3g networks. There's no substitute for true 4g.

 

[TF1984]

BOGUS BOGUS BOGUS.

I have Evo, in Greensboro, NC. I get downloads of up 10MB regularly.

So the speed comparison and the charts are BOGUS.

 

[ramcharger1979]

BOGUS BOGUS BOGUS.

I have Evo, in Greensboro, NC. I get downloads of up 10MB regularly.

So the speed comparison and the charts are BOGUS.

Screen shot or it didn't happen!!

 

[Holydoc]

... as I was getting ready to leave he pulled his Dinc out of his pocket and smiled.

Am I the only one that thinks that this would be classified as obscene on any other forum?

 

[EarlyMon]

That is odd. Might have been running 3G like the previous person said. Having said that, I'm tired of sprint saying 4g when its not 4g speeds. Everyone will see the difference when LTE comes out and blows 4g out of the water.

I'd wait for verizon's LTE 4g (prob around late 2011). dont waste 2 years on crappy 3.5G sprint.

Yeah. No. So far in the US, 4G is strictly a marketing term.

iPhone 4 Is Not 4G Phone; LTE And WiMAX Are Not Yet 4G Technology

The "True" 4G Technology

However, so-called 4G technologies, including LTE (Long Term Evolution), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) and UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), are just networking service projects proposed to ITU (International Telecommunication Union) to be defined as 4G technologies. To be accorded the official designation of 4G, the transmission speed has to reach the requirement of 100Mbps (mobile networks) and 1 Gbps (fixed networks).

So far the above so-called 4G technologies have not yet fully complied the transmission requirements of 4G standard, and should be called 3.9G, or pre-4G technologies, ITU noted.

ITU has received six technology submissions and is currently in the evaluation process for determining which can be qualified as true 4G technology. The determination will be made in October 2010, according to ITU's earlier announcement.

I advise against drinking the Kool Aide.

 

[Rigmaster]

Big Red Marketing Machine is rollin' now. As for accuracy, this is an estimate at best. I've had latency in the 20-30ms range for Wimax at Newark Airport regularly. Also, the speeds will vary. Though LTE may have better building penetration when towers are placed equally distant compared to Wimax, that's not something to count on. The current plan is for far FEWER LTE towers than Wimax due to the cost of installation.

Neither LTE or Wimax will meet the standard for true 4G, and it's better to think of them as more like your home wifi/cable connection than anything.

 

[TF1984]

 

[IOWA]

The people who "defined" the 4G "standard" were ridiculous. I mean, seriously? 100mbps? That's over shooting a bit, isn't it? Especially when compared to the speed that "defines" 3G.

 

[EarlyMon]

The people who "defined" the 4G "standard" were ridiculous. I mean, seriously? 100mbps? That's over shooting a bit, isn't it? Especially when compared to the speed that "defines" 3G.

I think that's exactly why in the US, cellcos have thrown up their hands to embrace WiMAX and LTE.

BTW - here's a link courtesy of RoboMonkey, I found it really interesting - especially the very end, about ownership:

Clearwire's Sweet Package - TheStreet

 

[damewolf13]

Yeah. No. So far in the US, 4G is strictly a marketing term.

iPhone 4 Is Not 4G Phone; LTE And WiMAX Are Not Yet 4G Technology



I advise against drinking the Kool Aide.

All of this just makes me really happy that "4G" was not even available in my area. I just bought the Evo/Sprint because I thought it was possibly the best phone available on possibly the best provider in my area with the best deal on the plan that I needed to fully enjoy my smartphone.