Let me explain this pic. We can see in the lower right area of the pic there is a 4g wimax tower. A little farther up and to the left you can see my location. This is Bremerton, WA, a city that is a hour ferry from downtown Seattle. There are no other wimax towers for miles.
If I am walking by this building on the way to the ferry, I get 12 Mb download speeds.
If its anytime during daytime hours from morning until 9 or 10PM and I am in my house which is only blocks away my speeds are around 1-3 down, and maybe .5 up.
The only time I can get decent speeds is late at night between 12AM until 7. At those hours I can get a decent speed of 6-7 Mb down and up to 1.5 up.
And in my house it constantly just drops out, having to wait on average about 60 seconds before reconnecting.
So, wimax is line-of-sight, no doubt about that. Damn buildings all to hell.
Now I guess I would consider myself an average consumer, meaning that when I went into Radio Shack in FEBRUARY this year, what I wanted was 4g speeds and a higher end device.
I was actually looking to get the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch which was 200 bux. The guy there said because they had a special deal on the Photon that I should go with that. I got the photon for 49.99 with a 2 year plan and it came with a zagg invisible shield and a 16 gig micro SD card. I did put down a $250 dollar deposit.
My plan comes to about 79.99 a month. Mind you my first bill last month was $193 dollars. I pay a ten dollar fee supposedly for my phone being "SO SMART" and "4g" speeds.
I DO NOT consider myself to be getting "4g" speeds.
Its more like "3.232845 g".
So I wasn't thrilled with the first month of service. My Phone? Couldn't be happier. This phone is a beast. My life is now complete and I have purpose (Hahaha!) And with the forums here at XDA, I don't get much sleep.
Now here is what really pisses me off and I am writing this to you today to get your advice and opinions on a few things.
Did Radio Shack know the EOL for the Photon was in April just two months after buying it? I had no idea and if I would have I would not have bought it. He also sold me on the FACT? that it would be receiving the "ICS" Android update.
That might not even happen.
He also never once mentioned that Sprint was saying F--K it to WIMAX and chasing the LTE bandwagon instead.
The first 30 days has come and gone and I feel totally deceived being conned into buying a "LEGACY" phone with wireless technology that is being SCRAPPED.
And even tho I love my phone...if I could walk in there and cancel without a fee and get a full refund, I would.
I bought the photon 4g thinking it was a current high end phone. It is, but IT ISNT.
I signed a plan expecting 4g coverage where I live.
I DONT.
What can I do? Am I just screwed. I don't want to believe that since this is pretty fresh.
Can we here at XDA put our brains together and find a way to strengthen the 4g signal and range by a DIY method. Meaning an signal booster? Or an antenna? Is this possible? It might sound silly but here is the thing. I have many friends that have houses all around bremerton. We have to have something that could be cheaply built and put on top of our roofs to get better 4g signal. Is that even legal?
Anyway just wondering if you feel the same frustration as I am.
Thanks.
This is why its always a good idea to do a lot of background research on things like this. As for a solution I'd call up Sprint, they've been known to send out 3g airaves free of charge to customers in spotty service areas, this would get you good solid 3g in your house. Doesn't do anything to touch your 4g issue though, and not quite sure what you could do other than once again call Sprint telling them all this and see what they offer/say. They may credit you something or offer you an early upgrade to an LTE device once their networks up and running. And I don't know how the phone rep you bought it from could have not known about the EOL of the Photon, I'm sure they don't care too much they just want to push as many units out the door as possible. If you don't get anywhere decent with Sprint try taking it up with Radio Shack, not sure what all they could/would be willing to do for you though since its been a bit since you purchased it.
How many times are we going to have this discussion... EOL does not mean no more manufacturer updates. Other phones have gotten updates past EOL. Motorola has a timeline for the Photon/Electrify to get ICS.
Can't help you on the WiMAX issue, though.
Use wifi?
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk
I understand not being happy with the 4G I guess, though it's always been pretty spotty and hogged during the day in my experience so a little research would have told you that I think. Contact Sprint is the best you can do.
As far as the Photon being EOL'd, if you are happy with it then who cares? The phone is great, they all get EOL'd at some point. As far as the life span of WIMAX, yes they are moving away from it but the towers are not going away anytime real soon, you will still have WIMAX coverage for a while yet.
First: let me say I use this phone in Canada, and with Cyanogen Mod 7 and I bought this phone for $380 unlocked (SIM) and without contract.
Regarding WiMAX: I don't care because
a) I don't use 4G anyways,
b) I CAN'T use 4G because it's not provided in my area,
c) Unlocked bootloader,
d) For fast speeds I can just use WiFi.
e) Abandoning WiMAX means better technology is coming
f) Honestly, do you NEED to have hundreds of Mbps speeds on your PHONE?
For EOL:
I don't care/I appreciate it because:
a) It doesn't affect MY phone use whether or not Motorola stops making this phone
b) Accessories will be cheaper
c) It's still a good phone and I'll be able to get it for cheaper (on eBay, etc)
d) We're still getting ICS
e) Motoblur sucks and even if they don't do it, CM9 is always going to be there
Therefore, I don't care on both accounts.
as far as a signal booster or repeater, I think it may be possible. I did a google search, and found some interesting links. I would read carefully before purchasing to be sure the bandwidth matches.
about your 4g connection/speed problem, I can help a bit
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365058
Use that to thread to find your msl code, ull need it to change a few things
Go into "##DATA#" in your dialer, using your msl code as the password,(hit nenu nd edit) in data profile turn reverse tunneling off, set device IP to 0.0.0.0, in multimedia set RSTP and HTTP to 0.0.0.0 and set the two ports to 0, set the buffer length to 20, in Wiimax set Entry CINR (db) to 2/4
Note - this should help your signal problem, it is the required signal strength to connect to wiimax
And also before changing everything id recommend backing up the original settings if you ever need to switch back, this should help your 3g and 4g
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
I posted this on another thread but it really fit better here
===============================================
Look..
The bootloader is unlocked..... it just breaks wimax..
And with with wimax dead... (I.E. no more build out).... if you don't have it now you never will....
So this is now the best sprint unlocked 3g CDMA/GSM world phone there is....
So punt on 4g on this phone....
Go unlocked (no wixmax)
If we can get cm9 on this phone .... and get gsm unblocked for US you have a killer 3g world phone.....
Considering sprint screw us on wimax I say we have a right to recover some of our investment....
Sprint can give some of the value back to this phone now that wimax is dead by unblocking the damm GSM for the US market then we have something worth selling or keeping as a backup world phone
I say class action at min at Sprint.. demand unlock and unblock gsm to recover our investment in a phone sprint made a 4g promise they never met
Sprint...We lost a service you sold us for use in the US (Wimax 4g) so give us back a service for use in the US (GSM) that gives back some value to the phone...its as cheap and easy as a radio firmware update....
In fact for any Wimax phone Sprint has sold...
Sprint should an mim unlock any and all services it can on those phones as some kind of compensation to buyers so they salvage back some of the investment lost as buyers of that hardware...
We as buyers of Sprint Wimax phones have a business case to be made to demand as such
redhatter said:
I posted this on another thread but it really fit better here
===============================================
Look..
The bootloader is unlocked..... it just breaks wimax..
And with with wimax dead... (I.E. no more build out).... if you don't have it now you never will....
So this is now the best sprint unlocked 3g CDMA/GSM world phone there is....
So punt on 4g on this phone....
Go unlocked (no wixmax)
If we can get cm9 on this phone .... and get gsm unblocked for US you have a killer 3g world phone.....
Considering sprint screw us on wimax I say we have a right to recover some of our investment....
Sprint can give some of the value back to this phone now that wimax is dead by unblocking the damm GSM for the US market then we have something worth selling or keeping as a backup world phone
I say class action at min at Sprint.. demand unlock and unblock gsm to recover our investment in a phone sprint made a 4g promise they never met
Sprint...We lost a service you sold us for use in the US (Wimax 4g) so give us back a service for use in the US (GSM) that gives back some value to the phone...its as cheap and easy as a radio firmware update....
In fact for any Wimax phone Sprint has sold...
Sprint should an mim unlock any and all services it can on those phones as some kind of compensation to buyers so they salvage back some of the investment lost as buyers of that hardware...
We as buyers of Sprint Wimax phones have a business case to be made to demand as such
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curious, why do you want Domestic GSM unlocked when it's only useful out of the country? Sprint has no GSM towers and they don't have an incentive to unlock it because if it's unlocked, you will be using a SIM Card from another provider like AT&T or T-Mobile... meaning providing competition from a Sprint phone...
Why you blame photon not getting LTE no sprint phone to this moment are available even some are on a horizon tho, even SGII if you would of got couldn't get you better signal or LTE. This phone still be good for awhile especially the way sprint moving the things forward.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA
ArchangelRenzoku said:
Just curious, why do you want Domestic GSM unlocked when it's only useful out of the country? Sprint has no GSM towers and they don't have an incentive to unlock it because if it's unlocked, you will be using a SIM Card from another provider like AT&T or T-Mobile... meaning providing competition from a Sprint phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes which mean it usable on other networks so it has more value....look I payed money for a Sprint 4g phone....Sprint now is making my 4g hardware, 3g hardware forever...pure loss of value...how to recover some value...let the hardware I OWN work on other carriers like AT&T or T-Mobile.....
I did not break my part of the deal with Sprint... Sprint broke the deal to provide 4g on the hardware they sold me
If you had a phone geting 4g in your area and the phone hardware failed and was no longer able to get 4g that would be a warranty issue for the phone right?
The phone would be replaced with one that worked as you were sold.... and if they could not replace or repair.... you would be offer a phone of same or greater value....
However I would not be warranty if I deliberately broke the phone
But Sprint is deliberately breaking there side of the network so why do I not Sprint take the loss?
This is not what I was sold or told when I bought....
So replace or repair or offer a phone of same or greater value or let me move on to another carrier with the hardware I bought
Look Im a network engineer of 30+ years....(in fact im posting while on a test bridge, telecommute in, since 4AM...boring)....Ive turned down many customer on data services...
A customer in good standing, you do not sell them a hardware investment on thier side of the link...
Then turn around and turn it down and just tell them "tough ****!"
"And Oh by the way we are going to hold you to your part of the deal, while you will not get the services and the growth of services and service network contracted for, you must keep paying the same rate with all penaltys for early cancellation"
Any business that pulled that on another business would be in court in a heartbeat.....
Hell in someways this is what Clearwire did to Sprint ... Clearwire could not provide the services and the growth of services and service network contracted for...
Did Sprint just let Clearwire keep charging them as all was contracted for? ...So why should we?
Look this is business.... provide what was contracted for or that deal is void...you can have the phone back and I get my money payed back...or let make a new deal
FYI... Do not expect to see any real performance difference at first beween Sprint /Clearwire 4g WIMAX and Sprint /Clearwire 4g LTE (unless they mask it with QOS for LTE traffic have priority over WIMAX traffic for thier internet bandwidth)...the issue was never WIMAX vs LTE as the layer 2 datalink itself ... Clearwire issue was Clearwire (I interview with them...for a while it seemed like they would call , via the headhunters, for new contract engineers ever other month...they have got issue and it was not WIMAX)
Redhatter, were what you're saying completely correct, then I would mostly agree. However, it's not quite correct. From what I've read, Sprint IS going to provide you with what they sold you. The 4g Wi-Max infrastructure is supposed to stay functional until 2015. So Sprint sold you a phone that's going to be fully functional (4g) until 2015, which I think I'm safe to assume, is past the contract you've signed with them. Not looking to start a fight here, but I just wanted to clear up that 4g will still work until 2015
318Charger said:
Redhatter, were what you're saying completely correct, then I would mostly agree. However, it's not quite correct. From what I've read, Sprint IS going to provide you with what they sold you. The 4g Wi-Max infrastructure is supposed to stay functional until 2015. So Sprint sold you a phone that's going to be fully functional (4g) until 2015, which I think I'm safe to assume, is past the contract you've signed with them. Not looking to start a fight here, but I just wanted to clear up that 4g will still work until 2015
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Phoenix...Phoenix was to be build out as part of the 4g wimax network but was not and now never will be therefore I will never received the services sold the network was never built as presented....
Simple question would I have payed the premium for a service I never would get..
Or even better...sprint is now goint to sell LTE phones...but the LTE network is not built it just a promised at this point...so what if they sell LTE phones but then never deliver on the promised LTE...how is that diffrent then never delivering on the promised WIMAX network...
FYI Sprint still advertise in all their Phoenix stores all the Wi-Max products as 4G...something that will never work for most all of the customer in those stores
If Sprint doesn't keep their promises on the LTE this is their last chance before
they go down, hell BestBuy is on the verge go down.
As to the OP comments, it is frustrating that Sprint is so far behind in the 4G game, but 3G is plenty fast enough for me. I would love 4G, but not having it is not a huge deal to me.
dtaylorr said:
As to the OP comments, it is frustrating that Sprint is so far behind in the 4G game, but 3G is plenty fast enough for me. I would love 4G, but not having it is not a huge deal to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1. I feel the same way, I'v only used 4G 3 times, once on EVO and 2 on Photon.
#2. With that said, you need to thank me, I *****ed an moaned enough and I guess someone saw/heard it. Photon is off the EOL list!!!
http://www.technobuffalo.com/compan...f-life-list-reveals-evo-4g-is-on-its-way-out/
I guess I don't know exactly what the language is in the contract, but I don't think 4g is ever explicitly promised. The way I understand it is you pay for whatever your talk/text is and then for unlimited data, and then $10 extra bc smartphones use more data. So while maybe it was pretty crappy of Sprint to act like 4g was ever going to happen or advertise heavily about it when it's service is so sparse, I don't think they're contractually obligated to provide it.
Let me tell you why I think this is good news. 1. It means Sprint and Motorola may be still talking. #2. I think the conversation would go a little something like this:
Sprint: "We have a EVO 4G LTE coming out, Samsung Galaxy LTE, **** or git off the pot!"
Motorola: "We will if you give us the same advertising pull you give them!"
I tell you another reason this is Great News, In order to trump the other 2, Niviara (sp?) is working on Quad-Core 1.5Gzh that WILL work on LTE 4G, and to top that off, maybe new Photon will still be CDMA/GSM with 32Gb memory, which will make it top dogg!! (Hey, I can dream like everyone else!)
Related
ok, so I picked up the VZW Touch Pro tonight. Everything is great except for the sucky feeling I got jipped on memory compared to the Sprint.
Those of you who bought the Sprint model and have Verizon service, did Verizon still honor any warranty or insurance service on it? My big fear is I pay cash to Sprint for the phone, flash it to work on Verizon, and then I drop it, etc.
While I don't think the memory limit is going to hurt me much today, with 6.5 coming out I suspect it might.
What to do, what to do...
I bought my TP from ebay, it worked great for a month then the charge port broke. I bought spare batteries and chargers and used it for a while because nobody (verizon or sprint) would warranty the phone. Then, a bad flash reset the phone to having a msl of NOT 000000 anddwiping the MIN and MDN back to 0's.
I bought a squaretrade warranty at the time from ebay, so the device is off getting fixed and I am using my titan again for the time being. I f they fix the phone (warranty was a little under $50) then it is the same price as insurance and I will be happy. I can only report my opinions after I receive a working device back though
Moral of this story: If you do not have the original receipt, HTC will not warranty it. Verizons insurance wont cover a sprint phone, most you would get back is a verizon Pro. Sprint won't touch it unless you have a line of service with them.
Hope this squaretrade deal works out...
Kdj,
I'd be really curious how this works out for you, as I have 29 days to decide if I want to go that route.
My Titan ear piece speaker died and VZW swapped it out no problem. I would hate to have something similar with the TP, and not be able to get it fixed.
Good luck!
Yeah, I will definitely chime in on this thread when I get it back. Should be within a week if they work as fast as they claim!
So far, I filed a claim online with them, they emailed me a prepaid UPS returns label and I printed it and stuck it on a box and it is enroute as we speak. If they are able to replace or repair it and have it back in a reasonable fashion I will be pleased.
I also would be very interested in seeing your results. I have a Verizon Touch Pro I got about 2 weeks ago and am loving it so far but also cant help but feel like I got jipped with the -96mb.......... but there is a certain ammount of security in buying from Verizon , you get great support and service for your Verizon device that you wont be getting for the Sprint one from either provider.
Anyways I am waiting to hear your results. Thanks!
Verizon only provides my data and voice access, XDA and PPCgeeks provide the rest!
As an update Squaretrade has received my pro, so I am really getting anxious as to how this proceeds from here. I have been doing research about squaretrade, and most things I hear are good. But I have yet to read anything but random posts or articles saying they are good. Does anybody know personally or can give testimony to the quality of worksmanship they can provide?
Would any body like to see a thread specifically devoted to Squaretrade warranties and feedback from actual users? If this pans out, a one year warranty from them is cheaper than most providers Asurion policies. Maybe I will start a thread in the general section...
Easy answer!
Guys listen up. I was with Verizon for several years and I must say their network and coverage is great. BUT Verizon's pricing is way up there and I was paying a lot every month for 2 Blackberries with data plans and 3000 minutes. $300+ per month got old after about a year of those outrageous bills kept coming each month. So I started shopping all the carriers service plans and NO carrier can compete with Sprint's pricing and plan packages or offer as much as Sprint does for the money. And these days money is an important thing to be using sparingly and we all need to watch our spending. So I jumped ship from Verizon and hopped on Sprint's "Simply Everything" plan and my bill for 2 pda's with unlimited everything Sprint has to offer is only half of what I was paying over at Verizon. And I was only getting 3000 minutes and data with nothing else. I had to pay extra for the text messaging plan. You get the idea...
So now that I got all that out of the way lets get to the question at hand. Which Touch Pro should a person go with??? Ofcourse I went with the Sprint version. (the Verizon version is too square and the sharp corners make it ugly to me as well as less memory and crippled ofcourse as always with Verizon devices). There are a few factors you need to concider when making your decision to stay with the Verizon version or to go with the Sprint version.
1. Network? First things first...decide which network works best for you where you will be using your service most of the time. If the network's coverage in your area blows then don't go with that carrier no matter which device they have that you want.
2. Pricing? If this is of any concern to you then there is an obvious winner in this dept. It's Sprint hands down! You get literally everything for one low flat rate so no suprize phone bills.
3. Devices offered by the two carriers Sprint and Verizon. Both carriers have nice offerings BUT Verizon is famous for crippling their phones while Sprint does not. (another big reason I left Verizon... locked gps on my verizon Blackberry and others and forcing customers to pay extra for a factory equipped gps chip had me furious to say the least! Sprint devices have gps that is as free as a bird to use with any 3rd party app of your choosing).
4. Customer Service??? Honestly Verizon and Sprint both have good customer service so that's not such a concern here.
5. Device warranty? Both carriers are equal in that dept. too. Very good for both.
OK... knowing what I know now, if I were you guys I would return the Verizon Touch Pro asap if you are still within your 30 day "no worry guarantee" period and go over to Sprint and pick up their Touch Pro which is better in every way. Appearance is nicer looking, more memory, gps isn't locked, etc. And ofcourse you are going to save a lot of money AND get a lot more at the same time. That's a win win if you ask me!
Since I've been with Sprint, apx. 6 months) I have had very good network coverage, call quality, etc. It is at least as good as Verizon if not better. Oh there is one thing that is definetely better with Sprint... it's data speeds are far faster than Verizon. This I do know for a fact because I used data with Verizon on several pda devices the past 3 years or so. Sprint's data speeds are faster. If you are stuck in a Verizon contract then your stuck unless you are willing to pay early termination fees. If you're currently with Sprint then you are in the right place. As for using a Sprint branded Touch Pro on Verizon's network, I didn't know Verizon started allowing non Verizon branded devices on it's network. But if they do then that's all good but you will not be doing the Sprint Touch Pro any justice since Verizon doesn't offer what Sprint does. And it would be simply dumb to activate a Verizon branded Touch Pro on Sprint's network, if that's even possible. I tried to activate my Verizon BlackBerry Curve on my Sprint account and that was a huge big fat negative. The device esn's are in each carrier's data bases and if it's from a different carrier then they will not activate it period. That goes for both Sprint and Verizon. I know Sprint will not do it. Verizon on the other hand unless they just recently started allowing non Verizon branded devices on their network, they will not do it either. The bottom line in my post is to go with the better device (Sprint's Touch Pro) on a very good network with awesome plan pricing as well as all the bells and whistles that you can't get with Verizon. Did I mention Sprint is a lot cheaper??? HELL YES I DID!!!
It's a no brainer guys. times are getting rough so you better start thinking about saving $$$ anywhere you can! And we all no that we will pay our cell phone bills no matter what and not pay something else if it comes down to it. Sorry for the long post and I hope this helps some people put some thought into the subject.
That is the classic Sprint convert post
Thanks for your opinion, but sprint and verizons data networks are prety much the same. In the northwest for the most part in far out places that I travel, sprint users have to roam ont verizon network to make calls and data roaming is a whole other animal. I agree that sprint has better pricing and their coverage is getting better. Sprint does not have any roaming agreements with ACS to my knowledge, which serves alaska especially on the kenai peninsula where I travel often. I am not sure if there are many if any GSM coverage up there, as no one in alaska outside of anchorage that I have ran into uses ATT or tmobile. These are my observations and I could be wrong, but when I take my verizon phones to alaska, they play nice with ACS and even recently have allowed EVDO data roaming for me which is nice. I even roam with telus and bell out of canada for reasonable rates. Lets not start another Ford/Chevy/Dodge/Verizon/Sprint/ATT debate
Kinda back on topic, I started a thread in the general section regarding getting opinions on Squaretrade if anyone is looking for options on insuring their Sprint/Alltel/whatever device on a foreign network:
HERE And I hope we can get some feedback.
kdj67f said:
That is the classic Sprint convert post
Thanks for your opinion, but sprint and verizons data networks are prety much the same. In the northwest for the most part in far out places that I travel, sprint users have to roam ont verizon network to make calls and data roaming is a whole other animal. I agree that sprint has better pricing and their coverage is getting better. Sprint does not have any roaming agreements with ACS to my knowledge, which serves alaska especially on the kenai peninsula where I travel often. I am not sure if there are many if any GSM coverage up there, as no one in alaska outside of anchorage that I have ran into uses ATT or tmobile. These are my observations and I could be wrong, but when I take my verizon phones to alaska, they play nice with ACS and even recently have allowed EVDO data roaming for me which is nice. I even roam with telus and bell out of canada for reasonable rates. Lets not start another Ford/Chevy/Dodge/Verizon/Sprint/ATT debate
Kinda back on topic, I started a thread in the general section regarding getting opinions on Squaretrade if anyone is looking for options on insuring their Sprint/Alltel/whatever device on a foreign network:
HERE And I hope we can get some feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's true Verizon has great coverage and roaming agreements. In your case living way out where you live/work you probably don't have too many choices and gsm networks just suck so that's totally out of the question, especially for you. As for most people, we live in metro areas that have good coverage where we commute on a daily basis. As for my post being a "classic" Sprint convert... sorry I wasted your time but it's my personal take and nothing that needs to be titled as classic or however you see it way out in the boonies where you live.
Back to the post topic... Does Verizon even allow non Verizon devices to be activated on their network? The Sprint devices esn's will not be in Verizon's database so even if you flash the Sprint Touch Pro with Verizon firmware that's still not going to change the esn or rebrand the device. Someone enlighten me if this carrier policy has been lifted...
There is a large thread on ppcgeeks devoted to getting Sprints touch pro on verizon network. I have one that was fully functional (minus the charge port issues stated) and the process has worked for various other HTC models including the diamond and mogul too. If you can load a verizon PRL on a device and change the MSL to 000000, it can be on verizons network. Verizon customers can call *228 and choose option 3, which programs whatever phone your calling from to your account and number.
And calm down, I was teasing you about being a sprint convert!
So technically, we know we CAN use a Sprint phone on the Verizon network. It's just the "What if it dies" factor is still there. It's not an inexpensive device, so the thought of carrying it around all day, potentially losing it, is pretty deterring.
Let's hope your warranty works out
I agree with tx_dbs_tx. He gave pros and cons for both sides. I personally agree with him choosing Sprint's version over Verizon's for the performance, memory, and looks of the device. The Sprint Pro is slick and sturdy, there data speeds ARE faster than Verizon's and I have seen the numbers to prove it. Sprint's data is the #1 reason I have service with them, #2 reason is the great prices, #3 the insurance and service and repair is nice and have always had good luck with that. If you REALLY want to do it, and have found the correct way to use the device on that network then go for it, but you won't be disappointed with Sprint.
Thank you all for your opinions, but the original topic was about insuring the device, not which service is better.
As a little update, they sent me an email today saying my device had been repaired and it has already left via UPS second day air. Got an email with tracking number from UPS too. I think they may exchange it for a refurb unit for how fast it took them, but I am not too concerned with that. Post back with final results in a few days.
So far, I am pleased with my experience regarding Squaretrade.
For anyone interested, Squaretrade fixed my charge port and shipped my Touch pro back the same day they received it. I got the actual same device back and the port works and I have been able to reprogram it and get it working again. For $47.99 and no deductible for part failure I would definitely say it was worth it to buy their warranty.
They even replaced the little friction slide in my stylus hole that I accidently ripped out trying to take it apart They stand behind their claims and are inexpensive, so I would recommend them to anyone buying phones off of ebay.
I bought a sprint TP on ebay after trying the phone @ both Sprint and Verizon. The verizon phone had a lag by comparison. Memory is the key here. Interestingly enough the Verizon party line is that they lowered the memory to keep the cost down. HMMM... They still charge more than Sprint for the phone.
Moving the phone off Sprint to Verizon was not for the faint of heart, but not all that difficult if you are willing to invest the time. The one thing you will have to put up with (at least I have not figured it out) is that the phone will show that you are roaming at all times.
Oh, and the Sprint phone looks better...
IMHO
You can definately move devices between networks.
You need QPST 2.7.3+, DUMA KEYS, YOUR MSID, bITPIM, MODEM DRIVER, and some guts.
You can find good instructions and tools @ PPC GEEKS.
Search "Sprint Touch Pro on VZW Network Tutorial "
MM
mike2037 said:
I bought a sprint TP on ebay after trying the phone @ both Sprint and Verizon. The verizon phone had a lag by comparison. Memory is the key here. Interestingly enough the Verizon party line is that they lowered the memory to keep the cost down. HMMM... They still charge more than Sprint for the phone.
Moving the phone off Sprint to Verizon was not for the faint of heart, but not all that difficult if you are willing to invest the time. The one thing you will have to put up with (at least I have not figured it out) is that the phone will show that you are roaming at all times.
Oh, and the Sprint phone looks better...
IMHO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some patched PRLs over at ppcgeeks that gets rid of the roaming triangle, and you can use QPST to change your carrier banner. I never was able to update my ERI.
Thanks. I actually found those after leaving my post. The ERI did not work for me either.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/07/sprint-converts-its-cdma-network-to-lte/#disqus_thread
This means our Photon will be 4G WORTHLESS come Mid 2012, since we all just got the Phone and are connected to a 2 year contract, we are Screwed. This also gives Sprint the OUT it wants as far as Unlimited. Those who get these NEW LTE Phones will be surprised when they DON'T HAVE Unlimited Data. Very Sneaky Sprint. Assholes.
Sneaky? This news has been out for months, before the Photon, GS2 and 3D even came out. People could have waited. They have to make a change over sometime.
Zooomg no wayz new 4geeees?!?!?!
WTH. People ARE Supposed to wait on Sprint to make up heir minds. We Photon owners just Grabbed our Ankles. Bottom Line.
Well I am still under my 30 days on my photon so I'm just gonna take it back and the 200 dollars worth of accessories I bought for it....then lock into the simply everything plan and get grandfathered in
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
Nah, if you have WiMax coverage now, you will for a good long while. Probably until the hardware at the cell site takes a crap and they decide not to replace it.
If you don't currently have WiMax coverage, then you are waiting on LTE coverage.
By the time you actually get it you'll be close to an upgrade, and if not you could force the issue with CS and have them move your upgrade date so you can get an LTE device.
And if you are in one of the large markets that doesn't have WiMax yet, but will be getting LTE way before an upgrade date - like 8/2012 - (Do those exist?) I am really sure that Sprint would move your upgrade to get an LTE device since you bought a useless WiMax device in your area. Sprint has really good Customer Support and will do you right on it.
Now if your like me and live in the sticks, and barely get 3G, and can only get 4G with an hour drive....I'm some one who is a little upset by the fact that there is no 3G upgrades in the works.
#1, From what I read, Photon will still work.
#2, I had my Evo for a year and Photon like August 2nd, I have used 4G exactly THREE times. I know, I know, YouTube, Videos, Movies, Netflix...........I have a 55" and 40" LCD TV's, Laptop, Gaming Desktop, and 160Gb PS3. I really have no need to kill my battery.............(I just bought a Truck. GPS on 4G I might need, but I just purchased Car Dock so Battery is not an issue.!
Doesn't the photon support the 1900mhz frequency? Why would it not be compatible with Lte?
jeriel05 said:
Doesn't the photon support the 1900mhz frequency? Why would it not be compatible with Lte?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because Sprint would prefer you buy a new phone then pay to write a new radio for it.
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
Just because Sprint is moving from WiMax doesn't mean you'll stop getting the service. They are just going to stop selling new devices at the end of 2012, and stop funding Clearwire for new markets. Current devices will continue to use the WiMax they do now.
This really doesn't worry me because I am not under contract on my photon. I am greatful for sprint actually doing something to make their network better but at this point I think it's too late for some people. If I had to guess 3g is not going to get better anytime soon. The focus is LTE and will continue to be.
Wifi calling would be a much better choice for myself to hold me over. I have a airave but that things is huge and drains a lot of electricity. I don't have the little airave because I wanted more than just the option to make calls. I wanted to be able to pull in data, which it does pretty well. I shouldn't have to have that thing running just to get cell reception in my house. I'll take the wifi calling for now and have the hope that LTE will come quicker than expected.
I think the biggest problem this will bring is the support for sprints current lineup. Why would motorola continue to dump money into developing for it's current Photon and same goes with the other manufacturers. If the phones cease to work on the new network, why would motorola keep making "older phone" current and up to date.
Y'all need to just chill. WiMAX isn't going anywhere for quite awhile. If you bothered to listen to the announcement you'd know that.
WiMAX = Clear
LTE = Sprint
If you want to know if your WiMAX phone is going to work you should probably look at what Clear is doing and stop dogging Sprint for building a BETTER 4G network in ADDITION to Clear's.
Not worried, by then I'll be on another device, sorry but I switch pretty often. Although this photon is just impressive so I might just keep it until I am convinced that I need to replace it, and the SGS2 is not it. Neither is another phone on sprint, nope not the iPhone either.
I probably won't be changing until a Quad Core phone comes out. At which point I may go ahead and do that. But for now. I'm square on the phone I have.
ghodzilla5150 said:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/07/sprint-converts-its-cdma-network-to-lte/#disqus_thread
This means our Photon will be 4G WORTHLESS come Mid 2012, since we all just got the Phone and are connected to a 2 year contract, we are Screwed. This also gives Sprint the OUT it wants as far as Unlimited. Those who get these NEW LTE Phones will be surprised when they DON'T HAVE Unlimited Data. Very Sneaky Sprint. Assholes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not I, I bought mine outright from a person off craigslist
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
ghodzilla5150 said:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/07/sprint-converts-its-cdma-network-to-lte/#disqus_thread
This means our Photon will be 4G WORTHLESS come Mid 2012, since we all just got the Phone and are connected to a 2 year contract, we are Screwed. This also gives Sprint the OUT it wants as far as Unlimited. Those who get these NEW LTE Phones will be surprised when they DON'T HAVE Unlimited Data. Very Sneaky Sprint. Assholes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obviously you haven't been reading the news about Sprint and LTE. It was no secret that Sprint was going LTE especially when Wimax was not expanding to new markets anymore. If you watched the Oct 7th conference, they said that Wimax will still be around and in fact they will continue to sell Wimax devices throughout 2012 and there will be support for Wimax for another couple years (my guess is 2015). In 2013, we will all be eligible for an upgrade and at that point I will grab a LTE phone since by Aug 2013, LTE on sprint should have a ton of markets.
Right now there is no news on which markets will get LTE starting mid 2012. I expect Sprint will announce those initial deployed markets sometime in April-May next year. Hopefully the initial deployment includes the big markets who do not current have Wimax support such as San Diego, Phoenix, New Orleans, Detroit, Oklahoma City, etc.
Yeah. San Diego would be great. But. I am not gonna hold my breathe.
Sent from my Photon via XDA
Nextelian said:
If you bothered to listen to the announcement you'd know that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, easier to pick the points I want to complain about and ignore the facts so I can harp about getting screwed. If you want a screw job, try to get Verizon to set a price anywhere near what many Sprint owners pay.
FACTS:
- WiMax will be available for years, possibly beyond Sprint's involvement
- LTE is 'scheduled for completion' in mid-2013, around the time most Photon owners will be out-of-contract anyway, if it mattered in the first place
- The majority of users don't get a 4G signal to start with
RESULT:
-Sprint is taking my not-4G-service away? Darn.
I think what everyone is missing is the effect this will have on your phones value. I personally keep my phones looking brand new so I can make a profit when it's time to upgrade. I personally haven't paid for a phone in a long time because I sell the old to get the new.
With this upcoming change this will hurt value and will make all phones running 4g look like old news. Sure there are people out there that have no clue about 4g 3g and just want a phone but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot that do know about it.
For instance, if you were on a carrier and they got bought out and your phone was working just fine on your original carrier and then all of a sudden the new carrier says your phone will be obsolete once we swich over to another band...What would you say?? Would this be a simple oh well i'll be good for a little while longer and then I'll just buy another phone. I think there would be more people complaining then. Sprint did the old bait and switch and I can't believe the amount of people who sit back supporting it. They increased the cancel fee, the upgrade fee, took away upgrades yearly, cancelled discounts for premium customers at stores, taking away 4g next year and providing crappy 3g service. What will it take for some people to realize that your being bent over. I just don't get why some people just take it laying down. So we paid the $10.00 fee to build the 4g service (which I know it's not a 4g fee)..which we all know it was and a bunch of bull was pushed to make it look otherwise. Now they want you to build their LTE service because the F'd up.
I know someone will say, well why are you with sprint then? Well that might be changing soon. Also I have to pay a cancellation fee and that is not fun and that's why there is a delay up to this point. I posted earlier in this thread and after really thinking about all the crap sprint is doing, I think I just woke up. I had my eyes open before but now they are wide open.
The photon is a good phone but I really think at this point the manufacturers will be focused on building LTE phones and will dump support on these now aging phones. Motorola is going to be the leader in LTE and is working on building the first LTE for sprint. Why are they going to keep throwing all these updates at the photon?
For everyone's sake, I hope LTE doesn't end up killing the 100k download speeds we get on our unlimited plans from sprint now. Someone's going to have to pay for the big switch going on.
That's true. But I personally keep my old phones so that I can have spares/backups. Etc. That's just me though.
Sent from my Photon via XDA
why is Sprint still advertising and selling WiMAX phones? especially for my zip code that not only dose not have it and never will! why on earth should someone pay $99.00 for evo3d, marry sprint for 2 years knowing darn well they will be forced to break contract! where is the FCC or there consumer groups?
seriously, there has to be a law. now if they gave them away, no contract, and no $10 data monthly, that would ale sense.
Sent from Photon 4G code name "Neo" using XDA Premium!
They still sell them cuz their wimax is still in use and they don't have any lte phones yet. So no it isn't illegal.
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
They're juuuust beginning to roll out LTE, and Wimax is in far more places right now.
Besides, sprint can't just throw all their existing phone inventory in the trash, especially when there are so few (if any?) LTE phones available yet.
No LTE phones, WiMax is still up. LTE won't even be large for another two years.
aamirani said:
No LTE phones, WiMax is still up. LTE won't even be large for another two years.
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what happens when I sign 2 year marriage and you shut down in 1.5 years? sucks cause that are what they are doing!
Sent from Photon 4G code name "Neo" using XDA Premium!
They are keeping WiMax up until 2015. They've already nixed any new WiMax phones this year. Everyone will be out of contract by the time they bring WiMax down.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
Draiko said:
They are keeping WiMax up until 2015. They've already nixed any new WiMax phones this year. Everyone will be out of contract by the time they bring WiMax down.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
This is exactly right. WiMax will be up until everyone's contract is up. I believe they stopped bringing more WiMax phones also.
So by 2015 WIMAX will be completely down?
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk
No idea. All we know is that they signed agreements with clearwire to keep it running until 2015.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
so the question remains, what happens to my Photon (or any WiMAX device) in 2015? What if I want to keep Photon? I used to work with a guy that had a 10 year old Sprint phone with SIM card (I know cause I lost 10 bucks to him!), maybe I want to keep photon for 10 years.
my point is, your double screwed by Sprint!!! You get screwed by Sprint by paying for a phone that everyone knows will be worthless in 2015. Then in 2015 your forced to pay them (or another carrier) again because what you have is junk?
im fairly sure what its gunna turn into (look at iden for proof) is that all the towers with wimax will have it until either they need that slot for something else, or the wimax card dies...
dsims7_2000 said:
so the question remains, what happens to my Photon (or any WiMAX device) in 2015? What if I want to keep Photon? I used to work with a guy that had a 10 year old Sprint phone with SIM card (I know cause I lost 10 bucks to him!), maybe I want to keep photon for 10 years.
my point is, your double screwed by Sprint!!! You get screwed by Sprint by paying for a phone that everyone knows will be worthless in 2015. Then in 2015 your forced to pay them (or another carrier) again because what you have is junk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would the Photon be junk/worthless just because of no Wimax? If what you are saying is true then my Photon (along with many others) is worthless right now because my area never has had nor will ever get Wimax. I still find it very useful and a great phone without it.
Sprint cannot continue to support older products forever. If they did then there wouldn't be enough money to put into newer technologies and therefore could not stay competitive. This is why everyone offers upgrade credits/new devices to customers after a few years. Sprint is no different than say, for example, Samsung, which released new model TVs every 4 months and drop support for older models around 6 months - 1 year. It sucks for the consumer but to keep up with competition they must pursue new technology and provide it to the public in a timely fashion. Old products don't make the money, newer products do.
CCallahan said:
Old products don't make the money, newer products do.
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Click to collapse
That theroy is wack and I can prove it!! I'm 50 years old and went to Vegas and my "Old Product" worked just fine with and without the blue pill upgrade!!!!
It would be nice if we were offered the option to upgrade Photon, even if it cost $$$If you notice, you rarely see me in the Development Section here. I dont change ROMS every other day like some. Once I get my phone how "I" like it and it works, I leave it alone!
Well, maybe I'm missing the point here...but...I'm in the Midwest in a city (of almost 1M people) that was promised Wimax 4G 14 months ago. Sprint 4G has never come here. We even were shown on their coverage maps as 'Coming Soon'. My Photon works just fine on 3G & Wifi...I turned my 4G radio on once just to see if 4G was here, nada.
After 2015, when Wimax is turned off, my Photon will work just as it does today.
(BTW...I'm happy to continue to pay $10/mo so Sprint can build out 2 4g networks for all of you, while ignoring us entirely. Sarcasm intended.)
So...you might feel screwed in 2015...every bill I pay today...I pay to build out 2 4G networks that I might see by 2015 when you've started to feel pissed off. At least you'll have options for 4G phones that will work, and likely Free Phone options by then...I don't even have that option.
I mean, 3 years from now, who knows what technologies will be on our phones by then? Phones will likely be completely different, making our Photons dinosaurs, just like the Pre in my desk drawer...
The photon would become a 3g only worldphone until Sprint converts all of its spectrum to LTE.
You are paying the extra $10 for unlimited data. Sprint is the best bang for buck national carrier. Once you put it in those terms, you'll feel better about it.
All of the carriers are migrating to LTE-only. You're not going to have a mobile phone last you 10 years anymore regardless of carrier.
The good news is that your wireless experience is going to improve more often.
Stop crying about it.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
@dorelse, exactly my point! I buy a new car with navigation system, when car arrives it dose not have it and im promised they will get it. then you tell me that option is not available?
the above would not be bad BUT, by selling WiMAX sprint knows for a fact people in areas like ours don't have it and never will! take out the 4G promise. cool but now they are false advertising!
JMO!
Sent from Photon 4G code name "Neo" using XDA Premium!
You still get WiMax wherever it's available. It's not false advertising. You have a choice. Would you rather pay $300 for a Verizon phone that has bloatware, overpriced plans, unstable 4G network that goes down every month, data caps, and crappy battery life? How about an AT&T phone with data caps and crappy service? Maybe a t-mobile phone with throttled data speeds from a carrier that might not exist in 2 years?
You bought a phone that can be used anywhere in the world. You got a WORLDPHONE for the same price as any other top-shelf device Sprint offers even though it has the capability of having superfast data speeds in certain areas. You are paying a relatively low price for unlimited phone data which no other US carrier offers anymore. You can even use this phone as a netbook, nettop, and media center without paying extra plan charges.
Seriously, get a grip.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
I will tell you this and that's that I agree with you 110%. As someone who lives in an area that was promised 4G service by the end of 2010 and still does not have it and never will, I think Sprint sucks balls and has a lot of guts charging "premium data" charges. I pay the same amount as someone in L.A. who has 4G but they get much faster service. Is it fair? No. is there anything that the FCC or anyone else will do about it? Probably not but I do have a suggestion and I am willing to bet would work at some point. Someone needs to find a lawyer that is willing to take on a Class Action case and then the print customers who dont truly receive any "premium data" can join in and get compensated. If anyone wants to do it I'm in for sure.
---------- Post added at 11:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:51 AM ----------
Draiko said:
You still get WiMax wherever it's available. It's not false advertising. You have a choice. Would you rather pay $300 for a Verizon phone that has bloatware, overpriced plans, unstable 4G network that goes down every month, data caps, and crappy battery life? How about an AT&T phone with data caps and crappy service? Maybe a t-mobile phone with throttled data speeds from a carrier that might not exist in 2 years?
You bought a phone that can be used anywhere in the world. You got a WORLDPHONE for the same price as any other top-shelf device Sprint offers even though it has the capability of having superfast data speeds in certain areas. You are paying a relatively low price for unlimited phone data which no other US carrier offers anymore. You can even use this phone as a netbook, nettop, and media center without paying extra plan charges.
Seriously, get a grip.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's got a valid point especially about the premium data charges we all pay and dont all receive service for. Sprint claims they are because of the phones capabilities but they have phones that do not incur the charges and have some of the same data results on 3G. Premium data should only apply to 4G areas. Bottom line.
MikeyLee said:
He's got a valid point especially about the premium data charges we all pay and dont all receive service for. Sprint claims they are because of the phones capabilities but they have phones that do not incur the charges and have some of the same data results on 3G. Premium data should only apply to 4G areas. Bottom line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Makes a point but the $10/month extra is not for WiMax but unlimited data whether it be 3g/4g. At least, that is what Sprint tells us even though the WiMax data is what really costs them the most.
As far as I know there is only one Android phone in Sprint's lineup that doesn't incur the extra charge which is the Samsung Replenish and that was set to change anytime if it hasn't already.
But put all that aside for a moment, even with the extra 10/month it is still a cheaper plan than anyone else. If they weren't already charging the extra 10 I would bet their rates would have been raised already to cover it so the point is basically moot.
The stock part of my phones says 3g .. But the custom rom says 1x ... Sucks when it says you're covered but really not.. And please let's not start on 4g..
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
Hello,
We are long time Verizon customers but have had enough of their capricious attitude, the insane recent price hikes and limited data plans. (although we currently have unlimited data). However, my husband's phone was stolen about a month ago and while we're using an old phone for the moment, we need to upgrade it for him. I like Sprint's current business model of unlimited everything (& we plan to sign up for everything data plus from the employees referral to save a bit and get more minutes). We also like the fact that Sprint is a green company and supports more things that we believe in. Yeah, I know that we're giving up the network for a bit until Sprint's Network Vision is completed but I think we can live with that.
Here's my dilemma. There are no Sprint owned stores in our area, just third party stores and only a couple of those so I can't buy through them &get everything data plus... Which is fine because they don't know much at all. I went there to try to see both the Evo 4G LTE side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S3...both working. Unfortunately, they didn't have a working model of the S3 but they opened up a package so I could at least hold them next to each other.
My concern most of all is with the radio quality and reception. I have some serious medical issues so being able to call for help is a frequent need. I took my current phone (HTC Rezound), my husband's Motorola DROID X, and the Evo LTE, and did side by side comparisons of the radios. My Rezound came in top at -80 give or take a few both directions, the DX, at -86 also give/take & the Evo LTE at -97 to -103. I then tried to load a webpage on my Rezound and the Evo. I picked yahoo because it has mixed media &was a first thing that popped into my head. My Rezound loaded the desktop version in less than 20 seconds... The Evo was still attempting to load the mobile version after several minutes.
So, do I believe the story that the mall kiosk has terrible Sprint reception? Was the demo Evo LTE one of the bad first batch? I know that there will be a step back in service speed but this was unbearable. I'm hoping that this isn't the normal for Sprint service... I mean it can't be, right? Right no one would use them.
What I'm unable to find out is what the Samsung Galaxy S3 radio is like compared to the Evo LTE in similar circumstances. I can't afford to get one of the phones, not have it work, pay the restocking fee and a second activation fee. With two lines that's over $200 just to switch away from a defective phone. Is there any leeway given for phones that won't hold a signal... Like allowing us to switch to another phone if the first is defective? I know that the base chipset is the same between the two phones but from what I've read the radios themselves can be different based on the manufacturer. So, I don't know what either the HTC Evo LTE or galaxy S3 would be like on any specific phone and it sounds like there are differences in the batches. What do I do or what would you do? I know we're taking a risk switching to carriers but we want to live authentically and put money into companies that are supporting the things we believe in and shaping their company based upon similar values. We will be having to do a transfer of our Vzw account (assumption of liability) once we're settled into Sprint but not until we're positive it works for us. Then we'll give up our Vzw contract so we don't owe an ETF. It also gives my DH the phone upgrade he needs since his was stolen during one of my medical emergencies. Vzw refused to help us at all through the whole process.
But I digress.
What do you think phone wise? Bad reception? Bad Evo LTE? Would you take a chance on the S3 with Samsung's past radio issues... Do you think that they've improved them? Would you take a chance on getting a bad Evo LTE since HTC /Sprint have admitted to a problem there? Since I can't compare them side by side working or compare radio strengths I really need advice!
Thanks so much in advance!
All the best,
Rae
I just loaded up the yahoo desktop Site on my LTE in about 18 seconds and I have 1 bar and very bad 3G reception in my house.
Radios seem to be just fine on the Evo and from the GSIII. Sure Samsung had issues in the past but I think they have gotten them all squared away. Sprints network is just down right awful but as you said they are working to improve a large coverage area over the next 18 months.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Wow the was a beating to read but imo the radio is pretty good and I'm sure its getter than the gs3 also overall build quality is getter than the gs3 but if I were you I'd get a gs3 to play with for a little bit and compare side to side. I'm die hard HTC so there was no question for me
Sent from my htc_jewel using Tapatalk 2
Speeds will differ from city to city. I get 25kbps in my city where the towers are clogged and undergoing maintenance. I was on a road trip this weekend and got 2mbps a few hours from my hometown.
WiFi is your friend
Sent from my htc_jewel using Tapatalk 2
I tend to agree. I'd get the GSIII too if I were them. I just have a thing for Evo's and HTC.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Also, if you have high speed internet at home you can get an adaptor for your house to allow a mini like sprint tower for your house. My buddy did it and its only a few dollars a month for taxes. Something to consider if poor signal around the house.
Sent from my ClassicJewel
I just picked up the EVO for me and the wife. The radios are fine. You really can't go wrong either way, with the SG3 or the EVO. I had an SG1 before this. I would say you have to try it out at your house. If sprint doesn't fit the bill then you just stuck with Verizon.
There are some other differences between the SG3 and the EVO, I found that the Evo had the things that I really wanted like camera button. I really did think that I would have the SG3 about 2 months ago, just saying really look at them closely if that is the way you go.
I, too, am an HTC fan. Love Sense and I don't care for Touchwiz. I'm sure either phone would suit your needs. I would think Sprint would trade out your phone if there was a defect issue. I got mine through Best Buy but have bought from Sprint before and had issues with my 3D after I had it for about 6months and they traded it out for me. Also, just wanted to mention, in case you didn't already know, that any phone call made to any mobile number with Sprint does not come off your minutes. I barely touch my minutes because most of my calls are made mobile to mobile. And the nights and weekends start at 7pm instead of 9pm. You may not need the unlimited calling plan if you don't do a lot of land line calling.
Sent from my EVO LTE using xda premium
Let us know what you decide. I don't know what sprints return policy is. Think you should just go to Best Buy & see what there return policy is.
As far as price, sprint really is great. The network can vary greatly from horrible to average on 3g depending on if your tower has gotten the network Vision upgrade. (there are places online that you can check if it's gotten the upgrade, but I don't know the link)
As someone mentioned, you can get the airwave femtocell to improve service in your home and sometimes you can get that for free.
I too am a fan of Sprints green policies. And I love the screen on the this (evo) compared to gs3. But they are both great phones.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
I love the sprint pricing/plan practice, but the network is terrible. It's usually been pretty good but lately it has been garbage, I'm hoping it's due to the upgrades and tower converting..
I wouldn't recommend Sprint at this time with someone who has health issues, but you can try them and see. I think they have a decent return policy
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
in my area the NV upgrades are causing lots of dropped calls for me and my wife... the 3g speeds have always been abysmal with sprint... the unlimited data sounds great, but do you really need more than the 2gb caps that most other companys have in place? I don't think I've ever used more than 1gb of data in a month.
If I were you, I'd wait a bit before switching to sprint, make sure NV actually does what is promised, before you commit to them for 24 months
varaonaid said:
I like Sprint's current business model of unlimited everything (& we plan to sign up for everything data plus from the employees referral to save a bit and get more minutes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind that Sprint does free mobile to mobile. My family plan has only 700 minutes, and we usually end up with 500 minutes unused every month. That's free *any* mobile to any mobile. If you get a call from a verizon user, for example, you're still not using your minutes. Lots of minutes is nice, just make sure you don't end up paying more for a plan you don't really need
My concern most of all is with the radio quality and reception. I have some serious medical issues so being able to call for help is a frequent need. I took my current phone (HTC Rezound), my husband's Motorola DROID X, and the Evo LTE, and did side by side comparisons of the radios. My Rezound came in top at -80 give or take a few both directions, the DX, at -86 also give/take & the Evo LTE at -97 to -103. I then tried to load a webpage on my Rezound and the Evo. I picked yahoo because it has mixed media &was a first thing that popped into my head. My Rezound loaded the desktop version in less than 20 seconds... The Evo was still attempting to load the mobile version after several minutes.
So, do I believe the story that the mall kiosk has terrible Sprint reception? Was the demo Evo LTE one of the bad first batch? I know that there will be a step back in service speed but this was unbearable. I'm hoping that this isn't the normal for Sprint service... I mean it can't be, right? Right no one would use them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint has very similar coverage to Verizon, since they rent towers from each other. The difference is that Verizon uses different frequency signal, which penetrates some hard objects (like walls) better than Sprint. So yes, your reception indoors is likely to be worse with any Sprint phone.
Sprint can give you a minitower for your house though (they call them Airave). If you tell them you don't have reception in your house, they will give it to you for free. It plugs into your network router and gives you about 100' radius of very good reception.
As far as Galaxy vs Evo, I can't really say, since I don't have a Galaxy. Evo's reception seems to me to be very good, compared to my old Moment, Transform, and Epic. Similar to slightly better than my wife's iPhone4.
I'll let you know. Mostly I want to know that Sprint will stand behind either phone if the radios aren't up to par without the restocking fees and a second activation fee... I can't afford $210 of activation, restocking and another reactivation fee for phones that are defective. I'm not talking about just changing my mind and wanting a different phone but needing to trust that one way or another I'll get two phones with no radio issues.
It's not as simple as just staying with VZW, my husband's phone was stolen during one of my medical emergencies... He's currently using an old phone but it's not working very well. So, we either pony up for a new phone (even if it's via Craigslist) or we get a new provider (who hopefully gives a care bc Vzw certainly didn't!), both get new phones and sell our current ones to cover most of the upfront cost of the new phones. We could wait until Network Vision is completed or moreso but will they still be able to offer unlimited data plan at that point. Since we feel that we want to switch, now feels like a good time to do so. Does that make sense?
No we're not out of contract with Verizon but have people lined up to do an AOL (assumption of liability or contract takeover) so we'd be out of it with no fees. However, we won't complete the AOL until we're sure that Sprint will work for us now.
Does anyone know if the everything data plus (we'd be looking at the 1600min family plan) has free activation? I'd have to order online and it would be via employee referral? Also, do you get any numbers you can pick that are unlimited to those numbers? Verizon had friends and family where you got to pick a handful of numbers that you call the most that don't count against our minutes. My only concern is my in laws as they have a VERY limited cell plan and use their land line almost exclusively. If we could add that one number that would help a ton. I'd read somewhere online that Sprint had something similar but now, of course, can't find it again.
I appreciate all of your help and advice so very much. I hope this explains more why we're considering the switch and why we need good phone reception... At least as good as is currently possible on their network.
BTW, when we informed Vzw about the phone theft we were tracking the phone on Google latitude and the refused to help or advise us as to what to do in any way. Super disappointed with their lack of help. If the customer service had been better, we might have gotten our phone back. I've heard good things about Sprint's customer service.
Any other thoughts or suggestions or advice... Please share! And many thanks to all of you who have shared!
I'll add my 2 cents. I have bought phones from Sprint local stores, employee referral that you mentioned (I have the 1600 employee referral plan). I have had similar service from all places. And yes, Sprint does have an add-on for call any number for free. It is called pick 3. After you sign up for service, call customer service, and tell them you came from Verizon which had that feature and you really miss it. Ask them about pick 3 and they should be able to give it to you for free. 3 numbers that don't use your anytime minutes. Can be different numbers for each line.
Sent from my Meanie ICS LTEvo
So I just signed up with Sprint so I can get unlimited everything, but I bought a Photon. I didn't realize how limited Wi-Max is, altho I wanted a dual mode GSM/CDMA phone for when I go out of the US, in case I do in the near future. I did have an Atrix on ATT with unlimited, but I had to leave my parent's plan and ATT doesn't offer unlimited data anymore. I'm also not too thrilled that Photon has to wait until Q4 to get ICS and prob won't ever get Jelly Bean or 5.0 when that comes. Should I just cough up the money and get a GS3, or should I wait until Sprint comes out with a dual mode phone with LTE, 4.1, etc.? I'll prob have more money come later this year or early next year anyway. I'm trying to balance having the latest and greatest vs. being financially responsible.
are you in an area in which Sprint has LTE or will in a short period of time?
How about Wimax?
Is this your primary access to broadband internet?
findthedr said:
are you in an area in which Sprint has LTE or will in a short period of time?
How about Wimax?
Is this your primary access to broadband internet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We don't have Wi-Max on eastern LI, but even if Sprint doesn't get LTE here for a few months, at least they're likely to build it here in the next year, and I'll be moving to an area later this year where they have both WiMax AND will have LTE (NYC). I also wanna balance having the best and latest and being financially responsible. Of course I can always wait till later in the year till I have more more, but IDK.
Financially, your phone is a depreciable asset. The longer you hold onto it, the less you will get at sale.
It doesnt sound like you will enjoy the benefits of LTE/Wimax until later this yr (at the earliest). Thus it makes sense to get a phone with those capabilities at that time.
So I just signed up with Sprint so I can get unlimited everything, but I bought a Photon.
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Click to collapse
If you truly "just signed up", than you should be able to give the phone back to the carrier. Depending on your usage of voice/text/data, a prepaid plan would make the most financial sense.
Here is some good advice on saving on smartphones.
I'm trying to balance having the latest and greatest vs. being financially responsible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those who are financially responsible do not chase the latest and greatest depreciable asset.
findthedr said:
Financially, your phone is a depreciable asset. The longer you hold onto it, the less you will get at sale.
It doesnt sound like you will enjoy the benefits of LTE/Wimax until later this yr (at the earliest). Thus it makes sense to get a phone with those capabilities at that time.
If you truly "just signed up", than you should be able to give the phone back to the carrier. Depending on your usage of voice/text/data, a prepaid plan would make the most financial sense.
Here is some good advice on saving on smartphones.
those who are financially responsible do not chase the latest and greatest depreciable asset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does anyone know if Sprint is planning on coming out with an LTE/world phone anytime soon? That would be optimal.
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
bitbang3r said:
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an incredibly informative post. Well said. +1
bitbang3r said:
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium