Friday, March 10, 2006
Countdown At the Crossroads of CDMA and GSM
Posted by Raphael Salgado in "THOUGHT" @ 02:00 PM
Those who know me will say I have a passion for the latest gadgets, while others dare call it an addiction. Either way, I've come to grips with reality that it's a downright expensive hobby. Like my brother-in-law whose labor of love is tweaking an old Mazda RX-7 with parts on eBay, or my uncle who collects exotic fish in a humongous aquarium in his den, my endeavours have been in obtaining the best Pocket PC devices over the last few years.
But, there comes a time when you ask yourself if you're doing anything productive with that device, or are you just happy with its features until the "honeymoon period" is over? I've been a Cingular customer since December 2004, and have popped my SIM card in nearly a dozen Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphones I purchased, then eBaying or selling off the device towards the purchase of the next every few months.
After all the devices I went through, I finally realized that it was time to settle down with these basic necessities: a fast, compact device with fast Internet access and an integrated keyboard. At the time of my revelation, I happened to have stumbled into a Verizon Wireless store in my local mall. There, similar to the HTC Wizard, the HTC Apache (in the form of the Verizon XV6700) sat on its display stand. I powered it up and sampled their internet connection on their EV-DO network. Needless to say, I was awestruck with the performance of the device and their network; yet, at the same time, I felt jaded after all the GSM devices I went through, even those with EDGE capability.
So, here I stand at the crossroads of CDMA and GSM. It has been discussed here nearly a year and a half ago, and now, still with so many uncertainties (such as the unknown timeframe of Cingular's 1900MHz UMTS/HSDPA nationwide rollout, possible repeat hangups of such a rollout - now that Cingular will become AT&T Wireless again, and upcoming devices such as the HTC Hermes with conflicting rumors to have/not have US-friendly UMTS/HSDPA support), one thing is certain: I'm on a 15-day countdown to a two-year contract with what feels like an awesome device on an incredible network. Yes, we all know that Verizon Wireless has been depicted as "The Empire," locking down their devices and their network, and have been known to move at a slower pace to accept new phones. I've made so many moves in the last 14 months, should I break my Cingular contract and make this my last jump? Or, should I hold out for the US' uncertain times trying to get 3G in the GSM domain? Will any of these upcoming 3G GSM devices work to their fullest capability in the US?
If there was a time I needed your thoughts most, now is the time. :|
But, there comes a time when you ask yourself if you're doing anything productive with that device, or are you just happy with its features until the "honeymoon period" is over? I've been a Cingular customer since December 2004, and have popped my SIM card in nearly a dozen Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphones I purchased, then eBaying or selling off the device towards the purchase of the next every few months.
After all the devices I went through, I finally realized that it was time to settle down with these basic necessities: a fast, compact device with fast Internet access and an integrated keyboard. At the time of my revelation, I happened to have stumbled into a Verizon Wireless store in my local mall. There, similar to the HTC Wizard, the HTC Apache (in the form of the Verizon XV6700) sat on its display stand. I powered it up and sampled their internet connection on their EV-DO network. Needless to say, I was awestruck with the performance of the device and their network; yet, at the same time, I felt jaded after all the GSM devices I went through, even those with EDGE capability.
So, here I stand at the crossroads of CDMA and GSM. It has been discussed here nearly a year and a half ago, and now, still with so many uncertainties (such as the unknown timeframe of Cingular's 1900MHz UMTS/HSDPA nationwide rollout, possible repeat hangups of such a rollout - now that Cingular will become AT&T Wireless again, and upcoming devices such as the HTC Hermes with conflicting rumors to have/not have US-friendly UMTS/HSDPA support), one thing is certain: I'm on a 15-day countdown to a two-year contract with what feels like an awesome device on an incredible network. Yes, we all know that Verizon Wireless has been depicted as "The Empire," locking down their devices and their network, and have been known to move at a slower pace to accept new phones. I've made so many moves in the last 14 months, should I break my Cingular contract and make this my last jump? Or, should I hold out for the US' uncertain times trying to get 3G in the GSM domain? Will any of these upcoming 3G GSM devices work to their fullest capability in the US?
If there was a time I needed your thoughts most, now is the time. :|
