LisaG
Head Honcho
Reged: 07/11/02
Posts: 7884
Loc: Texas
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Audiovox said the Sprint version will not have EV-DO enabled since Sprint really doesn't have much EV-DO rolled out yet. It will support their 1xRTT network (aka PCS Vision) which runs at about 80k vs. 45k for GPRS. So unless we see a GSM version for Cingular/ATT that supports EDGE (higher speed version of GPRS that runs around 85k), the Sprint version will be faster for data.
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Lisa Gade
Editor in Chief, MobileTechReview
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LisaG
Head Honcho
Reged: 07/11/02
Posts: 7884
Loc: Texas
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You mean WiFi? Well it's great if you have WiFi at home, work or like to visit HotSpots like Starbucks where you can pay a fee for access. It's much faster than GPRS, EDGE or 1xRTT but unlike those technologies, you'll need to be within 150 feet of the hotspot to get Internet access.
Should you opt for the non-WiFi version from Sprint, you can always get an SD WiFi card if you want to use WiFi.
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Lisa Gade
Editor in Chief, MobileTechReview
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LisaG
Head Honcho
Reged: 07/11/02
Posts: 7884
Loc: Texas
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Yes, Sprint will be a bit faster for data. The difference isn't night and day though.
We're in northern California, and I've found Sprint and ATT/Cingular/T-Mobile data coverage to be similar. They cover metro areas well, as well as near highways. If you're in the boonies, then the GSM providers may have a bit more coverage. Cingular's coverage map tends to be overly optimistic, especially since they bought AT&T. Give the service a try to see if it offers the coverage you need-- they give you 14 days to try it out. Note that if you're in CA, T-Mobile, ATT/Cingular are using the same towers, so you may not see much of a difference unless you're in an area where they've rolled out some new 850MHz ATT/Cingular towers and you have a phone that supports the 850MHz band.
T-Mobile's unlimited data plan is $20, and the Cingular unlimited data package is also $20. AT&T charges a lot more, but that may change over the coming months due to the merger.
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Lisa Gade
Editor in Chief, MobileTechReview
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LisaG
Head Honcho
Reged: 07/11/02
Posts: 7884
Loc: Texas
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That's great news, Sprint engineer. At CTIA, Audiovox told us EV-DO was turned off on the phone but could be enabled once service was available.
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Lisa Gade
Editor in Chief, MobileTechReview
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dkschrei
junior member
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 1
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Sprint introduces us to the PPC-6600/6601 but cripples the device so it doesn't have WiFi. They've known for months that Cingular had intentions of releasing the same device with Wifi (SX 66). So what's the deal, why go through all the trouble to remove WiFi from the HTC Harrier in the first place. Now, Sprint customers who've been wanting this "everything but the kitchen sink" device are forced to switch carriers just so they can get a FULL featured device that is .....cripple-free.
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LisaG
Head Honcho
Reged: 07/11/02
Posts: 7884
Loc: Texas
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I agree that the lack of WiFi is a shame. But you can always add on a WiFi SD card easily enough.
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Lisa Gade
Editor in Chief, MobileTechReview
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spritz
junior member
Reged: 01/03/05
Posts: 1
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In the East Bay (Berkeley/Oakland), I've found Cingular and Sprint to be roughly the same for data coverage and speed. I was with Sprint for six years, and left several weeks ago for Cingular (got fed up with Sprint's terrible CS). I used a Vision data addon with Sprint, and now use Cingular's $20/month data plan. In tethered experiements loading web pages, GPRS seems to give me roughly the same effective speeds as did Vision, even though Vision is supposed to be the faster of the two. Perhaps the problem is that both suffer from latency. With Cingular, I've also been able to get EDGE coverage in most places I've tried (using a v551 tethered phone with my laptop) at >90kbs. Whether I get GPRS or EDGE speeds with the v551 seems to depend mainly on my signal strength.
But, use the trial period to try it for yourself, in the locations you care about.
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