In Minneapolis, have upgrade coming soon, not sure what to do?

[CuriousTim]

It appears to me that the MN start date is more related to backhaul readiness than anything when I look at these schedules. Most of the equipment is already there. And I think Samsung is prepared to send their subcontractors up there when the backhaul is ready.

 

Across the road from me Mediacom marked the location for their fiber line. Not sure when they'll start putting it in. Think that line would be part of the backhaul for Sprint or completely unrelated?

[twospirits]

Every month after the 2 year period, you're basically throwing away an extra ~$14 ^[*] per month to Sprint if you don't upgrade. So, no, you don't have to upgrade, but it's in your best interest financially to do so.

 

^{[*] Assuming that Sprint prices plans to ensure break-even for the subsidized phones that cost Sprint the most. e.g., a $550 phone sold for $200 means $350 is made up over the course of 24 months at $14.58/month.}

Interesting breakdown. So I guess I've been losing (or throwing money away) since I haven't upgraded my 2nd line HTC Hero, which has been out of contract for almost two years.

 

May/June can't come soon enough.

 

TS

[strung]

Every month after the 2 year period, you're basically throwing away an extra ~$14 ^[*] per month to Sprint if you don't upgrade. So, no, you don't have to upgrade, but it's in your best interest financially to do so.

 

^{[*] Assuming that Sprint prices plans to ensure break-even for the subsidized phones that cost Sprint the most. e.g., a $550 phone sold for $200 means $350 is made up over the course of 24 months at $14.58/month.}

 

By that logic, shouldn't everybody buy the iPhone since it's subsidized the heaviest?

 

And isn't having what you want is worth waiting a few months for, even if it costs you $14.58 a month?

Edited March 26, 2012 by strung

[pyroscott]

Here is another idea, you could use your upgrade on a phone and talk the customer service rep into leaving the new phone in the box. Sell the upgrade "new in box" on e-bay or somewhere getting close to full price and then save that money to pay full price when the phone you want comes out. Time starts ticking off your upgrade date, and you can choose whatever phone you want.

 

I have also seen people who will "sell their upgrade." Person 1 has a line with eligible upgrade, person 2 needs a new phone but doesn't want to pay full retail. Person 2 pays person 1 $200-250, pays all activation fees/up front costs.

[MacinJosh]

I have also seen people who will "sell their upgrade." Person 1 has a line with eligible upgrade, person 2 needs a new phone but doesn't want to pay full retail. Person 2 pays person 1 $200-250, pays all activation fees/up front costs.

 

Sprint does that for their customers? Wow. Never heard that before.

[NateC]

By that logic, shouldn't everybody buy the iPhone since it's subsidized the heaviest?

 

And isn't having what you want is worth waiting a few months for, even if it costs you $14.58 a month?

 

I guess it's up to the individual and how much they're willing to sacrifice to get what they want. $14.58 may even be a conservative estimate since I was only assuming break-even for Sprint. T-Mobile charges $20 more per month for their subsidized plans. Are you willing to pay ~$90 more for your new phone just because you waited 6 months after your contract ended? To some it's a big deal, others might not care.

 

Regarding your iPhone question -- iPhone may be subsidized the most, but to me personally it would have much less value to me compared to an Android device, so I wouldn't buy that. Maybe it would make sense if I were going to sell it right away new like pyroscott is mentioning though

[pyroscott]

Sprint does that for their customers? Wow. Never heard that before.

 

I don't think it is something they are very fond of, but I have seen quite a few craigslist ads for people looking for it or selling theirs. Pretty much every Sprint CS rep in the stores I have dealt with have been easy going and pretty much let you do what you want. It would be something like this. Both people go in the store, 1 person says "go buy the iPhone 4S," the person with the upgrade buys it with their upgrade and lets say the total is $250. After the phone is purchased, the person has the rep put their initial phone back on the contract, freeing up the ESN from the iPhone. The person "buying the upgrade" pays the $250 cost of the upgrade and whatever price was agreed upon initially, lets say $250, and gets a new iPhone for $500 instead of $650 retail.

[MacinJosh]

I guess it's up to the individual and how much they're willing to sacrifice to get what they want. $14.58 may even be a conservative estimate since I was only assuming break-even for Sprint. T-Mobile charges $20 more per month for their subsidized plans. Are you willing to pay ~$90 more for your new phone just because you waited 6 months after your contract ended? To some it's a big deal, others might not care.

 

Regarding your iPhone question -- iPhone may be subsidized the most, but to me personally it would have much less value to me compared to an Android device, so I wouldn't buy that. Maybe it would make sense if I were going to sell it right away new like pyroscott is mentioning though

 

Strange you would think an iPhone has less value in the end. I bought an iPhone 4 32GB in July of 2010 for $299 on at&t, I sold it in February 2011 for $750 on eBay jailbroken & unlocked. That was $450 over the price I paid and I could have gotten more if I had tried hard enough.

 

My Evo Shift 4G is worth $200 at most on eBay & I paid $280 for it in February 2011. Most android phones I have seen are selling for less than full price even with root and custom ROM's. Even some GSM phones are selling for less than full retail value even when they are brand new in the box sealed. (I was gonna try with T-Mobile phones last summer.)

[NateC]

Strange you would think an iPhone has less value in the end. I bought an iPhone 4 32GB in July of 2010 for $299 on at&t, I sold it in February 2011 for $750 on eBay jailbroken & unlocked. That was $450 over the price I paid and I could have gotten more if I had tried hard enough.

 

My Evo Shift 4G is worth $200 at most on eBay & I paid $280 for it in February 2011. Most android phones I have seen are selling for less than full price even with root and custom ROM's. Even some GSM phones are selling for less than full retail value even when they are brand new in the box sealed. (I was gonna try with T-Mobile phones last summer.)

 

Ah, I didn't mean to imply that an iPhone has less value on the market. It definitely holds value better than others. I was merely referring to my own personal value that I would have for it. I happen to be a big Android fan so I'm admittedly biased to value an iPhone less.

[pyroscott]

Ah, I didn't mean to imply that an iPhone has less value on the market. It definitely holds value better than others. I was merely referring to my own personal value that I would have for it. I happen to be a big Android fan so I'm admittedly biased to value an iPhone less.

 

Not to mention the $200 in apps you would have to rebuy when moving to a different OS. Might just be me that buys that many apps though. I dunno.

[MacinJosh]

Ah, I didn't mean to imply that an iPhone has less value on the market. It definitely holds value better than others. I was merely referring to my own personal value that I would have for it. I happen to be a big Android fan so I'm admittedly biased to value an iPhone less.

 

I understand what you mean now.

 

Not to mention the $200 in apps you would have to rebuy when moving to a different OS. Might just be me that buys that many apps though. I dunno.

 

And Scott, I have spent over $400 in iOS apps from the day I got my first iPod Touch in 2009 until now. I have 675 iOS apps, most of which were free. Needless to say, my Android pickings have been slim for the last 13 months.

[pyroscott]

Yeah. Definitely a big reason for you to go back to an iPhone

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[Duffman]

Yeah, I have WIMAX where I live. I take the light rail to work and I have a solid WIMAX signal the whole way and stream music and surf the net on my commute.

 

I don't have WIMAX in my office building in downtown Minneapolis, not sure if it's because the signal is weak, or if it's because I'm on the 31st floor. 3G in the office is super slow, but it's fast enough to still stream music.

 

Buying a Photon on craigs list isn't something I considered, but it doesn't sound like a bad idea. Thanks!

 

On the 31st floor, you are probably just connecting to 1X. I have no idea about your own tower, but other folks I have talked to in skyscrapers that can see whether or not they have 1XRTT versus EVDO have said they only get 1X. I suspect that there is basic voice service 1XRTT transmitters in the building to provide coverage as towers down below would not reach it. And forget about 4G. If possible, use wifi.

 

Photon has excellent reception and would be a nice replacement phone. However, you need to look at your bill closely for both data AND voice usage including Any Mobile, Any TIme as well as Nights and Weekends at 7 p.m. Make sure the other company's plan will economically meet your needs. If the price is right, I would probably go with the other carrier until my towers were upgraded. However, be very very careful not to overlook some usage you have now that is not included with them.

[nels0300]

On the 31st floor, you are probably just connecting to 1X. I have no idea about your own tower, but other folks I have talked to in skyscrapers that can see whether or not they have 1XRTT versus EVDO have said they only get 1X. I suspect that there is basic voice service 1XRTT transmitters in the building to provide coverage as towers down below would not reach it. And forget about 4G. If possible, use wifi.

 

Photon has excellent reception and would be a nice replacement phone. However, you need to look at your bill closely for both data AND voice usage including Any Mobile, Any TIme as well as Nights and Weekends at 7 p.m. Make sure the other company's plan will economically meet your needs. If the price is right, I would probably go with the other carrier until my towers were upgraded. However, be very very careful not to overlook some usage you have now that is not included with them.

 

I still am able to stream music on Pandora, would that be possible on 1XRTT? I can't see what type of connection I have on my EVO besides 3G vs 4G.

 

I'm looking into the Photon on craigslist now. I'm hoping the Photon won't be as laggy as my EVO. I'll keep the Photon until LTE is up and running in Minneapolis, then see what phones are out and use my upgrade then. I looked into Verizon, it wouldn't be that much more $$, but I don't like the data caps. That, and if I leave Sprint, it adversely affects cash flow, network vision might be scaled back, Sprint would be less competitive, and Ma Bell and Big Red win. Can't have that.

[Steven800]

You could be even more patient and wait until LTE actually gets to ur area and most likely they will have even better LTE phones. Im Just glad I cant upgrade until 2013 that is unless sprint has another upgrade promotion like they did around Christmas last year. Thats how I got my iPhone 4S

[MacinJosh]

I still am able to stream music on Pandora, would that be possible on 1XRTT? I can't see what type of connection I have on my EVO besides 3G vs 4G.

 

I'm looking into the Photon on craigslist now. I'm hoping the Photon won't be as laggy as my EVO. I'll keep the Photon until LTE is up and running in Minneapolis, then see what phones are out and use my upgrade then. I looked into Verizon, it wouldn't be that much more $$, but I don't like the data caps. That, and if I leave Sprint, it adversely affects cash flow, network vision might be scaled back, Sprint would be less competitive, and Ma Bell and Big Red win. Can't have that.

 

Ma Bell? at&t inc is really Baby Bell SBC. I call the current nightmare of a company the Reincarnation of Ma Bell. And I wish that the government would split that company up too. It has way too much power in it's hands. And it's all thanks to Ed Whitacre Jr.

[nels0300]

You could be even more patient and wait until LTE actually gets to ur area and most likely they will have even better LTE phones. Im Just glad I cant upgrade until 2013 that is unless sprint has another upgrade promotion like they did around Christmas last year. Thats how I got my iPhone 4S

 

that's what I'm doing, but I need a phone to tide me over till then. My evo is super slow now, always loading, the htc screen come up when shutting down apps, and I always need to be near a charger. I can get a photon used for $200 and sprint will buy back the evo for $90.

[nels0300]

Ma Bell? at&t inc is really Baby Bell SBC. I call the current nightmare of a company the Reincarnation of Ma Bell. And I wish that the government would split that company up too. It has way too much power in it's hands. And it's all thanks to Ed Whitacre Jr.

Ma bell is like the terminator, you can break it up, but its just going to melt back together. So, yeah, reincarnation.

[MacinJosh]

Good thing they never acquired US West. Then they would be unstoppable. I hope soon that the government realizes the impact of the Bellsouth merger from 2006. Cingular went to hell from that merger. And as far as I know, at&t lied to the government. I heard that part of the merger agreement was that the Cingular name was to be kept, but it wasn't.

[S4GRU]

When you get high up in buildings or on hill or mountains, the noise floor of your device goes way up. It can see and connect with too many sites and just keeps bouncing around. And even when it can lock onto something, there is much interference. It can can cause device chaos and crippling speeds. I have this issue when I climb mountains above Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Or when I stay in a casino in Vegas.

 

Robert

[BenChase7]

 

that's what I'm doing, but I need a phone to tide me over till then. My evo is super slow now, always loading, the htc screen come up when shutting down apps, and I always need to be near a charger. I can get a photon used for $200 and sprint will buy back the evo for $90.

 

Have you tried a Factory Data Reset? Just a thought/suggestion... sometimes something simple can make the device feel like new again. At least for a while.

[twospirits]

Going back to the Photon. I have noticed that if you do not have too many apps on the phone, it runs great, but if you are like me that has every app under the sun lol then yeah it gets laggy (especially when using any text messaging app and or email app).

it also does the following cons...

1-It reboots for no freaking reason every once in a while.

2-Much like the EVO, continuous plugging and unplugging the charge cable can possibly loosen up the connection for power.

3-Using any other data cable other than a Motorola one, will most likely not charge properly and or connecting to the PC will not recognize the phone.

4-You can root it but unlocking it will lose 4G.

 

Pros...

Excellent clear voice

Excellent Radios

Excellent Accessories

No drop calls (except when it reboots) lol

Awesome World phone.

 

Even with all these pros/cons, I find it a better phone than the EVO.

 

TS

[mellimel2212]

U must not be doin something right cuz u supposed to keep your 4g rooted or not

 

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

[pyroscott]

U must not be doin something right cuz u supposed to keep your 4g rooted or not

 

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

 

First of all, twospirits is talking about unlocking the bootloader and not just rooting, but:

 

Not all phones are the same mellimel, the kernel for the Photon was never released and nobody has been able to figure out how to get 4G WiMax working without the information contained in the kernel. Motorola wants their bootloaders to remain locked, so even if hackers/developers find ways to unlock the bootloader, they end up losing some functionality.

 

Your Nexus S had all the propriatary information released because having an easily unlocked bootloader is a common trait of Nexus phones, Samsung also leaves the bootloader relatively easy to unlock. HTC gives instructions on how to unlock their bootloaders. Motorola is just flat out stubborn on it. This could be why we have seen a HTC Nexus and 2 Samsung Nexi but nothing from Motorola besides the Xoom.

 

The thread at XDA regarding unlocking the bootloader is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1216143

[mellimel2212]

Lol u learn something new everyday lol something told me not to get the photon and I'm glad I didn't

 

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk