xenadu

I believe it's 800 SMR support was only certified with the FCC for CDMA 1X, not LTE. As far as I understand its radio, there is no hardware limitation for this as it can transmit/receive any of the supported technologies on any of the supported bands, but it would require a software update to enable. So YMMV, but after iDEN shuts down next year we may see Apple enable LTE on SMR or they may not. No one knows, but there's a much higher chance than most manufacturers given Apple's track record of updating older devices.

That's a loaded question and people have differing views around here. What is certain right now is everyone world-wide has pretty much agreed to a single global LTE standard and that standard's voice support has coalesced around VoLTE.

Takes voice, digitally encodes it, then packs it up into individual IP packets. Skype, Vonage, most PBX/call center systems, etc all use this technology. VoLTE is using the built-in Quality of Service support to ensure voice packets get priority, along with all the signaling for setup/teardown of calls, dialing, etc. IIRC, it's part of the LTE-Advanced spec but others can give more specific info. Legacy networks tended to divide voice traffic from data traffic and put them on separate channels, often circuit switched*. This is true for both the telephone and cellular networks, though the situation is actually really complicated. * in modern terms circuit switched is less distinct from a routed IP network, it basically just means the "circuit" has bandwidth reserved and the routing fixed at time of setup, whereas IP is more of a moment in time QoS and packets can dynamically re-route. Even that's not a fully accurate summary of a complex question.

That would be very stupid, you know... If I actually thought that. I don't care in the same way I don't care about LTE in NYC. I don't live there so it doesn't impact me. As far as urban vs rural: both need each other to sustain our current lifestyles. Without cities you can kiss most of the economy, transportation networks, almost all technological inventions, etc goodbye. Without rural communities we can't eat. Stop moving goalposts. You claimed VoLTE would lead to a decrease in voice coverage area, presumably based on the current tower footprints. SMR certainly travels farther than 1900, at worst making it a trade-off, but I suspect VoLTE on 800 SMR would beat CDMA 1900 for coverage off the same tower in the same conditions. Whether Sprint deploys it that way is another matter entirely. We shall shortly find out when SMR LTE is deployed. I suspect we will see expanded data coverage compared to the existing EVDO footprint, and anywhere you can get even 1Mbps LTE you can support voice traffic. As a practical matter the equipment manufacturers, handset makers, et al aren't going to continue cranking out CDMA support for an ever shrinking market, let alone paying extra royalties to QualComm. It won't go away permanently but I am 100% not-shocked to see Verizon announcing LTE-only handsets. Sprint will do the same before NV is done deploying or I'll eat my hat. I grew up in a rural area. The only thing that would "fix" rural coverage to any great degree would be deploying thousands and thousands of additional towers. There is no magic bullet. You're quibbling over minor adjustments in the coverage based on the technology used, as if that somehow deals with the huge 20 mile or larger gaps in coverage. Besides the fact that rural populations are so spread out even a 1/2 mile increase in coverage might, at best, give 5 people additional marginal service levels. And for the record if you need medical attention or the sheriff, they're at least 15 minutes away, maybe 40 even if you dialed them on a landline immediately. Or were you talking about the not-really-rural exurbs? In Tyler we had cell service in town but good luck outside Flint or Whitehouse, you were on your own. Bottom line is I'm right and I'll put 100 bux on it, Sprint starts trials of VoLTE or a similar VoIP solution by 2015, half of the voice calls are over LTE by 2018. I've literally had this same exact argument twice before, once about AMPS, once about VoIP in general (replacing PBX systems, etc).

I live in a city so I don't give a flip about rural coverage, though SMR will solve that problem. VoLTE is coming, it will be fine, get used to it.

I'm sorry but I just don't buy the pessimism around VoLTE. LTE, if deployed on the same frequencies and towers should reach about the same coverage area with much better speeds on the margins and the QoS support will ensure voice traffic gets priority. It will work fine, the sooner the better.

Geez, who wants massive heating/cooling bills from crappy windows? A single pane window transmits more heat than an entire insulated wall... Often more than two exterior walls *and* the ceiling combined. Anyway my problem is I live in the only part of the city not completely flat so I'm slightly low-lying; in the winter I get a full bar more signal due to no tree leaves between me and the tower. I have no intention of cutting down my trees however.

I know, my app is available in the store right now (Storm Sim) I mean for hobbyists - something cheaper and more oriented toward non-programmers.

FYI: the latest 6.1.3 build patches the exploit and breaks the jailbreak. Apparently there were two vulnerabilities and I think Apple is patching both of them... No idea why they didn't just ship one so the tool could be updated when that hole was patched. Unfortunately any hole that allows jailbreaking is a hole that malware/virus writers might attempt to exploit, so I see this cat and mouse game continuing. I still think Apple should have a program to self-sign code for your own phone, maybe a nominal fee or whatever to get the certificate, suitable for people who want to tinker and understand the risks.

Qualcomm has certainly flooded the web with it's press release about the RF360: http://www.qualcomm.com/media/releases/2013/02/21/qualcomm-rf360-front-end-solution-enables-single-global-lte-design-next Unfortunately I can't find any actual details about the chipset, specifically how many active bands the WTR1625L will support and thus how truly "roam-able" devices built with it will be. It looks like the only real "innovation" is stacking the chips to achieve a smaller package, along with some standard lower power consumption stuff we're used to with new chip generations. I even found some sites describing their Gobi platform as software-defined radio which is surely a mistake; I'm almost positive this thing will have a limited number of bands, fixed in silicon at the factory. Anyone else want to hazard a guess? I would love to see a truly SDR solution that had amps, filters, etc that could dynamically adjust to support any frequency band. That's certainly the holy grail - one chipset to support almost any current or future technology on any band - but we're a long way from being able to miniaturize such things. My guess is they slapped a couple of extra ports on it, maybe instead of three sub-1Ghz, three 1-2.5Ghz, one 2.5Ghz plus ports the new chip may have 4x4x2, then you'll still be stuck with choosing the correct QFE27xx that has filters, amps, etc for the specific bands you want to support. Meaning there will still be carrier-specific and country-specific models. It makes all the hilarious "universal worldwide LTE phones coming! OEMs can build just one model for the world!" articles doubly funny (they mostly just reprinted the Qualcomm press release - SOP these days)

If Sprint bothered to truly engage us as a community (and not just do a social media checklist), I bet we'd be happy to show up at these meetings and voice our support for new towers. Engaged customers are your best evangelists... Have some Sprint engineers post here, give a 10% S4GRU code to sponsors, etc. it doesn't cost much, but it provides a powerful marketing channel and a base of support to counter the tin foil types. I blame the gutting of science education and education funding in general. My generation is making learning, nerditry*, etc cool again but it will take years to undo the damage. * a perfectly cromulent word.

Hmmm interesting... From an iPhone perspective, if the Apple-China Mobile deal happens, and considering SoftBank is Apple's #1 Japanese partner (and the iPhone is now the #1 phone in Japan)... I think this bodes well for support for the 2.5Ghz band. Even if you don't have an iPhone, you should be happy as this ensures maximum offload of that traffic, especially in metro areas.

I see them possibly prioritizing voice on the SMR LTE, but so far I have found the voice usability doesn't differ materially from LTE (in areas where all the towers are upgraded). Yes, 1 bar of LTE only gets you 1-3 Mbps but it also makes calls much more likely to drop. Considering you only need 8-16k/sec to maintain a voice link that seems very do-able. If we assume a minimum of 1Mbit/sec minimum at the edges and 8k/sec voice then that's 128 voice calls at the edge of coverage. Correct me if I'm wrong but CDMA 1X has 128 forward channels, no? CDMA 1X also adaptively uses the bandwidth, allowing faster transmit to nodes with better reception... Just like the LTE standard does, thereby maximizing overall use of the network. LTE also supports soft handoff, yes? Again, just like CDMA. Obviously VoLTE can't happen until NV gives us 100% LTE coverage, but I don't see how it would degrade the voice experience (especially with 800 SMR range) and it gives you one major benefit: making the high-ARPU iPhone users happy (simultaneous voice/data and HD voice). I don't care if the rest of their phones stay CDMA. We had that debate about making those users happy, with the outcome of Sprint signing a multi-billion deal with Apple to get the iPhone and the making multiple 10-K statements that not having it was losing them customer and money. So... Tell me again why Sprint shouldn't fast-track to support VoLTE?

Oh there will be some channels hanging around for sure... look how long it took to turn off the last AMPS channels! But if you think the majority of Sprint's voice traffic will still be CDMA 1X in five years, I'll take that bet I know the arguments you raise and I heard all the same ones about VoIP from our PBX guys and the telco guys circa 2003, especially around reliability, dropped calls, traffic management, etc. Anyone still want to bet against VoIP here in 2013? Didn't think so

I haven't had battery issues; after an update it uses high battery for a bit as it updates iCloud backups, etc but then it settles down. However you can't jailbreak then complain about battery life! Some of the restrictions are explicitly to ensure high battery life! Switch back to stock iOS then compare battery life. If it still has issues then you can complain. For reference mine easily lasts all day. If I switch to airplane mode I don't even lose 10% overnight, and that's playing a podcast in Downcast.

Don't come into the Apple/iOS forum, take a big ol' dump on everything, then act innocent/offended when people get upset. You knew what you were doing and did it on purpose. I don't go into the Android subforums because I don't give a shit about Android and will never use it, therefore I have no reason to bother those people. Do us all a favor and extend the same courtesy. If any Apple users pester you over there, report them to the mods. Speaking of, I'd like to recommend a ban for blatant trolling by Rukin1, Exhibit #1:

Apple rumors are worse than assholes - everyone's got several and there's always more crap coming out Don't pay any attention. Apple will do whatever they think makes for a great product. We can also be sure they won't make the phone bigger or battery life worse to support SVDO because it requires two separate channels, one to run CDMA 1X, another to keep pumping LTE or EVDO. They aren't going to do that just to temporarily accommodate an end-of-life technology only used by a few carriers worldwide. There's nothing wrong with VoLTE, Skype is VoIP and makes up 1/3 of all international phone traffic now - that's over all sorts of random internet connections, WiFi routers, etc. In fact I can hold Skype conversations over Sprint LTE just fine, the only reason I drop a call is because the LTE coverage isn't 100% and the 3G network is worse than dialup, but so long as I keep an LTE signal it even hands-off between towers reasonably well - and that's tech not even aware its running on a cell network! As soon as Sprint deploys it, the whole simultaneous voice/data problem goes away. (LTE supports QoS to dedicate bandwidth to the voice traffic so it will be perfectly reliable.)

If it just keeps happening, take it to an Apple store and get a replacement.

If you turn on VoiceOver, you can see (hear) what makes it so awesome... As you slide your finger around it quickly announces what you are touching; when screens change it announces what the new screen is and some summary information. Apple has also emphasized accessibility support for developers (much of it is automatic, the rest is easy to do), so it has become a self-sustaining ecosystem. There are apps that do all sorts of things for blind users, like count money, OCR letters, etc. It took me about two hours to make sure Storm Sim accessibility was good; if you've ever used other platforms (or God-forbid the web) you realize how insane that is.

Sorry, it just irks me for obvious reasons but you are correct. FIOS ended up not being as expensive as predicted because it let them stop spending gobs of money maintaining the copper plant; fiber boxes can get flooded and continue working just fine. Copper, not so much. The big trunk lines have air pumps that keep the line under positive pressure (and keeps water out) but your average neighborhood stuff doesn't and that's a huge cost to continually repair. You also don't have electrical power to a DSLAM to pay for. Oh and once the fiber is installed you can make improvements just by swapping line cards and ONTs. Iansltx is correct - this was a business decision to boost short term profit by stopping investment in infrastructure. And they did sign a non-compete. It was part of the spectrum deal they did. The cable companies agreed not to setup a new cellular network, Verizon agreed to stop rolling out FIOS into new areas, and they agreed to cross-sell each other's services.

When electricity was invented this country legislated to get every home served. Cities that couldn't get it built their own power plants. The federal government built the TVA, Hoover, and other massive hydro projects. We wouldn't settle for second-class or half-measures and if private industry couldn't or wouldn't move fast enough, we lit a goddamn fire under it and made things happen. Today, people cheer crappy slow DSL service because it's all they can get. If you have more than 2 broadband choices you're one of the lucky ones. 24 (mostly R) state legislatures have made it illegal to run municipal broadband. The children of Ma Bell collude to enforce high prices and institute download caps; Verizon signs a non-compete deal with the cable companies and suddenly all further FIOS expansion is halted. Over the past 20-30 years we've given these companies 100's of billions in tax breaks, incentives, free right-of-way on other people's private land, etc to give us a next-generation network. They won't. The country that invented the internet, fiber optics, etc can't bother to actually run fiber internet to every home because that would be socialism. Even in central Dallas, TX... an area with massively high population density you can't do better than crappy DSL. This thread makes me very, very sad. You shouldn't be happy with crappy DSL. You should be demanding fiber to the home. Do you think the electric company would make a profit in 100 years off a couple of podunk farm electric bills? Not a chance. So why did they run the lines? Because the government said "do it or you'll be sorry". Think Ma Bell made a profit hooking up Timbuktu, FL to the phone system? Think they made any money running copper out to those same podunk farms? Nope. Why did they bother? Because the government said "do it or you'll be sorry". I wish we still had the capacity to think big in this country, instead of "screw you, I got mine".

Everyone is forgetting that the Dish offer is void if Clear draws on the credit Sprint offered them... which they already have by triggering the first round of funding. They tried to send Sprint a notice that they were cancelling the first draw down. Sprint's position is that since the deal doesn't allow for any "oops changed my mind" cancelling of the draw-down, the ship has already sailed and the Dish offer is void... nevermind the other terms of the agreement that prohibit Clear from considering alternate offers. As far as I know, no one has ever been successful in stopping a 51%+ shareholder from taking over the company. Sprint has a duty not to screw the minority shareholders (eg: by offering 10/cents a share and forcing the board to accept) but the fact that a majority of the existing minority holders have already approved the deal pretty much makes all the complaining a moot issue. Some recent SCOTUS decisions have also made it harder to get injunctions when monetary relief is a suitable remedy (assuming you won your lawsuit) so I suspect the hedge fund pissing match won't amount to much. This is just Dish being assholes. Their software developers suck (every week I find another glaring bug in basic functionality on the Hopper... every single one of their receivers has been like that. Their iPad software is a joke and they ruined Sling). They're a terrible place to work. If DirecTV or cable were any better (or if I didn't have a FIOS business account) I'd switch. Ergen is a vindictive ass - he violated the contract with Voom, then took AMC (parent of Voom) off the air after they had the gall to sue him to make him honor the contract he signed.

They may try to buy it just to keep Sprint out; that's the great thing about the Revenge of Ma Bell... They get a government-protected monopoly, including rights to use *my* land to run their lines, then they get to lobby state legislatures to make it illegal to compete or run municipal broadband, then sign non-compete deals amongst each other. Then they can use their massive market power and cash to put the squeeze on potential competitors. If anyone tries to interfere they just get shouted down for messing with the "free" market.

They haven't tested it you mean; we don't know why. It supports CDMA on SMR too so in theory it could be certified for LTE on that band via a firmware update, but since Sprint hasn't launched LTE on that band yet we have no idea if they'll bother certifying it (unless there is some technical reason it can't work). I don't see how you can think it has been damaging (the iPhone that is). It finally broke the carrier's stranglehold on the handsets and we wouldn't have Android in its current form without it (Android started life as a blackberry clone, complete with hardware keyboard). In fact the very exclusivity we all hated was due to the other carriers telling Apple to go pound sand - because they were the rulers of all handsets and handset software. I remember the hoops you had to jump through to get an app out for a Sprint phone. I remember having features disabled on a Sprint phone that Verizon enabled or vice-versa, even though they were the same hardware. I don't pine for those days.

Part of Apple's success (or at least profit) is having as few models as possible. Supporting more bands requires multiple models or increasing the size of the phone. I'm sure Apple would love to use software radio so they could support any band with one device... We just aren't there yet. The need is strong, spectrum is only going to get further fragmented.