Verizon to charge for supporting simultaneous voice & data? (source)

[scaredpoet]

First, let's acknowledge that this is ALL assuming the Verizon rumors are even true. And until there's an official announcement, or someone somehow managers to pull a Gizmodo, this is STILL a rumor.

The non data simultaneously is a non issue for most people.

It's not a non-issue for me. It's a cornerstone feature of why I'm using the iPhone, and why I'm on AT&T. There are plenty of times I'm on a call and I need to refer to an e-mail or web page, or open up a document that's been sent to me to skim through it, or look at and update my Exchange calendar...

Is the world gonna end if I were to lose this functionality? Probably not. But I would be very peeved if a functionality that I've come to expect were suddenly not there. Especially if I'm paying the same amount (or possibly more) as those on some other network who ARE enjoying that capability and have been for a couple years now.

It is an even big non issue if you are anywhere that has wifi as the phone just goes over that method.

Yeah, see, when I'm near WiFi, I tend to also be near a computer and possibly even my work phone. The whole point is being able to do this stuff away from desktops and places with WiFi hotspots. If I wanted to be tethered to WiFi all the time, I'd get an iPod Touch and Skype.

I have a blackberry 8900 which is edge only.

My condolences.

I can count on 1 hand how many times that has really been an issue.

When so far I haven't had to count at all, then for me that's just one hand too many.

But hey, they say you can get used to hanging by your thumbs. And I would suspect that, indeed, it might not be a big deal for those who are already using Droids and similar devices on Verizon and already are used to this type of broken, backward lack of fundamental functionality. But I also am very sure that those people who think they're chomping at the bit to switch to Verizon thinking the grass is so much greener, will find that a very basic thing that is taken for granted by many of us on AT&T will be missing on Verizon, and they will miss it. I know I would.

Honestly, if Verizon really is getting an iphone, then I hope for their sake that:

1. It's dual-mode so you can roam on GSM internationally at least, and
2. Verizon rolls out SVDO soon, AND the iPhone has the hardware to support it.

Otherwise, someone will make a stink of it and Verizon, true to form, will refuse all blame upon their revered network whom non shall besmirch, and find some way to spin it as an Apple problem.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

First gen iphone on edge is not relevant, there was not even an app store then and edge barely is usable for anything but text communication.

I am not talking about using data while on the phone (which is actually relevant in many business apps) I am talking about streaming multimedia apps that would interfere with phone use.

Blackberry is not relevant, as the average iPhone user consumes at least FIVE TIMES as much data as the avg BB user (up to 10X in some surveys). When you compare it just to other smartphones, iPhone users still consume twice as much data.

Again, if it's a non-issue for you then you either:

a) are a VZ fanboy and nothing is an issue
b) don't use your phone as a phone that much
c) don't need an iPhone because you aren't going to take advantage of the features

By the way, lot's of b's and c's out there on AT&T, people are increasingly using actual cell phone minutes less and less and that's fine.






ash =o)

Yet again your agrument fails and you even put a counter in your own example.

CDMA will end data usage if a call comes in and over ride it.
Blackberry still stream media all the time. So in that area just fine.

They have Google maps and it is used. Also blackberry data is compressed so that is another reason why it is 1/5 the usage of the iPhone.

 

[ashVID]

If you guys are really going to defend the original iPhone as an argument for not having data and voice simultaneously, then you are just being silly. Again, there was no app store and, well, NO APPS! A handful of web based apps, that barely functioned on edge were all that existed. There was no streaming Pandora, hulu, Netflix, I HEART Radio, etc. etc. etc. Invalid argument.

Other observations are fair. I'm not going to get in a Google off over data usage facts but they are out there and MOST show that iPhone users are among the most data hungry cell phone users. One particular report was from Consumer Reports.

If there is in fact and option to interrupt a data stream to answer an incoming call, that seems valid, especially if there is a robust way to resume downloads.




ash =o)

 

[Geckotek]

If you guys are really going to defend the original iPhone as an argument for not having data and voice simultaneously, then you are just being silly. Again, there was no app store and, well, NO APPS! A handful of web based apps, that barely functioned on edge were all that existed. There was no streaming Pandora, hulu, Netflix, I HEART Radio, etc. etc. etc. Invalid argument.

Other observations are fair. I'm not going to get in a Google off over data usage facts but they are out there and MOST show that iPhone users are among the most data hungry cell phone users. One particular report was from Consumer Reports.

If there is in fact and option to interrupt a data stream to answer an incoming call, that seems valid, especially if there is a robust way to resume downloads.




ash =o)

When was that? Probably before the release of the Droid.

It is fact that CDMA interrupts the data stream for a voice call. Data resumes after call completes.

Edit: It seems the article in question is here...dated February 2010: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/el...lackberry-mb-network-att-carrier-istress.html

1) It cites average data usage for the iPhone to be 273 MBs per user
2) It compares to "Blackberries" (which have proprietary servers dedicated to stripping data and compressing it before delivering to the phone) and "other smart phones" which it does not clarify
3) In July 2010, the same company, Validas, reported the average Verizon data user to use 421 MBs of data while iPhones had risen to 338 MBs

 

[Runt888]

Reason for it is Verizon has a better backbone in place and on top of that Verizon already has much more wireless data being transmitted over their network and they are not having any problems.

Uh...why wouldn't they? They have the advantage of 1) already having a superior network to AT&T, 2) having much more experience handling heavy data users, and 3) having seen what AT&T went through.

I've never seen a comparison that shows Verizon has a better backbone - care to share a link?

As for data, everything I've ever seen says that AT&T handles more wireless data than all the other major carriers combined. If you have conflicting data, I would love to see that as well.