4G is here. Albeit in limited quantity but it is here. Now that the good ship 4G has been launched, what happens to 3G? It keeps getting better.
You've heard me complain about the whiners (with no cheese) and Sprint's $10 "4G fee". We know it's not just for 4G but the what the device's intended use and the demand it will put on 3G and 4G networks. So let's say we ignore 4G for now and take a look at how cheap 3G is.
I'll start with Sprint as usual and note a few capable phones with usable operating systems. Microsoft Windows Mobile and Google Android. These phones have scalable O/S and have large app markets with a touch screen and some without a touch screen. Some come with a slide-out keyboard while others have an on-screen keyboard. The idea here is to see that for less than $100, you can have a fully functional smartphone with a high level connection on a new two contract.
Sprint
Google Android:
HTC Hero - $ 79.99
Samsung Moment - $99.99
MS Windows Mobile:
HTC Snap - $49.99
Other Windows phones are priced above the $100 mark.
Verizon
Google Android:
LG Ally - $99.99
Motorola Devour - $79.99
HTC DROID Eris - $49.99
MS Windows Mobile:
Samsung Omnia-II - $49,99
HTC Ozone and Touch Diamond - $29.99
Samsung Saga - $ Free
AT&T - They won't show you phone prices unless you'll buy from their site. Data below is from wirefly.com with new 2 year contract.
Google Android:
Motorola Backflip - $ Free
MS Windows Mobile:
HTX Pure Black, HTC Tilt 2 Mocha and LG eXpo Black are all Free.
It seems that AT&T is afraid you'll be turned away if you see their prices before you're ready to buy. They don't seem to have embraced Android quite so well since they have had the iPhone market exclusively so why bother?
Verizon is scrambling to get their 4G network squared away and maybe make a bigger splash in the pond with more 4G areas than Sprint initially started with. Sprint customers have been jumping ship to be sure and it appears they are hopping carriers to get the best deals with the best or the most features. Are they really saving money? Who knows with all the penalties the carriers assess on broken contracts. But I digress.
The idea here is that 3G is affordable and everywhere most people live, work and play. So does everyone looking for that latest bleeding edge tech phone need one only to whine about a $10 fee? Don't whine. Just get a 3G phone and be happy. 4G will be big enough later. After all, 3G wasn't built in a day either.
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Really should include the Verizon HTC Incredible, since in most ways, it is the Sprint HTC EVO...sans 4G.
ReplyDeleteBut all this is very true. 3g is just beginning its life because there will always be a need for something in between a Cadillac and a Yugo... just Ask Ford... But also, there is no need for something between a Ford and a Mercury...ala Edsel.
3G is about getting folks out of their "phone and text" modes and into something much friendlier and more satisfying... and that takes some bandwidth. 4G is just an enhancement to that notion.. that bigger better and faster things are just around the corner, now that the personal platforms have the power (and RAM) to make good use of the bandwidth.
Now if only they will not try to force all that client bandwidth through a knot hole in the fences of the current infrastructure.