any android users out there???

[NateFollmer]

Yeah but just because they say it's going to be "x" speed, doesn't mean it will get anywhere near peak. When I was on AT&T, I never even saw half the speed their 3G is "capable" of. At the time of testing, it could have been 7x faster.

The problem with AT&T's 3G near me is that it's so isolated (i think they use 2 or 3 towers) and its a densely populated area. The network gets so much traffic that it is sometimes worse than EDGE (their 2G). The same may have been going on for Sprint when they tested.

[Glenn]

Wow Stringjam, a lot of great, old information. ;D

[Stringjam]

Wow Stringjam, a lot of great, old information. ;D

If Tmobile actually delivers what they're claiming in November (21 Mbps?) than they will have accomplished something pretty amazing.....more power to them.  Im just saying that the download speeds carriers claim and what end-users actually end up with are usually not the same.

[NateFollmer]

You guys that have flash on your phone, go to speedtest.net and test it out. On Verizon 3G at the time I wrote this, I'm getting this:

Ping: 182ms

Download: 1.09Mbps

Upload: .37Mbps

[GTrombly]

Oh I didn't know it was officially announced, thats good. AT&T has been super slow making any improvements on their network. They need to step it up, we get a lot of people switching from AT&T to Verizon, the Droid's are really putting a dent in AT&T (I realize the Iphone has the majority, but android is going well).

yeah it was up on their website a few days ago, there are reports of iphone for verizon coming in july 2011 but it still wont be 4g, verizon is now selling ipads! bad news for at&t they might be done.

[Glenn]

Im just saying that the download speeds carriers claim and what end-users actually end up with are usually not the same.

You are correct.

And what I'm saying is that in head-to-head real-world tests, using tools like the one mentioned by Nate above, T-Mobile's speed was 3x faster than Sprint's "4g" network.  Of course actual speeds weren't the "maximum possible" as listed in the marketing hype, but the ratio was still the same. 

And of course, you'll need a new phone that can take advantage of the new technology, regardless of carrier. 

[NateFollmer]

Im just saying that the download speeds carriers claim and what end-users actually end up with are usually not the same.

You are correct.

And what I'm saying is that in head-to-head real-world tests, using tools like the one mentioned by Nate above, T-Mobile's speed was 3x faster than Sprint's "4g" network. Of course actual speeds weren't the "maximum possible" as listed in the marketing hype, but the ratio was still the same.

And of course, you'll need a new phone that can take advantage of the new technology, regardless of carrier.

10-4, and I can't wait to get a 4G android device... and 4G, but Verizon promises it will all happen quicker than 3G did! I really wish Sprint and T-Mobile had better service in my area, their prices are a lot lower

[Stringjam]

You guys that have flash on your phone, go to speedtest.net and test it out. On Verizon 3G at the time I wrote this, I'm getting this:

Ping: 182ms

Download: 1.09Mbps

Upload: .37Mbps

Here's what mine came back with.....I could test it an hour from now and get something completely different, though.   

Sprint 3G

Ping: 287 ms

Download: 2.28 Mbps

Upload: .42 Mbps

[NateFollmer]

You guys that have flash on your phone, go to speedtest.net and test it out. On Verizon 3G at the time I wrote this, I'm getting this:

Ping: 182ms

Download: 1.09Mbps

Upload: .37Mbps

Here's what mine came back with.....I could test it an hour from now and get something completely different, though.

Sprint 3G

Ping: 287 ms

Download: 2.28 Mbps

Upload: .42 Mbps

I'm going to try again at like 3 am and see how much faster it is

Could you imagine trying to play any online games with a ping time like ours? HEADSHOT!

[Stringjam]

You guys that have flash on your phone, go to speedtest.net and test it out. On Verizon 3G at the time I wrote this, I'm getting this:

Ping: 182ms

Download: 1.09Mbps

Upload: .37Mbps

Here's what mine came back with.....I could test it an hour from now and get something completely different, though.

Sprint 3G

Ping: 287 ms

Download: 2.28 Mbps

Upload: .42 Mbps

I'm going to try again at like 3 am and see how much faster it is

Could you imagine trying to play any online games with a ping time like ours? HEADSHOT!

No kidding! 

I just ran my home computer through the test and my broadband cable connection pings at 32 ms, and downloads at 11.36 Mbps. 

If a cellular network ever gets close to that around here, I'll do a little jig! 

[nick76]

Anyone else got some Apps they really like.  So far I have:

Weird Facts: Cool little app with weird facts to pass the time

Barcode Scanner & Shopper:  Price check thingy

Flashlight:  Tesla one would not work on the Fascinate

App Brain

Astro

Google Maps & Nav

Google Sky:  got this for the kids

Adobe Reader

Photofluent:  Nice little app for photo settings, not perfect....but pretty cool

Dolphin Browser HD:  got this because it is supposedly able to show sites in non-mobile format, but have yet to get it to work.

I am still looking for something to transer my itunes to the phone.  I have looked at a bunch of them, but have not picked one.

[Stringjam]

I dont think Itunes files are locked down anymore...you should be able to just move them into your music folder and play them just fine.

If you have a bunch of older, protected Itunes files, you should be able to burn them to CD, and then import them back onto your computer as a plain mp3.  They should play just dandy on your phone after that.

[nick76]

I'll look into that.  Thanks.

[NateFollmer]

I would just like to add, Angry Birds has to be one of the best games on the market... And it's free! I love physics based games

[Glenn]

Here are my results on my T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant:

Ping: 65 ms

Download: 6.14 Mbps

Upload: 1.72 Mbps

And this is on a 3G device, not a 4G, during the peak commute time.

Have a nice day. 

[nick76]

I will have to check that game out.  I have heard a lot about it, but have just stayed away from it so my son doesn't want to use my phone all the time. 

ps.  any good apps out there to lock files.  I have some text files that I want to lock for my office (personal info and such) and some nice pics from the wife that I would like to lock.  I know, I know...........I have tried Vaulty free and the trouble is viewing them after you want to unlock them.  You have to search the file folders to even find the files.  Something simple like a password protect when you click on thee file would be sweet.

[NateFollmer]

I will have to check that game out. I have heard a lot about it, but have just stayed away from it so my son doesn't want to use my phone all the time.

ps. any good apps out there to lock files. I have some text files that I want to lock for my office (personal info and such) and some nice pics from the wife that I would like to lock. I know, I know...........I have tried Vaulty free and the trouble is viewing them after you want to unlock them. You have to search the file folders to even find the files. Something simple like a password protect when you click on thee file would be sweet.

Send me those files and I'll keep them safe for you...

HAHA just kidding!

No, but I haven't really looked into that though. I was going to suggest Vaulty HA.

Forgot to add... Glenn wins! I think my phone would melt if it saw those speeds. I just ran it again and got a similar result as last time.

[nick76]

I'd send them over to you, but my wife wants a waiver and all kinds of legal mumbo jumbo and something about large amounts of cash into a vault.  I can let you chat with her if you think you can convince her otherwise.  Best of luck.

[NateFollmer]

I'd send them over to you, but my wife wants a waiver and all kinds of legal mumbo jumbo and something about large amounts of cash into a vault. I can let you chat with her if you think you can convince her otherwise. Best of luck.

Do you think they are worth it?  Don't answer that...

[Dan:]

aren't Ping and download speeds going to vary largely depending on what kind of area you live in?

[NateFollmer]

aren't Ping and download speeds going to vary largely depending on what kind of area you live in?

Yeah, if the towers are getting a lot of traffic, the speeds are going to be slower. Ping times will always be higher on a cellular device, theres almost no way around that.

[Dan:]

and if you live in a more developed area with more infrastructure the average connection will be better, correct?

[NateFollmer]

and if you live in a more developed area with more infrastructure the average connection will be better, correct?

Could be, but that may have the reverse effect. Could have too many people in that area and not enough coverage to handle the traffic and you'll get a slowdown. Think of a cell tower like a network in a building. The cell phones are the computers and the tower is the 1 internet connection you have coming into the building. The more people you in the building using the internet, the more that 1 connection needs to split, thus slowing everyone else down. Same thing is happening with the network. You'd think the companies would have enough towers to handle the traffic, but when the cell infrastructure was first built, it was built for range, not volume. They are finally starting to work on getting more towers in heavily populated areas, but they aren't as far ahead as they should be.

[Dan:]

I get what you're saying. I guess what I"m trying to ask is this: Is there generally better service in densely populated areas than sparsely populated areas? I get way better service in my densely populated home than when I go out in the country. I think I'm trying to attribute that to the fact that there is better infrastructure that provides better service DESPITE having more connections.

[NateFollmer]

Yeah, they focused their efforts in the populated areas first, then moved out into the country. I thought you were talking about quality of service, not actually GETTING service Sorry!