Droid on 4G?

[luckmylife]

When (or if?) VZW gets 4G, will the Droid work on it? I don't know anything about this stuff.

 

[cuskit]

Nope! You'll have to trash it and spend hundreds for a new phone as your Droid will as of that moment be obsolete!

NOT! NOT! NOT! NOT! Just kidding. Hell, I don't know myself! But I'm sure we will hear real quick! I'm assuming they will work just fine - I believe it's a software thing...

cuskit

 

[Backnblack]

No, it will not work on 4G...hardware not there....

 

[Backnblack]

Nope! You'll have to trash it and spend hundreds for a new phonet

Pretty close to being correct...

 

[luckmylife]

Well darn.

Do you think maybe when 4G comes out VZW will have a way to tinker with the Droid to make it 4G compatible? Or is that just nonsense?

 

[dezymond]

this has been discussed numerous times. Droid will not be compatible with 4g (LTE) when Verizon upgrades, hopefully sometime next year.

It's a hardware limitation, none of the phones on Verizon are 4g ready, to my understanding. 4g on Verizon will use SIM cards unlike how it is now on CDMA(3g). It will support data/talk at the same time as well as faster download speeds and possibly many other capabilities.

 

[hookbill]

I would just keep my Droid until my renewal rolled around or if I could get Verizon to swing a deal with me. Phone would have to be as good as the Droid is, I wouldn't want anything less.

Does anybody know when 4G is going to be introduced at Verizona?

 

[cuskit]

So this is different than when iPhones went from 2g to 3g with the same phone? And don't I hear all the time about AT&T phones jumping seamlessly from 2g to 3g?

Having just signed a 2 year contract to get this Droid, I find it intolerable to think I would not be able to use it if/when they put into use the 4G network. Hard nut to swallow..

cuskit

 

[Backnblack]

From https://www.lte.vzw.com/AboutLTE/VerizonWirelessLTENetwork/tabid/6003/Default.aspx

The performance and capabilities of LTE will be unmatched in the marketplace, allowing customers to do things never before possible in a wireless environment. Consider some of the advantages that Verizon Wireless’ implementation of LTE will provide:​

• HIGHER DATA RATES: With Verizon Wireless’ 10 + 10 MHz implementation, LTE will be supporting average data rates per user of 5-12 Mbps in the forward link, and 2-5 Mbps in the reverse link. The maximum and average LTE data rates are significantly greater in magnitude in the reverse and forward link correspondingly, than those supported by existing 3G technology. LTE will truly enable video application on the downlink as well as uplink – including but not limited to video-sharing, surveillance, conferencing and streaming in higher definition than is possible with existing 3G technology today.
  
• COVERAGE: Verizon Wireless’ deployment of LTE in the beachfront 700 MHz spectrum provides coverage and in-building penetration advantages over existing 3G technologies (and other 4G competitive implementations) deployed at higher frequency bands. This enhanced in-building coverage/penetration will make indoor applications even more powerful.
  
• BETTER MULTIPATH, MOBILITY AND POWER PERFORMANCE: The advanced radio characteristics of LTE address several issues that have traditionally crippled cellular wireless, including multipath and multiuser interference. LTE’s use of OFDMA and MIMO in the downlink transmission effectively eliminates intra-cell multiuser interference and minimizes inter-cell multiuser interference thereby maximizing performance. Similarly, the SC-FDMA uplink transmission allows for user equipment to transmit low power signals without the need for expensive power amplifiers. Improvement in battery power consumption in end-user devices (UEs) is a side-benefit of the coverage and multipath/power performance advantages offered by LTE.
  
• LATENCY: The user plane latency achieved in LTE is approximately 1/4th (one-fourth) corresponding latency in existing 3G technologies. This provides a direct service advantage for highly immersive and interactive application environments, such as multiplayer gaming and rich multimedia communications.
  
• SIMULTANEOUS USER SUPPORT: LTE provides the ability to perform two-dimensional resource scheduling (in time and frequency), allowing support of multiple users in a time slot; in contrast, existing 3G technology performs one-dimensional scheduling, which limits service to one user for each timeslot. This capability of LTE results in a much better always-on experience, and also enables the proliferation of embedded wireless applications/systems.
  
• SECURITY: LTE provides enhanced security through the implementation of UICC Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) and the associated robust and non-invasive key storage and symmetric key authentication using 128-bit private keys. LTE additionally incorporates strong mutual authentication, user identity confidentiality, integrity protection of all signaling messages between UE and Mobility Management Entity (MME) and optional multi-level bearer data encryption.
  
• SIMPLIFIED WORLDWIDE ROAMING: Verizon Wireless’ chosen migration path to LTE, the widely adopted next-generation 3GPP standard, will provide greater opportunities for seamless international roaming and for global device economies of scale as well.
  
• MASS DEPLOYMENT: LTE’s inherent support for IPV6 addressing and IMSI-based identifiers makes mass deployments of machine-to-machine applications over LTE possible.

 

[luckmylife]

Since I'm getting the Droid Wednesday (Yippee!!) with the early-upgrade feature, I'm hoping that they'll come out with a Droid 4G or something, which I can get when my NE2 comes around. SO if you've just signed up for a 2-year contract, the deal is after having said contract for a year you have the option of an early-upgrade for a $20 fee (if you're on a family plan, it's only eligible for the main account, but you can "give" the upgrade to any line on your plan) so it shouldn't be TOO too bad. I guess :blush:

 

[luckmylife]

From https://www.lte.vzw.com/AboutLTE/VerizonWirelessLTENetwork/tabid/6003/Default.aspx

The performance and capabilities of LTE will be unmatched in the marketplace, allowing customers to do things never before possible in a wireless environment. Consider some of the advantages that Verizon Wireless’ implementation of LTE will provide:​

• HIGHER DATA RATES: With Verizon Wireless’ 10 + 10 MHz implementation, LTE will be supporting average data rates per user of 5-12 Mbps in the forward link, and 2-5 Mbps in the reverse link. The maximum and average LTE data rates are significantly greater in magnitude in the reverse and forward link correspondingly, than those supported by existing 3G technology. LTE will truly enable video application on the downlink as well as uplink – including but not limited to video-sharing, surveillance, conferencing and streaming in higher definition than is possible with existing 3G technology today.

• 
  
  [*]COVERAGE: Verizon Wireless’ deployment of LTE in the beachfront 700 MHz spectrum provides coverage and in-building penetration advantages over existing 3G technologies (and other 4G competitive implementations) deployed at higher frequency bands. This enhanced in-building coverage/penetration will make indoor applications even more powerful.
  
  [*]BETTER MULTIPATH, MOBILITY AND POWER PERFORMANCE: The advanced radio characteristics of LTE address several issues that have traditionally crippled cellular wireless, including multipath and multiuser interference. LTE’s use of OFDMA and MIMO in the downlink transmission effectively eliminates intra-cell multiuser interference and minimizes inter-cell multiuser interference thereby maximizing performance. Similarly, the SC-FDMA uplink transmission allows for user equipment to transmit low power signals without the need for expensive power amplifiers. Improvement in battery power consumption in end-user devices (UEs) is a side-benefit of the coverage and multipath/power performance advantages offered by LTE.
  
  [*]LATENCY: The user plane latency achieved in LTE is approximately 1/4th (one-fourth) corresponding latency in existing 3G technologies. This provides a direct service advantage for highly immersive and interactive application environments, such as multiplayer gaming and rich multimedia communications.
  
  [*]SIMULTANEOUS USER SUPPORT: LTE provides the ability to perform two-dimensional resource scheduling (in time and frequency), allowing support of multiple users in a time slot; in contrast, existing 3G technology performs one-dimensional scheduling, which limits service to one user for each timeslot. This capability of LTE results in a much better always-on experience, and also enables the proliferation of embedded wireless applications/systems.
  
  [*]SECURITY: LTE provides enhanced security through the implementation of UICC Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) and the associated robust and non-invasive key storage and symmetric key authentication using 128-bit private keys. LTE additionally incorporates strong mutual authentication, user identity confidentiality, integrity protection of all signaling messages between UE and Mobility Management Entity (MME) and optional multi-level bearer data encryption.
  
  [*]SIMPLIFIED WORLDWIDE ROAMING: Verizon Wireless’ chosen migration path to LTE, the widely adopted next-generation 3GPP standard, will provide greater opportunities for seamless international roaming and for global device economies of scale as well.
  
  [*]MASS DEPLOYMENT: LTE’s inherent support for IPV6 addressing and IMSI-based identifiers makes mass deployments of machine-to-machine applications over LTE possible.

Wow. I don't really know what any of that means but it sounds impressive:icon_ banana:

 

[MrTommy]

What's up with that?

It's beginning to look like cell phones are like computers. You buy one today and a week from now it's obsolete. Hell, these ARE computers, and they happen to make phone calls as well, though it's beginning to look like phoning is an afterthought. By the time my new 2 year contract is over, they'll have 10G network, walking and talking GPS options, satellite TV, Satellite Radio, and an plug-in, add-on unit that you can make a phone call from.

 

[Backnblack]

I want one implanted

 

[cuskit]

Yea - but you are not tied to a two year contract with a computer. You are free to move up whenever you choose. Here we would have to pay full price in order to move up before contract renewal time. Yikes!

cuskit

 

[Backnblack]

Yea - but you are not tied to a two year contract with a computer. You are free to move up whenever you choose. Here we would have to pay full price in order to move up before contract renewal time. Yikes!

cuskit

I haven't keep a phone for 1 year let alone 2.... I usually pay close to full....