Cell Phone Information
Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
Last Update: 1/1/2009
News & Tips
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Happy New Year 2009: The iPhone's success has been tremendous, and deservedly so. What many fail to understand is that the phone isn't just a decent piece of engineering from a hardware perspective, it's all about the ease of use. On the hardware side Apple shipped a device with 800x400 resolution (when the average PDA was 320x320 or lower). They also included built-in wi-fi. This is a win-win because the copy-cats are now doing higher resolution screens, wi-fi, and even some enhancements we'd like to see the iPhone copy (A2DP bluetooth stereo, tactile feedback, etc.). Most fundamentally, the iPhone delivers the power of a data&web-connected handheld device to normal people, not just the geeks. Obvious applications are calendar, email, web, but lots of innovation in location aware applications including google maps, remember the milk, etc.
Anyway, iPhone set the PDA bar higher (and introduced mainstream folks to the PDA concept) and we are all benefiting. The only real competition I've seen is probably the android platform which is still a little young. At the same time, Microsoft can't seem to get anything right. Not many rave reviews for Vista (more bad press than deserved in my opinion), Office 2007 (sucks rocks, look at OpenOffice 3.0), or Windows Mobile 6.1 (same old stuff). HTC's touchflo 3D is better than Windows Mobile interface. I love my HTC Diamond with TouchFlo, except for the "ugly" pieces of the underlying windows mobile interface. Who knows, maybe Microsoft will take up the challenge in WinMo v6.5? We'll see. I'd buy an iPhone if available on my carrier-- and may end up doing so anyway because of the awesome development happening on that platform. Some of the killer iPhone apps include Pandora, remember the milk, mint.com, fring, and the list keeps growing daily. Don't want a monthly fee, look at the new Apple Touch device which has much of the same functionality without the data everywhere feature (requires wi-fi). The Touch model I have is also lacks a microphone or any speaker. I've heard a rumor that the new Touch includes a speaker at least. (i.e. older touch users are forced to wear headphones).
Verizon Still Kicking Booty: Verizon already has a great nationwide network, and with their nationwide 700Mhz license, they are poised to kick booty in 2009. A lot of nay sayers claim Verizon has brain washed the consumer reports and JD Powers audience that routinely rates them first. I think there's more truth to the hype than most folks recognize. Verizon still plans LTE for 4G data, and we'll continue to watch the changes. Verizon has the magic combination of spectrum and money. I suspect you'll see voice service running on VOIP/SIP over the LTE data network. It remains to be seen how much the bad economy will effect build-out. To the extent that it effects Verizon, I believe it will effect them all. By the way, I don't work for any cell carrier, nor am I a current Verizon customer (I tend to shop for the best bargain and these days all of the carriers do a reasonable job).
Verizon Acquisition of Alltel: There's been some discussion over on Howard forums in the Sprint group on what all this will mean. The optimistic side might be EVDO roaming on all Verizon (since they already have EVDO roaming on Alltel). I don't see this happening absent a new deal that expands Verizon's revenue. Sprint entered a 10 year roaming agreement with Alltel in 2006, but no one knows if provisions exist for that agreement post acquisition. A worst-case scenario for Sprint that could actually happen if Verizon transitions to LTE for data, and perhaps SIP/VOIP for voice. At that point, they wouldn't be technology compatible unless Sprint follows suit. So far to date, Sprint has not stated a desire to pursue LTE for data (or anything else). That being said, Verizon hasn't stated desire to use LTE for anything but data thus far. The speculation regarding SIP/VOIP comes from the fact that you have higher data rates and the desire to simultaneously use voice and data which Verizon doesn't currently have with EVDO.
Analog Mostly Gone: As predicted, we simply lost tons of remote rural coverage when the analog network fell silent. You can gain a little ground back by buying the correct phone and a Wilson 3Watt powered antenna solution. There's still a maximum cell phone to tower distance due to digital technologies timing requirements so it's not what you had, but perhaps half-again what you have without it. If you need true emergency notification (911 style) then look at satellite solutions like "find me spot." Of course, the 911 style services aren't used to call a tow truck.
University of Oregon discounts: Our local telecom folks asked me to take these off my web page (no special advantages by virtue of our state employment), however, I can say that nearly all large employers qualify for discounted cell phone service, including on existing personal lines of service. Minimally, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon all do here in Eugene.
Website Updates: I hadn't worked on this site in some time due to some family things that took precedent. I'm hoping 2009 will permit me more time to update these pages which I maintain in my free-time.