[jcorsino]

Would have been really nice to have these new units on a 4G network. Oh well, maybe next time....

[soccernamlak]

Does anyone understand this? Why would they put out such awesome devices and not make them 4G? Is it me or does it seem that each new RIM device is lacking a key component? I dont know, so many of us have been waiting, patiently I might add, for these new devices and here they are finally and without the 4G speeds.

Anyone... Anyone?

Because RIM needed to get these phones out as soon as possible (especially before QNX) otherwise it would have been almost 1.5 years between a new phone release, which for them is too long and would fuel the "RIM is dying" media tagline going on.

Further, and probably more likely, the issue with true (well, as true as you can be) 4G (think LTE) is that it currently requires a different chipset. This means more space is needed in the phone alongside the fact that a different radio stack needs to be written. All of this incorporated into the phone.

More importantly on this note is that the current chipsets are horrendous at battery life. Some early reviews of Motorola's Photon 4G says the battery life is pretty good on 3G; switch to 4G and you'll drain it in a few hours. Now, while some Android users have gotten use to dragging a charger around with them everywhere, many BlackBerry owners pride themselves in having a phone that lasts them 1-2 days full use without charge.

Finally, coverage. Verizon is the only one with LTE coverage popping up....AT&T doesn't offer it yet and Sprint's would require a separate WiMax chipset.

So in short:

- Rushed to get the phones out so lack of time to properly code and test 4G chips
- Separate chipset needed so space constraints
- Battery Life is currently horrible
- Coverage just isn't there yet


I'd expect the QNX phones in Q1 2012 to have LTE as by that time, Verizon should light up 4G networks over a good portion of their network and AT&T should have a good portion of their network covered as well. Further, I hope the extensive testing along with integrated chipsets of 3G/4G coming later this year will lead to a good QNX 4G phone that still gets good battery life.

[lnichols]

LTE is immature now and so are the chipsets. You have to run two radios at the same time or manually switch. Rim will support LTE when it is more universal. Apple isn't supporting LTE now for same reasons.

[kbz1960]

LTE is immature now and so are the chipsets. You have to run two radios at the same time or manually switch. Rim will support LTE when it is more universal. Apple isn't supporting LTE now for same reasons.

Plus it's not even near everywhere yet.

[Xader]

Meh.

Considering most of the U.S. doesn't even have 3g outside of major cities, I'm not too worried about it.

[mikeyg164]

Umm I thought they were 4G?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[soccernamlak]

Umm I thought they were 4G?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Define 4G.

True 4G as based on the protocols? No one has it.

4G as in LTE? No, the BlackBerry is not 4G.

4G as in marketing 4G as in 3.75G as in HSPA+ which is based on the 3GPP protocols? Yes, the BlackBerry supports HSPA+ up to 14.4 Mb/s

[kyopo]

Great summary by soccernamlak about the issues with LTE. I have an LTE hotspot the Samsung SCH-LC11 and the stock 1500 mAh battery only gets 3-4 hours of life in testing by CNET, PCMag and Laptopmag. I got the optional huge extended 4800 mAh battery and it lasts less than 11 hours. This is a hotspot running LTE and wireless n with no screen and no apps. LTE is a huge drain on battery life not to mention that it is way spottier reception than 3g. Hopefully newer devices improve on these issues.g

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[ignites]

if rim did lte they could not roll out 225 carriers at the same time because a lot of countries are still on 2g/3g and no point making the majority of your customres over pay for something they wont use

[orgonebox]

Did anyone else read the article discussing how quickly 4G users will run up against the data cap? Stream a few tv shows or a couple of movies and you're there. Anyway, QNX will be here by the time 4G hits smaller urban areas like mine, and I'm baffled by people who want to watch cinema on a tiny screen. Guess I just don't get it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[SCrid2000]

They're 4G on AT&T
I hope too many people aren't fooled by that.

Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk

[mustangv8]

I didn't think there was ever a chance of these releases on 4g. I'm surprised to have read curve 4g was being considered.

[johndoe086]

There is no TRUE 4G, NO chipset exists that meets the 4G specs!

LTE is NOT 4G, it is marketed as 4G, just like the AT&T HSPA+ 4G.

[crackcookie]

Define 4G.

True 4G as based on the protocols? No one has it.

4G as in LTE? No, the BlackBerry is not 4G.

4G as in marketing 4G as in 3.75G as in HSPA+ which is based on the 3GPP protocols? Yes, the BlackBerry supports HSPA+ up to 14.4 Mb/s

This guy sums up everything you need to know, and yes, BB users do pride themselves on having a PHONE. Before smartphones, cell phones would last DAYS without charging, and that was the norm, now that Android has come into play, people feel its normal to carry a extra battery, charger, or extended battery with their phones.

Not everyone has patience, but its a good trait to have.

A rushed phone will forever be bad, but a delayed phone will eventually be good.

So when Rim (and Apple) work out the size and battery life issues of 4G, they will start to put them into their phones. Then, once carriers get 4G networks that will help too. Remember, RIM is a WORLD PHONE Maker.

I am in France, and a lot of places here don't have 3G, plain and simple. Back when I was in Detroit, 3G was just about everywhere except northern parts of Michigan.

[greggebhardt]

AT&T is 3.5G if you are sitting on one of their towers.

[BergerKing]

Finally, coverage. Verizon is the only one with LTE coverage popping up....AT&T doesn't offer it yet andSprint's would require a separate WiMax chipset.

In addition, Sprint has reconsidered, and is going to carry forward and use LTE as well. Without having the same "4G" network system, they would have serious problems in negotiations with other carriers on Roaming contracts. WiMax will be the BetaMax of "4G".

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Siiid]

People are getting too caught up in these titles, 3G 4G 5G, doesn't matter what marketing people call them, you're getting much better speeds than previous generations on these new blackberries without burning through your battery, seriously, i used the browser on the 9900 and it's extremely satisfying.

[joeldf]

In addition, Sprint has reconsidered, and is going to carry forward and use LTE as well. Without having the same "4G" network system, they would have serious problems in negotiations with other carriers on Roaming contracts. WiMax will be the BetaMax of "4G".

Moral of the story... don't use "Max" in your trademark name?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Craterz]

Let's not forget that RIM's market is not just a small corner of the planet that claims to have "4G". Foregoing that "4G" is not actually 4G. Most of the world markets will not be upgrading their systems for some time to come. If they produce smartphones that are global capable, "4G" means nothing.

[Ithasbegun]

Let's not forget that RIM's market is not just a small corner of the planet that claims to have "4G". Foregoing that "4G" is not actually 4G. Most of the world markets will not be upgrading their systems for some time to come. If they produce smartphones that are global capable, "4G" means nothing.

Let's see, would you like to have the "fake" 4G (LTE) that everyone likes to bash as not real, or continue with what you currently have?

Yes, Verizon 4G is really that fast!

[Skeevecr]

Let's see, would you like to have the "fake" 4G (LTE) that everyone likes to bash as not real, or continue with what you currently have?

Yes, Verizon 4G is really that fast!

Until we get the next generation of mobile radios I would say no I didn't want LTE, you pay too high a price for the higher speed and if I want higher speeds thats what my home connection is for.

[Ithasbegun]

Until we get the next generation of mobile radios I would say no I didn't want LTE, you pay too high a price for the higher speed and if I want higher speeds thats what my home connection is for.

Higher price? I pay the same price as everyone else. And the home connection is fantastic... wait for it... when your at home.

Yes, Verizon 4G is really that fast!

[Skeevecr]

Sorry, the too high a price I was talking about was the shockingly bad battery life when you use it.

My point about using higher speeds at home if I need them is that my usage patterns simply don't include anything where I would need fast than 3g or hspa speeds which are plenty fast enough for browsing, streaming etc. which would be the more data intensive things I would do as I am not going to start major downloads, torrents or anything like that on my mobile connection.

[jonathon.94]

I do agree that LTE is too fast for blackberrys and is a major vampire on the battery which is the last thing any blackberry user wants. But I do think that we could use faster speeds (or at least on verizon anyways). Our power went out earlier so I was stuck on 3g vs. my 2.6mbps wifi connection. On the 3g youtube videos were horrible quality and buffered every 30 seconds or so. On wifi it buffers about every min. to min. and a half.

I heard that other networks have faster 3g speeds, so why do we still have crippled speeds on verizon?

[sadi85]

The new BlackBerry's support HSDPA cat.10 & HSUPA cat.6, this means HSPA @ 14.4 Mbit/s donw & 5.76 Mbit/s up. This is HSPA, 3GPP rel.6.
HSPA+ is 3GPP rel.7, where HSDPA has been upgraded to cat.13 at least (17.6 Mbit/s down) & commonly deployed as cat.14 (21.1 Mbit/s).
The new BlackBerries are HSPA, not HSPA+.