[TrumpetTiger]

I don't know where you are, but I'm with VOIP.ms and the service is very good in North America (they have local servers all over Canada and the U.S.).

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

Hmmm....and the SIP.fm app seems to work well. Looks like SMS is in beta however....any word on how that and/or MMS if it's available works?

[anon(10512033)]

The SMS has been in beta forever (years). The nice thing is that there's no charge for it while it's in beta.

It works well via the email interface. It's unthreaded though. There's an Android app for it too, but that requires Google Play Services for push.

There's no MMS and I don't think there are plans to implement it.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[TrumpetTiger]

The SMS has been in beta forever (years). The nice thing is that there's no charge for it while it's in beta.

It works well via the email interface. It's unthreaded though. There's an Android app for it too, but that requires Google Play Services for push.

There's no MMS and I don't think there are plans to implement it.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

Ah, so not a full replacement for cellular carrier features then. Good to know and it's definitely a viable option if you don't need MMS (and if someone can secure the Taki or SIP.fm bar files from the devs prior to BBW shutdown ).

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

(Sip.fm app ...good to know for both bb10 and bb0s, and TAKI -but no MMS :-( .)

I'm fine (for now) with my carrier phone (I like the MMS), however one wonders why Carriers don't buy into a 4g-lte/wifi or 5g/wifi with a cellular sim installed in it to put a single user's sim number into the external modem, such that it services the device seamlessly as if the sim was in the phone itself. Many phones would no longer be concerned with outdate antenna on the devices themselves and could rely on wifi for sms/mms and voice as if it came to the phone through its own antenna. I don't know if this would require two sims or not, a special one in the phone to talk to the modem's sim or not.

One business argument would be: That for those who like to hotspot with a laptop and tablet would have an easier time with putting the power load on the external modem and save power on the smartphone. Surely that's an advantage?

Say my bb10's browser doesn't work for some site, well I could just go to the tablet's etc as well.

Yes I know the Phone companies would be worried about lost revenue from not selling the latest Samsung or Apple might take a hit. I don't think it would, I think it might fill an audience that currently isn't serviced, who may drift away because of that.

But 5g deployments is going to change some things for the Phone companies anyways.

Small/medium business's are already using hybrid cellphone services. For example Telus's "BusinessConnect" (not for the purpose that I'm suggesting, but an example of diversifying services) to solve some of these customer demands. (Unfortunately this service doesn't work for BB10, don't know about BBM devices)

[thurask]

Yes I know the Phone companies would be worried about lost revenue from not selling the latest Samsung or Apple might take a hit. I don't think it would, I think it might fill an audience that currently isn't serviced, who may drift away because of that.

That audience currently isn't serviced because whatever benefit they'd give is dwarfed by about a week's sales in one store in Yellowknife.

Carriers aren't going to toss sweet sweet flagship markup to cater for sunk cost fallacy.

[glwerry]

But there are tons of wifi-only devices that could use it, hundreds of millions of smartphones (not just bb10) ....tablets,taptops (oops laptops, but the new name I just called it, sounds cute ;-),desktops, gaming boxes, industrial devices......tons...millions, hundreds of millions.

Many of those people might be like myself, who would probably just get a 5G capable phone and then use IT as a hot-spot to hook my iPad and laptop up.

Potentially, you could have a market, but "saving" the few BB10 phones still going would be a side effort, at best.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

Many of those people might be like myself, who would probably just get a 5G capable phone and then use IT as a hot-spot to hook my iPad and laptop up.

Potentially, you could have a market, but "saving" the few BB10 phones still going would be a side effort, at best.

Yeah but if you can offload (from the phone) the battery & resource drain by running a wifi hotspot (battery or usb powered ) from a secondary batteried modem...you'll save the phones juice. 4g or 5g. And if those off device modems can pass your carrier's phone's voice, sms & mms...through the wifi channel back to the phone, that would be a sweetener. (plus I'm guessing the phones hotspot wouldn't be quite as fast as a dedicated modem's hotspot, plus if the modems wifi is extremely low-powered(maybe user selectable), sending the signal only a few feet, less of a battery drain on it as well vs. the phone, (which i'm guessing is broadcasting 10's of metres))

[conite]

Yeah but if you can offload the battery & resource drain by running a wifi hotspot (battery or usb powered ) from a secondary batteried modem...you'll save the phones juice. 4g or 5g. And if those off device modems can pass your carrier's phone's voice, sms & mms...through the wifi channel back to the phone, that would be a sweetener.

But again, if this was a viable idea, where are all of the 4G dongles for existing 2G/3G devices today?

[TrumpetTiger]

But again, if this was a viable idea, where are all of the 4G dongles for existing 2G/3G devices today?

I'll just chime in here briefly to point out that there are tons of 4G wireless hotspots which work perfectly with 2G/3G devices that support wireless connectivity. No dongles that connect directly to these devices so far as I am aware, but there are also many 4G LTE USB modems out there.

[conite]

I'll just chime in here briefly to point out that there are tons of 4G wireless hotspots which work perfectly with 2G/3G devices that support wireless connectivity. No dongles that connect directly to these devices so far as I am aware, but there are also many 4G LTE USB modems out there.

The OP suggested a tiny thing, "thumb drive size" , that could be kept in the pocket or connected to the device's USB port.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

The OP suggested a tiny thing, "thumb drive size" , that could be kept in the pocket or connected to the device's USB port.

Well actually I upsized it once I thought about it for a minute (should have deleted that thumb sized idea right away). Yesterdays versions are maybe puck sized or a bit bigger, I thought you might be able to get it down to the form factor of a thick smartphone or battery pack.

The USB i scrapped because I didn't think it could manage the speeds (but I'm not certain)

Wonder what a bb10 manufactured without any internal cellular antenna's and only wifi ones, paired with such a battery powered modem device (which would have all the cellular and wifi antennas) might have cut the cost with such a device..Grant it you would have to buy the modem device as well. Heresy you say...it would be reversing the iphone back to the ipod! (...but with all the features missing in the ipod:voice,mms,sms,data). I dunno just a thought(assuming the theoretical device could flow through cell call, mms,sms).

(Both things could fit in a single carry case for example, but didn't have to.)

[TrumpetTiger]

You mean like this?

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

Hey, that works!. Now if only you could flow through the cellular features (call,mms,sms).

[conite]

Well actually I upsized it once I thought about it for a minute (should have deleted that thumb sized idea right away). Yesterdays versions are maybe puck sized or a bit bigger, I thought you might be able to get it down to the form factor of a thick smartphone or battery pack.

The USB i scrapped because I didn't think it could manage the speeds (but I'm not certain)

Wonder what a bb10 without any celluar antenna's and only wifi paired with such a device might have cut the cost with such a device..Grant it you would have to buy the device as well. Heresy you say...it would be reversing the iphone back to the ipod. I dunno just a thought.

(Both things could fit in a single carry case for example, but didn't have to.)

OK. I will grant you that larger devices do exist. Although what kind of market size do they enjoy?

How many people would buy that accessory for their ancient non-LTE capable device instead of purchasing an LTE capable device?

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Hey, that works!. Now if only you could flow through the cellular features (call,mms,sms).

I do MMS/SMS on my non LTE Windwos Surface Pro... thanks to Verizon's messaging app for Windows. And do calls using Google Voice.

The key is having a supported OS and a Carrier that supports this functionality.... and you are good to go.

[Chuck Finley69]

OK. I will grant you that larger devices do exist. Although what kind of market size do they enjoy?

How many people would buy that accessory for their ancient non-LTE capable device instead of purchasing an LTE capable device?

For same monthly line cost from carrier, you might as well just by a new device and turn on mobile hotspot..

[Troy Tiscareno]

You mean like this?

That's powered over USB from the car stereo, which in turn is powered off of the car's electrical system. It's not a "mobile" device - you'd have to add a battery pack and some charging circuitry in order to make it so.

There are already 4G LTE "MiFi" devices and have been for years. They're about the size of a later-model iPod classic.

[TrumpetTiger]

That's powered over USB from the car stereo, which in turn is powered off of the car's electrical system. It's not a "mobile" device - you'd have to add a battery pack and some charging circuitry in order to make it so.

There are already 4G LTE "MiFi" devices and have been for years. They're about the size of a later-model iPod classic.

https://i.imgur.com/5K2x7HN.jpg

The model I cited happened to be powered via USB connected to the stereo, but takes power from any USB connection, such as a standard USB port found on small external chargers widely used today.

However, I cited it originally due to conite's belief the OP wanted a thumb-drive size device. The OP clarified that position right below my original video...so while you can certainly use the device I cited for the purpose conite believed the OP wanted, any disagreement you may have with that opinion would not further the purpose of the thread.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

That's powered over USB from the car stereo, which in turn is powered off of the car's electrical system. It's not a "mobile" device - you'd have to add a battery pack and some charging circuitry in order to make it so.

There are already 4G LTE "MiFi" devices and have been for years. They're about the size of a later-model iPod classic.

https://i.imgur.com/5K2x7HN.jpg

The 5G ones have been much larger.... more the size of a small tablet than a small hockey puck. But it's early in 5G development, couple of years and we'll probable see much smaller devices.

[Troy Tiscareno]

The 5G ones have been much larger.... more the size of a small tablet than a small hockey puck. But it's early in 5G development, couple of years and we'll probable see much smaller devices.

Yes, I think we're still at least a few years away from practical mobile 5G. If you remember, the early LTE phones ate battery like crazy - it took a couple of years to get decent battery life. That's pretty normal.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Yes, I think we're still at least a few years away from practical mobile 5G. If you remember, the early LTE phones ate battery like crazy - it took a couple of years to get decent battery life. That's pretty normal.

Why some say Apple is doing 5G this year... the Intel 5G modems were too inefficient.

If Apple thinks it's OK to wait a year...

[gruv4u]

Give it up (says the guy with the...

 AT&T Passport SQW100-3 with vitamin (SR) 10.3.3.2129 (OS version 10.3.3.3204) on AT&T

[app_Developer]

Why some say Apple is doing 5G this year... the Intel 5G modems were too inefficient.

If Apple thinks it's OK to wait a year...

Apple waited a bit on LTE also. And the first iPhone famously didn't have 3G for same reason.

As Tony said, this is perfectly normal. Power consumption usually spikes with new standards and then goes down as the development of the new radios/chipsets continue.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

Yes, I think we're still at least a few years away from practical mobile 5G. If you remember, the early LTE phones ate battery like crazy - it took a couple of years to get decent battery life. That's pretty normal.

See the problem with this is, if you can get 5g on your smartphone today, which also has wifi....there's no way you can't off-device the capability into a wifi/5g or wifi/lte-a modem device basically the same size as the phone (giving approximately similiar hours of life before recharge or plug-in)
Maybe this terrifys Apple and Samsung to have such a thing, because it would absolutely eat into some of their flagship clientele. It really shouldn't terrify Blackberry, it may draw interest where there was little before. Hey so you have the phone on one side of the sleeve and the modem on the other side of the sleeve...call it the Blackberry 5g convertible. Not terrifyingly difficult.
I'm sure this doesn't please the adworld...yeah well who cares. It's not really BlackBerry's strong asset anyways ( voracious advertising dollars)

Much like the cautious approach to foldable phones by one of the makers ( LG v50) who offers it as an addon clip in to their existing phone a convertible so to speak....clever...leverage your sunk cost (a concept many overly worship around here, and a mid-cycle upgrade at the same time.). Then when 5g comes with really gobsmackingly fast speeds, which I doubt anytime soon beyond the range of pure wifi, then you can upgrade. But let Blackberry harden this device as well...to make it less susceptible to all those wifi modems out there in the past.

Heck this would probably work with LTE-a alone, nevermind 5g. If it was marketed to any-extent. Want 5g but not ready to toss your devices quite yet....here's the solution..that works today.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

I looked around a bit...
So here's a 5g modem coming soon from Verizon (no price yet).... and its home 5g Broadband comes in at about 300Mb/s. $50/month (existing customers with cellphone plans). Seems like Verizon is on a similiar wavelength as me....for customers who aren't ready to upgrade their cellphones to 5g just yet or anytime soon. Now the one advantage of upgrading is that your phone should be universal, no variants will be need for difft geographies....so for true constant globalized globetrotters this might be compelling (maybe). I guess the same could be said for a separate wifi/5g modem. The rest? Meh...for now.