its the same thing....people got "hooked" on this 3G thing and want/need to see it say 3G, it wont happen on the VZW storm since its CDMA. You will see 1XEV to signify you have full access though
3G just refers to the generation of cellular data service. We're on the 3rd one. I think Apple is who coined the phrase. Verizon calls it 1XEV. It is 3G. The next one will of coarse be 4G, though Verizon will likely call it something else.
Yes. I believe both AT&T and Verizon are close to putting out "4G". Except I think (not 100% +) Verizon's technology is being called "LTE" and not sure what AT&T will call it.
There is some debate on this. Odds are probably not, but i've heard rumours that it might be a possibility on some level. (I dont know enough on the tech side to really make an informed call)
Realistically by the time 4g is widespread enough for use, newer devices will be out and we'll probably want to upgrade anyway
Considering that Verizon isn't slated to even begin rolling out LTE until the end of this year anyway, my guess would be that by the time that 4G becomes mainstream, newer phones and devices would be out (Storm 2?). The current standard for 4G is not backwards compatible with 1XEVDO Standards, so it's doubtful IMO that the Storm would be upgradeable to support LTE.
GSM gives you simultaneous voice and data, while 1XEV does not
Corrected
GSM and 1XEV are both 3rd generation technoligies (3G). LTE is Verizon's 4th gen technology coming in the future (4G). That said, while connected to Verizon's 3G network, our phones will say "1XEV". While connected to AT&T's (or any other GSM carrier for that matter) network, the phone will say "3G".
They could've easily had "GSM" instead of "3G" displaying in the corner of the screen, but I think because of all the heavy marketing the term "3G" gets, it's easier for consumers to understand. Believe me, I've confused many people when I told them my Storm runs on Verizon's 3G network, only to have them confused by the 1XEV on my screen ("bu-bu-bu-but it doesn't say 3G!")
I guess I was thinking about what is displayed on the storm, and even at that I was wrong, because if you want simultaneous voice and data you need to see 3G with dots, not just 3G. But I do appreciate correction, don't want to be passing around bad info, so thanks