AT&T 4G LTE Now Available in Major Cities

I recently changed my wireless service from Verizon Wireless to AT&T and got an iPhone because I not only liked the idea that I could talk and surf the web, but i also needed a phone that was going to keep up with all my foolishness simultaneously. Since the iPhone 5 had been announced, I was seriously entertaining the idea of going back to Verizon Wireless to take advantage of their expansive 4G LTE network. Something told me to look and see what I find out about the other wireless carriers launching LTE in major cities. Low and behold, I go onto AT&T's website and I see a listing of the cities now servicing LTE, and my city (Philadelphia) is there in black and white. I do some more research to find out when this change took effect, and it looks like this was turned on September 14, 2012 (same date as the announcement of the iPhone 5 which is LTE capable).

I must say, this has probably saved me as an AT&T customer. :)

To check out which cities have launched 4G LTE on AT&T's network, check it out here:
http://www.att.com/network/?WT.srch=1&wtPaidSearchTerm=at%26t+lte+philly

SHE FINALLY UPGRADED!

My Mom's New Phone

My mom, my brother, and I all took a trip to our local Verizon Wireless store so I could get some information on a phone I liked. In the process, we came across a really good promotion Verizon was offering that was going to end that same night. The promotion allowed you to get any 4G phone in the store with a new 2-year agreement with $75 off the 2-year pricing. It was so weird because I literally talked to my brother no more than an hour ago about getting Cricket. Since it was a really good deal, we wound up getting him an LG Sprectrum. The phone was normally $149.99, but we paid 74.99 w/ a $50 mail-in rebate. That means his phone will come to $25! My mom was so excited she was getting a good deal, she said what the heck, I might as well get one too! I asked her if she was sure because I know how much she HATES signing contracts with the wireless companies. She said "I don't see why not?!? I'm getting a $150 phone for $25 after it's all said and done, and to be quite honest with you, we both know I'm not leaving Verizon!" I INSTANTLY got excited because I have been wanting her to upgrade to a smartphone for some time now. And the fact that she was on board just made me so happy for her.

Now my mom FINALLY has a smartphone! I know this is a good thing for her, but I also know she is going to be calling me left and right trying to figure out how to use the thing. I don't really mind because I know that it will make things simpler for the BOTH of us in the long run! :)

P.S. The first app she downloaded was Brick Breaker (she was SSOO excited for that...lol)!

For more information on the LG Spectrum, visit:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?&item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5842&cmp=KNC-58700000019204039

4G Phones

For those of you who have been following my blog, you guys know that I am OBSESSED with cell phones. Recently I came over to the dark side (aka I got and iPhone) and I absolutely LOVE IT! From time to time I wonder about the new phones that come out and how they stack up to my iPhone feature wise. Plus I have yet to experience 4G in all it's splendor so I am excited to see how it measures up to the hype. Below is what I experienced with the phones I came across.

Verizon 4G phones were interesting. The Droid Bionic has a HORRIBLE front facing camera. The front facing camera is VGA quality which doesn't even equate to a 1MP camera. Pictures came out very grainy. And for those who take pics of themselves and post to any social site like I do (don't judge me...lol), it didn't look very appealing. The Bionic is the only phone that lets you edit videos which is a cool feature. It doesn't have a vertical menu which is the new thing, but one can download a launcher to do that for you. The LG Revolution is by far the most generic of the 4g phones. Wasn't really appealing or flashy. The only thing nice about the Droid Charge is the screen clarity. Other than that not much to write home about. Looks and feels more like a toy than anything else. Moving on to the AT&T phones, the HTC Inspire is cool, but doesn't have a front facing camera. If I'm gonna have a phone that does all that this phone does, it doesn't make sense not to have one. The LG Thrill was definitely interesting because it is AT&T's first 3D phone. It was certainly fun to play with, but after 5 minutes on that thing, the headache started setting in. It was amazingly fast though. The Motorola Atrix is extremely cool in terms of the featured, and the sound quality on calls were really good. Let's not forget the phone has enough memory to be used as a laptop. Not something I would need, but still cool nonetheless for people who don't want to carry around a bunch of electronics. Last but not least we get to the T-Mobile phones. By far the best phone they have is the HTC Sensation. This phone is pretty much the best at everything it does. The camera is amazing, the front facing camera is crystal clear, the sound quality is good. The HTC UI is very interactive. For all the social media whores out there, friend stream is cool. If your not partial to it, there are MANY apps that can be downloaded that work just as well (I'm partial to Tweetdeck). The phone had a little lag time when I first started using it, but once I went to the first website, it was smooth sailing from there. All in all this phone was CLOSEST to my iPhone feature wise for everything I would use just in Android. Were any of these phones enough to sway be back to Android?? NO! But if I had to go back, the Sensation would be my best bet. Now if we can get this iPhone 5 rolled out, the sky is the limit!

HTC Sensation

I think that I have fallen in LOVE <3! My new boo? The HTC Sensation! I went into Best Buy today with yet another girlfriend to assist her with a phone situation, and I started playing with it. I must say this thing is really snazzy. I looked at it and I thought to myself "self, why are you getting so excited about this thing? You already have an iphone!" And even though I have an iphone, it was something that was pulling me over to this phone. It is really sleek, the dual core processor is really fast, and all of the features on this phone are amazing! And don't even get me started on the camera. I am oh so very vein and I LLOOVVE to take pictures of people, things, and especially myself (don't judge me). So when I started taking pics of me (of course), I was amazed at how crisp and clean the pics were. And sending it via text over T-Mobile's 4G network wasn't too bad either. All In all, I think I would TOTALLY cheat on my iphone with this HTC Sensation!

VZW 3G Mobile Hotspot

I have a Verizon Droid X and I have decided to try out the 3G Mobile Hotspot on the phone to see how well it works. I currently also have a Clearwire modem in my home where I can plug up my ethernet cable. I have been trying both out just to get a feel of how one compares to the other. Currently in my home, not only do I NOT get the greatest signal for the Clear modem (which on a good day is maybe 2-3 bars), but I also only get no more than two bars of 3G coverage in my home. Needless to say I must have lead paint on my walls because my signal strength is pretty much non existent. Even when I am out of the house, the 3G hotspot works semi ok. It is nothing compared to my Comcast or Verizon internet (even though I couldn't stand to have either service). 

All in all, I don't see the use for it at the moment because the only place I would really need to have up to five devices hooked up to it is my home, and if I can't even get a 3G signal here, I don't have much hope for the 4G. Hopefully the 4G will be LOADS better! 

HAPPY SURFING