Quote:
Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn
Are you saying EVDO is the same as 3G? For some reason I thought 3G was faster or the next fastest thing. I was looking forward to faster internet speed on the BB. But if EVDO is the fastest thing? I guess I'll be waiting a while longer.
|
Wow, you've opened up a can of worms with that one... You might get a Windows/Mac type debate or a Bell/Shaw debate going with that.
My understanding is that EVDO is 3G. It has been around a little bit longer than HSPA, and on average is currently a little bit faster than HSPA. Telus just didn't use the '3G network' as a marketing ploy the way that other carriers did even though it is a 3g network. However, EVDO is at the end of it's development cycle from the looks of things and HSPA has more potential for improvement than EVDO. EVDO has been great, but will now be phased out. Many people argue that EVDO is inferior, but all of the objective data I've seen suggest that it is slightly better in real-world terms than the current HSPA systems that are actually up and running. The next thing is actually 4G. That is why Telus/Bell are switching from a CDMA network to a GSM. Although there is an evolutionary path for EVDO to become a 4G system, there is far more funding going into developing a 4G GSM system and Telus/Bell have decided to try and improve their ability to compete and their phone lineups by moving to the more popular GSM standard for the 4G future
3G is a misleading term. It simply means third generation of a particular technology. EVDO is the third generation of CDMA based technology while HSPA is 3G of the GSM side, bit it doesn't actually mean anything specific about performance. (BTW, if you look this up, fanboys on both sides often refer to the other side as 2.5G to highlight deficiencies.
I'll be happy with either an HSPA Bold from Telus or a EVDO Bold from Telus depending on what is offered. I just assume it will be EVDO, because I don't think Telus has 'upgraded' it's system to HSPA yet.
My Blackberry Pearl says Qualcomm 3G CDMA on the back, so the manufacturer certainly considers EVDO to be 3G at any rate.