I live in Sunny South Florida and have done my own speed tests, in practical scenarios and found that Sprint Wins by a landslide, Verizon 2nd, AT&T a distant 3rd, and of course T-Mobile comes last. I did my test using 4 identical laptops side by side using express cards (their profile to me is more practical opposed to having a USB device the size of a phone protruding from your laptop) downloading the same types of content simultaneously at various locations. Download speeds; Sprint is without a doubt the fastest. I think the original article is extremely biased (he must own an iPhone and want to justify in his mind getting the 3G version when it comes out)
I think you are biased. Just because sprint works better in your area doesn't mean AT&T can't possibly be that good in a completely different market. Networks vary by market.
You believe this study to be biased, yet you provide NO specifics of your "testing", such as laptop, cards used, locations, etc. whereas the specifics of the real study are provided?
Here's a clue...EV-DO is quick. HPSA is quicker.
And just for clairification, what 3G service of T-Mobile were you utilizing down in Florida?
Sounds like you're one of the few remaining Sprint customers/fanboys who are trying to justify your loyalty to a provider who gives a whole new meaning to the term "customer service".
I don't see how the article is biased. Sure there's going to be a lot of chest puffing up because their network of choice didn't "win" but it seems like the article and test where pretty objective.
And I do agree that service varies, from place to place hence my opening line "I LIVE IN SUNNY SOUTH FLORIDA". I used HP Pavilion Laptops (would you like the color too or maybe the bios version?)
Ok, so Sprint works ridiculously better in my area (Dade County, Broward County, West Plam Beach County, Monroe County).
For the record, I use Sprint's data network only, I use T-Mobile for voice + data on my phone. And of course there is no 3G T-Mobile network in Sunny South Florida yet (I'm not sure where you heard me say there was, I guess you just made that part up huh? Cards: Sprint: Merlin EX720 by Novatel Wireless Verizon: Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard AT&T: GT Ultra Express T-Mobile: Sony Ericsson GC89 Hp Pavilion 9700 series with AMD Processors. The situation stemmed from an argument me and my friends had over which is the fastest network. We all had the same laptops because my friend owns an electronics store (he was the Verizon user) and I had a Sprint Card, and a T-Mobile Card, and another buddy of mine had an ATT card that he was extremely proud of.
"Sounds like you're one of the few remaining Sprint customers/fanboys who are trying to justify your loyalty to a provider who gives a whole new meaning to the term "customer service"."
OR he's pointing out the fact that this type of test is VERY location dependent. A fact that is conveniently ignored by Engadget and pretty deemphasized in the main article itself. Sorry, but you're an idiot.
I agree, this is VERY MUCH location specific and it bothers me that none of the articles i've seen emphasize this. I know for a fact Verizon is better than ATT in terms of BOTH speed and 3G coverage in my area (silicon valley), so it bothers me that people don't realize how situational this article is. -Taylor
wow apparently most people commenting on here dont understand that HSPA is faster than EV-DO, yea yea yea bitch about location etc, but assuming that it is set up right HSPA WILL be faster than EV-DO
Ok, then why isn't the article titled "HSPA is faster than EV-DO"? That would be accurate and non-ambiguous. I'll tell you why, that statement doesn't really mean shit to anyone.
"AT&T is faster than Sprint and Verizon" is a headline that definitely means something to readers. HOWEVER, as a headline, it implies the service as a whole for one carrier is faster than the others. Based on differences in coverage, I would be inclined to think that taken in average across the nation, the statement is flat out wrong, but I can't really say without ACTUAL testing of the fact (which, the "study" in the original article most certainly is not).
That's neither here nor there, though. Useful information about wireless network speed is incredibly location-dependent. Period. You can't conveniently ignore that fact in an article comparing speed differences. Engadget doesn't qualify themselves (actually, it's pretty egregious in the Engadget posting) and the original article only barely qualifies itself. That is bad reporting. Plain and simple.
Well, this group did a one on one test and Sprint came out on top. But most people are right and the mag needs to do a little road trip to do it right, not one city area or lab. But in my travels. I've seen Sprint work better the MAJORITY of the time over everyone else. Plus what they seem to forget, they are cheaper and no caps unless your roaming on data. Then it's starts to look like Verizon.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Frankie @ May 15th 2008 10:35AM
I live in Sunny South Florida and have done my own speed tests, in practical scenarios and found that Sprint Wins by a landslide, Verizon 2nd, AT&T a distant 3rd, and of course T-Mobile comes last. I did my test using 4 identical laptops side by side using express cards (their profile to me is more practical opposed to having a USB device the size of a phone protruding from your laptop) downloading the same types of content simultaneously at various locations. Download speeds; Sprint is without a doubt the fastest. I think the original article is extremely biased (he must own an iPhone and want to justify in his mind getting the 3G version when it comes out)
zephxiii @ May 15th 2008 10:55AM
I think you are biased. Just because sprint works better in your area doesn't mean AT&T can't possibly be that good in a completely different market. Networks vary by market.
badqat @ May 15th 2008 10:55AM
You believe this study to be biased, yet you provide NO specifics of your "testing", such as laptop, cards used, locations, etc. whereas the specifics of the real study are provided?
Here's a clue...EV-DO is quick. HPSA is quicker.
And just for clairification, what 3G service of T-Mobile were you utilizing down in Florida?
Sounds like you're one of the few remaining Sprint customers/fanboys who are trying to justify your loyalty to a provider who gives a whole new meaning to the term "customer service".
fyreblazer @ May 15th 2008 10:56AM
I don't see how the article is biased. Sure there's going to be a lot of chest puffing up because their network of choice didn't "win" but it seems like the article and test where pretty objective.
Frankie @ May 15th 2008 12:08PM
To clarify, I was talking about this article: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=mobile_and_wireless&articleId=9083559&taxonomyId=15&intsrc=kc_feat
And I do agree that service varies, from place to place hence my opening line "I LIVE IN SUNNY SOUTH FLORIDA". I used HP Pavilion Laptops (would you like the color too or maybe the bios version?)
Ok, so Sprint works ridiculously better in my area (Dade County, Broward County, West Plam Beach County, Monroe County).
For the record, I use Sprint's data network only, I use T-Mobile for voice + data on my phone. And of course there is no 3G T-Mobile network in Sunny South Florida yet (I'm not sure where you heard me say there was, I guess you just made that part up huh?
Cards:
Sprint: Merlin EX720 by Novatel Wireless
Verizon: Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard
AT&T: GT Ultra Express
T-Mobile: Sony Ericsson GC89
Hp Pavilion 9700 series with AMD Processors.
The situation stemmed from an argument me and my friends had over which is the fastest network. We all had the same laptops because my friend owns an electronics store (he was the Verizon user) and I had a Sprint Card, and a T-Mobile Card, and another buddy of mine had an ATT card that he was extremely proud of.
MasterCKO @ May 15th 2008 1:08PM
@badquat:
"Sounds like you're one of the few remaining Sprint customers/fanboys who are trying to justify your loyalty to a provider who gives a whole new meaning to the term "customer service"."
OR he's pointing out the fact that this type of test is VERY location dependent. A fact that is conveniently ignored by Engadget and pretty deemphasized in the main article itself. Sorry, but you're an idiot.
Frankie @ May 15th 2008 3:45PM
@badquat
You are an idiot
@MasterCKO
Thanks, I was starting to think everyone here was as dumb as badquat
Taylor @ May 15th 2008 4:39PM
I agree, this is VERY MUCH location specific and it bothers me that none of the articles i've seen emphasize this. I know for a fact Verizon is better than ATT in terms of BOTH speed and 3G coverage in my area (silicon valley), so it bothers me that people don't realize how situational this article is.
-Taylor
PeterF @ May 15th 2008 5:16PM
@Frankie
"I used HP Pavilion Laptops" that doesn't really mean anything. You have to give the model.
Dave @ May 15th 2008 6:31PM
wow apparently most people commenting on here dont understand that HSPA is faster than EV-DO, yea yea yea bitch about location etc, but assuming that it is set up right HSPA WILL be faster than EV-DO
MasterCKO @ May 16th 2008 4:38AM
@Dave:
Ok, then why isn't the article titled "HSPA is faster than EV-DO"? That would be accurate and non-ambiguous. I'll tell you why, that statement doesn't really mean shit to anyone.
"AT&T is faster than Sprint and Verizon" is a headline that definitely means something to readers. HOWEVER, as a headline, it implies the service as a whole for one carrier is faster than the others. Based on differences in coverage, I would be inclined to think that taken in average across the nation, the statement is flat out wrong, but I can't really say without ACTUAL testing of the fact (which, the "study" in the original article most certainly is not).
That's neither here nor there, though. Useful information about wireless network speed is incredibly location-dependent. Period. You can't conveniently ignore that fact in an article comparing speed differences. Engadget doesn't qualify themselves (actually, it's pretty egregious in the Engadget posting) and the original article only barely qualifies itself. That is bad reporting. Plain and simple.
tc1uscg @ May 16th 2008 2:54PM
Well, this group did a one on one test and Sprint came out on top. But most people are right and the mag needs to do a little road trip to do it right, not one city area or lab. But in my travels. I've seen Sprint work better the MAJORITY of the time over everyone else. Plus what they seem to forget, they are cheaper and no caps unless your roaming on data. Then it's starts to look like Verizon.
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10415600/1/sprints-wireless-data-network-trumps-verizons.html