On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:25:44 -0700, Kevin Callahan <[email protected]> wrote:
> My understanding (according to the Apple website) is that the new iPhone 5 > doesn't have both CDMA and GSM, and they have a new micro sim. Which version > version is the better "world" phone for international travel? When I traveled in Europe between 2003-2006, I was always impressed at how seamless and reliable cell coverage was. I didn't worry much about data, however, as I used the phone almost exclusively for occasional voice calls. I just made certain I had an unlockable GSM phone, unlocked it before leaving the US, dropped into the first tobacconist shop I saw on arrival in Europe, and talked with good connections, whether in subways, tunnels in the Alps, or a forest of High Hise office towers. It just worked. I'd return home, plant myself in the middle of ATT's "Best Coverage" areas on their marketing maps, and drop calls. I went again this summer, and before I left I spent a few HOURS reading horror stories about people who'd inadvertently activated cell data in Europe and returned home to find bills from their US carrier for hundreds, even thousands of dollars because they'd done so, and perhaps junior had downloaded a movie or they'd used mapping software on the phone to get from point A to point B or forgotten to turn off "push" notifications. As I understand it, "4G" or "LTE" is primarily about data (from the user's perspective). From MY perspective as a user from the US, I'd live in fear of actually USING cell data on LTE while in Europe, unless the pricing changes dramatically. As things stand, the ability to push many hundreds of gigabits through the LTE virtual "tubes" into a US carrier iPhone 5 just gives one the opportunity to get into a world of economic hurt. It is a puzzle to me, however, why the western European countries haven't standardized on common frequencies for wireless LTE data. Perhaps it's another sign (along with the common currency but no common fiscal policy) that the European Union is too much veneer, too little core. -- Jim Robertson _______________________________________________ iPhone-talk mailing list [email protected] http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/iphone-talk
