According to Wikipedia, "4G stands for the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to 3G and 2G families of standards". Verizon recently unveil a 4G tablet and phone, which they hope would give them a big edge over their competitors such as AT&T. Imagine if an iPhone 4 can only support 3G with AT&T, and 4G with Verizon, which would the customer get? If the price difference is not too large, consumers might get the 4G.
Understanding Some Terminologies
In order to understand the value of 3G or 4G, we need to understand some of the terminologies. Computer storage such as hard drives are measured in Bytes, while transferring of data is measured in bits. 8 bits is equal to 1 Btye. Kilo means 1000, while Mega means 1 million and these days files are measured in the MegaBtyes and and speed in Megabits and usually in seconds.
How fast is 4G versus 3G?
Is 4G much faster than 3G? The fastest 3G standard is suppose to be 56 Megabits per second (Mb/Sec). The minimum 4G standard is 100Mb/sec (about 2x faster) to a maximum 1 Gigabits/Sec (about 20x faster). Imagaine the cell phone or tablets browsing websites or downloading files 20 times faster. That is fast!
When is 4G arriving?
4G is starting to gain momentum by carriers such as Verizon and then AT&T and T-Mobile and every week there seem to be new devices supporting 4G. I would predict that by the end of 2012, 4G would be very common on all phones and tablets.
Technological Use of 4G?
I am excited about 4G and what it means to us in using technology in real estate. Imagine able to quickly search for listings on your smart phones or netbooks. It would be easy and quick to download pictures and route maps to preview homes.
If rumors are true of a new iPad coming this spring, I am hoping that it would support 4G. I am saving my money for a new phone with 4G support. Are you listening to this Apple (iPhone) or RIM (Black Berry)?
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