So - which module and by default which carrier(s) in the US will the US version of the Pyra work wit


I think AT&T is fine. I called a Customer Service and they were absolutely lovely!

It's a shame they don't make telegraph equipment anymore though, they need to drop the &T.
 
Silent-Hunter said:
I think AT&T is fine. I called a Customer Service and they were absolutely lovely!

It's a shame they don't make telegraph equipment anymore though, they need to drop the &T.
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Think about it though - the telegraph was a binary data communications system...  Isn't the internet simply an automated system that handles the routing, transmitting and receiving duties that the telegraph operators used to do?
 
I suppose the closest analogue would be SMS. There's even an SMS style application called Telegram.
 
Fate has granted me a reprieve on the timeline for getting a new mobile phone contract.  Now it's looking like December instead of March for my switch over.  With any luck the Pyra will be out by then.

So now I'm wondering if I should consider getting my kids Pyras instead of Galaxy S5 phones - the upfront device costs would be similar.  It would hinge a lot on where the phone software support (Voice/Texting/Email) is at for the Pyra by then - and if they want to go that route.  They're already used to both Android (Nook HD+ tablets with Cyanogen) and Linux (Vaio Laptops running Mint), so I could see them being interested in either/or.  Hmm...

Back to the waiting game - the Pyra is looking like it's going to be awesome!
 
TrashyMG said:
hitbyambulance said:
highly doubt that ED would go for CDMA at this point. for US GSM, i'd way prefer TMO over ATT (much better rates).
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Both of those carriers have either no presence or spotty presence in my area...
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I took a look at the Vermont coverage maps and couldn't find any carrier that covers that state well.  Vermont's wireless coverage is even worse than Nebraska's.

In Nebraska (Yes - I live in Nebraska), GSM coverage through AT&T and T-mobile is OK in the cities, but spotty or non-existent in towns & on highways.  CDMA networks (US Cellular and Verizon) have MUCH better coverage in this area.  For example, Beatrice Nebraska (Population 12,000 or so, but on a confluence of arterial highways) has NO coverage for GSM but is saturated with CDMA.

I realize that every option/fork in a product is an additional thing to keep track of.  However, with the near even market split (more CDMA than GSM actually) and how many areas of the country have one type of coverage but not the other, would it make sense to offer both options to the US market?  I.e. make US GSM and a US CDMA versions of the Pyra?  So - maybe a PXS8 option?
 
^Verizon Wireless is really the only one that gets most of my state.
 
Although their prices suck Verizon seems to have the best coverage, so they seem ideal for usability for the most people.  If my only choice was Verizon I would probably opt for a wifi-only Pyra.  Their MVNO, Page Plus, has much better prices imo.

The big question is really if anyone will allow us to bring Pyras in for voice service.  Wasn't one of the benefits of GSM that we could just get a SIM and no one would argue with us?  Doesn't 4G LTE also use a SIM?  I probably should have refreshed my memory before posting.  Anyway, CDMA looks like the best option in the US.
 
Some of us live in areas with sparse coverage.  Not everyone is a city dweller.
 
Vermont is very rural outside of a couple cities.
 
A good article on the basics of the conundrum:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407896,00.asp

The single thing that has me leaning toward GSM in this is the sim card = portability factor.  CDMA usually requires the mobile phone company to accept and configure the device to their network.

comradekingu said:
How many places are you going where there isnt coverage? For trekking out in the wilderness?? Do you need 4G out in nowhere buttfuck, kansas?
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Yes.  Not because that is a destination, but because in the US we frequently drive city to city over sparsely populated areas.  Also, ~20% of the US population lives in areas referenced as 'Rural'.  Since 'Urban' is defined as population clusters of >= 2500 people, there are a lot of 'Urban' areas that do not get GSM signals.

On CDMA it is far easier to get a signal outside of cities (population >25,000), on highways, etc.  Both CDMA and GSM cover major metropolitan areas fairly well.

However, that may all be trumped by one simple fact.  Part of the GSM standard is to be able to pop a provider's SIM card into -ANY- GSM phone and have it work.  CDMA requires on-device configuration.

Picture yourself with your brand new Pyra walking into a Sprint, Verizon or US Cellular store and having to beg the tech to input the secret codes to get your unapproved, and admittedly weird, device configured for their network.

Now picture yourself ordering a SIM card online from either AT&T or T-mobile to use with a 'bring your own device' plan.  It arrives and you plug it in and turn on the Pyra - and you're connected.  They never see what you're plugging it into.

If GSM had better coverage the choice would be easy.  However painful, though - I'm actually leaning towards GSM as being the better option.  That is mainly due to not having to plead with a provider to activate a device so I can pay them for the service.

These types of devices may be an interesting option to 'get more signal' into a home on the edge of GSM coverage:

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-14947
 
Grench said:
So - maybe a PXS8 option?
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I'm wondering if 3 versions is an option. I don't think he'd have any problems making a few hundred with the different chips, it may cost a bit more, but what's an extra $20 on a $700 device in order to get it exactly the way you want, eh?The problem I see is in the antenna. If he goes with the PLS8, one antenna and everyone should be set, you just need to adjust it depending on which region you're in, at least that's the idea. If he also uses the PXS8, however, it'll need a completely different antenna that also covers CDMA and I'm not sure how easy that'll be to work into the plans.

It'd be nice if everyone could get their way but I'm strangely pessimistic on this one.
 
Silent-Hunter said:
CDMA shouldn't have ever even existed, there should be one standard only!
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In 1997 CDMA was bleeding edge - and a substantial improvement in data speeds and voice quality at the time.  Sprint was able to offer data speeds that dwarfed the 2.4, 9.6 and 56 Kbaud modems that people were using for home computers at the time.  It was so good that GSM adopted it's communications methodology to come up with 3G GSM.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407896,00.asp
 
Silent-Hunter said:
Yes, but now it's a hindrance, why are these companies still using it?
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Money.

Billions in infrastructure.

Billions in handsets that would need replaced if they switched.

More US subscribers than GSM.

More extensive coverage than GSM.

Phones locked to the provider that sells them to you (advantage to the provider).

etc...
 
I suppose. The last three aren't quite advantages though. Coverage is only because they won't switch to GSM, customers for the same reason. As for locked phones, that can hurt them if people want to bring their own phone, and can't.
 
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