The Verizon Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH-LC11: Is It Ready For Prime Time? - Shelly Palmer

4G is a marketing term It means different things to different people However LTE an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution is a term of art that describes Verizon39s fourth generation wireless network The only factoid you need to know is quotWhere it is fully deployed Verizon39s 4G LTE Network is six to 10 times faster than its 3G EVDO NetworkquotDoes speed really matter Yes Time is money Not to get too geeky but you can expect download speeds of between five to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of two to five Mbps What does that mean to normal people In practice a Verizon 4G connection will be about as fast an average cable modem and faster than most DSL modems And for most people that means that a 4G connection is actually faster than the connection they have at the office In other words amp8211 fastThat said it is early days in the world of 4G The network is not fully deployed So in practice the blazing speed of 4G is only available in limited geographical areas I don39t believe the coverage map published by the carriers after all they are in the business of selling you coverage To get the straight scoop on coverage there is wonderful interactive government resource at httpbroadbandmapgov It will help you understand what kind of wireless broadband coverage is available in your area or anywhere in the USANotwithstanding any of the above an important useful tool has just arrived from Verizon The Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCHLC11 If you want all of the geeky tech specs there39s a good review on wwwlaptopmagcom and a similar writing on wwwpcmagcomBut here39s the important stuff for nontechnical usersVerizon does not offer an unlimited 4G data plan With your twoyear contract you have a choice of 5GB per month for 50 or 10GB per month for 80 What happens if you go over the cap You39ll pay an additional 10 for each 1GB of data transferred If you39re a heavy user this will get expensiveWill I go over the data cap Heavy users of video or allday users of Pandora will probably exceed the data cap It seems that the cap is in place to prevent you from using your 4G Hotspot as your household connection At these prices the strategy will workWhat happens when I39m not in a 4G area The device falls back to 3GHow39s the battery life It sucks Just like most 4G devices battery life is short You39ll get a couple of hours A specific design flaw with the SCHLC11 is that you cannot turn off the 4G to save battery life when you39re in a known 3G area It39s not a deal breaker but I39m sure future 4G Mobile Hotspots will have this featureHow much is it 9999 after 50 mail in rebate with new twoyear contract on 4g MobileShould I buy one now If you do not have or are not planning to purchase a 4G phone and you live and work or frequently travel to areas where there is real 4G Verizon coverage then this is a good use of your broadband dollarsWhat if I have a 4G phone If you have the Verizon Thunderbolt or are planning to get Verizon39s upcoming Bionic or Atrix later this year you should consider that all of the Verizon 4G Android phones offer a Hotspot option for an additional monthly fee If you39re not constantly on the road with your computer and you are just an occasional hotel guest this is the option for you In many cases two days of hotel broadband fees cover the cost of the monthly Verizon 4G Hotspot option and the rest of your monthly travel connectivity is a bonusThe bottom line This is really the first Verizon 4G Hotspot and if you are a portable Hotspot user this is a good an option as any It is going to be faster than any mobile Hotspot from any other carrier Beware of the data cap and beware of WiFi leakage you39ll always get 10 to 15 percent more speed out of this or any mobile hotspot device if it is tethered to your computer Other than that go for itShelly Palmer is the host of MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer a daily show featuring news you can use about technology media ampamp entertainment He is the author of Television Disrupted The Transition from Network to Networked TV 2008 New York House Press and the upcoming Get Digital Reinventing Yourself and Your Career for the 21st Century Economy 2009 Lake House Press Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts ampamp Sciences NY the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy Awards For information about Get Digital Classes visit httpwwwshellypalmercomseminars Watch Digital Life with Shelly Palmer Tuesdays at 10p ET on WNBC39s NY Nonstop httpwwwshellypalmercomdigitallifeRead all Shelly39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Shelly Palmer ReportCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerMediaBizBloggers is an openthought leadership blog platform for media marketing and advertising professionals companies and organizations To contribute contact Jackmediadvisorygroupcom The opinions expressed in MediaBizBloggerscom are not those of Media Advisory Group its employees or other MediaBizBloggerscom contributors Media Advisory Group accepts no responsibility for the views of MediaBizBloggers authors

Become a Thought Leader. Share your thought leadership article with industry professionals & have them archived in Thought Leadership

The Verizon Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH-LC11: Is It Ready For Prime Time? - Shelly Palmer

Author

Publish date

Channel

Shelly Palmer

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 10: Political Spending) - By Carl Mayer

More Videos:

Become a Thought Leader. Share your thought leadership article with industry professionals & have them archived in Thought Leadership

The Verizon Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH-LC11: Is It Ready For Prime Time? - Shelly Palmer

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Shelly Palmer

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 10: Political Spending) - By Carl Mayer

The payment was successful

Cookies