iPhone carriers

Yesterday someone suggested that it would be better to use a different carrier for my iPhone.  The iPhone is now available on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, and you can also use it unofficially on T-Mobile, but with some limitations, such as no 3G.  I use AT&T and here's why.

The main reason is price.  I am on a family plan, which means I pay only $10 for talk.  AT&T offers data plans starting at $15 for 200 MB, which means a minimum of $25/month, but I pay $30 for unlimited data, for a total of $40/month.  If I were to ever leave AT&T I would lose that plan, which I need for broadcasting from my taxi.  Verizon no longer offers unlimited data.  Sprint does, but I would end up paying more.

A lot of people think that Verizon has the best network.  This is a myth.  It's probably true that they're the best for voice calls.  I have always had problems on AT&T, with lots of dropped calls and such, although it has improved greatly over the past couple of years.  However, I don't use my iPhone that much for voice calls.  It's the 3G cellular data network that's important to me for broadcasting video and such, and AT&T is supposed to be significantly faster.  Verizon and Sprint have 4G, but that does me no good on an iPhone.  I used to have problems with data, but recently it seems like I hardly ever have problems broadcasting video and such, especially on Ustream.  I think AT&T has been working hard to upgrade their network, especially since millions of people are about to get new iPhones.

And the network improvements on the new iPhone 4S only apply on AT&T's network, with potential download speeds increased from 7.2 to 14.4 MBPS only on AT&T.  (Real speeds are always a lot less than potential, and it remains to be seen if I'll actually get faster downloads on my new phone.)  I suspect that next year we'll see the iPhone 4G, but until then AT&T will have faster 3G.  Plus, only AT&T lets me talk while using data at the same time.

Anyway, now I'm locked into another 2-year contract, so I'm stuck with AT&T!

iPhone 4S

I have been broadcasting live video using my iPhone 4. I've been waiting to see if the new iPhone would be worth upgrading to. Now that the iPhone 4S has been released, I can tell you that there have been specific improvements to the camera and video processing:

• 8 megapixels, up from 5
• Wider aperture
• Additional lens (5 instead of 4)
• Faster shutter
• Face detection
• Faster processor
• 1080p HD video
• Video stabilization
• Temporal noise reduction

Hopefully some of those will result in better video broadcasts, with better color, sharper images, less graininess at night, less shakiness and less problems. The download speed is potentially doubled, depending on the network, but the upload speed is unchanged, so that will be of little help.

Another benefit is the integrated Siri voice assistant, which will apparently allow me to do more hands-free while driving, such as getting addresses and directions, sending texts, etc. I'll have to wait to see it in action.

Will it be worth $200 plus $55 tax to upgrade?  I guess I'll find out on Friday, because I've already ordered one!  My wife should be grateful to get my iPhone 4.

It's a shame that Steve Jobs had to pass the day after it came out. This is his legacy.