By and large, LTE is LTE -- it's just fast wireless, really, and there's not a lot to see. You know you want it, and you really don't need to be convinced. Amazingly, though, Samsung managed to impress us at Verizon's 4G demonstration area today with its three-pack of LTE-enabled devices, including a modified photo frame, ST1000 digicam, and a MID called "Pioneer" which we're told is little more than a
Mondi with LTE swapped in place of WiMAX. Unlike some of the other demos we saw in the booth, Samsung was using actual integrated LTE chipsets -- the real deal, not a concept of what kind of stuff you
could see in an LTE-connected world -- and if it weren't for the conspicuous "LTE" logo atop the ST1000, we would've been none the wiser. With the camera, you could instantly beam photos straight to the frame, and the Pioneer allowed you to shoot live video displayed immediately on the frame, all using an LTE base station as an intermediary. This stuff isn't as fanciful as it seems -- Verizon intends to have a couple dozen markets operating in 2010, and these are all examples of the kinds of things we could see if only Big Red decides to make it financially reasonable for us. Check out some pictures of the system in action in our gallery below, because let's be honest: unless you're lucky, odds are good this is the closest you're getting to a live 4G network in the next few months.
posted January 8th 2010 9:06AM
I thought LTE was an upgrade to mobile networks, so one should be able to 'beam' content to any web service? IE, if you beamed a photo to Picasa via an LTE connected camera, and your photo frame was connected to the net, then it could of course display the Picasa (or other photo sharing site) image(s). Or is that how this demo was working? It gives the impression this was being done locally, which could be done with WiFi or Bluetooth.
@Oflife And if this IS being done over an LTE mobile/cell network, then why not give the camera telephony capabilities? It has a touch screen, mic and speaker anyway, so what is stopping Samsung and others turning a decent camera into a smart phone rather than turning a phone into a so so camera?
@Oflife because.... people want a camera.
I'm still trying to figure out how they had a LTE network set up in the building.
@Ezye1313
LTE Femtocell maybe? Small base station at least.
the way i see it, verizon and all future carriers will soon have speed tiers, if you want LTE speeds, you're going to have to pay up for it. otherwise, you're stuck with 3G speeds. it's not going to be an "upgrade" of the network like it should be, like how 3G was just an upgrade from 2G that didn't cost anything. the days of a data plan is a data plan are over, now you're going to have to worry about data plans at certain speeds. just another way to nickle and dime us like they've been doing for decades.
@Eraser
I doubt that considering that I read that Verizon made a statement to the effect of they plan on eventually switching completely over to LTE from EV-DO.
You may still be right--Verizon may create tiers of data access, however I think that depends on what other cable and telecom companies end up doing. If companies like TWC and Comcast are able to get away with tier'd pricing structures, then Verizon may try the same approach.
Verizon will charge a huge premium for access to LTE ($100+/month) network. The data plans are PER DEVICE! I don't think too many people are going to pay that to be able to instantly send their pictures to the web.
@whyme
I see it being around 80$$
@whyme
That may be true initially, however as more carriers roll out 4G service, I doubt that'll stay at that level. Also keep in mind that LTE is only possible via the spectrum the US gov't is leasing Verizon, so I'm sure if they see Verizon gouging prices, it'll throw its fist down.
@whyme - totally, I never understood using a laptop with 3G/4G and needing a separate wireless account vs your phone, let alone a multitude of devices like cameras and MP3 players. Unless the carriers are going to allow a dozen devices on one account, put this in the WHY column.
samsung is really turning up the heat with their tech this year. I think this just might be the year of the Korean
OMG! I'm so glad this came out! Because uploading photos from a memory card to a computer is so damned difficult! This just made my life ten thousand times easier!
/endsarcasm
Looks like they are replacing GPS and Wi-Fi with LTE.
I bought a ST1000 (CL65 in the US) a week ago. On the top of the camera it has 'GPS' as opposed to 'LTE'.
I like the ease of navigation, the touch display, how you delete photos, how you change to movie mode, etc. However, I am disappointed with the performance of the GPS and Wi-Fi - its main selling points.
Wi-Fi - Works great at home. Sent photos. However, have so far been unable to do it over a hotspot like McDonalds or coffee shops - eg get 'Unable to Connect' when attempting to email.
GPS - When it works it is great. iPhoto and Google Maps show exactly where the photos were taken, etc.
However, an annoying point is that it takes a while for the camera to find the location - could be a couple of minutes or not at all - even in good weather.
In contrast, my iPhone 3G can display where I am in a second or two. I am assuming the speed is due to A-GPS which uses mobile phone towers as well as GPS.
Is LTE backward compatible?
The ST1000 is a non-US model number. It might be that the CL65 does not move to LTE until later.
The ST1000 (GPS) is a relatively new camera but has a large discount - RRP $549 but is on special now at $299 at an Australian electronics chain.
@Sparky
LTE is not backwards compatible but the phone will contain multiple radios for years to come. Verizon's will contain LTE + CDMA radios and maybe UMTS radios for some phones. GSM carriers will have LTE + UMTS + GSM radios for some time to come. Its going to get packed in there. We need software defined radios.
They probably didn't remove GPS, just because they don't write it on the top doesn't mean its gone. If anything, the LTE chip itself might have a GPS on die.