4G service and a 3G iPad

No, the current iPad cannot use any "4G" service. That would require new hardware and would not be something achievable via a firmware upgrade.

Regards.

Not a direct answer to what I think you are asking but...
I have 4G service from Sprint. My cell phone can act as a hotspot so my iPad can indirectly use Sprint's 4G network through my phone's connection.

Fabrique wrote:
Is that better than using the native 3G connectivity? Or does it end up being a wash by the time the cellphone charges its electrical overhead?

I don't understand "...by the time the cellphone charges its electrical overhead?"

4G is faster than 3G by a lot. If there is "overhead" (I assume you mean the extra nanometers the bits have to travel) I don't think it will be distinguishable by you.

Technically, Sprint is not 4G and coverage is limited to a few major metro areas. They are being a little misleading and are actually WiMax which is closer to 3.5G speeds.

Tamara wrote:
Technically, Sprint is not 4G and coverage is limited to a few major metro areas. They are being a little misleading and are actually WiMax which is closer to 3.5G speeds.

You are correct "Technically" except I don't know what "3.5G speeds" are. There are no 4G networks available.

But here is a definition of 4G http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G and from that link here is a statement saying it is acceptable to use 4G when referring to wiMax and LTE networks.

On December 6th, 2010, ITU announced that current versions of LTE, WiMax and other evolved 3G technologies that do not fulfull "IMT-Advanced" requirements could be considered "4G", provided they represent forerunners to IMT-Advanced and "a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed."

I get 9-10 mbps on 4G from Sprint.

I have tested it at cnet speed test.

I only get about 2mbps on 3G, so I'd say there is a HUGE difference. Even if it's not technically 4G according to you.

I actually play online xbox games like call of duty over my wifi hotspot from my phone.

newIpadOwner wrote:
I get 9-10 mbps on 4G from Sprint.

I have tested it at cnet speed test.

I only get about 2mbps on 3G, so I'd say there is a HUGE difference. Even if it's not technically 4G according to you.

I actually play online xbox games like call of duty over my wifi hotspot from my phone.

Are you sure you wanted to reply to me? I have 4G from Sprint and said so above. It was another poster who pointed out that technically Sprint does not have 4G. I then provided a quote that says it is OK to refer to wiMax and other networks as 4G.

In some areas, ATT has upgraded to 3.5G which is somewhere around 7.5mbits.

In FL, Sprint Wimax is only useful if you live in one of 4 places (Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville). Anywhere else and you're out of luck so it's not terribly useful as a wifi hotspot.

Tamara wrote:
In some areas, ATT has upgraded to 3.5G which is somewhere around 7.5mbits.

In FL, Sprint Wimax is only useful if you live in one of 4 places (Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville). Anywhere else and you're out of luck so it's not terribly useful as a wifi hotspot.

Sprint 4G automatically falls back to 3G if the 4G connection is lost. So it is excellent as a hotspot. Fast 4G when available, fall back to 3G when necessary.

The iPad doesn't have a 4G chip because the cell companies have not agreed on a 4G standard yet. Sprint is doing their own thing and Verizon is doing something completely different and ATT hasn't started a 4G rollout yet. Since there is no standard, there is no point to Apple doing the engineering yet.

In addition to the low coverage with any "4G" network at this time, reports also indicate that existing "4G" chipsets, particularly those for LTE, consume too much power. That's why the LTE phones you've seen announced or released are so large; they take larger batteries to make up for the poorer power consumption capabilities of the LTE chipsets. I would wager that we won't see any 4G devices from Apple until a new generation of chipsets come out with lower power consumption.

Regards.

So that's why 4G cellphones are so **** big. I joke with a girl at my work that her phone is so big, she should throw straps on it and carry it on her back like a backpack. Now I now why...
Sly