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Just saw an AT&T commercial saying that on Verizon you can’t surf the web and talk at the same time but on AT&T you can. HUH?

I’m a Droid user and I can surf the web, check email, and use GPS navigation at the same time as well as running any other app I want and it all works. So isn’t this clearly false advertising? I’ve never owned an iPhone but I thought it was the one that couldn’t multitask. Have they fixed that?

UPDATE: Whoops! I swear I remember it did work – but I just tried it and it didn’t work. I wonder if the last “upgrade” screwed it up. I’m going to do more testing.

UPDATE2: Further investigation. The reason I thought it worked was that I had a WIFI connection to the Internet. You can surf and talk at the same time if you have WIFI. So – it appears that AT&T is correct and I’m now disappointed in Verizon.




  1. Waltersobchack says:

    Marc Perkel you added two updates, why not change the title to reflect your findings?

    Perhaps something like “AT&T’s True Advertising- Disappointed in Verizon”.

    Not trying to be a dick but just a thought for some added integrity since your question could have been answered with a few minutes on the google instead of posting a false adverstising claim with a question mark.

    Either way at least you posted updates to somewhat set the record straight.

  2. rctaylor says:

    To me the choice still comes down to coverage. Verizon now practically owns my area since they bought Alltel. It’s CDMA or about five square miles in the center of town. AT&T choose to chase the dense market areas for data, which is probably a good idea. Most people I know in this area goes for the freebie phone with a contract. I’ll pickup an Android based phone when my contract is up in Feb.. I hope they have one without the slide keyboard by then, but still a large screen.

  3. KMFIX says:

    Headline should be changed..

    I bet Verison will upgrade what ever needs to be upgraded to make this happen, so when they have the iPhone, it will work.

  4. Father says:

    KMFIX, there may be the need to buy a new phone to upgrade to the upcoming LTE Standard, if I understand currectly. There is a lot to read about the new standards, and it has been a few weeks since I last researched the issues. Start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G.

    Really, people should consider waiting for 4G before spending a lot if money on a new smartphone.

  5. jeroen says:

    Marc Perkel

    please make yourself known with CDMA and GSM-technologies before you try and pretend to be a tech journalist!

  6. Barack McCain says:

    Just amateurish journalism. In the future, do your research first; Journalism 101.

  7. BigBoyBC says:

    What difference does any of this make? It’s a issue that a software update may resolve.

    AT&T is just grasping at straws to get back at Verizon because of the beating their taking from the Verizon 3G map adverts.

    Which is a issue AT&T can’t easily resolve.

  8. A Nony Mouse says:

    Dumbass Perkel. I called you on this on your first Droid post. Good job!

  9. Uncle Patso says:

    Anyone else remember Miss Emily Litella from the old Saturday Night Live?

    “Never mind!”

  10. Hmeyers says:

    Don’t knock Perkel, he did the honorable thing and updated his article with corrections.

    Everyone makes mistakes.

    I mean, it is a little funny some of his blog entries that were mistaken (“Forever stamps” he was wrong, for instance).

    Show me someone who doesn’t make mistakes and I’ll show you someone who never does anything 😉

  11. LOWER CASE SCREEN NAME says:

    #34 – It’ll be a couple of years before any 4G network is rolled out enough to matter. By then we’ll all need new phones to handle other tech changes that will have happened. I wouldn’t hold off on a smart phone now.

    Anyone can cover cities. The reason Verizon’s network is superior is they cover the areas that matter: non-cities. Cities are disgusting places we are forced to go into at times. We need data coverage where life is worth living.

  12. Gilberto says:

    That was on Twit a few weeks ago John!

  13. Sea Lawyer says:

    This is the same story if you are using EDGE on AT&T (as the original iPhone did) – You can’t use voice and data at the same time.

  14. Pegoto says:

    FAIL!

    Anyway, its not a fight between Driod and iPhone, it is CDMA vs GSM. CDMA is crap and GSM FTW.

  15. vw says:

    Actually EVDO allows for simultaneous voice and data, but neither sprint nor verizon has implemented it, instead putting their energies into better networks.

  16. Slavencia says:

    I had someone tell me they can surf the web and be on a call at the same time with the sprint network a few days ago. I also called Sprint who said this capability has been available for a few months on the Sprint network. Does anyone know if this is true? I saw the press release on the cdma tech website that said this was coming soon dated Aug 17 2009 with EVDO Rev A and 1x on cdma network but found nothing else. Did sprint already get this upgrade with no big buzz about it? Or maybe this Spint user was just connected to a wi-fi network.

  17. laughing at you says:

    Wow…with an iphone you can talk and surf….. on the slowest wireless network available. No thanks, got rid of my iphone and at&t and found out how much I was missing out on using iphone.


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