Comments on: Clearification: Why I Hate XOHM

By: Steven Schulman

Steven Schulman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:31:57 +0000

I bought XOHM a week ago. I am 1/2 mile from three towers. It turns out that I can get between 1 flashing bar and 1 solid bar, or about 1.5 megabits (I get 7.5 from Comcast cable). I also can’t seem to find anywhere that the USB card works (I bought the 2 for $50 plan).
The people I have talked to have been extremely nice, but the product, at the current time, sucks. Unfortunately I went past my 7 day trial since I gave them time to try to get it to work, so I’m stuck with the modems.

By: jan1jan1

jan1jan1 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:04:33 +0000

Being a techie with quite a bit of GSM/CDMA/HSDPA (2G/3G) implementation experience I can tell you that Clear (the new name for XOHM) is doing well. Usually new technologies take ages to get working, but WiMAX works fine where there is coverage. That, believe it or not, is hard to accomplish! HSDPA was performing much worse when we offered commercially at first back then.
Perhaps the only thing I would blame Clear is that they have not learned from mistakes of other wireless providers and kept the service in Beta for some time whilst buil;ding up coverage, offering free access but selling devices to get some cashflow. (This is what the Russian WiMAX provider Scartel has succesfully done with their brand Yota).
Go Clear, it is in the benefit of all that new wireless technologies (WiMAX or LTE or others to follow) are rolling out so smooth!

By: Fred

Fred — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:25:02 +0000

This is probably why they are working on making a USB device available that can switch to 3G in areas where 4G WiMax signal is not available.

If you are going to critisize a new service you should be more accurate and say that it is more of a signal issue and not a WiMAX issue. At the higher frequencies there are issues with those pesky laws of physics!

By: Alphie

Alphie — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:11:30 +0000

Ok this is imprtant. I totally agree this is a possible disaster. I have been following this wimax xohm baltimore launch since almost a year ago and I still haven’t tried the service yet, for this very reason. where I live, there is signal/coverage less than a halfamile away and the commute to school( what a bitch) is a huge reason I want a “better” mobile device, but I am all about efficiency, you know, getting the best out of my device at all times, if not then most of the time. I am totally willing to invest in xohm, I just feel like they should be better job at assuring coverage. The generalized “hotspot city” is unacceptable b/c of exp like rob jackson’s. I appreciate two different sides of the coin. I mean I don’t wanna be smack dab downtown and my mobile device or laptop gets no signal! wtf That’s like saying ” here pay me $650, we’ll go downtown, but you can’t go inside, you can’t enjoy the waterview, or anything else that makes baltimore unique and majestic.” so I can basically only use you when I smoke, if I’m a hot location. that’s like meeting a someone at a nightclub who only wants to go to the nightclub for dates, well no, it’s worse than that, at least I’ll get some booty from a clubber.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:41:31 +0000

What an idiot… Some people just do not take the time to think before they speak, or in this case write. And then they have to blabber on and on to try to cover their tails. I for one am a loyal reader of Phandroid Mr. Jackson. I enjoy your articles and check back daily. I am also interested in what type of comment moderation system you use on your blog.

By: Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:49:58 +0000

It’s called comment moderation to reduce spam. Despite your criticism, I still allowed it. On another article, I deleted a comment for racist slurs/comments. I apologize for not refreshing my comments every 30 seconds to make sure all the trolling comments get published as quickly and easily as yours.

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:37:22 +0000

I like the way you backdated the comment. It was not present when I originally posted my second one. So much for freedom of the press. What’s next? Are you going to start censuring me?

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:28:27 +0000

What kind of insight is this? You merely told a little anecdote about your weekend and whined about cell service. If people really found this post insightful they would reply with words of encouragement and stroke your little ego.

By: Alan Wilensky

Alan Wilensky — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:36:08 +0000

Some architectural glass used in big construction is metalized, and can interfere with ghz range signals. Still, coverage should have been addressed in a venue that prominent. Keep up the good reporting.

By: Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:48:21 +0000

And instead of starting phandroid, I probably should have just sent google an email, thanking them for making Android… amazingly enough, there are people that enjoy this type of insight, especially when Clearwire is an upcoming mobile connectivity service in which GOOGLE has a stake which could, potentially, be used in conjunction with Android handsets.

BTW: you are whining about my whining. so… ironic much?

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:42:41 +0000

You are one of the whiniest people to ever post on the web. Why don’t you grow a pair and report your problems to Sprint instead of cry about it all day?