XT v Vodafone for the iPad

July 26th, 2010 at 6:57 pm by David Farrar

I like this aggressive little piece of comparative advertising, comparing the performance of two iPads – one on Telecom’s XT and one on Vodafone.

Basically XT kicks butt in the more rural locations, but also is faster even parked outside Vodafone’s HQ. It’s a smart wee video.

Now what I’d like to know is if other people can get the same results, as shown in the video. The speedtests should be easy to replicate.

Tags: iPad, Telecom, Vodafone

This entry was posted on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 6:57 pm and is filed under Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

19 Responses to “XT v Vodafone for the iPad”

Nigel (462) Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Mid day I was getting the cbd performance ( I am in bay of islands ) just over 2mbps, now it is .6mbps, being in the bay of islands no choice but to be telecom .
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Monty (868) Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Shame 2degrees are not offering a 3G service as well – no doubt they would be cheaper – are the rumours true about the imminent launch of the 2degrees 3G network?
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
gazzmaniac (1,634) Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
And everyone (bar me) was bagging XT 6 months ago. It is a superb network, comparable to the Telstra NextG network. Between that (on prepay) and 2degrees you have all the telecommunications you need in NZ, at a reasonable price.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Gavin Knight (81) Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
I’m switching my iPhone from Vodafone to Telecom XT and based on the single day test I did last week (moving my XT SIM from my Blackberry to my iPhone) the XT network is definitely faster, and my test as all metro Wellington … I intend to blog my results after a week or two of use
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
anonymouse (495) Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Given that the iPad is a 850/1900/2100 3G device, of course XT is going to stomp all over Vodafone for rural coverage. XT is 2100/850.

Once out of vodafone’s 2100 urban coverage, the Ipad is unable to use Vodafone’s 900 “3G Broadband extended”- which means the Ipad drops back to 2G speed.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
budgieboy (94) Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
Guys am I right in noticing there is NO AUDIO???

I have flicked through to you tube to double check and I still get NO AUDIO.

I quickly checked other vid’s on you tube and it seems my audio is working but if this is a technological ‘statement’ from Telecom then it is a bit of a let down to be sure.

Am I doing something wrong?
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Rich Prick (1,101) Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Why an iPad? I ask this question serriously. Is life too long for most?
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Fletch (4,314) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 12:33 am
At my folks’ place (rural), Vodafone coverage is really bad – one bar at most. My dad’s XT mobile has really great coverage there which is why I was really surprised that my Telecom T-stick (MF626) which uses the XT network, gets really lousy coverage in the same place. Is it something to do with the size of the device maybe?
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
peterwn (2,165) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 8:56 am
It would be no contest in Oban, Stewart Island. Vodafone is not there (at least last December) and XT broadband works very OK there.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
anonymouse (495) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 9:37 am
@peterwn. Still no Vodafone down there as at April this year
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Chthoniid (1,914) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 9:57 am
@Rich prick

Well, there are several reasons why an Ipad (or similar) appeals.

The first is I often get asked about my photography when hauling cameras about. & it would be nice to have something to showcase this work as per a decent slide-show.

Second, when I’m traveling, the camera gear takes up a lot of weight and a laptop means having to sacrifice a couple of lenses. A much lighter tablet computer means being able to have more stuff I really want.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Fletch (4,314) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Chthoniid, sounds ideal for you. I, on the other hand, don’t know really if I’d have a use for one. It would be more of a toy for me (and an expensive one at that). There was a news item on the other night with some people in India producing a similar tablet to the iPad, which would sell for only $35. That would be the way to go.

From online –

India’s human resource development minister Kapil Sibal unveiled the world’s cheapest “laptop” last week. The touch-screen computing device, designed for students, costs a mere $35. Sibal and his team aim to eventually lower the price to $10.

He said the device comes with several standard features—internet browsers, wi-fi, a PDF reader, and video conferencing capabilities—but its hardware was created with sufficient flexibility to incorporate new components according to user requirement.

The device was developed by research teams at India’s premier technological institutes, the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science.

India spends approximately 3% of its annual budget on school education and has improved its literacy rates to over 64% of its 1.2 billion population. However, studies have shown many students have difficulty reading or writing, and most state-run schools have inadequate facilities.

HERE is the same story from the NZ Herald

If a tablet can be produced to sell for $35 then Apple are well and truly ripping us off.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Alan Wilkinson (1,539) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 11:51 am
I use Vodafone data (non-3G) from the Bay of Islands and the response is very variable – from good to major drop-outs. However some of that seems to be the host websites rather than Vf.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Fletch (4,314) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
If you’re on a voda prepay plan like I am and using an iPhone or iPad, it’s worth getting Opera browser (FREE) because it compresses the graphics before they get to the device and can save data and loading times. Some pages will definitely look and function better on Safari though.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
RRM (7,263) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Fletch –

Sibal turned to students and professors at India’s elite technical universities to develop the US$35 tablet after receiving a “lukewarm” response from the private sector. He hopes to get the cost down to US$10 eventually.

Amazing what you can achieve when students are willing to work for you for free. I guess Apple are doing what they do because they want to actually make money?

The tablet does not have a hard disk, but instead uses a memory card, much like a mobile phone. The tablet design cuts hardware costs, and the use of open-source software also adds to savings.

So it’s not really the same thing.

Don’t get me wrong though, I think the $48 tablet is an awesome invention. Will be interesting to see which changes the world, that or the iPad.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Fletch (4,314) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
I don’t think the iPad has a hard drive either; it’s more like a giant iPhone.Of course, one would hope that the iPad is made better.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
OTGO (355) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I’m looking for a mobile internet device (MID) with a touchscreen that is smaller than an iPad. I’ve tried the iPad but it’s not sturdy enough and too big for the field application that we wish to run on the net. Something like this http://www.aceeca.com/home/index.php but with a browser. Any ideas?
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Fletch (4,314) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
OTGO, you’ve ruled out the iPhone I guess, because it will only run applications from the application store. Have you tried the iPAQ? I had an old H1930 somewhere running a Windows-based OS. The cheapest seems to be the HP 112 Classic from what I can see.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Fletch (4,314) Says:
July 27th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Not sure the iPAQ connects to the net through 3G though……
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Kiwiblog