What is Google Fi and what does it mean for Android & iOS equipment?

What is Google Fi and what does it mean for Android & iOS equipment?

Someone in m.p.m.i mentioned they use "Fi" so I looked it up since I live in the mountains above Google's Mountainview HQ...

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That page (and the four that fall below is) is so full of Marketing BS that it rivals those of Apple MARKETING. It's actually difficult to read, it's so disgustingly MARKETING oriented.

Nonetheless, watching the annoying video, it says Google partnered with the hardware phone makers and the carriers to create a network solution.

That they *start* with "finding trains" is disconcerting (who gives a shit about trains - I haven't been on a train in thirty years) and the *next* value is "streaming* your favorite songs (again, who gives a shit since you can *download* any song you want for free in seconds and songs don't take up any space percentagewise).

Listening further in the video, there is a line saying "prices that make sense" (um, ok - I like that, but prices for what?) and then "tech that just works" (heh heh ... we've heard *that* before)... what that means is it's likely *limited* like you can't believe - and always will mean that.

Yikes! That's it? That is Fi? It ends with "Join us". Holy cow.

That is fi? Naaaaaaah. Can't be. It didn't say *anything* anyone actually cares about. (trains? streaming songs?)

Whenever anyone says "it just works", what they mean is "morons love this stuff because it doesn't actually do anything MARKETING hasn't scripted for you!".

So, um, what is Fi?

Going *back* to the web page, the header line says it's "A new way to say hello".

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Uh, ok. That's pretty useless. New isn't better. It's just different. Or, maybe it's not even different. Being new is meaningless. Saying "hello" a new way is probably just as meaningless.

Reading on, Fi has four parts: a. The Network b. The Plan c. The Experience d. The Phones

Jeezus. Can't they just *say* what the f**c it is? Anyway, this is long so I'll take it up in another post.

Reply to
Horace Algier
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it means nothing for most android and all ios equipment since it's only supported on the nexus 5x, 6 & 6p.

english is hard.

Reply to
nospam

The first of the four things that "Fi is" is "Network". Reading that ...

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The bullet is: "Project Fi automatically connects to the best network"

Um. OK. Nothing wrong with that. So let's read on...

The next bullet is: "Tap into a network of networks"

Um. That's nice too. Nothing wrong with switching into the best network of networks it can find. So, um, that's nice to have....

Next bullet item: "Get access to multiple 4G LTE networks"

Ok. We're talking something concrete. This means Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc., I presume (whomever is best at the time)?

Finally, we get to what appears to be the value equation... "Project Fi intelligently connects you to the best network at your

OK. That's nice. Very nice (if it works). And if the cost isn't prohibitive.

They have a check-coverage map, which, when I popped in my address, showed a coverage map which seems pretty explicit when you zoom into your home:

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So, I guess the main point is that instead of just having either T-Mobile or Verizon, you get *both* T-Mobile *and* Verizon, and, presumably, WiFi networks in between.

If it works - and if the cost isn't prohibitive - that's nice. The devil is always in the details...

Reply to
Horace Algier

you guessed wrong.

or in comprehension.

Reply to
nospam

I realize that English is hard for you, which is why you can't describe what Google Fi is (which is the question, after all).

Reply to
Horace Algier

i can describe it quite well, as can other people, including those who wrote the web pages you've been having trouble with.

the problem is you don't understand much of anything.

Reply to
nospam

You are amazingly unhelpful.

Reply to
Horace Algier

So the coverage sucks horrifically, at least where I frequent near Mountainview, but even if the coverage were good, we still need to know what it is because it's four things:

  1. The Network (which we covered)
  2. The Plan
  3. The Experience
  4. The Phones

So moving on to "The Plan"...

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The first bullet is: "Sign up for our one simple plan"

Um, that's nice. I'm all for one simple plan.

Next bullet item: " Fi Basics for $20 per month "Our plan starts with the Fi Basics for $20 per month, which includes: unlimited domestic talk and text, unlimited international texts, ability to use your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, and coverage in 135+ destinations."

Um.... er.... ok. I have four phones with T-Mobile at $100/month with unlimited talk & text and 3.5GB data in each phone (no rollover). So, that's *cheaper* at $80/month but it has dismal coverage and no data...

Looking at data, we see: "It's always $10 per GB for data"

Well, that's interesting. I like that it's simple. And relatively cheap, since, in effect, I'm paying 100-80=20/month for data for 4 phones, which is $5/month for 3.5GB of data (most of which I never use).

I *like* the next bullet item: "Never pay for unused data"

Then they get into the math:

unused data"

And ... "Pay one rate for high speed international data around the world"

With T-Mobile, I already get unlimited International data in Europe, so, that's no big deal but it's nice to know that...

"In 135+ destinations, data usage costs the same $10 per GB as it does in

unlimited international texts. "

So, again, that's the same as my T-Mobile plan on the calls, which are 20 cents a minute when I'm in Europe calling either European numbers or calling the USA (or receiving calls from anywhere, since you pay on both ends).

So, overall, this "Plan" seems reasonably similar to mine with T-Mobile.

The price is "about the same" as my T-Mobile plan, but it's hard to judge because I don't use much data, so, without any data, the Fi plan is actually *cheaper* (by twenty bucks) than my T-Mobile plan.

Fi: Four phones: Presumably that's 80 bucks a month for phone, and who knows what for data. Let's say 20 bucks, overall, for data (there is one of the four consumers who uses a lot of data - the rest use none).

Assuming we ignore taxes and additional government fees... T-Mobile comes out to $100/month (actually) Project Fi comes out to $100/month (roughly)

So that's not bad, in that Project Fi doesn't seem to be more expensive. The coverage sucks - but that will only improve over time.

So it's worth keeping an eye on.

Reply to
Horace Algier

Obviously you can't, since that is the question.

Reply to
Horace Algier

So, "The Plan" seems simple enough at $20/phone for talk and text and whatever you use for data (assume $5/month) so that's the same as my current T-Mobile plan at $100/month for 4 phones with 3.5 GB of data per phone (non rollover).

The Google Fi coverage around home sucks but the coverage for T-Mobile data sucks also around home, so, that's pretty much a wash, I think. I do get a repeater from T-Mobile, and I fall back to WiFi anyway (using WISP since there is no cable or DSL available), so, I think coverage, while sucky, is a wash.

So, coverage is a wash. Price is a wash.

That's not bad - it's just not great. Now we move on to "The Experience".

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The first bullet item is: "One number to chat across networks and devices"

Hmmm... "chat"?. Who chats? Anyway, what's "one number" mean anyway? I already have "one number" for my cellphone, so to speak.

They don't explain. The next bullet item is: "Calls and texts over Wi-Fi for more coverage".

Um. OK. Everyone does that. I have WISP for WiFi at home, so, my calls go over that anyway. No big deal there as it's to be expected.

Next bullet item: "Calls transition seamlessly between Wi-Fi and cell networks"

Ok. That's nice. I've noticed that T-Mobile will *drop* a call that I make at home, and then when I drive down the driveway, it drops. Then I have to call again, and it connects on the cellular network. So if Google Fi does that switch, its' nice.

It's not critical - but it's nice to have. And it's better than what T-Mobile does.

Next bullet item is interesting... "Use your phone number with tablets and laptops too"

Hmmm.... at first it sounds intriguing ... but then you realize they are only talkinga about Google Hangouts (and probably Google Voice) so, that's no big deal. You can do that anyway. On any data/wifi network.

NOTE: I was in MARKETING for years. Whenever they run out of goodies, they start extoling things that are already there, becuase there is always a moron who is simply adding up features.

That's it. So, the only thing that you get with "The Experience" is that calls don't drop when you move from WiFi to Cellular.

I'd call "The Experience" a wash. Not bad. But nothing special.

Reply to
Horace Algier

Moving on to the last descriptive term for Google Fi, we get to: "The Phones"

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It looks like iOS is out of the question, upon first look since they list:

- $500 Nexus 6P (I have a $300 GSM Nexus 5 unused at the moment)

- $200 Nexus 5X (see above)

Um... er ... that's it? No other phones listed?

Just the two Nexus phones (neither of which I have)?

Oh well, that's the only thing that's a negative if that's the case. I'm sure all the *new* Nexus phones will support the Google Fi, but, overall, Fi is a wash over T-Mobile.

I'm sure Fi will get better - and the pricing is the same as T-Mobile (essentially) so it's good for competition.

Maybe it's more useful in the city? They did start with *trains* after all...

Reply to
Horace Algier

This is only my very first look at Google Fi, and all I read was their four MARKETING pages, but, what I intuited above seems to be the case, but I will look at your responses.

It seems to be a "city" tool, which is why they talk about "trains" (of all things) first and foremost. And it seems to be for the younger crowd, which is, I guess, why they talk about "streaming songs" secondly.

Does anyone stream songs? Why would you bother? You can download any song you want in a few seconds. Then you can *play* that song with or without the Internet. Why would you stream something that puny?

I mean, streaming video makes sense (even though you can easily download almost any video you want - but it's harder to download video - especially on iOS which doesn't allow torrents) - in that it takes longer than a few seconds and it takes up a lot more space.

But streaming songs? Who would bother when downloading them is trivial and fast already?

Anyway, I do like the *prices that make sense*, in that the pricing is

*simple* (which is one reason I liked T-Mobile initially) but the pricing is merely competitive, as in "about the same" as T-Mobile for the same thing.

So coverage is all important. The Google Fi coverage sucks where I live above Mountainview, but, T-Mobile coverage sucks just as much so that's a wash.

In the city, I'm sure the coverage is fine (but so is T-Mobile's coverage).

So, in the end, unless someone pops in with some tremendous value equation of Google Fi over T-Mobile, I don't see it as worse, nor better - but just about the same (with the exception that the phones are the limiting factor).

Reply to
Horace Algier

So? The same applies to Verizon with WiFi or VoLTE calls.

Reply to
Savageduck

you have to be inside google's walled garden for it to work.

three phones.

there aren't going to be any new 'nexus' phones.

Reply to
nospam

I don't know what VOLTE is, so, googling... VoLTE: What it is and why should you use it? | Android Central

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It's just voice over LTE, so, I guess that's the same, effectively, as voice over any other kind of data connection (only faster - but who cares if voice is faster?).

Oh, ok. It's the *bandwidth" that matters ... "thanks to VoLTE is the ability to use more bandwidth to make phone calls with higher quality audio traveling both ways. When you are on a call with someone else who is using VoLTE, you immediately notice the difference in call quality on both ends. You'll also notice the calls connect faster if you are calling someone near you, and while that's not a feature worth bragging about it's a cool thing to test for yourself."

Anyway, when I'm on T-Mobile WiFI at home, and I drive down the driveway, as soon as I lose my WiFi signal, I lose the phone call. Every time.

Then I can call back, and it's fine (becuase then I'm on cellular) but the point is that switching between the two doesn't happen with my T-Mobile connection.

Are you saying your *verizon* connection *does* easily switch between the two? If so, that's a plus.

Reply to
Horace Algier

you don't know what a lot of things are.

no.

whoosh.

Reply to
nospam

You're always exceptionally unhelpful.

Reply to
Horace Algier

nope. i'm quite helpful, it's just that you're always exceptionally dense and any suggestions or explanations sail *way* over your head.

Reply to
nospam

It's kinda difficult to explain. It's not quite "Wi-Fi Calling" which is what the various carriers are offering. The simplest explanation is that it's a VoIP service, that uses Wi-Fi to connect to the PSTN (public switched telephone network), with Android based software that switches automagically to one of the wireless carriers if the Wi-Fi signal craps out. Kinda like "Wi-Fi Calling" but backwards with a multi-network switch attached (run by Google).

One of my friends has a Nexus 5X with Google Fi. When she's visiting, all her calls (in, out, and SMS) arrive via my Wi-Fi router.

"Project Fi Revisited: 6 months with Google's Weird wireless service"

"Nexus plus Project Fi: Should you sign up for Google's wireless service?" Read the section on "Understanding Project Fi".

FAQ:

"How to Enable Wi-Fi Calling on an Android Phone"

Incidentally, one fly in the ointment has been xfinitywifi. For some unknown reason, many wireless devices and phones prefer to connect to SSID=xfinitywifi first. Without a Comcast account, the connection just sits there waiting for a login and password. When my friend arrives, the first thing I have to do is make sure its Wi-Fi is connected to my router, not to the neighbors xfinitywifi connection.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Thanks Jeff for the links, as they were helpful, as was this simple summary above!

Reply to
Horace Algier

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