NetZero HiSpeed 3G Email Conversation

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Internet

So, a few weeks ago I made a post where I discussed the Netzero HiSpeed 3G commercial that I saw while watching TV. I called out NetZero for the way they were promoting the service, saying that you won’t believe it isn’t broadband. I then searched their site for the Terms of Service, and posted them to Gear Live.  I pointed out how it basically sped up text transfer and images. Basically, none of the things that people get broadband for in the first place - multimedia streaming, downloads, VOIP, etc. - had any different on NetZero 3G. I also stated that the 3G term was misleading, as many understand it to be a truly broadband way of transferring data. Well, Peter Delgrosso took offense to the post. He works with NetZero, and pointed out his stance on the situation. I responded, offering to review the service and give an honest opinion - he never wrote back. Below you can read our email exchange:

Hi Andru,

I would just like to clarify two points in yesterday’s NetZero HiSpeed 3G review you wrote.  #1, NetZero’s claims as the fastest dial-up service on the market today have been validated by the leading software testing lab VeriTest.  As a result, it does give users a broadband like feel.  #2, you mention we’re only caching text, which is not accurate, the technology has been developed over the years to utilize caching and compression technologies along with other various proprietary techniques to accelerate
Web pages (HTML markup and JavaScript), graphics including JPEG and GIF images, Text, and email including POP3 and Email on the Web.  If you’re interested in a trial account so you could try out the service for yourself, please just let me know.  I’d be happy to arrange it.  Thank you.

Peter Delgrosso
VP, Corporate Communications
United Online, Inc.

My response followed:

Hi there Peter,

I was specifically referring to the terms from the NetZero HiSpeed 3G site. Looking at it, it disqualifies just about everything that people expect from broadband. Most people don’t get broadband service so that it speeds up the loading of text. It is for the music, video, and other multimedia aspects, which 3G does not support. Now, even if it isnt just caching and pre-fecthing, it still is only limited to text and images. Are the images downgraded in quality to support the higher speeds?

I would be happy to make corrections and/or let people know exactly what they can expect with the service. Heck, I would even be willing to give it a test if you would like me to. I will give it a fair shot.

Also, what does the 3G stand for? I can see many confusing that with the broadband 3G term.

Andru Edwards
Editor-in-Chief
Gear Live

Since then, I figured out that 3G stands for Third Generation. Anyone use NetZero HiSpeed 3G yet? Any thoughts?