[coriordan]

OK, so I wasnt 100% sure where to put this, but here seems to be vaguely relevant.

I was in the pub last night with a friend who has the 8520, and we were comparing speeds of internet and Google Maps.

He's on vodaphone (UK) and had 3 bars reception of EDGE and i'm on T-mob and had 1 bar GPRS.

It seems that his google maps loads maps far faster than mine. My phone was originally on orange and now unlocked and moved to T mobile. I had some trouble getting the BB package all sorted, but now the internet works....albeit slowly and BBM works without hitches.

Could this be because my BB isnt optimised for T-Mob internet settings or is it because he has a new BB so has faster 3G? internet?

I thought the 8900 was able to provide on-the-fly GPS, but mine definitely couldnt do that unless I already had the map loaded, but even then, the satellite isn't really that quick at picking up my location so if I was moving in a car, it wouldn't be that great.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[MidnightDraven]

Neither the 8900 or the 8520 have 3G.
EDGE is slightly faster (termed 2.5G) whereas GPRS is merely 2G.
Plus he had 3 bars, you had 1.
That's why he was faster (more signal, using a slightly faster connection).

[Dubdub]

And keep in mind, to get good GPS signals, you need to be outside with a clear view of the sky, not inside. The device needs to "see " the satellites to lock on, especially if it has been a while since you used it last.

[coriordan]

OK, thanks very much for your help.

So then why does my phone rarely (never) get the 2.5G EDGE reception? I'm based in London, so I can't believe its due to aerials. Even if the GPS can spot me, I assume the actual maps are downloaded via the internet.

Surely I should be connected to the faster reception most, if not all of the time?

Also, sometimes it says GPRS in upper and sometimes gprs in lower case. Is there a difference here?


If it helps, I think it might be something to do with the fact it was on Orange and I recently unlocked it and have a t-mob sim card in it. Are there any settings on the handset I need to adjust/request from T-Mob? - I have the BB package (for BBM and unlimited internet)

Thanks for any help

[MidnightDraven]

Not all Uk networks operate an EDGE network, some went from GPRS to 3G, whereas some implemented EDGE before 3G was available. I'm unsure whether T-mobile actually operate an EDGE network. Ive never had EDGE when I was on t-mobile.

Yes, GPRS = data access, gprs = NO data access

Nope, no settings.