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View Poll Results: Is 3G on the BOLD a myth?
Yes! It's a useless gimmick 7 9.86%
No! I love it and it's a huge improvement over 2G 46 64.79%
No! It's faster, but not much faster 18 25.35%
Voters: 71. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 09-08-2008, 05:30 PM   #21
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Very interesting. Have any of you claiming EDGE is faster... ever used any other 3G device than the Bold? I have both a BlackJack & an HTC 8525; both 3G devices but not BlackBerry. The 3G network of AT&T is significantly faster than EDGE in those devices. Any number of different speed tests have been run against those devices. I personally have seen close to 1mbt per second downloads.

Now.... this is the first 3G on GSM networks for RIM. And there may or may not be some performance issues with it depending on which story you read. But yet.. the finger is pointed at AT&T being the problem. Yet others point to Rogers as the problem. Or O2. Or Orange. Hmmm... seems the common element here is.... the Bold.

Now, when 3G first hit a couple of years ago, there were a number of performance issues .... with all kinds of devices. Now, we don't hear about them..... except for the Bold. Now AT&T lived through all of those. Including issues with the BlackJack and 8525. Several radio revisions later, both work fine. And we wonder why AT&T has held the Bold back? Burned once, twice shy?

I'm not casting stones at RIM in any way. But I would come a bit closer to looking at the Bold radio code being suspect than claiming the carriers are the problem. Hmmm.. seems I saw similar complaints about ANOTHER first edition 3G phone as well.

I'm willing to give both RIM & Apple a chance to work out their radio code to get the 3G up to par with all the other vendors out there. I know I went through like 8 iterations of radio code on the 8525 till one really was stable and reliable. I suspect we will see several releases from RIM and Apple both over the next 6 months.

This ain't my first rodeo. It ain't AT&Ts either.
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Old 09-08-2008, 08:28 PM   #22
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I am using bold .134, and i do agree that 3G is not waow factor vs 2G, it is faster... but not what i expected it to be, or not up to what the advertisement of 3G...

My friend told me that by tethering you can see a huge difference, i'm going to try that this week when i get my new laptop x300 =D.
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Old 09-08-2008, 08:53 PM   #23
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I can attest to that. Tethering is where the heart of 3G action is. One of the key reasons for going with the Bold for me was the ability to tether (and have concurrent access to voice and data).

I have a Sprint data card now. My contract is up in a month or so. At which time, I am thinking of getting rid of it and staying with AT&T for voice + data + tethered modem. I will admit that AT&T 3G network is no match for Sprint's EVDO network. But for $60 less I think I can live with it!
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Old 09-08-2008, 09:51 PM   #24
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I think the BOLD's browser is hella slow, that's not the network's fault, but the software's problem. I have tethered my BB to my PC and can achieve some pretty decent speeds (I would say between 20-30kb/s) compared to EDGE with my curve, which renders Citrix basically unusable. 3G is much faster, but the browser on the bold needs to be addressed, and I think it is going to be soon.
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Old 09-09-2008, 06:39 AM   #25
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Hi all,

Well as always a lot depends on what the Network you are on delivers and in reality the difference between EDGE and 3G is only approximately 100kbps odd. Where there really is a huge difference is between EDGE and HSDPA as that offers 10-12 times the speed with up to 3.6mbps that delivers around 2.2mbps if your lucky. Although this speed is being improved as some 7.2mbps supporting devices appear and the Networks increase support for greater speeds as well.

Here in the UK we are spoiled with good to great 3G/HSDPA in most places and this was one of the reasons why until the Bold i couldn't even consider a BB data compression or not a EDGE equipped BB or a 3G/HSDPA Nokia was just no contest.


But as i said there are two parts to the equation the device you use and the support and coverage your Network gives and you need both to see the best results.

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Old 09-15-2008, 02:15 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JasonHDD View Post
The cause is the fact that most of the 3G network in Canada(Rogers) is on 850MHz, whereas most of the US is on 1900MHz. However, the areas in the US that utilize the 850MHz frequency, 3G service is very fast and of the best quality. There is a big difference in 3G and EDGE, regardless of location. Also note that speeds people in North America are experiencing is just a portion of what 3G technology actually has to offer.
I agree with you 100%. If my 3G was only a little faster I would say so as it really does not make that much difference to me as I do very little internet.

My email and phone calls do not arrive any faster though I do nitice a better call quality.

The little I do use the internet is for the NexRad radar map which is my home screen on my browser. It loads WAY faster than my Curve or 8820 did on EDGE. I am getting the full radar map for my location genereated and displayed in 6-8 seconds. My Curve or 8820 took 20+ and even as long as 30 seconds to do the same. In my book that is not just quicker, but MUCH QUICKER!
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Old 09-15-2008, 02:36 PM   #27
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I have an unlocked Rogers 9000 on AT&T in the USA. It replaced my 8310.

I also have an iPhone 3G on AT&T USA. I used to have the original iPhone on T-Mobile.

3G is a huge improvement on both the Bold and iPhone. I can open email attachments MUCH quicker on my Bold (vs my Curve), and programs like Google Maps would much quicker.

I have to say that 3G seems a little quicker on my iPhone than my Bold, but regardless, it is a huge improvement over EDGE.
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Old 09-15-2008, 02:51 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgsx View Post
I have an unlocked Rogers 9000 on AT&T in the USA. It replaced my 8310.

I also have an iPhone 3G on AT&T USA. I used to have the original iPhone on T-Mobile.

3G is a huge improvement on both the Bold and iPhone. I can open email attachments MUCH quicker on my Bold (vs my Curve), and programs like Google Maps would much quicker.

I have to say that 3G seems a little quicker on my iPhone than my Bold, but regardless, it is a huge improvement over EDGE.
For those of you who find 3G fast- can you please post your browser settings?

Thank you!
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Old 09-15-2008, 05:00 PM   #29
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So far only one vote for 3G being a usless gimmick.

The majority of most users ARE finding the 3G to really be faster than their old EDGE.

The only reason I can figure is location as I am using all the factory settings and original OS that came on my Rogers Bold.

Sorry yours is not

Last edited by greggebhardt; 09-15-2008 at 05:14 PM..
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Old 09-15-2008, 05:42 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgsx View Post
I have an unlocked Rogers 9000 on AT&T in the USA. It replaced my 8310.

I also have an iPhone 3G on AT&T USA. I used to have the original iPhone on T-Mobile.

3G is a huge improvement on both the Bold and iPhone. I can open email attachments MUCH quicker on my Bold (vs my Curve), and programs like Google Maps would much quicker.
Don't forget that the OP said what we all know to be true: the speed has a lot to do with the device, not just the network. Just think of WiFi. Fast network, fast dls on a pc, but very slow on a Curve. The Bold's a faster device than a Curve, EDGE or 3G, Rogers or ATT. It's pretty simple. The Javelin will be way faster than the Curve, maybe close to as fast as the Bold for many things. It depends on what you're downloading and what browser you use too. It's not merely the 3G network. Personally I see many people being disappointed in 3G because they think it'll be like highspeed internet that they're used to. No way.
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Old 09-16-2008, 06:08 AM   #31
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If people are going to compare 3G to EVDO, there nuts! I think 3G got rushed out to quick, and like Greg said, it all depends on where you live.
The iphone in NYC is a disaster when it comes to 3G, everyone I know that has it, has problems. EVDO on my 8800 series running on Verizon is way quicker then my Curve running on at&t. However a GSM 8800 running on at&t is only a tiny bit slower then the CDMA Verizon version.

The processor plays a big part here! In my opinion, at&t has a lot of fixing to do with getting 3G really ready for prime time. It's just to unstable in certain areas of NYC. Right now, I'll take EDGE over 3G. It's just been way more dependable and stable over here in the Big Apple!
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Old 09-16-2008, 07:34 AM   #32
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Hope everyone enjoys there Bold.

Sorry if I offended anyone, just time to say goodbye!
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Old 09-16-2008, 10:09 AM   #33
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What I love about 3g more than everything is concurrent voice and data. When I am on long conference calls on my Blackberry, many times without a laptop. In the pre-Bold days I used to have to wait till the call got over to check emails. Relevant emails wouldn't come in and I would miss out on them. Those days are history!
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Old 09-16-2008, 10:18 AM   #34
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Tethered modem with concurrent voice is great too. What I have not tried yet is if concurrent use of Bluetooth tethering and a Bluetooth headset will work or not. I suspect it will not as the device can only pair with one device at a time.

By the way Bluetooth tethering drains the battery very badly. So make sure you have it connected to an AC adapter. Which defeats the purpose of wireless tethering
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Old 09-16-2008, 11:35 AM   #35
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I definately do notice a difference between 2G and 3G however i cannot comment on EDGE mainly due to the fact being that i haven't owned a device and been with a network that has EDGE coverage... I've noticed that EDGE coverage isn't all that great where i'm from and where i've travelled to, in and around the central belt of Scotland...

It tends to be just GSM, GPRS & 3G... I had a Nokia N95 before i got my first Blackberry and after a software update on it i was registering 3.5G when clicking on URL and download links - surely with the Bold having near enough if not total complete identical spec to the N95 there's a possibility for 3.5G?
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Old 09-16-2008, 05:09 PM   #36
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I've been using 2G on Rogers lately. It cuts down on the battery drain and also doesn't drop as many calls. The speed is virtually identical to 3G!

Can anyone else confirm this? I think that Rogers is basically full of s**t. With all due respect to Greg and Co. perhaps ATT's network is faster but I don't think it's any quicker on our 3G.

Thoughts?
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Old 09-16-2008, 06:01 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by torberry View Post
I've been using 2G on Rogers lately. It cuts down on the battery drain and also doesn't drop as many calls. The speed is virtually identical to 3G!

Can anyone else confirm this? I think that Rogers is basically full of s**t. With all due respect to Greg and Co. perhaps ATT's network is faster but I don't think it's any quicker on our 3G.

Thoughts?
It may be your location, currently Rogers only has a limited amount of 3G coverage. Within Brampton, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington areas I havn't had any dropped calls as of yet and been in constant 3G Service.

I have also noticed an increase in speed when it comes to internet.

I have had my Bold since Saturday and have been using it fairly high throughout that time. Also, (as indicated in a previous thread), I am getting through the days on a battery charge while in 3G, with Bluetooth and WiFi service turned on. Yesterday I had 35% battery charge at the end of the day.

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Old 09-18-2008, 12:13 AM   #38
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HAHAHA, I'm at a Severe disadvantage. Not only do I live in the U. S. , but my 3G device is an Iphone. I realize that I have no right to even speak, let alone have an opinion, but there IS a major difference between 3G and Edge!
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Old 10-03-2008, 02:56 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ikasen View Post
HAHAHA, I'm at a Severe disadvantage. Not only do I live in the U. S. , but my 3G device is an Iphone. I realize that I have no right to even speak, let alone have an opinion, but there IS a major difference between 3G and Edge!
A little over-sensitive, are we?! There's no need to over-react, we're all just expressing our opinions.

Personally, I also live in the US and have two Blackberries - I have the 8700g through work which is on T-Mobile and just got the BB Bold (unlocked Rogers version) for personal use which I'm using on AT&T. The 8700g is of course 2G only. Using them both for the last couple of weeks, I have to say that I haven't noticed a huge difference in browsing speeds. If I had to quantify, I'd say 3G is about 50% faster which sounds like a LOT but the 8700g is hellishly slow at downloading web pages to begin with, so although it's a noticeable improvement, it's not lightning fast like I was expecting (maybe I was expecting too much). And I live in Manhattan which I was assured is well set up for 3G. I dunno, maybe AT&T's network is to blame.
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Old 10-04-2008, 12:00 AM   #40
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Wirelessly posted

in my usage 3g is markedly faster.
Wether I'm surfing or pulling attachments via email or sending email with attachments
The call quality I also find better on 3g

Let's not forget. Being able to talk and pin @ the same time is addictive. Lol
Or talking and looking up a movie listing @ the same time.
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