Hello everyone, I have a question on 3G, hopefully not too simple for the followers of this forum. I am due for a new phone from AT&T as my contract has less than 2 months left on it. I have been doing some research and I have narrowed my search down to 3 or 4 phones of which 2 are 3G. However I am not exactly sure on what 3G would add to a phone's voice capabilities. I know that it helps with the data download speeds quiet a bit but does it also improve the call quality or will the phone be able to make and receive calls where it wouldn't be able to if it was on EDGE or any other older platform? I am not a heavy user of the internet via my cell phone as I am rarely more than a few steps away from a hotspot and my laptop. Needless to say if the only contribution of 3G is in the way of improving the data speeds, it would hardly be useful for me but the call quality is crucial factor for me as I conduct most of my business on my cell phone. (on average 3000+ minutes per month) If anyone would be so kind and take the time to enlighten me on this issue, I would be very grateful. ~Dave
Hey gunar, Hopefully, i can answer your question. 3G handles both voice calls and data. The phones are still compatible with EDGE & GPRS, so you'll be able to make calls in areas where 3G isn't available. The call quality is about the same on 3G. There are still alot of bugs that still need to be worked out w/ ATTs 3G network before I would take the plunge. One of which is dropped calls. Often times when you move between 3G and 2G areas, the calls wont switch properly between the two networks. You said that voice calls are the most important thing, and if you run a business, the last thing you need is a disconnection between you and a client. In 2008 ATT will agressively expand the 3G network to compete with Verizon & Sprint, and the dropped call problem will (hopefully) go away. Since you do not use data extensively I wouldn't worry about jumping on the 3G bandwagon just yet.
I think the problems of switching calls between GSM / UMTS is pretty much a thing of the past. It was a problem with the earlier phones, but I have not had a repeat of that issue with my new 3G phone. I would recommend a GSM phone as well though, as this is being used heavily for business voice calls and no data. GSM phones (and 3G phones forced into GSM mode) have longer talk and standby times. -Jay
I would go with the 3G phone. ATT has had some issue in Cali with combining ATT wireless and Cingular and the call quality issues between the two in high population areas. Plus with the new 3G phones most of them can be locked to either 3G only or GSM only (2.75G) So if you do have handoff problems you can lock it to either system based on coverage in your area.
I agree Jay, I haven't had any issues with handoffs between 2G & 3G with my V3xx and it's better to go with a 3G phone now anyhow since it's the future. I know if you get the V3xx you can not easily switch between 2G & 3G, you need to do some mods to it. My LG CU400 I got the code here & it's very simple to do & actually with that phone there is a difference between the two, with 2G being better on calls & holding the signal better (I think that's due to 3G being on 1900 here and 2G being on the 850 band)
My sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my posting. It sounds like some of the issues with the voice portion of the service has been worked out and it may be a good idea to move on to the 3G platform since it has some benefit in call quality as well as the data speeds. I do have a follow up question, which has to do with the actual handset. During my research I have come across the Treo 750 as the only handset that offers Quad Band and 850/1900/2100 UMTS (which is I think what 3G operates on) however my only problem with this handset is the fact that it is Windows based. It is just a personal preference so if I can find another device which will offer the same frequencies, I will probably choose the latter. The reason why I need 2100 band is the fact that I travel back to Europe frequently enough that it would be beneficial. Does anyone know if there is another device out there which offers all 3 of the 3G frequencies? Any input on this will also be greatly appreciated!
Gunar, the Treo 750 is not the only handset that at&t offers that has the triband UMTS, the Tytn & the Tilt both do. Unfortunately all are Windows based. Off hand I can not think of a device with tri-band UMTS that is not windows based. The new I-Mate Ultimates are also Windows based. It would have to be a Symbian based Nokia but none is out at present. There could also be a java based device in the future that we don't know about. As a completely biased Treo 750 owner I would recommend it highly. I wrote a short review when I first got it. maybe you can take a look at it. Good luck with your device choice and yes 3G is the only way to go now. http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/microsoft-windows-mobile-phones/63878-treo-750-review.html
Does it have to be a smartphone? If not then you may wish to consider the Sony Ericsson K850i, which supports tri-band UMTS and HSDPA. The K850 isn't available in America yet I believe, but you could always buy it SIM free from abroad.
Thanks, Charlyee. I have read your review and I must admit it was well written. I can also appreciate your appreciation for your 750 but I have gone MICROSOFT-FREE in the past 3 years and I think I am going to continue on that direction. My issue is not even their products so much but they treated a good friend of mine very badly and I decided that they were no longer going to make any money off of me. (might sound silly but that is how I am) My next step is going to be to contact AT&T and find out if I had a device that had 850 and 2100 UMTS (which I believe plenty are out there) would I come close to taking advantage of most of their 3G capabilities. Other words, I want to find out if they use 850 more or 1900.
Its an older phone but the 6682 and 6680 series are a smart phone and I believe they made a UMTS model and its a smart phone using Symbian OS. IMO its like a a NOKIA nock off of a blackberry. I have a 6682 and like it better than my Blackberry.
You are welcome, thanks for saying it was well written. . Yes, I pefectly understand your reason, I was thinking you disliked the Windows OS (since a lot of people do) and so I was recommending the review, I am glad you found something, I was thinking you were looking for a Smartphone or PDAphone. You maybe aware of this already, but you will need to OTA the settings for picture messaging and internet to your phone since it will be an unbranded or non at&t branded phone. The instructions to do this can be found here. Good luck with your phone quest.
Examples please. I thought AT&T branded phones all have the network selection capability removed from the firmware. Do you know of any on which you actually can select the mode?
The at&t branded phones do have the network selection disabled but the ability to switch between 3G & 2G exists in most of them. Here are some examples: 1. Treo 750 - it is an existing menu choice. 2. Samsung Blackjack - can be done easily by entering a code or putting in a shortcut making it a menu choice. 3. CU 400- can be done easily by entering a code . 4. V3xx - moderately difficult, needs some modding. These are the 4 I am familiar with personally. Hope this helps.
Its a simple modification to the Tilt to add the 3G on/off function to the wireless manager screen on the aTilt. It is one of the options in a program called Kaiser Tweak that unlocks hidden features. -Jay
