Comments on: Closing in on the 3G iPhone

By: hackensack, NJ

hackensack, NJ — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:28:24 +0000

powerful phone, i wish i could get it, but i have verizon. Discuss about this phone at http://www.3G-iPhones.org

By: David Hall, Austin Tx

David Hall, Austin Tx — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:27:20 +0000

I think we have to remember that there are a lot of hardware challenges when coming out with a 3G phone. More specifically, the RF power amplifiers required for WCDMA (3G) require better linearity…which means they use a lot more power. With everything else on the iphone…power consumption is already a big concern. Thus, i will be surprised if Apple offers a mere firmware change. I doubt that the RF front is capable of handling 3G…so I expect that the new phone will have some hardware changes as well.

By: Ian Colledge, Durham UK

Ian Colledge, Durham UK — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:44:38 +0000

Firstly the web browsing is much faster on 3G than on your EDGE system, I use 3G when im in the UK and edge when im in a third world country (US?).

The video call function seems like it would be fun/usefull but in reality it is just a gimmic that rearley gets usen in Europe, Indeed there are now a number of 3G phones that dont support this feature(sony Ericsson w850?)

It would be a shame though if the Iphone2.0 gained 3G but lost WiFi.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:37:58 +0000

This is interesting; I hope that a 3G iPhone comes out soon. I don't feel ripped off by Apple at all, but there is one thing that I found interesting: I took my iPhone's SIM card out for no reason (that's me) and I saw "3G" on it. Maybe iPhones are already capable of 3G networking, or maybe it just means that this is some 3rd generation of SIM card.

By: Brett, Reston VA

Brett, Reston VA — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:31:27 +0000

The two posters claiming the iPhone's processor or browser are the real bottleneck to surfing speed need only activate its WiFi connection on a hotspot with a decent broadband WAN link to debunk that myth. The browser and processor are plenty fast enough to rip through the graphics-heavy sites I frequent.

3G (while still ont WiMax) will definitely improve browsing speed on the device. Most other carriers cache their web content, thereby nullifying most of their 2G/3G speed improvements (Blazer on Verizon's and Sprint's Treos comes to mind) -if anything, THIS is where a bottleneck might be realized with AT&T (if at all).

By: Leeds

Leeds — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:42:00 +0000

3G does not allow simultaneous voice/data – only certain phones with specific hardware can do that. Voice comms over 3g have NO DIFFERENCE in quality as they are still circuit switched – if anything the wider 2G/GSM network is more reliable. Only 4G VoIP will have complete packet-switched comms.

By: Axel - Brussels, belgium

Axel - Brussels, belgium — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:03:44 +0000

EDGE allows data transfer around 200Kb, while 3G allows 3.5 Gb.

By: Travis, Fremont CA

Travis, Fremont CA — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:17:22 +0000

for people who already have an iPhone, i would hope the 3g capability willl be a free downloadable software upgrade. for someone like me who doesn't have an iPhone this is great, because i have been waiting for this release before i buy one. my sympathy for those who bought the now worthless, no re-sale value 4GB phones. i hope this iPhone 2.0 will also be 32GB. never buy 1st generation anything, people – patience is a great thing!

By: James, Dublin, Ireland

James, Dublin, Ireland — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:15:54 +0000

I can't help but think us consumers are getting ripped off. Just as soon as the original iPhone has finally been rolled out worldwide; rumours start about a new 3G version. Apple could easily have released a 3G version to begin with but I guess if you can get people to pay for an iPhone twice why not take their money!

By: Dan, Boston, MA

Dan, Boston, MA — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:52:36 +0000

To Freddy – no, the point of 3G is: faster data speeds, better voice quality than GSM (assuming that full-rate codecs are used), and simultaneous voice and data capability. In practice, 3G isn't really that much faster than EDGE when surfing on the phone itself – the phone's processor is a bottleneck there. But when tethered to a laptop, the speed differecne between 3G and EDGE is very apparent, though 3G tends to have higher latency than traditional broadband cable or DSL.