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Have you ever been tempted by '3' or one of those new, fancy-pants 3G networks but been afraid to take the plunge? Heard stories about poor reception?
Well, I'm going to try to explore how good (or not) the 3 network is in the UK, as I have just gotten hold of one of these:
Seen above with my K700 for size comparison.
My first impressions - the signal seems to be worse where I live than the 2G networks, just about managing 1 or 2 bars out of 4 in my bedroom in the village I live in in the UK Midlands. O2 and Orange get 3 or 4 bars out of 5 here. I'll be able to tell you more when the person I got the phone off tells me what the PIN1 code is so I can start the phone up properly!
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Posted: 2004-10-19 12:56:49
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Yeah, I reckon you'll be able to do a more comprehensive review when you actually get the phone working! ;-)
This message was posted from a T68i
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Posted: 2004-10-19 13:01:48
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I have a 3 fone and it always has network over 2g. 3g varies from different areas
This message was posted from a WAP device
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Posted: 2004-10-19 14:40:46
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Now I've had the Pin code, I've been able to have more of a play!
The signal actually isn't as bad as I first thought it might have been, it has always had a signal, at least the same as my 2G O2 sim. At home in my semi-rural setting, the signal tends to switch between 2G and 3G, but so far the majority of the time has been spent in 3G mode.
It for some reason took about 4 hours before it let me onto the '3 today' page, but now that it does there has been no problems so far.
Two other points - correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't seem to be able to connect to anything outside of 3's internet - i.e. I couldn't access Esato from the phone! A demerit there, as I tend to check Esato fairly frequently when I'm away from my computer. Also, I don't think I can check my emails from that phone. I can set up a 3 email account, but I can't check my Virgin email account.
And lastly - it seems that on 3pay you can't just top up and use that top up for just, say, video content - a £15 topup would consist of £10 of voice calls or text messages (you decide which), and £5 of video content for things like video calls, music/video downloads, etc. Also, this £15 is only valid for 30 days, so you're effectively paying £15 a month. You can buy a £5 or £10 topup voucher for video content, but this will only work if you have valid voice/text credit. Again, someone correct me if I'm wrong on that, but that's what I understand from their website - another demerit imho, as it's confusing and expensive if you only want video content.
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Posted: 2004-10-19 23:33:52
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3 internet is ring-fenced (i.e. you can only access what they permit you to.)
This message was posted from a T68i
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Posted: 2004-10-19 23:40:49
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you are right on the call plans. and as for only being allowed to view what 3 want you to i have yet to find ANY site i can view!(and trust me i tried loads!) the only reception problems i had was about 3 weeks ago at work. it was about 8pm my 3 phone was sat next to my p8 on o2, i picked up my p8 just as it lost all its signal, i checked my 3 phone and that lost all its signal too. about 20/25 minutes later the both came back at EXACTLY the same second! wierd!!
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Posted: 2004-10-20 05:09:00
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I believe that with 3 when there is no 3g signal that it will use the O2 network for 2g, this would explain how the signals went at the same time.
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Posted: 2004-10-20 06:26:31
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aaah! well that sorted that out. typical that i should take a second phone to work incase i lose 3s signal and they use bloody 02 which has a pretty crap signal at work as well!!
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Posted: 2004-10-20 06:59:00
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Yes, i believe o2 supply 3's 2g signal.
I have to admit that at the moment i'm quite tempted to take a 3 contract out when my contract is up in just over a month's time, i do rather like all the video stuff!
However, it is all still new to me, the question is will i still use any of the video features in a month or two's time when the novelty's worn off is a different question.
And another thing- i'd have 2 carry another phone about to do what i'm doing now- looking or posting on esato, like i'm doing now!
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Posted: 2004-10-20 12:20:00
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@Sammy_boy
I also have a NEC616 and I am not all that pleased with it, for several reasons;
Poor battery performance
Poor signal strength
Tendency to 'freeze'
Tendency to restart itself
As for 3 as a network I have a mixed opinion. The service plans are excellent value for money if you are looking for a contract, but 3Pay doesn't appear to be very good value in my opinion. 3's customer service team has improved a lot, but it is still rather 'automated' and I am meaning the staff! 3's content is also rather good, it has gotten much better and there are some very useful services provided. I didn't find that there was too much of a novelty factor, I reguarly downloaded news clips, weather reports, financial and businness clips, etc and I found them to be reasonably priced and well presented. Unfortunately I often found myself unable to access them, even if there was a 3G signal, whether this was a hardware problem or a network problem I'm not sure.
The LG8110 is a far better product and I would definitely recommend nayone thinking of buying a 3 handset to consider the LG8110/20 or the new LG8150 that Orange will using as part of their consumer 3G service.
I feel that it is only fair to say that although 3 have had a lot of problems, they are the only consumer 3G network and have been for over a year, it will be interesting to see what, if any, problems the other networks encounter with their 3G services.
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Posted: 2004-10-20 14:21:10
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