vB Easy Archive - AT&T vs TMobile Edge Comparison Test

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AT&T vs TMobile Edge Comparison Test
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Posted by: LOMLFOML

Well, highly unscientifically, I can say that the AT&T Edge network is much faster than Tmo's. Here's what happened.

I took my Dash into the store. I set it down next to an IPhone. Both were about 10 feet away from the door. I had 4 bars of Edge signal on each device. I loaded up Ebay, and typed in a search which I know returns around 700-750K. I started them both up.

After the IPhone was finished loading completely, I started counting. 44 seconds later, the Dash completed. The elapsed time before I started counting was between 3 and 5 minutes; probably close to 3. (Yes, I feel idiotic). The salesman came over at that point so I did not repeat that test.

Interestingly, if you want to join AT&T and not get a phone right away, you can't take advantage of a discount for 11 months. It's basically like a timeshare presentation (!); you only get the discount on day 1.

Pity.

Posted by: DubDub

As you said, not a scientific test. You compared apples to oranges, so it really means very little. To do a decent comparison, you need to use the same device.

Posted by: zonderF

did you also check to see that the wifi was turned off on the iphone and that it was running on edge only?

Posted by: MalPraktiz

A 620 MHz CPU in an iPhone versus a tiny OMAP 200 MHz from a Dash. Not exactly a fair test. It's more like asking a person with crutches and 1 leg to do a foot race with Carl Lewis.

Posted by: RF9

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOMLFOML

Interestingly, if you want to join AT&T and not get a phone right away, you can't take advantage of a discount for 11 months. It's basically like a timeshare presentation (!); you only get the discount on day 1.

Pity.

This is not what I was told.
I was told that if you join today and "bring your own equipment" you'll still maintain the right to take discounted equipment at a later date.

If you do, make sure the "Notate your account" so if you ever have to dispute this it's noted clearly in your account that you did not take discounted equipment at the time of purchase.

Separate from your contract, your account apparently has an 'upgrade flag'. This flag gets turned off when you take a discount, and gets turned on again when you're eligible. I suppose if you sign up without taking a phone this stays on.
I don't work for AT&T, so I don't know technically how it works. But when I added a line to my account without taking an upgrade this is what the guy told me.
The only reason I make the assumption about the upgrade flag is because I had to call CS and have them reset my upgrade flag because they didn't do so when I returned a phone within 30 days on an upgrade.

Now what I don't get is how this affects your upgrade path.
Normally you can upgrade about after 18 months on a 24 month contract (but it varies.)
What happens if you wait 'til month 17 to take your first discount phone? Do you have to wait another 18 months after that to be eligible for an upgrade, or can you get a discount sooner?
I assume you have to wait another 18, and therefore kind of get screwed. So I wouldn't wait too long.

So why would you wait to get a discount? You just don't need a new phone or they don't have what you want?

Make sure to get the Dash unlocked so you can use a AT&T SIM on it.

Posted by: LOMLFOML

Quote:

Originally Posted by zonderF

did you also check to see that the wifi was turned off on the iphone and that it was running on edge only?

In fact, I did not. However, I would assume that I would have had much better results on the Iphone than I did, had it been running on wifi. 15-25% faster seems low if it had been.

Posted by: LOMLFOML

RF9 - I left that out because it wasn't related to the test, but I did unlock my Dash today at the store, using the rep's sim. That worked fine. I didn't change any of my Tmo settings, though, and stupidly (seriously, folks, I am generally much sharper than this

) did not change my gprs Tmo Data wap.voicestream.com to anything, and still got short bursts of download ok, but then it would bomb out (remote location has terminated the connection) when I tried something larger. I realized this as I was leaving. Oh well. I can go back there and try again. Dash Tmo to Dash AT&T.

By the way oh please please someone tell me what the wap/internet2/internet3.voicestream.com are variously used for.

The phone discount thing was strange- this rep knew I was willing to sign up if I could maintain the discount for the future. I am waiting for:
a. AT&T announces the HTC S630 (the big brother to Dash S620), or,
b. HTC itself at least puts it on their Americas web site, an actual American model, branded and warrantied by HTC. However, they don't actually show phones not already picked up by USA/CAN carriers, so this may never happen.
or,
c. the non American models, Dopod C730, of the same phone, come down a LOT in price. I wish I'd bid on that 250$ one last night on ebay. Of course, the winner's high bid might have been 400, so that's not helpful.

Or another phone with that specific interface, that navigation, Wifi, Skype hopefully, umts and Hsdpa, and wouldn't 1700mhz be nice too (why burn bridges?) and not a slider, comes out. So far, there isn't. Well, not one which isn't panned.

Posted by: indiana-moto

Quote:

Originally Posted by RF9

This is not what I was told.
I was told that if you join today and "bring your own equipment" you'll still maintain the right to take discounted equipment at a later date.

If you do, make sure the "Notate your account" so if you ever have to dispute this it's noted clearly in your account that you did not take discounted equipment at the time of purchase.

Separate from your contract, your account apparently has an 'upgrade flag'. This flag gets turned off when you take a discount, and gets turned on again when you're eligible. I suppose if you sign up without taking a phone this stays on.
I don't work for AT&T, so I don't know technically how it works. But when I added a line to my account without taking an upgrade this is what the guy told me.
The only reason I make the assumption about the upgrade flag is because I had to call CS and have them reset my upgrade flag because they didn't do so when I returned a phone within 30 days on an upgrade.

Now what I don't get is how this affects your upgrade path.
Normally you can upgrade about after 18 months on a 24 month contract (but it varies.)
What happens if you wait 'til month 17 to take your first discount phone? Do you have to wait another 18 months after that to be eligible for an upgrade, or can you get a discount sooner?
I assume you have to wait another 18, and therefore kind of get screwed. So I wouldn't wait too long.

So why would you wait to get a discount? You just don't need a new phone or they don't have what you want?

Make sure to get the Dash unlocked so you can use a AT&T SIM on it.

Actually heres how it works. ATT no longer offers 1 year or 11 month contracts for new customers. The only way to get on an 11 month contract is on a transfer of liability approved through CS. All new customers either with or without they're own equipment must sign a 2 year agreement. The reason being is that they no longer have plans available in the billing system without promotional featues like m2m.. etc. Now as for what if you have your own equipment and want to upgrade later? You have 30 days from when you sign your agreement to get equipment at the subsidized cost, either that or wait for your upgrade at 21 months after you initally signed the agreement. Now the 18 - 20 month upgrade eligibility will have to be approved through CS for an exception upgrade (2 year agreement / 1 year pricing - but they hardly ever approve an exception) Now the reason they can't offer a full upgrade before the 21 month mark, is because they can no longer change contract dates while the contract is initiated (this would require tier 3 support, and a long drawn out investigation)

Hope that clears it up for everyone.

Posted by: The Lidless Eye

Quote:

Originally Posted by DubDub

As you said, not a scientific test. You compared apples to oranges, so it really means very little. To do a decent comparison, you need to use the same device.

Apples to bowling balls more like.
Same phone model head to head is the only way to do that test.

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