Nokia n900 and EDGE

[colabe]

I was wondering if i should get this phone cause currently i have AT&T and i can't get 3g with this phone with them but i also can't get 3g with Tmo cause they don't have it in this area. So either way i won't be able to use 3g. But i'm in need of an upgrade i'm currently using a Sony Ericsson w580i and its pretty much broken right now. So i was wondering if EDGE would do me justice for surfing the web, maybe streaming some vids from hulu, using the internet radio, or even downloading apps.


P.S. how long do the full sites load up on EDGE?

[Laughing Man]

Depends on the website, but for general browsing it's tolerable. Sites that are simple will load quickly. Sites that are flash heavy will take longer (where my home is has edge speeds). No surprise considering it's in the middle of nowhere compared to the rest of the Washington area. =P

[hypnotik]

You can install ad-blocks extensions for the browser. There may be flash-blockers as well which could help speed up browsing as well.

[qole]

No-go for streaming video, and very iffy for streaming Internet radio (works when the planets are correctly aligned).

[tuxfoo]

Howdy colabe. I'm also on AT&T in an area that doesn't have T-Mobile service (Madison, WI). As others have indicated, for basic browsing its tolerable, for streaming audio/video its pretty much a no-go. Downloading apps really depends on the size of the app (and its dependencies) and how long you're willing to wait. However, I rarely find myself frustrated at the lack of 3G. At home or work (and many other places) I'm connected to wifi.

Prior to the n900 I used an HTC G1 on AT&T (again without 3G), so was in the same scenario then as well. I did manage after a few lost connections to download a firmware update (cyanogen mod) on EDGE with my G1 (~50MB). Turns out I was "roaming" and I woke up the next morning to a text message telling me I was violating my terms of service. Apparently AT&T has something like a 10MB/month cap on data while roaming. The kicker is your phone won't tell you its roaming until you get flagged, which only happens after you've exceed 100MB/month in roaming data. I had to have the customer service rep explain that to me couple time to make sure I understood it correctly. I guess I'm veering a bit off-topic. :-)

[Orph]

if you can tolerate edge speeds, b/c you have wifi at home and work, definately get the unlimited text/data plan for $30 a month.

I have family unlimited text and 10 dollar a month unlimited data. Edge only of course with At&t, but I am on wifi 95% of my time.

[drew]

I use mine on AT&T and its tolerable. However, I think the browser itself needs some speed optimizations itself.

[mikhmv]

if you can tolerate edge speeds, b/c you have wifi at home and work, definately get the unlimited text/data plan for $30 a month.

I have family unlimited text and 10 dollar a month unlimited data. Edge only of course with At&t, but I am on wifi 95% of my time.

If you will call to att don't tell them that you are using n900, your IMEI and that is not dummi phone otherwise you will get $30 per month for unlimited data....

[qole]

I have a really hard time getting even 200MB a month on EDGE. If there's a plan with less MB for less $$, and you spend a lot of time on WiFi anyway, don't bother with unlimited.

[Orph]

If you will call to att don't tell them that you are using n900, your IMEI and that is not dummi phone otherwise you will get $30 per month for unlimited data....

IMEI? not sure what that is, but I have read that at&t doesnt recognize the phone and that the smartphone plans don't get charged.\

I also will barely dent the data on edge, is there a better data plan, if I do get charged the 30?

[sljonson]

IMEI number is the a unique identification number for the phone. Its similar the MAC address of a network interface. It encodes the manufacture, model and serial number of the phone.

The number is printed on the sticker inside of the phone under the battery. It should be printed on the large sticker on the outside of the box.

[Orph]

IMEI number is the a unique identification number for the phone. Its similar the MAC address of a network interface. It encodes the manufacture, model and serial number of the phone.

The number is printed on the sticker inside of the phone under the battery. It should be printed on the large sticker on the outside of the box.

Thanks.

from what I have read, at&t doesn't recognize the phone and therefore the non-smartphone plans have worked. if not i will get 30 dollar unlimited. but it is def worth the try.

[pagesix1536]

I don't think it's all that tolerable at all. Maybe for simple blots, forums, or the basic Google search. But once you get outside of that, it's totally horrible. I went to ford.com just to try it out, and it took sometimes 3-5 minutes to fully download a page. Granted the auto company websites are sometimes pretty flash heavy, but I wouldn't say overall that it's tolerable really. It's a painful experience. Reminds me of dialup from 15 years ago.

[Ghule]

Edge would be way better than dialup.... but back in the day with dialup I would get a constant 3 to 4k a sec. So if I downloaded something it would get done.

Edge is like this... one time a click a site and pop.. it opens quick downloading 8k or more a sec. Next time I click edge can't even find the page.. and gives me a lost connection.

I wish there was a way to make it get a steady connection.

[qole]

Don't buy a truck online with your phone :)

I long for 3G, but man, EDGE sure is nice after so long with a tablet that had only WiFi.

Being able to look stuff up on Wikipedia when in a conversation at a friend's house or being able to check out a travel deals website that I see on a billboard, or chatting on IRC while riding the bus, or uploading a picture from a party to facebook while still at the party... That's just so nice.

[klinglerware]

I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of EDGE on the N900--websites load and render surprisingly quickly. But I'm comparing my experience now to my experience with the N800 BT-tethered to an EDGE phone, so the difference could be explained by improvements in hardware and no longer being dependent on a second device.

My guess is that the answer to your question depends on your prior experience, your expectations, and your network coverage.

[colabe]

Thanks for the quick replies. It just sucks that with either carrier i get i won't have 3g, but if i did get this phone and they came out with a version that works for at&t's 3g i would be so pissed.

[mikhmv]

Thanks.

from what I have read, at&t doesn't recognize the phone and therefore the non-smartphone plans have worked. if not i will get 30 dollar unlimited. but it is def worth the try.
They don't recognize it! I am using one of them. But when you contact with representative they some times ask you your IMEI and phone model. If you will them IMEI from smartphone (including n900) then they will add you $30 unlimited.
IMPORTANT: by new rules (from Sep 06, 2009) any smartphones (even you didn't get it from att) have to have $30 unlimited dataplan even if you don't want to use any dataplan!
I accidentally have got this plan in September. Fortunately than I had contract less than 30 days and I cancel it.... Later I reconnect for another one.

[devaler]

And really, is it necessary to watch hulu on a phone?
I realize there is a certain cool factor/geek cred to be had, but life without it will go on.

[Laughing Man]

And really, is it necessary to watch hulu on a phone?
I realize there is a certain cool factor/geek cred to be had, but life without it will go on.

Well..

1) I don't consider it a phone anymore I would consider the n800 a phone.
2) Hulu on N900 [we''ll see if Flash 10 makes it usable) + Tv Out = Sweet!

[colabe]

I'm not saying its necessary to watch hulu on a phone i was just giving an example of some streaming i would do. I decided to go ahead and get it, cause edge would really be an upgrade to me considering i never really used the internet on my phone ever and this is my first smartphone so yeah im behind time.

[snedley]

They don't recognize it! I am using one of them. But when you contact with representative they some times ask you your IMEI and phone model. If you will them IMEI from smartphone (including n900) then they will add you $30 unlimited.

In that case, don't you have an older dumb GSM phone around you could slap the SIM in and give them that IMEI number, then swap it into the N900 later?

[mikhmv]

In that case, don't you have an older dumb GSM phone around you could slap the SIM in and give them that IMEI number, then swap it into the N900 later?

It is really not necessary. I just store IMEI information from dumb phone in file. When I contact to att just tell them IMEI from file but called from smartphone.... They don't check from which phone are you calling.

[chakli]

i m loving this phone except few minor/major fixes...but i hate it that i can't stream video!!! i so wish it could support att 3g...1st palm pre and now n900, i just don't get this marketing stretagies :(

[colnago]

They don't recognize it! I am using one of them. But when you contact with representative they some times ask you your IMEI and phone model. If you will them IMEI from smartphone (including n900) then they will add you $30 unlimited.
IMPORTANT: by new rules (from Sep 06, 2009) any smartphones (even you didn't get it from att) have to have $30 unlimited dataplan even if you don't want to use any dataplan!
I accidentally have got this plan in September. Fortunately than I had contract less than 30 days and I cancel it.... Later I reconnect for another one.

That sux...I called earlier this summer, and asked about the "unlocked" e71, and AT&T said that it was eligible for the $15/mo. MediaNet Plan.

[shinkamui]

coming from an iPhone 3gs and an N95-3, the experience on at&t edge is certainly dissapointing but totally tolerable. That is as long as your use is edge friendly. IRC and IM work great, only about 10 to 15 seconds latency on IMs (msn transport over xmpp) and irc is relatively lag free. Browsing can be a mixed bag. MicroB doesnt handle caching very well, otherwise it would be relatively enjoyable. Light sites work fine, heavier sites load slowly and browse poorly as common elements dont seem to cache. Returning to a page appears to reload the entire page, even with the browser cache maxed at 40m. I assume the page html reloads and is checked against the old cached page(?) before its rerendered. Anyway, i could upload an edge video for reference. On average down bandwith is 17K/s. Hope this helps.