3G vs Edge

[netdog]

If rumours are true that US overstocks of Edge-based iPhones are going to go on sale here in the UK next week, how slow would they be compared to the eventual 3G models? All I would want to do is get my email, browse the web and view the occasional video or other piece of media.

Is EDGE really that slow? Is 3G worth waiting for in the case of a user like me? Is 3G data service more expensive? Will EDGE work all over the world?

 

[JBaker122586]

I know in the states at least, EDGE coverage is much more widespread than 3G. For what I do without... basically what you're looking for, EDGE gets the job done.
Would I like it to be a bit faster? Sure, but it's not really anything I'm complaining about. I think there are bigger fish to fry.

 

[ruutiveijari]

It depends quite on many things. EDGE can be many speeds depending on your carriers capacity and network structure. 3G on the other hand seems to also mean HSDPA (3.5G) these days and that's in a totally different league than EDGE.

Also the latency of 3G (including HSDPA) is usually around 200ms where as EDGE can be anything between 500ms and 3 seconds.

 

[Island Dog]

EDGE isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Obviously we would all like any connection to be faster, but EDGE does just fine for what I need it to do.

 

[earnjam]

Let us also not forget that it does WIFI. I have wireless access at my office and home, so the vast majority of the time, I have a fast connection.

For the other 15% of the time that I'm out doing something, EDGE more than suits my needs.

EDGE isn't ideal for youtube since it's slower and it automatically drops the resolution and the web is kinda slow depending on how good the signal is and what pages you're loading, but google maps and email are fine.

But everything works great over WIFI.

 

[cyclingplatypus]

EDGE isn't that bad, I will say this though, sometimes it moves so slow that you wonder if you missed the "NNEEEEEE NEEEEE NNNNEEEEEE KRRRRRZZZZZZZ NEEEEEE NEEEEE NEEEE" of the old dial up modem days.

 

[Fuzzy Orange]

Using EDGE for email is totally fine. It does work faster in wifi, but EDGE gets the job done quite well. Youtube is horrendous over EDGE, though, so be aware of that.