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I should be swimming in 3G, but I have to go 1/2 a mile away from my house to get it.

Same for me, all around me 3G, but not in my house. I can go outside, go up 1 block and get 5 bars of 3G coverage. The 3G gods dont like me ;(
 
I would push them to get on the 1st gen iPhone price plan, since that's what you have, and you did your due diligence by checking coverage maps.
 
I would push them to get on the 1st gen iPhone price plan, since that's what you have, and you did your due diligence by checking coverage maps.

I did and that didn't help! It seems that AT&T cherry picked the towers to upgrade... upgrading the least number of towers to make an are "look" like its covered on the map. We have had 3G in Houston for a LONG time, so I don't buy the "growing pains" excuse.

I can say I'm glad in a way because I was going to get one of their cards for my laptop- now I don't need to bother.
 
I did and that didn't help! It seems that AT&T cherry picked the towers to upgrade... upgrading the least number of towers to make an are "look" like its covered on the map. We have had 3G in Houston for a LONG time, so I don't buy the "growing pains" excuse.

I can say I'm glad in a way because I was going to get one of their cards for my laptop- now I don't need to bother.

I think you misunderstood his post. He was saying you should call and get switched to the cheaper EDGE plan, since you're not getting 3G reception. That's what I would do. I'd enjoy the better speakers and the GPS, and just forget it has 3G capabilities. Look on the bright side, it'll keep your battery full.
 
I think that's a bit unnecessarily harsh. The iPhone 3G is not AT&T's first 3G phone to market, and unless I'm missing something obvious, the fact that the iPhone is new doesn't affect whether or not it would be able to connect to the HSPA network ... it should either be there or not there.

Secondly, it's pretty customary for these coverage maps to indicate current and future planned coverage, and so there's no excuse for indicating an area as covered when it isn't.

I may be harsh. However it comes from thirty years as a Licensed Amateur Radio operator.

Many people forget that iPhones and ALL wireless phones are RADIOS!!!!!!!

They are sophisticated radios but still radios.

They have antennas and have to deal with the physics of radio wave propagation.

We have sun spot activities, temperature inversions, etc. that have impact on the entire radio spectrum. The cellular part of the spectrum has less variation that say HF but still have issues.

Then you have to build towers with propagation patterns that don’t interfere with other communication devices. Without getting technical there are harmonics and other issues you must avoid.

AND SO ON.

So I will be harsh when someone expects a radio to work as well as a landline and coverage maps to be perfect!
 
I'm getting horrible 3g service here. I'm receiving 2 bars inside my house and I swear I walked into a dead spot the other day. For a good block I had no signal. I ended up switching my phone on edge, seeing as I use my wifi at home and at work.
 
I've got 3G in most places I go here in Fort Worth. Ironically, my house does not seem to be one of them, but I have WiFi, so I'm all set.
 
So I will be harsh when someone expects a radio to work as well as a landline and coverage maps to be perfect!

I do hear you, and I used to be an engineer myself... maybe I misunderstood the OP, though. It sounded like, after checking the coverage maps, he not only didn't get 3G in his home, but basically has gone to a number of places around the Houston area and isn't getting 3G anywhere in the coverage zone. What I was saying was that if large swaths of Houston really don't have 3G services (not like it works in my driveway but not my house, but like it doesn't work in this entire 400 square mile area that's listed as a coverage zone), then I think that's hard to write off as being expectable performance. If coverage is patchy, that's a different issue altogether, and I tend to agree with you.

Now on an egads note, I have excellent EDGE (T-Mobile) coverage in my neighborhood, in my home, and even blissfully finally inside my hospital, unlike in my last hospital, but when I went exploring the South Side of Chicago, to go to bigger grocery stores, the DMV, etc, I was only getting GPRS in most places! That was a bit of a surprise, since most rural places have EDGE with T-Mo.... :eek:
 
What's up with the US? Why does everyone always want to sue everyone else?

On an internet forum, when the whining gets so thick you can't even see the "Who's HAPPY with their iPhone 3G?" feel-good thread, someone has to take it to next level whining and say "class action lawsuit." That phrase is like a rallying cry for whiny armchair lawyers online.

Now on an egads note, I have excellent EDGE (T-Mobile) coverage in my neighborhood, in my home, and even blissfully finally inside my hospital, unlike in my last hospital, but when I went exploring the South Side of Chicago, to go to bigger grocery stores, the DMV, etc, I was only getting GPRS in most places! That was a bit of a surprise, since most rural places have EDGE with T-Mo.... :eek:

as a south sider, why the **** would you come to this wasteland to explore or go to a grocery store?
 
as a south sider, why the **** would you come to this wasteland to explore or go to a grocery store?

:D I know, I know... I live in Hyde Park, which I think is absolutely gorgeous. But I've never lived inside the city limits before... so I need Targét and occasionally gasp Walmart once in a while. Closest ones are South. :eek: It's not like I'm in danger of getting shot when I go there.

But yeah, long line at the DMV down there ... ridiculously long line ... and sadly could not play with the web on my iPhone. :eek:
 
What's up with the US? Why does everyone always want to sue everyone else?

The number of lawsuits would drop significantly if we adopted a system where the plaintiff must pay the defendant's attorney fees, lost time, and the court costs if the plaintiff loses.
 
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