Much better reception with EDGE??

There's more EDGE coverage than there is 3G, so in some areas it's totally possible to get better signal strength with EDGE than 3G.

But even so, bars still don't tell the whole story. Are you dropping calls in 3G? Are your data speeds slower in 3G than in EDGE? If the answer to both is no, then getting more bars in EDGE doesn't matter.

 

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Since I always have WiFi available, I find that I have better battery life by keeping WiFi on, and use EDGE, instead of 3G.

 

It's not only due to the possibility that there are more edge transmitters. It's normally down to the fact that the frequency that edge uses is more robust over distance and through objects.

 

This is very true. There are places where I travel to where I have to manually turn off 3G so I can get an EDGE signal to place a call.

 

I turn 3G off at home and just use edge for voice and wifi for data, otherwhise is constant droped calls, I only get one bar of 3G.

 

Are you sure that's correct? I get more than twice that amount over 3G.

Sidenote: I get more bars over EDGE as well but I hate using it because it causes feedback in the speaker of my landline phones at work.

 

i too am seeing "more bars" for EDGE at a few locations with weaker 3G coverage...

weird stuff since i thought 850 mhz was better at penetrating buildings and the band that they (AT&T) was putting their 3G stuff.

 

Edge frequencies penetrate walls better than 3G. Having better Edge than 3G reception is pretty typical, especially inside a building.