It's been said that the only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. There's more than a kernel of truth to that.
I've always been an "early adopter". From short wave radios to CD players to color TV to computers, I've always liked being on the "bleeding edge" of technology. I suppose everyone needs a hobby, although I admit there's a "price" to pay for this one.
Anyway, after getting my iPhone 3G, I decided to check to see if AT&T's 3G wireless network really is "twice as fast" as AT&T's EDGE network, as Apple claims in its ads.
So, I went to a website set up to specifically test the download and upload speeds of iPhones. It's called, appropriately enough,
testmyiphone.comFirst, I shut off my wireless connection and tested my EDGE connection. It downloaded at the usual slow speed of 286 kbps; upload speed, 29 kbps.
Then, with the wireless connection still off, I switched to the 3G network.
Keep in mind, I live in an area that is "wirelessly challenged". While I can see a cell tower from my front lawn, it is apparently not one served by AT&T. "Terrain", I have been told is the problem in my neighborhood. Signal strength generally goes from a couple of bars to No Service on a regular basis.
With that in mind, I didn't expect much. But I was pleasantly surprised.
With 3G turned on, my download speed jumped from the previously mentioned 286 kbps to 948 kbps; upload speed rose from 29 kbps to 115 kbps.
Downloads weren't twice as fast, they were more than THREE times as fast, even with a marginal signal. As a bonus, my phone conversations sounded more like landlines; they didn't have the slightly garbled, "underwater" quality they once had.
I can't wait for the iPhone 4G! (Note to my wife: I'm just kidding. At least this week).
