3G - Is it worth the wait?
 

I'm planning on purchasing either a new Curve or an iPhone this week and now I am starting to wonder if I should wait on that with 3G rumored to be coming out for the iPhone in late June.

Is there a significant enough difference in the 3G platform to justify waiting and pay the extra monthly fee?

Will the standard EDGE/2G network remain at the current price point?

I'm thinking that maybe I should just buy a refurb Curve through AT&T and then upgrade based on the price point when the iPhone v.2 comes out and have both that I can switch back and forth between with my sim. That is something I can do - right?

Thanks very much for your help.

There are a couple of good curves on the BST section here, better price now on the curve, get what you want this summer of the newer model.

Yeah, I thought about going the BST route, but the refurbs at AT&T are only $49.99 and I'm going to end up with a contract over there sooner rather than later anyway.

get the curve, better for typing, not to mention you will save a few hundred dollars

Oh, I hear ya. There are pros and cons to both models based on my ideal phone. This being a BB forum, odds are there are going to be a lot of people in the Curve camp there.

However, I'm inquiring about how substantial the upgrade the 3G will be to the current EDGE and whether I can switch my sim card between a Curve and an iPhone.

I also seem to be getting conflicting messages on whether not the AT&T Curve is WiFi enabled at this point. Their website doesn't mention it - one agent I spoke to said yes and one agent I spoke to said no.

Which AT&T Curve?

The only Curve with WiFi is the 8320

3G will be significantly faster than EDGE, more like EVDO on the VZW network, as a comparison.

The only Curve that I see on their website is the 8310.

WiFi isn't a "huge" concern to me - but already losing out on the "real internet" which is a feature that I really like in addition to lack of WiFi is hurting the Blackberry's chances at the moment.

Of course - I hate the concept of dropping the $400 on an iPhone and then having a new model coming out at the same price in two months that is potentially faster, features push etc.

OK, the 8310 is not WiFi enabled.

Your concern is why I suggested getting a used BB now, off the BST site, and not using up your AT&T renewal credit for a remanufactured phone. You pay a little more now, and still have the option to get the new BB or iphone at the upgrade price in the summer.

Ah, gotcha. That does make sense. I'm currently a Sprint subscriber with just a standard phone and was planning on going Data Only on the Blackberry until my contract expires in early July.

However, after researching this a bit more closely I am wondering if my best bet isn't just waiting (which I am not so good at) entirely until the new models come out.

I didn't see any highly desirable Curves in the BST.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Good

Que?

sounds like you might want to wait. If you are going to have to sign a new contract then I would recommend you wait and see the new toys that come out this summer.

Yeah, that's the logic answer. Not the one I wanted to hear...but it's logical.

I'm definitely leaning towards the iPhone at this point. Especially if v.2 has push email.

well i would never tell anyone to wait usually because release dates are so unreliable but you have two things going against you.
- have to sign new contract
- two major players are set to release new devices sometime in May-July range. Apple and RIM.

You might be able to answer this as an iPhone user. When v2 comes out for the iPhone - that will be available with all of the feature upgrades on all existing iPhones, right? The only thing that would be an issue is the 3G vs 2G/EDGE?

well differences are not really known but I would expect 3G of course and true GPS and potentially a better camera. The limitations of the v1 will not really be known till there is details about the next version.
But for the most part every developer out there right now that is creating apps is doing so with the v1 hardware.

It should be a good summer for gadget fans. Especially June for Apple and August for RIM.

Yeah, that's definitely true.

As long as the push email addition was available in the new version - it'd be worth getting it now.

Of course, I'll likely get more phone for my buck if I'm patient. Again - not one of my strong suits though.

well yahoo is supposed to be push right now, but its not instant.
I have gmail set up as IMAP and its pretty quick, to be honest the speed of the email was my biggest worry and its really been good. I'm not in a business where i need instant email though, if you are then definitely wait for the exchange / activesync with 2.0.

if you havent seen it give this video a look: Apple - QuickTime - Apple March 6 Event

it will answer some of your questions about the apple side.

That video is extremely helpful. Thanks.

The only thing I am not completely sure about is whether or not the push email feature will be available outside of the Exchange server - which I won't be using. I'm just a private user guy.

well i dont think it will be push other than exchange and any other email providers that provide it (gmail, yahoo, .mac). Other than those and Exchange I think you looking a the normal pull email. But to me theres not much of a difference unless your on BES for Blackberry. BIS there is still a delay in getting the email, so whether they push BIS every 15 min or your phone pulls every 15 min its the same time frame. but thats my opinion, and it fits my needs.