T-Mobile makes mention of 3G issues with Nexus One, hopes to have 'more information' soon
By Chris Ziegler 
posted January 11th 2010 1:45PM
posted January 11th 2010 1:45PM
There's no fix yet, but Nexus One users are getting a solid first step this week now that T-Mobile is officially investigating the 3G / EDGE fluctuation issues that folks have been reporting. A posting over on T-Mob's official support forums is now asking for users with verifiable problems to report a few key stats including their location, the nature of the problem (no 3G or 3G / EDGE switching), and whether they've got another AWS 3G phone handy that's performing better. The company says that it hopes "to have more information for you soon," so, you know, keep that box handy just in case this puppy needs to get exchanged Nokia 5800-style.
What do you think of your messiah now! j/k :)
@One Love
The messiah is the jesus phone, aka iPhone. Jesus walks on water, etc... This is the God phone, or short G-phone. And god makes mistakes, like creating humans for instance. (j/k....)
why do we care? the phone hasn't even been released yet!
@whatevs I lol'd
Poor t-mobile, Verizon's going to all over their but now over this :-(
@yulebellow
uhhh...say again?
Bugs. They happen. Just wait for an update - knowing Google, they'll patch this up probably before this month ends.
@LeiTxo Nexus One having 3G problem is like saying, a new born smartphone who is not yet honed for the game. well at least Mr. Rubin a.k.a android chieftain explained his side, on why users should not worry.
Details: http://bit.ly/nexus-one-updates-detail-opinions
Oups for the Tmo.. I'm sure they are getting psyched up with this glitch
As usual, a certain device from Cupertino may well benefit from these early teething problems with a specific device from Mountain View. And by then, the 4G certain device will be out with multitasking, a high res display, skinny form factor, long lasting battery and other jizzy shnazzle - and so the bar will be raised yet again...
@Oflife
The last iPhone update was pretty lackluster. Ok faster processor and GPU update (which is great on paper) but for a 'smartphone' it still hasn't got multi-tasking underway! (No, listening to music while browsing the internet doesn't count), no AMOLED display, and let's not even talk about that screen resolution.
High hopes for the 4G? Don't hold your breath.
@SilverSurfer
The original iphone was the best phone when it was released, the 3G was the best phone, the 3GS was the best phone...... do you see the pattern yet?
Sure, you don't have much imagination, so you just think Apple will stick out yet-anther-phone.
Let's see. The Nexus has no multitouch, a 3.5" floppy holds more apps, and Google will forget about it as soon as the Nexus 2 comes out in 2 months, and you'll all be stuck in 2 year contracts
@Flix C
Are you speaking English?
@pukerocket Best phone according to who, exactly? It still doesn't have microSD expansion, no flash on the camera, it's still stuck on AT&T and under Apple's tyrannical app system.
@daftrok
According to pretty much everyone who writes a tech blog? Is that enough?
@Flix C I was referring to the 4th generation iPhone! IE, 2G, 3G, 4G! Not the wireless technology. All said, why wouldn't Apple use LTE (4G wireless) in their '4G' handset and/or tablet.
And I am NOT an Apple fan boy. I actually would buy a Nexus 1 if the screen was daylight readable which it is not.
@qlimax How did you know? But it gets bigger when the ladies are around.
@Oflife "the 4G certain device will be out with multitasking, a high res display, skinny form factor, long lasting battery"
So you've been able to play with the next gen iPhone? And as far as 4G goes: GREAT! Sure AT&T won't have 4G out for a few years, and even Apple switches to Verizon, it will only be available in like 30 cities by the end of the year, but hellz yeah, I can't wait. I'm sure Apple will toss in an extra radio for a technology that doesn't exist (unless you know something no one does and the iPhone is going to Sprint and WiMax). You should post some pictures of the iPhone since you've seen it.
About this time last year, weren't fanboys all saying that it was coming out with a better screen, multitasking, flash camera, etc?
@doc69 Dang me poons lads, I was simply making a point. Am not an Apple fan boy, although much of what they do is excellent and people should respect the good they do. Equally, except for the trackball, (I prefer DPADs) I quite like the Nexus 1 and think Google are on the right track with Android long term, attend Android meetups in London and am pitching a unique Android based handset design to a certain major manufacturer.
@daftrok
Best phone according to consumers who voted it with the highest satisfaction rates. Also according to business users who did the same.
I was under the impression that T-Moblie 3G coverage was spotty at best. Has T-Mobile rolled out 3G coverage nationwide?
@EddieN Not quite nationwide, but the coverage has definitely gotten a LOT better recently.
@EddieN
Last I heard it was still 1/14th the size of Sprint and Verizon's 3G coverage though...
@EddieN Pretty much every city I been to has had 3G: Boston, DC, Orlando, Tampa, and Charleston, SC. Although the coverage is lackluster to At&t and Verizon, I never got bumped off the 3G and the speed was amazing.
@EddieN For me, 3G is spotty at times. My bedroom is literally a battleground for 3G and Edge. My phone usually switches between them at a certain spot. There are also a few spots in town where it doesn't have 3G, oddly. But the closer I get to Trenton, the better it gets.
That photo of the Nexus One is misrepresentatively sexy. They've darkened the tacky silver.
@DestrictoEnse Not really. Just held mine up to the screen, colors look exactly the same.
@DestrictoEnse
+1
I have a N1 and that tacky silver is not how it actually looks in real life. That photo is a much better representation.
@Aubrey
Glad to hear it! I suspected as much, really, since the comments of "This phone is so sexy" I read in reviews didn't really tally with the photos I'd seen.
Wow, imagine that... A company that admits to having issues with the phone/3G service instead of just burying their head in the sand pretending everything is ok. *cough* AT&T *cough* Apple *cough cough*
@Jeremy99
Fuckkkkkkk outta here with that nonsense.
I never understood the choice of T-mobile as the first sanctioned carrier for this phone. Anyone want to shed some light on why google went this route?
@deepdigits Verizon already has the Droid and AT&T would require them to go head to head with the iPhone?
@deepdigits because they are launching the phone to w roldwide market where tmob's gsm frequencies are primarily used for 3g.
If they'd made it for sprint, att or verizon then they'd have to have another model out for the rest of the world before selling it to people outside the US
@deepdigits T-Mobile just finished ramping up their 3G network and provides service to 200 million people with ACTUAL 3G speeds now (7.2). Also a little money helps ;).
@deepdigits
Verizon wanted Beta testers to work out the bugs before they deployed it on their network..... :P
@MarcusMaximus
Isn't the Nexus going to Verizon come spring anyway? I can see the reasoning for not going to ATT but I don't know if the droid alone is enough of a reason for the Nexus not to be on Verizon from the get go, especially if it's going to be in a few short months.
@deepdigits Well, the droid just came out and they probably don't want two brand new devices like these competing with each other directly like that, so they're waiting a bit. Anyway, I'm happy since I'm on T-Mobile and likely will be for the foreseeable future.
@humanerror
Aah that makes sense. Interesting to see what kind of plans and pricing are going to be seen around the world. On that note, has there been any confirmation of Verizon's pricing structure for this phone? Wondering how the ETF situation will play out..
Is anyone else bothered that there hasn't been more coverage of the pricing for the Nexus One?
Why did everyone throw a fit about not getting a full subsidy for in contract iPhones but there's not much of a fuss for out of contract T-Mobile users who don't get a full subsidy?
@rocker
More coverage? It's right there on the Google website. Make your own mind up it it's too expensive or not, you don't need people to tell you what to think.
@pukerocket I know what the pricing is and I know where to find it. I meant that I'm surprised there hasn't been more complaining about it.
$280 isn't a bad price for this phone necessarily. The fact that a new customer gets it for $100 less is a problem. And even worse is further penalizing an existing customer with data.
@rocker
An existing customer can get it for the same price too, they just have to take out a second contract.
I don't see any reason why you should get a discount for doing nothing. You got your deal when you signed a new contract, now you gotta wait 2 years for your next one. That's the way it's always been.
It's only different for the Nexus cos all the fanboys claimed this was gonna be a REVOLUTION! A free phone, free calling plan, free data, you just have to view a couple of ads each Tuesday. Unfortunately that didn't quite work out the was it was supposed to
@pukerocket I've been on at&t (or its predecessors) for 20 years and whenever I'm out of contract I am eligible for the same pricing as a new customer if I sign a contract, which is fine and fair.
But my friend on T-Mobile, her contract expired over 2 years ago. She'd be more than willing to sign a new 2 year contract. But doing so only gets her the $280 price, ($380 if she had had data already). So why should she commit for the same 2 years if she doesn't get the same price?
@rocker - NOT including 850/1900mhz 3G HSPA frequency was a BIG MISTAKE! There are plenty of at&t non iPhone users that would have gladly taken a crack at an unsubsidized N1 the same way that iPhone's are being used on t-mobile US right now. Silly Google, just plain silly!!
Just slap the Google beta icon on it.
(Disclosure, am fanboi of android, have the eris. want 2.1)
Welcome to T-Mobile's 3G network. I work in NYC and live in central NJ. On train commute home (about 90 minutes) my G1 goes drops 3G to edge like crazy and sometimes no connection. I wouldn't doubt that a good chunk of the users that complain about this are fresh Tmobile customers or never really had a smartphone through them. Bottom line is, their data network is lackluster.
@VGJunkie
as i have read through that "spotty 3G" post on the google support forum a handful of times, i noticed that a lot of people who actually bothered to complain are the ones that owned G1 or similar devices prior to N1 and noticed a large discrepancy when it came down to 3G reception. altho i couldnt agree more that T-Mob's data network really needs some more work...
I'd say this is a problem with the stock rom that came with the phone. I flashed mines , rooted, tethered, etc and does not ever go to edge unless i actually go to area without 3g coverage.
@va jj
When I eventually switch to Android, I'll be rooting and re-flashing on day 1, too
If you own a Nexus One phone, or any android phone, the following simple hack will force your phone to use only 3G…
Open your dialer, type the following into the dialer as if you were placing a call *#*#4636#*#* select Phone Information, then select WCDMA only. This will force your android-based phone to only accept 3G connections.
I am writing extensively about the Nexus One Phone on my website: http://www.greymarch.com