Thread: Iphone 3Gs great but really buggy

I used my NextG SIM from my existing post paid Telstra account which I have had a ZTE phone on for 4 years.

The Iphone shows "3G" on the top bar.
BTW my post should have read Gigs instead of megs
Regards Philip A

It must have picked up the old 2100 MHZ network. Most unlikely it has 850MHZ if it was sourced from Vodaphone.

It may shut up shop on you in the nest few months

Earlier 3G (2100MHz) Mobile Devices - Telstra

Regards
Max P

If I look at the Apple site specs of the 3Gs it states that it works on 850Mhz.
My SIM is a Telstra Next G sim post paid.
There doesn't seem to be anywhere in settings that I can tell which mhz it is working on, but at Avoca beach I would think GSM.

OK how do I find out what Mhz it is working on?
Regards Philip A

Yes looks as though I'm wrong, it seems to be the same spec across all carriers.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1497444

Regards
Max P

Originally Posted by mikehzz

It doesn't use data to get a lock, only to download maps on the fly. The gps info for the lock is part of the background "conversation" between the towers and phone that let it know they are there. You are getting data and location services mixed up I think. If you open Google maps or Motion x then the data will start to flow.

No, I wasn't mixing up data and location services. My understanding is the iPhone uses A-GPS which uses cell information to speed up triangulation. Some telcos count that information as chargeable data download

I know my wife's iPhone will get GPS lock and position several minuites quicker than mine. Her iPhone has a cellular data turned on. I'll turn off cellular data on hers to see what difference it makes.

Ron you are correct that it is agps, but there isn't any data usage in that part of the phone traffic. Your phone pings the towers at regular intervals whether data is on or off as part of maintaing cell phone access. The police can locate you if your phone is on and they know your number as the phone company can triangulate your position from these pings. There is a stink going on about how iphones are saving location data and tracking people 'secretly' even with the location service turned off. Technically, if you have service then the iphone should get its position just as quickly with data turned on or off. I know mine does because I turn data off overseas but still use the Sygic gps application and the time to get a fix is the same.
I quite like the iphone but it's gps is very ordinary, much worse than my previous windows phone. Out in the sticks with no service and you can wait 20 minutes for a fix and then lose it if some cloud comes over.

This GPSR thing is interesting.
I looked up the Telstra Cell map and I am just about equidistant from 3 , Bouddi, Kincumber Mountain and Terrigal, all only about 5Km. And I am just about in the middle of a triangle.
It should be easy to calculate the triangulation . The only thing I can think of is that the Kincumber Mountain cell is shielded by the ridge I am behind and the phone calculates the distance between Terrigal and Bouddi and puts me halfway, which is to the east of my position about 1KM on Cape Three Points Rd not Franklin Avenue.
But 1 Km seems a hell of an error.
I have checked the "networks" setting and it is receiving/using Telstra , while Optus and Vodaphone are also picked up as "available"
Learn something every day.
This suggests to dumb me that the algorthym just compares the signal time difference between the towers, not absolute time. Pretty useless in hilly country and if no GPS then you could seriously misdirect say rescuers.

Another problem I seem to have is that the touch pressure required by the screen seems to vary wildly from feather to punch. It was very frustrating yesterday as I was trying to take a picture of the giant surf to frustrate my son in law.LOL.
I know my son just says to whack it in the centre and it seems to go back to normal. The screen was replaced a few months ago as guess what he dropped it.
Regards Philip A

Phillip, expecting a GPS to get a good fix indoors is just silly

Add to that, mountain ridge, etc... and no wonder it had error..

GPS is for OUTDOORS


Doesnt hurt, considering the phone has been dropped, had other stuff on it etc.. to do a full re-boot or restore...

For the record... I've had 2x 3G, 2x 3GS and now have 2x iPhone 4 and all have been exemplary in their behaviour...

And ours are operated on boats, got sprays on by rain and around large amounts of iron ore dust.... Which loves to get in everywhere...

Friends with ANdroid phones seem to reboot quite often from what they are telling me...