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T-Mobile G1 Faster Than iPhone 3G
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:32 AM
from the couldn't-be-much-slower dept.
from the couldn't-be-much-slower dept.
An anonymous reader writes "CNET UK have run some very simple in-house tests comparing the T-Mobile G1's 3G connection against the iPhone 3G's. Result? The G1 loaded Web pages almost twice as fast as the iPhone's. Of course, the test only applies to the CNET UK offices if you're being scientific about it, as stated, but it's still impressive nevertheless."
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Submission: T-Mobile G1 Trashes Iphone 3G's 3G During Testing by Anonymous Coward
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somebody read it (Score:3, Interesting)
and tell me if it's because of:
1. Faster Network access of the device
2. Faster network the device is connected to
3. Faster processor
4. faster browser.
Re:somebody read it (Score:5, Informative)
3 and 4, per the conclusions of the author.
Don't worry, though, I'm sure some apple fan will be along shortly to debunk it.
Parent
Re:somebody read it (Score:5, Interesting)
The author tries to conclude it was not the network (offering no reasons) ans was the browser's "page load speed".
But this is mentally ill. The page load too 1.5 minutes versus 30 seconds. SO is he trying to say it took the apple iphone 1 minute to render the page?
this is absolutely illogial. Of course it's the network. They did not even check to see if the iphone was on a 2G or 3G network.
retards.
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Re:somebody read it (Score:5, Informative)
o2 has 3g coverage for 80% of the country. I find it very hard to believe that the skipped "London" when they were doing that.
T-Mobile UK is delivering a 7.2Mbps connection whereas O2 are still at 3.6Mbps - either way i find it hard to believe that download speed is a major issue.
Quite why they didn't use wifi - i dont know
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Re:somebody read it (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:somebody read it (Score:5, Insightful)
Great for the G1 and all... but seriously? CNET, you fail at comparisons. Different sites? For the love of the experimental method, why?
And there's absolutely no way to conclude that the G1's processor or browser beats the iPhone's on this test alone... maybe O2 just really, really sucks? Who knows?
If you really want to do a comparison... just unlock the damned thing and put in SIM cards from the same network!
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
they hosed up the experimental method right off the bat with the extremely limited scope of their test. 3 web pages?
Re:somebody read it (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
because the ability to get a page fast over a low bandwidth connection is important to most perspective buyers (ability to deal with compressed pages, pipelining etc) and at the end of the day if you live in the UK you will get iphones & G1s on their respective connections.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
That doesn't stop them concluding
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The massive irony here is that both phones use WebKit to render pages, so unless there's a *major* version difference, the rendering engine is essentially the same!
Re:No it's faster because: (Score:5, Funny)
I can see how that would come into play at the CNET UK offices.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Too bad the tests were done in the UK...
(It's even in the summary for crying out loud...)
How would it fare elsewhere? (Score:5, Insightful)
The first time I saw an iPhone in person was in rural Virginia. It wasn't fast, but it actually worked out there. T-Mobile doesn't even really have any service out there, so I guess it really is just a moot point for a lot of people.
Re:How would it fare elsewhere? (Score:4, Informative)
Look in the top left-hand corner(ish). If it says "3G", you have a 3G connection. If it says "E", you have Edge. Edge is roughly dialup. It works, but it's slower'n'piss.
I have a Rogers iPhone, I live in a rural area, and get 3G on one side of my house and Edge on the other. The difference is astounding.
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Re:How would it fare elsewhere? (Score:4, Informative)
Edge is roughly dialup.
BZZZZT! Wrong.
GPRS (2G) is roughly dialup. EDGE (2.5G) is more like slow DSL, in the 128K to 230K range. GPRS can actually do better than dial-up. It maxes out at 59K.
The G1 does all three, and it distinguishes between them on the display. Perhaps your iPhone doesn't.
Parent
phone or network (Score:2)
but does this determine the quality of the phone or the network?
T-Mobile in NYC (Score:4, Informative)
I've been with T-Mobile since they were Voice Stream back in 2000 when I was living in Dallas. In Dallas they were great, but I've been in NYC since early 2005 and their service sucks in this area. Most of the time my Internet access doesn't work at all.
Simply... awesome. (Score:5, Informative)
My room mate, a senior T-Mobile Engineer, did a test just last night of his new G1 on T-Mo's 3G network versus his iPhone on AT&T's network and saw a full 150kbps difference between the two, with advantage going to the G1. On a later test they ran the G1 against the iPhone with both on T-Mobile's network and saw between a 50 - 75kbps difference between the two, again, advantage G1.
So far I'm rather impressed with the device. The trackball is very functional, easy to use, and seems well made. The device is fast and responsive, and while the screen may not be quit as big or pretty as the iPhone's, it's still plenty nice enough. Ok, it doesn't have multi-touch (as far as I can ascertain), but it's fast, very functional and I really really want one now. Web-browsing was a wonderful experience (first time I can say that about a phone), and did I say it was fast? Also the native console and SSH functionality was awesome, and I was very surprised by how well it represented my SSH sessions, including irssi - I must have one.
It really does look better in the hand than it does on photos. Ok, not quite as slick as the iPhone, but I'm also not one of those people who will shell out an extra $X just to get a pretty PC case when all I want is functionality - I don't need my mobile device to be sexy in an artistic way, I want it to be sexy in a functional, useful and powerful way. The teenage emo girls on 4chan can have the iPhone, it's G1 for me.
Don't forget open standards for the phone too, and the fact that with the time and effort you can make it do anything you want to, and not have to be beholden to what Apple thinks you should be able to do, or a glorified pager that is the Blackberry.
Re:Simply... awesome. (Score:4, Funny)
My room mate, a senior T-Mobile Engineer, did a test just last night of his new G1 on T-Mo's 3G network versus his iPhone
Now THERE'S an unbiased test!
Parent
Re:Simply... awesome. (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, because, as we know, T-Mobile employees have special SIM chips that enable secret Traffic Shaping protocols for T-Mobile branded phones.
Please.
Parent
You all fail at controlled experiments. (Score:3, Insightful)
Almost everybody here is comparing phones on different networks. The only way you can say anything useful about the phones is if they're using the SAME NETWORK.
"3G" is not a bandwidth value. Neither is "Edge". For both of these, data transfer rate depends mainly on how far you are from the cell company's antenna, and how many walls and trees are between you and it.
Unless those factors are identical for both phones, your comparison says nothing about the speed of the phones, and nothing useful about how the phones will behave for someone else. The only person here who's made a sensible comparison is dnwq, who said
If you really want to do a comparison... just unlock the damned thing and put in SIM cards from the same network!
CNET's Update Negates Their Findings - Phones Same (Score:3, Informative)
TMobile reduce res of images on 3G (Score:3, Interesting)
I've tested the same web-site on wired & 3G tmobile connection, & tmobile reduces the (byte) size of all image files on the fly in their transparent proxy. Might improve performance a tad! A proper test would use https as this cannot be interfered with in this way.
Re:The thing is still ugly (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The thing is still ugly (Score:5, Interesting)
I've had a G1 for about a week and I don't think your comments make much sense.
The trackball is very convenient, it gives you mouse-like control over the screen. On the G1 and the iPhone, the touchscreen is good but it's no replacement for a mouse. The iPhone would be better with a trackball. The moving screen is handy, because there are so many good apps for Android already, you'll run out of room. The titled bottom piece causes absolutely no issues whatsoever. The only complaint I'd give credit to is the audio jack thing. They should have included a regular 3.5mm jack.
I've used both the G1 and the iPhone and I like the G1 a lot more so far.
It has a nice smooth interface, in the same ballpark as the iPhone. It has an easy to use app store, which is nicer than Apple's because it already has apps that you'd have to jailbreak the iPhone for. It uses standard mechanisms for thinks like uploading music, etc. Instead of locking you into their stupid iTunes product. As a developer, you get to develop on any platform you want and the dev kit is free.
So, honestly, the iPhone is a decent product, but it's been bested by Android already IMO. It will be interesting to see just how awesome Android becomes on future products.
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Re:The thing is still ugly (Score:4, Insightful)
I agree that I would like a 3.5" jack but at the same time I also understand why there isn't one. This is sort of the elegance in design AshtangiMan likes in the iPhone. Everything is done through a single port on the G1 rather than having to place multiple ports on it. If you want to use earphones other than the ones provided or plug it into your car stereo you can get an adapter fairly inexpensively.
I know that's not a perfect solution but then what is? It is six of one (single port with adapters) or half a dozen of the other (multiple ports).
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I remember when the iPod first came out its competition was (IMO) pretty worthless.
Apple seems to be a good innovator, but they are (again, IMO) not able to compete with the products that imitate them. A lot of Apple's competitors release decent products inspired by Apple's products, but in a (much) lower price range.
Re:The thing is still ugly (Score:4, Insightful)
You forgot what it is that Apple sells. You just listed a bunch of parts.
Apple sells an integrated interface to as many digital devices as they've come up with components for. Music, video, TV, the computer, phone, and whatever else I'm not recalling.
That's what people are paying for.
Parent
Re:The thing is still ugly (Score:5, Insightful)
Better than what? The average phone is the RAZR, so in THAT standpoint the iPhone is better than the average.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
five years ago?
Re:The thing is still ugly (Score:4, Funny)
"Apple-fans...MOBILIZE!
I'm not really sure, but I think something in this article says something bad about iPhones.
You know what to do..."
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Other than the lightsaber app, that's pretty standard on most high-end phones. I pay a lot less for my Nokia N95 8GB, and on features alone it beats the iPhone. Naturally, it can't compete on interface, but it's not as bad as people tend to report. In some ways I prefer the interface even - buttons have their advantages.
It's about more than a feature list (Score:4, Insightful)
Other than the lightsaber app, that's pretty standard on most high-end phones. I pay a lot less for my Nokia N95 8GB, and on features alone it beats the iPhone.
My primary phone these days is a Nokia E70 [wikipedia.org]. Nice phone overall and I like it. The features are roughly identical to my wife's iPhone 3G - but only if you are just doing a checkbox feature comparison. Technically it has the "same" stuff but not all of it is usable. In actual usability there is a pretty wide gap for most people. Why? The interface.
The interface on Nokia's S60 [wikipedia.org] phones just sucks in comparison. Yes, a geek like me (and presumably you) can make it work just fine but ONLY a geek like me would bother. Getting an iPhone configured is a breeze by comparison - not to mention using it. It took me hours of navigating obscure menus to get my E70 working "properly" and I've had a series of Nokia phones for 10 years so I'm plenty familiar with their interface. The physical keyboard is nice but the iPhones virtual one works adequately. Particularly galling were:
By comparison, setting up my wife's iPhone took 30 minutes and I had never held one before hers. Is the iPhone perfect? Heck no, but I've spent quality time with plenty of S60, Blackberries and Treos and for 9/10 people I'd recommend the iPhone over any of them if they have a choice. It's just less hassle. Fortunately it seems to have gotten the handset manufacturers off their rear ends so we are seeing a nice wave of innovative new phones coming out.
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Featuritis is not (necessarily) a Good Thing (Score:3, Interesting)
It's really nothing special, just more idiot-proof and much less flexible.
Flexibility in a mobile device is a two edged sword. It might give you capabilities but the designer isn't careful the cost is usually a degradation in usability. I have an S60 based phone and my wife has the iPhone 3G. I'm a geek with plenty of technical skill and if given the choice today I'd take the iPhone over my Nokia without a second thought. It's just easier to use for the stuff I actually use a smartphone for. All that "flexibility" bites Nokia in the ass when it comes time to actually use the
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, you're not really paying for resources and capabilities with an Apple product.
Apple has become a design-oriented company. They try to make sure everything looks and feels consistent. They make things as intuitive as possible, even if that means sacrificing some functionality. They don't add unusable junk to their products just so they can have the largest feature count. They spend real money on good industrial designers who make prod
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Just for gits and shiggles, I decided to try the same tests on my Windows XP Laptop with Netscape 56k modem, and on my Commodore 64's 2400 "baud" text-only browser:
>>>Our first test, timed by the venerable Rupert Goodwins, involved visiting eHam.net
Commodore 64 == 40 seconds
Netscape ISP == 5 seconds
G1 = 13; 3G == 24 (CNET test)
>>>this time visited CNET UK's sister site silicon.com
Commodore 64 == 100 seconds
Netscape ISP == 15 seconds
G1 == 21; Omnia == 45 (CNET test)
>>>we visited ba
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Yeah, I hear you. I'd buy a car if weren't those ugly wheels.
I actually quite like the trackball (Score:5, Informative)
I didn't think i would, but it's a nice touch.
Still by the time it's got a keyboard, a touch screen, some buttons and a trackball... it feels like it's perhaps over doing it.
Do you think it's ugly in person? Like my last HTC device, it's much nicer in your hand than in pictures.
The integration between the phone and third party apps is wonderful.
When a call comes in that isn't in my phone book, the whitepages app does a reverse number lookup and shows that on screen.
I can use shazam to identify music and then go straight to youtube or the amazon mp3 store to buy or listen to it.
I can scan the barcode of a book, compare the prices at online stores and it'll tell me which local booksellers have it and give me driving directions to the store (although it only seems to work for b&n)
Of course that's all mostly android and not the device.
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Re:I actually quite like the trackball (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:I actually quite like the trackball (Score:4, Informative)
The music comes from wherever you are - watching TV, on a bus, sitting next to some guy in his car who is playing his stereo too loudly, whatever. Shazam identifies music in your environment that you record. Pretty neat, really.
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Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
In the UK you can call 2580 for Shazam on any mobile phone. I've only ever called in nightclubs, so all I've ever done is wait until the call ends -- I don't know if they give instructions or something. The call ends after 30 seconds or so, and a few seconds after that you receive a text with the name of the song.
Re:I actually quite like the trackball (Score:5, Informative)
It records it from whatever radio station, coffee shop or party that it's being played at. It then analyzes the audio and identifies the band.
However rather than leaving you with a song id, you can buy it on amazon and download straight to your phones music library or you can hop over to youtube and find the video for that song.
I get my music from a mix of sources, sorry for not towing the slashdot corporate boycott line.
Parent
Re:one key iphone advantage (Score:5, Interesting)
Apps written expressly for the iphone run faster than the java apps on the G1.
Where's your benchmark to prove it? The truth is Java runs "on hardware" in most mobile devices. There's a chip which translates the Java opcodes to native ARM intructions without any delay or slowdown whatsoever. Naturally nothing less could be expected on a device so strained for power and speed.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I love generalizations.
In the first place, Android apps are not Java apps. They are compiled to a different byte-code and run on a different VM, which is Android-specific.
Yours is the typical VM FUD. If it's a VM, it MUST be slower, right guys? Please. Look what native code has gotten the iPhone: no multi-tasking for custom apps, no garbage collection, developers saddled to an antiquated language (ObjectiveC). These things can be worked around, and there are lots of great iPhone apps, but native-code is not
Re:Chrome vs Safari (Score:4, Informative)
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Re:Not sure about the US... (Score:4, Informative)
Settings->General->Network
Where it says, "Enable 3G" slide the switch to "Off"
Problem solved.
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Re: (Score:3, Informative)
FYI, the most common 3G frequency is 2100MHz. Neither ATT or T-Mobile uses 2100MHz in the US market. ATT uses 850/1900 and T-Mobile uses 1700.
Both the G1 and the iPhone 3G are capable of working at 2100MHz though, which means both phones can operate on the 3G network in most of the world.