[axo]

Hello..New guy here.

I am switching my old iphone 2g to a BB 8900 next Saturday.
I'm getting this BB 8900 FOR FREE from a cousin that used it for only 2 weeks and then he got an iphone 3g as a present, so he liked his new iphone better than the BB and never used it anymore.

So here are my questions.

I am a T-mobile customer. I have the $5.99 T-zones hack on my iphone so i get slow but full internet access.

With my new BB im gonna switch to the "get more plus" plan with full internet.
I know the 8900 does not support 3G. So...

Have any of you tested to compare REAL LIFE T-MOBILE's edge vs 3G speeds on the SAME Blackberry be it a 8900 or bold?
I know 3G is faster than Edge.. BUT i also know that t-mobile's 3G network SUCKS so it can NOT be compared to the differences between edge vs 3g on the other carriers.
So being t-mobiles 3g network so crappy.. here is the big question:

Should i sell this almost new, mint BB 8900 on ebay and then buy a Bold 9700 because there will be any noticeable differences in connection speed ON T-MOBILE?... and how about the rest of the differences between the 2 devices.
100MHZ more of CPU on the bold does not justify having to spend an extra $250 bucks for ME when i am actually getting the 8900 for free...
What would you do? Should i keep the 8900 or get the 9700? Why?

I don't care if you are on ATT, Sprint or Verizon... please answer if you know the differences in T-mobile and only T-mobile.. thank you a lot!

[Username5300]

First post way to make friends.

[syb0rg]

1) i avg. 1,300K/bits download on my 9700 HSPA, Tethered to a computer
2) i don't care what you do with your phones,
3) if t-mobile is that horrible of a provider please leave them and free up some bandwidth.
4) you will NEVER get HSPA speeds on your 8900 it is a EDGE only device.

[axo]

First post way to make friends.

Yeah true...

Don't take it as an offense..
I just don't want to make any "friends" that come from an ATT, Verizon or Sprint background.. i think they all are smelly and ugly haha!

J/K..
I just wanted to read about the info i am looking for.. i was very specific and sounded a bit rude but no intention though..

Peace

[axo]

1) i avg. 1,300K/bits download on my 9700 HSPA, Tethered to a computer
2) i don't care what you do with your phones,
3) if t-mobile is that horrible of a provider please leave them and free up some bandwidth.
4) you will NEVER get HSPA speeds on your 8900 it is a EDGE only device.

Thanks for the info

[se1000]

IMO, this is greatly going to depend on what your T-Mobile 3G coverage is like in your area. I get great 3G speeds in my area and have seen a noticeable improvement over my 8900. Also, the 9700 may only be 100mhz faster in clock speed, but it uses a newer generation processor and is faster, clock for clock and more energy efficient. It is NOT the same processor found in the Bold 9000.

If you will use data heavily and also use your BB to tether, you should consider the 9700. Otherwise, the 8900 is still a great device IMO, and is fine for light browsing and other BB functions.

[pantlesspenguin]

It's not that T-Mobile's 3G network sucks, it's that for some reason the rendering of 3G isn't very good on the 9700. In May, I got the Sidekick LX 09 which was 3G capable. That thing was pretty darn fast in my area. Then in November I got wooed by the BB 9700 & gave up on the Sidekick line for good. The 3G speeds were noticeably slower on the 9700 than what I had been experiencing on my Sidekick. Now, I primarily just use WiFi when I'm home (WiFi is something that I didn't have the luxury of on my Sidekick). When I'm out I'm usually doing other things instead of being glued to my phone, so the "slower" 3G works fine for me then. And by "slower" I should mention that my webpages still load in about 5-8 seconds, & I rarely experience a disruption when streaming music from Slacker, etc.

I'm going on vacation to LA in about a month, & it'll be interesting to see how the 3G there compares to 3G here, if at all.

[K Bear]

I've owned two Blackberrys, a Pearl 8120 and the Bold 9700, both with T-Mobile. Before I purchased the 9700, I was going to buy the 8900. It's only a small step down from the 9700 and I rarely get to enjoy 3G speeds because I don't live in a 3G area. I can drive to one, but I have to travel a distance to experience that treat.
If you've never experienced 3G, you're not going to miss it with the 8900. T-Mobile has a decent 3G network, but with the 9700, you're not going to get the blazing hot speeds that you want because the browser stutters before rendering.

[axo]

Thanks for the replies

I'll stick with the 8900 by now and see by myself how 3G works in my area by borrowing a 9700 from someone else.. then ill make my final decision.
Good luck