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I Phone false advertising?

lavrishevo

lavrishevo

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 9, 2007
1,864
204
NJ
I don't own an iphone...yet, really want it to be 3G before I purchase it, but I notice in the commercial that it shows someone surfing and then a call coming and it popping up on screen and the ability to answer.

Well in the bugs/issue thread people have stated that you can not get call a while surfing. I guess this means it goes right to voice mail.

What is the deal with this? True or false?
 
If you are on wifi, you can take a call. If you are on Edge, it will go to voicemail. Always has been this way with Edge, not just the iPhone.
 
Over wifi there is no problem and you will get the call, you can even surf while on a call. I thought you couldn't get a call while on EDGE but I was surfing today and a small window popped up and asked me if I wanted to ignore it or not, so it seems to work even over EDGE.

EDIT-

I just tried a call and it appears that if you are in the middle of downloading a web-page using EDGE, the call may not get through but I did get a strange box pop up this afternoon while I was surfing on EDGE like a text message one. Once the page is loaded completely it has no effect on the call coming through and you get the call.
 
For me it works just like [G5]Hydra said. If your viewing a page that is fully loaded (on EDGE) it will display a window asking if you want to accept or ignore the call. If your still downloading a page when the call comes in it will send it to voicemail. With Wifi it doesnt matter you can surf while you talk on the phone.
 
In my few test I was able to get call notification (to accept or decline) while downloading a page on EDGE.



FYI, all apple marketing material always shows the iPhone on WiFi and not EDGE, so it wouldn't be false advertising either way
 
desenso said:
Nevermind, I thought you meant third gen - but in retrospect I think you mean the 3G data network.

EDGE isn't that bad
Click to expand...

Actually, AFAIK, he does mean third generation. I think most people are referring to HSDPA when they say "3G."
 
The General said:
Actually, AFAIK, he does mean third generation. I think most people are referring to HSDPA when they say "3G."
Click to expand...

He said he's waiting for iPhone 2.0, which is second generation iPhone, but he wants it to support 3G.

It was pretty clear to me.
 
joeconvert said:
The iPhone has been torn down, the chipset is not 3G capable.
Click to expand...

when making statements like this, please back it up with article proof. I know it's been torn down but let's take a look at who tore it down, not Apple. You can't tell everything from a tear down.
 
joeconvert said:
The iPhone has been torn down, the chipset is not 3G capable.
Click to expand...
jg2000 said:
when making statements like this, please back it up with article proof. I know it's been torn down but let's take a look at who tore it down, not Apple. You can't tell everything from a tear down.
Click to expand...
You may want to read this blog article overviewing it:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=5557
Bob Faulkner, who writes TheStreet.com’s Telecom Connection (subscription required), says the choice of Infineon explains why the iPhone isn’t 3G yet. Infineon doesn’t support 3G yet.
Click to expand...
Infineon’s PMB8876 S-Gold 2 multimedia engine with EDGE functionality provides the iPhone’s baseband. The second Infineon part appears to be the GSM RF transceiver.
Click to expand...
Hi-Res blow up of tear-down with arrows pointing at stuff (you can actually read the chip number):
http://i.cmpnet.com/techonline/uth/iPhone1_High.jpg
EE Times article, detailing Tear-down and giving analysis:
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/...d=1PYQB3RYT5FIGQSNDLSCKHA?articleID=200001811
Infineon's taken down the page for that chip (that won't stop us!)
Google Cache, serve it up!
PMB8876 S-GOLD® 2
Multimedia Engine with Advanced EDGE Functionality
S-GOLD® 2 combines advanced EDGE modem technology with the latest multimedia functions required for tomorrow's mobile phones. Based on a powerful ARM926TM CPU, S-GOLD® 2 provides the horsepower needed for power-greedy software applications. Supportively it hosts on-chip hardware for the latest multimedia features, such as high-resolution display interface, dedicated camera interface, hardware support for MPEG4 encoding, Java hardware accelerator, and a large number of connectivity peripherals. MMS for still picture and video, 3D gaming, Java applications, 3GPP compliant video streaming are just a few of the latest applications that are easily supported with S-GOLD® 2. The high integration level of the key features enables system solutions of minimum size and cost.

Features
  • ARM926TM based single modem and application processor with cache support and fast tightly-coupled memories
  • Parallel/serial display interface supporting high resolution colour displays
  • Supporting camera applications of up to 2 MPixel
  • MPEG4/H.263 encoder hardware (MOVE® coprocessor), support for video streaming and video telephony
  • Standardized multimedia extension interface (MMIC-IF), MMC/SD interface, SD IO capable
  • USB 2.0 on-the-go, full speed, fast IRDA
  • Polyphonic Ringer support for up to 44 voices at up to 48 kHz sampling rate
Click to expand...
Considering that, though a moot point, according to some report I read a while back, AT&T required that Apple not make its phones CDMA capable for 5 years, I imagine that must have automatically excluded the 3G HSDPA/CDMA/EDGE capable Infineon PMB8878 from consideration (unless not activating the device's CDMA features via software is enough, which I'm pretty sure wouldn't be).

So, despite what Cringlely might tell you (he's just trying to get page impressions), the current iPhone does not and WILL NOT do 3G, at all. Walt Mossberg also noted that it wasn't software upgradeable in his original launch review, as he'd asked that direct question to Apple.

~ CB
 
I don't know where your from but EDGE is basically unusable here in Colorado. It couldnt be slower, and jams up the browser causing it to crash. EDGE is trash, wait for the 3G!



desenso said:
Nevermind, I thought you meant third gen - but in retrospect I think you mean the 3G data network.

EDGE isn't that bad
Click to expand...
 
bluesman87 said:
I don't know where your from but EDGE is basically unusable here in Colorado. It couldnt be slower, and jams up the browser causing it to crash. EDGE is trash, wait for the 3G!
Click to expand...
You should always speak for yourself regarding telephone network performance, and consult your network's performance and coverage in the area you're in. EDGE might be trash for Colorado, or maybe just your town in Colorado. I can say EDGE is pretty good here in Boston, personally. Too many people think they've found universal truth, when that couldn't be less the case Do you realize that if your performance of EDGE is bad, that 3G support may be equally poor if not non-existent? You really need to look at the problem from another angle before dictating the appropriate action someone should take.
For instance, check out the 3G coverage list:
http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/popUp_3g.html
Noticeably absent? Colorado. Not even on the list. That's bad. You get a little EDGE though...

lavrishevo I believe, is in Puerto Rico.
Check out the EDGE coverage in Puerto Rico, its pretty darn dense.
Colorado? Yikes... Not so much. Personally, I wouldn't buy an iPhone for its EDGE support if I were in Wyoming, North & South Dakoto, or Nebraska.
http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/en_US/pdf/legal/cingularmarkets.pdf

lavrishevo said:
I don't own an iphone...yet, really want it to be 3G before I purchase it, but I notice in the commercial that it shows someone surfing and then a call coming and it popping up on screen and the ability to answer. Well in the bugs/issue thread people have stated that you can not get call a while surfing. I guess this means it goes right to voice mail.
What is the deal with this? True or false?
Click to expand...
In my opinion, if you want and could use an iPhone now... get it. Don't wait for 3G, as its not going to be out for a while. I've received calls while browsing, but I usually browse on WiFi, if I'm at home. I'm not aware of missing calls while I'm on the road browsing EDGE. I'm under the impression that if the incoming call packet can reach you, it'll let you know and stop your download. If you're doing a big download of a page and it is constant, its possible the call will not go through. If you think about it though, most of the time you're browsing the web, you're just examining/reading downloaded pages so odds are you'll get the call. EDGE coverage looks awesome in Puerto Rico. I think you'll be fine.

~ CB
 
I have GPRS on my PocketPC, and if I'm online (on a web page or MSN, say) and get a call, it just disconnectes the GPRS *IF* I answer the call. If I ignore the call, the GPRS connection stays active. Therefore, the call takes the priority over the GPRS connection as all calls still come through.

As Edge is a similar protocol to GPRS, I'm suprised that while you're connected to Edge, all calls go to voicemail?! What about texts, do these come through?
 
MarkW19 said:
I have GPRS on my PocketPC, and if I'm online (on a web page or MSN, say) and get a call, it just disconnectes the GPRS *IF* I answer the call. If I ignore the call, the GPRS connection stays active. Therefore, the call takes the priority over the GPRS connection as all calls still come through.

As Edge is a similar protocol to GPRS, I'm suprised that while you're connected to Edge, all calls go to voicemail?! What about texts, do these come through?
Click to expand...

The calls are coming through just fine when on the web, just like your phone it has a box coming up to except the call or not.
 
dukeblue91 said:
The calls are coming through just fine when on the web, just like your phone it has a box coming up to except the call or not.
Click to expand...

Good! I just got the impression from this thread that when the iPhone's connected to Edge, all incoming calls are diverted to voicemail?
 
MarkW19 said:
I have GPRS on my PocketPC, and if I'm online (on a web page or MSN, say) and get a call, it just disconnectes the GPRS *IF* I answer the call. If I ignore the call, the GPRS connection stays active. Therefore, the call takes the priority over the GPRS connection as all calls still come through.
Click to expand...
You have to be clear. If you are ON a page, that doesn't mean anything. The only time a call is prevented from going through is if you are in the middle of a download. Simply browsing a fully downloaded webpage will NOT prevent a call from coming in.
MarkW19 said:
As Edge is a similar protocol to GPRS, I'm suprised that while you're connected to Edge, all calls go to voicemail?! What about texts, do these come through?
Click to expand...
To be clear, the call doesn't automatically go to voicemail. It only goes to voice mail after the specified number of rings. If your page finishes downloading before those rings are up, there is a possibility that the call will still send a message to you. For instance, I was in the middle of navigating to a website, and an alert box came up saying that it couldn't connect to the server, and the call came barging through. In this case the call made it through somewhere during my navigation to another webpage, and then prevented further web browsing from happening as it asked if I wanted to take the call.
MarkW19 said:
Good! I just got the impression from this thread that when the iPhone's connected to Edge, all incoming calls are diverted to voicemail?
Click to expand...
This is unquestionably true, except the point about being "diverted" to voicemail, it just doesn't "answer". If you got a "text" message, it would likely come through after your page finished downloading. It's not like you need to leave the browser or anything. You can actually open Safari and read tabbed offline pages perfectly fine while on EDGE. You just can't do the two things simultaneously.

~ CB
 
OK, so the distinction is - simply being CONNECTED to Edge won't stop calls or texts coming through, it's only when data is actually being transferred?

I just did a test on my pocket pc. I started a download of a big webpage, watching the data being downloaded in GPRS manager, so I know it was actually downloading. I called my mobile from my landline, and the call came through STRAIGHT AWAY, even though I was ACTUALLY DOWNLOADING at the exact same time. I tried this a few times, and it works every time.

If I take the call, the download stops and cancels opening the page. Equally, if I'm signed into MSN messenger, and I get a call - if I decline the call, I stay logged into MSN. If I take the call, my MSN session is logged out.

So it seems the iPhone behaves differently? I'd hate to think the priority is being given to the Edge download over a call - which if you say is true, it seems to be (or rather, whatever you're doing first).
 
DXoverDY said:
He said he's waiting for iPhone 2.0, which is second generation iPhone, but he wants it to support 3G.

It was pretty clear to me.
Click to expand...

Not "Third Generating iPhone" ... but "Third Generation Internet Connection."

When most people say "3G" they want "HSDPA."
 
MarkW19 said:
OK, so the distinction is - simply being CONNECTED to Edge won't stop calls or texts coming through, it's only when data is actually being transferred?
Click to expand...
Yes.
MarkW19 said:
I just did a test on my pocket pc. I started a download of a big webpage, watching the data being downloaded in GPRS manager, so I know it was actually downloading. I called my mobile from my landline, and the call came through STRAIGHT AWAY, even though I was ACTUALLY DOWNLOADING at the exact same time. I tried this a few times, and it works every time.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've tried it a few times, and it doesn't work, every time. :) I have to admit though, this is odd to test, because WiFi is all over the place, so I need to explicitly turn it off AND try to have it downloading data at the same time (and sometimes pages come in two fast and it goes through).
MarkW19 said:
If I take the call, the download stops and cancels opening the page. Equally, if I'm signed into MSN messenger, and I get a call - if I decline the call, I stay logged into MSN. If I take the call, my MSN session is logged out.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I'd imagine IM services aren't constantly pinging their clients, so I'm not sure how consistent a test that would be.
MarkW19 said:
So it seems the iPhone behaves differently? I'd hate to think the priority is being given to the Edge download over a call - which if you say is true, it seems to be (or rather, whatever you're doing first).
Click to expand...
I don't think its necessarily iPhone so much as how AT&T is using EDGE.

~ CB
 
There does not seem to be a definite resolution on this issue of missing voice calls. There is a whole thread on this but still no resolution. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/323645/ . One person on this thread said that voice calls can interrupt a data transfer.

How can we contact Apple to get the final word on this? Does anyone know what channel we can use?
 
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