14 DAY TRIAL // Over the past few days, Apple and AT&T have been systematically putting down all complaints about the iPhone, either through surprise improvements or through demonstrations of the device. Battery, screen scratches, third party applications, office compatibility, virtual keyboard? each and every one of these controversial topics has been covered. Now they are starting to put the very last objection to seep, the EDGE network.
While the built in WiFi offers high-speed internet access when available, the EDGE network that is used the rest of the time is seen as being dated and slow. While it may not be top of the line technology, AT&T's edge network looks like it is anything but slow. A large number of AT&T users have started noticing dramatic increases in speed when using EDGE and many are reporting speeds upwards of 200Kbps.
It looks like that beefing up of the network that AT&T was talking about was more than just smoke and mirrors and they have increased the speed dramatically. Though the speed is a little inconsistent, judging by reports, most users were simply shocked to see such speeds on a network that is widely viewed as being slow.
It could be that the inconsistencies are because AT&T is only conducting tests prior to the iPhone launch and that come 6 P.M., the speed will be stabilized, then again, it could be that the faster network is currently available only in certain areas. Some are speculating that this increase in speed will only be temporary and that AT&T is only preparing for a huge wave of new mobile data customers, which will inevitably slow down the network back to the speeds previously seen.
One thing is certain, both Apple and AT&T still have surprises up their sleeves and both are dedicated to making the iPhone experience flawless.