BlackBerry 8320 Wi-Fi vs. BlackBerry 8300 EDGE speed test
We told you our thoughts on AT&T’s new BlackBerry 8820, and how Wi-Fi simply wasn’t a big deal for us. On AT&T there is no UMA functionality, and it currently can’t tie in with your corporate phone system (Avaya IP Office, Cisco, etc.). The only use of Wi-Fi is for data, like email or web browsing. There’s such a big bottleneck on the device though, that we figured Wi-Fi would certainly not be as fast as everyone had hoped. We had countless emails telling us we were crazy, that it simply couldn’t be true, that Wi-Fi on a BlackBerry was a godsend. Well friends, we hate to say it, but we were kind of right. Wi-Fi browsing simply doesn’t cut it. The device is so underpowered that it can’t really handle and process the speeds that we have hoped for. Take a look at our quick video comparison showing Wi-Fi vs. EDGE on a BlackBerry 8320, and BlackBerry 8300. You won’t like what you see. Feel free to do the same speeds at home and tell us what you get!
Disclaimer: The first couple tests had JavaScript enabled by default, which most likely slowed the browser down, but the last test had JavaScript off on both devices. In addition, it seems as if the BlackBerry 8320 on Wi-Fi downloads higher resolution images.
UPDATE: Check out the second part of our speed test, after the jump!
Conclusion? If you have T-Mobile and your BlackBerry needs replacing, this is a logical upgrade. While even though Wi-Fi does not offer much of an improvement in speed over web browsing, file downloading and UMA access make it worthwhile. We just still don’t see the attractiveness of the BlackBerry 8820 on AT&T…
On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:02 am, Nicole69 Said:
sweet a uma smart phone im switching to tmobile now lol
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:11 am, zyphbear Said:
I noticed in the unboxing pics that the wifi signal BG had was only 2 bars and the gps/gprs was only 1-2 bars. I think BG needs to go somewhere and make sure they have a strong signal, after all, if I go somewhere and connect my laptop via wi-fi and only have 2 bars my download speeds are horrible. (Same thing with my DSLite and playing games, in fact if I only have 2 bars my DSLite will sometimes drop a game session).
Can BG also test using other apps like OperaMini and see if it loads a lot faster when they have a strong wi-fi signal?
How does it effect sending attachments like pictures?
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:14 am, subtech Said:
Tried doing a speed test with opera on the 8320 over wifi. Got 658.4
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:14 am, chris b Said:
great vid… good luck to the person who won the 8320
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:26 am, Ricardo Said:
Does the BB browser still goes though BlackBerry servers that scale down the pages for the browser (that used to happen in the 8700 age, I don’t know about modern devices)?
If that still happens, *maybe* ATT has a way better connection (like having less hops) to that server than your cable has.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:26 am, Mike Said:
I wonder if using the Tmobile router will make a difference?
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:41 am, Eric Said:
Does anyone know why the backlight on the 8320 looks so much dimmer than it is on the 8300? Maybe just the settings?
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:42 am, mingkee Said:
the router supplied from T-Mobile is @Home optimized, and able to save phone’s battery
you can use your home LAN, but battery suffers
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:44 am, Ariel Said:
That’s a little disappointing.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 12:55 am, Moe Said:
Boygenius,
Your video and report is completely misleading and totally fucked up. You are comparing apples and oranges here.
First of all, your video did not even show proof that the default browser was set to be WiFi Browser instead of the Internet Browser that the AT&T crap used. WiFi browser will download high resolution pics which has been correctly pointed out by some users and may contribute to slower download time.
However, instead of sounding like an AT&T paid agent, you should talk about some advantages that this device has over the AT&T POS like the ability to start a data download over WiFi and move over to the EDGE network while in the middle of the download. T-Mobile 8320 will complete the download whereas the AT&T 8820 will not be able to handle this. I understand that some of your readers may already be aware of this (and you as well), however, just wanted to mention. Also, as you correctly pointed out, you can browse internet(using the WiFi browser)in the middle of a call which is a huge advantage.
Regarding why WiFi is slow, it has got nothing to do with T-Mobile and everything to do with how the Blackberry communicates with your router. Just compare the download speed on this device with the AT&T and you will see what I mean, if you dont understand the newer technology correctly, feel free to ask questions and I will answer everything that you would like to be answered. UMA is here to survive no matter how much people try to make it sound bad.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 1:09 am, AF Said:
I actually discovered these problems all day today after I upgraded from 8300 to 8320. The video helped me comfirm that I am going to return the 8320 tomorrow and wait for a 3G device to come along…
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 1:20 am, ... Said:
“This is all fucked up right now. It’s loading. It’s thinking. It’s all fucked up. It can’t handle the speed.”
That’s pretty smack.
GO BGR!
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 1:34 am, John Said:
I observed the same thing. Got the Titanium 8320 and when i use UMA it seems that its working twice as hard but going nowhere fast. But when I turn off the WiFi Radio and strictly use EDGE it works faster. I’ve anticipated this release for months since BGR leaked the slides but its turning out to be a bust! The UMA call quality is just as good as on the EDGE but setting up the UMA caused a lot of headaches.
***
T-Mo says to wipe the handheld to restore UMA functions (since there’s been a lot of complaints about not getting UMA to work) and yes it does work but as soon as you restore from the Blackberry Desktop it turns back into shit. So what the hell is a man need to do to keep Bookmarks, Address Book, Calendars etc. without going back and entering these vital assets one by one. If anyone has a damn clue please, help me out!!!
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 1:44 am, subtech Said:
Relax people! We’re in the first few days of the uma launch. Let’s wait it out a few days before we start freaking out.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 1:50 am, Geoff Said:
wifi on blackberry is useless along with the sub par browser rim servers compress everything so much, edge is all you need, if i can load a page 1 sec faster with wifi its useless, now if they improved there browser put in streaming media from the web like google videos, you tube or whatever i’d be good to go back but for know my iphone kicks butt over bb in almost everything but email.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 1:57 am, John Said:
UMA has been out for about a hot minute they should’ve figured this one out or atleast anticipated these results…isn’t this why T-Mo is so strict with product testing…Mach Turtle Speeds ain’t gonna cut it come work tomorrow…..
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 2:02 am, evmonk Said:
This is an interesting comparison, but I’ve heard that the problem is more with the BBs browser than the 8320s wifi capabilities.
Look at your first example of loading the comments on BGR. The 8320 appears to load up to 99% about 10 times faster than the EDGE connection, but then it gets stuck. Something isn’t right.
I’d love to see a comparison running Opera Mini 4 beta2 on both devices and compare speeds that way. It should be more accurate.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 2:10 am, subtech Said:
Geoff, get back to me when you can copy and paste, use an mp3 ringtone without paying twice, send an mms, delete more than one email at a time, voice dial, zoom and flash a camera shot, stream stereo blue tooth, and bring an extra battery for a long trip.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 2:34 am, edward Said:
dont have that problem with CDMA HA HA
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 3:22 am, PNikky. Said:
Lol BG you showed them with the 22mbps speed test hahaha I’m glad you made the second video to show the haters!!
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 3:27 am, Patrick Said:
i am using the same phone, on tmobile via wifi browsing. i loaded the same pages and at the same time while watching your video and my browser loaded much faster than both of your phones. so i don’t have the slow experience you are having. I will note that the wifi has not been entirely consistent, dropping off at times.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 3:35 am, John doe Said:
umm.. i have an 8320 and i did the test as you did it as well and my 8320 smashed your test for both phones… maybe your connection sucks.. but i literally waited for your phones to load as i was lookin on the webpages you were on. I did the gizmodo.com, the boygeniusreport.com, and even the cnet.com and my images loaded faster than yours did on both phones.. your connection sucks.. gotta do your tests right
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 4:36 am, Jai G Said:
Yea I did the same test with my 8320 connected to my linksys router and it was faster than both the 8320 and 8300 when started/loaded at the same time as the video. My connection isn’t 22mbps or whatever BGR’s was, but it still does load faster.
I don’t know, maybe BGR should do a device wipe and try it again.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 4:42 am, laff@you Said:
/laff at 8320. At least you guys have a nicer colorway.
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On Sep 24, 2007 @ 5:11 am, tnkgrl Said:
Check out my unboxing: http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/unboxing-the-blackberry-8320-curve/
Also, give me some tips on how I can get my data working properly (see link above).
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