Comments on: Nokia N85 skips thru the FCC with US 3G

By: Steven

Steven — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:34:26 +0000

Hi,

I have an N85-1 (Euro version) in the Tampa area and it is not picking up the 3G network. ( don’t have the data plan). Should it show on the display the 3G network?
I called T-mobile for explanation and the lady has no idea about the technical part.

By: GAW

GAW — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:34:57 +0000

Are you saying the Sony (”went out… a limb”)device will work on T-Mobile 3G (ie., 1700/2100)?

When I checked thair site – it only indicated 850/1900/2100. Otherwise, looks like a neat device.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:55:29 +0000

No, that would be AWS 3G.

By: NuShrike

NuShrike — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:00:01 +0000

This phone is the worthy HTC killer since none of the recent stuff (Diamond, Touch Pro, Xperia, TouchHD) actually fix the inferior Qualcomm cpu problems (no fpu so below-bar multimedia), nor improve the video driver (all recent HTC scrape the bottom in GLBenchmarks), nor improve the usability of the phone (MS letting OEMS create a DOS-like wasteland of crappy drivers and random GUI implementations).

It’s almost as if Nokia is the TiVo in the land of Media PCs and jury-rigged home-built HTCs.

By: jonnybruha

jonnybruha — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:50:48 +0000

Nokia has never released an E51 with 1900 UMTS. They released a dual band 850/2100 version for Australian markets that works in certain places in the US, but never with 1900 like the N85 Euro be NAM.

By: Noah

Noah — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:02:18 +0000

FYI – I took the AT&T 3G frequency gamble and lost a bit. I have an Nokia E51 with WCDMA 1900/2100mhz (IE No 850mhz) and I get no 3G in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t get any coverage in NYC but can’t be positive.

By: mingkee

mingkee — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:17:31 +0000

STOP SAYING SOMETHING ILLOGICAL!
DON’T YOU SAY WCDMA IV IS RUNNING IN USA?!
T-Mobile runs WCDMA IV in USA, then US 3G MUST include WCDMA II/IV/V
without WCDMA IV, it doesn’t qualify as US 3G

By: CanisMinor

CanisMinor — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Gee, guys lighten up. US 3G is perfectly acceptable. T-Mo isn’t on US 3G – they’re on a POS frequency because they were too lame ass cheap, and heck, they have bare minimum 3G coverage in the 30 markets. Do you really expect Nokia to make a T-Mo version of the niche N85? Do you really think they would sell even a 100 of these things for T-Mo?

It’s US 3G. Give Kelly a break on a well-written article.

By: JonnyBruha

JonnyBruha — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:40:40 +0000

You guys whining about it not having AWS make it sound like the phone will explode in your lap if you put your T-Mobile SIM in it. It’s still going to work in the US, you just won’t get any high-speed data with it.

Nokia has yet to make an S60 device with UMTS 1700. Believe me, when they do, BGR is going to have a more captivating title than just saying a new phone has “US 3G”. You should have known better.

By: epoch

epoch — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:15:56 +0000

@mas: Where are you seeing this news?

By: rc

rc — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:09:49 +0000

Why are all the T-Mobile customers complaining about the title of this blog? In fact, I say it should be titled “Nokie N85 skips thru the FCC with North American 3G” since Rogers, Telcel, and AT&T would be able to use this phone.

By: NuShrike

NuShrike — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:39:04 +0000

Nokia would be shipping their next-gen phone after the N85 by the time T-Mobile USA 3G gets up to prime-time numbers that justifies the AWS 1700 radio hardware.

Sony with their Xperia really went out an expensive limb, something Nokia is too smart to do.

By: mingkee

mingkee — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:43:17 +0000

currently T-Mobile has nearly 30 markets (not cities) have 3G active (just added Washington DC)
nokia has lost the opportunity big time

By: mas

mas — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:27:25 +0000

looks like att is going to get the nokia N-95 according to wirefly.

By: joseph

joseph — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:38:30 +0000

not to be of offense to the new tmobile 3G bands, you have to see it from their (Nokia) point of view. ATT has a larger network with more customers and area of 3G coverage over t-mobile at the moment. The network would have to grow in customers and size in order for them to see an phone with AWS support as profitable

By: mingkee

mingkee — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:24:14 +0000

f’ nokia, and GO TO HELL!!!
they officially dump T-Mobile!
well once they realize SE, HTC, moto starts to bring out WCDMA IV unlocked handset, it’s way too late

By: Kelly Hodgkins

Kelly Hodgkins — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:19:02 +0000

@Jr and Buzz
You’re right, my bad. I actually thought I had edited that out and had it as “US 3g support” but somehow the “full” made its way back in there….

By: JR

JR — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:14:47 +0000

Someone already mentioned it and I think it’s worth mentioning it again. FULL US 3G support now has to include the 1700mHz band that T-Mobile is now using.

I hope manufacturers start remembering this when they start developing US versions of unlocked phones!

By: Buzzz

Buzzz — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:11:43 +0000

Please refrain from saying “full US 3G” on phones such as this now that T-Mo has an actual 3G network. After loving my N95 (with nothing but EDGE), i was about to flip my lid for Nokia supporting AWS so fast. Unfortunately, your headline was incorrect.

By: Kelly Hodgkins

Kelly Hodgkins — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:03:43 +0000

Just to clarify, I said it is destined for AT&T because is has AT&T GSM/3G bands, not because it will be branded by AT&T. As Jason said, it will be sold unlocked.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:44:54 +0000

AT&T won’t be carrying the phone. it will be sold unlocked just like all previous n-series phones in the US. I picked up the N85-1 which is the Euro version and it is a very, very solid phone. Battery life is better than about any phone i’ve ever seen mostly due to the OLED’s low power consumption.

Also, if you are in a major city chances are you are using 1900 for 3g so the Euro version will get you 3g. I get 3g everywhere I did with my N95-4 and everywhere my Bold has 3g.

Also, anyone thinking about the N96, this is the phone to have, not the N96.

By: Duvi

Duvi — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:41:12 +0000

P.S. I meant the site (not him).

This news is no news until it passes TA for AT&T. Otherwise, my pockets are empty with all the phone purchases I did this past month.

By: Duvi

Duvi — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:39:46 +0000

@ BG’s meant a carrier that mattered

By: me

me — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:25:45 +0000

It is not “full US 3G” if it does not have the T-mobile 3G bands.
Thanks for getting my hopes up!

By: zephxiii

zephxiii — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:02:54 +0000

Thanks Nokia! how about more QWERTY devices instead of the same slider/candybar form factors over and over?? QWERTY N-series plz-k-thnx….oh and 5800 NAM too.

By: Dtest54

Dtest54 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:56:02 +0000

could this be a push by Nokia to get more devices into the US market? I would love to see the competition.

looks like a very good device.

By: derliebewolf

derliebewolf — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:51:12 +0000

This thing looks more like a N96 than like a N85..