[daver]

hi all,


first thread for me, good site and good work Ben.

quick question I have a LG8110 on 3G for the wife and it is terrible dropping calls all over even though according to Three I have the strongest 3 signal in the area where I live. 3 blame the phone say there is a bug in it's software.

Is the Nokia any better for signal reception? I would prefer to go back yo nokia and this phone looks like the one for me?

cheers daver

[3GScottishUser]

I have yet to come across any handset that works reliably in West Central Scotland on 3.

Every single model so far seems to drop and fail to make calls even in areas with a full signal. (I live less than 3/4 of a mile away from a three cellsite and mine is almost unuseable at home).

I have not had any feedback about the 6630 or 6680 yet but I think the 14 day trail is your best bet if you plan to use 3 again in this area. My 7600 is by far the best performer ever (had motorolas and NEC's previously) but it is still far less useable than my old SonyEricsson T68i!

[Ben]

Put it this way, my Nokia 6680 makes much better use of Orange 3G signal than my Sony Ericsson Z1010 did. It's quite possible that the Nokia 6680 will offer similar enhancements to your Three UK 3G service too.

I still strongly advise anyone getting this phone to get it on a network with open internet access. However, I can understand that this isn't necessary for everyone. It's still the best handset on Three with or without the net access.

[3GScottishUser]

I'd go with Ben on the Open internet access and don't forget that other great benefit (on networks other than 3) - seamless switching between W-CDMA and GSM wich means that voice calls are far less likely to 'drop'.

[daver]

im not really bothered about video calling, so will 6680 be ok


cheers

dave

[Ben]

It'll be more than OK whether you intend to use video calling or not - it's certainly much better looking than the equally capable 6630.

[timothythetim]

iv'e got a 6680 and i'm in glasgow and it works fantastically

[3GScottishUser]

On 3?

You'll have to excuse my scepticisim but I've experienced many false dawns before regarding handsets on 3 in this area. I have had 5 to date and none have yet performed similarly on 3 in terms of reliability to my previous GSM kit.

I will be pleased if it does but will need some confirmation after a prolonged user experience to convince me to buy into the 3 'price advantage' again.

[timothythetim]

to be fair, i've only had the phone for a few days, but it has worked flawlessly
it switches to O2 if there is no coverage tho, does it not?

[Ben]

It will yes, but you'll lose any call that is currently connected.

I don't think lack of 3G coverage is a problem for 3GSU though, he's been having a lot of problems in well covered areas.

[3GScottishUser]

I have never really paid much attention to the switching issue on the 7600, I always seem to have a decent 3G signal when in the Glasgow area. That said (mone is not flashed and does switch between 2/3G as set up by 3) I work about 50 yards from a 3 base station and suffer dropped calls pretty regularly. When travelling the dropped call issue is a chronic pain. Travelling westbound on the M8 through Glasgow city centre the phone always drops calls just past the Kingston bridge (Europe's busiest) right next to the old Co-Op Hypermarket building. I now try and finish my calls or warn folks when i get to this spot. Approaching Glasgow Airport is another dead spot on the M8.

Best way to describe the voice calling on the 7600 is intermittent. You get good days and bad days. Services are similarly ropey and can often take several attempts to load. Once selected videos buffer and stutter and sometimes crash altogether and on 3 they charge you whether you actually get a download sucessfully or not.

It'll be interesting to hear if the 6680 manages to cure some of these ills. I suspect many will be quite forgiving of the network issues because of the desireability of the handset (most folks are initially) but only time will tell.

[fozzie]

I have had very few issues with 3's coverage working in Glasgow & living in Paisley recently.The airport is a known blackspot due to the geographic layout of the area,this occurs on O2 also.

I have used Orange in Paisley too & when I travel from the town centre heading towards Renfrew near the Kingdom Hall the coverage on both 3 & Orange just completely drops again this is down to the geographic layout of the land.

I have used many handsets ranging from an A830 to a V980 and many NEC's and even a 6650.The NEC handsets appear to hold the best signal but my 7600 sometimes struggles on 1 bar however the calls are more successful on the Nokia.

At least I get 3G coverage in my office in Waterloo Street now whereas previously I didnt have this luxury.

[daver]

thanks guys for the information,

i have went for the 6680 on three, hope i have not made a bad choice but its only £17.50 per month so if worst comes to the worst I will just have to go back 2 using 2 phones again :)

cheers

dave

ps dont know if i can wait the 2 weeks for the phone, e2save short on stock :(

[3GScottishUser]

Dont forget you still have the 14 day trial period.

Good Luck......let us know how it goes.