by 1 Cylivers
According to wireless.att.com, EDGE network can offer a download speed of 70-135 Kbps with an average bandwidth hanging on the lower side. That means it will take 1-2 minutes to download, uh.. let's say CNN's home page. Forget about surfing sites rich in photo and video, it will be a painful experience.
On the other hand if iPhone were able to connect to 3G network, it would have offered somewhere close to 600 Kbps bandwidth. That would have allowed you to wow your friends with ability to watch a youtube video over your newly acquired gadget.
AT&T's 3G network uses a technology called HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), which is a combination of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM Environment). It provides average mobile data download connections between 400 kilobits per second and 700kbps.
Why did Apple decide to put out-dated technology in their sexy phone? It was a trade-off between battery life and speedier data network. 3G based network would have sapped battery life quicker than you being able to finish a "jon stewart" episode.
The fact that Apple has plans to launch the next generation of iPhone (in 2008) with faster data capability, I will resist the temptation to run to the stores. Upside, I will instead buy a new laptop with the same money, I'd have spent on iPhone.
