Posted on Monday, Jul 13, 2009 by Rene Ritchie
File Under:iPhone 101; Tags: 2g, 3g, 3g symbol, airplane mode, airplane symbol, E symbol, edge, gprs, iPhone 101, o symbol, wi-fi symbol
The S stands for speed, and the 3G stands for the third generation, HSPA (High Speed Packet Access – wikipedia link) data network, which is also supposed to bring broadband-like speed to your iPhone’s internet connection. When you’re on the 3G network, you can tell by the little 3G symbol at the top of left of your iPhone’s menu, right beside the signal strength bars and the name of your carrier (AT&T, Rogers, O2, Orange, etc.).
There are several other symbols your iPhone might show instead of 3G, however, depending on the type of connection and reception available in your area and sometimes specific spot.
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We told you when iPhone 2.0.1 dropped, we asked you how 2.0.1 was doing for you? And we warned iPwners to stay away. Turns out people running on Vodafone (in the 10 countries they currently supply) might want to consider staying away for now as well. TUAW reports on the problems:
Specifically, users who paid to have their 3G iPhones unlocked by Vodafone* are unable to re-connect to the service following the update, and instead receive a “0xE8000001″ error message. How helpful. It seems to happen on both Windows and Mac OS X.
Another problem, via iPhoneAtlas, occurs when users try to upgrade when in the radio-silent Airplane Mode:
Having Airplane mode turned on can result in a non-functional phone when the update is applied. You may receive the error message: “Information for activation cannot be obtained from the iPhone” Fortunately, you can disable Airplane mode from the emergency screen if your iPhone is put into an inactivated state by a problematic update.
If you do get 2.0.1 installed (and I confess, mine installed quickly and flawlessly), what will you find under the hood?
Apple said “bug fixes”, which seems to include fixes to sluggish interface animations/transitions and app launches in general (especially Contacts and SMS). Some are claiming faster backups, more stable App Store app behavior, and better or more accurate cell strength and GPS placement. And others have even joked that, like a placebo, we’ll see any update as a general purpose cure-all for what’s been aggravating us.
Have you noticed any specific, repeatable improvements? Keep pounding away and let us know what you find!
