What is a 3d enabled phone and do I need one?

usignuolo

Actually this question is for my OH. His trusty elderly mobile phone recently fell to bits and he ventured down to the Orange shop and came back with a smart phone - an Android I am told (Samsung Galaxy Apollo apparently to those in the know).

He is slowly getting to grips with what it does, but as he was passing Orange's shop this morning, called in to ask if they could show him how to log on to the internet. (He has a monthly plan which includes this). The shop assistant set it up for internet access but told him it would be very slow as he did not have 3d on his phone.

Internet access on his phone now works but is indeed is very slow, so slow really as to be almost unwatchable. What is 3d, how would this make it faster and how can he obtain it, if at all?

jennikitten

Presumably you mean 3G rather than 3D?

I would recommend connecting to your wireless network at home rather than using the phone's internet, that will help to make it faster.

Sublime_2

According to T-mobile 3G is supported on that phone.

usignuolo

Thanks for that - if 3G is supported how does he activate it?

jennikitten

If they told him that he doesn't have 3G on his phone, then he might be able to upgrade his contract - they may have restricted him.

If the phone supports it and it's not a contract issue, then it may be because the area he was in at the time didn't have a strong enough signal. It's kind of like the signal bars on your phone - if you've got low signal you'll have a very slow 'Edge' connection, & then if you have lots of bars & a stronger signal it's '3G'. I don't think you can 'activate' it as such.

jayme1

orange may have given him a non 3G sim card, if you look at the sim card does it have 3G written on it? if not it is not a 3G sim.

since the phone is able to use 3G as it is built in orange should have given you a 3G sim to use the faster data speeds, I think all you need to do is go back and ask for a 3G sim and then you get the faster 3G speeds.

if the sim card has 3G written on it then it is a 3G card, possible reasons you might not have got the 3G speed is 1. coverage perhaps you dont get 3G at home, or 2. perhpas the APN settings the orange person used were the 2G speed settings (if they even have different settings for each)

usignuolo

Hi there

Spoke to Orange call centre who confirmed phone is 3g enabled and OH should check settings. Checked and it was turned off, (Setting is apparently to turn off the 2g enabled option which makes it 3g). Don't know why they couldn't check that in shop. Have also checked card which is 3g OK. will now check internet access again.

Fifer

jennikitten wrote: »

If the phone supports it and it's not a contract issue, then it may be because the area he was in at the time didn't have a strong enough signal. It's kind of like the signal bars on your phone - if you've got low signal you'll have a very slow 'Edge' connection, & then if you have lots of bars & a stronger signal it's '3G'.

That's not quite right. You can have five bars showing, but if you aren't in an area with 3G coverage, you won't get 3G. The phone will access data with the fastest signal it can find (3G, 2G or Edge), pretty much regardless of signal strength.