It appears to me that the signal strength compared to my older (old school) phone is very weak. anyone have similar experience?
I am just comparing the number of bars on old and new phone in same location - my kitchen
luddite wrote: I am just comparing the number of bars on old and new phone in same location - my kitchen
After coming back a basic phone to my smartphone, I can tell you this. On my old flip phone, I had voice and 1x connection and the bars reflected that signal. On my Eris, the bars always reflect the 3g signal, no matter if I had the 3g on or off. Whenever I would make a call, the 3g symbol would disappear and the bars would improve greatly and actually reflect the voice signal strength. I have also learned that the dbm signal listed in the "About Phone" section is always the voice signal even though it is says it is connected to 3g (EDVO Rev A) signal.
I would suggest downloading "Real Signal" from the Market. It will allow you to see what your 3g and voice signal are and give you dbm numbers as well.
I do not see "Real Signal" among the apps available in the "market".