09-22-2003, 11:45 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Finally, A Reporter Gets 3G
The problems in rolling out 3G are obvious -- high cost, unclear revenue sources. The question is, will 3G succeed? Most analysts have said "no" up front. They say that consumers won't buy it. The Economist, though, looks a little deeper into the picture.
"A far better guide to the prospects for 3G, then, is to look at how quickly data services are being adopted on 2.5G networks. The evidence looks promising. Vodafone's live! service, for example, signed up over 2m customers, primarily in Europe and Australasia, within nine months. Mr Horn-Smith says the signs are that live! subscribers spend 7-10% more than non-subscribers per month. Evidently, many people do want to use their phones for more than just voice calls and text messaging�though whether the huge outlay on 3G licences will be justified is still uncertain."
I have a few niggles with the article, but he concludes well: "After all the 3G hype, the mark of 3G's success may be that its adoption goes completely unnoticed." I agree: apart from us early adopters who want high-speed wireless data for our PDAs and laptops, 3G will succeed if people develop applications for it as it rolls out. It's truly astonishing to see how many people today play games or text on the phone in New York. You'd never have seen this a year ago; we were far behind in these technologies, but the advent of GPRS, 1xRTT, and smarter phones is notable. Phones are rapidly transitioning from voice communications to personal assistants, and if done correctly, 3G can fit right into this picture. Now, just give me a CDMA Bluetooth phone already! :evil:
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09-23-2003, 12:13 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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I have a few niggles with the article, like the assertion that 3G handsets are bulkier
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The handsets available for genuine 3G UMTS services - as offered by the Hutchison backed '3' - ARE much bulkier and heavier than standard 2.5G GPRS. Trust me - I've held them!
You may be thinking of the psuedo-3G (more like 2.75G) that is offered by some carriers in the US.
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09-23-2003, 12:16 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Duncan
The handsets available for genuine 3G UMTS services - as offered by the Hutchison backed '3' - ARE much bulkier and heavier than standard 2.5G GPRS. Trust me - I've held them!
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Interesting. OK, I'll edit that part. I guess my assertion is, before long, they'll be as small as 2.5G if not smaller.
--janak
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09-23-2003, 12:33 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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I guess my assertion is, before long, they'll be as small as 2.5G if not smaller.
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In the meantime 2.5G services are offering video, picture messaging and more over ordinary GPRS, for less cost and in tiny phones that work everywhere. 3G has an uphill struggle in the UK and '3' UK will die as a company before they can convince people to adopt the first gen of phones.
Sad but inevitable.
What is truly irritating is that 3G phones in the UK cannot be used as data modems for a PDA or laptop - even though some come with BT and DUN built-in. 384K speed (potentially) going to waste showing crappy video of stand-up comedy, porn and football (the real kind) on handsets the size of some PDAs...! :roll:
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09-23-2003, 01:37 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 82
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Everything Duncan said stands for Australia too, my T68i is much more appealing than any of the '3' phones avaliable, and all of the 2.5 phones with cameras are much smaller than any of the 3 phones.
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09-23-2003, 01:42 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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my T68i is much more appealing than any of the '3' phones avaliable, and all of the 2.5 phones with cameras are much smaller than any of the 3 phones.
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Slightly OT - but have you had the T610 in Oz yet? It is like the T68 on steroids - wonderful phone...!
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09-23-2003, 02:14 AM
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2000 Posts And This is All I Get?
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,017
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Duncan
384K speed (potentially) going to waste showing crappy video of stand-up comedy, porn and football (the real kind) on handsets the size of some PDAs...! :roll:
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Not to mention the cheap way of loggin video feed from security cameras. My girlfriend's apartment in tokyo is covered by security cameras hooked into an interlacer/compressor, then into a 3G modem, transmitting to a central logging/recording service. Hence no longer the need for local video taping.
Isn't it awesome to be able to compress the feed from 20 cameras, and pump them out via a single 3G channel ?
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09-23-2003, 02:43 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 46
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What is truly irritating is that 3G phones in the UK cannot be used as data modems for a PDA or laptop - even though some come with BT and DUN built-in
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I am in Australia, and have a '3' 3G phone - the NEC e606 (the same phone that debuted in the UK). Just for the record, '3' say that DUN with PDAs is not supported - however, I use it just fine with my iPaq 3870. The setup may not be documented, but it isn't rocket science to make it work.
Are you sure it doesn't work in the UK, or is that just the company line?
Sure, the e606 isn't the greatest phone in the world, but neither were the first Nokia or Ericsson GSM phones, and who has them now? Also, google around a bit for 3G phones available in Asia right now - not so bulky, grasshopper!
FWIW, I think 3G will take off just fine. '3' seem to be doing OK here, and once the public at large get a taste of video calling, I reckon it'll catch on like SMS did.
cmlp
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09-23-2003, 02:58 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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'3' in Oz may be doing fine but they have flopped badly in the UK.
Frankly the service here (and reception) are very poor - so I haven't got myself a '3' phone to see if I can make DUN work. Company line is that they don't support it and won't for some time...
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09-23-2003, 03:42 AM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 841
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Duncan
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my T68i is much more appealing than any of the '3' phones avaliable, and all of the 2.5 phones with cameras are much smaller than any of the 3 phones.
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Slightly OT - but have you had the T610 in Oz yet? It is like the T68 on steroids - wonderful phone...! |
Not in Oz, but in NZ... I've had a pre-market unit of T610 for review (without all the Vodafone Live! stuff, but the real thing) on Geekzone and I was disapointed. It's a little faster than the T68i, but Bluetooth was not stable, requiring the phone to be paired again every time I wanted to use it - and I've tried it with two USB dongles and my H3970.
Also The screen isn't that great and could be better - resolution and colours. It seemed very "washed".
The T68i looks better too (but this is personal taste and YMMV).
But going back on topic, UMTS phones are bigger than CDMA and GPRS mobile. And yes, streaming on GPRS is possible, although with a very low quality.
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