02-23-2004, 02:30 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,177
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3G Is About Plain Bandwidth
3G is not about video calls, MTV or location based services with maps updated in real time. 3G is about plain bandwidth. Data being pushed faster back and forth through a bit pipe.
The Feature has a brief but interesting article on the subject: "After months of being subjected to commercials of "stupid people making pointless video phone calls," Vodafone and T-Mobile have both launched 3G in the UK as data-only services. Many pundits, especially in the gadget world, saw these data-only launches as soft launches. It was generally regarded as a way for carriers to test and make a little money on their new 3G networks until the long-awaited handsets arrived. But Chris has a different view- by launching as a data only service, T-Mobile and Vodafone are nailing the business class users, skipping video calls in favor of the fast data that power users want so desperately."
Here is my message to Windows Mobile Product Managers and device makers:
I want Windows Mobile based devices that support 3G! Not because I would look for any particular new "3G application feature" but because it would increase bandwidth. Based on increased bandwidth, users and developers will surely find use for it. Don't fall into the same old carrier trap (there is a mobile internet and then there is the Internet). There is only one true Internet and there are many ways to access it. 3G is about plain bandwidth. Anyone in Cannes listening?
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02-23-2004, 02:38 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 75
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I couldn't agree more. While I've switched back to being a Palm guy for the time being (those MPx300 pix have me drooling), I feel the pain of current GPRS speeds all the time. I can't wait to get 'real' bandwidth any time, any where (or at least outside my home office!)
TM
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02-23-2004, 03:02 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 539
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Quote:
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until the long-awaited handsets arrived
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excuse me?
austria's "3" carrier has had handsets for over a year now. the first generation sucked big time, crappy phones with even crappier batterylife (you actually got TWO batteries with your phone, since even in standby those two batteries together barely lasted a full 24 hours).
now we have a new generation of motorola phones with symbian OS, pretty much like the sonyericsson p900. they look rather sleek, they're powerful and they last a few days of normal usage.
i recently saw an article on tv where the head of germany's number one cellphone carriers (telekom) said they're just now releasing UMTS for data since there "aren't any umts handsets around yet".
i just find it amusing that a tiny country like austria has people video-telephoning and sport-clips-downloading for a "long" time where the rest of the world seems to think that it doesn't work yet.
however, i'd never think of video-calling someone. it's the most useless application one can think of. it hasn't worked on the pc, it hasn't worked on landline, and it won't work on a mobile phone.
now browsing the net on your laptop with near-DSL-speed is something i really long for.
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02-23-2004, 03:40 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 574
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Location based services is a by-product of the new network. UMTS (= 3G) has a more detailed grid, with georeference-based posibilities build in. Therefore it becomes a lot easier to let your phone calculate its geographic position. It is already possible with 2,5G phones (especially Symbians are good at it due to their openness of their data), only it is less easy (now you need a database with acurate position of GSM poles, since the broadcasts don't tell where they come from), and cells are to big to work accuratly.....
Jaap
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02-23-2004, 04:00 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
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Unfortunately, most carriers, at least in the US, seem to think that wireless internet is only for sending pictures of your kid to grandparents or sending pictures of a cheating boyfriend to their girlfriends. Or sending pictures to...well you get the idea. It's also why its next to impossible to get a phone these days without a camera. The major player data user is completely ignored.
However, not to be spokes-guy here, but there is one good thing. I have found that using Bitstream's ThunderHawk makes a huge difference in performance of GPRS. Using Standard web browsers like PIE is painfully slow over GPRS. But a proxy service, like ThunderHawk, makes web browsing actually useful. Data carriers won't move quickly to upgrade speeds in the hardware, so it will be up to third parties to do it in software.
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02-23-2004, 04:11 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 75
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That's interesting Dale. Has TH updated their proxy servers or the way the software works? I haven't used it for about 6 months (switched back to Palm), but other than the landscape orientation, by the end of my PPC tenure I HATED TH because using the proxy server was S L O W. And having to reload a page every time you scrolled made it feel MUCH slower in practice.
TM
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02-23-2004, 04:45 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 332
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As far as browsing the Net on your laptop, wouldn't that be better dealt with using WiMax?
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02-23-2004, 04:47 PM
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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 anthonymoody
That's interesting Dale. Has TH updated their proxy servers or the way the software works? I haven't used it for about 6 months (switched back to Palm), but other than the landscape orientation, by the end of my PPC tenure I HATED TH because using the proxy server was S L O W. And having to reload a page every time you scrolled made it feel MUCH slower in practice.
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They've slowly improved its performance. It's still not perfect, but in general, it should be faster than PIE.
--janak
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02-23-2004, 05:07 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 43
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YES!!! Give us UMTS support in Pocket PC and Smartphone!
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02-23-2004, 06:09 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 451
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and make it cheap.. I'm paying through the nose for GPRS here. X_X
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