AT&T Wireless Takes iPAQ Pocket PC To The EDGE

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/06-28-2004/0002200892&EDATE=">http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/06-28-2004/0002200892&EDATE=</a><br /><br />"Starting today, AT&T Wireless will begin offering a bundled device and service package that allows business customers to use their HP iPAQ Pocket PCs to access the fastest, nationwide wireless data network in North America. Using a Bluetooth-enabled iPAQ, business customers can access AT&T Wireless EDGE service by using a Bluetooth-enabled Nokia 6820 phone as a portable, high-speed modem."<br /><br />Bundles with the Nokia 6820 and an iPAQ 4150 start as low as $375 and go up for the 2215 or 4350. They also have plans if you already have an iPAQ. It keeps mentioning "enterprise customers" so I don't know if consumers can take advantage of this. :?: <br /><br />"AT&T Wireless EDGE service is the fastest, nationwide wireless data network." Man I am so far behind. :? I have no idea what EDGE is based on. AT&T is a GSM service, and if they are talking speed, I know it isn't GPRS, which is what I'm using to post this. :) It is great to see a phone company offer this bundle that that is a two device model. A 2215 with its CF and SDIO slot paired with a bluetooth phone is one of the most powerful and versatile packages around!

[freitasm]

EDGE is a modification on top of GPRS. In short it allows for a heavier payload, radio control depending on conditions and a couple of other things. All this together should give you up to 4 times the GPRS performance in terms of througput. Last week I went to the US, and arranged with AT&T Wireless to have one of their Sony Ericsson GC82 EDGE PC card while there. What a blast! In areas with bad reception I was getting 40kbps. With good reception around 130-140kbps. I wrote a review (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=2952) on this card. For $80 unlimited traffic this is great. The PDA version is $49 unlimited I think. Well worth it!

[R K]

Here's hoping that someone gets smart and decides to offer a $20/Month plan for unlimited EDGE service. GPRS is good for E-mail and messaging, but it's a bit too old and slow for web browsing or downloads.

[Cipr0]

So at best this will bring AT&T up to where Sprint is with 1x?

What kind of efffect on battery life is this going to have.....

[snowlion]

Here's hoping that someone gets smart and decides to offer a $20/Month plan...snipped

more customers at a lower point is not always better...

i bet any phone company would be happier to have 2 customers paying $40 and both happy...than have 4 customers paying $20 and none happy - because of bandwidth issues.

[gcherian]

Here's hoping that someone gets smart and decides to offer a $20/Month plan for unlimited EDGE service.

They do and that would be by Cingular who is buying AT&T - It is called a Media Services plan. For now EDGE in cingular is 40% of its coverage and will be 100% by the year end.

[JohnJohn]

I use this set-up already. Does this mean I am already using EDGE? I have been getting about 115k with my laptop bluetoothed to the that phone. To bad I paid more than $375 for both devices. :(

[brianchris]

I would be interested in this, but ever since I upgraded my iPAq 5455 to WM2003, GPRS over Bluetooth (to my SE T616) only lasts for a couple minutes. The PDA and phone think connection remains, but it is gone after a couple minutes. Its a well known issue ( http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=88244&highlight=GPRS , http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=104800&highlight=GPRS ,http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=104071&highlight=GPRS , http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=100086&highlight=GPRS), although last I heard, HP wasn't acknowledging the problem.

Downgrading back to PPC 2002 restores solid GPRS Bluetooth connections, but WM2003 is so much better in so many different ways, I've decided to live with no GPRS Bluetooth :bad-words:

[robshobs]

I have been using EDGE with my Nokia 6820 and Ipaq 5555 for several months. I've had similar results as freitasm. In better reception areas, I have peaks of 200kps and an average of around 110kps on a large download.

I've not had any problems maintaining a connection between my phone and PPC via BT. I've had connections for well over an hour at times. I've also used my PC to connect.

I do wish they offered a better price for unlimited data. I'd like to get the SE PCMCIA EDGE card for my laptop. I'd like to use it for my PPC as well so I guess I better buy a sleeve before they are all gone.

Either that or switch to the Ipaq 6300 when AT&T gets it. That may be a cheaper solution overall.

[JohnJohn]

I do wish they offered a better price for unlimited data. I'd like to get the SE PCMCIA EDGE card for my laptop. I'd like to use it for my PPC as well so I guess I better buy a sleeve before they are all gone.

Stay away from that card. I get better reception with the Nokia with my laptop. The AT&T software that comes with the card kept crashing my laptop. I think it was interfering with the built in WiFi. I exchanged it a few days later for the Nokia 6820.

[rzanology]

I use this set-up already. Does this mean I am already using EDGE? I have been getting about 115k with my laptop bluetoothed to the that phone. To bad I paid more than $375 for both devices. :(




i dont think thats the conenction you're getting from at&t, but rather....the connection between your phone and laptop. 115 is standard fo bluetooth. I also get that when connection my phone to laptop.

BTW, i was speaking to a 3rd level support guy at t-mobile the other day, and he was telling me t-mobile is well on the way to upgrading their data services. I'm already on the $20 unlimited plan, and i find its fine for e-mail and maybe even surfing on my laptop, plus trillain runs solid as well. But downloads is another story....will i be willing to pay a few bucks more for more bandwidth? im not sure....why not download before i leave the house? How much downlaoding can we really do that it cant wait till we get home?

[Janak Parekh]

So at best this will bring AT&T up to where Sprint is with 1x?
Sort of. While EDGE is a bit faster than 1xRTT, it's less spectrally efficient, which is why UMTS/wCDMA is the next step for GSM providers. Also, Sprint is starting the process of rolling out 1xEV-DO, which will blow EDGE out of the water when it's released. ;)

But at least AT&T finally has a viable data service. I find that 100kbps is the point at which wireless data becomes decently useable.

--janak

[that_kid]

It feels like christmas with
all these wireless data announcements. Soon we won't need to search for wifi hotsppts cause cellular data speeds will be decent enough for most things. I've found that I don't search for wifi like I did before I had a good cellular connection speed.