Wireless technlogies question...

[cab124]

I currently use a Dell Axim X50v and a seperate cell phone. However, with the arrival of WM 6 and all these new devices, some of which look pretty enticing, I am becoming more open to the possibility of a converged device. I have always hoped to move to a converged device, but I was not willing to sacrifice a VGA screen. It looks like that may no longer be an issue!

But in order to move to a converged device, it looks like I may be forced to educate myself a little bit about all the various wireless technologies that I hear everyone talking about. So, my question is this...

I am a complete moron when it comes to all of the wireless technologies. As I read through the comments about the new devices I see tons of acronyms that mean nothing to me. I see comments like: "Wow...this device looks cool expect that it only has 3G2SW and I won't settle for anything that isn't T64wQ or tri-band 56Trw EDGE compliant on at least bands 1, 2 and 7 with complete illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator functionality." Aaaaa!!! What does all this mean???? All I know is....I want the device to make phone calls!!!

I was just wondering if anyone knows of a site that lists a concise summary of the various wireless voice and data technologies, which providers use them, which are available in the US, which ones are "must haves," etc. Does a reference like this exist anywhere???

Thanks!!!

[boyetc]

if you are looking for a convergence device or what is more commonly called as a pocket pc phone edition look into cingulars 8525 model offer.
I think it is the same as the Dopod 838pro or the HTC Hermes (phones are the same just branded differently)

Anyway, it is a PDA with a GSM phone, a camera and runs on 3G, GPRS and HSDPA. which in a nutshell means you can connect to the internet and surf and email all you like on one single device (provided yo uget the plan) at the highest speed available. you can watch streaming video, download songs and ringtones.

the latest in wireless technology is the 3G and HSDPA, 3G enables high speed video streaming and video calling while HSDPA provides cable internet like speeds at the tip of your hands.

one thing about convergence devices, which i personally don'like as well is you have your PDA and phone in one device, so if you misplace it or it gets stolen or broken, the you are dead in the water so to speak because you lose both your phone and your PDA.

hope this helps.

cheers.

[cab124]

3G enables high speed video streaming and video calling while HSDPA provides cable internet like speeds at the tip of your hands.

This raises a question for me (I am exposing my complete ignorance)...

If I have HSDPA (whatever that is), which gives me internet data at high speed, why do I need a seperate technology for video? Can't I just stream video over the internet through HSDPA?

one thing about convergence devices, which i personally don'like as well is you have your PDA and phone in one device, so if you misplace it or it gets stolen or broken, the you are dead in the water so to speak because you lose both your phone and your PDA.

Yes, this is a great point. I have wondered if the benefits of a converged device outweigh the flexibility that comes with separate devices.

Thanks for the input!!

[boyetc]

actually people get confused on this since it is marketed separately, 3G and HSDPA (high spead downlink packet access) go hand in hand. its just that 3G has been associated with video streaming and video calling while HSDPA is associated with high speed data downloads (1.8 - 3.6mbps).

[ADBrown]

I am a complete moron when it comes to all of the wireless technologies. As I read through the comments about the new devices I see tons of acronyms that mean nothing to me. I see comments like: "Wow...this device looks cool expect that it only has 3G2SW and I won't settle for anything that isn't T64wQ or tri-band 56Trw EDGE compliant on at least bands 1, 2 and 7 with complete illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator functionality."

Currently the only explosive space modulators available on a Pocket PC phone are the older Q-34 series.

CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access. What Sprint and Verizon in the US use. Has the benefits of being able to go almost anywhere in the US and have coverage, but is completely useless outside North America. Large parts of the Sprint/Verizon network are based on antique analog networks (also called AMPS, or Analog Mobile Phone Service), which aren't usable by converged devices, making CDMA less attractive.

1xRTT: Older internet service standard for CDMA networks. Provides speeds up to about 120 Kbits per second, or 2-3 times a dial-up modem. Most Verizon coverage, and much Sprint coverage, still uses this standard.

EVDO: Evolution, Data Optimized. High speed internet access for CDMA networks. Comes in Revision 0, which is most current EVDO coverage, and the newly released Revision A, which is slightly faster. Speeds of anywhere from 400 Kbits to 1 Mbit. Currently has wider deployment than its GSM-based competitor, HSDPA.

GSM: Global Standard for Mobile communication. Most converged devices use this. Besides having the broadest compatibility (used across almost the entire world) it also allows you to easily change devices and/or phone services, by swapping your SIM card, or Subscriber Identification Module. The SIM is a small plastic card which usually resides under the battery, and IDs your phone to the network, in addition to being able to store phone book information. Take this out, put in another phone, and now that's your phone. Makes moving your service plan and number between devices insanely easy.

GSM networks in the US use the 850 and 1900 MHz radio frequencies. In the rest of the world, it uses 900 and 1800 MHz. Devices which support all four "bands" are called quad-band, or "world phones." Devices which don't support all the bands are "single band," "dual band," or "tri-band," depending on what they support. Tri-band are the most common kind after quad-band. If a phone doesn't support both the 850 and 1900 bands, it's almost useless in North America, though you can use it with greatly reduced coverage.

US GSM providers include T-Mobile, Cingular, and CellularOne.

GPRS: old, slow internet access for GSM networks. Speeds up to 50 Kbits. Barely ever found on new devices.

EDGE: Midrange internet speed for GSM devices, up to 200 Kbits per second. Almost all current devices support this. For T-Mobile and most smaller providers, EDGE is their fastest current internet option.

UMTS: High speed internet for GSM networks, with speeds up to 384 Kbits per second. Not used much in the US, because we're leapfrogging to HSDPA.

HSDPA: Very high speed internet for GSM. Speeds in theory up to 14.4 Mbits, but current equipment only comes in 1.8 and 3.6 megabit speeds. Cingular is currently deploying this, but most of their network is still EDGE. T-Mobile will deploy HSDPA this year on the newly opened up 1700 and 2100 MHz frequencies.

If the highest standard supported by a device--HSDPA, for instance--isn't available in your area, the device will automatically switch down to the next rung that it supports.

3G: 3rd Generation cellular services. Technically defined as data speed of 384 Kbits per second or higher, 3G is most usually associated with UMTS and HSDPA. The term 3G is also sometimes used to refer to the enhanced services that carriers use to sell their new high-speed networks, such as streaming multimedia and video calling.

[cab124]

ADBrown! You rock!!

Thanks for taking the time to lay all of that out. That is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I pasted it into my notes on my Axim.

Sprint is my current provider. But after reading your message, it sounds like Spring might not be the best carrier for converged devices.

Thanks again!

[isajoo]

i think the real Q is will u actually take advantage of all the extra features of a ppcpe. i think if u use a pda for business and need to be connected to the office at all times then it is a no brainer...but if its just for the convenience of having one device as appose 2. then is it worth the extra $ for the device and monthly data plan. for me, ppc is for entertainment used mostly when bored. phone is only for emergency calls. i charge my phone once every 10 days and my ppc once every few nights depending on bordem factor for the day. with a ppcpe it would most likely have to be charged daily if used for both purposes. i could be wrong, just my opinion. good luck.