Guest Samsonite Posted August 7, 2006 Report Posted August 7, 2006 I spotted this (old) article in The Register and it got me thinking more about what is more use to me in a phone/PPC. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/16/wireless_event_3g/ With more toys coming thru with 3G, it does start to look more like a technology battle... I am thinking that 3G 'specially with HSDPA is a better solution. With wider availabilty with each new basestation and unlimited data tariffs appearing, surely it becomes more useful to the users. are there benefits that only WiFi offers?
Guest Shuflie Posted August 7, 2006 Report Posted August 7, 2006 Well for one thing a truly unlimited service, i.e. all the skype and media streaming you can handle. Skype is particularly useful along with the other thing, internet use abroad. I'm on honeymoon in South Africa, its
Guest goochy1 Posted August 8, 2006 Report Posted August 8, 2006 I'd probably say 3G is better in a phone as you aren't restricted to within 500m or something. gooochy1
Guest danwatson1974 Posted August 8, 2006 Report Posted August 8, 2006 Does it have to be a choice between the two? Lots of PPC and Smartphones have both. I think that the potential for WiFi is better , once there is more widespread and accessable WiFi coverage ( WiMax will probably help once / if it takes off ) Also, I think that Fuel Cell batteries, once properly licenced to be used on planes will make WiFi even more practical. If only the mobile operators still had the many Billions of pounds they spent on acquiring their 3G licences, they would be able to set up the best WiFi network imagineable :)
Guest Samsonite Posted August 8, 2006 Report Posted August 8, 2006 Does it have to be a choice between the two? Lots of PPC and Smartphones have both. this is my dilemma... I want a smartphone again as i have had the PPC for a while now and crave the smaller form factor.. So while the Hermes is the obvious choice - i dont want one!!! The SP5/8310 is the top runner at the mo cos of its size... I got all mixed up as people started to find the MTeoR available and thats what got me thinking - that's 3G but no WiFi. now, do i plump for the newer handset and have 3G speeds in my car-office. (I'm a sales rep so i'm always here there and everywhere and dont always need an hour of Wifi to pick up e-mails.) Or go for the WiFi option on a older handset and have to be static to get a decent internet connection. I do wish T-mob would commit to a 3G WM5 handset - that would probably get my money in a blink... i see what you mean about WiMax but i don't personally think it will get a foothold. especially if the charging structure currently used by WiFi hotspots is anything to go by... a tenner for an hour is a joke when most of my work is done in bursts of twenty minute chunks. oh problems problems...
Guest danwatson1974 Posted August 8, 2006 Report Posted August 8, 2006 I see what you mean ... I suppose that for the moment, you are best off just focusing on 3G then - the speeds are easily good enough for email and the network is widespread - especially in cities and on major road routes, so this would suit your lifestyle. I think that my enthusiasm for WiFi is more to do with the potential of it, rather than what we have right now - although I must admit that I really miss the deep feeling of satisfaction that I used to get using Skype to make voice calls on my Wireless network at home when I had my SPV M2000! It is a shame that you have to make a decision now, though ... I am sure that there will be a few more options available that have UMTS and WiFi in a few months ......... Or, you could go completely crazy, and get a Sony Ericsson P990 :) I have had a go on one, and it is a great phone in every way, except for not having a Windows sticker on it!
Guest Confucious Posted August 8, 2006 Report Posted August 8, 2006 I have a Universal which has both. Since I got unlimited data (I don't use skype or streaming) I haven't used WiFi. 3G is great and is theer all the time, no connecting and reconnecting and it doesn't eat the battery (WiFi does!) If I was going abroad I'd use WiFi, having the option is great but in the UK I personally find 3G is better for me personally.
Guest Samsonite Posted August 8, 2006 Report Posted August 8, 2006 (edited) Or, you could go completely crazy, and get a Sony Ericsson P990 :) I have had a go on one, and it is a great phone in every way, except for not having a Windows sticker on it! not such a daft idea... uurrgh.. i feel all dirty now... how do i get this bad taste out of my mouth? repeat after me... Windows good, Symbian bad, Windows good, Symbian bad... ommmmmmmmmm! kiddin aside - its the Outlook integration i need more than anything else... Playing mpegs and all that is the icing on a lovely juicy fruit cake to me - so its Windows Mobile all the way for me... I did think of a 6280 from Nok at one point but had a bit of a word with myself and started to think properly about things. if only the new Oxygen was 3G - and a better screen. If only the MTeoR was a T-mobile handset with an unlockable ROM, if only this, if only that - flippin 'eck.. surely it shouldnt be this traumatic to picka new toy!!! Edited August 8, 2006 by Samsonite
Guest danwatson1974 Posted August 8, 2006 Report Posted August 8, 2006 repeat after me... Windows good, Symbian bad, Windows good, Symbian bad... ommmmmmmmmm! kiddin aside - its the Outlook integration i need more than anything else... Ha ha ... I know Windows good ... but Symbian not always bad. I used to have a P900, and I thought that it was great. I don't know how accurate it is, but I pullled the following off of a review of the P990 that you can find HERE Sony Ericsson say that the P990 can support all major push email protocols, including Blackberry. How much of that is "in the box" and how much is an additional cost software option is not known, but certainly the P990 looks like a very good high end device for corporate use. There is a VPN client included too, and of course the P990 synchronises with applications such as Microsoft Outlook. The ability to edit Word and Excel documents is a big plus for business users. I think that the choosing of a new toy is a lot of fun, but I do sometimes get a bit fed up with the drip feeding of new technology that we have to put up with from the manufacturers .... you never seem to quite get the full package - I mean, how long has WiFi, UMTS, EDGE, 2MP+ cameras, Flash with red eye reduction, FM radio etc etc , been available, and why can't you just get it all on one device easily? Most good contracts tie you in for 18 months these days, and that's a long time to go when you haven't got all of the best of what was available when you did your upgrade / started your contract :)
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now