3 G looks good

bloggs

http://www.hutchison3g.com/explore/handsets/detail.omp

flywheel

they are a bit on the large side though - and to be honest none of them are exactally pretty

the e606 wasn't too bad but those e808 models are hefty - although more for the business user hence the built in keyboard - the Y version wasn't around when i was trying them out but it appears to be on the larger side of... large

the Moto is also on the large size (especially with the camera cover attached) - and lacking some features of it's sucessor the 835

while the likes of the Nokia 6650 looks more like the handsets we are used to it is still big enough and lacking features

i'll be more excited when we get some well designed handsets to match the facilities found in the more recent crop of 3G handsets from Asia

when i can repeat situations like this 4-way video call, made on DoCoMo's FOMA network in Tokyo, out and about in Dublin - for me that's when 'true' 3G will have arrived on our shores



BrianG

jesus_thats_gre

I agree, have used the 6650 quite alot and am not overly impressed with it. At the moment, Vodafone's 3G service offers very little over current GPRS services, besides for the higher data rates.

Winters

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
Vodafone's 3G service offers very little over current GPRS services, besides for the higher data rates.

Dont forget those nice high prices


I can see it beeing a while before Ireland gets any real true 3G network in place allowing for full video and 4-way conversations etc. And it will be an even longer time befroe it is afordable.

50c for a MMS message, thats stupid. And 50c if i wanna send it to my web account as i have to send it to this number to get it there, thats stupid. Go o2. Should be free to send MMS messages etc. to your web account.

jesus_thats_gre

a while before Ireland gets any real true 3G network in place

Ireland does have a true 3G network. Vodafone launched the network a few months ago. There is no point lauching video phone service unless you know people are going to use them. Just look at 3 in the UK, they have began emphasising there call rates more than they are the capabilities of 3G. They tried using services such as Video calling, but this just did not attract enough customers.

Also, all three networks have to launch a 3G network by the beginning on 2004. They made these commitments in order to get a 3G license, along with numerous other commitments.

50c for a MMS message, thats stupid. And 50c if i wanna send it to my web account as i have to send it to this number to get it there, thats stupid. Go o2.

I was under the impression O2's MMS charging was more or less identical to Vodafone's.....

Dont forget those nice high prices

Are Vodafone's GPRS charging not now very similar to O2's. I know at first O2 were considerably cheaper, but the new rates, specifically with the Vodafone Connect card, have more or less brought Vodafone's charges into line with O2's.





Just to cover my back, just giving info, not trying to cause an argument.

rabbitinlights

Think of the last 10 calls you made on your mobile, did you really want to see that person's face?

Also, taking a video call is gonna stop you from walking and moving around in public cus you have to stop and look at the screen....... Ever tried to type a txt while walking up a busy street... etc etc

BUT when they let the user use the bandwidth for data, thats when the real benefits will come about.

I could be wrong but we will just have to wait and see........

Sean

flywheel

certainly video telephony is an application that has it's uses (and it's limitations) - the 4-way call just makes a nice example (imho) of one situation that requires the network to provide a high data rate coupled with a quality of service so the experience is reliable/usable - that's what i'm after together with reliable and well developed 3G devices - although that's not likely to arrive for some time after the initial rollouts here begin...

BrianG

jesus_thats_gre

certainly video telephony is an application that has it's uses (and it's limitations) - the 4-way call just makes a nice example (imho) of one situation that requires the network to provide a high data rate coupled with a quality of service so the experience is reliable/usable - that's what i'm after together with reliable and well developed 3G devices - although that's not likely to arrive for some time after the initial rollouts here begin...

I certainly agree. The demand just in not there at the moment to justify such an investment to improve the network to a point where it is capable of the 4 way calls you mentioned.

Dr_Teeth

Where are these new charges for GPRS mentioned jesus_? I've used GPRS with Vodafone to check my mail and have found it stupidly expensive. 2c per KB until you've spent over 10 quid with them in a month!

Anyway, with regard to the 3G stuff I sincerely believe in "if you build it, they will come".. which seems a completely alien concept to most irish companies unfortunately.

Teeth.

jesus_thats_gre

I have included the charging for Vodafone's GPRS service, specifically for accessing the ISP APN:

You can be charged at a "Pay as you use" rate of 2c/kb for the first 512kb and 0.5c/kb above that. Alternatively, you can choose the GPRS 3 option: For €12 extra per month, you receive an allocation of 3Mb. Once this allocation has been used up, you pay €3/Mb (0.3c/kb) after that.]


The below charges specifically relate to the Vodafone Connect card:

0-5 Mb: 0.2c/Kb
5-20 Mb: 0.15c/Kb
20+ Mb: 0.1c/Kb

flywheel

i thought there was also a monthly service charge for connection via the 'mobile connect card'?

now if Voda would offer the connect card rates to any gprs device (without a 'service charge') they would start to catch up with O2's GPRS offering

BrianG

jesus_thats_gre

Yeah just had a quick look at O2's charges there. Still seem to be a bit off. And yes, there is a montly charge, hoped ya wouldn't notice Kidding.

carrotcake

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
I agree, have used the 6650 quite alot and am not overly impressed with it.

strange, a few weeks ago you loved it. whatever happened??

jesus_thats_gre

Change of mind... At first I liked it, thought it was a nice looking phone and was fairly feature packed. Since then, I used it alot more and have changed my opinion.

Is that ok?

JTMan

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
Ireland does have a true 3G network. Vodafone launched the network a few months ago.

To a tiny tiny number of people. me wonders if the other operators will do the same to meet thier respective requirments by year end.

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
There is no point lauching video phone service unless you know people are going to use them. Just look at 3 in the UK, they have began emphasising there call rates more than they are the capabilities of 3G. They tried using services such as Video calling, but this just did not attract enough customers.

3 are still heavily emphasising their video capabilities over their excellent call rates. TV adverts mainly still focus on the video element. Mostly people just don't seem to care about the video aspect.


I read this week that 3 have slated Ireland as one of the next countries to launch in. Anyone any idea when they might launch or there location in Ireland?

flywheel

Originally posted by Fungus

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
Ireland does have a true 3G network. Vodafone launched the network a few months ago.

To a tiny tiny number of people. me wonders if the other operators will do the same to meet thier respective requirments by year end.

spot on Fungus - more a testing phase rather than a true network - as their press release states

speeds up to 144kbps with an entery level device to a limited number of people does not a 3G rollout make - the announcement of such a limited network was more a pr and marketing exercise

BrianG

jesus_thats_gre

Oh I agree.

Emmo

Unless the 3.0G network tries to offer wireless internet to customers instead of a landline or cable modem it will fail.

The demand is not there for personal data calls. It just isnt. This is why there is a price war developing in the UK.

3 have spent all this money on a 3.0G network that very few people want to use, there gains in terms of percentage market share have been made on the back of their reduced voice calls rates. 3.0G can offer voice calls at the substancial lower rate that a a 2.0G or 2.5G network.

The shift then comes in trying to accquire cusomters in a mature market while the establisehed operators try to reduce churn and upsell to existing customers. By trying to stop customers churn they are reducing rates and routing voice traffic over the 3G network to keep the OP-Ex down, any upselling of services is happening to corporates and is at significantlly reduced rates.

Best option for 3G over here is to go into a ISP role with unmetered access. If you can pay 1 cent a min to access the internet im sure you would pay 60 Euro a month for unlimited access to the internet over a wireless network! For more bandwidth would you pay more? Companies and some individuals would.

Emmo

flywheel

T-Mobile USA opened up their GPRS network to unmetered access during the summer - will be interesting to see their stats on usage and demand over the next few months

just read about a 14Mbps service DoCoMo are mentioning for 2005... there's a nice alternative to the fixed internet... http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/news/263312

BrianG

Emmo

DoCoMo are destroying J-phone in Japan. They really are about 5 steps ahead of all the rest.

Emmo

MiCr0

vodafone gprs pay as you go also has a 20c min charge

Fidelis

Originally posted by Fungus
To a tiny tiny number of people

Whatever about the quality of the service, I would hardly call Dublin, Galway, Cork, Waterford & Limerick a "tiny tiny number of people"

Dr_Teeth

Unless the 3.0G network tries to offer wireless internet to customers instead of a landline or cable modem it will fail.

The demand is not there for personal data calls. It just isnt. This is why there is a price war developing in the UK.

Damn right, I mean it's not rocket science is it?

Get your 3G network up to a decent speed (256kb+) then flog shedloads of subsidised USB or PCMCIA 3G modems with (flat-rate uncapped data-only) billpay accounts.

Punter signs up for like 20-30 quid a month and goes home with a nice wee USB device to plug into his PC.

But of course that ain't going to happen, too obvious innit.. yes they'd rather charge per call, or per kilobyte, or per message. We all dream of walking along the street squinting through the glare at a tiny guy on our phones while we talk don't we..

Teeth.

flywheel

Originally posted by Fidelis
Whatever about the quality of the service, I would hardly call Dublin, Galway, Cork, Waterford & Limerick a "tiny tiny number of people"

i kinda took that up more in relation to the limited number of "subscribers" (trailists) on the network, rather than population / geographic coverage?

BrianG

Fidelis

Originally posted by DubWireless
i kinda took that up more in relation to the limited number of "subscribers" (trailists) on the network, rather than population / geographic coverage?

Hmmm, yeah. That makes more sense

JTMan

Originally posted by DubWireless
i kinda took that up more in relation to the limited number of "subscribers" (trailists) on the network, rather than population / geographic coverage?

Yep .. I was talking about the subsciber base rather than network coverage.