3G Phone Trial Started in Japan

Reefa writes: "The first 3G phone trial has started in Japan. Of the 147000 that applied, 3300 lucky users have been given 3G phones (they have to pay for data access) to test out so that bugs can be fixed before a general release. Example of bugs could be screens freezing up, to which a re-boot (switch off/on) of the phone is the only solution. Kinda reminds me of Windows. Anyway, I am sure that it would be fun to actually test drive one of these FOMA phones. What I would really like to see is real figures of data rates on these phone during peak usage hours." There's also a Reuters story.

Comments

3G is vaporware; Ricochet is here today

[vought]

I think all the excitement about 3G is hilarious.

I'm using a flat-rate mobile TCP/IP based wireless system at speeds of up to 350kbps, and at nominal speeds of 128kbps.

It's called Ricochet, and if you're one of the 50 million people that the Ricochet networks covers, you could nhave speeds that surpass what 3G promises today. The cool part is that it's mobile, so I can use it on the train or put my Novatel Merlin PCMCIA card in my iPaq and take it to the baseball game.

3G=Big deal. Untold billions spent already for spectrum and NO infrastructure yet.

I'd rather pay $75.00 a month for high-speed mobile access in 15 U.S. cities, with no per-character or per-minute charges. I get my high-speed access of 128kbps with speed bumps coming and 3G proponents get to twiddle their thumbs!

Re:3G is vaporware; Ricochet is here today

[infiniti99]

Ricochet is good, but the concept is not the same. Ricochet relies on very close-range (quarter mile) access points, and there is no voice capability (although that could be added I suppose). Wireless phones transmit across miles to the nearest tower and serve as an all purpose communications device for both voice and data.

Currently, GSM (Global System for Mobile), the most popular wireless standard, has coverage in just about every country. With Globalstar satellite service, it has coverage of the entire planet.

While data rates are limited to 9600bps in most areas, 3G is set to be an upgrade to existing networks. This means that when 3G is finally out there, the coverage will likely be just as great as GSM currently is now (maybe minus the satellite part). Other networks are planning a 3rd generation as well.. GSM is not the only one.

Ricochet is a good deal, and if you live in their territory and you don't travel much, it can be useful. Like an extended wireless LAN or something. But for true coverage everywhere you go, you have to turn to wireless phones.

-Justin

Kinda reminds me of Windows

[Invisible Agent]

Example of bugs could be screens freezing up, to which a re-boot (switch off/on) of the phone is the only solution. Kinda reminds me of Windows.

I know that was meant tongue in cheek, but the statement is nearer to reality than one might think. We've become used to embedded devices just working, but as they become more complex, they become more like a general purpose computer. So yes, your phone crashing with similar regularity to your desktop PC is something that will become much less remarkable.

Embedded software developers have sometimes been a bit cocky towards their non-embedded bretheren ("well, we just code better see?"), but the truth is that embedded development hasn't typically been anywhere near as complex as s/w development for desktops (due to very limited processing power, memory requirements, etc. (If you don't believe me, think about how simple it would be to write the UI for any of the current generation of cell phones). All that's changing though, so learn to love those mono LCD screens o' death.

Invisible Agent