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3G Network Coming to America
Not2Bryt64 writes: "Reuters has a story about Cingular building a nationwide 3G network. According to Cingular it 'will deliver mobile users data at rates of up to 470,000 bits a second -- fast enough to watch video clips over phones.'" I just hope it doesn't mean that we have to see more annoying Cingular commercials. But I want my video cell phone!
...of the primary 3G usage example being "watching video over your phone."
NO ONE is going to watch video over a phone for long periods of time, even if the battery could handle it.
However, how would you telecommuters like to be able to work from ANYWHERE in the world without sacrificing your high-speed, always-on connection to the internet?
IT is a cool invention, but 3G really could change the world.
"And like that
It's unfortunate that we do not yet have a good ipv6 routing model (it's roughly the same as ipv4, which has serious multihoming scaling problems), since these guys are now going to deploy this stuff in h/w. It gives companies like Cingular the excuse to keep their networks private.
;-)
As for video on my cell phone, the cell phone has a form factor designed for a human hand. So far as I know there is no plan for a human hand upgrade
Sounds like a fantastic start, but I want to know more. In my opinion, speed is only one of the major variables in the wireless networking equation. It balances against cost, coverage, and openness. A high speed, reasonable cost, general purpose network with nationwide coverage would be a dream come true. A high speed, high cost, proprietary network that only works in major cities doesn't interest me much.
As an aside, though, am I the only one who wonders about the weird fixation cellular network planners seem to have with video clips? Honestly, if you asked me the top 25 things I'd want to do with a high-bandwidth portable personal communications device it wouldn't even occur to me to put "watch video clips" on my list. Am I the one who's out of touch here, or are they?
Now, think about a small video camera in your phone. 3G is the bandwidth to speak to eachother Face to Face (well sort of) over a cell phone. Add a little cradle for the thing (so you can sit and look at it) and you can put a face on the other end of the line. IMHO, that would be a worth while use of video on a phone.
But if that wasn't good enough, imagine calling 911, getting patched to an Paramedic with a video phone, and being able to pass video data to mdical techs on their way to the scene (they may even be able to help provide instructions for emergency care). Useful stuff if you ask me.
If I can't see it in Lynx I'm not interested.
Watching movies on my phone is dumb -- I'd rather watch them on my home theater or in a real movie theater.
/ in dex.html
Reading/writing email on my phone is dumb -- I'd rather do that on something with a _real_ keyboard, thanks.
Relax, their will be PC/PCI cards that use 3G technology to provide you with internet access just like your ethernet and WiFi cards today.
If we can make wireless devices that actually have a _use_ (think wireless Newton), then maybe we're getting somewhere.
The SprintPCS Visor phone springboard module actually has built in support for 3G, so that when sprint turns on their 3G support (now in testing), the visor phone will be ready for it. (Although it only supports the lower ISDN-like speeds of 3G, which is what Sprint PCS will roll out first.)
In fact, I daresay Sprint PCS is closer to rolling out 3G than Cingular, since they already have an all digital CDMA network laid out across the nation, and have been testing 3G for quite some time.
http://www.sprintpcs.com/aboutsprintpcs/Cdma_3g
"And like that
It's a little bit of a leap for some geeks to move from the productivity-centered focus of desktop computing and its derivations to the idea of communications-oriented socializing technologies, but for most people the latter is usually more exciting.
It's just media spin, plain and simple. If we're to believe what they say, then radios should be banned from cars too. Not just the loud ones where you can hear Snoop Dawg from 5 miles away, Paul Harvey too. ALong those same lines, does Road Rage really exist? Or was it just concocted by the media too?
This sounds to me like a simple case of media overload! I mean, how much information do we really need at once? And where's the application for this?
"sarcastic voice"
oooo, ooooo look streaming video
"/sarcastic voice"
Really, so what? What can the average person do with this except maybe the I'm-late-for-a-bored-meeting (board purposely spelt incorrect). or a new twist to phone sex and 1-900 numbers.... After that, what would the average person want with this..... Sorry CMDTACO... You are not the average person so you're allowed to want this....
I have no need for this, nor would I wish to pay for such a device
Any ideas how much extra this would cost?
Heck, I can't even reason with paying for wireless internet access anymore. It was a great novelty at first, and maybe checking my stocks or e-mail at the beach...
But really, do we all need to be THAT connected?
www.slightlycrewed.com - Because aren't we all?
My friend was vacation in Japan over the summer. While visiting an aquarium, he saw someone pointing his DoCoMo phone at the fish. Turns out he was using the built-in camera to take snapshots of the fish, so his friend on the other side of the conversation can see what he was looking at. Given that it was pre-3G when he was there - now, the same person would probably be watching a live video feed of the fish instead.
Watching movies on my phone is dumb -- I'd rather watch them on my home theater or in a real movie theater.
How big is your home theater again? Can you fit that in your pocket?
No one said they're showing feature films on the phones. Is this the ONLY application you can think of for movies?
Given that some applications can be frivolous, there are plenty of people that are using such "extrataneous features" in socially-enriching ways. Just because you're too boxed up in your "I need a real keyboard or home theater" mindset, don't speak for the rest of us.
If Ricochet couldn't survive providing faster access in areas of dense population, what makes you think that G3 will do any better.
4 billion bucks wasted on a worthless concept. Maybe Enron has something to do with this?
Video on a cell phone obviously has great implications for the phone sex and porn industry in general.
I know this is not all that pc but this is a big industry it alone has the potential to turn around the economy! (j/k of course)
On the other hand it could ruin it... If it is true that all of those phone sex workers are really big fat women or hideous cross gender people.
Either way I am sure that this can be used for advertising in a positive way. Call your local movie theatre and see 'now showing' trailers, call a restaurant and see the seats you reserve, the specials... many other possibilities.