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Verizon Rolling Out Nextel-Like PTT Service
aberson writes "Verizon Wireless announced today that it is rolling out a PTT (push to talk) phone service, targetted at business customers. They claim better coverage, 'presence' (away/available), and wireless web for about $10 more than Nextel and $10 more than a non-PTT Verizon plan. Pricing doesn't mention how 'high-speed' data will roll into this (which you can't get on Nextel), but you are using the CDMA2000 network to essentially do VoIP. If only it could be something cross-networkable like Sonim. Just wait a few months for the other carriers to catch up and cellular number portability to be enforced. Ironically, you can only get it on a Motorola made phone. Also, Verizon seems to be not caring about Nextel trying to copyright a generic technical term."
They managed to come up with something more annoying that cell phones. Everyone walking around with publicly broadcasting walkie talkies. Great idea. More noise for us all.
God I know. Want yourself a miniature computer then buy a damn PDA. I'm less concerned with cell phone gadgets and add ons and more concerned with range. I'd rather have a cell phone I can use anywhere in the world than one that I can play Pac Man on. I can't believe people actually buy into this crap.
You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
This is a feature that people will actually use. At work, I am stuck with a piece of junk Nextel phone which I would like to run over with my car most days. I have a Verizon phone for personal use, and have always been pleased with the service. Any competition against Nextel's Direct Connect feature is a good thing.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
We did during demos and field tests. The catch was the Nextell walkie-talkie signal was interfering with one of our sensors so we had to be careful when we used it. Didn't seem to be a problem during normal calls though.
Blame the user, not the technology. Every Nextel phone I've seen lets you turn off the group speaker and use PTT with the phone to your ear. It's too bad more users don't figure out how to do that.
Promote civility: mod down any post starting with 'ummm'.
well, basically there isn't a huge difference. The main advantage to a 'walkie-talkie' type feature is you can communicate with groups of people all at the same time. The other advantage is, some plans include unlimited PTT service, allowing you to talk to others with the same PTT service as much as you want.
My Sig Beat up your Honor Roll Sig
Why are they implementing this as a push to talk feature?
It seems to me that PTT isn't going to save them much bandwidth because human conversation tends to be mostly half duplex anyway. Since it's a packet-switched network, it's not like you're using a dedicated circuit (like in a walkie-talkie or analog phone line) when you're not conversing. Keeping the connection up shouldn't cost much bandwidth at all. If they're using something like TDMA from the phone to the transmitter, you should use almost no bandwidth there keeping the connection open either.
Shouldn't packet switching and TDMA like technologies make the walkie-talkie limitations irrelevant?
I've always thought that this was a way of making the service just inconvenient enough to use that users don't burn so many hours. They don't want me spending my entire commute talking to my wife.
Jut wondering.
Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.
I'm curious as to how this and Nextel phones are seen by laws such as the ones in NYC. Since there are provisions in the law that continue for the use of CB radios without hand free devices, shouldn't these be allowed to be used without handfree devices in cars when you're using the PTT feature? I know they don't transmit over the CB frequencies and that's why State Laws can't overpower federal regulations. But if I got a ticket for using my PTT phone in New York without handsfree, I would think I would have a good fight in court
I bet you're the same kind of person who believes SETI@Home is wasteful and everyone should be working on curing cancer instead. Any why work for a coorporation when we should all be doing volunteer work for Greenpeace. And why buy that $3.50 cup of expresso when there are starving kids in some foreign land. Get over yourself.
One of my friends had a Verizon cell phone at work (Brooklyn). Everybody else's cell phones (and the office phone) weren't working but his Verizon cell phone was. He said that the only time it was down was 9/11. After noticing this I decided that if I get a cell phone it'll be Verizon and I'll reccomend it to friends.
The school I work for uses these 'phones for coordinating emergency response stuff. They actually switched to Verizon a few months back because Nextel's coverage on campus was problematic.
In addition to the above:
PTT is a public conversation. When the foreman calls the boss to get the answer to a question I asked, I hear the boss's response and go do it. A speaker phone would work instead, but our with the generator nearby that would be more annoying to the other end than we want. (and the boss isn't far from his generater either)
The other thing is you know don't have to answer the phone nessicarly. Someone with PTT can just ring out to everyone "Joe fell off the ladder, ha ha". (Which is something we do when whoever is unhurt and we should all enjoy a laugh, if he was hurt the message would be worded differently, and come after first aid) If whoever you call is not in a place where he can answer the phone, they may or may not get the message, it isn't important enough to ensure it is recived, but you would like to send it.
Lastly, drivers using PTT seem to be less distracted and thus safer than on a phone. I don't know why, but I've been a passenger with the foreman when on a normal call, and a PTT call, and even though the same information is exchanged over a long conversation, he is a better driver under PTT. Not scientific, but something to consider.