Matt Sharp asked:
Of the 5 major mobile phone networks in the UK, up until recently only one of them wasn’t offering mobile broadband. That was O2, but now they HAVE started to sell it. But… why have they dropped the ball with it?
Mobile Broadband - why is it really that important?
To understand why their business decision (which we’ll come to in a bit) is, I feel, not a great one, you need to understand, first of all, exactly what mobile broadband is, and why it’s a good thing. Put simply, mobile broadband is broadband while you’re mobile, broadband while you’re on the move, out and about. You’re not tied to your desk, you’re free to use it wherever and whenever you find yourself. It’s a case of fire it up and off you go! Just like mobile phones, mobile broadband will become a portable, mobile solution you take everywhere with you.
But it’s not just about how portable it is, because it’s not going to sell well unless it has 3 other very important factors: it needs to be easy, cheap and fast. Well, there are no worries with the speed, since mobile broadband can run anywhere up to 7.2Mbps, currently (and up to 14Mbps in future), depending on which network you’re with. And as for being easy… well, consider that the setup time for a USB Modem, whoever you’re with, is measured in minutes, and involves nothing more complicated than plugging it in and clicking yes, and you can see it really is a doddle to set up!
O2 Mobile Broadband - why it falls down
And then, there’s value for money. A decent mobile broadband package needs to give you good value, too, and it’s here where the O2 package falls down. £20 per month, minimum. In a world where the networks’ cheapest mobile broadband offerings range from £10-15, O2’s already priced themselves out of that fight.
Ah, but… there’s a bigger reason why it’s not going to take off and sell well. Their mobile broadband offering is only available to existing customers. In other words, you can only join up with O2 mobile broadband, if you’re already on O2. That’s a little bit of a letdown, to say the least, and it shows a bit of short-sightedness on O2’s part. Which is a shame, when you consider what a god track record they have with mobile phones. On the strength of current evidence, though, it’s probably best if they stick to them…
Matt Sharp asked:
You can probably tell from the title what I’m getting at. In the fashion world, when someone says something is the new black, it’s taken to mean ‘it’s the next, new in-thing.’ The same can be said of mobile broadband, with one notable difference. Mobile broadband isn’t just a fad, and really IS changing the world!
Just like a natural, ecological system, the internet evolves, and crucially, how we access it evolves as well. Cast your mind back to the early days, when we were all connected to the net with dialup (and if you can’t remember dialup, I envy you!). Believe me, it was no fun trying to use an internet connection that was slow enough to be overtaken by an asthmatic snail. Images would take ages to load, and as for watching Youtube videos… forget about it!
Oh what a breath of fresh air it was when broadband was unleashed on the world! At last there was a system that gave us decent speeds to view the web at. Broadband itself evolved, and WiFi came on the scene, using wireless routers and WiFi hot spots to make the internet ‘kind of mobile, as long as you didn’t wander off too far from the wireless router’.
The next big advance, surprisingly enough, came from the world of mobile phones, with the technology known as 3G, a much faster, higher bandwidth way of accessing data on the move. That, too, evolved into what’s known as HSDPA (that’s High Speed Downlink Packet Access, for the techno-lovers out there). And that, right there, is where we start our story of mobile broadband, because it’s HSDPA that makes it all possible.
You see, mobile broadband is one of those technologies that does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s broadband internet access, and you can use it while you’re on the move, while you’re mobile. There are several things that make it a winning technology, but they can be boiled down to a couple of key facts. First, it’s proper broadband, giving you speeds up to, currently, 7.2Mbps, and in future, up to 14.4Mbps. Secondly, it’s truly mobile, as it uses cell towers used by mobile phones. Which means no more hunting around to find a WiFi hot spot! And finally, it’s easy to set up, because the setup procedure just involves plugging the USB Modem in. And that’s it. Basically, think of it this way: when you compare mobile phones to broadband, then they’ll always come out second fiddle, next to a dedicated computer. But compare mobile broadband to your home connection, and it’s just possible it might even be better what you have at home!
Matt Sharp asked:
You can probably tell from the title what I’m getting at. In the fashion world, when someone says something is the new black, it’s taken to mean “it’s the next, new in-thing.” The same can be said of mobile broadband, with one notable difference. Mobile broadband isn’t just a fad, and really is changing the world!
Just like a natural, ecological system, the internet evolves, and crucially, how we access it evolves as well. Cast your mind back to the early days, when we were all connected to the net with dialup (and if you can’t remember dialup, I envy you!). Believe me, it was no fun trying to use an internet connection that was slow enough to be overtaken by an asthmatic snail. Images would take ages to load, and as for watching Youtube videos… forget about it!
Oh what a breath of fresh air it was when broadband was unleashed on the world! At last there was a system that gave us decent speeds to view the web at. Broadband itself evolved, and WiFi came on the scene, using wireless routers and WiFi hot spots to make the internet ‘kind of mobile, as long as you didn’t wander off too far from the wireless router’.
The next big advance, surprisingly enough, came from the world of mobile phones, with the technology known as 3G, a much faster, higher bandwidth way of accessing data on the move. That, too, evolved into what’s known as HSDPA (that’s High Speed Downlink Packet Access, for the techno-lovers out there). And that, right there, is where we start our story of mobile broadband, because it’s HSDPA that makes it all possible.
You see, mobile broadband is one of those technologies that does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s broadband internet access, and you can use it while you’re on the move, while you’re mobile. There are several things that make it a winning technology, but they can be boiled down to a couple of key facts. First, it’s proper broadband, giving you speeds up to, currently, 7.2Mbps, and in future, up to 14.4Mbps. Secondly, it’s truly mobile, as it uses cell towers used by mobile phones. Which means no more hunting around to find a WiFi hot spot! And finally, it’s easy to set up, because the setup procedure just involves plugging the USB Modem in. And that’s it. Basically, think of it this way: when you compare mobile phones to broadband, then they’ll always come out second fiddle, next to a dedicated computer. But compare mobile broadband to your home connection, and it’s just possible it might even be better what you have at home!
Matt Sharp asked:
2008 promises us some very cool new technology, because 2008 is the year the world goes mobile.
Mobiles phones in 2008
So, what will happen with vast array of mobile phones in the world, in 2008. Well, as always, they’ll become more powerful. That’s one of the givens of the mobile world, that the top-end phones will get more advanced, and the lower end phones will start to get more advanced to catch up, and so on, and so on, making advancements filter down through any particular manufacturer’s entire portfolio. Which means even the bottom end phones become more advanced, and get more and more power added to them.
That, of course, means that the top-end mobile phones are going to go stratospherically powerful! Take for example the much-rumoured, upcoming Sony Ericsson P5, their brand new superphone, with 5 megapixel camera, fabulous touch-based operating system, GPS built in, and more features than a technology expo at NASA. Funded by the CIA. Using alien technology. It’s set to be one major powerhouse of a mobile phone, redefining what a mobile phone is, and can do. It’s hopefully due to be released just before the end of the year, but my lord, will it feel like a long wait!
Mobile broadband - the future of the internet
First we had the internet. Then, we had broadband. And now, we have the internet wherever we go with mobile broadband. If I had to pick one technology that will change the world more than anything else in 2008, this is it! But what is it?
Well, it really is as simple as it sounds. Mobile broadband is broadband internet access that’s fully mobile, or in other words, you can use it wherever you are. So, just take a laptop with you, plug in a USB Modem (which takes, literally, minutes to set up), and you’ll get speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps, on the move, which is really quite fast. In fact, it’s about 4 times faster than the average home internet connection. So, it really is broadband with no compromises. So, if I were you, I’d get online, compare mobile broadband deals to see which one’s best for you, and join the future!
Matt Sharp asked:
Mobile broadband has got a whole lot sexier, thanks to the sleek, gorgeous ZTE USB Modem.
ZTE USB Modem - slim and speedy
Mobile broadband is indeed going to revolutionise the way we access the internet, and how we go online. Well, when I say it will, what I mean is that it already is! And the key device that’s leading the charge is the frankly beautiful ZTE USB Modem, available exclusively through 3. As USB Modems go, it really is gorgeous, with a slim body, and elegant colour scheme giving it a wonderful, professional look. However, it’s also one of those clever mobile broadband devices that can make ‘professional’ look ‘mouth-wateringly sexy’ at the same time!
In terms of performance, it’s no slouch either, being able to connect to the internet at true broadband speeds of up to 2.8Mbps (which is faster than the average HOME broadband connection! On top of that, the installation process is possibly the easiest I’ve ever seen, taking all of 30 seconds from ‘getting the modem out the box’ to ’surfing the net’. I’m all for ease of use, and the ZTE USB Modem really redefines the rulebook on how easy IT products can be to use.
Mobile broadband - the future
When we get down to it, though, how big an impact is mobile broadband really going to make? Well, try “an absolute shedload”! There’s no feeling like being able to get online whenever you want, wherever you are. On the train. In the pub. On the beach. In a field full of cows. Anywhere. The ZTE USB Modem really is leading the charge, but it’s very clear: the future is mobile broadband.
Matt Sharp asked:
O2 recently announced their mobile broadband offering, making them the last of the big 5 operators to get involved in that online world. But is their offering good enough? Is it too little too late?
Mobile Broadband - why is it important?
Mobile broadband is changing the world, no two ways about it. The ability to get online, and to get broadband speeds of upwards of 1.8Mbps, while in motion, is a great thing to have. Just imagine surfing the net on the train, or on holiday, or in a pub, or even on the beach, all using your own connection, and all getting the kind of super-fast speeds you’ll get at home. That’s what mobile broadband is, and that’s why it’s great.
Of the big 5 networks, 4 of them already offer amazing deals on mobile broadband. You’ve got T-Mobile, the trend-setter, the first ones to really go headlong into it. You’ve got Three, the funky one, offering super-cheap mobile broadband deals. You’ve got Orange, the unlimited one (well, unlimited, but capped), with a sexy, slim modem. And you’ve got Vodafone, the fast one, with speeds up to 7.2Mbps. But where’s O2 in that list?
O2 Mobile Broadband - was it worth the wait?
Well, now, O2 have announced their mobile broadband offering. And, I’m sorry to say, it’s rubbish. The cheapest package comes in at £20 per month, which is nowhere near good enough, when compared to the other 4 networks. And then there is the big killer, the big fly in the ointment. You can only get O2 mobile broadband if you’re already an existing O2 customer. Erm. Hello? O2? That’s rubbish. Do you not want new customers on your network?? All in all, it’s a serious let-down, and a real shame.
Looks like it can be summed up in one phrase, unfortunately. O2: great for mobile phones, absolute bobbins for mobile broadband…
Matt Sharp asked:
After what seems like a very long gap, since the other networks began doing it, O2 have finally announced their mobile broadband offering. Unfortunately, though, it seems as though they’ve not only been tardy in deploying mobile broadband, but they may have scored a MASSIVE own goal.
Mobile broadband - a brief history
It’s easily becoming more prevalent now, but for anyone who isn’t 100% aware of what it is, and why it’s important, mobile broadband is changing the world, in a very big way. You may wonder what it is, but to put it simply, mobile broadband is broadband internet access while you’re mobile. Or, to put it another way, you can get the internet at proper broadband speeds, whilst you’re on the move, wherever and whenever you are!
The early days of 2008 saw the first big bang for mobile broadband, and the two main players in it where T-Mobile and Three, both of them offering the new super fast system, running on what is called HSDPA. Vodafone are no the bandwagon, as well, as are Orange, essentially meaning that of the ‘Big 5′ in the mobile space, 4 were offering mobile broadband packages. O2 were, until recently, the only ones who weren’t…
O2 mobile broadband - not good enough!
But now, O2 do offer their own mobile broadband package, and… well… it pains me to say it, but it’s utter rubbish! There are a couple of reasons for this. First up, it costs, at the lowest deal, £20 per month, DOUBLE what you’d pay for Three’s cheapest deal. That’d be bad enough on its own, but add in to that the fact that you have to be an existing O2 customer to be able to get mobile broadband from them. Not only is that grossly unfair on the consumer, but when you think about it, it’s not exactly a very sensible business strategy either. Why would O2 willingly do something that stops them getting loads of new customers??
Either way, it seems that whilst O2 might be very good in their old game, of providing mobile phones, they seem to be utter pants at providing mobile broadband…
Matt Sharp asked:
Let’s take a look at a new mobile PC, designed to give you mobile broadband right out the box, wherever you are: the awesomely powerful HTC Shift.
Mobile computing made easy
There’s no doubt that mobile broadband is a cool thing. I’ve gone on at great length about how it’s changing the world in 2008, and it is. The internet is becoming something we don’t just sit at a desk to use, but something that we carry round with us, in our pockets. Well, since laptops are still quite big, nearly in our pockets. Maybe in some kind of bag-type arrangement. The point is, though, that with the advent of mobile broadband, people are finding that they not only can use broadband wherever they are, they want to use it wherever they are.
So, the desire to use mobile broadband is there, but what technologies exist to let people actually use it. The one that’s most prevalent at the moment is, essentially, a case of taking a laptop, plugging in a USB Modem with mobile broadband sim card, and going for it. And that is a very, very simple solution, as the steps are 1) get USB Modem; 2) plug in; 3) enjoy. But some people want a solution even simpler, one that they just fire up, straight out of the box, and go for it.
That’s where the HTC Shift comes in!
Essentially, the HTC Shift, if you want to tie it down to one particular category, is a UMPC, and Ultra-Mobile PC. So, think mini-laptop. And it really is, too, because it’s powered by Windows Vista. Yes, that’s proper Windows Vista, no compromises here! Well… I say that, but there is one… but it’s a positive compromise! You see, the HTC Shift is powered by Vista, but it also uses a stripped down version of Windows Mobile. The importance of that is that you can move about with it, in-between working sessions when you have it in full-on laptop mode, you can switch down to low power mode, still check your emails, and so on, but drastically increase your battery life.
It’s things like that that make the HTC Shift such a powerful mobile broadband device. There’s no two-ways about it, with a spec list like this baby has, it’d be hardly surprising if it conquers the online world. Sure, it has competition from mobile phones like the iPhone and the vast range of laptops on the market, but nothing comes close to providing this level of internet speed with this level of portability. Want to see for yourself? Compare mobile broadband packages with, for example, the iPhone, and you’ll see what I mean!
Matt Sharp asked:
O2 were the last network to get into the world of mobile broadband. Maybe they didn’t quite realise how important it would be? Either way, their offering hasn’t been greeted with open arms, but with hoots of derision. Read on to find out why!
Mobile broadband - background info
What O2 seemed to have not picked up that quickly, is how important mobile broadband is, and will continue to be in future. But first, an explanation may be in order. What is mobile broadband, after all? Well, to put it simply, mobile broadband is broadband internet access while you’re mobile, while you’re out and about, and not tied to a desk. And no, that DOESN’T mean it uses WiFi. Far from it… and in fact, there’s a very real possibility that mobile broadband will replace WiFi altogether!
The reason it’s taking off in such a big way is two-fold. Well, actually, on reflection, it’s three-fold. Oh ok, go on, then, four-fold. First, it really is MOBILE broadband, as you can take it anywhere with you, and use wherever mobiles phones get a signal. Second, it’s fast, hitting speeds of up to 7.2Mbps, depending on network and coverage, making it faster than the average home broadband connection. Third, it’s very, very, very easy to set up, since the installation, in all cases, involves nothing more complicated than pushing a USB plug in, and clicking ‘yes’. Finally, it’s great value for money, with the cheapest tariffs coming in at around the £10-15.
O2 Mobile Broadband - why it can’t handle the competition
And now, we come to O2’s mobile broadband offering. Sure, it’s not bad in terms of speed, despite O2 having earlier limited customers’ 3G and HSDPA speeds on their mobile phones to a fraction of the speed they should be. But there are two big problems with the offering, which mean that it won’t be a big hit with the public.
First up is the simple fact that… well, if you want O2 mobile broadband, you’ll only be able to get it if you already have an O2 mobile phone! Which limits their potential customers, and, to me, doesn’t make a great deals of sense, if they want to push mobile broadband to a wider market. The other crucial flaw, though, is the price, coming in at a minimum of £20 per month, more than any other network. Which is a shame, but I guess it goes to show… O2 may be good at mobile phones, but they seem to be absolute drawers at mobile broadband.
Matt Sharp asked:
As we roll on through 2008, the mobile world is evolving fast. Very fast! So fast, in fact, that at times it’s hard to keep up. What’s ‘in’, what’s the new thing we simply have to have? Well, let’s have a look, and see what we can expect for 2008!
First of all, and this should be obvious, mobile phones are going to become more advanced. Much more advanced. What we think of as top-end camera phones now, for example, will gradually slip down the pecking order, until that spec of phone is classed as a budget feature. And as smartphones get smarter, ‘dumb phones’ (oh ok, let’s be charitable and call them ‘feature phones’…) will inevitably follow suit, growing smarter, and gaining ever more features to set them apart from the competition. Maybe it would be a good idea to look at some specific examples!
Camera Phones
At the moment the best cameras you can get on mobile phones are found on the absolute top-end of the market. Phones like the Nokia N82, the Sony Ericsson K850i and the upcoming Nokia N96 all have 5 megapixel cameras. Not only that, but they all have distinguishing features that set them apart from other camera phones. The Nokias have Carl Zeiss lenses, while the Sony Ericsson has Cyber-Shot technology. In fact, the average camera phone nowadays is hovering around the 2 or 3 megapixel mark, compared to 2 years ago, when 2 megapixels was a top-end phone! Clearly, as we move forward, they’re going to get even better. I won’t be surprised if we see 7 and 8 megapixel camera phones in the latter half of 2008. It’s one of those things that has a certain inevitability about it. You just know it will happen. And it will be cool!
Music Phones
Camera phones aren’t the only ones evolving. Just look at music phones, too, most noticeably the upcoming Sony Ericsson W980i (part of its Walkman series) and, yes, the Apple iPhone. The Sony Ericsson features the latest Walkman player, with such advanced features as shake controls (simply shake the phone to change tracks!) and SensMe. That second one is particularly impressive, because you tell the phone what mood you’re in, and it automatically works out what music will fit that mood, almost like its reading your mind! And no matter what your opinion of the iPhone (personally, I don’t like it), it does have an exceptionally cool version of iTunes built in. The future of music phones is hard to predict, but given that all the really big developments in music phones have come in less than 2 years, the future’s sure to be mind-blowing!
GPS Phones
One feature that’s not been seen on mobile phones much up until now, but that will make a massive splash in 2008, is GPS. We’re already seeing more phones being announced with it built in (the Nokia N96, Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia and Samsung G810 spring to mind) and that number is only going to increase, allowing people to get full navigation on their mobile phone. But it also opens up a cool feature called ‘geotagging’. Basically, if you see something cool (like some monument… insert your own example, here!), whip your phone out, take a photo of it, then tag that photo with location info. And then, send that photo on to a friend. They won’t just be able to see the pic, they’ll be able to find the same monument (or whatever you inserted as your example)!
Super-Duper-Smart Phones
Ok, I confess, I made that name up, but I’m making a point. Smartphones of today will be nothing compared to the smartphones of the future. You want examples? Well, take the Sony Ericsson P1i, available now. Stunning phone, 3G data speeds at 384 kbps, 3 megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard. Very, VERY nice phone. Now consider the Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia, a recently announced smartphone that while not a direct replacement for the P1i, outclasses it in every single imaginable way! So, it has a megapixel camera, full Windows Mobile interface, huge QWERTY keyboard and built in GPS. Oh, and it can connect to the net at up to 3.6Mbps, nearly 10 times faster than the P1i. Smartphones of the future are simply going to boggle our minds!
Mobile Broadband
This is the big one… This is the single thing that is going to most revolutionise the world in 2008. I’ve spoken about mobile phones, but mobile broadband s something else entirely. Basically, imagine the internet on your laptop. But not through WiFi. No, it’s using a fully mobile signal, connecting to a cell tower, just like mobile phones do. So, it really is the internet ANYWHERE, and because it is true broadband, not some pale imitation, you’ll get speeds, at present, of up to 7.2Mbps. And that’s now, only a couple of months into the evolution of mobile broadband. When contemplating how fast it will become, well, there’s no way to tell, but one thing’s for sure. Mobile broadband is the future. And it is going to change the world!
