3G

[LoadWB]

I can't be arsed to drop the money on a locked-out status gadget.  I have my Sony Ericsson K790a, and it's been worth every penny.  It's a couple of years old, but has a 3.2mp camera with flash, 4GB memory card, EDGE networking, fully unlocked Bluetooth, and it runs Java applications.

Sure, EDGE isn't as fast as 3G, but I don't really need the extra speed, and I'm only paying $20/mo for unlimited service.  That comes to an end once I go 3G, then it's $60/mo :-(

The email client checks my IMAP accounts so I can stay on top of customer emails, and it supports SMTP w/AUTH and TLS/SSL.  I use the RSS reader to monitor National Hurricane Center and NOAA feeds.  It has a pretty good browser, and I augment that with Opera Mini.  With the Bluetooth I can connect to a set of headphones, or the receiver connected to my car stereo for musical enjoyment.  I lament lacking a built-in GPS, but I do have a Bluetooth unit that works very well.  I have a good dozen or so useful Java apps installed as well.

I can use Bluetooth or a USB cable to print pictures and other objects directly to a printer.

I can stash music or video in various formats on the 4GB card or the 70MB internal memory.  The calendar and contacts synchronize with my laptop via Bluetooth, which is invaluable for my business.  This is my personal and professional lifestyle manager.

I'm looking forward to the C902: faster processor, more memory options, 5mp camera, 3G, and a GPS.

I see the attractiveness of the iPhone.  I'll say this for Apple, it's genius with UIs.  But I prefer unlocked feature sets.

[LoadWB]

Piru wrote:

I'm only paying $20/mo for unlimited service. That comes to an end once I go 3G, then it's $60/mo

Ouchie. How fast is that 3G? I think 2/1mbit would be something like that around here. [EDIT] Ah, no, it's 46 usd/mo. [/EDIT]

The only reason I'm paying $20/mo is because I am grand-fathered in with an OLD (like five years ago) unlimited plan.  I had the fore-sight back then to know that I would be using data on my phone and a $20 plan would be a wise thing to lock in.  The cheapest data plan AT&T has in the US for unlimited data is around $60/mo, maybe a little less if you have a CrackBerry, but you also pay for the CrackBerry email service.

I'm not sure how fast AT&T's 3G is, 2.1Mb or 3.xMb.  Most of the SonyEricsson 3G phones do UMTS and HSDPA, so we'd be looking at 3.6Mb/s or better.  I can see how that would be nice for remote server admin whether RDP or SSH, but EDGE works well enough for me at around 200kb/s to stick to the $20 plan ;-)  I remind people how, not that long ago, I did admin over dial-up and ISDN.

EDIT: AT&T has made it perfectly clear to me that my $20 plan does not cover 3G.