(keitai-l) Re: SmartPhones will kill consumer PDAs?

From: Giovanni Bertani <giovanni.bertani_at_exsense.com>
Date: 05/05/03
Message-Id: <355115B2-7ED8-11D7-B0BC-003065BA6D3A@exsense.com>
Luned=EC, 5 mag 2003, alle 03:56 Europe/Rome, Curt Sampson ha scritto:

>
> On Sat, 3 May 2003, Giovanni Bertani wrote:
>
>> The main difference is the full integration between device and the=3D20=

>> Wireless mobile network services and infrastructure 2g 2.5g or 3g=20
>> like=3D20=3D
>>
>> GPRS and W-CDMA (Not WI-FI as it still lacks of basic services for=20
>> a=3D20
>> real mobile network)  that today Pocket PC and Palm OS (and=20
>> probably=3D20
>> still SmartPhone) are not yet capable.
>
> I assume you're talking about things like being able to "find" a
> device anywhere, at any time, and get a message to it right away. It's
> certainly true that a WiFi-using device can't be used as a pager, and
> even if you did hack the system so that it could, the power=20
> requirements
> for the device would be awfully high. (An always-on WiFi connection,
> even with the best power-saving available, will suck a small device's
> battery dry in hours, especially on a busy network, and these need to
> compete with standby times of well over a week for modern keitai.)
>
> I would anticipate that any device that's really going to compete with
> a phone and still offer cheap, high-speed capabilities is going to =
have
> to do both. You'd use the always-on, low-speed, expensive=20
> telephone-type
> network for the standby capabilities, and the sometimes-on, =
high-speed,
> cheap LAN-type network for the times when you need to move a lot of
> data. So the mail alert, along with minimal information about the mail
> (subject, first bit of text) would come via the telephone network, and
> then the device would attach via a WiFi network to do the rest of the=20=

> work.
>
> We already have laptops with PHS and WiFi built-in (though admittedly
> it's data-only PHS), so this stuff may start to happen in smaller form
> factors soon.

Yes I agree with you.

I really see a very interesting opportunity in having WI-FI
working toghether PHS or GPRS or W-CDMA.

I also see this being more interesting for powerful devices
or maybe advanced PDAs targeted more to the business
power-user than the mass market.

We are already seeing this in the Japanese market.
Most of the cosumer applications are already possible
on mobile phones capable of less than 144kbps and
Foma is having some problem in building a real
value over the handsets shortcomings and higher prices.

So it is difficult to me to identify a real perceivable value
in having heavier and more expensive phones with
11mbits connection or more.

Maybe we have to wait for high quality video recording
or some other applications as today picture phones work
so well with the existing network technologies...

So for my point of view  there is no point yet for
comparing WI-FI and 3G in the consumer market.

Giovanni
Received on Mon May 5 12:03:42 2003