(keitai-l) Re: port of i-mode to other cultures

From: Curt Sampson <cjs_at_cynic.net>
Date: 11/03/03
Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.4.58.0311031249500.580@angelic-vtfw.cvpn.cynic.net>
On Sun, 2 Nov 2003, Jonas Petersson wrote:

> * GPRS will let you get rid of the 30 second wait if you consider that a
> problem.
>
> * SMS will easily do the alert bit (and you can bypass the 160 char
> limit by chaining if you insist).

Keep in mind I was talking about the disadvantages of PDAs over phones,
in that bit of my post.

GPRS could be used on a PDA, but is not currently, as far as I know. It's
certainly not widely available. I'm not sure of the current pricing.

PDAs, except those rare few that are actually phones, do not and can not
use SMS at all. As well, SMS about forty times more expensive than e-mail
on phones here in Japan.

As for the remaining issues: yes, as I said, PDAs have more power in
many respects. (Not all: modern Japanese keitai have better screens and
better cameras than most PDAs out there: certainly there's nothing in
the PDA world in a similar price and weight class that can compare with
a 505i.)

Summary: it's technically possible to make PDAs that would not have the
disadvantages they currently have in comparison to Japanese phones, but
it's not being done, and I see no sign of any such PDAs appearing in the
near future.

cjs
-- 
Curt Sampson  <cjs_at_cynic.net>   +81 90 7737 2974   http://www.NetBSD.org
    Don't you know, in this new Dark Age, we're all light.  --XTC
Received on Mon Nov 3 05:59:40 2003