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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / T-Mobile / July 2004T-Mobile MDAs in Europe
Why is it that mobile technology is so behine here in the US compared to Europe? I was so impressed by the new HP 6315 that's supposed to coem out soon but then I saw T-Mobile Germany site and they already have an MDA II and a MDA III coming out soon!!! Why aren't these availabel here in the US? I can't believe T-Mobile still sells that old Pocket PC phone which is even older than MDA I. But it seems like everything gets released later over here or never at all. You'd think the US would be at the forefront of technology but when it comes to cell phones, we're way behind Europe and Asia. It's not only the phone models but also when it comes to EDGE, UMTS, and WCDMA. It's still a far way to go here before that goes mainstream. GSM isn't as widespread in the USA as in Europe where GSM is the only technology used and being migrated to UMTS. Also, cell phone market penetration isn't as great here. In the USA, ATT and Cingular are switching from TDMA to GSM but I don't think that is 100% complete yet and ATT is already rolling out UMTS. Verizon and Sprint are both CDMA. Some parts of the country still use analog AMPS. The USA isn't at the cutting edge of technology by any means. I would guess Japan gets that crown. This is a big country with lots of open space to cover and a market that lets the carriers decide which technology to use. I don't keep up with things in Europe, but from what I've read they have a very good GSM/EDGE network but are only now rolling out UMTS. Verizon and Sprint are deploying their 3G service as is ATT, so I *guess* we are at the same pace as they are. As for why T-Mobile doesn't have a really nice selection of the latest phones? My guess would be they are the least cost service and to keep costs down they don't keep switching handsets. Best feature of GSM is you can buy any GSM phone unlocked, stick your SIM in it and your talking. You need to be sure the phone operates on the correct frequencies for your carrier but that is about it. I'm using a MDA II from T-Mobile Germany and it works great, probably the best phone I've ever used. Looking at the reviews/specs for the HP, I'm going to pass on it. Regards-Michael G. > Why is it that mobile technology is so behine here in the US compared to > Europe? I was so impressed by the new HP 6315 that's supposed to coem out [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Asia. It's not only the phone models but also when it comes to EDGE, UMTS, > and WCDMA. It's still a far way to go here before that goes mainstream. > GSM isn't as widespread in the USA as in Europe where GSM is the only > technology used and being migrated to UMTS. Also, cell phone market > penetration isn't as great here. Well, this comes down to the chicken and the egg problem because with lousy plans, the companies themselves slow down the cell phone penetration in US. I, for instance, would have bought into one of the GSM plans long time ago, if it was something like what I've seen in Europe and intend to wait till I see one. I don't like to use locked SIMMs and don't like to lose any unused units withing such a short time. Rudy > I, for instance, would have bought into one of the > GSM plans long time ago, if it was something like what I've seen in > Europe and intend to wait till I see one. What, like a buck twenty for each minute you call a cellphone from a landline? An extra "area" code range set aside for cellphones? $2/minute when you call a landline _from_ your cellphone, and nobody knows how much you pay when you're calling a cell from another carrier? Not to mention $5/minute roaming charges when you're in or close to another state?  SignatureWhen I said "we", officer, I was referring to myself, the four young ladies, and, of course, the goat. René wrote: >>I, for instance, would have bought into one of the >>GSM plans long time ago, if it was something like what I've seen in [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > you pay when you're calling a cell from another carrier? Not to mention > $5/minute roaming charges when you're in or close to another state? Hum, you should divide this by 10 or 50 in most European countries... > you should divide this by 10 or 50 in most European countries. Why? I've been to most European countries, and that's how mobile telephony works over there, and that's how expensive it is. SignatureWhen I said "we", officer, I was referring to myself, the four young ladies, and, of course, the goat. René wrote: >>you should divide this by 10 or 50 in most European countries. > > Why? I've been to most European countries, and that's how mobile telephony > works over there, and that's how expensive it is. Then something is wrong. The maximum cost from my landline is about 15cents per minute but I can do it for less by selecting a different carrier . The cost of phoning the UK from my mobile on the continent is around 50 cents -- Dave C "René" <garbagejunkandcrap@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<4%yNc.21254$122.20338@newssvr24.news.prodigy.com>... > > I, for instance, would have bought into one of the > > GSM plans long time ago, if it was something like what I've seen in [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > you pay when you're calling a cell from another carrier? Not to mention > $5/minute roaming charges when you're in or close to another state? What? In Finland the cheapest mobiles cost 7 cents a minute to any mobile or land line. This summer many operators have had free or 1 cent/min calls to mobiles of same operator up to 1000 minutes per month. There are also plans that allow you pay just 12-14 cents/min and no fixed monthly fee. If you do not like your plan, you can switch at any time keeping the number. The cost of calling to mobile form a landline is irrelevant as nobody in their right mind does so. It is better to use a mobile to call a mobile. If one really wants to call from a land line one can often set so that one can call few mobiles with 8 cents/minute. In general calls from a land line to a mobile are 16-26 cents on weekdays and 16-17 cents on evenings and weekents (In addition one pays a local network fee which is about same as a local call). If one likes SMS one can get a plan where one can send 1000 messages a month for under 10 euros. If one wants a prepaid then they costabout 16 cents a minute and are valid 6-12 monts from last recharge. Yes, roamning is expensive, costing about 1 euro/mínute to call and 50 cents a minute to receive in Europe. Now The Finnish prices not really that typical, more like the cheapest in Europe. Osmo > In Finland the cheapest mobiles cost 7 cents a minute > Now The Finnish prices not really > that typical, more like the cheapest in Europe. So the prices there a moot point and of no relevance to Germany, for instance. ;) SignatureWhen I said "we", officer, I was referring to myself, the four young ladies, and, of course, the goat. > I don't like to use locked >SIMMs and don't like to lose any unused units withing such a short time. "SIMMs" (sic) cannot be locked. Handsets can be locked to prevent use of other SIMs (on M thank you very much) by locking out other operators' SIMs by rejecting them. You don't have to buy a locked handset. There are several places where you can buy unlocked handsets, but you of course will not get a subsidy from a mobile operator. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply > "SIMMs" (sic) cannot be locked. Handsets can be locked to prevent use > of other SIMs (on M thank you very much) by locking out other > operators' SIMs by rejecting them. Boy, you sure can nit pick while you also drop the "e" from "one." Despite my misspelling, you did understand what I was saying though, didn't you? My point was that such locked handsets cannot be taken abroad and used with some locally obtained SIMs to make inexpensive local calls there. I am assuming some multi-band handsets, of course. > You don't have to buy a locked > handset. There are several places where you can buy unlocked > handsets, but you of course will not get a subsidy from a mobile > operator. Yes, but all plans come with the company's handsets to my knowledge. I have not seen a plan aimed at customers with their own unlocked handsets, have you? R. P. >> You don't have to buy a locked >> handset. There are several places where you can buy unlocked [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >I have not seen a plan aimed at customers with their own unlocked >handsets, have you? IIRC, there are some carriers that will activate service with an existing handset. On the GSM side, I believe Cingular will sign you up for service, giving you just a SIM and not requiring any handset deal from them. > IIRC, there are some carriers that will activate service with an > existing handset. On the GSM side, I believe Cingular will sign you up > for service, giving you just a SIM and not requiring any handset deal > from them. Really? I'll check out that one. Rudy >> I don't like to use locked >>SIMMs and don't like to lose any unused units withing such a short time. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply Enter the unlock code wrong a few times, and your SIM certainly will lock, and if you botch the PUK code a few times, the SIM is trash. |
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