Video and music on cell phones? The jury (at least here in the U.S.) is still out. But GPS on cell phones makes so much sense. And I guess that's why, as Bill Howard reports, Verizon just launched VZ Navigator.
Instead of springing for a costly add-on or built-in GPS unit for your car, VZ Navigator is $10 a month or $3 a day (for infrequent travelers). Right now, though, you can get it on only one phone, the Motorola V325. And it's unlikely you'll be able to update your existing phone to include the service; Verizon will want to sell you a new phone and renew your contract yet again, as Bill Howard points out.
It may not be as convenient to use your cell phone for navigation as you drive. But the price is so very right. And not everyone (OK, almost everyone, but not everyone) drives all the time. Some of us walk or bike too, at home and also in unknown territory, and for us, this service will rock.
Cingular finally launched their high-speed HSDPA network yesterday; for the details, check out Carmen Nobel's story on eWeek.com. In brief, the network provides broadband wireless speeds in 16 cities using either of two PC Cards for your laptop. The cards will cost $99 with a two-year contract, and unlimited access will cost $59.99/month if you're a Cingular voice subscriber. This brings Cingular on par with Verizon and Sprint in terms of speed, if not high-speed coverage.
I was listening in on Cingular's conference call too, and here's what Carmen couldn't fit in:
On average, Cingular's HSDPA system will deliver the same 400-700 kbps speeds as Verizon and Sprint's EVDO. Though HSDPA can briefly burst to 3.6 mbps as compared to EVDO's maximum burst of 2.4 mbps, current HSDPA cards are limited to 1.8 mbps. Translation: Cingular, Verizon and Sprint are now all on an equal footing for speed.
The big differentiator here for consumers is that Cingular's network allows videophone calling, where Verizon and Sprint's networks don't.
Handsets will show up early next year, but I'm now perplexed as to which handsets they'll be. Cingular just committed to high-speed HSDPA on both the 850 and 1900 frequency bands. I've seen four potential next-generation Cingular phones, but three of them use mid-speed UMTS, not high-speed HSDPA, and some are missing the 850 band. Will Cingular actually release next-generation phones that only use half of their network's speed, and don't work well in some US cities? The mind boggles.
Cingular's legacy networks and the AT&T merger are still huge albatrosses. Just last week they finished merging the Cingular and AT&T TDMA networks - yes, that's TDMA, the ancient technology they're trying to get rid of! They've also only merged the AT&T and Cingular GSM networks in 30 out of 63 US markets. The good news is, once they merge a city, call quality goes up by 20% and dropped calls go down by 30%.
Want to know why they really upgraded? The new network lets them carry much more voice traffic and cuts down on their operating costs. It's a lot more efficient. And hey, saving money is just as good as making it.
The Belkin Backup Battery Pack ($49.95, direct but available for less online and in special accessory package) is the one iPod accessory that's always in my briefcase. This small case, which attaches to the iPod with suction cups, encloses four "AA" alkaline batteries and will keep an iPod running for up to 15 hours, even if the internal battery is drained.
In addition, the Battery Pack incorporates a charge-level indicator, so you can tell ahead of time when your batteries are running low, and never be caught without your tunes again.
This isn't a new product, but I keep running into people who ask me about mine and where to get one, so I thought I'd post it to Gearlog as well.
Agetec--publisher of entertainment software--just informed me that a popular Japanese role-playing game is now available in the U.S. for the PSP.
PoPoLoCrois follows the adventure of Prince Pietro as he battles to save his beloved kingdom from the chilling grips of the evil Ice Demon and rescue his mother, the queen of PoPoLoCrois, from a mysterious eternal slumber. Pietro and his friends encounter a vast array of dangerous dragons, fierce monsters and other crazy creatures in their quest to solve the mystery of the Kingdom of Darkness.
The game features:
-Japanese-style artwork with a zoom feature -a quick-save option for playing on the go -a diverse, whimsical soundtrack -over 30 hours of gameplay
PoPoLoCrois is rated "E" for Everyone, which means it's perfect as a holiday gift for the family.
Purchase PoPoLoCrois for $39.99 at Electronics Boutique, GameStop, and online at Walmart.com ($39.82).
I don't normally link Gearlog to Red Envelope, a vendor I don't particulary like (for no particular reason). But, a friend sent me a link to the Solio solar iPod and cell phone charger ($99-$119) and it looks interesting, so here it is. Seems expensive for what it does, but solar stuff usually is.
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