Smart & Wired: Smooth Talkers
November 1, 2005
The Jetsons have very little on modern consumers. Like George Jetson’s pop-up phone, today’s mobile phones take photos, play music and even deliver live video, including television programming. They also offer users a world of information, with real-time streaming stock quotes, instant messaging and lightning-speed file transfer. And that is just the beginning, say experts. As cellular technology continues to evolve, so will the level and number of applications cell phone manufacturers will be offering.
This year, mobile manufacturers Kyocera, Motorola and Nokia separately released models that raised the bar on mobile phone technology. But much of the latest revolution in wireless does not originate in devices hailing from these companies. They are simply making the most of a new mobile backbone.
Mobile providers such as Sprint and Verizon are introducing high-speed wireless networks based on EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) technology. This technology, which gives users connections as fast as 2.4 megabits per second for downloads, is up to 10 times faster than the network your current phone uses. This means that the handset and applications can finally rival the speed of a home PC that is hooked up to a broadband connection.
All three of the cellular phones reviewed here—the Kyocera Jet, Motorola E815
and the Nokia N90—support the EV-DO (or 3G network, as it is sometimes called).
The capabilities of each phone are as impressive as their sleek facades.
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