Microsoft’s Pocket PC Phone Edition, from T-Mobile combines a PDA with a phone. It includes pocket versions of Microsoft Word and Excel, an Internet Browser, the Windows Media Player and Instant Messaging. It runs on Voicestream’s GPRS network, currently run by T-Mobile. The $549.99 PDA/phone will include a $50.00 rebate with activation of qualified voice and data plans.
“VoiceStream’s wireless networks will enable customers to make phone calls or use high-speed wireless access to view virtually any Internet site or securely access corporate networks, e-mail and PIM from more than 6,500 cities across North America at speeds that rival or exceed standard dial-up wired connections.”
If you define standard dial-up speeds as 28kbps.
T-Mobile, rumored to be mulling the sale of Voicesteam, also operates the Starbucks Hot Spots. T-Mobile Wireless Broadband has a concentration of Starbucks locations in Houston, Austin,Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco and New York. You can get unlimited access within these local metro areas for only $29.99 per month. Unlimited “hot spot” access nationwide, is available for $49.99.
The Pocket PC Phone features a 206MHz StrongArm processor, dual band capabilities, and is GPRS ready. It’s manufactured for T-Mobile by High Tech Computer, a Taiwan-based technology supplier. The device is intended for use on the T-Mobile/VoiceStream network and includes an SD slot which (may) support a small Wi-Fi radio. No CompactFlash slot. Too bad. That would have been handy for digital cameras.
Intersil and SyChip, a fabless semiconductor manufacturer, have put the Prism 3 chip into a Secure Digital form factor, which is about the size of a postage stamp.
At $549 with service contract, Voicestream’s PocketPC Phone is considerably cheaper than Verizon’s $799 Thera, a CDMA cell phone hybrid, which doesn’t use the new OS. The Audiovox Thera operates on CDMA2000 1X networks by Verizon and Sprint PCS. The unit is manufactured for Audiovox by Toshiba. PDAs with built-in phones are bigger than cell phones that use Microsoft’s SmartPhone OS like the Sendo Z-100 which uses a smaller cellphone-sized display.
The Toshiba e740 ($550), takes the opposite tack - it’s the first Pocket PC with built-in 802.11b capability. It has both SD and CF card slots but connection options for cellular networks have not been announced.
GPRS and CDMA data modems are currently only available in PC card form factors, but that may change soon. Cellular modems are available from Sierra Wireless and Novatel Wireless but can cost $300.
Cingular’s Wireless Internet Express service costs $7 for 1MB of data, AT&T’s mMode costs $8 a month for 1MB and VoiceStream’s wireless network sells 5MB of data for $19.99 a month.
Could a portable, solar-powered access point be created with these devices? Take an Audiovox Thera, small Linux devices or a “real” PC like a Tiqit or OQO with Verizon’s unlimited 64 kbps Express service ($99/mo) for the backbone. Then add a Wi-Fi radio with a 15 dB antenna. Power it with a 10 watt solar panel and Pocket Linux. It could cost $600-$1000. Meshed networks or 5.8 GHz backhauls from community towers might provide viable (and cheaper) alternatives to 2.5 G cellular backhaul.
Toshiba’s iPod Clone could add 20 Megs of local content from local newspapers, tv stations and game producers. Subscribtion services for MP3s, MP-4s and Java Games might provide revenue and subsidize a “free” service. A 128 MB Compact Flash card holds about one hour of video at 240×320 resolution on a Zaurus PDA. The iVAST MPEG-4 Platform 2.0 delivers streaming audio and video in XML and J2EE (Java 2 Platforms). Just like “Minority Report”. Servers might even be updated every hour (or so) from passing city buses equipped with wireless iPods. Blip.
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