what are the benefits of 3G?

[Semidevil]

I'm still not 100% comfortable with all the technical lingo when it comes to electronics(cell phones), so can someone explain this to me:

With the 3G rollout to a carriers, what are the advantages of 3G if someone uses their phone only as a phone(no data and no internet). I always thought that when they said 3G, they were referring to the speed you can achieve with your phone when surfing the internet. 3G is faster then Edge, which is faster then GPRS.

But I was reading around and they said that for Tmobile, 3G will start out as 'voice only.' what does that mean? Does 3G give more advantages then just internet/data speed?

 

[SunnyD]

3G could get you a nice bit of land in upstate new york.

 

[Sphexi]

3G is a data technology, but it runs on a different frequency than GSM/EDGE, and it actually carries both voice and data. Think of it as VoIP for your cellphone. The signal is a little bit better than GSM, but the coverage isn't that great, even with Vzn/ATT who have the most widespread coverage with their respective 3G technologies.

At this point you'd be fine getting a standard GSM/2G phone, but keep in mind as they expand the 3G system heavily, you'll be missing out on better signal and better call quality, as well as the possibility of using the data side of it, should you change your mind down the road. Right now ATT is running about 60-70% of their phones with 3G support, only some of the more basic low-end phones don't have it, and the Blackberries of course don't have it. Within a year everything will probably be 3G.

 

[SaoFeng]

$3000 is always an advantage.

 

[bigrash]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
3G could get you a nice bit of land in upstate new york.

or a nice computer in NYC. I say OP should go for the computer since it's not enough for a 4k hooker.

 

[Trogdor91]

The benefits of 3G are three times that of G!

 

[0roo0roo]

prices for data still will be absurd.

i recently saw a british consumer protection program show that the wireless companies charge more per meg by several fold to send text messages than it costs to send data to and from the hubble space telescope

 

[E equals MC2]

Isn't 3G already obsolete and they're rolling out 4G already?

 

[George P Burdell]

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
Isn't 3G already obsolete and they're rolling out 4G already?

4G related technology is still a few years away.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

3G is bullshit designed to make you poor through obscene charges.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper
3G is bullshit designed to make you poor through obscene charges.

Fight the man!