Personal Tech: Web via cellphone: faster but imperfect
Years after it was promised, I've gotten a chance to taste a high-speed cellular network and am happy to report it's satisfying—like taking a good gulp whereas before we'd get only a sip. But there are the inevitable hiccups.
Verizon Wireless has rolled out its high-speed network to about 30 U.S. cities, putting it way ahead of other domestic carriers. The "3G"—for "third generation"—network recently came to St. Louis, where I live, and delivers download speeds comparable to a low-end cable or DSL service. The speed boost is roughly the same as moving from dial-up Internet to broadband on a desktop PC.
Unlike that switch, this is no hallelujah moment.
It does finally make the Internet usable on a cellphone. Instead of waiting 30 seconds to just get to the home page, it's only about eight seconds on Verizon's high-speed net. That's the difference between "forget it" and "maybe" for checking news, sports, or weather.
Why only "maybe"? Because a phone has inherent drawbacks: A small screen and a paucity of keys cripple Web access. A smart phone with a keyboard would help. So would a combined phone/music player for downloading tunes (are you reading this, Steve Jobs?). What would help most of all is better coverage. But today you're limited to major metro areas, and—hey, these are cellphones—the high-speed signal too often drops out. Plus your phone must be 3G capable.
Verizon charges $5 a month for Internet access, which counts against minutes in a calling plan. Or for $15 a month, the Internet minutes are free, and Verizon throws in video clips that can wow a friend—although who really wants to watch squint TV on a cell?
The high-speed cell net is also available to laptop users, who are no longer tied to Wi-Fi hot spots for fast Web access or E-mail. It's a fun stunt, for example, to surf on a PC in a moving car (as a passenger only, of course). But that service comes at a steep price of $80 a month, plus at least $50 for a modem card. In data as in wine, the best stuff remains beyond my budget.