I am not sure I would consider circuit-switched services costing up to 39 cents a minute on a mobile phone enjoyable. I tried out the new ERICY CDPD phone with packet web services on AT&T Wireless and it is much better (than the Samsung SCH-3500 on Sprint, for example). Something about being always on, and not having to pay for the connection, seemed to agree with me.
Since I've got about 100 more minutes than I need on my current Sprint plan, and since the plan right below the one I use doesn't offer enough minutes, and since I don't have to pay any extra monthly fees to get internet services due to the contract I signed, I'm basically getting WAP for free as well.
But you're right, circuit-switching does suck, both due to its inefficient use of bandwidth (most WAP users probably spend 7-10 seconds reading content and deciding which content to download for every second that they're downloading it; they're logged on for all this time on circuit-switched networks), and due to the fact that you have to sign on. That's why I think the primary benefits of 1x and GPRS will be their packet-switched architectures rather than their data rates. I wouldn't be surprised to see a large number of 1x and GPRS operators follow AWE's suit and offer free net access.
Also, for general web services, I don't think I'd ever care to get them over a mobile when I have a home LAN w/cable modem.
If you're talking about wireless net access over a large-screen device such as a laptop, I'd have to disagree. I'd love to have such a service, although there isn't a chance in hell I'd be willing to do this with my current Sprint service, as my minutes would be gone in about ten days. For the time being, mobile wireless technologies just aren't efficient enough for a cheap, flat-rate, general-purpose net access service to be offered. Perhaps in a few years, the situation might be different.
Let us hope that all those position-centric services for WAP are indeed killer apps.
Combined with low-cost/free packet-based offerings, it should be enough. The main issue here's convenience. No one wants to use WAP for anything other than the generic offerings that come up on their browser's start page (e-mail, stock quotes, etc.) due to the fact that it's too damn annoying to do anything else given the interface. On the other hand, I can see phones supporting GPS having a button that users can press, automatically leading the to a menu of location-based content (maps, directions, promotions from local stores and restaurants). It might prove to be an extremely smart gamble on Infospace's part to target this market at such an early point. Now if only their CEO would learn how to shut up once in a while...
Eric |
