Business Week: Technology and You

In a previous post, I discussed my observation that cell phone technology is better, and more widely accepted, in Europe and Germany than in America. Today, I was able to catch up on some of my backlogged podcasts and I came across this review of handset technology. Within the first minute, the team at Business Week confirmed my hunch. The Nokia E62 and the HTC Excalibur, are now being introduce in the US. They are the same model or very similar to their European counterparts, who’ve been on the market for some time now.

One of the most interesting points in this podcast netcast is how T-mobile is attempting to leverage their wide array of Wi-Fi hotspots. As of right now, they are the only firm operating in the US who has an interest promoting Wi-Fi. Cingular is now building out a high speed data network and would naturally prefer if you used their service and pay.

I’ve uploaded a copy of the netcast for your review. (10 MB .mp3)

On the subject of mobile handsets, I’ve been somewhat pleased with my Blackberry 8700c. Here is my initial review. If I had to get a new phone now, I would look into both of these new (in the US) phones. What excites me most about the upcoming mobile technology is the possibility to get free Skype or other VOIP services on my cell phone. How awesome would that be? Global calls at a fraction of the price!

Business Week: Technology and You

Nokia E62 & HTC Excalibur
Not surprisingly, the success of Motorola’s thin and inexpensive Q smartphone is inspiring competition. Versions of a couple of competitors that have been available for a while in Europe and Asia have landed on North American shores. Cingular is offering the Nokia E62, a full-keyboard smartphone based on the Symbian operating system. It can easily hook up to corporate e-mail systems using BlackBerry Connect or Good Messaging Service. The more consumer-oriented T-Mobile Dash, also known as the HTC Excalibur, can get data using both T-Mobile’s network and Wi-Fi hot spots.