Cellular services ~ ever use 'em?

[LanSite]

Okay - so I'm sittin' here about to set up my WAP services for my cell phone ... I started lookin' at my phone and the services offered - digital text messaging, calendar, PC Synchronization, sending e-mail, use them as your modem to connect to your ISP, etc, and I wondered - how many of ya'll out there actually *use* these services of your cell phone? Does anyone? Anyone use some of these services in place of a PDA and how effective is it?

[Azaraelle]

I have a wap enabled cellphone, but it has never even occurred to me to use it for anything other than making and receiving phone calls. In South Africa it isnt cost-effective (and thats the understatement of the century!).

[Stickman]

I have a WAP-enabled phone but I've only used WAP a couple of times -- it just doesn't seem to be worth the bother. However, I do use the IR modem with my PDA to pick up email when I'm on the train. You can use it to browse the Web too, but it's pretty slow so generally I don't bother.

[TheEnigma]

Used to have a Nokia 7110 on BTCellnet here in the UK and to be frank - I only ever used the wap for one thing!
Checking my score on http://www.planetarion.com
It was a PHONE! thus for PHONE calls!
Oh and snakes too!

[jamble]

I've got an 8210 so it doesn't have WAP but I figured I have a good connection at home on my PC so never needed it. I used to work for cellnet and have seen howe much the extra services cost people of they're careful. I'd hold out for GPRS. In fact, I barely use the phone for making calls, it's too damn expensive

[aversion]

i have a vodafone nokia 6210 and i've never used the wap on it. There are so many text message services you can get for next to nothing... they send you the cricket scores for example, or even 'highlights' of the election (that should be fascinating ), i don't see what wap would really do for me. I can call free for cinema info and they automatically send me a text message with the times and the address of the cinema etc, traffic information is also free.

[MAC01]

too cramped for my taste.. WAP phones still have long ways to go..

I wouldnt mind seeing i-mode+bluetooth phones here in North America and some services to go with it.. I've seen the light... god damn you pay everything with your cellphone anywhere... from restaurant to busfare...

[AN!MAL]

I would go a step further.

I lost my phone about 2 weeks ago, I still have not replaced it, I can be reached at home and work, if im not at either, more than likley I dont wanna be disturbed, I guess I wanna get away from the screen-life.

No I will not use wap - yes this will have a bad effect, We will all have to cross the wap boarder in order to stay on top of our jobs, We must understand how the kids are using their phones as we will have to produce for wap eventually.

Get Unconnected one in a while!

[aversion]

GPRS has just been launched in the uk, they're the first 'always on broadband' phone, a stop gap before G3 this autumn, so it's like cable compared to a dial up. You pay for data downloaded rather than time online.

i just don't understand why there aren't more useful phones, you keep hearing about all these 'pda/phone' hybrids, but they never appear. Seems like a waste...

you can buy an ericsson bluetooth phone in europe.

[*gearworx]

if I use my wap then my palm will feel lonely and negalected did I spell it right?

[sargant]

Originally posted by *gearworx
negalected did I spell it right?

in a word: no.

[GreyUnicorne]

stop spamming flashkit please.

[hurricaneone]

Question: Do 3G phones still need to access WAP content, or do they access content like a standard browser?

[jamble]

Originally posted by hurricaneone
Question: Do 3G phones still need to access WAP content, or do they access content like a standard browser?

These days I think they access like a standard browser.

[hurricaneone]

Thanks, jamble.

So, if 3G does ever take off, do you think the need for WAP will die out, or will sites interested in offering all customers some form of access will still have to develop WAP (2G) versions?

(Like still offering a link for the Flash player to those users who do not have it installed).

[jamble]

Originally posted by hurricaneone
Thanks, jamble.

So, if 3G does ever take off, do you think the need for WAP will die out, or will sites interested in offering all customers some form of access will still have to develop WAP (2G) versions?

(Like still offering a link for the Flash player to those users who do not have it installed).

wap was always a very primitive format for browsing the web and imo, only really a stopgap until 3G came in because 3G has been on the cards for a number of years, it's just the licences for the mobile companies cost billions (in UK anyway) so it was never really viewed as an easy business decision but the network here is much better than it ever was so 3G is being rolled out and has been for a year or so in increasing numbers.

WAP will die out soon enough I reckon, it's just a bit cheap and nasty really. Phones now have larger and larger high quality colour displays and with so many phones now being designed with more features than ever, 3G is the mac daddy.

Don't know about the flash player thing though, I'd assume many of the newer phones will have it built in.

[hurricaneone]

Originally posted by jamble7000
WAP will die out soon enough I reckon, it's just a bit cheap and nasty really.

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Just needed clarification before jumping into the other thread and having a laugh at that guy interested in picking up some WAP skills.