[A/S] Re: Cellphone/internet DEAL OF THE CENTURY

["Maurice Riggins" <roadkingmoe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The old saying, "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is" 
probably applies here.

Cingular is a GSM-based network (GSM is a flavor of TDMA).  Like 
analog and CDMA, it can provide circuit-switched data service at 9.6 
kbps or 9600 baud.  Cingular calls this "Wireless Internet."  In some 
areas, GSM can provide data via GPRS, which Cingular calls "Wireless 
Internet Express."  

Each GSM time slot can support 14.4kbps, but that can carry up to 
21.4 kbps with GPRS, depending on the coding the carrier uses.  At 
most, with GPRS, you will have access to 4 time slots on a data call, 
and at least one will be upload, so you can have at most 3 for 
download, or 43.2-64.2 kbps (3+1).  Or you can have 28.8-42.8 kbps 
each way with 2 time slots in each direction (2+2).  The carrier 
determines the slot allocation used.

While Bluetooth itself theoretically supports speeds up to 1Mbps, the 
Siemens S56 only supports speeds up to 115.2 kbps over Bluetooth, the 
same speed most wired landline modems talk to the computer.  At best 
you will have anywhere from half to about the same throughput as a 
56K dial-up landline modem, so if you thought you were going to get 
DSL speeds (384-768 kbps), you are mistaken.  

There are many areas of the country where GPRS is not available.

View the GPRS Coverage map for customers residing in California, 
Coastal Georgia, Eastern Tennessee, Idaho, New York City, Nevada, 
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington here:

http://www.cingular.com/download/GPRS_coverage_leg.pdf

View the GPRS Coverage map for customers residing in Arkansas, 
Connecticut, Delaware, Eastern & Southern Florida, Georgia, Indiana, 
Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Middle/Western 
Tennessee, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Philadelphia, Puerto 
Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Upstate New York here: 

http://www.cingular.com/download/GPRS_coverage_410.pdf

When outside these GPRS coverage areas, you will have, at best, 
9.6kbps or 9600 baud, and that assumes you're in a GSM cell.  Those 
minutes at 9600 baud ("Wireless Internet") will come out of your plan 
minutes.

The Siemens S56 is a digital-only phone.  It will just give a "no-
service" display in analog areas.  This not only means you can't use 
the King of Clubs PCMCIA card for data over analog, but also means 
you can't even make a voice call in analog areas.  The iBook doesn't 
have PCMCIA capability, so getting data in analog areas wouldn't be 
available for you anyway.  But I'd want to at least make voice calls 
in analog areas, and that's possible with Verizon.

--
Maurice
WBCCI 5446