I (think I) love my 3G baby

When MTN launched its Yello Genie programme recently, I was one of those fortunate enough to be issued with a sleek new Nokia 6680 3G phone.

I`m not usually an early adopter, preferring to let others endure new technology teething woes and learn from their mistakes.

In this case though, I had the phone and it was too lovely to be saved for later. So I blundered headlong into the brave new world of 3G, committing my mobile number to a shiny new 3G SIM card and all the headaches it might bring with it. And there were some.

I`ve learnt that my teething problems weren`t as bad as those of several other would-be users who optimistically turned to the world of 3G, only to find that their new handsets had software problems that prevented any connection at all. Others couldn`t even get so far as to experience the software problems, since many dealers have run out of the most popular 3G handsets.

I`m not usually an early adopter, preferring to let others endure new technology teething woes and learn from their mistakes.

Tracy Burrows, News editor, ITWeb

Many call centre staff weren`t ready for the little rush to 3G, so they had very little advice to offer 3G frontiersmen. It took the tenacity of a terrier to keep going and master the handset and the technology.

This 3G coverage, it turns out, is not only limited to certain geographical areas, but also to certain spots in any given room. Or so the call centre people told me when I queried my initial 3G failures.

So, apparently, if you`re hoping to enjoy video calling and 'Net access, you`d better make sure you also know exactly which corners of each room are covered by 3G. Fortunately, the voice and SMS services aren`t dropped outside 3G areas, so I was relieved to find I wasn`t left stranded without communications when out of 3G or EDGE range.

Once it`s up and running, the video calling function is exciting and novel, although I`m still grappling for a good reason for the average person to actually use it.

Since the call recipient has the option of a return video transmission, the technology can`t be used for catching employees unaware as they loaf in bed or for surprising hubby in the pub. No doubt enterprising phone users will find an indispensable use for it soon.

Sadly, SA Web sites generally aren`t mobile/GPRS friendly yet, so my first eager attempts to catch up on the local news were met with the painfully slow loading of miniature versions of online news pages, too heavy with colour, graphics and pictures. I don`t know how these pages look when they finally finish loading - I gave up after waiting for five minutes or so.

But, the BBC already has its mobile act together, offering really quick loading and simple layout on the BBC mobile www.bbc.co.uk/mobile option. Now I check on the world`s news via the BBC whenever I`m out of normal online news or radio range.

I was also dizzy with delight to find how quickly and easily I could send a large and fair quality photograph from my phone to an e-mail address.

While this new tech offers a fantastic array of advanced functions, the ability to go online anytime without having to lug a laptop or look for hotspots is top of my list of plus points. Certainly, people have been able to go online using various little devices for some time, but I`ve never before owned such a clever pocketful of functionality. I love its potential for anywhere, anytime, any type communications.

On the downside, the handset itself stubbornly and mystifyingly refuses to perform once in a while, and needs to be switched off and on again to make it work. No one can tell me why, so I`ve decided to accept this as par for the course.

All in all, it`s taken me a week of frustrating fiddling with settings and waiting on hold to contact centre agents. Now that I`m more or less au fait with it, I must say I love this 3G baby.

Just like a real infant, it has a long way to go and occasionally refuses to cooperate for no apparent reason. But I don`t mind, because I think this baby is going to grow up to be a winner.