Surfing the web on your mobile
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Posted On :
Jun-10-2009
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Article Word Count :
527
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The majority of modern cell phones can access the web in some shape or form, but this can often be an unsatisfactory experience for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most important factor is the connection speed that your phone is capable of.
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The majority of modern cell phones can access the web in some shape or form, but this can often be an unsatisfactory experience for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most important factor is the connection speed that your phone is capable of. The 4 main types of web connection that are currently available to mobile phone users are GPRS, EDGE, 3G, and HDSPA.
GPRS(General Packet Radio Service) is the slowest type of web connection available to mobile phone users, at a rate of 128kbps, which is the equivalent of dial up. The next step up is EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution), which at 236kbps is almost double the speed of GPRS.
The type of connection that really made mobile internet a viable option is the 3G (third generation) standard, which was touted as being the mobile equivalent of broadband, although in reality, the average speeds achieved through a connection of this type are more in line with the dial-up connections used by desktop computers in the 90s. However, this still represents a massive improvement over the almost unusable GPRS and EDGE standards.
Finally, there is HDSPA, a variant on the standard 3G connection that is theoretically capable of speeds of up to 14.4Mbps, although in practice, they rarely even reach the maximum stated speed of 3G connections, unless you are standing next to a transmitter in an area with no other mobile phones for miles around, in which case you might make it a little nearer the claimed average speed of 3.6Mbps, but not by much.
If you are disappointed by the quality of internet access that you can achieve through the mobile networks, you may be heartened to learn that some newer mobile phones are also able to connect to the internet via the proven Wi-Fi transfer protocol.
Although Wi-Fi is only available in certain places, and you usually have to buy something in those places to be allowed to use it, it at least has the advantage of being a reliable, fast connection, which is more than can be said about mobile internet at present.
It is important to remember that the majority of websites have been designed for use with a computer, although there are some websites that have special slimmed down versions for mobiles, such as eBay and Facebook. Most mobile phones have a screen that is really too small to be able to view standard web pages on, and lack the controls necessary for proper navigation.
Manufacturers have taken note of this problem and developed new smartphones, such as the Nokia N97 and the HTC Magic, that have larger screens and control devices such as trackballs and touch screens to allow you to navigate as you would with a mouse.
However, most mobile phones, even the larger ones, still have trouble coping with multiple windows, and certain websites, such as the popular video site Youtube, cannot currently be viewed on mobiles at all.
The mobile internet may have a bright future ahead of it, but it cannot be said to be quite there yet, although things are improving steadily.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Surfing the web on your mobile _1052.aspx
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Author Resource :
Discover the latest Vodafone mobiles and services including mobile broadband that lets you connect to the Internet whenever you want.
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Keywords :
mobile, sim only,
Category :
Communications
:
Mobile Phones
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