Posted on July 22, 2009, at 2:12 PM .
EDITORS NOTE: This article was provided by Flash Networks to demonstrate how their optimization techniques speed up mobile browsing.
Only one-third of mobile Internet users are satisfied with the user experience. Speed of response is the number one complaint. As a result, operators are continuously competing to advertise the fastest download rates and invest significant resources in upgrading their networks. How much of this investment is really reflected in the end user experience?
Available bandwidth vs. actual speed
Research conducted in the UK in June 2009 by broadband benchmarking firm, Epitiro, revealed that the average download rate in high speed networks (HSDPA) in the UK is just under 1 Mbit/s (0.9 Mbit/s, to be exact), only 24% of the advertised download speed and 34% slower than speeds achieved on equivalent ADSL broadband services.
While bandwidth dramatically increases as networks evolve, website download time is not reduced to the same extent. In a comparison of HSDPA 7.2 with HSDPA 3.6, download time was reduced by only 6% (based on lab results from large Asia Pacific mobile operator), demonstrating that bandwidth is not the main bottleneck anymore.
Click through to continue reading about the discrepancy between the user experience and bandwidth
Posted on May 28, 2009, at 11:00 AM .
Telecom New Zealand and RIM have announced the BlackBerry Bold will be available on Telecom New Zealand’s XT Mobile Network from 29th May 2009. The good news is that the Bold will be running on XT’s HSDPA high-speed mobile network. The not so good news is that the device will cost $1,199.
Personally, I’m not one to comment on device price and there are a few reasons. Although the Bold sells to many consumers, it is still a device for executives. An executive isn’t going to blink at $1,200 for a powerful mobile tool. Another reason not to comment on price is that if someone is willing to pay the price, can it be considered overpriced? At some price level you optimize sales, and I’m going to give RIM and Telecom New Zealand’s economists the benefit of the doubt and assume this is where that optimization point is.
Posted on January 19, 2009, at 10:36 AM .
Just after Christmas last month, we posted some internal Rogers documents showcasing the BlackBerry Storm 9520, a GSM Storm variant that will feature 3G HSDPA and Wi-Fi. It appears now that the Storm 9520 is starting to peak out into public copy, as indicated by the image above. The image, sent to us by ‘Rogers Dude’ (but not RogersDude69 for some reason) appears to be part of a marketing package, meaning the Storm 9520 can’t be that far away if its on copy being sent out to stores.
Obviously, we have no release date yet for the BlackBerry Storm 9520, but we’ll see what our friends from Rogers can do.
Posted on November 21, 2008, at 10:00 AM .
3G Americas, a wireless industry trade association, is reporting that UMTS/HSPA technology has grown in a big way over the past year, adding over 100 million subscriptions in the twelve months ending in Q3 2008.
“As evidenced by the subscriber growth numbers, the GSM family of technologies continues to provide the four key ingredients for mobile wireless success: Coverage, Technology Performance, Devices and Applications,” stated Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas. “The UMTS/HSPA mobile broadband technology achieved a total of 262 million subscriptions at the end of September 2008, continuing in its ranking as the leader in high speed mobile broadband technology worldwide.”
To date, there are 39 commercial UMTS/HSPA networks in the Americas region in 19 countries. Worldwide, there are more than 256 commercial UMTS/HSPA networks in over 100 countries. Without these networks, our BlackBerry Bolds Around the Word map (which is in sore need of an update) would be a lot less full.
|via CN|
Posted on October 17, 2008, at 8:26 AM .
Jinkies, it looks like we weren’t totally sniffing the wrong tree when we pointed to 2009 as a possibility for a touchscreen BlackBerry on Rogers. Both BGR and BlackBerry News have posted today about a previously unseen BlackBerry that is reported to make an appearance at WES 2009: the BlackBerry Magnum.
So what exactly is the BlackBerry Magnum? Apparently only a U.S. HSDPA, BlackBerry Curve 8900 form factor with a BlackBerry Storm-like touchscreen. Which, although exciting, kind of sounds like a souped-up Palm Treo. Anyways, the amount of BlackBerrys RIM is looking to release is making my head spin. We’ll tell you more as we learn it.
(via BBNews, BGR)
