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Originally Posted by picopir8
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Read closely, I said "WCDMA". WCDMA is one of the 3G standards, CDMA is 2G much like GSM. BTW, CDMA is also used in several countries in South America and Asia though is was not nearly as popular as GSM.
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In cellular service there are two main competing network technologies: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Cellular carriers use one or the other.
You are talking about HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) also known as W-CDMA and yes you are right it is a 3G standard used by GSM, its not compatible with CDMA.
CDMA is used elsewhere, I wasnt being acurute. But the largest CDMA networks are in North America. Europe and Asia decided to use just one standard, GSM. South America and other parts of the world followed the US's example and went with mostly CDMA, but they are alredy switching to GSM to go along with the rest of the world. GSM is available in more places. Thats the point I was trying to make. It just makes more sense to go with a GSM device.
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Originally Posted by picopir8
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This is just plain incorrect. The CDMA migration path is towards CDMA-2000 and the GSM migration path is to WCDMA. However, a number of CDMA carriers are also migrating to WCDMA.
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We already have CDMA-2000 and it's called EVDO, it's CDMA’s answer to GSM's EDGE. Its currently the fatest data network available.
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Originally Posted by picopir8
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This too is incorrect. Most triband phones use 900/1800/1900. Quadband adds the 850MHz band. The 850MHz band is the old US analog band which is now being used by carries to provide 2G service. However some carrier such as T-Mobile (in the US) only use the 1800MHz and so they need not offer phones that are quadband. However, you will have limited roaming options with them while in the US.
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No not ture. Originally, the US used only 1900 MHz for its GSM cell phone service. In the last year or so, there has been a growing amount of GSM service on the 850 MHz band. This type of service will usually be seen in rural areas, because the 850 MHz band has better range than the 1900 MHz band.
Initially, most countries with GSM service used the 900 MHz band. In the past few years, service providers have increasingly been adding 1800 MHz coverage, due to congestion in the 900 MHz band.
So for complete coverage around the world with a GSM phone you would need a quad band phone that does 850/900/1800 and 1900 MHz. Going quad band just gives you more choice.
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Originally Posted by picopir8
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First, most people carry a cellphone for voice calls. Things may have changed, but the last I checked, the CF cards were data only. So most people would carry a phone anyway. Secondly, nearly every phone offered today is BT enabled, even the cheep ones. Handsets are also much more prevalent and will likely cost less than a CF card since they are in greater supply.
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Things have changed, try doing a little more research before you open your mouth next time. Most Compact Flash cards do data and voice, so no you wouldnt need to carry 2 devices.
I priced it out, an unlocked phone with bluetooth and quad band gsm goes for just as much if not more than a GSM compact flash card. Check out Expansys if your interested. You can get Enfora's Quad Band GSM Compact Flash Card for $229.99. It also comes with a PCMCIA adaptor so you can use it with your laptop.
