Third Generation or 3G describes the new wave of wireless communications involving internet access and data delivery to your mobile phone. 3G brings many features from the internet directly to your mobile phone. Features such as surfing the net, streaming music video, watching on-demand video programming, downloading and playing 3D games, and videoconferencing are all capable with 3G technology.
Australians have been a lot slower than the rest of the world in taking up 3G technology for two key reasons; a lack of carriers offering the technology and the cost associated with it.
With the four major carriers now offering 3G networks, and a solid assortment of 3G-enabled handsets on the market, 3G looks set to boom. We look at each carrier and see what they have to offer;
Telstra
You can browse and purchase a range of information and entertainment using BigPond Mobile Services. You can browse and download a range of multi-player games, catch the latest news bulletins from ABC News, SkyNews, National Nine News, CNN, The Age, and the Sydney Morning Herald, track stock quotes or sport scores, access the ring tones from the pop charts, check the latest movie listings and session times from the cinema nearest to you, watch your favourite music videos, send and receive emails, get directions to any location around Australia, find out today's weather or watch 12 of Foxtels top channels directly on your mobile.
Optus
Optus' 3G services include an Internet-like portal called MyZooNow, which allows you to choose the content you want from news, sports, entertainment updates. Optus 3G also supports video calling, instant messaging, FindMe and FindPlace mapping services and MyStatus presence
3
Services include video calling, instant messaging, mobile broadband access, full length music tracks and videos, multiplayer games, mobile TV, plus much more content through its Planet 3 services. Planet 3 covers more than 20 different special interest topics from music and movies to news, sports, comedy, dating, guides and directories, and adults only content.
Vodafone
Marketed as Vodafone live!, its 3G features include video calling, downloading full music tracks, mobile TV, 3D games, Sports (including F1, rugby, tennis, cricket and AFL), Entertainment, News and Weather.
If you decide you are ready to take up 3G technology make sure you shop around for handsets and carriers as it can prove very expensive.
Source; Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, 3, CNet.
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