What ZDNet UK's editors want for Christmas
Published: 16 Dec 2004
Britain has been waiting many years for 3G to get serious. Frankly, when the government auctioned off its third-generation licences I still believed in Father Christmas -- and the same probably went for Gordon Brown when a cool £22.5 billion dropped into his lap.
Hutchison's 3 network made the first move in 2003, but the market has really got serious in the last couple of months with Vodafone and Orange also entering the fray. So if Santa wants to reward my 12 months of faultless behaviour, he can stuff my stocking with a Sharp 902SH.
It's only available in the UK from Vodafone, and it looks like the most advanced 3G phone around.
Vodafone claims that the 902SH is the first European 3G phone with a 2-megapixel digital camera, supporting a 2x optical zoom. With this little gem I can take a decent-quality picture and fire it back to the ZDNet UK news desk within seconds -- ideal for when I'm reporting from a trade show or a press conference.
There's a 2.4in., 240-by-320 pixel, 262,144-colour screen, which should make for good video-conferencing calls. Bluetooth, USB and infrared support won't hurt. My inner child will enjoy playing the games too, with motor racing, snowboarding, golf and tennis just a few clicks away. And because it's an elegant beast, with its shiny clamshell case, the 902SH might even bring me a touch of style.
The 3G wars won't just be fought over the handsets. Operators need to offer some highly attractive content packages to get users excited. Vodafone's package looks pretty impressive, with Premiership goals, ITN news, music downloads and movie clips to choose from.
As this is coming out of Santa's wallet, I needn't worry about the extra cost of shifting to 3G. The 902SH will cost somewhere between £50 and £250, Vodafone says, depending on which contract you choose. Vodafone's "Live! with 3G" service costs either £40 or £60, depending how many voice minutes you want.
Price
£50 - £250 (inc. VAT), plus £40 or £60 per month for a Vodafone 3G account
Previous
Did you find this article useful?
212 out of 399 people found this useful
Full Talkback thread
1 comment
-
Looks a bit pricey, Dad. How about a nice pair of... Richard Goodwins
What to Buy
Notebooks for business
Buying a notebook, or a fleet of notebooks, for your business? Check out our buyer's guide for an overview of what you should be looking out for.
