[Ben]

I could have predicted these results in my sleep...

Mobile's chart for mobile Internet:

1. Vodafone, five stars
2. T-Mobile, four and a half stars
3. O2, four stars
4. Orange, three stars
5. Three, three stars.

Vodafone is pretty much an all-round winner. Data performance and coverage is good, as is what you can do with it. The new data bundle helps. T-Mobile has Web n Walk, so that's fair enough. O2's GPRS is nippy, but Mobile notes that this is restrictive for data-heavy apps like Video and Music, and Orange has some good content but signal is a bit wacky (yeah, y'think!). Three is 'a good snack-style entertainment service', and I agree that it's not useful for much more than that.

[gorilla]

Well I don't!
I can accept vodaphone's rating as I did find it worked well for me last summer, but O2 with 4 stars? That's got to be a misprint. I found their gprs/3g speeds to be dire.
3 with 3 stars? What more do people want? I've got a gig of downloads, unlimited skype, can use truphone over 3g, push email etc.
So what am I missing. Is this for business users?

[3g-g]

Also, where abouts in the country were these tests undertaken? Was it the middle of a city centre where someones GPRS speeds might of been lacking due to high traffic? Where they quite a distance away from some of the operators sites hance a less stable signal? Was this a 2G or 3G test? Good luck to anyone looking for video or music content on a 2G connection, on any of the networks! It'll be next week before that's with you! T get the thumbs up for having web n walk, but this is a handset internet comparison, yeah? Where's the mention of their content then?

Not the most reliable of ratings by any means IMO.

[Ben]

There are, of course, too many variables for this to be a 'scientific' test, it just happens to concur with my point of view.

I've just noticed I didn't post the link. I went to the trouble of finding the online copy, to not include it *rolleyes* http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/content/16744.asp?men=5&sub=9

It takes into account practical content (cinema tickets, tube times), ease, and speed.

[miffed]

Must admit , O2's position in this "chart" does make me a little suspicious of this ... :rolleyes:



EDIT - Ah ,just had a look ,

titter .... these people appear to get excited about all the wrong things !! Give em an old WAP phone and they'll be over the moon :)

Personal I couldn't give a toss if I can't buy cinema tickets off my operators home page ! - why should I when I have the whole internet ? Thats the POINT of open access !!
I notice that they are talking about the "promise" of HSDPA on T-mobile , hmmm , it has been a reality for over a year for me , but ho hum :confused:

[gorilla]

Having read the 'article' (if you can call it journalism) it seems to me that they are actually reviewing the operator portals and how easy it is to navigate the web from there. Well, I thought the whole point of having net access on my phone was so I didn't have to make do with the network portal.
The 3 fan boy in me is coming out again, only because this article makes it sound like 3 internet access in still the walled garden. If I want to check gmail I can simply type in gmail.com into my browser and funnily enough I get a mobile version of gmail. Rocket science I tell thee!
While not having bought cinema tickets from my phone before, I'm pretty sure I can do it, simply by going to that cinema's website.

I suggest that they rename the article!

[Ben]

On a mobile phone it's quite important that the operator homepage has good links to the outside world. Entering URL's into mobiles is hard work, but not half as hard as knowing the addresses of mobile-enabled sites.

I'd imagine the majority of mobile Internet users rely on the operator portal as their start page, so the article isn't without merit.

[gorilla]

Entering URL's into mobiles is hard work,

Oh come on :eek: a man of your capabilities cannot type a webpage into your phones browser? Now I know you have to manually type it in (the first time, then presumably you would bookmark?) but that is no harder than a text message and we in the UK seem to be masters at that.


but not half as hard as knowing the addresses of mobile-enabled sites.

Well who needs mobile-enabled sites these days with browsers such as opera and the new nokia one. Now I know that most people will never upgrade their phones native browser or have a 'smart' phone, but readers of the register must be smarter than the average bear ;)

Now the question I have for you Ben, is would we be having this debate if the article said the experience with vodafone was only a 3 or a 4 out of 5?

[Ben]

Oh come on :eek: a man of your capabilities cannot type a webpage into your phones browser? Now I know you have to manually type it in (the first time, then presumably you would bookmark?) but that is no harder than a text message and we in the UK seem to be masters at that.
I of course speak for 'the majority' here, for whom using the mobile Internet is probably ranked by importance up there with the likes of being able to do cartwheels. Typing colons and slashes is just a pain, though, even for me :eek:

Well who needs mobile-enabled sites these days with browsers such as opera and the new nokia one. Now I know that most people will never upgrade their phones native browser or have a 'smart' phone, but readers of the register must be smarter than the average bear ;)
Browsing sites is one thing, but making purchases is another altogether. I'm not saying that e-commerce on regular websites using mobile browsers is impossible, it's just one hell of a lot harder than 'm-commerce'. For 'the majority', quick and easy ways to do common tasks has to be a bonus - anything that encourages more people to use the Internet on their phones.

Now the question I have for you Ben, is would we be having this debate if the article said the experience with vodafone was only a 3 or a 4 out of 5?
Yes. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't recommend O2 to anybody for data, despite it being awarded third place. If the reviewer found O2's service intuitive then, well, that's fair enough and I can concede that for 'the majority' what O2 offer may well be very good.

I don't care for Vodafone's portal either. I don't particularly like it, but the reviewer has found it very good for doing certain things and I can see where they are coming from. Vodafone's new data pricing has removed the only obstacle to data use on the network, as the quality has always been top notch, and Vodafone Live! has always flown the flag of the network portals. Vodafone's optional mobile Internet optimisation of full websites for mobile screens is also laudable.

Three are trying, and perhaps coming last even to Orange is a bit of an insult. But, in all honesty, I don't think there's a lot for 'the majority' to get excited about.

I also appreciate that coverage and service performance are massively subjective and also dependent on geographic location and current network conditions. As such, I can understand why the rankings do not seem to reflect reality for some.

References to 'the majority' here basically means everyone who uses a mobile but isn't 'tech savvy'. For instance, 'the majority' probably don't own a Slingbox, or use Skype.

[Hands0n]

If one was to swap the places of O2 and 3 then the chart would be more representative of the reality of things.

I have always considered 3's portal as something to be emulated rather than sneered at. It is not only good for content and navigation but is probably the best portal in the land for managing your account from the handset via the My 3 pages. I have not used their portal as it currently stands - what their Internet references are, but if it is a development of their earlier portal it has to be good.

As for O2 - pathetic! Poor network coverage, 3G marginal at best, unavailable at worst, data tariffs stuck in a time warp, portal simplistic. Not much going for it in my book.

T-Mobile, superb data tariffs even for the casual day-by-day user. Portal very simple with excellent links to T-Mobile intranet as well as handy Internet links. Fast and responsive even in vanilla 3G mode (HSDPA even better).

Vodafone - I echo Ben's sentiments on the portal itself, it is a bit yukky - but nonetheless functional for intranet and Internet links. Fast and responsive. Data tariffs getting better but not on a par with T-Mobile and 3 - yet.

Orange - don't really know, haven't been near Orange since they got acquired and lost touch with the Customer.

I found myself wondering what the author of the article was on!

[miffed]

Overall: T-Mobile has probably come closest to offering a true 'internet on your phone' experience because it's based on branded internet websites. The big complaint is that the service is really aimed at a small selection of handsets.



.... eh ? Sorry but I don't buy this at all , and this is where Vodafone beats it ?

For some reason I can't get on T-mobiles site ATM , but I'd like to see exactly how many handsets support Web and Walk , compared to how many Vodafone handsets support .... erm , Web & Pay through the nose , or whatever they call it

[Hands0n]

I can't get on T-mobiles site ATM , but I'd like to see exactly how many handsets support Web and Walk

Ask and ye shall receive - the answer to your question is 43 . Thats a big four and a little three. The four is first and the three is second. Four tens and three ones. Forty three, in a nutshell.

Someone else can go count Vodafone's tally of "Web n Feck me!How Much". But my money's on it not being anywhere near 43, Forty three ... oh heck, you get it! :D :D

Any comment Sir John? As to why your company is so ridiculously expensive for data n'est pas?

[miffed]

Right , well according to their site , Vodafone rate 30 handsets "best for mobile internet"

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm?go=paymonthly.viewall&bestForInternet=Y

So thats 43 for T-mobile , 30 for Vodafone

Maths was never my strong point , But I am sure 43>30 ?

...So how come the "researchers" concluded that lack of compatible handsets was a problem on T-mobile and not on Vodafone ?

Sounds to me like a few palms were probably greased :rolleyes:

[Ben]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Mobile didn't take a bribe!

This will be what they were getting at:

Getting email is easy, but only if you are using devices that are compatible with T-Mobile's automatic Set-Up Wizard. If not, you must enter all the details yourself.
It looks like Mobile felt that T-Mobile's service offering was too tailored to some handsets, neglecting others. I've not used T-Mobile's portal or email, so I would't know.