[miffed]

Well lets take a look back at 2007 from a 3G perspective

Personally it has been a pretty busy year for me - and the "buzzword" for me , has been HSDPA - it has been a steep improvement curve , as my place of work went from 2G connetivity to HSDPA almost overnight late last year - giving me the full benefits of my device in the place where I am most likely to use them - during quiet periods , of course
Device wise , I was amazed by the E61 (I still feel it is one of the best S60 handsets I have ever used in terms of form and usability - I also picked up an N80 for peanuts - which actually turned out to be about what it is worth IMO :D
I then 'up'graded to the N95 - hmm , very , um 'nice' if you like :rolleyes:

This was followed by a real heavyweight (literally) - in the form an T-mobile Ameo - which is a lovely (allbeit large) device , and if I could only have one portable device (from my current selection) , this would be the one - It is not practical as a phone in its own right (although not impossible) it is actually quite good when paired with a good BT headset , but I kept leaving the headset at home/work/ wherever - so as a phone , OK , but as a mobile data device - pretty unbeatable , the fact that you can turn it into an HSDPA Wifi access point , or a BT PAN at the touch of a button is remarkable and REALLY useful (for my laptop & iphone)
My last 3G purchase , was a Nokia E90 - again , lovely ! but I realise these are specialist , and are never going to appeal to the mainstream - although I must admit , the S60 OS makes it accessable to S60 users , and when you are using the device in its "closed" state , you completely forget you are using a communicator and feel like you are using any other S60 device
There is a little 'global race' game available (freely) for the e90 , and I tried it - and now spend ages playing it ! - this is coming from someone who virtually NEVER plays computer games , and has never played a "phone" game (except for jawbreaker on WM)

How has your 3G year been ? Perhaps we could have "3G device of the year" awards or someting ? I'll nominate the Ameo - but I know the 8GB is going to win :o

[Ben]

What a great idea for a thread :D

For me, also, 2007 has been the year of HSDPA '3G Broadband'. Finally we have a cellular alternative to fixed line broadband and WiFi that performs well enough and costs little enough to actually be useful. Vodafone's promise that it has started 7.2mbps roll-out definitely ends 2007 on a technology high and hopefully it's now a matter of time before appliances start shipping with integrated 3G and becomes less of a 'phone technology' and more of a mass enabler of a new wireless world.

The gadget that makes HSDPA a viable alternative to other forms of broadband is the fantastically incredible Huawei USB modem. Macs, PCs, Desktops and Laptops can finally all get online with one device, and not only is it more reliable than the PCMCIA cards of old but it also gets much better reception. I take my little modem everywhere with me now, and I probably will for a long time to come - at least until my laptops and other bits all have HSDPA built-in.

In terms of handsets, yes, the N95 8GB has saved the year for me. It was all looking a bit disappointing as, while the N95 'classic' is a fantastic device, it's also ugly, poorly constructed and was, until very recently, riddled with issues. The rapid, stylish and reliable N95 8GB is, of course, what Nokia should have released back in the first half of the year - but they came good in the end.

I couldn't not mention the Nokia E65. While I don't have one myself, from my experiences this has been 'the' handset for business in 2007, and a stalwart handset generally. It goes, and goes, and goes, is thin, light, and, for a Nokia, stunningly beautiful. Throw in HSDPA and I'd have found it hard not to buy one. Hopefully we haven't seen the last of this form factor and Nokia will release an updated version in 2008.

So, these were the highlights for me. But what to nominate?

For me, it can only be the Huawei USB modem. A truly revolutionary product bringing the high-speed Internet to anybody, anywhere, even if I do say so myself.

[Hands0n]

*rolls up sleeves* :)

Excellent idea for a thread, nice one Miffed.

So, lets see what I can come up with. For me, too, it was HSDPA courtesy of the absolutely bang-on marvelous T-Mobile Web N Walk Plus (3GB for £12.50pcm). With this I am making reasonable use of my 3G, but not getting anywhere near it in terms of actual usage. I am not a heavy user of data, but I tend to go over 1GB. also the Plus package is needed because only it and Max allow the use of it with a device other than the handset.

This year I took on the Nokia N95, two of them in fact - one each on T-Mobile and Vodafone. It was, at the time, the only HSDPA handset in their range that I would be seen dead with. Unlike others, I am quite taken with the N95 with reservation as to its flaky bits. I have been a vociferal critic of the N95, mainly because it is - I think - a bit shabby to be so weak in critical areas such as memory size and handling. But it does do an awful lot, and much of it quite well. Aesthetically I think the N95 is quite neat, and its memory expansion is virtually unlimited. I am currently running a 6GB memory card and as far as I understand it will follow memory technology all the way up to 32GB, by which time it'll be completely obsolete.

No argument, the N95 8GB is a worthy update on the N95 - and Nokia's recent V20 of the firmware is likely to help bring the N95 more into the 8GB's reference for stability and function. I like both of these - but do lament the lack of memory expansion in the 8GB. I do think that one has to go in with open eyes when weighing up the differences between the Classic and 8GB.

The various mobile network operators have started to wake up to the mobile data idea - well most of them have with the notable exception of Orange and O2. These two really do need to wake up and smell the coffee. But there have been some good improvements to data offerings from 3 and T-Mobile with Vodafone dragging up the rear between these three.

Nominations - well it has to be Nokia with their N95 (both the Classic and the 8GB). But I cannot allow T-Mobile and 3 to go without a mention for most data-friendly mobile network operator.

[gorilla]

Well this has been the year when 3g took a giant step forward. The release of affordable data plans has been the biggest leap since 3g was announced.

For my own part, 3 have been great. Once they tore down the walled garden, their network became a suitable proposition. Mobile data has never been as easily accessible for me and I now find that if I want to check something or read email, the phone is the first place I go.

I would give them network of the year, for the following:
£5 for 1GB of data - well worth the money, even if you rarely go online.
their roaming rates - ok, so you have to force the handset onto 3, but still novel.
free content on their portal - by far the best I've seen.
free skype and MSN - ok, who uses it? but that's not the point, it's got potential to make operators rethink their entire business model e.g. going down the voip route.
mobile mail - a pretty basic but reliable client.

I loved the E65, but I think I'm going to sell it as the N95 is very reliable now. HSDPA is a big factor, one which 6 months ago I wouldn't even considered, but 3.5g is much better than 3g. It's for that reason that the E65 barely gets a run out now. I still think the N95 lacks the 'wow' factor and the build quality is poor, but overall it is a very good handset. Its my primary media device now.

Rock on 2008!