Features
Outwardly mobile
The internet is now truly mobile. It's easier than ever before to get online when you're out and about, whether you want to Google the name of that untried beer in the pub or update your Facebook entry on the move. The number of wandering web users is constantly growing: a report from ComScore and Telephia earlier this year revealed that the number of people in the UK who access the internet from a mobile device is almost a fifth of the size of those who use PCs to go online. According to the study, 5.7m people used a mobile device to access the web in January 2007, compared with 30m people (aged 15 or older) who used a PC to do the same.
One reason we're all browsing the web on our phones is that the handsets are now so much easier to use. Every current mobile phone worth its salt comes with a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) browser, enabling access to simplified internet sites on the move. In the past, browsing on a handset was a dismal experience, with minimal text-based pages taking an age to load. However, hardware has vastly improved, and it's a far more enjoyable and user-friendly experience these days. Today's mobiles have large colour displays and fast processors that can render sites quickly and legibly - ideal for checking weather reports and news headlines.
Many mobile internet sites are tailored for WAP browsers and smaller screens. However, a growing range of smartphones include proper web browsers that let you view full websites on the move. Coupled with high-speed 3G data services, it's almost like having a little broadband-connected PC in your pocket.
Here we'll explain everything you need to know about the mobile
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High-speed data options
The fact that you can download full-length music tracks and videos on a mobile phone has created a need for download speed. Nobody wants to spend half an hour downloading a single music track. Luckily, the networks seem to be desperately trying to outdo each other in offering the fastest data rates.
A variety of mobile data protocols are in place, each of which offers different transfer speeds measured in kilobits per second (Kbit/s) or megabits per second (Mbit/s). The maximum rates quoted generally refer to optimum network conditions, although in practice these are unrealistic, and the actual rates you achieve will be significantly lower. Your handset will automatically attempt to connect using the fastest protocol available without your having to get involved.
The most common form of data transfer is General Packet Radio System (GPRS), which is available on almost all GSM mobile phones. It has speeds up to 115Kbit/s and is often referred to as 2.5G - a technology that lies between 2G and 3G. Once connected, it can remain active in the background on your phone for long periods, whether or not you're actually browsing or downloading. GPRS is commonly charged per megabyte of data used rather than the amount of time spent online, and some networks offer flat-rate packages for unlimited data.
A less common service is Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), which is currently available on only a limited number of handsets on the Orange network in the UK. Although technically a 3G technology, it's often referred to as 2.75G as it offers slower data speeds of up to 236Kbit/s.
Next is 3G, a third-generation mobile technology that offers fast data transfer speeds of up to 384Kbit/s and supports a higher capacity of users, so more customers can use the network at the same time. Each major UK network now offers a 3G service, with a growing number of compatible handsets on the market and widespread national coverage. If you do stray out of 3G's area of coverage, however, the handset will automatically revert to GPRS.
