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You may find it strange, but walking among you are people who do not own a
wireless telephone -- by choice. How can you identify members of this
steely-eyed and independent breed, capable of resisting a perpetual
onslaught of marketing messages? They often drive responsibly, for one.
They can also conduct polite, personable, face-to-face conversation
without continuously looking down at their belts or feeling their pockets
for vibrations. And while standing in line at the supermarket they are not
compelled to forever check for messages, or worst of all, to conduct full
volume discussions on a variety of topics we're all quite used to
overhearing by now. Stranger still, some of these individuals are telecom
industry insiders, people with intimate knowledge of far more esoteric
topics than the ubiquitous cell phone: you may even be reading one of
their product reviews at this very moment.
Currently, TMC Labs is split 50/50 between cell phone owners and
non-owners. One of the former ordered a demo copy of Motorola's i1000plus
phone in response to a product announcement, and one of the latter was
privileged enough to have his first intimate wireless experience with this
particular phone. Personal preferences aside, in the past TMC Labs has
held a professional stance on cell phones, one that now appears to need
some revising.
A disclaimer preceded our February 2000 review of Sprint
PCS's Touchpoint phone in this publication. We explained that
Touchpoint's eligibility for review hinged on its e-mail service, which by
providing a form of converged communication made it appropriate for the
voice/data focus of Communications Solutions. A year later it's
difficult to find a wireless phone or service that doesn't offer a variety
of voice/data features, so we're forced to reconsider them for the
occasional review. Additionally, wireless phones have become an
inextricable part of any decent unified messaging solution and an obvious
staple for the mobile workforce.
This is not to invite a deluge of press releases and review requests
for wireless products, but just to acknowledge their increasing pertinence
within the scope of those products we usually review. But that's more than
enough by way of introductions. On to the i1000plus.
WORKING MAN'S WIRELESS
The i1000 is part of Motorola's iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network)
subscriber group. Launched in 1994, this division was created by
Motorola's Land Mobile Products Sector. Depending upon how you spin it,
iDEN handsets can be viewed as either digital cell phones that include a
"two-way radio" or "private mobile radio system"
capacity, or the reverse -- two way handsets that can be upgraded by
subscription through Nextel and other subscribers to include full-duplex
telephone service, alphanumeric paging, two-way text messaging, and online
services including Web browsing and e-mail. Either way, this is not the
Ericsson GH 688 glam-phone that James Bond used in Tomorrow Never Dies.
These handsets would more likely be used by the black-turtleneck-clad
henchmen that chase Bond around via speedboat in just about every film --
working people who don't have time to casually dial Ms. Moneypenny while
sipping drinks at the casino.
More realistically, phones like these are used in "dispatch"
environments -- by limousine drivers or mobile service teams for example
-- providing a flexible, high-tech alternative to the old CB-style
click-and-talk handset you see hanging from a black box on the dashboard
of a traditional taxi cab. One of our Labs colleagues used an earlier-era
iDEN handset years ago while working as a field technician for a telephone
and cable services provider.
HOW (WELL) IT WORKS
Without getting too deep into things like megahertz, one important thing
to know about the technology behind iDEN is its use of Time Division
Multiple Access (TDMA) technology. TDMA utilizes global positioning
satellites to reference a synchronized time, then divides radio
frequencies into time slots, converting a single channel into multiple
vehicles for voice or data transmission. This maximizes bandwidth and
allows service providers to increase their capacity. While Motorola
manufactures the iDEN handsets, infrastructure, and related components,
service providers in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, the
Middle East, and elsewhere have established iDEN networks. Service for the
phones we tested was provided by Nextel.
In application, the two-way radio component (known through Nextel as
"Direct Connect") is accessed by pressing and holding a single
button on the side of the handset. This allows users to speak to
previously specified individuals or large groups (numbering in "the
hundreds" they say) immediately, without having to dial a number.
Further, since this feature is conducted via a radio frequency and not a
telephone network, there's no way for the recipient to hide behind voice
mail. There's even an alert function that will continue to sound an
annoying beep until the recipient either answers or shuts off the phone.
This reviewer was not really sold until actually trying Direct Connect
out for himself, having become somewhat numbed to the vast array of often
indistinguishable messaging, contact, and communications options available
in today's marketplace. It seemed like just another way to reach people
who are probably reachable enough as it is. But it actually works really
well. The reception was very clear (even clearer than we found the Nextel
telephone service at times) and the connection made between parties was
immediate: there was no process of entering a number, waiting for it to
send, and then waiting to see if the other party will pick up or send you
to voice mail. When receiving a Direct Connect call you don't have to
worry that if you can't get to your phone immediately, the other party
will be dumped into "voice mail jail" rendering them
inaccessible to you.
During these Direct Connect calls you also have the choice of switching
back and forth between a speakerphone or private option, such that Direct
Connect calls can still be treated somewhat like a regular telephone call.
As indicated by Motorola, the network we were on is limited to a specific
"geographic footprint" of roughly 200 miles in radius. Needless
to say, we did not drive two hundred miles to put that claim to the test,
but there was no noticeable decline is quality as we increased our
distance from inside the building, outside the building, and eventually
after taking a drive around the block.
FOR YOUR EARS ONLY
Of course the conversation is not full-duplex; it's more akin to speaking
via walkie-talkie. But the i1000 and other iDEN phones provide a way to
send short bursts of needed information back and forth without a lot of
wait in between.
This immediacy is not intended to satisfy the ever-growing market of
impatient people (though it could) -- again, this working person's
wireless device satisfies a very practical purpose. This is suited to a
dispatch environment where a cellular call would be impractical, for
example, at the service department of a telecom provider. In that
scenario, dispatchers at the central office do not need to wait on hold
indefinitely while field personnel check on a problem. There are cost
benefits too. Some of Nextel's plans offer unlimited private Direct
Connect, and in general, users can have their Direct Connect calls billed
to the second, not the minute. Thus, a one minute, thirty second call is
not billed as two minutes, and a six second call is billed as a six second
call. And for those times when you do need to make a lengthier,
full-duplex conversation (or utilize data services) there are other
service options available from the provider.
PHONE AND DATA SERVICES
All of the praise above is not to suggest we were totally smitten with the
i1000's every feature. Phone signal quality (and availability) was more
variable then the two-way radio. While we were able to maintain a
consistent radio signal traveling out of the building, into the car, and
around the block (as explained above), telephone availability could drop
dramatically between rooms, not just lessening the signal, but in some
cases dropping the call altogether. Even with a strong signal, the quality
was sometimes less than desirable. In addition to the digital crackle that
makes everyone sound robotic, we sometimes sensed a limitation in the
full-duplex capability: we could cross-talk, but it was difficult, and you
sometimes felt as though you were fighting over the other person's voice.
Despite claims from companies like SprintPCS, it's doubtful that a
significantly clearer alternative exists anywhere else at this point, but
that could be wrong.
The point is, we can't fault Motorola for what appears to be a
prevailing clunkiness in most forms of wireless telephone communications.
Quite the contrary, what they've done is integrate a cool alternative into
a handset that still allows you to utilize telephone services.
Other services included Web access, e-mail, and alphanumeric messaging
provided with the aid of T9 text input and a Phone.com Web browser. These
all worked perfectly well ... as well as any of these kinds of things can
anyway when you're trying to use a miniscule view window and tiny keys to
type and read messages. Again, Motorola cannot be faulted for not meeting
society's expectations of a technology that might not be quite equipped to
handle them comfortably. Or maybe you don't mind taking twenty minutes to
type a five word message like "be home in five minutes."
THE WORLD IS QUITE ENOUGH
A great way for this reviewer to determine how well a product has
performed overall in the Labs environment is by gauging how disappointed
he is to mail it back. Here, the disappointment is pretty high: the
i1000plus is a cool product, and not at all in a gadget-crazy, impractical
kind of way. What was most impressive about it was the clear practicality
and affordability of its Direct Connect feature. As we mentioned, this is
a working person's wireless device that is designed to meet a practical
goal. Further, it has afforded a good introduction to someone who was
previously quite resistant to seeing the merits of wireless, not because
it doesn't have any, but because it was hard to overcome the sense that
its greatest social importance was as a fashion accessory or a status
symbol.
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