Consumers have been waiting more than two years to experience third generation mobile phone services and the wait is almost over. The question is: has it been worth it? The UK's newest mobile phone company, 3, formerly Hutchison 3G, goes live "within weeks" and is the only operator to base its business on 3G services.
But so far, 3 has only let one handset, the NEC e606, out the door. It is sturdier than the Sharp GX10 picture phone on which Vodafone has based its Vodafone Live service, but it still has the air of a prototype. It has two "hot keys" which interact with the onscreen menus. There is also a menu button - marked by a rather odd squiggle that apparently forms part of the 3 branding. This Hutch key connects directly with 3's menu, where users can access news, games, share prices and, most importantly, download video clips.
Video is key to 3's success. It has signed deals with a number of content providers, including the Premiership, and with 32MB of memory, the NEC e606 can store about an hour of video. But anyone looking for top-quality football clips as shown on 3's TV ads will be disappointed.
It is hard to tell at times which footballer has scored, let alone where the ball went. The poor picture is not a handset or screen issue because the full colour display looks great when playing games or using 3's fantastic A to Z location-based service. Poor quality is all the more surprising because video footage is not streamed but downloaded to the phone. The NEC e606 also comes with a built-in camera and can send and receive picture messages. Uniquely, however, 3 users can use the camera to videoconference with other customers on the network, using a hands-free kit.
At £399, the NEC e606 is out of the reach of all but the most hardened gadget-freaks. The indicative pricing packages of £59.99 and £99.99 per month for bundles of calls, messages and downloads make it a service only for the very heavy user. A more mass-market proposition is due any day but, for the moment, the NEC e606 is not a reason to sign up.
