What is Wireless Broadband?

The ability to get on the internet via the cellular network has been around for awhile now. The problem with these second generation, or "2G," data protocols like GPRS and 1xRTT is that they are often slower than a typical dial-up connection. While wireless broadband -- also called "3G" data -- has been available in Europe and Asia for quite awhile, carriers in the U.S. are just now beginning to bring these services to market here. Carriers have branded their 3G offerings differently, but they all depend on one of three high-speed wireless data technologies, EDGE, UMTS, or EV-DO.

1. EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution)
This system is built on the existing GSM infrastructure, so it has been easy to deploy on a large scale. EDGE is often described as a "2.5G" solution because it only offers about a three-fold increase in speeds over a 56k modem connection. Before you discount EDGE, though, keep in mind that it is already available nationwide, and it costs less than competing broadband solutions. For the budget conscious, as well as those who only need fairly speedy access for email and light web browsing, EDGE is the ticket. It's currently available from Cingular and T-Mobile.

2. UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone System)
Slowly but surely, UMTS systems are coming online in the U.S.. This service, which boasts about a 15-20 percent increase in speed over EDGE, is currently available from Cingular in many metro areas, including Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tacoma, and Washington, D.C.. The two main advantages of UMTS are its ability to support simultaneous voice and data transmissions (talking and browsing the internet at the same time), as well as its support for clear, two-way video calls. In many ways, UMTS is just a stepping stone to an even more robust implementation of the technology, a system known as HSDPA, which will realize the true potential of UMTS and bring speeds up into the truly respectable 700 Kbps range. Right now, Cingular's limited rollout of UMTS can be seen as a testing of the waters before they go for the gusto and introduce HSPDA on a wider scale.

3. EV-DO (EVolution, Data-Only)
For speed freaks who want the fastest, most widely implemented wireless broadband service, EV-DO is the way to go. Available in most larger cities through Sprint and Verizon, EV-DO brings true broadband speed to wireless devices. When stationary, you'll see speeds north of 1 Mbps, while speeds in the 800 Kbps range are not unusual in moving vehicles or trains. Yes, EV-DO is fast, but speed comes with a higher price tag. If you live in an area where EV-DO is offered, though, and you need constant, high-speed access, it's likely worth it.

What is Smartphones?

Perhaps the defining trait of a smartphone is its ability to load new applications. More than just a simple Java based game that you might download from the Internet, smartphone applications are capable of changing the basic way that a phone functions. You might be able to add push-email support to your phone (ala Blackberry), or add a keypad locking app that runs in the background. Most Java apps that run on non-smartphones only work while they are running on the phone's display. A smartphone allows its apps to become part of the phone itself, tying in to the rest of the data on the phone, and potentially connecting to data located elsewhere on the Internet or in your office.
The key to a smartphone is its Operating System, or OS. The OS determines what programs you will be able to run on your phone, what core suite of services are available on the device, and what the user interface (UI) that the phone uses looks and feels like.
There are 3 main operating systems available for smartphones: Symbian OS, PalmOS, and Windows Mobile. Symbian OS devices come in a variety of flavors that each have their own application offerings. PalmOS devices are fully compatible with each other and the many PalmOS PDAs on the market, meaning a wealth of existing applications. Windows Mobile devices traditionally have come in Smartphone OS and Pocket PC flavors, but Microsoft is now starting to merge the two device lines. There are many more Pocket PC apps available than Smartphone OS devices because of the large line of Pocket PC PDAs.