Wireless Web vs. Vision

Hello,

I've been using a Kyocera 2345 for a couple of years now with the older
Wireless Web feature ($5/month), to include using it as a modem for my Palm
Tungsten T connected via data cable. So far it's worked well but I long for
a smaller phone with more advanced features. Although Palm integration
would be nice, capability built into the phone to check and respond to
e-mail and to do some infrequent stock trading
(https://mobile.scottrade.com) are minimums.

So yesterday I upgraded to a Sanyo VI-2300 on a trial basis. Size and
battery life are great. But I've found the Vision service to be far less
effective than I expected! So far:

- I can't log into Scottrade's WAP site (no "login" button appears,
although I can enter my username and password). Is this a phone problem or
a Scottrade WAP page design flaw?

- Basic WAP-based web pages are SLOOOWWWW to pull up, in fact not much
faster than the text-based Wireless Web on my Kyocera.

- I expected to be able to search for directions on Mapquest -- and
learned they charge $3.99/month to do what is otherwise free on their
standard web site!

- I can't connect a Palm to Vision without paying the data rates... or
so Sprint customer service tells me. (I realize the Sanyo VI-2300 doesn't
support modem mode anyway.)

- Responding to e-mails on the phone's keypad is considerably more
laborious than using Palm's Graffiti.

Note that I'm aware of the Treo 650 option but don't want the size and
expense of going that route.

So I'm curious -- what is the draw to the PCS Vision service? Are my
problems related to the phone only or are there fundamental problems with
the service? I'd like to make this work and join the "modern world" but
can't justify $15 for less capability than I had for the $5 WW (aside from
the inconvenience of connecting through a cable).

Thanks,
kwc

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› See More: Wireless Web vs. Vision

On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 19:21:17 -0500, "kwc" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>So I'm curious -- what is the draw to the PCS Vision service? Are my
>problems related to the phone only or are there fundamental problems with
>the service? I'd like to make this work and join the "modern world" but
>can't justify $15 for less capability than I had for the $5 WW (aside from
>the inconvenience of connecting through a cable).

Interestingly, I also switched from WW to Vision a few months ago, and
had about the exact same reaction to Vision as you did. I'm quite
underwhelmed by Vision. If I had to do it over, given the time frame,
it probably would have been prudent to skip Vision and wait for EVDO.

My primary need for Vision is the ability to tether my PC for email
and web browsing while traveling, as the WW modem was becoming
unusably slow for the web sites I needed to access on the road. I
don't travel enough to justify a separate data card and plan. Vision
does suffice for that, and while better than WW, it's not anything
spectacular. My secondary need is to use the phone browser for a few
things, and I find that Vision only marginally improves my web
experience over WW.

Joe Huber
[email protected]

What is WW? (Wireless Web)... Was this a Sprint offering?

"Joseph Huber" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 19:21:17 -0500, "kwc" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>>So I'm curious -- what is the draw to the PCS Vision service? Are my
>>problems related to the phone only or are there fundamental problems with
>>the service? I'd like to make this work and join the "modern world" but
>>can't justify $15 for less capability than I had for the $5 WW (aside from
>>the inconvenience of connecting through a cable).
>
> Interestingly, I also switched from WW to Vision a few months ago, and
> had about the exact same reaction to Vision as you did. I'm quite
> underwhelmed by Vision. If I had to do it over, given the time frame,
> it probably would have been prudent to skip Vision and wait for EVDO.
>
> My primary need for Vision is the ability to tether my PC for email
> and web browsing while traveling, as the WW modem was becoming
> unusably slow for the web sites I needed to access on the road. I
> don't travel enough to justify a separate data card and plan. Vision
> does suffice for that, and while better than WW, it's not anything
> spectacular. My secondary need is to use the phone browser for a few
> things, and I find that Vision only marginally improves my web
> experience over WW.
>
> Joe Huber
> [email protected]

Mij Adyaw wrote:
> What is WW? (Wireless Web)... Was this a Sprint offering?

Yes. 14.4Kbps data. Vision is 80-100K typically, and EV-DO will be 300-500K


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After entering your name & pw, see if one of the two softkeys is labeled
Menu, and see if pressing it gives a menu with a choice of 'accept' or
'go'. The United Airlines WAP site at http://ua2go.com works this way.

kwc wrote:

> - I can't log into Scottrade's WAP site (no "login" button appears,
> although I can enter my username and password). Is this a phone problem or
> a Scottrade WAP page design flaw?

--
Frank Harris in San Francisco with an A680

Thanks, Frank. The only button available is "Edit". There appears to be no
way to commit the login ID and password.

The regular site doesn't appear well on this little screen, either.

Regards,
kwc


"Frank Harris" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> After entering your name & pw, see if one of the two softkeys is labeled
> Menu, and see if pressing it gives a menu with a choice of 'accept' or
> 'go'. The United Airlines WAP site at http://ua2go.com works this way.
>
> kwc wrote:
>
>> - I can't log into Scottrade's WAP site (no "login" button appears,
>> although I can enter my username and password). Is this a phone problem
>> or
>> a Scottrade WAP page design flaw?
>
> --
> Frank Harris in San Francisco with an A680