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I wish the R190 had... |
jplacson
Joined: Apr 21, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Philippines
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I wish they had made the R190 in the R310s casing... rugged, water/dust/shockproof. 3v platform, and built-in modem & bluetooth. BTW, does anyone know how successful the Aces or any other satellite company is doing? Would like to know if this technology is promising or just other forms of Iridium. | |
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dlreyes
Joined: Apr 17, 2002
Posts: 100
From: Philippines
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JpLac, Though the R190 is not as tough as the R310, I use the outdoor kit of the former which fits the sat phone and makes it look rugged. The outdoor kit consists of a plastic front to protect the screen and a rubber back which also serves as a case for the Victorinox compass, magnifying glass, thermometer and ruler which comes with the kit.
Most other satellite platforms especially those which have high orbits have gone bankrupt (Iridium, Globalstar, Inmarsat) because of high maintinance cost.
I have heard that ACeS has been losing money also but the potential is great as it is envisioned to work like a cellular phone where roaming per footprint would be implemented. It plans to tie up with other regional satellite networks like Argani (which is also Asian based) and EAST (Middle East and Africa) to provide interoperability between mobile satellite and cellular networks.
Of all Satellite platforms, the one envisoned by ACeS and Co. seems to be the most promising in terms of providing the cheapest cost to the consumers without sacrificing basic communication needs. |
jplacson
Joined: Apr 21, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Philippines
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Aces losing money-I thought so... too bad, I think satellite technology is very promising... but introduced TOO SOON. Market isn't ready for it, and has no practical need for it yet. Magellan systems are doing just fine cuz they have a niche market.
Anyway, I was hoping for a 3v/R310 version of the R190 for the reason that, the only time I'll need a sat phone is out at sea, or climbing a mountain... where water and rocks/dust are a problem should they find your phone attractive and be drawn to it! 
That would've made a VERY interesting phone though, considering a lot of people love the R310... for it to have satellite capabilities would've made it one hell of an 'adventure' phone...a phone TRULY worth of Lara Croft |
nicko_od
Joined: Jun 29, 2002
Posts: 1
From: Manila, Philippines
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hi guys!
i can't help wonder...... what's a satellite phone? is it the same as our conventional cellphones, or quite similar to those Nextel phones? what's the advantages or disadvantages of having and using them here in the Phil, Manila in particular? |
dlreyes
Joined: Apr 17, 2002
Posts: 100
From: Philippines
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Nicko, a sat phone is basically a telephone which makes use of a satellite instead of the usual cell sites we utilize for our mobile calls. Signal coverage is dependent on the footprint of the satellite.
In the case of ACeS (Asia Cellular Satellite) the footprint is from India to Papua New Guinea (east to west) and Northern Australia to Japan (south to north) and makes use of the Garuda geostationary satellite. With this, you can make a call anywhere you are within the footprint mentioned as long as you can see the sky.
The AceS system makes use of the Ericsson R190 gsm900/satellite dual mode phone. You can make use of gsm signals where it is available and cheaper then shift to satellite mode once you are out of "civilization".
My review of the Ericsson R190 could be found at http://www.buyncell.com/phone_reviews/ericsson/r190/ |
jplacson
Joined: Apr 21, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Philippines
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Advantage of using a satellite phone in the city? Actually, none... coverage is even worse cuz buildings block vertical visibility.
Aces covers most, if not all, of Southeast Asia... so rule of thumb, if you can see the sky...you have coverage.
It's useful if you go out of town, scuba diving, mountain climbing..etc. Or if you work for geological surveying companies, rescue teams, etc... or just like us...want to have the funkiest mobile phones.
I was looking my R310 against the R190 eh... would be nice if I could combine both...  hahaha wishful thinking... and with the way the satellite is NOT moving, I doubt SE will develop any new models anytime soon. Oh well. | |
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Posted: 2002-08-01 16:00
