Page 21 - Sphere No.18 (Feb 2007)

SPHERE 19
3G
IT IS BEING described as a glimpse into the future
of telecom – a mobile revolution that unleashes the
true power of the Internet over the mobile phone.
3 Group has launched a landmark suite of services
that allows people to communicate, find informa-
tion and be entertained in ways they have never
been able to do before using a mobile handset. And
all for a flat fee.
Since the announcement in November 2006, the
X-Series offering has received enthusiastic coverage
in the media and encouraging response from cus-
tomers. To see exactly how it is changing the way
people communicate and its impact on the daily
life of a 3 customer, take a peek at John’s diary.
Monday
9.30am: Picked up my new handsets, the Nokia
N73 and the Sony EricssonW950i. Both look great.
Decided to give one of them to my neigh-
bour Isabelle for her birthday to thank her
for keeping an eye on my house while I
was in Hong Kong. Text Dave and Emma
to make them jealous. It worked!
12.30pm: Business lunch with Trixie
and Damian from the advertising agency
– great excuse to show them all the new
X-Series bells and whistles. They loved the
Slingbox feature that lets you watch pro-
grammes showing on your TV at home.
We watched their favourite soap live on
my mobile at the restaurant. Wicked.
Tuesday
Working from home today. It’s so conve-
nient – the subscription includes all I can
Skype, all I can chat by instant text message and all
I can search and browse. All done on the mobile of
course. Finished the big report for Roger by 4 pm.
Went to the gym for a workout. Downloaded my
playlists and favourite pictures from the PC using
Orb. Quiet night.
Wednesday
7.30pm: Important fashion show in Knights-
bridge; lots of industry heavyweights there and
gorgeous models everywhere. This is the life. Re-
ceived lots of admiring comments about the new
phone. People are just amazed by how versatile it
is. One American designer even asked to borrow
my handset to bid for a beautiful antique Afghan
carpet on eBay. I’ve made a friend! Home before
midnight. Need a good night’s sleep because of the
big meeting tomorrow.
Thursday
Today was nearly a complete disaster. Twenty min-
utes before the meeting with potentially our biggest
client, my business partner Charlie realises he has
left our digital presentation back in the office. Then
inspiration strikes. I access my PC at home using
the Orb function on my mobile and download my
copy of the file. Presentation goes like a dream and
we should sign the contract next week. Thank you
X-Series!
Spend rest of the day e-mailing and text friends
about my narrow escape from disaster. This is how
the Internet was meant to be!
Friday
To Brighton by train for a business meeting with
Tara and Penelope about the restaurant project.
Spend the whole journey searching Google
and Yahoo! to check out the latest food
and beverage trends. Meeting went well
and they loved the idea about the glass-
fronted kitchen. I think we are on to a win-
ner. Check traffic conditions on the mobile
and arrive home before the rush hour. My
stocks are up too.
Dinner with Patsy and Daniel at a cool
Japanese restaurant in Islington. Great sashi-
mi and interior décor to match. Take some
pictures on the phone and e-mail them to
Tara and Penelope. Not a bad day’s work.
Saturday
Party at Ned andDiana’s. Nightmare – they
don’t have satellite television, so I thought
I’d have to miss the big football game. But
X-Series and Slingbox come to the rescue. Use the
mobile to watch the game live at the party – big hit
with the soccer fans at the party (not so sure about
Ned and Diana though!). Drop in at my favourite
club after midnight and bump into Charlie from
work. He buys the drinks to say thanks for Thurs-
day. I tell him he needs a new phone!
Sunday
Sleep late and flick through the newspapers over
breakfast. There’s an article about the launch of the
X-Series - “It is the perfect present for the person
who has everything but would also like it concen-
trated into a handset less than two inches wide.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself!
It’s Isabelle’s birthday tomorrow, so I wrap the
new handset and sign the card with a big kiss. Per-
haps I should ask her out for dinner?