Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 30 July 2008 15:11
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
Telstra already has phones operating at “up to” 7.2Mbps on its Next G
network, but the LG KF390 is the first 7.2Mbps-class phone to achieve
“Blue Tick” status, something Telstra recommends for “handheld use” in
rural and regional areas.
Although Telstra already has the i-mate Ultimate range of smartphones operating at speeds of up to 7.2Mbps, those two handsets don’t have the “Blue Tick” for recommended handheld use in rural and regional areas.
That said, both i-mate handsets are powerful Windows Mobile smartphones that offer a much bigger set of features while also offering both HSDPA and HSUPA capabilities, so for anyone that needs those features on a smartphone in metropolitan areas, Telstra has you covered there.
But for rural and regional users that want a smartphone that combines a Blue Tick, and 7.2Mbps-class speeds, the LG KF390 is the first and only model capable of doing so without any additional antennas or other gear – at least, for now, as other phone manufacturers will surely follow.
Real-world speeds will range from 500Kbps to 3Mbps, with the phone “able to burst up to 6Mbps in metropolitan areas”. The KF390 is also exclusive to Telstra, working on the 850MHz 3.5G network (but also 2100MHz and GSM/EDGE).
In addition, the phone (like most others) can also be used as a wireless broadband modem for desktop or laptop computers (at Telstra’s expensive wireless broadband charges), and it could save some regional users the expense of getting an additional USB, ExpressCard or PCMCIA modem, especially seeing as Telstra’s data charges through wireless modems or mobile phones are the same.
Telstra makes no mention of the phone also having HSUPA capabilities for fast upload of data as with the i-mate Ultimates, and offer no specifications for the LG KF390 either, so we can only assume the phone is WCDMA upload speed capable of “up to” 384kbps, which for most uses is good enough.
But if you do need the faster speeds HSUPA provides for data use through a computer, you’d want to get a separate data card – and you’d want to also know whether the region you’re in has towers that support HSUPA, although a call to Telstra told me that HSUPA was upgraded and available in a “majority of places”.
In any case, those needing mobile data in rural and regional areas and are happy to pay Telstra’s rates likely would already have the relevant data cards to hand, and capable of HSUPA at that, but if you didn’t know the phone could easily serve as a broadband modem too... you do now.
Telstra Country Wide’s, Group MD, Geoff Booth, said that while the LG KF390 was the first 7.2Mbps-class model, it was the 8th Next G handset to get the “Blue Tick”. He also explained that: “Perhaps even more importantly you can maximise your coverage with the LG KF390 by connecting it to an external antenna, either through a patch lead or via a directly-coupled car kit.”
So, what else does the phone do, what will it cost and when is it launching? Having seen a photo (which is on page 2), it’s looks kinda utilitarian, LG’s “Chocolate”, “Shine” and “Secret” phones look a lot cooler, but clearly it’s designed to do the job. More on page 2!
