Friday, September 19, 2003
Cellular walkie-talkies
No, I am not about to plug for Nextel. The Boston Globe is carrying a story on how a new software called Fastchat enables users to communicate internationally using their cellular phones which also double up as walkie-talkies.
In reality, Fastchat is more like a voice version of "instant messaging" than a walkie-talkie. The software converts your voice into packets of data and transmits them just like a text message via the Internet data service now provided on most cell phones. When the message arrives at another cell phone with the software, the data is converted back into voice.
Apparently the voice quality is nowhere near Nextel's, though it is a cheap method to make long-distance calls. And some of the problems with quality might dissapear as the underlying technological platform evolves and matures.
In reality, Fastchat is more like a voice version of "instant messaging" than a walkie-talkie. The software converts your voice into packets of data and transmits them just like a text message via the Internet data service now provided on most cell phones. When the message arrives at another cell phone with the software, the data is converted back into voice.
Apparently the voice quality is nowhere near Nextel's, though it is a cheap method to make long-distance calls. And some of the problems with quality might dissapear as the underlying technological platform evolves and matures.
