Picture messaging (MMS)

[Gaz]

Ok so it looks like we will have this soon, the nokia 7650 with built in camera is finally on the way (or has been released ??)ANd other MMS equiped phones have been launced.


My question is does anybody know how we will be charged for this ? Will MMS require GPRS and as a result cost a fair bit to send pictures ..lets say 10-15kb a picture at 2c a kb seems expensive compared to a normal text message !!!! And i suppose that means we will have to spend the same amount to recieve a picture ????

Anybody know how this is going to work ????

[Tom Dunne]

You would imagine they would set a fixed price for MMS. It would be a major deterrent to non-techy people to be charged by the size of the MMS. If you add voice to pictures the size could (and cost) could go over 1 Euro. People are not going to pay that for a message.

This is the beauty of SMS - fixed size, fixed cost.

Personally, I am waiting for the Sony/Ericsson P800. As soon as it becomes available, I am ditching my R380.

Anybody want to buy an Ericsson R380?

[seamus]

I'll check it out when I'm in work next, but I doubt Vodafone or O2 have even prepared for it's deployment here. The phone manufacturers are all jumping the gun a little. Like that Nokia ad where the guy is sending a music file to his mate - even at full GPRS speeds, it would take about 5 mins to transfer - assuming it's uninterrupted. GPRS will not penetrate the mass market in any country for at least 5 more years.

As for MMS - a 10-15kb picture message wouldn't be too bad. Considering most normal phones run at a max 9.6kbps.

I'd say it'd either be charged at a per-kb rate for the sender (MMSMO) and at a fixed charge for the receiver (MMSMT), or it'll be flat-rate with a limit on mesage size. Of course that's kind of against what MMS is.

[LoBo]

T-Mobile in the uk have launched their MMS / picture messaging service already.

They are offering Nokia 7650 and SonyEricsson T68i (with camera attachment) at significantly reduced prices, and have a picture message package you can add to your bill.

Details at http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/Dispatcher...sh_picmes_land

Subscribe to the T-Mobile picture messaging service
A charge of £20 per month (in addition to your price plan) connects you to the service and lets you send and receive scores of images (up to 10MB). It also gives you unlimited access to our online picture messaging centre and image gallery.

I was asking O2 Ireland about MMS a couple of weeks ago and they said they were thinking of launching it 'in the next couple of months'. Vague enough .. to be any time really...

I hope Irish networks go for this w/ cheap MMS & well subsidised camera-enabled handsets - it could be great.

[Fidelis]

Originally posted by seamus
I doubt Vodafone or O2 have even prepared for it's deployment here

Where are you getting this information from? Disinformation more like it...

It's being tested but it's not working at consumer standards just yet. Max size per MMS will be 30Kb (e.g. 15Kb image + 10Kb sound file + 5Kb of text) and at present, it looks as though they'll be charged per message, irrespective of size.

Nokia 7650 could be going for at low as €400 on contract w/Vodafone.

[seamus]

Originally posted by Fidelis
Where are you getting this information from?

I'm not getting it from anywhere. That's why I said, I doubt (personal opinion) and I'll check it out when I'm in work next (getting the actual facts).

Any idea on what the charge will be per message? Can't see it being slightly cheap anywho.......

[Cond0r]

It's being tested but it's not working at consumer standards just yet.

Fidelis you work for vodafone right?

O2 are testing it too.
I think the official timeline for it indicates its arrival for customers in early november, I could be wrong though.

Where you working seamus?

Also... the t68i is available on O2 already, I would assume the camera attachment will be available when mms is launched.

C.

[netman]

I've been to Croatia a few months ago, and they've had MMS since may this year and it's absolutely free until the end of september. That is, on all the networks, and it's not a trial - it's free for all users, including those that roam in the country.

Oh yeah, the limit is 50kb, and supports GIF and JPEG images, MPEG4 movies and audio files in MP3, MIDI, AMR/EFR formats.

Sounds pretty sweet. Didn't have a mobile with a camera though, but the japanese tourists were going mad for it.

[Fidelis]

Originally posted by Cond0r
Fidelis you work for vodafone right?

Yea. There's a bit of pressure to get it out on the market but I think more time is needed, 2 months - minimum. It's still a bit buggy, but works 90% of the time Testing it on different handsets; T68i, 7650, Sharp GX10 etc. takes some time.

Originally posted by netman
the limit is 50kb

MMS size is network specific, 50Kb is nice & big, shouldn't think the Irish operators will be so generous though.

*7650 supports .ram files too, if I'm not mistaken.

[Cond0r]

Originally posted by Fidelis
Yea. There's a bit of pressure to get it out on the market but I think more time is needed, 2 months - minimum. It's still a bit buggy, but works 90% of the time Testing it on different handsets; T68i, 7650, Sharp GX10 etc. takes some time.

Yeah I'd tend to agree with this. Tis the same in O2. Can't say I like the 7650 as a phone though, too big.

C.

[DubFit]

T68i is a great phone and the camera attachment is snug and fits the form factor great, screen let's it down a bit though in that it can only do 256 colours so any photo you take and view on the phone is washed out and grainey, but email it off and it comes out grand on the other side, the snap on camera is a great idea and the handset is still light and small enough with it attached
(you can get the T68i on O2 in any O2 stores and on Vodafone through the CarphoneWarehouse) The camera attachment can be got online, haven’t seen it about in town yet.

the 7650 display is much better with 4096 colors, although it is a chunky handset, email and wap browser are both great, hopefully the apps you can install will increase, got a couple of games for it but not much more out there yet. bluetoothing to the PC is not a smooth experience but once a link is established it's grand, hopefully some patches will solve that. the camera works fast, the phone's interface is more PDA like, although some menu are a tad too long to be comfortable with the joystick. having no memory expansion and no bluetooth headset profile support are it's main shortcomings (it arrived sim free in Europe last week)

no MMS yet so to send them on the move had to e-mail the photos off the phones. they all come through fine, anyone with a digital camera will need to chill a bit, no 4.0 MeagPixel shots here! max you get is a 640x480 shot, and you better hold the phones steady and have the light behind you. you can also send the images via infra-red or bluetooth, both worked grand (the T68i needs an extra step to copy the phones from the camera memory to the phone memory first though)

both suffer indoors if there isn't enough light, both also lack a 'mini mirror' beside the camera lens. when reviewing some of the new Japanese picture phones some had a little circular mirror stuck beside the lens on the back of the phone, this allowed you to make sure you were in shot (as you can't see the screen facing the other way), also one model even had a flash attachment you clipped on the side when needed, others allowed you to twist the camera around on the hinge to face in or out as needed

Brian G

[DubFit]

a good article this morning from Reuters:
Camera Phones Trim Japan Cellphone Shipment Slide

would expect the operators here will be hoping the take-up will be as big here, they have to get the price right though. also compared to the Japanese camera phones, the T68i screen let's it down, the 7650's size let's it down, japan's camera handsets were slim and compact with good screens

only the FOMA (3G) camera phones were on the large size, but you could video conference on them so hey, they were still cutting edge....

Brian G

[Fidelis]

Originally posted by DubWireless
T68i is a great, screen let's it down a bit though in that it can only do 256 colours so any photo you take and view on the phone is washed out and grainey

Don't particularly like the T68i myself. It's nice an light but the large icons/text make the screen feel incredibly small. The grainy images let the phone down aswell. The joystick also feels very cheap, as if it would break after a few months.

the 7650 display is much better with 4096 colors, although it is a chunky handset

I love this phone. It's not that big in all honesty. The screen is lovely and the camera is sweet. Even writing SMS' is a joy - they're written on a copybook style lined paper type sheet... sorry, can't explain it!

both also lack a 'mini mirror' beside the camera lens

The GX10 has this little 'mirror'. It works well, so does the camera, not as good as the 7650 though. The Nokia has a 3.5mm lens, whereas the Sharp phone only has a 1.8mm lens. Unfortunately, the GX10 is a horrible, horrible phone.

[DubFit]

Originally posted by Fidelis

It's not that big

it's a bit is that a phone in your pocket or are you *very* happy to see me kinda size

Even writing SMS' is a joy - they're written on a copybook style lined paper type sheet... sorry, can't explain it!

yeah the whole messaging functions are great, sms, email, hope to try the MMS features soon

attached is a screenshot of the sms screen to show your point

atb,
Brian G

[seamus]

Vodafone announced its launch yesterday. I don't have the press release right here, but I will on Monday, or Fidelis could post it up. It doesn't contain any real info though except for when (I think it said August but maybe September).