[getti]

Well its pretty much free.

http://www.sapio.se/visual.php

Free software that allows you to send pictures, voice and text to other users and it has status like Online, Busy or Offline so you know whos free.

The software is TOTALLY FREE, all you pay for is the GPRS. Will be handy for those of you on Orange who get 1000mb free data for 3 months.

The link is http://www.sapio.se/visual.php

I have it on my phone now and its good but of course i need some people to use it with.

Once you have signed up PM me your nickname and il add u to my list to test it

[Ben]

So what's the verdict? From what I've read it seems to be able to do what Agile Messenger can do, but on a separate network. I like Agile because it just uses one of the mainstream IM networks. Granted, Push to Talk on Agile isn't the most inviting experience, but does Sapio offer enough of an improvement to justify trying to get everyone else signed up too?

[Jon3G]

I have just tried it and it keeps asking to reconnect.

[Ben]

It's disgusting that the networks still aren't offering Push to Talk properly. Nokia have had PTT integrated into many of their handsets for a while now - the dedicated PTT button looks so lonely on the side of my 6680!

Real, network-driven, PTT could be really amazing. I suspect that the possible loss in messaging and voice revenues is currently detracting from any desire to launch such a product to the general public. Everyone talks about data being the future, yet the networks seem to be doing everything within their power to stamp out widespread data takeup.

[miffed]

I find it amazing that PTT has not been pushed by anyone - yet they are all trying to sell us video calling !

I was watching "The Gadget show" and they reckon SMS is virtually unheard of in the states , as they all use PTT

Surely some idiot , sorry , network executive can see the potential ?

[Jon3G]

maybe it does not have the same revenue advantage as SMS.

I can say that a outfit I work with are developing a tech that will allow push SMS and MMS, this will bring down the cost of it to around 1p a text they are saying so watch this space

[Ben]

It'll never be 1p per text for the consumer, especially not cross-network. The networks charge each other far more than that for delivery. What exactly do you mean by push SMS/MMS? As in WAP Push?

PTT stands to blow the whole issue of interconnection charges (what the networks charge each other for delivering SMS messages (applies to calls to of course) to their subscribers) wide open.

[getti]

I find it amazing that PTT has not been pushed by anyone - yet they are all trying to sell us video calling !

I was watching "The Gadget show" and they reckon SMS is virtually unheard of in the states , as they all use PTT

Surely some idiot , sorry , network executive can see the potential ?

I was watching that same show yesterday and is what made me think about it. Orange infact DO offer PTT now on Contract and PAYG under the name "Talk Now". All you need to do is get them to add it onto your SIM card and install the software from Nokia.

I have it on my SIM but its getting the correct settings that are the problem

[Jon3G]

It'll never be 1p per text for the consumer, especially not cross-network. The networks charge each other far more than that for delivery. What exactly do you mean by push SMS/MMS? As in WAP Push?

PTT stands to blow the whole issue of interconnection charges (what the networks charge each other for delivering SMS messages (applies to calls to of course) to their subscribers) wide open.


Just trust me on this one. A group of people are developing something that should be out before the year and its going to make the networks jump. I have seen the plans and the concept and it will work.

Its not a network driven thing and it does not require any modification to the handset or settings

The push is simalar to WAP push

[Ben]

I was watching that same show yesterday and is what made me think about it. Orange infact DO offer PTT now on Contract and PAYG under the name "Talk Now". All you need to do is get them to add it onto your SIM card and install the software from Nokia.

I have it on my SIM but its getting the correct settings that are the problem
Hmm, called Orange and after checking with her manager she said Orange don't support PTT yet. No one had heard of Talk Now either :(

[getti]

:confused:

Very strange. When i phoned them up the guy at CS added it to my account and i got a SIM update.

Anyway its expecive which is why im trying to get as many people using Sapio at
http://www.sapio.se/visual.php as possible.

Its free software that allows IM, Pics + Voice to be sent over GPRS. You can even set your status between Online, Offline and Busy.

Because its only over GPRS it should be quite cheap especially for us Orange 3G customers.

Will be handy to use the free data we get. Also EVERYONE on Orange 3G should be getting some free data now. People who got it on launch have 50mb a month for 12months and anyone joining now has 3 months of 1000mb to use up.

[Jon3G]

it works pretty good. Just got a msg from Getti and its pretty good qaulity

[3g-g]

I was watching that same show yesterday and is what made me think about it. Orange infact DO offer PTT now on Contract and PAYG under the name "Talk Now". All you need to do is get them to add it onto your SIM card and install the software from Nokia.

I have it on my SIM but its getting the correct settings that are the problem

As far as I was aware it was only available to business users at first, it'd definately not something they're pushing, but it is there...

Click here. (http://www2.orange.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OUKPersonal/Service&cid=1092743838062)

It's only certain handsets that are supported just now, I can bet you rascals with SIM free ones aint gettin it!

[getti]

it works pretty good. Just got a msg from Getti and its pretty good qaulity

I got urs too

[Ben]

As far as I was aware it was only available to business users at first, it'd definately not something they're pushing, but it is there...

Click here. (http://www2.orange.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OUKPersonal/Service&cid=1092743838062)

It's only certain handsets that are supported just now, I can bet you rascals with SIM free ones aint gettin it!
Ah great link! Thanks! Looks like hardly any phones are supported!?! Oh well, the prices seem unreasonable too.

[miffed]

Bloody unreasonable !

(Copied from Orange's site)

Pay As You Go customers

The first three months are free when you sign up for Talk Now, when you use it in the UK. After this, Talk Now will cost you 20p for a 30 minute session.
Terms apply.

Pay Monthly customers

When you use Talk Now to talk to one other person it costs 15p a minute. When you talk to between two and nine others it costs 30p per minute.


Why are they penalising Contract customers so harshly ? surely they must mean a 30 second session for 20p ?

[getti]

PTT should be charged per kb of data not per min as a call so the pricing is wrong.

[Jon3G]

looks like I will keep using this service from now on

[getti]

I can see it being handy for us on here and for friends. Record a quick message and send it to all the people you want in 1 go

[Hands0n]

Is this "just another app looking for a customer"? PTT sounds exciting enough but ..... to be Devil's advocate or a moment, surely it has limited use, moreso than the humble phone call?

Imagine the scenario; I'm on the train minding my own business and all of a sudden, unsolicited, a voice booms out of my pocket for all around me to hear (this is my [on the street] experience of PTT in New York, exactly like a walkie talkie).

For sure, there are bona fide uses for the technology. Are they likely to be wholesale uses I wonder? Or somewhat a novelty, like Videocall and MMS are at the moment, to have little take up, to be yet another money-earning facet for the mobops?

Or will the buying public here be resistant to yet another technology being placed in front of them - i.e. have Vodafone Simply got a point?

These are indeed "interesting times" :)

[Jon3G]

The msg on plays when viewed just like a normal text

[miffed]

Is this "just another app looking for a customer"? PTT sounds exciting enough but ..... to be Devil's advocate or a moment, surely it has limited use, moreso than the humble phone call?




Well for the "proof of the pudding" look at the US market - according to "The Gadget Show" PTT is so popular that the Americans use it INSTEAD of SMS ,
And the guys on the show did actually say that it is the kind of thing that you can't imagine being useful untill you use it , and then you find yourself using it more and more
I think it could work very well over here , if it were launched by all networks instead of just one - although I suspect that we will not see such a launch as networks would be worried about the impact on SMS , as someone mentioned earlier
Shame , 1000% more useful than videocalling :(

[getti]

I wouldnt go as far to say its better than video calling. I think VC is one of the best things about 3G.

Many a time i would video call my dad at work instead of voice calling just because i had the option too.

[Hands0n]

Well for the "proof of the pudding" look at the US market - according to "The Gadget Show" PTT is so popular that the Americans use it INSTEAD of SMS ................
I understand that it is very popular in the USA and on my regular visits to NY a couple of years back it did seem to be fairly widespread - all these NYkers shouting down their phones at eachother "breaker, breaker, rubber duck" stylee :)

The UK (Euro) market evolved differently though and SMS is where it is at over here and is very much in the psyche of the users - witness the huge amount of income it generates. SMS is certainly a much more discrete means of communications than PTT and I wonder if we really will take to it as much as the Americans have. Do we really need another voice-only technology? I remain sceptical at the moment having actually seen PTT in action over there. But thats just me.

Agree totally - something like PTT has to be to a common standard and cross-network. I could see the networks trying to sell a unique "lock-in" service, but that will be a key reason for failure rather than success. We are all well matured enough as a buying user base to expect/demand cross-network.

I'd like to see full on PTT over here - in fact I'd like to see a completely level technology playing field globally rather than these engineered "responses" to local markets. Let the buying public decide the success or failure and not be spoonfed this stuff!

[miffed]

Let the buying public decide the success or failure and not be spoonfed this stuff!


Agreed ! and not just on PTT either - this applies to all technology IMO

[Ben]

in fact I'd like to see a completely level technology playing field globally rather than these engineered "responses" to local markets. Let the buying public decide the success or failure and not be spoonfed this stuff!
Bang on! Couldn't agree more. I don't think globalisation has ever looked more attractive than in terms of technology.

[Jon3G]

Being using this for a week or so now and had some contact with Getti. One this that is worrying is that the SW has a random chat function and every so often I get a ringing from the phone and its normally a girl around 18 - 23 wanting to chat. All the girls are from the Far east area, it just seems really dodgy.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[getti]

You are lucky then. All i seem to get is random requests from people like "B1G D1CK" and "C0CK" which is annoying

[Jon3G]

Ha Ha ha

I have had big Dick contact me its very very funny

[fat jez]

PTT should be charged per kb of data not per min as a call so the pricing is wrong.

Talk Now uses voice, not data as its bearer, so is charged by the minute. http://www.kodiaknetworks.com/news_events/press_releases/011304.html if you want to know how it all works.

If you think about it, the latency you would get on a busy cell with a high number of GPRS users would make it pretty painful to use a PTT type service, as the lag in receipt of messages would take away all the interactiveness that the service offers. Imagine waiting 5 minutes to receive what somebody just said, only to find that by the time you have replied, the conversation has moved on?

Cheers,
Jez

[Jon3G]

Talk Now uses voice, not data as its bearer, so is charged by the minute. http://www.kodiaknetworks.com/news_events/press_releases/011304.html if you want to know how it all works.

If you think about it, the latency you would get on a busy cell with a high number of GPRS users would make it pretty painful to use a PTT type service, as the lag in receipt of messages would take away all the interactiveness that the service offers. Imagine waiting 5 minutes to receive what somebody just said, only to find that by the time you have replied, the conversation has moved on?

Cheers,
Jez

Most PTT services use GPRS to send and receive the data. Its just Orange that do it this way. Visual comms use GPRS.

Welcome to Talk 3G BTW :).

[Ben]

Indeed, I thought the whole idea of PTT was a move to data-orientated comms on mobile phones. 3G has this comparatively huge capacity that would be nicely consumed by PTT, though I can see how GSM cells might suffer if usage really took off. Using the data connection would also, surely, make one-to-many messaging very easy, and be the best way to maintain an 'online status' showing other users if you are available to talk or not.

[fat jez]

Most PTT services use GPRS to send and receive the data. Its just Orange that do it this way. Visual comms use GPRS.

Welcome to Talk 3G BTW :).

Thanks for the welcome.

I can understand networks going for a packet-switched solution when using 3G, as there is sufficient bandwidth to have minimal latency. I presume the Kodiak solution was attractive because it allowed for the same low-latency service by grabbing dedicated voice channels.

Using circuit-switched voice calls could still prove to be expensive in terms of capacity though - imagine if you were using it on a building site or warehouse with one cell nearby providing coverage. Once PTT call could nab up to 10 timeslots, depending on the group size used, wiping out a sizeable percentage of that cell's available bandwidth.

Cheers,
Jez