CellPhones?

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J Bird said:
Because cell phone bills are rediculous.

Thats my reason.

- Josh

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Not really, I don't even have a home phone. It was much cheaper for me to just up my minutes a little and just use my cell. I know quite a few people that do that.

Frank

What about thru RSS feeds? Can the site be seen that way?

Ok, for all those who say "why do it?" I would like to ask, Why not?

A phone with a symbian paltform, pocket pc, or html browser can view it. I pull it up with various Nokia smart phones (personnally the 6620), Treo devices (Fav is the 650), Blackberry devices (7100g), and my absolute favorite phone the Siemens SX66 running Microsoft Windows Pocket PC. Download speeds, times, and cost varies with device. With any of those listed they will run EDGE (133-200 kbs) in 90% of covered Cingular territory with the other 10% being GPRS (14-57 kbs) (will be edge by year end).

But for the real reason is that when Verizon and Sprint complete their CDMA 1X networks they will be at 2-3 mbs and when Cingular completes the UMTS network and updates the HSPDA they will be at 4-6 mbs. With these speeds mobile devices will start to do to computers what they have already done to home phones.

I have been involved with DoCoMo in Tokyo and they are already developing the 4G standard. It outperforms the fastest Cable modems and blows the DSL maximum away. Motorola has developed the smart glasses that show your image in 3d with crisp detail on the glass lenses. They use a WAP protocol with a UMTS network.

Once the late adopting US takes hold of 3G abilities there will be a world of change. But, it is true that the us is 5 years behind the rest of the world.

In the US you are born and get a social security number, in Japan you are born and get a mobile phone number. *** Edited 8/2/2005 12:22:48 AM UTC by ldiesman***

What's really interesting right now, in terms of business opportunities, is that Web-based applications are finally becoming a practical reality. Back in 1999, at the company I was working for at the time, we suggested that Web-based CRM would be a great idea (an idea that Salesforce.com would later implement). The objection was that connectivity wasn't great at many businesses. There was a lot of talk about WAP at the time too, but wireless bandwidth sucked, and no one wanted to build stuff twice.

Today, wireless bandwidth is very nearly for real, and devices are finally available that can do the same work as a computer browser. It's a really exciting time because now we have the devices and the bandwidth.

While that's all interesting, I'm with the comments above that old-fashioned human interaction is something a lot of people very desperately need.

Whats the problem with surfing the web while on the train to work or waiting around for said train etc. People read newspapers, books etc in the same situation and no one thinks twice about it.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, per se, but don't you think there's such a thing as too much connectivity? I make a living with said connectivity, and I do. Some of these people that I work with have no lives because they're always fumbling around with their Blackberries, phones, PDA's, laptops, etc.

I guess I just have the perspective that you'll miss a lot in life if you're always plugged in.

I tried the whole cell phone internet thing, it sounded like a good Idea when we got our current plan. Two problems: I can't find enough interesting content to keep me on it, and whats the point? I can wait till I get back to my PC to get online again.

When I'm somewhere without internet access, I'm really not thinking about it. Heck, if I don't have net access, I'm usually out of state, or somewhere having fun.

It, to me, goes back to that whole thing of I don't wanna talk only about coasters when I'm at a park. I'm there riding coasters, why do I have to talk only about them?

Jeff, those people wouldn't have lives anyway, they would find something else to waste away with. Like coasters or Star Trek. Geeks are nothing new, they existed way before computers.

I look at the upside of it, how awesome would it be if you needed directions somewhere while lost on the road, or wanted to search for a place to buy a rain coat.

I do indeed view Coasterbuzz through my PDA at times (Dell Axim X30), although when connected through my cellphone (Bluetooth is a wonderful thing) the speed is rather slow. I can't wait to upgrade to EDGE or better. This PDA also has built-in 802.11 ("WiFi"), though, and that works quite well.

Coasterbuzz renders quite well in Pocket Internet Explorer -- the layout is a bit cramped, but everything is there, especially when I put the PDA in "landscape" mode. It certainly works better than trying to check in for a flight on USAirways via the PDA -- THAT was just a disaster. :-(

Looking up directions I can understand. That's a useful thing to do. My wife has looked up weather radar on her phone as well as movie times. But let's be honest here... surfing CoasterBuzz, however enjoyable that might be, is a time waster. It's entertainment. Is it really something you do when you're among people? Nothing annoys the piss out of me more than someone I'm trying to communicate with in person that can't put their damn (your electronic device here) down for two seconds and give me their attention.

I can see it coming in handy in two ways...

1) As an incoming resource to the user to look up recommendations on places to eat, shows not to miss..etc. True, most of us probably do that at home before we leave, but sometimes you hit a park along the way at the spur of the moment or plans change while you are on the road. It would be nice to have that resource available in such times.

2) Similarly, if would be nice to be able to post stuff back while on the road. Would be especially handy during a group event meeting. Could warn others of bad weather, road construction, closed rides, etc. Or at least post trip reports with more immediacy.

Hmm, my cell doesn't surf the net but I tend to text message people while in line.....probably just as annoying. :-)

-Tina

I can see the allure, buf, but nothing beats good old word of mouth, when it comes to things to do in the area, best places to eat, etc. I've been burned too many times doing that from the internet (even getting directions), when I rarely have that happen when I ask. Plus, I hone my communications skills (like I really need to at this point).

As for being at a park for 10 hours and conversation getting boring? You're in a park! Why are you spending loads of time talking, so that you run out of things to talk about? Anytime I'm with friends at a park, A)I never run out of things (other than coasters) to talk about, and B)I'm usually too busy riding coasters, eating, riding flats, riding darks, and walking to look up what is going on on coasterbuzz. I'm living coasterbuzz at that moment.

^Well said, Clint. Thanks for reading my mind. :-)Come to think of it I usually only text message Jimvy, just to torture him of course. ;-)

I just wonder how many people surf coaster sites at those internet kiosk things that some parks have.

-Tina

Yeah Tina, you tease you :p

I tend to use the net on my cell to access breaking news if I am not at home, like during the recent terror attacks in the UK.

If it were a feature here would we see tons of "I'm in line for *******" posts?

Anyhoo, why surf the net on my cell when I can be playing Space Invaders - wahey ;)

-Jimvy!

But Invy...we could get those oh-so-important Dragster and Kingda Ka updates *instantly*!! With life's two most important coasters having occasional downtime we NEED that kind of info IMMEDIATELY!

--yawn--

You picking on me again, Moosh? :-P

-Tina

No, Tina! As much as you love both of those coasters...as great as your obsession is...at least you know and can appreciate other coasters in the world. Unlike some of the kiddies who act like they're the end-add be-all of coasterdom.

Moosh, I'd be sneaky and post that the parks were really busy and the weather was rotten - shorter lines for me heh heh heh :)

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Jeff said:
Nothing annoys the piss out of me more than someone I'm trying to communicate with in person that can't put their damn (your electronic device here) down for two seconds and give me their attention.

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Never have more eloquent, beautiful words been communicated here on Coasterbuzz (stands up and claps).

I mean come on. Are we really that enslaved to our technology that we have to have senseless (though entertaining) coaster banter at our finger tips, wherever, whenever?

I'm all for advances in technology, but its getting to the point where we feel the need to have access to all electronic devices and services at all times. It's only a matter of time before we might as well be cyborgs. We've all seen it... business man sitting in the airport with hands free cell phone ear piece, laptop open, Palm Pilot in hand while his brat kids run around screaming like maniacs.

Here's my latest favorite (see first item):
http://www.arkon.com/laptop.html

I love that disclaimer. Right... I think we all know exactly when that is going to be used: While commuting to and from work.