What’s 3G?

Even though I’ve got an iPod Touch, I’m still casting an acquistive eye in the direction of the iPhone, now that it’s coming to Canada. (…at usage rates that will doubtless be some multiple of the U.S. rate of about $70 for voice and data, but that’s another story…) But, not being a BlackBerry person and not having to be in constant touch with a firm wherever I am, I’m unclear about the various modalities of wireless communication now literally floating around. The new version of the iPhone boasts that it’s 3G, of course, and so I was really glad to find an article in today’s Slate that asks “What’s the ‘3G technology’ in the new iPhone?”, by Chris Wilson.

The short answer is:

It means “third generation” and refers to a family of technologies that deliver much faster download and upload speeds for handheld devices and laptops. They work by allowing many cell phones or other wireless devices to communicate on the same frequency without getting confused. Compared with older systems, this allows for the transfer of a larger amount of data by eliminating the need to keep each signal separate.

As always with Slate, the long answer is enjoyable and informative. And you can let the links lead you from Wilson’s short piece over to an article on how the iPhone means the death of the portable GPS market and thence to a piece on something called Loopt, then on to…