Practical 6b

I participated in the discussion forum on OLE recently. This allows me to realise that many people have very different views as compare to me and some may appear quite aggressive their approach to voice their views on the forums. Some also shared their personal experience which has been an eye opener for me.

This week's task is similar to last week's. Another source to evaluate!

Fourth Generation (4G) Wireless, Information and Resources

UIR: http://www.3g4g.co.uk/4G/

The purposes of this website is clearly stated as the webpage's title: Fourth Generation (4G) Wireless, Information and Resources. Basically, the website is a collection of information about the 4G concept, which is the future of the currently used 3G technologies in the mobile phone industry. Details about the development can be found in the web. They aim to be the ultimate comprehensive resource for third generation wireless/UMTS and fourth generation wireless technology.

This website covers almost everything 4G. There are links to latest blog posts about 4G, general news about the 4G technology, FAQs, and even a 4G concept webpage should anyone be extremely interested in the topic. Links to other sites are extremely useful for more information. There is even a heated discussion as to why 3G are not as widely as utilized as it should be, and hopes about the future development of 3G-4G standards that should be better.

I consider this site to authorative as any and every source is credited and even some research papers on the topic. However I could not find any reviews about the sites nor has it been included in any gateways or virtual libraries.

The facts are extremely accurate as many of them have different links to websites backing them up. Generally, there is no biasness in the sources, especially in 4G concepts, and the references are stated clearly. However, the website also contains links to blog posts, obviously since blog posts are created by people blogging about their own personal opinions, there may a slight biasness in some of the information listed. The website is professionally done and is free from grammatical, spelling and typographical.

Links to blog posts are not outdated as there always new 4G developments to talk about. However, some parts of the website, such as FAQs, and General news about 4G are about 1 year old. This means that it may be up to date. However, the links for the information are especially relevant because many contain background information about this growing yet young technology.
This site is easily accessible. Googling '4G' has the webpage listed amongst the top results. No registration is needed and logins and all the information listed are free. All the information in the site is accessible for free and no log-ins is required.The presentation and arrangement of the site is clear and extremely well organized.

The main page itself goes straight to the point - Latest Blog Entries, FAQs about 4G, News about 4G, 4G Mobile concepts and so on. It skips the fancy graphics - something I appreciate as it is easy to pick out what I need to find. It is clear, consistent and precise. Information is easy to understand and important issues are highlighted in this site. The main topics are listed clearly.

There is a mini search bar at the bottom of the web provided by google. This allows me to search the website for any keywords. I find this a plus to the usability because it enhances the navigation of the site.

Overall, although this website is slightly dated, I find that it contains information that allows me to better understand the future of 3G technology - 4G. Many of the research papers are especially enlightening. The information is concise and easy to find. The additional of various links has also helped me in my search. The only thing I wish is that it could be updated so that newer developments can be found on the website too.