Positively puzzled by the parcel?

GLOBAL – Ok, folks, we are now on Day 5 of the Pass the Parcel game. There’s been a lot of speculation and excitement over this, more than we expected. Indeed, we are really happy with the reaction and all the guesses.

Nonetheless, for all of us who are not on the lucky list of parcel-passers, all we can do is guess what the heck is in the package.

As for what the package has been revealing, we’d like to make a few comments here, if only to occupy our minds while we wait for the final layer to be removed. Read on for more.

Why these?
Is there a connection between the words revealed on the package and what’s inside the package? Reviewing the comments suggests that this is what everyone thinks, so let’s go with that.

And folks have noticed already the size of the package, suggesting what it might not be. Though, my favorite suggestion so far is the “dildo with Bluetooth control” that unZim made on the Day 1 video.

But, let’s review, with a few stories added in:

Day 1: Bluetooth – Did you know that Bluetooth was named after the Danish king Harald Blåtand, who united Scandinavia at the end of the First Millenium? Stories tell that his blue teeth came from his love of blueberries, though we think it might have just been bad dentistry. In any case, Bluetooth is used for hooking up headsets or computers to phones, or even to sense the surroundings.

Bluetooth is a bit of a throwaway clue, don’t you think? Practically everything works with and over Bluetooth these days.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve done with Bluetooth?

Day 2: Memory card – So this means something. Why would we mention a memory card? What does a memory card have to do with whatever is in the parcel?

One of the first phones I used with a memory card was the Nokia 3650. We all loved the Nokia 7650, but folks were so snap-happy that they soon ran out of space. And because Bluetooth was rare in those days, there was no easy way to get the photos off the phone. But with a whopping 16MB memory card, we all jumped to the 3650 to keep on snapping pics (which were only a few kB back then).

The strange thing is that, five years later, my Nokia N85 came with an 8GB memory card and it’s still not enough will all the video, music, and photos I cram it with.

What is your memory card filled with?

Day 3: Data – Oh, that’s a vague term. But really, and here’s a clue, we just wanted to say that it works with data over the mobile network. Back in the day, that used to mean circuit-switched data (oh, I remember those days). Now it means GPRS, EDGE, 3G, or HSDPA (crazy acronym for a really fast internet connection straight to your phone).

My first GPRS phone was the Nokia 6310, a very popular work-horse that, I have heard, some people have bought a ton of and are hoarding as replacements for when their current 6310 dies. Go figure.

And before you complain about mobile connection speeds, did you know that the early Web was built upon 33.6k modems? Most phones these days are much faster than that. What does that mean for those who are accessing the Web for the first time, and from a phone?

Day 4: Wi-Fi – While Data over the mobile network is nice, Wi-Fi is sweet. When you can get it. And you can really see how fast your phone is when it’s not waiting for data to trickle in.

But, what’s cool, is that the newest devices have this feature called “Destinations” that allow you to group all your internet access points so that if you have Wi-Fi set up and available, the device will automatically use Wi-Fi instead of mobile data (it’s simpler to do than explain, I guess). Do you use Wi-Fi much from your mobile devices?

Day 5: Web – Duh. In this day and age, data and Wi-Fi always suggest something that also works with info on the Web. ‘nough said.

Summary
Ok, folks. What’s in the parcel? What are we trying to say with all these words on the wrapping, other than giving me a nice excuse to walk down memory lane? Are the words just to while away the time, tease you, or throw you off the scent?

And speaking of throwing off the scent, so many new devices, be it a phone, a gizmo, or a laptop, are set up to work with the five technologies listed above. Also, keep in mind that services, and even computer software, could be related to any of these five technologies.

Remember, we have many days to play this game and we needed to find things that would be relevant to whatever might be revealed from whatever is inside the parcel.

Was that ambiguous enough? I hope so. We still have many more days to go.

And we thought June would be a quiet month….

Image from jhritz

Related posts:

• Pass the Parcel presents the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic!
• What’s in the parcel? A surprise, of course!
• Peppery prognostications pertaining to the parcel

Tags | 3G, Bluetooth, Bluetooth stereo headset, EDGE, HSDPA, nokia 3650, nokia 6310, nokia 7650, Nokia Locate Sensor, Nokia N85, pass the parcel, web, wi-fi