WEST BENGAL LIBRARY ISSUE MARCH 2012

5 more papers make it to reading list of libraries Facing criticism from several quarters, the West Bengal government on Thursday included five more newspapers to the list of eight newspapers that it has ordered the public libraries of the state to offer to readers. 

The fresh set of newspapers include English daily The Times of India, Aajkal, a Bengali vernacular, Kalam,
another Bengali language newspaper meant for the minorities, all published from Kolkata, Himalaya Darpan, a Nepali language newspaper published from Siliguri, and another newspaper in Ol-Chiki script. The new order, signed by special secretary, department of library services, Rampada Biswas, was issued today. 

“We were hesitant on whether we should include any English language newspaper as common people have a problem with the English language. We settled for The Times of India,’’ said Abdul Karim Choudhury, minister for library services, at his office at Bikash Bhavan. 

The eight newspapers in the list include Sambad Pratidin, Ekdin, Dainik Statesman, Khabar 365 Din, Sakalbela,
all Bengali vernaculars, Sanmarg, a Hindi newspaper, Azad Hind and Akhbar-e-Mashriq, two Urdu newspapers. 

Meanwhile, a PIL was filed today in the Calcutta High Court challenging the order of the state government on newspapers by advocate Basabi Roychoudhury. “The order is violative of Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 19 (freedom of expression) and we want the order withdrawn by the government,’’ Sabyasachi Chatterjee, advocate of the case, told The Indian Express. 

The case will be moved to the court of Chief Justice J N Patel tomorrow. In the state assembly, the Left Front wanted to raise an adjournment motion on the issue but were not allowed by Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay. 

In the afternoon, a delegation of Left MLAs met Governor M. K. Narayanan and submitted a memorandum on the issue.
Source | Indian Express | 30 March 2012

DIGITAL LIBRARY

The Globethics.net Libraries are digital libraries that offer registered users electronic access free-of-charge to thousands of full-text documents on ethics and related disciplines. Participants also have the possibility to submit their own documents to the libraries.

Facts and Figures

1'111'332 : overall
996'332 : Articles
1181 : books
88'034 : reference articles
344 : reference books
328 : journals
17 : collections
13254 : submitted documents

more information at: http://www.globethics.net/web/ge/library/libraries-home

NELSON MENDELA ARCHIVES

Nelson Mandela archives, letters go online in Google-backed project  Thousands of letters, photographs
and documents relating to former South African President Nelson Mandela went online Tuesday to help people find out about his struggle for freedom.

Items including letters Mandela wrote to his family that were smuggled out of prison, his Methodist church
membership card from about 80 years ago and hand-written diaries have been digitized and laid out on a website designed to look like a museum exhibit. "The one thing that it does immediately is make a much sought-after legacy available to the world," Achmat Dangor, the chief executive of the Nelson Mandela
Foundation, said. The project, with an initial cost of $3 million, was put together by the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and the Google Cultural Institute.

It is a first for Internet giant Google, which has made sure the material is open to all and original copyright
holders keep their rights.

Google is planning to use this project as a springboard to bring more content online from other historical
figures of the 20th century. Google has been criticized for trying to use its technological might to wall off material from rivals.

"You can interact with the content. You can search the content. Although we have mimicked the museum
experience, we are now in a place where we think we have augmented the experience," Mark Yoshitake, who leads project management for the Google Cultural Institute, said.

Sections such as "Presidential Years" include photos with links to videos, text, personal notes and testimonials laid out for use with typical computers and tablets.
Ndileka Mandela, the granddaughter of the former president, said he has always been a progressive person and was elated by the online archive.

"As much as we would like to claim him as our grandfather, he is a public figure. The publishing of the
letters he wrote to various family members is not really a problem because it shows people that he is a human being," she said.

Mandela, 93, underwent a keyhole abdominal examination last month that showed nothing was wrong with the man awarded the Nobel Peace Prize or helping bring down white-minority apartheid rule in South Africa. "For a man his age, he is doing well. He hasn't lost his sense of humor," Ndileka Mandela said.

23-3-2012

23 March, 1931

















Few Indians now remember that on this day our great freedom fighters Bhagat singh, Sukhdev & Rajguru were hanged to martyrdom in Lahore central jail. 








Shaheedo ki chitaon pe lage ge har baras mele,
Watan pe mitne walon ka baki yahi nisha hoga. 

Library legislation in india

Alphabetically

Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad) Public Libraries Act, 1960
Arunachal Pradesh Public Libraries Act, 2009;
Bihar Public Libraries Act, 2007;
Chattisgarh Public Libraries Act, 2007;
Goa Public Libraries Act, 1993;
Gujarat Public Libraries Act, 2001;
Haryana Public Libraries Act, 1989;
Karnataka (Mysore) Public Libraries Act, 1965;
Kerala Public Libraries Act, 1989;
Maharashtra Public Libraries Act, 1967;
Manipur Public Libraries Act, 1988;
Mizoram Public Libraries Act, 1993;
Orissa Public Libraries Act, 2001;
Pondichery Public Libraries Act, 2007;
Rajasthan Public Libraries Act, 2006;
Tamil Nadu (Madras) Public Libraries Act, 1948;
Uttar Pradesh Public Libraries Act, 2005;
Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal) Public Libraries Act, 2005 and

West Bengal Public Libraries Act, 1979.

Chronologically 

1948 Tamil Nadu (Madras) Public Libraries Act, 1948;
1960 Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad) Public Libraries Act, 1960
1965 Karnataka (Mysore) Public Libraries Act, 1965;
1967 Maharashtra Public Libraries Act, 1967;
1979 West Bengal Public Libraries Act, 1979.
1988 Manipur Public Libraries Act, 1988;
1989 Haryana Public Libraries Act, 1989;
1989 Kerala Public Libraries Act, 1989;
1993 Goa Public Libraries Act, 1993;
1993 Mizoram Public Libraries Act, 1993;
2001 Gujarat Public Libraries Act, 2001;
2001 Orissa Public Libraries Act, 2001;
2005 Uttar Pradesh Public Libraries Act, 2005;
2005 Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal) Public Libraries Act, 2005 and
2006 Rajasthan Public Libraries Act, 2006;
2007 Bihar Public Libraries Act, 2007;
2007 Chattisgarh Public Libraries Act, 2007;
2007 Pondichery Public Libraries Act, 2007;
2009 Arunachal Pradesh Public Libraries Act, 2009;

The MBA who runs a library on a bicycle

G  Murgaraj, an MBA from Anna University quit his cushy job in a multinational company to create awarenss about world literature.

When he was pursuing his MBA from Anna University in Tamil Nadu  five years ago, G Murugaraj had no fancy dreams.

He just loved finance as a subject and had decided to go with the  flow. Post his MBA, he got a job in a multinational bank but got bored of it  quickly.

He returned to his hometown at Kumbakonam to provide a hand to the  family jewellery business but his father was not too keen to have him there.   With no direction visible, he started an advertising agency for
people in and around Thanjavur and other Chennai districts.

While meeting up with clients he realised that they had little  knowledge about the world outside and little exposure to world literature. In  fact, they did not read much either, which came as a shock to the voracious
reader in Murugaraj.

That's when the idea of a 'mobile library' hit the 28-year-old.  But without the money to start it up, he was not sure how he would proceed.   "I had a lot of books which I had collected over the years  and I knew of people who wanted to read but getting those books to them was the  question," said Murugaraj.

"I thought hard about this and realised that only solution  was to take the books to people and that is when the mobile library idea struck  me," he said.

To begin with, the young MBA  graduate started delivering books using his bicycle. But then one could only do so much with a bicycle, considering the number of books and people he was delivering  to.

"By then, friends too had  started contributing books to the library so I had a sizeable number with  me," he said.
A four-wheeler was clearly in  order, from which he could not only deliver books but also put them up on
display. Buying a van was something he could ill-afford, so hiring one was a  solution.

But then again, the daily Rs 800  rental was also beyond reach.It then struck him that he could  really use a van for just two to four days days a month and other days  transport the books on his bicycle.

And that's how Murugaraj's mobile  library has been functioning for the last seven months in Kumbakonam.

"It's a satisfying feeling  though I do not make any money. But I was alarmed about the fast declining  reading habit among people and children and wanted to do something about it.  This is the closest that I can come to in order to make people read more," Murugaraj told.

The lifetime membership price of  the roving library has been kept at a modest Rs 300 only because people cannot  afford anything more. "In the beginning I announced a monthly fees of Rs 300 but there were no takers, so I made it Rs 300 for lifetime and now I have almost 30 members. This is only the beginning. Once
people get into the habit of reading and enjoy it, they will come in big  numbers," the 'librarian' hopes.

Murugaraj is on his bike almost  everyday, dropping and collecting books. On the days when he hires a
four-wheeler, he tries to get new customers by parking the vehicle near  temples, colleges and schools in Kumbakonam.  He hands over the list of his  books with code numbers to interested people. Once a member is on board, all he has to do is pay the fee and receive the book at his doorstep by simply SMSing
the book code number to Murugaraj.Today 'Vallalar Library' as  Murugaraj has named it, has 356 books under 17 classifications. He takes on members from outside Kumbakonam and the rest of Thanjavur district.
He also takes on customers from Chennai. "I visit Chennai almost every week so I don't have an issue with
depositing books there," says Murugaraj.Actually, the real reason why Murugaraj visits Chennai so often is because he still runs his little  advertising agency from there, the earnings of which help him survive.

"My agency clients are few and small-sized but I get my bread and butter from the business. I do not make
any money from the library. With the earnings from the agency, Murugaraj has also employed an assistant to help him run the library."Sometimes there is too much  work and I can't do it alone. I also cannot afford to disappoint people at this  stage," he says.

Though Vallalar Library has a  variety of books, the books most frequently picked up are those on health and  self-help. Vallalar Library is on Facebook today and can be found on the web at vallalarlibrary.wordpress.com.
Murugaraj says that MBA taught him  planning and organising which helps him run the library methodically.
"I may have not learned  library management but I have learned about planning ventures and getting work
organised while doing my MBA. The learnings come back to me on a daily basis  when I deal with people and my library."And when asked about why he has  still not married, the MBA graduate has an even more modest answer. "I  hardly earn anything. Nobody wants to give their daughter in marriage to  me," he says.
But nothing deters Murugaraj. He  has his life planned ahead and knows what to do.

His mission to get people into the reading habit seems small and insignificant while his colleagues from his MBA class are pursuing big bucks and in big companies.

He says that his work makes him happy and his mission gives him the energy to do well everyday and that is far more satisfying than a job in a big multinational or owning a flashy car.

Those who would like to send books for Murugaraj's library can do so at:

Vallalar Library,
72/35, Moorthy Chetty Street,
Kumbakonam 612 001
Tanjore District,
Tamilnadu

Rahul Dravid

Rahul dravid

View more presentations from Maheta Shivang.

Here is the complete speech made by Rahul Dravid who announced his retirement from Tests and first-class cricket

I would like to announce my retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket. It has been 16 years since I first played a Test match for India, and I feel it's time for me to move on. Once I was like every other boy in India, with a dream of playing for my country. Yet I could never have imagined a journey so long and so fulfilling. I have had a wonderful time, but now it is time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian cricket team even further.

Rahul dravid

View more presentations from Maheta Shivang.

No dream is ever chased alone. As I look back, as one does at such a time, I have many people to thank for supporting me, teaching me and believing in me.

My junior coaches in Bangalore and at various junior national camps inculcated in me a powerful love of the game which has always stayed with me.

My coaches at the international level have added to my craft and helped shape my personality. They pushed me and challenged me to keep getting better. The physios and trainers worked hard to keep me fit -- not an easy job -- and allowed me to play late into my 30s.

The selectors who rarely receive any credit in India had, on occasions, more confidence in me than I had in myself and I am grateful for that. The various captains I played under offered me guidance and inspired me.

The media has been kind to me, and I have respect for their craft.

The KSCA and BCCI have provided me a platform and the facilities to play the game.

But most of all, I have to thank the teams I played with. I know what I am going to miss the most is being part of a unit. The joy of bonding together and striving to achieve a goal is what made cricket special for me. I was lucky in my early years to play for a Karnataka team which was trying to forge itself into a strong side and they were years of fun and learning.

In the Indian team, I was fortunate to be part of a wonderful era when India played some of its finest cricket at home and abroad. Many of my teammates have become legends, not just in India but in the wider cricketing world. I admired them, learnt from them and I leave the game with wonderful memories and strong friendships. It is a great gift to have.

A career in sport is almost impossible to manage without the support, guidance, and reassurance of family and friends. During tough times -- and there have been many -- they are the ones we go to. I found strength and encouragement from my parents (Sharad and Pushpa ) and brother (Vijay) and they created around me a positive environment which was essential to my success.

My wife, Vijeeta, has been a remarkable partner in my journey. She has made sacrifices in her own career and has almost been a single parent bringing up our children alone as I travelled abroad to play. Whenever challenges appeared, she was always there, as sounding board, as ally and as guide. Being away from my family became harder and harder through the years and I look forward now to spending time at home and doing the simple things, like just taking my sons (Samit and Anvay) to school.

Finally, I would like to thank the Indian cricket fan, both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you. To represent India, and thus to represent you, has been a privilege and one which I have always taken seriously. My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity, and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.

End of traditional bookstores?

PUNE: Visit any bookstore around you, and you are likely to find CDs, kids' toys, stationery, school/college textbooks jostling for space. Some stores even go as far as to showcase lifestyle accessories like gadgets, bags, home decorations, jewellery, watches and even perfume.

But if you are thinking that reading has waned, you'll be far from the truth. According to sources, reading has gone up by an estimated 15%. Books still form an integral part of our lives. With an estimated 90,000 titles produced every year in India by almost 19,000 publishers, and a projected growth of 30% a year, the fear that reading is going out of fashion seems to be unfounded.

If earlier it was piracy that was eating into book sales, now the new threat is the internet. E-book readers and e-commerce websites are defining the way we read nowadays. But Girdhar Agarwal, manager, of a leading bookstore chain on Senapati Bapat Road, says, "I personally feel readers still like browsing through books before purchasing. So sales at bookshops will not be largely affected. Yes we have suffered a loss of

5-10%, but I don't think it will be more than that."

Vimannagar resident Manohar K Pendse says, "I make it a point to visit a couple of my favourite bookstores every alternate month or so. Nothing can replace the feeling you get when you are hunting for books. But

unfortunately not many traditional bookstores survive today. Most are lifestyle stores masquerading as bookshops."

Anitha P Srinivas, a resident of Magarpatta says, "I often go to bookstores. But my objective is to check

out the titles I would like to read. I jot down their names, come back home and order them online. It is cheaper, as online sites always give you discounts. Many people I know do this."

E-book reader Kindle is another technological marvel that has changed reading habits. It is a library on the go. Hundreds of books are available to readers on their fingertips. The value of portability is not lost on readers. Imagine carrying a collection of all your favourite books wherever you go!

Devendra Gehlot, who floated an e-publishing company a year ago says, "E-publishing is still at a nascent stage in India. But people are getting more interested. As Kindle and tablet sales go up, e-book sales too would rise. It is just a matter of time before the big boom happens."

Even municipal school students in the city are being introduced to tablet PCs; this generation will not be buying

paper-and-ink books. E-publisher,  Abhaya Agarwal, adds, "Authors today are more tech-savvy. Hence, for them, e-publishing is always more inviting than print."

Amidst all this, traditional bookstores are facing the heat. Upendra Dixit, the owner of the oldest English bookstore in the city in Deccan, says, "Conventional and old-fashioned booksellers are feeling the pinch of technology. The effect on sales is marginal as of now, but it's growing every day. In five to 10 years' time, it

will be difficult for traditional bookshops to survive."

Kunal Ombase, who runs a bookstore on Laxmi Road that deals in Marathi books, though is quick to remind you that Marathi book sales have remained steady. One reason could be that Marathi books do not have to contend with e-book readers or e-commerce sites.

But for most bookstores, it is a difficult route. They are left with only a few options: either to turn their stores into a lifestyle store, as most big bookstore chains in the city are doing, or to branch out into selling stationery and textbooks, as medium-rung bookstores are opting to do. Either way, it is the readers who are losing out on the experience. Omkar S Varde, a resident of Koregaon Park, says, "There are so many new bookstore chains coming up. But, how many of them are traditional bookstores in the real sense? Why would I want to go to a

bookstore and buy  perfumes and chocolates?"

Ameya Shridhar, who runs a bookstore in Aundh, says, "We have had to branch out into selling stationery items and textbooks to supplement our sales. Piracy had already affected sales. Now, with massive discounts on online sites and availability of e-books, footfalls in stores have come down."

With bookstores metamorphosing into lifestyle stores, old-timers can only remember the good old days when

going to a bookstore meant just that.

Source | Times of India | 6 March 2012

'Education for All’ – Technology Enabled Learning By Pratima Amonkar, Director (DPE), Microsoft India

Since the beginning of time, humans have endeavored to ensure immortality by passing on learning to the next generation. It has always been imperative to leave behind value systems, cultural & social mores, religious doctrines, traditions and most importantly skills to the next generation. With the advent of writing systems, around 3500 BC, education underwent a metamorphosis.  Instruction could be more accurate and less constrained by geographical boundaries.  Ironically, though, this period also increased restrictions on education. Now, the changes in society were reflected in the access and the quality of education.   Social stratification meant that a person’s class, gender or caste determined or limited the occupation and therefore the education the person might receive. So, today, the reality is that access to quality education for all is not integral and needs legislation and strategy to be implemented.

Recognizing this need, UNESCO in 1990, had launched a global movement, aiming to meet the education needs of all by 2015.  With a six point goal sheet, 155 countries had pledged to make Education for All a key priority. While UNESCO leads this effort, globally, local support from NGOs, Governments, Development agencies, Civil Societies and media is crucial. 

Education in India is, undoubtedly, one of the imperatives for the country and the investment made over the years has contributed hugely in propelling India’s growth in the knowledge economy. The combination of quality content, partnerships, training, and broad access—complemented with the most appropriate technology to author, distribute, teach, and connect—can transform education and the economy.

So, what is the role that technology must play in addressing the challenges posed in providing EFA?

Access

Taking knowledge resources to the door step of the learner, technology helps provide access to all.  This is where industry efforts to drive affordable computing will support this key imperative.  In a large number of schools, in most developing nations, a single computer is shared by multiple children, often with ratios of as many as 5-10 children to a PC. MultiPoint is a paradigm in which individual access is provided to each child around a shared computer.  This results in increased educational value and greater engagement, and also effectively multiplies the value of each PC by providing simultaneous shared access.

E-learning also has a very key role to play as a powerful tool to provide standardized quality and equality of access.  E- Learning must be used as an effort multiplier for providing access.

Social media is increasingly finding a place in the hallowed corridors of formal education. Several examples of educators successfully using micro-blogging in classrooms exist and all of them have the common thread of creating classroom communities in which students can send questions or observations to peers, while in the classroom. Additionally, students from across the world can share knowledge and information beyond traditional national boundaries. The essential charm of social media is that they enable the growth and development of global communities which share knowledge, learning and best practices. They offer colleges and higher education institutions the benefits of intra and inter campus collaboration. 

Peer Collaboration

The role of technology to support and facilitate peer collaboration is unique and impactful. Technology can provide for connectivity and supply access devices.  Most importantly, technology can support content generation.  Tools like LCDs and Semblio help faculty develop innovative material that can increase education effectiveness.  Key to faculty success lies in supporting peer-mentoring, once again, through the use of technology.  Using technology to provide a platform to share ideas, build a community and pool knowledge resources will be the way forward in the future.

Digital Empowerment   

The power of technology in education can be felt most when it is used to bring about self-reliance through digital literacy.  In other words, teaching students and teachers to use technology effectively, helps them access online content and web-based learning which in turn increases the quality of the education imparted and finally implemented in the workplace. 

The role of technology, therefore, in driving Education for All is immutable. 

All of us, as a nation need to put our minds and might to this crucial imperative.  We need to join hands, to transform education through a grass root level change through community partnerships and inclusion. We need to personalize the change agenda for the benefit & development of local communities through vocational programs. 

Next, we need to use ICT to transform teachers in to coaches. Technology can also be used to support migration of talent across schools and colleges, promoting new ideas and fresh perspectives and best practices. 

Most importantly, we need to use technology to build the best and standardized digital content and make this content repository available for teachers on the cloud.  Using robust cloud platforms like Azure, we should help distribute this content in a personalized manner and in scale across all schools.

In conclusion, therefore, I would like to reiterate the indisputable role played by technology in ensuring access to quality education for all.

Guest Author’s Profile: - Pratima Amonkar is the Director, Academia for Developer and Platform Evangelism (DPE) at Microsoft India based out of Bangalore. In this role, she is responsible for spearheading Microsoft India’s efforts to foster the Indian software ecosystem through deep strategic engagements with students, educators, institutions and academic thought leaders. She is a core member of the Microsoft India Developer and Platform group as well as being a member of the WW global academia team. Having been educated extensively in the UK, Pratima has studied Electricity & Electronics from the University of London.  She has post-graduate qualifications in Computer Science and Technology and she pursued her passion for languages with an additional graduate degree in French from the University of Mumbai.  She represents Microsoft at several Governments of India and industry bodies. She is an honorary member of several University curriculum advisory bodies.  Pratima is also a core member of industry special interest groups with bodies like CII, NASSCOM and MAIT.

3G vs. 4G: What's the Difference?

For average consumers, '3G' and '4G' are two of the most mysterious terms in the mobile technology dictionary, but they're used relentlessly to sell phones and tablets. If you're shopping for a new phone, the answer isn't clear-cut, and you shouldn't always go for the higher number. Our primer will help explain which technology to pick.
3G vs. 4G: What Are They?First things first, the "G" stands for a generation of mobile technology, installed in phones and on cellular networks. Each "G" generally requires you to get a new phone, and for networks to make expensive upgrades. The first two were analog cell phones (1G) and digital phones (2G). Then it got complicated.
Third-generation mobile networks, or 3G, came to the U.S. in 2003. With minimum consistent Internet speeds of 144Kbps, they were supposed to bring "mobile broadband." There are now so many varieties of 3G, though, that a "3G" connection can get you Internet speeds anywhere from 400Kbps to more than ten times that.
New generations usually bring new base technologies, more network capacity for more data per user, and the potential for better voice quality, too.
4G phones are supposed to be even faster, but that's not always the case. There are so many technologies called "4G," and so many ways to implement them, that the term is almost meaningless. The International Telecommunications Union, a standards body, tried to issue requirements to call a network 4G but they were ignored by carriers, and eventually the ITU backed down. 4G technologies include HSPA+ 21/42, WiMAX, and LTE (although some consider LTE the only true 4G of that bunch, and some people say none of them are fast enough to qualify.)
There's one rule to follow: Each generation will offer faster Internet speeds than the last, that is, on the same carrier. Sprint's WiMAX 4G is almost always faster than its CDMA 3G. But AT&T's 3G HSPA can be faster than MetroPCS's 4G LTE. You can rely on speeds to move up within your carrier, though.
This confusion is why we run our annual Fastest Mobile Networks story, which tests 3G and 4G networks in 20 cities nationwide. In last year's tests, we generally found that Verizon's 4G LTE network was the fastest, followed by T-Mobile 4G HSPA+, AT&T 4G HSPA+, Sprint 4G WiMAX, MetroPCS 4G LTE, Verizon 3G, and Cricket 3G, with Sprint 3G pulling up the rear. As AT&T and Sprint roll out new LTE networks, we expect them to be competitive with Verizon's LTE speeds.
Check out Fastest Mobile Networks 2011 to find out which 3G or 4G network is fastest in your city. 
Would you like to know more about LTE, which is becoming the global standard for 4G? Read our primer on What Is LTE? over at ExtremeTech.
When to Go For 4GThe mobile carriers are still building out their 4G networks, so first, you need 4G coverage to appreciate a 4G phone. Of the national carriers, Verizon and T-Mobile have the broadest 4G coverage. AT&T currently covers about a quarter of the U.S. population.
Sprint is in the middle of switching 4G systems, from WiMAX to LTE. The two are incompatible, so you must check coverage in your city for the specific variety of 4G you're buying.
If you like to surf the Web and especially stream video, 4G can be heaven. If you connect a laptop to your mobile link, 4G makes a huge difference. In general, anything involving transferring large amounts of data gets a big boost from 4G. Watch out for the data limits on your service plan, though; it's easy to use up a lot of data very quickly with 4G.
If you have a 3G phone and you've been frustrated with clogged-up networks, 4G may be the solution. You'll be switching to a different, less-trafficked network for your Internet data. 4G won't solve any dropped call problems, though, as all calls will be made over 3G networks until carriers switch to voice-over-LTE during the next few years.
Finally, if you want to future-proof yourself, get a 4G phone. 4G coverage is only going to get better, and that's where the carriers are spending most of their money right now. As we move into 2013 and 2014, some carriers will even try to switch subscribers to 4G-only phones which make voice calls over the LTE network.
When to Buy 3GIf you want an iPhone, it'll be 3G. End of story. We're done. Apple may be releasing a 4G LTE iPhone later this year, but the company doesn't currently have a 4G model. (The "4" in iPhone 4 refers to the model number, not the mobile technology.)
If you live in an area that doesn't have 4G coverage, there's no advantage to a 4G phone. In fact, you'll have serious battery life problems if you buy an LTE phone and don't disable 4G LTE, as the radio's search for a non-existent signal will drain your battery quickly.
In general, if you value battery life more than Internet speeds, there's still life in 3G yet. We've seen significantly shorter usage times on 4G devices than on 3G devices, most notably on Verizon and Sprint phones. (Our LTE explainer goes into detail as to why that's the case, and why T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42 is currently the least battery-hogging form of 4G.) We'll see that situation improve over the next two years as integrated 3G/4G chips arrive, and then as carriers switch to 4G for voice calling. Of course, you can also buy a 4G phone and turn the option off using a menu option or downloaded app.
I hope this clears up the 3G vs. 4G dilemma. If you have anything to add, please continue the discussion in the comments below.

• By Sascha Segan