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Practical Universal Wireless
A reader writes "A story in Technology Review today outlines the advances in wireless that need to take place before wireless broadband can be effecitive. Quite frankly, I'm getting a little sick of the whole notion of wireless internet access and until improvements are made to both wireless input and output devices, the only thing I will use the "wireless web" for is to check a Red Sox score."
and not be charged for incoming calls
and pay no mothly fee as the vast majority of non-USA wireless providers,
I'd be happy.
For any wireless service, the first step to get any decent quality is to exit USA territory.
USA cellphone/wireless/wireless data providers suck, period.
OTOH, I'm a Palm VII user, and that strikes me as a much more reasonable wireless device form factor. It has a screen easily three times as big as a WAP phone, and a much more convenient UI (tap the screen to "click" on a link). And, for text entry, Graffiti (or Jot, if you're so inclined) may not be perfect, but it beats "typing" on a phone keypad hands down.
The biggest drawbacks are the speed (9600 bps max, via the BellSouth Mobitex network), the need for "query applications" to visit Web sites (although if you download the Google PQA, you can get around this to some degree), and, of course, the cost. It's also not a true TCP connection, like the Palm Vx/OmniSky combo can do; if I were starting again, I'd probably go the Vx/OmniSky route (or the Visor Platinum/OmniSky route). I do wish I'd waited for the VIIx, too, especially now that they're so heavily discounted.
Eric
--
Be who you are...and be it in style!
You're all alone, then. Apple's 2K series Newton was just that, and they sold about 12 of 'em. No steel case, but it was sturdy.
What you ask for costs big money (well, it did 4 years ago). Nobody wanted it.
"Beware by whom you are called sane."
Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
It sounds like you need an iBook running Mac OS X.
No, it's not a PDA, but i's pretty small, pretty light, and covers pretty much what you want, and $300 cheaper too.
"Beware by whom you are called sane."
Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
Okay, maybe mathmatician is a strong word. How about "any person with a checkbook" then?
When using the calculator to figure out how much is in their checking account, the end result (usually fitting on a 10 digit calculator) tells the person:
My point is that even a simple number, in context, gives massive ammounts of information. It's all in the context and how it's accessed, not the size of the display.
But then, I think you knew that and was just trying to be irritating...
"Beware by whom you are called sane."
Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
If there was a hover-car/boat/jet plane, I think many people would flock to it, provided it wasn't expensive.
Bloat is relative -- vis. emacs vs. vi religious wars. I don't want my Palm acting as a phone. It's too unweildy to use as a phone (the width of it, I mean). However, I sure think it's stupid that I have phone numbers in two places -- in my phone and in my Palm. I'd like to be able to sync those to together. However, I don't want to be FORCED to carry both (i.e. in order to recall phone numbers I have to have the Palm). If they synced automagically, even better.
The screen size is not the problem -- you can display plenty of information on a very small screen. As an example, look at a regular 10 digit display calculator. In the hands of a mathmatician, it can convey MASSIVE ammounts of information in a meaningful way. A Palm (or even a cellphone display) can do the same, as long as the information is displayed in such a way that the information is easily retrievable.
It's not the ammount of information, it's how it's presented.
"Beware by whom you are called sane."
Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
and (firewire) isn't designed for daisy-chaining (but someone correct me if I'm wrong on this one.)
You're wrong. It is designed for daisy chaining in a manner very similar to USB. The only reason why most people haven't seen this is because of a lack of Firewire products. You've got your video camera hooked up, now what? (Well, okay, you might have a hard drive and CD-R burner as well - but all three? unlikely. also unlikely that you'd use all three at once.) Yes, there are Firewire hubs, although, like most things Firewire, they're unreasonably expensive.
In nearly every reguard, Firewire is superior to USB. Oh, except for price point! :)
Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
I do. Using palm Vx and Omnisky:
email when I'm remote and away from a net connection - regularly.
look up tech info on a website - several times - depends on which web browser works (Avantgo is best overall as a web browser, but syncing channels wirelessly is PAINFUL)
get directions/phone numbers to someplace I am trying to find (work and personal)
check stocks - became too painful watching my alleged net worth evaporate
trade stocks - haven't bothered to make necessary changes to my account
Check news, slashdot - when I'm bored, assuming there is a PQA out there (or I'll start using sitescooper)
remote access via ssh to other boxes - several times when I needed it and this was only way. Also handy for irc access.
Granted, the connections are sometimes slow and not always reliable, even in places you'd expect them to be solid. And the omnisky software can go belly-up at the damndest times.
I was reading the Tech Review article last night, and I think the combination of dual-mode (CPDP + digital network) "modems" and improvements to the software will make wireless access "good enough", at least for techno-geek early adopters.
As my spouse rarely uses a PDA for more than an address and appointment book, I think it'll be a while for the masses. And USEFUL unification of PDAs, phones, 2-way pagers is even further off.
Now, you do need to be close to a transmitter (kind of like with the wireless internet thing) but they are all over the world. Everywhere. It's amazing how this thing has taken off. This guy named Marconi invented the whole thing in his basement, so he should get plenty of Slashdot cred.
Heck, like TCP/IP the protocol is totally open source, and it's easy to build your own transmitter or receiver. Heck, there is even a simple encryption scheme available.
But wait, there's more. With a simple hardware add on, you can enjoy interactive events and IM.
I tell you. This technology is here, and it is here to stay. Give it a chance. You might enjoy it.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
As an example, look at a regular 10 digit display calculator. In the hands of a mathmatician, it can convey MASSIVE ammounts of information in a meaningful way.
I'm curious exactly what massive amounts of information a mathematician is presenting here. I've worked pretty closely with a lot of mathematicians and from what I've seen most of what they do is in high-level symbolics. How do you express a theorem or a vector space or even an integral from calculus one on a 10-digit text display? While I agree that small displays can be very useful and if presented well can convey a lot of information, I believe you analogy of a mathematician using a calculator screen is flawed. Frankly, numbers tend to be of a lot less importance to mathematicians than theorems and symbologies.
Exactly. I was not trying to be "irritating" at all, I was trying to make a point that the poster's assertion was flat-out wrong. There's a certain information bandwidth for any given device which can not be exceeded, and while the original poster was correct in saying that small displays can convey more information than one would expect, his calculator analogy was dead wrong. Like you said, it is the context which holds the information, not the display.
we lost :)
The whole wireless ploy has become such overkill, that it's stomach turning. The benefits of having a Palm or other device for Wireless access is not a neccessity by any means in real world scenarios, they just make things easier.
Too many companies are trying to focus on stamping out product after product while failing to give just one definite product to handle it all.
E.g. If there were a combo pager/cell/pda I think many people would flock to it, provided it wasn't filled with bloat. Not saying bloat is always bad, but I see many of these wireless PDA's on the market with nothing worth true substance to make me want to buy it.
I have my cell, page, laptop which I carry around, so other than trying to keep up with the Jones' I see no need to run out and buy something I already have by carrying around my other gizmo's.
One, my laptop stores more info than a PDA, and its easier to use than scrolling a little pen over a small ass screen. Secondly my pager sends me news every hour, and I can receive email on it too. My phone can receive the same, news, and email, so what makes the PDA companies think I need to carry extra baggage to access these features. Typical email can wait, as if there is an emergency, via pager or cellphone, I can be emailed or paged.
Should I need to store information, I would rather jot it down on good old pen and paper to xfer it to my pc's should I not have on powered on. Just imagine getting a super models phone number then smashing your PDA by accident (bad example but hopefully many will see the probs I find with PDA based stuff). You're screwed.
While companies may brainstorm on how big of a screen they should make, or what new programs they could insert on the limited diskspace, maybe one, just one vendor can do something a'la mid sized (between PDA, and Laptop sized) all in one combo phone/pager/laptop and do away with all those annoying little PDA's.
Want Root?
I have a wireless device that gives me Red Sox scores, along with realtime play-by-play and color commentary (in two languages), and fan feedback (accessable from any telephone).
Also, I get traffic and weather reports, news headlines, and the latest stock market numbers.
Not only that, but there are channels that stream the latest hits in near-CD quality, too.
All for the low, low price of $9.95. No hidden monthly fees, no credit card required.
It's called a "transistor radio" and it's nearly forty years old.
Sheesh.
k.
--
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people
are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
I see people posting that pervasive wireless net access isn't necessary, that they wouldn't use it, that existing laptops, cells, pdas, etc. are sufficient for their needs. These people sound like the people in the 70s that thought PCs weren't necessary because mainframes were perfectly capable of handling all their computing needs. What you aren't getting is that new uses, new applications could become possible that aren't possible (or practical) today. All the things you do with computers today evolved in their environments and are best suited to those environments. Of course those things could be cumbersome/impractical in some other environment. But new ways of doing things will evolve in that other environment that may be better than the old ways.
In other words, try to think beyond next month.
The same technology that will deliver wireless to your PDA could just as easily deliver broadband to your home PC.
With reliable broadband being hideosly difficult to get, there needs to be a way to centralize the way it is provided. DSL is not a viable solution for the long term, nor is cable. Right now, it's almost impossible to know if with any certainty that you can even get them in an area until they are actually set up and working.
Here's an interesting story: while looking for apartments with broadband access, I happend upon one complex which advertised that it could get dsl through Verizon. I called Verizon, and they confirmed this. I even checked dslreports.com. After signing a lease and setting up my phone number, I unfortunately found out that the second floor was connected to a different Central Office (CO) than the first floor, and was thus over the maximum distance that Verizon provided dsl (16,200 ft). My apartment was on the second floor, so I was SOL. Just goes to show you that you don't know if you can get broadband until you actually get it.
The point is that DSL and Cable require costly equipment installations in multiple locations (COs). This contrasts with the idea of setting up a few wireless towers throughout a city to serve everyone. Unless you live behind a mountain, you'll probably be covered. Plus, when it comes time to upgrade, all the wireless provider has to do is upgrade some tower locations and maybe its own office. No local phone companies or obsolete cable equipment to deal with.
If anyone with $$ out there is listening and can do this, I know lots of people who would pay lots of money if they could get reliable, fast broadband at home.
P.S -- if anyone can recommend good broadband capable apts in North Dallas, please let me know :)
You're looking for a Toshiba Libretto or one of the Sony Vaio sub-notebooks.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Palm isn't as bad because it is much more stable, and doesn't typically suck down batteries with a color screen, but it still lacks decent software, has a tiny screen, and data input is painful.
To shorten this story.... I got a Psion 6mx. Found that it had a 640x240 screen, full keyboard, compact flash port, terminal emulator, backlit screen, great battery life, and the most impressive line-up of applications ever on a handheld. Type up documents with all the formatting you could want, the ability to integrate spreadsheets, or a graph resulting from a spreadsheet, drawings, built-in clipart. Print directly from the Psion to an IR printer, connect the serial cable to the printer, or connect to your PC and use your desktop printer. All this is just built-in, and much more is avilable. There's also a built-in database, scientific calculator with previous commands displayed on screen, etc. Before I get too carried away here, I'll just say that Psion creates tools for business people, not toys like M$ and Palm (it's their slogan). They have no bells and wistles to attract the uneducated, but I doubt any user will be able to give theirs up. I've personally rid myself of several pounds of papers, notes, books, just because the Psion does it all. All the complaints in this message, and the main article, would be a non-issue if they had used Psions for 5 minutes.
Forgive the rant,but it needs to be said... Just because the two big players are mimicing each other, doesn't mean all handhelds are as bad. But whoever buys the handheld that doesn't have the bells and wistles?
www.psionusa.com
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Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
I think the technology for wireless exists, but the motivation from companies is low. What I would like to see is a 802.11b repeater that would cost very low (under $20 or so) then you can install these little devices in every light post!
If the electric companies want to get on the Internet, here is what they need to do, develop this device, mass produce it. Make channel 1 lets say the "public" access. Each of these repeaters would have a router and dhcp server. (run RADIUS with WAP so you can get your profit)
This CAN be done with current technology, but the motivation and investment from companies is so low, that no one is pursuing this.
hmm... for fun I enjoy launching DDoS attacks against 127.87.42.5
Wireless networking would fall a few points above that, particularly if you were a customer representative/salesperson. For the rest of us? Another expensive toy.
Let me just blow your entire, ignorant theory out of the water with one simple idea:
Imagine what all the telecommuters in the world would do if their broadband internet connection was wireless and worked ANYWHERE on Earth.
"And like that
Funny you should mention this... I worked for a company which contracted and had regular employees telecommute. They all worked from home anyway, as that was where all their development materials (manuals, printouts) were. Great if you aren't so media resource-intensive, but hardly a convincing argument (Hey! I'm such a dork, I take my laptop with satellite communications on a cruise ship to do work!) Reality is, there's few occupations in which telecommuting is an option. (Sorry, you can't paint houses from your broadband enabled PDA! Doh!) Where it is an option, the field I work in, it's still a minefield which requires some navigation to be able to, what with employers worried about liabilities (is your home actually a safe work environment, would you allow OSHA to inspect it?) We've been trying to get that option for some time and have been advised it's pretty unlikely at this juncture.
And in case you missed it, the labor market isn't as strong as last year this time and IT folk have a lot less leverage.
-- .sig are belong to us!
All your
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
-- .sig are belong to us!
All your
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I saw this interview linked to on securityportal. This guy Dennis Blaine talks about the future of wireless sec. I like this part best...
Q: Why don't we have that today?
A: Just like there is a huge number of types of mobile platforms and methodologies, you could also have the same number of encryption technologies. To date, no one has addressed that problem: the problem of how a single carrier can accommodate all those different encryption technologies.
My point is that the one thing keeping me from adapting is that fact that I can't really do the things that I think are really important like checking my stocks, or bank account, or even my yah00 mail. They are my passwords and I'd like em to stay that way.
BOSTON SUCKS!
From my reading, the article deals with advances in the user interfaces for mobile systems. It has very little to do with wireless communications. The UI issues would be equally applicable to a system that had no wireless communications, with the I/O devices connected via wires.
Keep your ears open for IS-856-based technology. This is part of the CDMA-2000 standards family and has been developed by Qualcomm corporation. When this is deployed, you will have many vendors building to one standard that provides you with cellphone and high-speed wireless access. All sorts of cool devices will be available. Look for deployments beginning the middle of 2002.
Magnus.I use my cel (Samsung 6500) to check my work mail when I'm in transit in the morning and to check news. The UI is painful and the only reason I use it is because I start getting the shakes if I can't get online (I'm pathetic,I know). I think that a better UI and slightly larger screens (A Palm sized screen would be great if it had a better UI) would do it. A co-worker has the Visor Deluxe with the wireless modem and folding keyboard and it is truly awesome.
this is getting old and so are you
blog
I tried using it for on the spot E-bay price checks.
The idea was to hunt around in the bargain / flea markets, see what was available, vs. the price on e-bay.
To some extent, it did work. I was able to check the prices, and my ebay profits went up.
I ended up quitting it in about 3 weeks.
The problem I ran across was the interface. All these wirless web WAP thingys use CPCD, right? (I'm W/ ATT Wireless). I've used CPCD on laptops before, and the speed wasn't too bad for browsing, especially if you disable image loading. On the other hand, surfing on my Ericcson RLX280 was an excruciatingly slow process.
Is there some sort of overhead associated w/ WAP or perhaps the WAP/Phone browsers? I can't see data transfers taking 15-20 seconds for less than 2k of text.
If there's a castle floating upside down in the sky, then there's a castle floating upside down in the sky.
I recently convinced by boss to get me a Ricochet PC card (128K wireless in major metropolitan areas), and I have to say that's it's awfully nice. If this is the beginning of the wireless web, then it's something we should be excited about. Unfortunately, this seems to be a niche market. If we're betting the future on cellphones and pagers, we've got a long way to go. Ricochet works with the iPaq, but even that (relatively large display area) isn't very enjoyable for browsing.
I'm a little concerned for those friends of mine who are working at wireless startups (generally the only internet-related startups with cash to burn this year.) All the reformatting technology in the world isn't going to overcome the fact that the "wireless web" is nothing more than a stripped down version of gopher running on a cellphone.
Nope, sorry, wrong answer. USD and firewire are complementary, not competing, technologies.
USB is designed for relatively low-speed desktop devices, such as keyboards and mice with a maximum speed of 1.3 Mb/sec and can daisy-chain devices. Firewire, on the other hand, runs at 400 Mb/sec, and isn't designed for daisy-chaining (but someone correct me if I'm wrong on this one.)
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www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance
I'm in cautious agreement. I've seen some demos on TV of what the 3G DoCoMo stuff can do, and it's pretty incredible. Streaming video on your 3G mobile phone! Too bad they had to postpone the rollout until October because of network problems.
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www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance
The wireless access touted by cell phones and PDA's is useless. Or at least there has been no compelling use found yet. But wireless access for laptops via 802.11b is great. I'm posting this from a Coffeeshop in Seattle that has wireless access with no charge. I also have a Wireless access point at home and at the office. With five hours of battery life in my PowerBook I can work almost all day without plugging in. I've been doing this for almost a year now and there is now way I'm going back to wires. Taking the laptop into the bathroom to read the news finally killed my newspaper subscription (besides, slasdot doesn't deliver) What we really need is to get more places wired with 802.11b so that you can real internet access in more places. From the amount of time I spend in this one coffee shop (and it's always packed, getting a table after five is tuff) there is a compelling business argument for providing access for customers.