Wireless – Page 110 – Digital-Lifestyles

US Wireless Broadband Market Grows – But Which Standard Will Survive?

One thing is for certain – demand for wireless broadband is going to increase rapidly in the US. However, perceived competition between the three main access technologies means that many companies don’t know how to meet that demand.

WiFi, WiMAX and 802.20 are three technologies for providing broadband network connections wirelessly, and it’s difficult to tell which one to back in this race.

WiFi is well established, has a reasonably large installed base and is in use globally. As McDonalds have already named their WiFi provider, you can tell it’s reached mainstream.

WiMAX is backed extensively by Intel and Nokia, and is rapidly emerging as a favourite, though cards employing the technology and WiMAX-enabled laptops are not expected to reach the market until 2007.

WiMAX, based on the 802.16 standard, has huge bandwidth – typically more than 30 times that of 3G data services – and it allows subscribers to receive broadband network access simply by attaching a receiver to their home. This method is being trialled by BT in rural areas as an alternative to digging up fields. The standard is also suitable for people on the move as WiMAX can be used in vehicles up to a speed of 150 Km/h.

The 802.20 wireless networking standard will let you travel at 250 Km/h and still keep a network connection, and so is ideal for deployment on high speed trains.

There are some overlaps between the two technologies, but they are not meant to compete. WiMAX is intended for fixed locations like houses, or a mobile user with a PDA or laptop. 802.20 is intended for high-speed mobility, and can be overlaid on top of an existing WiMAX network.

The WiMAX forum

Senza Fili Consulting’s report on wireless broadband

Inside 802.16

Vocera’s Wireless Voice Communicator

Vocera have developed a wireless voice communicator, worn around your neck, that provides push-to-talk calls and voice recognition via wi-fi.

The communicator itself is tiny – 4.2” x 1.4”, because there’s just not much to the the device itself. To achieve the functionality, system is in two parts: the communicator badge, and the server side software that does all the hard work like recognising speech. Text messages and alerts can also be sent to the device – and read from the LCD on the back.

Vocera are concentrating on health care applications – the ease of use for the Voice Communicator and cost savings make it idea for deployment in hospitals, and it offers far more features than a pager.

Vocera’s voice communication system

Gateway’s Wireless, XP Media Centre-aware, DVD Player

Gateway have released an upgrade to their wireless DVD player – and it seems to be a world first. The ADC-320 Wireless Connected DVD Player will take a wide range of content from your PC and show it on your TV. Ideal for watching all those TV programs you recorded with the Windows Media Centre PVR.

The 802.11g enabled player will connect to a PC up to 300 feet away, and is compatible with Windows Media Centre as well as ordinary Windows boxes. Interestingly, multiple ADC-320s on the same wireless network can “listen in” on a media stream and display the same content in multiple locations – handy for events and large parties. Consequently, the DVD player incorporates security features to enable it to comply with secured networks, supporting WEP and WPA encryption.

The player also supports a large range of formats: MP3, MPEG1, 2 and 4, Windows Media , Microsoft PVR and AVI files.

This new hardware is essentially the previous ADC-220 with a firmware upgrade and a 802.11g card in the back – in fact, Gateway are already offering an upgrade path to the 320 through their website.

An ADC-320 will set you back US$199 (€166), and is available now.

More about the ADC-320

UK Train Company Offering WiFi Trains

GNER, a UK train operator, will be rolling out WiFi access to all 302 carriages of its Mark 4 fleet. This follows a successful trial launched in December.

Named the GNER Mobile Office, the first trains to run the service will be between Kings Cross and destinations in the East Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland.

The on-train WiFi network is connected to a satellite to provide internet access. But what happens when you go into a tunnel? The network drops back to a GPRS connection.

The service is free to first class customers, everyone else pays £4.95 (€7.53) per hour.

“We are confident that the new service will encourage more people to take the train instead of driving or flying,” GNER CEO Christopher Garnett said. Cleaning the toilets once in a while might also be a good low-tech way of getting people to take a train too – just a suggestion.

GNER Mobile Office

Ofcom’s Digital Switch Over Report

“Driving Digital Switchover”, Ofcom’s report to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, contains 30 findings and recommendations for the UK’s move to digital broadcasting, and the decommissioning of analogue signals.

Ofcom are recommending that the switch, due to be completed by the end of 2010, should be phased in region by region, shutting down analogue channels one at a time. They believe that a firm timetable will encourage the adoption of digital broadcasting between 2007 and 2010.

Additionally, they suggest that the UK Government review the BBC’s obligations to digital and add further requirements, including: obligations on rolling-out digital transmission nationwide, providing public information, continuing to provide its channels on the free-to-view satellite platform, and providing on-air marketing of digital TV on a platform-neutral basis.

Importantly, Ofcom believe that free-to-view digital satellite will play an important part in increasing adoption of digital viewing, particularly with those who do not wish to subscribe to services such as Sky. Ofcom is considering regulatory intervention “to secure a viable free-to-view satellite proposition.”

SwitchCo is the body that Ofcom are suggesting is created to be responsible for managing the switch-over by the agreed date. The suggest that the body is entirely independent and not run by the government, any broadcaster or even Ofcom.

About the Report

The Report

Vodafone and Warner Bros. Online in Wireless Distribution Deal

Vodafone and Warner Bros. Online have singed a deal to bring Warner Bros. branded content to mobile phones. There are no details over what brands will be exploited as yet, but WB have announced that they will be initially providing games, screensavers, alerts and other mobile applications, including video content.

Amongst others, WB have such valuable global brands as The Matrix, Friends and Harry Potter.

Details are currently scarce, but the agreement covers some 16 countries. Aside from being a revenue-earner, WB are hoping that the deal will bring increased exposure to its brands and help promote upcoming projects.

It seems the announcement is following the growing trend of content providers teaming up with distributors to leverage their brands in other arenas – similar to has already been witnessed with brand owners licensing brands to video game publishers, magazine houses and toy manufacturers. Expect many more of this sort of deal in future.

The press release

BBC Live Quiz Show First to Use Java on mobile

Broadcasters have flirted with interactivity in quiz shows for a long time – and there have been a few examples lately using mobile phones to SMS answers. However, the BBC has teamed with Tailor Made Films to develop the next stage – proper interactivity on multiple platforms, including a mobile phone and web-based Java applets. The game can also be played on Freeview and through satellite set-top boxes.

The project has been on the go for about 18 months, and has evolved since its inception. SMS was considered in the early days, but was rejected as it was too restrictive.

Neil Pleasants, Managing Producer at Tailor Made Films told Digital Lifestyles why they favoured Java: ” Java is portable – you can take it to other countries and it’ll work. Digital TV platforms might as well be written in Martian, they don’t transfer — the platforms differ wildly as their capabilities.”

The BBC website explains the format of the quiz: “Come And Have A Go… offers viewers the chance to challenge the studio winners head to head. Playing on interactive TV, Java, or web, teams at home answer the same questions as the studio teams. At the end of the first part of the show a satellite camera is whisked off to join the top scoring home team – wherever they are in the UK. In the second part of the show, the home team competes live against the studio team for the cash prize.” The cameras are on motorbikes distributed around the country.

Neil went onto explain how Java has enabled them to sell the programme into other markets with the minimum of trouble: “We’re taking the programme worldwide. When we went into countries and explained the idea, they loved it. But they didn’t know about the actual technology. We’ve made the technology as simple as possible and that’s the key, because that is so essential everywhere.” Tailor Made films even have an idea for a branded phone.

Their first phase was getting the programme into Western Europe, America, Australia and Scandinavia – the second phase will be Eastern Europe, Middle East, Japan and China.

Java also allowed Tailor Made to build high levels of security into the quiz applet to prevent cheating, including timestamping. This is just as well: the guaranteed minimum prize is UK£30,000 (US$55,000, €45,000) the largest ever weekly prize ever given out on a British television programme.

Neil believes that content is maturing to match the platforms available: “This is as interactive as it gets.”

The official website

Tailor Made Films

Sun’s Java home

Asus Announce WiFi Hard Drive Enclosure

Asus have produced a hard drive enclosure with a built in 802.11g adaptor and two 10/100 Ethernet ports: the WL-HDD. At 54 Mps on the wireless connection, it’s not really fast enough for heavy corporate use on the 802.11g connection only, but it is ideal for a home server – and is priced accordingly: approx US$150 for the enclosure, you supply the ATA-100 drive.

Like many network attached storage systems, the device is managed through a simple HTML interface, enabling administrators to grant access to files on the drive.

Matt Jones comes up with an interesting idea

Techworld on the WL-HDD

3 Announce Videotalk to PC

We have to admit – it’s quite compelling: with 3’s new Videotalk to PC service, subscribers on the 3 network can call any PC with email and a webcam and have a videophone conversation. The service will roll out in Australia shortly.

It’s a great idea – and will help spread the use of 3G video phones because now you have more than just a few other 3G video phones to talk to.

NEC’s 606 and 808 handsets are already compatible – and a software upgrade will allow Motorola A920 users join in. PC users need a webcam and need to register to use the service before they can take calls.

The service is in use in Italy, and about to launch in Hong Kong. Calls are charged at national Videotalk rates.

3G.co.uk on the story