Mobile Computing; People on the Move

15 bleeding-edge network research projects you should know about

2007-04-25T17:27:00.000+00:00

Ever wondered what university's and independent labs are doing with the millions of dollars in funding they receive each year? Well here are 15 of the most interesting projects:

Could your keyboard spy on you?

Start-up testing auto-aiming antenna for wireless nets

Researchers claim network security breakthrough with quantum cryptography

Military research aims to develop self-configuring, secure wireless nets

Super stealthy Internet messaging method revealed

Diamonds are your cell phone's best friend

Watch out U2 and AC/DC: Here comes the air guitar shirt

More phishing suckers out there than we thought

Wireless energy could power electrical devices

Communicating even when the network’s down

Security researchers tout zippier way to squash computer worms

Study provides insight into hacks

Google research: Cranking up the heat may not harm your disk drives

Researchers say they peeled The Onion Router

Wi-Fi, without those pesky routers

New Mobile Computing Centre Launches

2007-04-23T17:55:00.001+00:00

Good news for New Zealand,

"Massey University is officially launching a centre for mobile computing at the end of May. The centre, which has been up and running for six months, is focusing on research in the areas of mobile business, mobile health and mobile learning, says Dennis Viehland, associate professor of information systems at Massey University’s Auckland campus."

[source: Computerworld]

Ultrasmall or just ultratricky

2007-04-14T07:43:00.000+00:00

Devices designed for mobile computing are getting ever smaller but humans are not, so when will designers manage to hit the sweet spot between small enough for portability and big enough to use and interact with?

Ultramobile computers, such as this Sony Vaio UX Premium, show the difficulty in making small PCs usable. Watching users fumble and nearly drop an early version of the FlipStart compact PC practically gave Robin Budd a heart attack. The users were simply trying to press the three-key sequence, Control-Alt-Delete.
“They would be holding the device in one hand, and they would try to get their three fingers on the keys at one time,” said Budd, senior director at FlipStart Labs. “You can do it if you’re fairly nimble with your fingers, but it’s sort of a tippy, precarious thing.” What was the solution you might ask: well the designers created a dedicated key marked “Ctrl Alt Del".
The smaller the device gets the better the interface has to get but really how small can they go?

Tablet PC LE1700 with extra sexyness

2007-04-11T14:00:00.000+00:00

Mobile Computing just got sexier with the release of the new Tablet PC LE1700 with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Technology.
The LE1700 breaks ground by being the first slate Tablet to pack a 1.5-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It doesn't stop there however, it has a host of other components and features including:

up to 4GB of RAM,
30GB or 60GB hard drives,
a biometric fingerprint reader,
TPM,
Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth,
3G connectivity (EV-DO Rev. A, HSDPA),
Vista Business or XP Tablet PC Edition 2005,
Motion WriteTouch display,
automatic switching between digitizer and touch input.
12.1-inch SXGA+ display

For those interested the LE1700WT starts at a base price of $2,199, or if that is a bit on the expensive side you could get the LE1700WT outfitted with an Intel Core Solo processor for $1,999.

[source: openPR]

Mobile Web Applications to Rival Microsoft Office

2007-04-09T13:20:00.000+00:00

In a previous post I talked about moving from one computer to the next and wanting to take my settings and applications with me.
Almost in passing I mentioned Google docs, but just today I have found another similar service which seems to have even more choice of web applications: ZOHO.
I have been using Google docs to store my dissertation and many other documents, so whenever I have a free minute and a computer attached to the Internet I am able to make additions and changes. I have found this service very useful and will probably continue to use it but I am a fickle person and always want to try new things (you never know if they are better without trying) so I am going to give some of ZOHO's products a try. I will let you know what I think once I have given them a bit of a road test.

Technology that just disapears

2007-04-09T08:58:00.000+00:00

Ed over at Pocket PC Thoughts has come up with yet another list of technology that came on strong and then just disappeared. He doesn't mean things like floppy drives which just got replaced by better technology; he refers to software which in theory should be able to evolve with people's demands. His list includes:
"

Netscape Browser - the first browser for the masses
Commodore Computing - The Commodore 64 was the first computer for home users to have real penetration into the market
PalmOS - The only thing left of PalmOS is a 5 year old platform being held together with spit and bailing wire to ineffectively keep up with today's mobile computing needs.
WordPerfect - WordPerfect was the de facto standard word processor, especially in legal firms.

"

[source: Pocket PC Thoughts]

The new Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series

2007-04-08T10:19:00.000+00:00

Intel Corporation introduced the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series with extended life cycle support the other day, to commemorate 30 years of delivering products and technology to the embedded computing market.
"The breakthrough performance and power efficiency that characterize the industry's first quad-core processors for embedded are as unmistakable as the raw power of the four cylinders of the Intel Chopper's quad engine,"

[source: itVARnews]

Projects

2007-04-07T16:59:00.000+00:00

Not quite related to mobile computing but it struck a cord. I like to think the projects I run don't go like this but I fear there may have been a few when I first started out.
[Source: linuxkungfu]

Run from a pen

2007-04-07T16:08:00.000+00:00

During the day I use several different computers and as such I am always looking for ways to take my personal settings with me from machine to machine.
Online products like Del.icio.us and google documents help with this but sometimes I actually want to take an application with me... well it turns out I can. Several application can actually be run from a USB Pen drive.
Pendriveapps.com has a list of several useful software products which can be run directly from a USB device.

Drawing Light

2007-04-06T19:38:00.000+00:00

What a great new way of communicating, makes me feel like the caveman thousands of years ago...

I like the way it takes the picture and enhances it.

[source: YouTube]

Speach "recognition" the Microsoft Vista way

2007-01-29T12:48:00.000+00:00

Slowly we see services reaching maturity in the area of speech recognition and TTS(Text To Speech). They could become the bridge between the virtual world of the web and the physical world. Microsoft may well realise this but unfortunately for them they have not managed to realise the dream yet...

[source: YouTube]

Cash for Clips

2007-01-26T13:26:00.000+00:00

There’s yet another user-gen scheme in the press today - this time it’s a service from Australia’s Telstra which allows users to upload their video clips and get a 50% share of the revenue ever time other users download the content. Users can view the clips on the mobile phones for A$1.00 per download, plus data charges.

[Source: apc]

LiMo

2007-01-26T13:22:00.000+00:00

The alliance dedicated to promoting mobile Linux has named itself LiMo. The alliance was formed in June last year and includes Motorola, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, DoCoMo and Vodafone.

[source: ZDNet]

Widget Station

2007-01-23T12:27:00.000+00:00

This little palm-sized WidgetStation was demonstrated at CES. No one is saying when or where it will be available but the hype is high.
"It shows the widget of your choice on its dual screens, and accesses its info via Wi-Fi, Ethernet or a USB connection to your PC or Mac."

[source: gizmodo]

Breaking News: Apple finally announce the iPhone

2007-01-10T13:50:00.000+00:00

After all the hype it is finally here! Steve Jobs has announced the Apple iPhone. It is a widescreen iPod with touch control, mobile phone connectivity and an Internet communications device, all rolled into one.
Gizmodo has kindly placed some videos of the iPhone online.

For more videos and information visit Apple.

[Source: Gizmodo]

The Venice Project

2007-01-09T12:19:00.000+00:00

What is The Venice Project?
"We're working on a project that combines the best things about television with the social power of the internet - a project that gives viewers, advertisers and content owners more choice, control and creativity than ever before."

I had a look around and found some screenshots: see this ppt and this ppt.

Barcode Tattoo

2007-01-09T12:05:00.000+00:00

Related to a previous post (SCANBURY) how do you feel about being tagged with a barcode?

Thanks to Cool Hunting

Mobile Computing Podcasts

2007-01-06T16:56:00.000+00:00

If like me, there are times when you just can't be bothered to read the news; you just want to hear about it... then Mobile Computing Authority is for you. They do a bi-weekly podcast covering mobile computing topics. Not sure about the intro with the cheesy voice over but stick with it, it makes an interesting listen.

Thanks to them for the image.

How fast are you?

2007-01-05T13:12:00.000+00:00

Your broadband provider has told you the speed you are getting but are they telling the truth. Broadband speed checkers are commonplace, but a new one makes it much easier for novice web users to visualise the speed of their connection.
Simply log on to Speedtest.net and select your local server then look in the "download" box for the speed.

The techie way
For a more accurate speed try out Bandwith Speed Test. It does a similar test to Speedtest.net but as it is downloading a real file as opposed to a test file, it actually looks at how your broadband and firewall interact.

Don't believe the wireless myths

2007-01-05T13:11:00.000+00:00

You've heard it all before:- wireless LANs are insecure and unnecessarily to expensive and difficult to support. Well don't believe them for an instant. Cisco along with the people at Forrester Research and Intel have come along to dispel all your wireless fears. They recently realised a report listing the five biggest wireless myths, putting an end to many a wireless fear.

The myths are:

Wireless networks provide limited benefits when compared with wired networks;
Wireless networks are not secure;
Wireless networks are complex to deploy and support;
Wireless networks are immature;
Wireless provides no business value beyond mobile data.

Wireless networks provide limited benefits when compared with wired networks

"The benefits of wireless networking go beyond simply providing data transfer to mobile devices. Productivity has long been singled out by wireless advocates as being the primary reason for adopting wireless technology. Several studies quantify productivity gains from wireless networks."

Along with productivity gains, enterprises can take advantage of a variety of new mobility services- these include voice and presence technologies that not only allow for faster and simpler communication but also help locate users on the network.

Wireless networks are not secure

"New security standards like IEEE 802.11i and the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) have emerged to match the robust protection previously found on wired networks."

"Even a “no Wi-Fi” policy is no guarantee of security against these threats without a comprehensive RF monitoring solution."

The paper provides a five-step approach for mitigating risks to the network from wireless threats:

"
1. Create a WLAN security policy.
2. Secure the WLAN.
3. Secure the wired (Ethernet) network against wireless threats.
4. Defend the organization from external threats.
5. Enlist employees in safeguarding the network."

Wireless networks are complex to deploy and support

"One of biggest changes in deploying wireless networks has been in client management. The mobility of wireless clients presents IT departments with increased complexity of managing clients to maintain the integrity and support of the enterprise network. Intel® Centrino® mobile technology overcomes these barriers."

Wireless networks are immature

"Thanks to Cisco and Intel collaboration, mature IEEE wireless networking standards, and third-party vendor support, wireless networks deliver a mature networking solution and provide a platform for enhanced value-added services to extract additional return from wireless networks."

As an example of a successful migration to wireless the paper uses Jones Farm, an Intel campus nestled in Oregon. They took to heart the notion that wireless networks are no longer cumbersome, troublesome, insecure beasts of the past. They made it so the entire campus is wireless-ready and the majority of tasks can be performed wirelessly.

Wireless provides no business value beyond mobile data

The report discusses several benefits achieved from wireless networks:

Location Services

Asset tracking
Presence

Voice Services

Cost avoidance
Universal telephony

Guest Access Services

Decreased support costs
Partner services

Security Services

Physical security
Rogue network containment

Basically what they are saying is that wireless is good so give it a try.

ITU digital.life report

2007-01-05T11:52:00.000+00:00

The 8^th edition of the ITU Internet Reports, entitled "digital.life" is available for download.

The series of ITU Internet Reports has been going since 1997. This edition has been specifically prepared for ITU TELECOM WORLD to be held in Hong Kong, China, from 4-8 December 2006.

The report examines how innovation in digital technology is radically changing individual and societal lifestyles.

I knew it... size DOES matter!

2007-01-04T12:39:00.000+00:00

Devices for mobile computing have come along way since their first beginnings such as the Psion Organiser and other 1980s pioneers of handheld computing. Today's devices have colour screens, wireless communications and the capability to run applications just a step down from those found on desktop PCs but what more have they got to offer us?

The newer smartphones and wireless handhelds are capable of downloading at 1.4Mbit/s which great (in fact it is not that far behind some fixed-line broadband connections) but few mobile applications would max out a 3G connection at the moment so what are we going to do with all that speed? It’s always nice to have a fast connection to browse the Internet, but what are you going to do on a device with a 3.5in screen that would require a large amount of data? There are applications such as AppServer that allow you to run your desktop applications from your mobile device but even they don't need to transfer that much data. There are promises of mobile TV and video-on-demand but how many businesses have being able to watch daytime TV as one of it's business goals?

So we come down to it....

It would appear that size is the limiting factor rather than technology. How do you squeeze a decent sized screen and keyboard in a small device that doesn't weigh you down or break your pocket? Designers seam to have settled on a handful of device formats over recent years:

the BlackBerry style with a qwerty keyboard beneath the screen;
the candy-bar smartphone design;
the clamshell design;
and the traditional PDA style with a touch-sensitive screen.

Each have their advantages and disadvantages but none are perfect.

There are new and exciting types of devices coming out such as the Ultra-Mobile PC which are not much bigger than Smartphones and PDAs but promise to give access to full-blown Windows applications. Unfortunately these are still in the early stages and so suffer from size restrictions, lack of battery life and bad processing power in comparison to laptops.

The only way out of the limitations imposed by the restriction on size is for mobile devices to have more innovative user interfaces, get out of the box and become more creative. Not strictly mobile computing I know but the Nintendo Wii's controls are a good example of being creative with the way the user interacts with the device. I am not suggesting smart phones have motion sensors in them so you wave it to do an action... although watching people waving their phones around would be an interesting sight. If people want to have small devices but a lot of information on them designers will need to be more innovation.

SCANBURY

2007-01-04T12:22:00.000+00:00

Carrying on my mobility theme of wow isn't that cool... I bring to your attention SCANBURY, which in their words "enables camera phones to capture and immediately decode printed or electronically displayed barcodes.
One scan to stream music, watch trailers, download ringtones, access information, and shop with your cell phone."
SCANBURY has been tipped as one of the leading companies which might break open the Physical World Connection market(QR, RFID, barcodes) and I just read at The Pondering Primate that they received a Mobile Barcode Patent. This patent can only be good for SCANBURY but I personally think it could be bad for the mobile community as a whole; patents can have a tendency of stifl innovation, but time will tell.

Transfer data from PC to phone for FREE

2007-01-03T13:08:00.000+00:00

A new application helps people transfer information from the Web to a mobile device vial Bluetooth® Wireless Technology.

Imagine being able to transfer Internet content such as maps, addresses, phone numbers and other text and image from your Bluetooth enabled PC to another Bluetooth enabled device such as a phone or PDA. As it is transferred over Bluetooth the data will also be free of charge. This free data transfer is now made possible thanks to the Bluetooth SIG today which introduced its TransSend client/server application. By providing this free, useful, on-the-go capability to consumers, the Bluetooth SIG hopes to help increase customer satisfaction of Bluetooth enabled devices and drive visitors to TransSend enabled web sites.

Harness the Power

2007-01-03T12:55:00.000+00:00

Mobility is a wonderful thing as I have said many time before. Its potential is almost limitless but the take up has been a slow process. As mobility gets built into more and more products and services, businesses need to learn how to harness the power and manage the dangers of mobility. Here are couple of examples of applying the power of mobility to create competitive advantage:

Don't be left behind start thinking about how you can use mobility to your advantage.