July 30, 2007

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Editor’s note:
Is it ever fast enough?

What's New:
• Inside the Sprint/Google WiMAX plan
• Consortium builds better smartphone RFID

Executive Analysis:
• Iris scans come to smartphones
• Wireless USB is here

Also Noted:
Smartphone, dual-mode shipments to increase; Verizon steps around Qualcomm ban;
And much more...

Hands-On Wireless:
• GPS worth a strike for NYC cabbies?
• CIOs doubt telecommuting value

OK, I'll admit it: I'm thrilled to see the news about Wireless USB. I mean, who wouldn't be excited about 480 Mbps wireless links on the desktop? My desktop tends to look a lot like the overgrown brambles that surrounded Sleeping Beauty's castle, with cables running from machine to device to machine. Just the thought of getting rid of those cables while maintaining performance is wonderful. At the same time, I've started to wonder whether it's time for system vendors play a little game of catch-up with the networking folks. The thing that really got me thinking about this was a local engineer who talked about the possibility of a 10Gig network connection to his desk. Now, that's all well and good, but neither the system bus nor the disk interface of any desktop machine will handle data flowing at 10 gigabits. One of the great laws of computing performance is, "There's always a bottleneck", and for years the network has provided that bottleneck in most enterprise applications. We're rapidly reaching a point at which the network isn't the slowest component, and that means there's some serious work ahead for system designers.

I can't wait until they get the designs right for faster buses and disk interfaces, as I know they will. It's going to be a great time to use enterprise applications--especially when the network vendors realize that it's their turn to up the ante yet again. -Curtis

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What’s New

1. Inside the Sprint/Google WiMAX plan

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WiMAX is coming, and not a moment too soon. Analysts differ on how rapidly WiMAX will roll out, and which carriers will bring it to market first, but Sprint knows that it wants to be early--and the company has decided that teaming with Google for the software side of its service is the way to win customers and to influence the industry. It's not that Google will be the only software that can run on the service's portals--Sprint is publishing an API so that other publishers can write too. Google will be first, though, and surely, the most prominent.

For more on Sprint's WiMAX/Google plans:
- read the complete story at CIO-Today

2. Consortium builds better smartphone RFID

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A group of industry participants and university-based engineers have joined forces to develop an enhanced RFID interface for smartphones. The participants want Low-level Reader Protocol to become a widely-used standard for RFID in the field, allowing various organizations, from the smallest to the largest, to take advantage of the wireless ID technology.

For more on improving RFID:
- read the technology story at eWeek

Executive Analysis

1. Iris scans come to smartphones

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OKI Electric has introduced new software that will bring iris recognition technology to smartphones, as biometric two-factor authentication becomes more desirable for mobile enterprise platforms. The iris reader software will allow any smartphone with a 1-megapixel or better camera to scan and recognize an individual's unique iris pattern in lieu of a hard-to-remember password. Smartphones have seen authentication added to software suites, and outboard network equipment frequently boasts improved authentication as one of its benefits. The new OKI system, though, uses the smartphone's built-in hardware to power the biometric identity assurance.

For more on retina scanning for smartphones:
- read the complete article at Windows For Devices

2. Wireless USB is here

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Wireless communications just get faster and faster. Now, they've hit true USB speeds as the first products from D-Link, Dell, Lenovo and IO-Gear have been certified for wireless USB 1.0 performance. Certified Wireless USB can move data across a 3-meter gap at 480 Mbps, and will cover 10 meters at 110 Mbps. Initial products include wireless USB adapters and 4-port wireless USB hubs, with computers from Dell and Lenovo featuring native Wireless USB.

For more on Wireless USB:
- see this DailyTechRag story
- and read this news story at Newsfactor

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Building a Nationwide WiMAX Network: The real impact of the Sprint-Clearwire Deal August 22, 2:00pm ET/11:00 am PT Join FierceWireless Editor-in-Chief Sue Marek and our invited guests as they react to the latest announcements on the Sprint-Clearwire deal. Learn how infrastructure and device makers can benefit from the economies of scale expected from the new reciprocal relationship. We will take questions about this unique arrangement and how it will impact both domestic and international WiMAX deployments. Register now!

> Smartphone, dual-mode shipments to increase. Article

> Verizon steps around Qualcomm ban. Article

> Big 3 Japanese chip makers in chip talks. Article

> Nokia buys Twango. Article

Hands-On Wireless

1. GPS worth a strike for NYC cabbies?

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GPS units have increased safety and productivity in many industries. Sure, there have been controversies over deployment, but this could be big: New York cab drivers are threatening to strike over a recently-enacted requirement that combination GPS/credit card machines be installed in every NYC cab. While consumers are tending to embrace GPS functionality in smartphones, the cabbies are worried about cost (over $7,000 per cab, which has to be paid by the owner of the vehicle) and privacy issues. Many executives will be watching the drivers and the commission to see just how significant the objections become.

For more on the potential strike:
- read the analysis at CIO-Today

2. CIOs doubt telecommuting value

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Higher job satisfaction, better morale, greater productivity--when those are the benefits that CIOs ascribe to telecommuting, it's no wonder that nearly 50 percent of companies report that telecommuting is going on at the same, or a higher, level than four years ago. Even with the benefits, though, many CIOs say that they question whether the rewards of telecommuting are worth the costs. What sort of costs do they worry about? Reduced productivity, security risks, and lack of supervision top the list. How does your company view telecommuting compared to the rest of the industry? Read this report to find out.

For more on IT telecommuting:
- read the study report at eWeek

©2007 FierceMarkets, Inc. This email was sent to tayllorcriss@gmail.com as part of the IT-Wireless email list which is administered by FierceMarkets, 1319 F Street NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20004, (202) 628-8778.

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