August 13, 2007
Subscribe to IT-Wireless

This week's sponsors:

FierceLive Webinars

Editor’s note:
A workplace gone mobile

What's New:
• Your phone must roam
• 802.11n lives up to promises

Executive Analysis:
• RingCube secure mobility
• Surging active RFID

Also Noted:
Motorola mobile Linux moves out; White House leaves Qualcomm banned;
And much more...

Hands-On Wireless:
• Missed opportunity for open wireless?
• Sybase says future is mobile

Sybase is making a big deal of their continuing initiatives in mobile computing. The article and interview featured below give a solid introduction to the current state of their world, but they aren't nearly complete. I've had a couple of conversations with Sybase's folks in the last couple of weeks, and it's obvious that they see wireless applications as critically important to their future. Sybase is (properly, I think) making a big deal of their push into wireless, but they are far from alone in seeing the importance of wireless applications. Meanwhile, companies like RingCube aren't focusing on wireless, but they are certainly acknowledging that "the office" is being defined in terms of what an employee is doing, rather than where the employee is sitting. This re-definition isn't brand new, but it is growing in terms of the companies that accept employees working away from the "mothership." The push to re-define the office is coming from a number of different sources, ranging from trying to retain employees to trying to reduce the carbon emissions from commuting. Regardless of which reason(s) finally get to you and your company, the result is a growing demand for mobility--and a growing opportunity to get it right. Getting it right means improved effectiveness and efficiency for your workers, and a focus on taking care of employees, customers, and the world around us. -Curtis

Comment | Forward to a friend

What’s New

1. Your phone must roam

Comment | Forward to a friend

The FCC may not have gone quite as far in open wireless as some would have liked, but it has taken a huge step toward opening airwaves in requiring cell phone carriers to allow roaming on their networks as part of their "common carrier obligations". Couching it in those terms means that carriers can't play games with smaller organizations--roaming comes with the territory if they want to maintain their status as a common carrier. For customers, this means that they no longer have to base carrier decisions on whether or not they can roam across areas--all phones can now roam.

For more on the roaming phones:
- read the FCC action story at CIO-Today

2. 802.11n lives up to promises

Comment | Forward to a friend

How do you feel about WiFi? Handy, fast enough (most of the time), but could be better? If that describes your take on wireless Ethernet, then a new test says that 802.11n could be the technology you've been looking for. The IT staff at Morrisville State College in New York decided to try Meru Networks equipment, and they found something interesting: 802.11n works pretty much as advertised, with user throughput ranging from 100-300 Mbps. The staff at Morrisville saw 802.11n performance that was at least five times greater than 802.11g, with some performance over nine times greater than 802.11g. Sounds like it's time to start planning for final 802.11n.

For more on high-performance 802.11n:
- read the test report at NetworkWorld.com

For more on the advantages and drawbacks of 802.11n:
- check out this webinar

Executive Analysis

1. RingCube secure mobility

Comment | Forward to a friend

One of the larger challenges in mobile enterprise computing has always been giving road-warriors access to their in-house environment when away from their desks. RingCube has introduced a system to provide secure access from essentially any connection on the Internet. The foundation of the system is a USB key that holds complete environment information for the user's laptop computer. The system, called MojoDrive, provides a complete image of the user's environment wherever they go. MojoDrive will even work to give the user their familiar environment on a stranger's computer--and it erases all traces of the environment from the host computer when it's unplugged.

For more on MojoDrive:
- read the product news at InternetNews.com

2. Surging active RFID

Comment | Forward to a friend

There's no doubt that RFID is big and is getting bigger when it comes to managing inventories in enterprises both large and small. Now comes word that active RFID---which uses a battery-powered tag for active data transmission--is the fastest-growing segment of the market. According to IDTechEx, a UK-based consulting firm, active RFID will grow from about 13 percent of the market to over 26 percent within the next 10 years. Healthcare is the vertical pushing the active-RFID envelope the most, but the biggest driver may simply be that active RFID devices and systems are becoming more and more capable as time goes on.

For more on the active RFID surge:
- read the news article at NetworkWorld

For sponsorship information, contact jason@fiercemarkets.com

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!

> Motorola mobile Linux moves out. Article

> White House leaves Qualcomm banned. Article

> FCC ignores WiFi lessons. Article

> Qualcomm waived patent rights. Article

Hands-On Wireless

1. Missed opportunity for open wireless?

Comment | Forward to a friend

You can't say that the opportunity wasn't there. The FCC had the chance to mandate truly open access for the spectrum being vacated when television goes digital in 2009. They accepted, sort of; they declined, sort of. Their decisions seemed to seek a balance between the open market of the Google and FCC chairman Kevin Martin and the traditional auction rules beloved by the wireless carrier market. There are those, including the writer of this column, who say that the FCC missed a once-in-a generation chance to change the way that we think about commercial spectrum. The question, for customers, is whether that's a good or a bad thing.

For more on the possible lost opportunity:
- read the opinion at CIO-Today

2. Sybase says future is mobile

Comment | Forward to a friend

It might be going a bit too far to suggest that Sybase is remaking itself as a wireless software or services company, but it's undeniable that wireless applications and technology are key to the company's vision for the future. Sybase has been busy pointing out the progress made in its UnWired Enterprise initiatives--progress that includes new architectural components for developing and supporting mobile applications, and a partnership with HTC for building devices based on the platform. Sybase says that their future is open, flexible, and standards-based--and that the future will be mobile.

For more on Sybase's future:
- read the technology analysis at eWeek.com
- and follow that with the CEO interview, also at eWeek.com

©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.

Manage Your Subscription

To ***, click here or send an email to: ***-74020@emaillabs.com

Contact Us

Editor: Curtis Franklin. VP sales and business development: Jason Nelson. Publisher: Jeff Giesea.

Advertise

General advertising: Jason Nelson. Press releases: Curtis Franklin. Request a media kit.

Explore Our Network

You may enjoy these other publications from FierceMarkets: