October 1, 2007
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This week's sponsors:
Telelogic

Editor’s note:
Are we ready for WiMAX?

What's New:
• Mobile AJAX app building
• Update leads to 'iBricks'

Executive Analysis:
• HTC's laptop smartphone
• New Office Mobile, by mistake

Also Noted:
Vonage loses jury trial; Disney folding mobile phone service;
And much more...

Hands-On Wireless:
• WiMAX builds steam
• SMS emergency warning at St. John's

Intel is pushing hard, and the rest of the hardware vendors aren't far behind. 2008 is, they say, going to be the year of WiMAX. I've seen a lot of these "Year of..." stories come and go and I'm not fully convinced that 2008 is going to be the year of anything. For just a moment, though, let's think about what happens if it is the year of WiMAX. That means that your company is likely to begin deploying WiMAX around the enterprise, and deploying WiMAX has some real consequences for your network. For example, if your company is like most, you're running 100 Mbit Ethernet to most desktops. WiMAX is roughly three times that bandwidth--is your backbone ready for the increased demand? You might also want to think about the applications that you'll be moving from cabled subnets onto your wireless network--is your infrastructure ready for the move? If it were me, I'd start acting like I believed all the hype about WiMAX, and would begin to make sure that my infrastructure is ready. There's little harm since most adaptation can come during the normal hardware life cycle. Start now, though, and you'll avoid the rush that's sure to come when your executives start reading about WiMAX and asking, "Are we ready?" -Curtis

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What’s New

1. Mobile AJAX app building

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It's easy to say that you're going to put applications on a mobile platform: actually developing the applications, however, can be far more challenging. Last week, The OpenAjax Alliance and the W3C met together to discuss why it's been so hard to develop applications for mobile devices, and whether AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is the answer to the problem of mobile development. The consortia have many members, and a wide variety of papers were approved for presentation at the conference--for the results, we'll have to wait for a development cycle to unfold.

For more on the AJAX conference:
- read the complete report at eWeek

2. Update leads to 'iBricks'

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You can't say that they didn't warn us. Apple said that unlocking hacks were likely to cause iPhones to stop working when system software updates were issued. Last week, an update was issued and, well, unlocked iPhones turned into "iBricks," useful only as very sleek paperweights. Owners were upset, hackers are (undoubtedly) very busy, and the rest of us will stay tuned for further developments.

For more on the iPhone software update:
- read the full story at DailyTechRag

Executive Analysis

1. HTC's laptop smartphone

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Wireless-device manufacturer HTC isn't stopping with an iPhone-like smart phone. No, they've just introduced an ultra-portable laptop-style smartphone that could just be the single mobile digital companion you've been looking for. The HTC isn't cheap at $900, but it is less expensive and far more portable than a messenger bag full of different devices. Palm pulled the plug on the Foleo, but HTC doesn't think the concept is over.

For more on the HTC Advantage:
- read the in-depth product coverage at CIO-Today

2. New Office Mobile, by mistake

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Most hardware and software vendors carefully choreograph the rollout of new products or new versions of software. Microsoft is no exception, which makes this week's release of information on a new version of Windows Mobile all the more interesting. A Microsoft U.K. employee wrote about Office Mobile 6.1 and the problems that it solves--and even included a link to download the new version. Unfortunately, the software is still at least two weeks away from being publicly announced. Oops. The blog post is still live though, and the problems (with Office 2007 file formats) it solves are real, but the link to download software no longer works. Wait a couple of weeks…

For more on the new version of Office Mobile:
- read the full story at NetworkWorld

Your Voicemail system is more than 5 years old. Now What? This Interactive Intelligence whitepaper takes a look at the messaging issues businesses face and the options the Communité® solution gives them.

> Minnesota AG files against Sprint/Nextel. Article

> Vonage loses jury trial. Article

> Google's going mobile. Article

> Disney folding mobile phone service. Article

Hands-On Wireless

1. WiMAX builds steam

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It's time to get ready for WiMAX--at least if all of the activity from vendors around the world offers any indication. Intel has already announced that 2008 will be the year of WiMAX, and companies like Nokia and Siemens certainly won't disagree. Laptop and wireless device manufacturers are joining the phone and network infrastructure vendors in declaring that it's time for WiMAX. Watch for a huge wave of product announcements and service offerings as we head into the year-end holiday season.

For more on the future of WiMAX:
- read the industry analysis at CIO-Today

2. SMS emergency warning at St. John's

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The echoes were eerie and dangerous: a gunman entered a college campus. This time, though, students, faculty, and staff were warned by a text-message emergency warning system that many subscribed to. With full notification and quick action, the gunman was soon apprehended with no shots having been fired and no injuries. More and more institutions are now using text messaging for emergency notification, and it's being employed by a growing number of emergency first responders as well. How is your emergency notification system designed? Perhaps it's time to look at text messaging…

For more on the St.John's University emergency notification:
- read the complete incident account at eWeek

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