I wrote about a new, smaller PocketPC phone a couple of days ago “here”:http://www.zoinger.com/archives/2005/02/15/13.23.48/. Since then, I have found another in-depth “review”:http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/pda/jam/index.htm on it and a place where you can actually “buy one”:http://www.dweiniger.com/phones/jam.shtml now for about $600.

It’s just a matter of time before they “build-in WiFi”:http://www.msmobiles.com/news.php/3577.html and add a keyboard (a front-facing one like “this”:http://www.msmobiles.com/news.php/3587.html or, better yet, a slide-out keyboard like LG’s “F1900″:http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000090025637/). With native WiFi support you could use Skype’s “PocketPC client”:http://www.skype.com/products/skype/pocketpc/, while a keyboard would make messaging, web surfing and email much easier. As soon as a small PocketPC product comes out with these features, I’m on it.

Regarding carriers’ data packages, T-Mobile is pretty much your only choice for a reasonable data package, since they offer an *unlimited* GPRS-based “Internet package”:http://www.t-mobile.com/plans/default.asp?tab=internet for about $30/month. Cingular is NOT an option. Their data service plans are a joke… like $30 a month for 10 Mbs of download. Forgetaboutit. I’m not even going to link to Verizon since their phones *suck* and all have external antennas, and, of course, their data rates are too high (I think it’s about $80/month for unlimited access). Surprisingly, Sprint’s “data plans”:http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/servicePlansOptionsV2/DataPlans.jsp are expensive too.

Some carriers need a reality check… if you build it and charge too much, they won’t come.

“802.11n”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11#802.11n is here… well, at least 802.11pre-N is here. 802.11n promises greater throughput (a minimum of 100 Mbit/s) and — probably more important — greater range than 802.11a/b/g devices.

CNet has a “review”:http://reviews.cnet.com/Belkin_Wireless_Pre_N_router/4505-3319_7-30993672-2.html?tag=top of Belkin’s wireless pre-N router which they give pretty high marks. Of course, as with most pre-specification-finalization devices, you have to use Belkin’s Pre-N adapter in combination with the router to enjoy 802.11pre-N benefits. That said, the Belkin router is backwards compatible with 802.11b/g gear.

The 802.11n specification is due to be finalized by the end of 2005. EETimes has a pretty good “article”:http://www.eetimes.com/in_focus/communications/OEG20031231S0011 on this process.

Recently, I’ve been reading about and listening to (i.e., podcasts) a lot of conversations on wireless infrastructure. The topics discussed have been more ‘WiFi-ish’ (i.e., WiFi, WiMax, et al.) than ‘cellular’ (e.g., GSM, Edge, 3G, etc.) for lack of better terms.

The Economist had a recent “article”:http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3535732 discussing the closed nature of wireless chipsets. Here’s the quote that counts.

bq.. Openness is coming to the wireless world, too. Cheap and powerful devices that use unlicensed and lightly regulated parts of the radio spectrum are proliferating. But there is a problem. Though the spectrum is open, the microprocessor chips that drive the devices which use it are not. The interface information—the technical data needed to write software that would allow those chips to be used in novel ways—is normally kept secret by manufacturers. The result could be a lot less innovation in the open wireless world than in the open wired one.

p. “Dana Blankenhorn”:http://www.corante.com/mooreslore/ at “Accelerating Change 2004″:http://accelerating.org/ac2004/ talks about this lack of openness or lack of a ‘wireless platform.’ By platform he means something you can write to and change (he says we are currently stuck in a world of point solutions… that is, access points). Of course, I am paraphrasing, so it’s probably best to listen to him directly “here”:http://www.itconversations.com/clip.php?showid=362&start=10:39&stop=21:58.[1]

Also on IT Conversations and also from Accelerating Change is “Dewayne Hendricks’”:http://www.dandin.com/news.html talk on the history of wireless, various non-traditional forms of creating wireless infrastructure (e.g., “Amateur Packet Radio”:http://www.sinister.com/radio/hampacket.html) and California’s “_Gigabit or Bust_”:http://www.cenic.org/gb/ initiative among other topics. “Here’s”:http://www.itconversations.com/clip.php?showid=364&start=25:54&stop=45:14 the audio clip of his talk. Information on the full panel discussion can be found “here”:http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail364.html.

And today in the New York Times, there is an “article”:http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/technology/17wired.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1108671038-qjE3pvhUqH7NJrPufHO/5A on the City of Philadelphia’s efforts to blanket the city in WiFi. Philadelphia is hoping that ubiquitous WiFi coverage will attract business and enable Internet access for disadvantaged groups. Naysayers — such as the local DSL and cable companies — argue that the City should not be in this (i.e., _their_) business. Regardless of the arguments for or against this project, I see it as a great, large-scale experiment in pervasive Internet access. Even if it doesn’t work out as the city would like, I am sure that a lot of useful information will come from this.

fn1. This link is to a MP3 audio clip of “IT Conversations’”:http://www.itconversations.com recording of Mr. Blankenhorn on the “Pervasive Computing Panel”:http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail362.html at the “Accelerating Change”:http://www.itconversations.com/series/achange2004.html held in early November 2004. I used IT Conversations “clipping service”: to excerpt Mr. Blankenhorn’s discussion from the full panel talk. You can make audio clips on IT Conversations by clicking on the @Clip@ link on the detail page that describes the audio. Then simply put in the start time and end time to create a URL of the clip you are interested in. Very cool.

Most PDA/phone combinations (e.g., the “Treo 600″:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002BRJAG/qid=1108502906 or “Siemens SX66″:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0007N3IYK/qid=1108502847) tend to be on the large size — large enough not to fit in your pocket very comfortably. Microsoft smartphones like the “Audiovox SMT5600″:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00068577C/qid=1108503105 are much smaller and easily fit into your pocket, but run Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Smartphone software instead of Windows Mobile Pocket PC software (nice, confusing naming scheme Microsoft). This means that there currently is a lot less software support for Microsoft Smartphones (since they are relatively new) when compared to Microsoft Pocket PC phones.

However, as reported in “The Register”:http://www.theregister.co.uk/, a new much-smaller PDA-based form factor called the “Magician”:http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/08/review_htc_magician/ has just been released by “HTC”:http://www.htc.com.tw/. The Magician is iPod sized, and is almost as small as the Audiovox smartphones.

table{width:400px}=. |Product|Length|Width|Height|
|Magician|4.25″|2.28″|0.71″|
|Audiovox SMT5600|4.25″|1.81″|0.63″|
|Treo*|4.4″|2.3″|0.9″|

*Note that the Treo has an external antenna (specifically designed to jab you when in your pocket) not represented in this sizing chart.

Another plus of the Magician is its external SD/MMC slot supporting SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output), so you could add a Wi-Fi card to the device. The Audiovox only has an internal (you have to remove the battery cover and battery to get at the slot) MiniSD slot… no input/output capability.

Here’s a couple more links on this phone.
“MSMobile’s”:http://www.msmobiles.com/news.php/3577.html round-up of latest HTC rumors.
“Mobile Review’s”:http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/htc-magician-en.shtml look at the Magician.

_*Update: 2005_02_15*_
Check out this new GPS-enabled, QWERTY-keyboard equipped “iPaq Mobile Messenger h6500″:http://www.msmobiles.com/news.php/3587.html at MSMobiles.

It’s surprising to think back to the early-to-mid ’90s when almost no one owned a cell phone. I remember giving a friend of mine a hard time about purchasing one back then. "It’s too expensive… it’s just a status symbol… you’ll never use it… it’s just a trend," I told him. Times have changed.

Now I don’t even have a landline (I have cable for high-speed access). My cellphone is so valuable to me it goes with me where ever I go. I couldn’t live without it because it’s my:

• Alarm Clock - Since my clock radio died a few years ago, I’ve used my cellphone as my alarm clock.
• Flashlight - The backlight makes a great emergency flashlight. Use it all the time.
• Phonelist - I’ve got most of my important numbers programmed into the address book.
• Reminder - I have reminders sent to me via SMS from Yahoo! Calendar to notify me of upcoming appointments.
• Navigation Device - For example, you don’t need detailed directions to get to a friend’s house for the first time. Just get close, give them a call and have them talk you in.
• Notepad - I just type in an SMS message, and save it instead of sending it.

I’m sure there’s some other stuff I am forgetting, but that’s the main list. However, the really surprising thing is that my phone is completely out of date. It’s an old AT&T Wireless TDMA Nokia 8260 (or a very similar model). No web access, no fancy QWERTY keyboard, no color screen, no PC synchronization funtionality… pretty much just a straight-up phone. Perhaps mobiles are here to stay?