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Monday, February 04, 2002 |
Here's a new one I haven't heard before - ZigBee. Talking Up Low-Cost, Low-Power Wireless "A standard for low-voltage, low-power chips for wireless devices will push the concept of ubiquitous computing from theory to reality in homes, offices, and even cars, an executive from Koninklijke Philips Electronics said.... ZigBee, formerly known by several other names, including HomeRF Lite, is a wireless technology focused on low-cost, low-power applications that is expected to cost only about $2 per module by next year, said Fred M. Boekhorst, vice president of Philips Research.... ZigBee will run at speeds ranging from 10 kilobits per second up to 115.2 kbps, which at the top end is about twice the speed of a dial-up modem, but only a fraction of the speed of Bluetooth...." [in PC World]
10:49:56 PM 
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Verizon's 3G not that great "Yes, it finally gets wireless data bandwidth and, therefore, functionality beyond the level of a 1980s dial-up modem. But instead of delivering what you'd expect from a 21st century technology, it provides levels of performance and reliability roughly equivalent to a mid-'90s modem -- minus the wires.... Considering throughput, prices and bugs, it's hard to get excited about the advent of 3G. But if you want the Web wirelessly, and you or your company can afford the price, and you're willing to put up with some glitches, Verizon's new service is here today and should meet your needs. That's more than I can say about any other wireless technology." [via Tomalak's Realm]
I'm an early adopter and even I won't go for this service. The phrase "fits and starts" comes to mind. But someday we'll look back on this and laugh (in a good way).
6:10:38 PM
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Caution urged on 802.11a adoption "...users can expect a more limited feature set than currently found in 802.11b products, listing such missing items as full security capabilities, network management, and roaming.... 'We think we will see a lot of companies roll out 'b' and augment it with 'a' where they need higher bandwidth. But 'g' will be the true successor to 'b' because of its backwards compatibility to both 'a' and 'b,' ' said Alex Thatcher, wireless solutions product manager at HP, based in Palo Alto, Calif.... The issue over handheld devices is even more problematic. Handhelds currently support a 16-bit bus for PC Card and Compact Flash II add-on cards. Wi-Fi 5, in its first iteration, uses a 32-bit bus technology and will not work with current handhelds." [in IDG InfoWorld]
Illustrates the state of acronym soup in today's wireless world. I remember how excited I was to get my first 28.8 modem, so I'm optimistic about a high-speed, wireless future sooner than later.
9:16:26 AM
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Comments by: YACCS
© Copyright 2002 Jenny Levine.
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