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View Full Version : Interesting wireless technology for your Pocket PC


Ed Hansberry
03-20-2002, 03:25 PM
<a href="http://www.icomera.com">http://www.icomera.com</a><br /><br />Icomera is working on some interesting wireless technology. At CeBIT I saw a demo using a Windows XP laptop, a bluetooth/GPRS telephone, a 3870 iPAQ with an 802.11b Intel Pro CF-I card and an 802.11 wireless access point. The software runs on Pocket PC's, other X-Scale embedded devices and Windows based system, designed with Itanium (64bit Windows XP/Windows 2002 .NET servers) in mind.<br /><br />It will almost seamlessly switch your device from 802.11 to a BlueTooth/GPRS/GSM network depending on signal strength and network availability, taking into account the bandwidth and cost per minute of the network. Very cool. You can be in the middle of a data session in your office using 802.11b, walk outside and get in your car while the data is still downloading, and the software will automagically hand off the datastream to your BlueTooth GPRS phone and you head down the road, and then pick it back up on the 802.11b network via VPN as you pull up to StarBucks for a cup of java.

entropy1980
03-20-2002, 03:50 PM
Now this is what I am talking about! This is the kind of technology that truly will make a difference in how people use technology in their lives, instead of the computer and location dictating what you can and can't do you dictate to the technology how and when! This is something I believe seperates us from true widespread PDA use (that and the price of wireless!) When we get to a subscription fee similar with our current ISP's of 20-25 a month for unlimited access I think inetergrated PDAs will scream in sales.

szrir
03-20-2002, 03:58 PM
Ed,

I'm not sure if "automagically" was a typo or if you coined a new word, but I like it!

Janak Parekh
03-20-2002, 04:42 PM
It looks like this is a precursor to Mobile IP implementations. It's definitely a field that is about to explode once wireless connectivity becomes a bit more ubiquitous.

--bdj

Janak Parekh
03-20-2002, 04:43 PM
I'm not sure if "automagically" was a typo or if you coined a new word, but I like it!

It's not a new slang word per se... people often refer to things being "automagically generated" if a script does it. :)

--bdj

Ed Hansberry
03-20-2002, 05:29 PM
I'm not sure if "automagically" was a typo or if you coined a new word, but I like it!

I've been using that word for years, but didn't come up with it or anything. Got it from some other geek. :lol:

Sven Johannsen
03-20-2002, 08:29 PM
Don't think the connectivity aspect is the big deal here, except for embedding all those technologies into a single device and keeping the size and power consumption manageable. The trick will be getting the software to recognize the most viable connection and switch to it. Guess that is obvious.

Now, do you think they could get PPC2002 to at least switch seamlessly between serial and USB. :x Guess the guy who had it working right in PPC2000 found a new job.

johncj
03-20-2002, 09:16 PM
I'm not sure if "automagically" was a typo or if you coined a new word, but I like it!

I've been using that word for years, but didn't come up with it or anything. Got it from some other geek. :lol:


That word's been around forever, well, at least 20 years:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&amp;ie=ISO-8859-1&amp;oe=ISO-8859-1&amp;threadm=anews.Aihuxp.102&amp;rnum=3&amp;prev=/groups%3Fas_q%3Dautomagically%26as_drrb%3Db%26as_mind%3D12%26as_minm%3D5%26as_miny%3D1981%26as_maxd%3D20%26as_maxm%3D3%26as_maxy%3D1982%26hl%3Den

Ed Hansberry
03-20-2002, 09:25 PM
That word's been around forever, well, at least 20 years:

Would you believe the 1940's?

http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/jargon/html/entry/automagically.html

Brad Adrian
03-20-2002, 11:06 PM
This sort of technology is going to be key to the adoption of wireless by many vertical industries. For example, one of the problems that a physician would have working wirelessly is that s/he is constantly moving, going from medical building to building or from hospital to office. Effective handshaking and handoff of the communications can make the whole scenario much more appealing.