Google TiSP (BETA)

This is funny.

True Value of FMC?

Fixed Mobile Convergence is about allowing users to stay mobile, using multiple networks and not just GSM, in a seamless, ad hoc manner. And the trend is growing, estimated at over 100% compound annual growth rate over the next four years. Fixed mobile convergence is not new for the enterprise; however, what is unique is that this solution is compatible with virtually any PBX with IP/SIP connectivity. This means that service providers can now approach any large or mid-sized enterprise regardless of their existing equipment.[1] Fixed mobile convergence is a term that is used to describe the merging of the wired and wireless lines of any individual consumer. The goal of this service is to have both fixed and mobile services on one phone through a seamless switching of networks. Fixed mobile convergence is coming, and some will combine Wi-Fi and cellular with transparent hand-off of calls between the two environments, while others depend solely on cellular service.

FMC moves VoIP from a tethered anchor to a ubiquitous solution. FMC requires interoperability across all equipment, converged fixed-mobile core network, and innovative applications. End-users will demand access to a wide variety of different devices and applications within walled gardens, and the open Internet. FMC is an acronym, not a technology. In essence, the premise behind fixed mobile convergence is the ability to offer voice and data applications via a mobile device.

FMC will create a demand pull. The demand for fixed links may increase due to factors such as tele-congested families and increased numbers of people working from home; or decrease due to the unprecedented demand for mobility. FMC provides a simplified method of communication, but, nevertheless, increases the availability of resources and the productivity of end users. From the point of view of the end user, communication and content sharing is fast and seamless, with the advantage of a single, amalgamated bill from AT&T as the single service provider.

Google Sync for your BlackBerry

Synchronize your contacts. Get your Gmail contacts quickly and easily to your BlackBerry smartphone. With Sync, you can have access to your address book at any time and place that you need it.

Get calendar alerts. Using your BlackBerry smartphone's native calendar, you can now access your Google calendar even when you don't have network coverage, and be alerted for upcoming appointments with sound or vibration. It automatically runs in the background, so you can attend to other tasks and still be reminded of your appointments.

Always in sync. Your calendar and contacts stay synchronized whether you access it from your computer or your phone. You can add or edit contacts or calendar entries right on your BlackBerry smartphone or on your Google account on the web. Synchronize one or many calendars at the same time.

Masters of the Mini Muni

San Francisco-based startup, Meraki, masters of the mini muni and creators of San Francisco’s free, public Wi-Fi network (Free the Net), announced a product offering this week targeted at property owners wanting to offer Wi-Fi as an amenity to their renters or patrons. (Read complete story)

Is Cloud Computing the Future

eWeek has an interresting artlice on the decsion of Serena Software to replace its Microsoft Exchange with Google Gmail. Read complete story here. Serena Software expects to save $750,000 per year by shedding Microsoft Exchange Server in favor of Google's Gmail application for its 800 employees.

This is a very intersting move and as more and more organizations look to cut IT costs. Exchange has the loin shatre of the email server market and isn't goign away any time soon. However more and more people are moving to web based services. I have a Google GMail account that over the last several months I forward my personal email accounts to have one central location to archive all of my emails.

I use a Blackberry and an iPhone to access gmail and it works great for what I need.

Google Gmail Becoming More Enterprise-Friendly

A Tribute To All Veterans

Will the Economy Slow Down Mobility Sales?

As a Mobility Consultant with AT&T I have seen first hand the scalling back of IT Budgets, but many companies are taking a new look at cutting costs with a mobility solution. It could be as simple as email access on a Blackberry or Signature Capture for Proof of Delivery application on a Tilt. The global financial slowdown may cause the cell phone market to grow at a slower rate than expected, according to forecasts from UBS and JPMorgan. However AT&T has continued to grow compared to Sprint losing 1 million customers last quarter.

IPhone Crowned Top Cell Phone In U.S.

Apple's iPhone 3G was the best-selling mobile phone in the United States in the third quarter, surpassing former champion the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Razr, which fell to second place, a market research firm said Monday.

Mobile chalkboard™

Chalk's new mobile content deployment system, Mobile chalkboard(TM),allows multimedia content to be created, securely pushed and tracked onBlackBerry(R) smartphones. Our software and content help organizationscommunicate with their employees, business partners and customers. Additional information is available at Mobile Check Board .

Continued Growth in FMC & Dual Mode Solutions

Recent study from www.infonetics.com outlines the expected growth of Dual Mode Cell/WiFi solutions and in Fixed Mobile Convergence.  

“Wireless high-speed broadband access, unified messaging, video, and dual-network cellular/WiFi services are making the mobile triple play a consumer market reality,” says Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst. “The key to successfully capturing the market for these next-generation personalized services is control of the end-point device.”

A seperate report by In-Stat also found the following:

* Worldwide, consumer VoIP subscribers using wireless IP phones will grow from 2% currently to 73% in 2009.

* Based on competition from mobile carriers without wireline operations, Europe will be the largest initial market for dual-mode smartphones.

* While mass production of dual-mode sets is not scheduled until 2007, an In-Stat market survey found that over 80% of businesses have an interest in the technology. 

The report, “Wireless IP Phones Drive Future VoIP Markets” (#IN0501955CT), covers the evolution of business and consumer IP end points, and analyzes the impact on the future telecom industry. The report outlines the continued migration of PBX markets to enterprise IP telephony, along with the deployment of dedicated and standards-based IP telephones and soft clients, and the growth of wireless LAN and dual-network WiFi/cellular handsets. 2004 unit shipments are presented by category, along with 2005-2009 IP phone forecasts.

For more information on this report, please visit: 

http://www.instat.com/catalog/bcatalogue.asp?id=18

802.11n gear 10 times faster

With the latest version of Wi-Fi promising vastly higher data rates compared with previous incarnations, a couple of laptops running a few FTP sessions through a single access point won't do.

Instead, Network World set up the largest public 802.11n test ever conducted. They invited all enterprise Wi-Fi vendors to supply not one but eight 802.11n access points, along with controllers if needed. Working with test instrument vendor VeriWave, they crafted test traffic from hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of virtual clients to see just how high the new 802.11n systems would scale, both in pure 802.11n settings and also with a mix of 802.11n and legacy clients. In all these tests, the goal was to determine 802.11n performance in an enterprise context.

Read Complete story

Sony Ericsson T700 - 3.2 megapixel camera, ActiveSync, and FM Radio

I am not much of a fan of the Ericsson phone's out today however the new T700 has some powerful features. This bar-style phone has quad-band GSM/EDGE radios and supports European 3G networks. It has a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and video recording capabilities. On the music side, it has stereo speakers, stereo Bluetooth, and an FM radio. It supports Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync for corporate email, as well as POP3 accounts. It will be available in select markets later this year in three different colors.

more at Sony Ericsson »

Apple Issues iPhone 2.0.1 Firmware Update

Apple Inc. this week rolled out a firmware upgrade for its iPhone family to fix apparent bugs within the smartphone's software.

Version 2.0.1 is available by connecting the device to its host computer, launching iTunes, and clicking the "Update" button. The iPhone 3G update can also be manually downloaded here, and the iPhone's update can be downloaded here. The 250 MB download reportedly increases backup times, improves keyboard responsiveness, and reduces lag in some applications.

When Apple released the 2.0 version for the iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch earlier this month, it enabled new features like access to the Apple App Store, increased security, and enterprise capabilities.

Read the whole story at InformationWeek.

HughesNet 5 Mbps downstream over satellite:

HughesNet now delivers 5 Mbps downstream over satellite:

The network was previously limited to 3 Mbps down for a whopping $190 or $210 per month, depending on whether you paid upfront for the receiver or not. The new service, ElitePremium (running out of superlatives, eh, HughesNet?), doesn’t yet show up in their list of plans, and the press release declines to mention the price, which is likely to be $250 per month based on their other tiers. While that’s steep, when the alternative is nothing, paying $60 for 1 Mbps to perhaps $250 Mbps for 5 Mbps downstream could be a lifeline for businesses in the boonies.

Sierra Wireless buys Junxion:

Sierra Wireless buys Junxion: Sierra is one of the leading makers of mobile broadband adapters, like ExpressCards and USB modems; Junxion is the leading business-focused mobile broadband bridge maker. Junxion has plenty of competitors on the low end, where products are being sold to small business or individuals, but I’m not aware of another firm whose products have the feature list for centralized IT management and deployment. They bundle the cost of this central management into the products, which can accept any kind of PC Card. Well, perhaps not any kind in the future, though Sierra Wireless is likely to have little interest in making Junxion’s box less compatible with rivals. But they’ll certainly be a lot of good synergy in developing new hardware for the same market that’s cheaper or has a different set of features. How about four adapters in one box that can bond connections together for specialized markets, like railroad Wi-Fi?

Taking Ownership on WiFi Network?

Read the entire article from Brad Antoniewicz

If you are running WPA Enterprise with PEAP, or EAP/TTLS its about time you take a serious look at your client configuration! This weekend at Shmoocon in Washington D.C, Josh Wright and I gave a presentation that demonstrated how a very common, but incorrect client supplicant configuration can lead to the compromise of certain wireless networks and in some cases, provide Windows domain access.

Verizon Chooses LTE for Its 4G Roadmap

11/29/2007

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon today announced plans to develop and deploy its fourth generation mobile broadband network using LTE – Long Term Evolution – the technology developed within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards organization. The selection of LTE provides Verizon and Vodafone – joint owners of U.S.-based Verizon Wireless – with a unique opportunity to adopt a common access platform with true global scale and compatibility with existing technologies of both companies.

Verizon and Vodafone have a coordinated trial plan for LTE that begins in 2008. Trial suppliers include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia-Siemens, and Nortel. These suppliers, along with others in the world community, have contributed significantly towards development of the standards in 3GPP. Discussions with device suppliers have expanded beyond traditional suppliers such as LG, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson, as consumer electronics companies anticipate embedded wireless functionality in their future products.


Read Comments the presse release from Verizon's web site

Verizon Wireless To Introduce ‘Any Apps, Any Device’ Option For Customers In 2008

Looks like VZW has changed it mind with regards to opening up devices.

11/27/2007

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless today announced that it will provide customers the option to use, on its nationwide wireless network, wireless devices, software and applications not offered by the company. Verizon Wireless plans to have this new choice available to customers throughout the country by the end of 2008.
In early 2008, the company will publish the technical standards the development community will need to design products to interface with the Verizon Wireless network. Any device that meets the minimum technical standard will be activated on the network. Devices will be tested and approved in a $20 million state-of-the-art testing lab which received an additional investment this year to gear up for the anticipated new demand. Any application the customer chooses will be allowed on these devices.

Read the Verizon Wireless Press Release

Benefits of Voice over Wi-Fi White Paper

The white paper is available for free registered download on http://www.wi-fi.org/.

The Wi-Fi Alliance today released a new white paper, "Delivering the Best Experience with Voice over Wi-Fi Programs," which details the unique requirements of the voice application on Wi-Fi devices and previews its Voice-Personal certification program, planned for launch in the first half of 2008.

Test from 8820 Blackberry

Testing out posting from my Blackberry. Not sure everything will be spelled correctly so please forgive if it sounds really stupid.

Sitting in a Panera Beard using their Free WiFi in Mufreesboro on my way back home from Chattanooga.  The twins have a basketball game this afternoon and I am wasting time til their game. Instead of driving all the way back to Nashville thought it would be better to get some work done here at the Panera Beard.
Alexander S. Curtis
Mobility Applications Consultant
AT&T