Wireless Phones and Telephony

Here are my notes on wireless technology.

The most popular question: How to find out who owns that phone number?

In order to recognize new receivers, digitial cell phones need to have their internal Preferred Roaming List (PRL) updated periodically at a phone service store.

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Convergence

Computers can communicate wirelessly using different technologies:
1. "WiFi" LAN of limited range at public fee-for-service (ala Boingo) locations.
2. Blackberry devices BlueTooth devices (limited to 300 feet) -->
3. "PCS" connecting to digital cell phone lines for unlimited internet access wherever you go.
4. Satellite phones from providers Globalstar LLC and Iridium Satellite LLC.



The human touch: If you can't always get to your phone during the day you may need phone answering services. Even large universities use them for efficiency. An answering service can make it easy to be on the go while running a business. Check out call center services for more information to save you time and money.

Handheld PDA Mobile Phones

Manufacturer	Carrier
	Cingular(ATT) (GSM/GPRS 800/1900)	Cingular (GSM TDMA 1900)	SprintPCS/Nextel (CDMA2000 1xRTT 1900Mhz)	T-Mobile (GSM 1900)	Verizon (CDMA 800)
Blackberry	BlackBerry 7290 BlackBerry 7100g	-	-	6210, 6710, 7230	-
Hitachi	-	-	G1000 Pocket PC	-	-
Kyocera	-	7135 Palm	-	-	-
Motorola	-	-	-	-	-
RIM	-	957 PDA	-	-	-
Samsung	-	-	i330 PPC-6600 [2003]	-	i700, M400 Pocket PC, SPH-i700
Siemens	SX56 Pocket PC	-	-	-	-
Palm/ Handspring	Treo 270 palmOne Treo 650	-	300	Treo 270	-
Toshiba	-	-	2032SP	-	-
Audiovox	-	-	PPC 6700 Pocket PC	-	-
other	-	-	Daxian CU928 (2003)	MDA	-
HP	HP iPAQ hw6515	-	-	-	-

The $170 Sprint PCS CF2031 Compact Flash Card goes in PDAs' CF type II slot and has an PCMIA adapter for PCs.

CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) is a proprietary standard designed by Qualcomm in the United States. According to CDG.org, as of 2005, it is used by 270 million subscribers worldwide.

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) was defined by the GSM Association founded in 1987. As of 2005, it boasts over 1 billion subscribers.

SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) chips go in GSM phones.
R-UIM chips go in CDMA phones.
These cards can be purchased for each country instead of international roaming on phones capable of quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) reception.

The FTC and EU limits the amount of Radio Frequency (RF) radiation levels your body absorbs from cell phones to an SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) of 1.6W/kg & 2.0 (watts per kilogram), respectively. But it's better if you get a cell phone with lower SAR.

Carrier Protocols

Protocol	Nickname	Frequency	Peak Bandwidth	Effective Speed	Technology	Advantages
802.16-2004 802.16e	WiMax	?	Subs 15 Mbps Base 75 Mbps 3 miles Base 30 miles	? Mbps		Cost
802.11b	WiFi	2.4 GHz	11 Mbps at 300 ft.	7-8 Mbps	3 channel Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Shares spectrum with cordless phone & microwaves	Distance!
802.11a	WiFiS	5.0 GHz	54 Mbps	27-30 Mbps	8 channel Orthogonal-Frequency Division Multiplexing Not backward compatible with 802.11b	Bandwidth!
802.11g	WiFi	2.4 GHz	54 Mbps	27-30 Mbps	3 channel Orthogonal-Frequency Division Multiplexing Backwards compatible with 802.11b	Security
802.11i	3G		144 Mbps		1XRTT Rijndeal AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)
	HomeRF		54 Mbps		Frequency hopping spread spectrum

Wi-Fi is short for “wireless fidelity”. Wi-Fi Alliance of leading wireless equipment and software providers tests and certifies 802.11-based products for interoperability.

• On April 16, 2002 AT&T WIRELESS SERVICES launched its mMode ( mLife.com) consumer Internet service for mobile phones in a dozen markets in the U.S. The GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) offering allows data transfers to and from wireless handsets at speeds up to 144Kbps. The service is modeled on the I-mode wireless service popularized by Japanese mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo, which owns 16 percent of AT&T Wireless.

  802.11b is promoted by the industry group WECA, which includes Cisco, 3Com, Apple, and Lucent.
  HomeRF is promoted by industry group CUBE which includes Intel, Siemens, Motorola, and Compaq.

  80211-planet.com

  Mobile Imperative.com

  CDMA2000 phones use EVDO, which boasts a theoretical downstream speed of about 2 megabits per second. Because high traffic can degrade speed and performance real, its world speeds are closer to 300-700 kilobits per second (kbps), which is comparable to basic DSL. As of fall 2005, EVDO is in the process of being deployed. It is not available everywhere and requires a

  EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) phones on the GSM network boasts data rates of up to 384 kbps with real world speeds reported closer to 70-140 kbps. Added technologies include UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Standard) and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) boost speeds to about 275—380 kbps. This technology is also known as W-CDMA, but is incompatible with CDMA networks.

  1xEV/DO (Evolution Data Only) rated at ~1.5Mbps is an intermediate step in data networking of the CDMA2000 G3 upgrade. being trailed by Verizon in Washington DC and San Diego.

  1xEV/DV (Evolution Data/Voice) with voice and data sharing the same 2Mbps bandwidth is the final step in Sprint's CDMA2000 G3 network rollout, skipping EV/DO.

• Among the 150+ WASP providers, Everypath scrapes web pages and translates their content for display on handeld devices.

• Intel in 2004 partnered with Proxim (PROX) and Alcatel to develop WiMAX reference kit and end-user products.

Operating Systems and Platforms

Palm OS, Microsoft Pocket PC, Nokia Symbian, Microsoft Smartphone, J2ME, RIM®, Motorola Wisdom, Casio Pocket Viewer/Manager

Green Hills, Wind River, QNX, and/or Microsoft CE or significant experience writing to any of these vendors' APIs using their development tools such as: VxWorks RTOS, Integrity RTOS, Neutrino RTOS. Tools: Tornado, Multi-tools, Momentics Development Suite

• Nokia's Developer Portal has articles on working with Nokia's Symbian OS, such as handset simulators Nokia's Java-enabled cell phones in 2002. Nokia Series 60 on Forum Nokia. Nokia's Data Suite allows you to send and receive faxes, files and e-mail, plus access the Internet and even office information system when you are out of the office.

  (Ericsson Mobility World)

• WinCE (PocketPC) (Microsoft Mobile Solutions) used on Compaq (supported by the Compaq Solutions Alliance) competes with Palm OS, Handspring (supported by the Handspring Developer Program) and Java/J2ME (Micro Edition) supported by Sun's Java Developer Connection.

• Macromedia's Flash MX competes with WAP/WML, xHTML, and cHTML.

• Bluetooth wireless standard supported by the RIM/Blackberry SIG Developer Program is designed primarily as a cable replacement, with a short-range (30 feet range) and a raw data transmission rate of 1Mbps.

• Webasoft exegen packages Java programs to run within the WabaVM in Palm and Windows CE.

Wire Protocols

W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) is a technology for wideband digital radio communications in Internet, multimedia, video and other capacity-demanding applications. It provides a data rate of 2Mbps.

3G mobile technology UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) delivers audio and video to wireless devices anywhere in the world through fixed, wireless and satellite systems.

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) is a secure specification that allows users to access information instantly via handheld wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios, and PDAs.
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is a WAP feature used to encrypt and decrypt data signals transmitted between WLAN devices. Microsoft patch only Windows XP (not 2000/Millenium) for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Enabling on Belkin

XML to WAP phone emulator

Going to a non-WAP site typically results in message 406 No acceptable objects were found

BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) — 28 GHz in the US (22-42 Ghz elsewhere)— can support the equivalent of 3800 telephone lines.
LMDS = Local Multipoint Distribution Service (provided by Nextlink) uses cells which each covers 2-3 mile radius.
LMCS = Local Multipoint Communication Service in Canada
MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service) cells each covers a 35 mile radius fresnel (line-of-sight) zone using the 2150-2162 MHz and 2500-2960 MHz spectrum bands. So they sit on top of the 1454 foot Sears tower in Chicago.

Hybrid Networks supplies fixed broadband wireless for Sprint and Worldcom in the US. Alcatel is big in France. Alvarion is from Tel Aviv.

• MAGNET (Motorola)
• Qualcomm BREW Developer Program

  Messaging Services and Standards

  MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) "pushes" images, sound/video clips, and other attachments over wireless networks using the WAP protocol to MMS enabled mobile phones.

• GSM SMS (Short Messaging Service) enables mobile phone users to "chat" with each other using pure text messages of up to 160 characters. See http://www.ericsson.com/ems/
• EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) adds to SMS text formatting such as bold or underline for emphasis.
• CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) is a technology that allows telecommunications companies to transfer data over existing cellular networks to users.

  RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is an analog-to-digital conversion technology that uses radio frequency waves to transfer data between a moveable item and a reader to identify, track or locate that item.

  Sprint PCS Vision cameras in Samsung A500 and Samsung N400 PCS phones take (outdoor) photos at 474x357 pixels using 128 colors. The phone transmits (at about twenty seconds per picture) PhoneMail files to a pictures.sprintpcs.com, using technology from LightSurf, a private company founded in 1998 by industry visionary Philippe Kahn (of Borland fame).

  Wireless phones can also download media from Sony Pictures

IEC's $495 Fundamentals of Wireless Systems online class offers an in-depth explanation of fixed wireless architectures, technologies, and business drivers.

At $595 for 24 issues a year, Alan A Reiter's Wireless Internet & Mobile Computing magazine is packed with detailed information.

Mobile PC Magazine $12 for 12 issues/year

Handheld Computing Magazine $17.95 for 6 issues/year

Pocket PC Magazine $19.95 for 6 issues/year

$98/49 Wireless Communications: Principles and Practice, 2nd Edition (Prentice Hall; December 31, 2001) by Theodore S. Rappaport, IEEE Fellow and head of the Wireless Networking and Communications Group at the Univ. of Texas at Austin. This is the leading technical book used throughout the Cellular & PCS Industry.

/$2 Wireless Broadband Networks Handbook (McGraw Hill, 2001) by John R. Vacca and Michael Erbschloe. Presents a comprehensive review of the current and future state of 3G & LMDS.

Transports for MMS

MMS implementations from Nokia and Ericsson use WAP for transporting MMS messages between the MMSC (MMS Control Centre) and mobile devices.

Note: Microsoft also uses MMS to mean “Microsoft Metadirectory Services”, a tool (formerly Zoomit Via) Microsoft consulting services sells as a bundled solution for inter-forest synchronization (synchronizing different directory services such as Active Directory, Novell's NDS, and OpenLDAP).

Sending A Wireless Text-Message With Java 4/28/2001

MMS is transported over underlying bearers.

In 1945, the first public mobile telephone system in the U.S. was inaugurated in St. Louis by what was then Southwestern Bell Telephone (later SBC Communications, and then AT&T, SBC again, and AT&T again in 2005). At 150 MHz, the mobile equipment was not sophisticated enough to prevent interference even when using three (of Six channels allocated by the FCC) spaced 60 kHz apart.

Underlying Bearers

• CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) is a technology defined by the CDMA Development Group (CDG) and used (by Sprint EarthLink Wireless Enhanced Access) to send digital transmissions between a mobile phone and a radio base station. It allows for multiple transmissions to be carried simultaneously on a single wireless channel. CDMA2000 1X is a 3G technology that offers wireless data access at speeds with a theoretical maximum of 153.6kbps but practically equivalent to a 56k dial-up modem. The Sprint/EarthLink Wireless Enhanced Access service operates on both the 800 MHz (Cellular) and 1900 MHz (PCS) bands.

• GSM-Data (Global Systems for Mobile Communication) is a digital cellular or PCS standard for how data is coded and transferred through the wireless spectrum. It is the 2G wireless standard throughout the world - except in the United States. GSM is an alternative to CDMA.

• WAP over GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) a 2.5G technology being implemented in GSM networks. It is an "always on" technology with data transfer speeds up to 114 Kbps.

  TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) is a wireless technology that allows for digital transmission of radio signals between a mobile device and a fixed radio base station. It allows for increased bandwidth over digital cellular networks.

  EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution) is a faster technology for GSM and TDMA networks that may offer transfer rates up to 384 Kbps.

Carriers: Service providers

Hot Spots are Wireless access points found in public places such as airports, conventions centers, hotels and coffee shops. They exist mostly through roaming agreements with Wi-Fi carriers Airpath Wireless and Wayport. McDonalds restaurants uses Cometa Networks, formed in 2002 by IBM, Intel and AT&T. Verizon is providing Wi-Fi access through transmitters on its public pay phones.

Multi-carrier Resellers/integrators such as inphonic.com provide comparisons of phones and plans.

• AT&T Wireless M-Mobile Data Developer Program
• Cingular (formerly GTE, etc.) has a Wireless Developer Program
• SprintPCS Application Developer Program, which require J2ME, XHTML, Palm and Pocket PC apps to be Handango Mobile Ready certification and content publishing to monitize through Sprint's PCS Content ConnectionSM. coverage area
• Nextel (806-821 MHz Tx and 851-866 MHz Rx)
• MCI (formerly Worldcomm)
• T-Mobile
• Verizon wireless (formerly Pacific Bell, etc.)

  
  Hong Kong: Orange and CSL
  Austria: Mobilkom
  Finland: Sonera
  France: Orange
  Germany: Vodafone D2
  Hungary: Westel
  Italy: TIM
  Norway: Telenor Mobile
  Portugal: Vodafone & TMN
  Switzerland: Swisscom
  UK: T-Mobile
  Poland: Era

Hitachi SH-G1000

My program will interface with these components, services, and objects on the device:
• Windows Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition OS services (based on Windows XP, but not Windows Mobile 2003)
• QWERTY Keypad for two thumbs -- not backlit.
• Scroll dial (scrollwheel)
• 240x320 pixels and 65,536 colors on the 3-1/2-inch TFT (Thin Film Transistor) color display and ATI Imageon 3200 graphics chip
• 640x480 pixels VGA Camera (rotates) and also has 2X and 4X zoom and color adjustment setting (but no flash).
• 32 MB of SDRAM ( not upgradable & requires moving 300K pics to memory card)
• 400 MHz Intel® XScaleT PXA255 Processor (faster than T-Mobile's Pocket PC)
• MMC/SD (MultiMediaCard/Secure Digital) expansion slot memory cards (not SDIO-compliant, so no Bluetooth or Wi-Fi add-ons)
• Dial, Hang up, Switch to speakerphone, Initiate voice dialing, toggle between standard, outdoor, and silent modes etc. on the Sprint PCS digital Wireless network (no analog roaming)
• GPS E911 chip
• Standard Windows Mobile applications: (Westtek's ClearVue) Microsoft Pocket Excel, Outlook 2000, Word, Windows Media Player, Inbox -- Address book does not sort alphabetically
• Microsoft Outlook with ActiveSync 3.7 to use USB Mini-USB Type B and USB 4 pin USB Type A cradle connections Agenda Fusion or Pocket Informant
• MSN Messenger and AOL AIM (free in UK only)
• Pocket Internet Explorer (emulates Internet Explorer 3 -- yuck) $50/year Thunderhawk still doesn't store cookies.
• Handsfree voice dial and Speaker (for up to 10 contacts)
• IrDA Infrared v1.2 (115 kbps) communications port controls TV sets and X10 remotes

Additionally:

• Extended life battery
• Ear bud -- it is not a handheld phone
• $___ for 128MB SanDisk SD card to hold MP3 files
• $100 for 64MB internal on-board memory for multi-tasking several programs at once
• $230 Bluetooth Ear boom with no wires to Bluetooth dongle.
• $29 NetFront internet browser
• $10 lens cover from Altruism777@Yahoo.com at PO Box 880136 Boca Raton, FL 33488
• Car vent mount or Arkon PDA holder that mounts on car windshields to easily dial numbers
• $33 belt case
• $48 USB car/Travel combo chargers
• $70 hot sync desk cradle and USB cable that also charges 1,500mAh lithium-ion battery status (3 hours talk time)
• Pocket Controller controls G1000 on a desktop machine for faster data entry with desktop keyboard.
• $7.50 screen protectors
• $10 stereo headphone plug adapter 2.5mm male to more common 3.5mm female

• ListPro or PhatNotes
• eWallet for storking passwords, credit card numbers
• Pocket Player of MP3, WMA, WAV, etc.
• Pocket TTY for UNIX SSH/Telnet

This product -- the first integrated Pocket PC from Sprint -- was announced by Hitachi on July 24, 2003 with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $649.99.

$650 from Sprint before a $150 rebate for new lines on a 2 year agreement, plus $80 when bought from Amazon.

Ebay search for Hitachi G1000 has most auctions ending at about $400.

Pocket PC magazine awards lists add-ons.





• CNET's Shopper evaluation
• Amazon

  apps for this device

  Manual from Sprint PCS

  PDA Buyers Guide review

  PDA Phone Home.com
  PC Magazine's April 2003 review of PDAs with Phones did not mention the G1000.

Microsoft Windows Mobile

Download this Visio 2000 diagram.
• Apps running on Pocket PC (PPC) 2002 devices can only be developed using version 3 of the eMbedded C++ language IDE, which creates native program executables.
• Native apps for Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 devices require version 4 (SP2) of the C++ or eVB language IDE.
• 2003 devices have the .NET Compact Framework v1.0 Service Pack 1 in ROM. Apps written with .NET require less space (but may run slower) than similar native apps and they can use common .NET Compact Framework class libraries such as System.Windows.Forms for Windows forms and System.Data for database management with common methods, properties, and events for calling XML Web services, etc.
• Apps managed by the .NET Framework are created by the Visual Studio .NET IDE, which compile C# or VB# language coding into platform neutral CL.
• The internet browser that comes with Pocket PC Phone Edition devices can communicate with web applications on web servers built using Microsoft's ASP.NET Mobile Controls (formerly known as Microsoft Mobile Internet toolkit) authored using Visual Studio.NET 2003.

• Windows Mobile Version 5 has browser version "IE401".
  Pocket Internet Explorer 2003 is the first mobile version to support css and have Flash player support.
  PocketPC 2002 comes wth IE 3.02 which does not support CSS nor DOM1.

Windows Mobile 2003 OS Pocket PC 2003 PDAs

Mfg	Model	Price	Processor	MHz Speed	RAM	ROM	Screen Res.	Expansion
Dell	Axim X3	N/A	Intel® XScale®	300	64	32-64	320 x 240	Integrated WiFi
	Axim X5	$325	Intel® XScale®	400	48	32-64	320 x 240	WiFi on CF card
hp iPAQ	Pocket PC h1935	$200	Samsung (2410)	203	64(56)	-	240 x 320
	Pocket PC H5555	$650	Intel® XScaleT	400	128/48	E	240 x 320
	Pocket PC H1945/1940	$300	Samsung	266	64	32	240 x 320	SDIO & SD/MMC
	2210/2215	$400	Intel® XScale®	400	64(56)	E	240 x 320
Toshiba	e355 & e350	$300	Intel® PXA255®	300	64	16 CMOS	240 x 320	SD
	e750 & e755	$500	Intel® PXA255®	400	64	32	240 x 320	SD & Compact flash

Note 1: CF = CompactFlash® Type II
Note 2: The ViewSonic Pocket PC V35 is not a Windows Mobile 2003 device.

Moving from eMbedded Visual Basic to Visual Basic .NET

Mobile2Market application logo certification and inclusion in the Microsoft Application Catalog.

pocketpc.com

"Designed for Windows Mobile" software for Smartphone Handbook and Pocket PC Handbook dated August, 2003.

FAQ for Logo-Certified Applications Only: How to Obtain the New "Designed for Windows Mobile" Logo

Web pages for testing css on mobile devices

Sprint PPC 6700 PDA Phone

I got one of these Feb. 2005, which Sprint announced on 9/05. I don't think it's worth $500 of improved productivity for me. (Best Buy had it for sale at $399 after the Sprint $150 rebate).

Both Alltel and Sprint offer this phone. Sprint charges an additional $20 per month (after 2 months) for accessing their EV-DO (400 Kbps T1 speed) 3G data network in major cities

I had hoped the 2.8" diagonal wide screen (which takes up most of its 4.25" x 2.3" body) would make it usable for displaying Powerpoint speaker notes while I give lectures. But the rather standard 65,000-color 320x240 pixel resolution killed that idea.

But alas, I'm not able to set a smaller font, so words are misaligned on web pages on the "MSIE 4.01" browser. Even more alarming, the browser does not think of itself as a "handheld" device. in Handheld CSS media type test1 and test2. So even if you hit the rare page that has been coded for smaller handheld device screens, the PPC6700 will still use the full-size screen's CSS code! Plus, it won't recognize WAP pages, either. So the unit is in a "no-man's land".

Is this a deliberate ploy so that only specific websites, such as the for-fee Active Engine/Info can be read properly? It's the default IE screen much like Microsoft ships Windows with "MSN.com" as the default IE site.

The "Powerpoint Mobile" application only a viewer, and does not display speaker notes.

To download powerpoint files, you cannot paste files to the mobile phone's file section using Windows Explorer. Such files will be ignored by the mobile device. You must paste them into the folder than comes up after you click the "Explore" button in the ActiveSync dialog. This triggers a file format conversion into the mobile format.

The Adobe Reader for Pocket PC is 13.5MB!

The unit can connect to WPA and WEP protected Wi-Fi networks. But a known bug (confirmed with Sprint Tech Support at 866.615-6387) is that when the unit goes into "Airplane mode" automatically under low signal conditions (such as actually being in an airplane), the only way to get it working again is to remove the battery, since the on/off button does not turn the unit off completely.

Although its 416mhz runs fast, the Windows Mobile 5.0 user experience is not as user friendly as a Blackberry or Treo 6xx:

• Mobile Outlook's Tasks list is too simplistic: It doesn't sort by Category like Outlook 2003 can (my preferred way to view my task list). Using Mobile Excel requires me to take the extra step of finding and opening a file.

For more fields than what standard Outlook 2003 provides (as part of Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003), download Microsoft's Business Contact Manager Update (250 MB).

• Number keys on the sliding QWERTY keyboard (designed by HTC -- Taiwan's High Tech Computer -- and produced by UTStarcom) are larger than any other PDA keyboard, making thumb typing easier. But like a regular keyboard, one has to remember what mode the keyboard is set to to avoid typing letters instead.

  The Treo keyboards is far superior for usability.

• I'm annoyed with the 7 item limitation on the Start menu. Windows reserves the rest of the space to list the most recently used programs.

Discovery sound Disconnected sound

As for installation: Instead of installing ActiveSync 4.0.4358 from CD that Sprint includes with the phone, download from Microsoft ActiveSync 4.1 (dated 11/18/2005), which offers faster transfer speeds from a new partnership wizard to make it easier to sync photos assigned to contacts from Outlook on the desktop. See Microsoft's ActiveSync FAQ
Remote PC Sync (via Wifi or LAN) has been removed due to Enterprise customer feedback around security issues. If you are using this feature on a Windows Mobile 2003-based device, please continue using ActiveSync 3.x or earlier.

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2 users with devices running the Messaging and Security Feature Pack features DirectPush Mail, local device wipe, and certificate-based authentication to Exchange Server.

As for the hardware:

One nice feature is the miniUSB cable, which also supplies power. So I don't need to carry the cradle around. ActiveSync 4.1 uses ports 5678, 5679, 990, 26675, and 5721. These need to be opened if you have a non-Microsoft firewall software running on your PC.

Like Scott Moritz, I too found the side buttons far too easy to hit accidentally. I often find the phone inadvertently launching the browser or recording a note.

I'm glad to get screen protectors at $13 each from Anti-Glare screen protector

I miss the dedicated buttons for task list, calendar, etc. that Palm PDAs provide. Instead, there are Microsoft-centric buttons for Windows, IE, and Inbox, which makes me take several more actions to get to what I need.

The 1.3 megapixel camera can take panorama shots at up to 1280x1024 resolution. But the 0.7-second shutter delay is longer than "real" cameras.

Of the unit's 128MB of RAM, only 49MB is available for actual file storage.

When you buy a miniSD storage card, make sure to buy one with an adaptor into full-size SD cards.

The speakerphone is loud compared with other PDAs.

It uses 3.5 mm connectors for standard Bluetooth headsets.

I wish (for the price) they would add background-noise cancellation. One has to pay extra for Microsoft's Voice Command voice-dialing software, and that application can't be activated from a Bluetooth

All this power sucks the life out of the 1350mAh battery within 4 hours of talk time. So I doubt the 8 days of rated standby time. This reviewer reports that "Running a video on a loop for four hours depleted the battery by only 30 percent."

Unlike this reviewer, I won't rate the 6.1 ounces device "heavy".

Processors - Intel XScale

Intel's XScale 32-bit processors is the successor to the StrongARM CPU which Intel acquired from DEC.

They use Intel's StrataFlash low 1.8V (L18) Multi-Level Cell (MLC) device manufacturer using the Intel® Stacked Chip Scale Packaging (Stacked-CSP) technology. It's also available in 3v (L30).

What also makes them fast is dual-mode Read-While-Write/Erase Operation (RWW/E).

They come with a 32kb data cache and a 32kb instruction cache (otherwise called a 64kb Level 1 cache on other processors). They also all have a 2kb mini-data cache.

XScale is a RISC-based architecture, but the "Wireless MMX" of the PXA27x (Bulverde) family have 43 new SIMD instructions containing the full MMX instruction set and the integer instructions from Intel's SSE instruction set (along with some instructions unique to the XScale) which boosts speed in decoding and encoding of multimedia and in game playing.

The XScale microprocessor is used in the Dell Axim X50v, Palm Zire, later Sharp Zaurus models and many PDAs and PVP's (Portable Video Players), and PMC's (Portable Media Centres) such as the Creative Zen Portable Media Player. It is used as the main CPU in the Iyonix desktop computer running RISC OS

Wikipedia on XScale

Intel's XScale page

Intel Mobile Laptop PC Processors

Processor Family	Number Sequence
Pentium® M processor**	7xx	90 nm, 2MB L2, 1.50 GHz clock, 400 - 533 MHz Front Side bus
Pentium® 4 processor (including the Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology and Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 processor with HT Technology)	5xx	90 nm, 1MB L2, 3.06 GHz clock speed, 533 Mhz Front Side bus
Celeron® M processor	3xx	90 or 130 nm, 512KB or 1MB L2, 900 MHz - 1.3 GHz, 400 Mhz Front Side bus

Dell found that (using the Bapco MobileMark 2002 Battery Benchmark) its InspironTM 6000:

6-cell Lithium Ion battery (53 WHr):
Up to 3 hours with Celeron processor
Up to 4 hours 20 minutes with Pentium M processor
9-cell Lithium Ion battery (80Whr):
Up to 3 hours 50 minutes with Celeron processor
Up to 5 hours 20 minutes with Pentium M processor

Batteries

Batteries are the lifeblood of wireless devices. A good FAQ is available from Battery refill.com

Batteries lose their charge gradually even when not used. After 6 months, NiCd batteries can only hold a 50% charge. So recharge them once a month, or completely drain and fully recharge them 4 times.
Keeping batteries in a refrigerator slows this effect. But warm them to room temperature before recharging.

Alkaline disposable batteries (even the over-hyped "high capacity" Super Titanium E3) drain quickly, especially with LCDs on digital devices. Not only that, their ingredients are toxic in land fills.

Ni-Cad/NiCd (Nickel-Cadmium) rechargeable batteries have "memory". So they should be completely discharged before being recharged again. A few "smart" chargers take care of this automatically.

Remove external NiCd batteries promptly from the charger to prevent overcharging.

Ni-MH (Metal Hydrad) batteries now go up to power/stamina of 2500mAh (milliamp hours). These also have a "memory effect", so they need to be drained and recharged 3-5 times before they can maintain a full charge.

Li-Ion (Lithium-Ion) laptop batteries are the most advanced. They have System Management Bus (SMBus) circuits that monitors the battery for remaining capacity, output voltage, and temperature. The "smart battery" can also communicate its cell protection information with the laptop. Also, unlike Ni-Cd and Mi-Mh batteries which have a "memory effect", Li-Ion batteries do not, so they can be continuously charged. This also means Li-Ion batteries have long shelf life.

The problem with such smartness is that they must be kept charged above 2.5v or the battery can no longer be recharged. Options to avoid this:

• An auxiliary battery, such as this $75 item for housing the NEC Mobilpro P300 in a carrying case or $90 here
• AC adapter such as this for NEC Mobilpro P300
• Buy additional batteries $30 from Laptops for less or Battery Values

Dave Etchells' Battery Shootout article highly rate Energizer & Powerex batteries and Maha chargers.

Antennas

Cellphones transmit at a standard 0.6 watts of power. Digital phones dynamically adjust their power depending on it's proximity to a base station tower.

External antennas and power boosters:

• reduce disconnects, drop outs, and noise by boosting signals of individual phones 10 times (up to 50 miles).
• eliminates microwave radiation near human heads by having it eminate from an antenna 15.5 inches or more away.

Most antennas for cellular phones make use of a flat metal surface (such as the roof of a car, rooft, or a file cabinet) to provide a ground plane to bounce signals off.

Select the level of gain:

• 0 dBd gain antennas radiate more energy higher in the vertical plane to reach radio communication sites that are located in higher places — in mountainous and metropolitan areas with tall buildings. (although no boosting will help between large desolate hills or mountains).
• 5 dBd gain antennas radiate more energy horizontally toward the horizon to reach radio communication sites that are further apart in open deserts, plains, flatlands, and farm areas.
• 3 dBd gain antennas is the all-around compromise for suburban settings.

For each connector and for each foot of cable between the antenna and analog device, about 0.10db gain is lost. About 0.15db gain is lost from digital devices.

Tinted glass and defroster wires block signals, so won't accomodate glass mounted antennas.

I have a wilson 301103 antenna hooked to a Wilson Amplifier / Repeater sold through alternative wireless or antenna warehouse can serve several phones in a building or vehicle, unlike $270 Jim Wilson in-vehicle direct connection or $645 JDTECK in-home booster for individual 1900 MHz phones.

Portable Printers

A big aspect of the hassle of traveling is not having a printer. So here are my notes on portable Bubble Jet Printers.

Product	Price	Adv.	dpi	Notes
HP 450Ci C8111A	$115 -250	Bluetooth, IrD, CompactFlash, USB, parallel	1,200 BW, 4,800 photo x 1,200	Bad customer service from HP? Ink Cartridges: $19 HP 56 black C6656AN HP 57 color C6657AN HP 58 Photo C6658AN $75 Lithium-Ion Battery C8222A
Canon BJC-55	280	Smallest, IrDA	720 x 360	Ink Cartridges: $10 BCI-11 Black $18 BCI-11e Color $85 Image scanner
Canon BJC-85	$125 -180	Small, IrDA	720 x 360	Ink Cartridges: $45 BC-11e 4-Color $85 scanner
Canon BJC-i80	$150 -280	Larger	4,800 x 1,200 borderless	Ink Cartridges: $10 BCI-15 Black $18 BCI-15 Color $70 Bluetooth adapter
HP C2655A Deskjet 340	$50 used	IrDA	600 x 300	Bad customer service from HP? Ink Cartridges: HP 56 black $10 HP 58
CITIZEN PN60 (discontinued)	$30	smallest	360 x 360	PN60i has Ifrared vs. parallel. Ribbons cost $9.00 per package of two, and each ribbon can print about 25 pages of text. Alas, no Windows 2000/XP drivers.

Headsets

Bluetooth Jabra BT250 & A210 BT-250 & A-210 Bluetooth Set 8581

Resources

Microsoft Mobile Devices MVPs

• Dale Coffing at www.pocketPCpassion.com
• David Conger at www.davespda.com
• Rey Flores at www.mobilegadgetnews.com
• Leigh Geary at www.coolsmartphone.com
• Ed Hansberry at www.ehansberry.com
• Cleverson A Izzo at www.wince.com.br
• Frank McPherson at www.pocketpchow2.com
• Stephan Schmidt at www.smartphone-web.com
• Andrew Shuttleworth at www.pocketpcjapan.com
• Phillip M. Torrone at www.flashenabled.com/mobile
• Marc Zimmermann at www.zimac.de/

Microsoft Windows CE MVPs

• Robert Burdick at www.wAppearances.com
• Jack Cook at experiencemobility.com
• Jason Dunn at www.jasondunn.com
• Chris De Herrera at www.cewindows.net
• Arne Hess at www.ppcw.net
• Julio Meneses at www.mipcdebolsillo.com
• Craig Peacock at www.craigtech.co.uk
• Lawrence Ricci at www.lawrencericci.com
• Markus Schweiger at www.pocket-expert.de

Microsoft Other MVPs

• Joe Schurman's Collaboration and Mobility Blog

Aspecto software - Freeware developers and software consultants specializing in WiFi, GPS and mobile devices

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