Convergence
Computers can communicate wirelessly using different technologies:
- Wi-Fi LAN of limited range at public fee-for-service (ala Boingo) locations.
- BlueTooth devices are limited to 300 feet.
- PCS connecting to digital cell phone lines for unlimited internet access wherever you go.
- Satellite phones provide
Coverage, but at slower speeds.
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.
Compatibilities
Devices need to be compatible with what carrers offer in all these aspects:
- Devices (handset) having the chips
- Bearer Transmission Technology
- Version of Transmission Technology
- Frequency of signals
- ID chip
- Unlock
To recognize new receivers,
digitial cell phones need to have their internal Preferred Roaming List (PRL) updated periodically at a phone service store.
World Phones
Carriers usually have roaming agreements
to provide coverage over several frequencies
(at outrageous extra fees).
Apple iOS iPhones and iPads contain chips to support several frequencies, as does the
Samsung Galaxy S2 and other Android phones.
850/900/1900/1800 MHz on GSM
850/900/1900/2100 MHz on UTMA HSDPA
Apple’s iPhone 6 (Models A1549 and A1586) and iPhone 6 Plus (Models A1522 and A1524 on Sprint CDMA)
provide near complete global coverage for GSM and UMTS/HSPA+ networks all over the world.
They support four-band GSM, five-band CDMA2000, five-band UMTS (with HSPA+42 support), and sixteen LTE FDD bands (with support for up to 150Mbps of download speeds):
The five CDMA2000 bands enable coverage on all CDMA carriers in the US (who use ESMR, Cellular 850MHz, AWS 1.7+2.1 GHz, and PCS 1.9GHz for CDMA), as well as KDDI in Japan (who use Cellular 850MHz and IMT 2.1GHz for CDMA) and China Telecom in China (who use Cellular 850MHz for CDMA). These bands are the same as the American Sprint model for the iPhone 5S and 5C.
For LTE FDD, the iPhone 6s support a full mix of bands for every region.
LTE bands 1 (IMT 2.1GHz), 3 (DCS 1.8GHz), 5 (Cellular 850MHz), 7 (IMT-E 2.6GHz FDD), 8 (Cellular 900MHz), 20 (EU 800MHz), and 28 (APT 700MHz) are supported to provide the full range of access to LTE FDD networks throughout Europe, Asia, and Brazil. LTE bands 2 (PCS A-F blocks 1.9GHz), 4 (AWS-1 1.7+2.1GHz), 5 (Cellular 850MHz), 7 (IMT-E 2.6GHz FDD), 13 (US Upper 700MHz C block), 17 (US Lower 700MHz B+C blocks), 25 (PCS A-G blocks 1.9GHz), 26 (ESMR+Cellular 850MHz), 28 (APT 700MHz), and 29 (US Lower 700MHz Supplemental Downlink) offer nearly full access to LTE FDD networks throughout the Americas.
Noticeably missing is LTE band 12 A-C blocks, which T-Mobile USA has spent a lot of money deploying
the 700 Mhz (Advanced Wireless Spectrum) purchased from Verizon.
Japanese LTE bands 18 (ESMR+Cellular 850MHz subset) and 19 (Cellular 850MHz subset) are intended to enable KDDI and NTT DoCoMo’s low-band networks, while band 28 sits in the wings for future 700MHz LTE network rollouts by KDDI, DoCoMo, and SoftBank.
Wireless Frequencies
Generally, lower frequencies can cover a larger coverage area, while higher frequencies cover a smaller area.
In Russia and nordic countires, local carriers use the 450 MHz frequency range (452.5-457.5)
on CDMA (NMT-450 standard) to provide analog mobile voice coverage.
Cellular refers to the AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System) and IS-136 (D-AMPS) cellular networks on the
"850 MHz band" (actually 800-894 MHz, specifically 824-849 and 869-894 MHz),
used by the first mobile devices in the US.
PCS (Personal Communications Service)
(CDMAOne using QPSK/BPSK modulation at 1.25MHz)
in 1995 Canada, Mexico and the United States
runs at the
"1900 MHz band" (actually 1850-1990 MHz, specifically 1,850-1,910 and 1,930-1,990 MHz).
Before switching to CDMA,
Sprint originally used
GSM radio interface equipment, but sold it to what eventually became T-Mobile.
AWS (3G/4G), auctioned off in the US by the FCC in the summer of 2006, runs in the
1.7/2.1 GHz band (1,710-1,755 and 2,110-2,155 MHz).
4G LTE in the US runs in the
700 Mhz band (specifically 698-806 MHz), previously used for analog television broadcasts,
were auctioned in early 2008.
BLAH:
LTE subscribers on Verizon and AT&T in the US cannot currently roam between each operator's bands on their respective 700MHz 4G deployments.
BLAH:
LTE devices from the US cannot use the 2.1GHz frequency used on the Rogers Wireless network in Canada.
(Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement has previously said that a 700MHz auction could happen by late 2012.)
Glossaries of Telecom terms are provided by
WebCitation.org
WirelessAdvisor.com lists the carriers operating in each zip code.
3G vs. LTE Technology
While LTE is much faster than 3G, it also uses more energy.
https://developer.att.com/application-resource-optimizer/docs/best-practices/comparing-lte-and-3g-energy-consumption
ATT reports that 3G consumes a total of 34.67 vs. 45.16 jules of energy for LTE.
Carrier Transmission Technologies and Speeds
Air interface techologies:
FDMA (Fixed Division Multiple Access)
NMT is a 1G Analog service.
CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
is a proprietary standard designed by Qualcomm
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.
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.
TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), defined by the IS-136 standard, is also known as D-AMPS (Digital AMPS).
It 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.
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) was defined as
IS-95
by the
GSM Association founded in 1987.
GSM-Data is a digital cellular or PCS standard for how data is coded and transferred through the wireless spectrum. It is the 2G TDMA wireless standard throughout the world - except in the United States.
GSM is an alternative to CDMA.
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
(WAP over GPRS) is a 2.5G technology on GSM networks.
It is an "always on" technology with data transfer speeds
of 50kbps and up to 114 Kbps.
1XRTT and EVDO are slightly earlier network technologies.
EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution)
phones on GSM networks
boast data rates of up to 384 kbps (but 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) which boost speeds to about 275-380 kbps.
BLAH: 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.
Most carriers provide several technologies to their subscribers (perhaps through agreements with other carriers),
although different networks are available in different areas.
HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access Plus and also called Evolved HSPA)
offers theoretical download data speeds of up to 168Mbps and uplink of 22Mbps
(with 42Mbps actuals)
as a further evolution of
HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) which theoretically
download data at up to 21 Mbps
using fundamentally 3G HSUPA and HSDPA technologies.
HSPA+ is widely considered by technical experts as a
"3.5G" or, at most, a "3.75G" network.
BLAH: HSPA+ technology is marketed by some carriers as "4G" -- a deceptive marketing practice.
3.9G OFDMA (LTE/SAE ==>EPS) with PS ~ 100 Mbps ???
for VoIP and data in 2010.
LTE (Long Term Evolution), is considered a "true"
4G IMT network,
with theoretical download speeds of 300Mbps and uploads of 75Mbps.
Its lower transfer latency was achieved through with
IP-based redesign of 3G network architecture.
LTE is not compatible with 2G and 3G networks because it
functions on a different wireless spectrum with new equipment built from the ground up --
the reason behind delayed launches of 4G LTE availability.
LTE uses OFDMA (Orthogonal FDMA) where each user and each channel
has a unique time and frequency resource.
Chips
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.
Chips can be of are different sizes.
Apple iPhones accept smaller micro SIMs which are created by a special device that clips edges off larger size chips.
Unlocking
Devices need to be Unlocked in order for it to accept chips.
DO THIS: To unlock Apple devices, Call your carrier to request that Apple unlock your device.
When you plug your device to sync to iTunes on a Mac or PC, the unlock code is set on the device.
Unlocking also occurs by
jailbreaking Apple devices and
rooting Android devices.
Bandwidth by Protocol
Wi-Fi is short for “Wireless Fidelity”, named by the
Wi-Fi Alliance of leading wireless equipment and software providers which
tests and certifies 802.11-based products for interoperability.
| 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.
Promoted by the industry group WECA, which includes Cisco, 3Com, Apple, and Lucent.
| 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. Promoted by industry group CUBE which includes
Intel, Siemens, Motorola, and Compaq. | - |
| 802.11ac | Gigabit Wi-Fi | - | 433 Mbps | - |
- | - |
- 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.
80211-planet.com
Mobile Imperative.com
- 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.
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Operating Systems and Platforms
Google Android>
Microsoft Windows Phone
RIM
Casio Pocket Viewer/Manager.
-
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.
Java/J2ME (Micro Edition) supported by Sun's Java Developer Connection.
Ericsson Mobility World
- WinCE (PocketPC) (Microsoft Mobile Solutions)
- 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
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Transports for MMS
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.
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) "pushes" images, sound/video clips, and other attachments
transported over underlying bearers
(wireless networks) using the WAP protocol to MMS enabled mobile devices.
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).
CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data)
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).
Sending A Wireless Text-Message With Java 4/28/2001
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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.
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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
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Microsoft Windows Mobile
- 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
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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.
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".
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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
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Intel Mobile Laptop PC Processors
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Batteries
Batteries are the lifeblood of wireless devices.
A good FAQ is available from
Battery refill.com
and
Battery-rebuild.com (Pacific time)
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.
-
Dave Etchells' Battery Shootout article highly rate Energizer & Powerex batteries and Maha chargers.
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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.
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Satellite Phones
Globalstar Evolution II Plan in North America
unlimited talk for $39.99/month on 1 year plans
with the $499 GSP-1700 device built by Ericsson, QUALCOMM, Telit to include Qualcomm's CDMA cellular with SMS.
Limitations:
One of 48 satellites needs to be in line of sight (even though clouds).
Calltimes are limited to when
256 kbps data transfer from 2nd generation low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites (48 of them)
Coverage Map shows that
Direct Internet calls (Dialing #777 send) cannot be made in China.
They're working on service in Central American countries (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama).
Iridium Satellite LLC.
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
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Canon BJC-85
| $125
-180
| Small,
IrDA
| 720 x 360
|
Ink Cartridges:
$45 BC-11e 4-Color
$85 scanner
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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
|
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HP C2655A Deskjet 340
| $50
used
| IrDA
| 600 x 300
| Bad customer service from HP? Ink Cartridges:
HP 56 black
$10 HP 58
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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.
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Headsets
Bluetooth Jabra BT250 & A210 BT-250 & A-210 Bluetooth Set 8581
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Resources
- Joe Schurman's
Collaboration and Mobility Blog
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Aspecto software -
Freeware developers and software consultants specializing in WiFi, GPS and mobile devices
Who's using your wi-fi network? Find out with
Rogue Scanner.
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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:
