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A Few Questions to Ask yourself before you Order the iPhone 4

RyanKamauff — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:39:50 +0000

The Latest and Best Looking iPhone

Last week, Steve Jobs released Apple’s latest iPhone, the iPhone 4. It is without a doubt a stunning piece of engineering and design. I, for one, certainly find it the most attractive iPhone yet. The new iPhone has the same A4 processor as the iPad, and a “retina display” screen. The new screen has packed more pixels into it than early laptops, and is LED backlit. Shunning the 1 button approach of the past, the new iPhone has a couple buttons on the side, presumably to enable volume and camera shooting. It now has a 5MP rear camera with LED Flash, as well a forward facing VGA camera. A video chat application known as FaceTime is possible, albeit only when connected to Wi-Fi (I don’t think AT&T is ready to handle increased video chat load). The new iPhone touts iOS 4 (formerly known as iPhoneOS 4), multi-tasking, 16 or 32GB internal storage, and a purported 7 hour 3G talk time battery life.

Yesterday, pre-orders lasted until 430PM EST, if you could even get them. With some server malfunctions, many were unable to place orders (50% of respondents on a Gizmodo server said NO). Some AT&T stores took to taking pre-orders by paper. There were also some pretty serious security issues (detailed here). All told, I think it is fair to say that a great number of people pre-ordered this phone. I do not believe anyone doubts that the iPhone 4 will sell record numbers, but a pre-order that sold out withing mere hours is a stunning fact.

Apple (and their marketing team) will try to convince you that EVERYONE must have the latest iPhone, without delay. I would proffer a few questions to ponder before you jump in with two feet.

1) Do you HAVE to have the latest Apple products as soon as they are released? If so, then yes, this phone is for you.

2) Do you have an iPhone 2G, or 3G and love it? These phones will not get the benefits of the iOS4 update (most notably multi-tasking). They also have a lot worse hardware, and you will see huge improvements if you upgrade. If you love the iPhone 2G/3G, the iPhone 4 will be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

If you use a lot of data, AT&T is not for you

3) Do you want to Tether? If so, the iPhone 4 is not for you. Check out AT&T’s new data plans. They are not tethering friendly, limiting your data usage to a TOTAL of 2GB a month. If you are even an extreme data user, the iPhone 4 is probably not for you.

4) Do you have an iPhone 3GS? If you do, the iPhone 4 is probably not for you. The iPhone 4 is not a huge improvement in any area over the iPhone 3GS. It has been often stated that Apple is the king of incremental upgrades, and this upgrade is incremental in many places, but is not going to make the 3GS obsolete. Additionaly I suggest waiting until at least 2011 to sign a long term contract. This is for 3 reasons: to gain time to identify the strongest 4G network, to gain time to discern the best plan (one with more than 2GB of data!!), and to find the best handset (on the previously described network). Every time you extend your contract for 2 years (especially early) you get yourself behind the ball on handsets. Handsets often do not last more than year (at least their warranties don’t!) and within 12 months, most are technically outdated.

5) Is the AT&T Network a deal-breaker for you? I put this in here to fight some FUD that is out there. The simple fact is that in 2007, when the iPhone was first released, no network was ready to handle the onslaught of data demands the iPhone levied against their networks. Almost overnight, 10M featurephone/”dumbphone” users were accessing an extremely large amount of data, at the same time. I have always been irritated by people who damned the AT&T network, while saying Verizon or any other provider was light years ahead. AT&T’s data service has always been, and still is, faster than any other 3G option. Unfortunately, the over-saturation of around 40M iPhone users on their network has made it extremely difficult for AT&T to keep up with demand. I have my own qualms with AT&T, most of which center around their ludicrous data plans, and high prices.

6) You are interested in Android (or one of the other OS’s) Google’s Android has made huge leaps since the G1 was first released. I recently grabbed an Android 2.1 handset and am loving it. HP recently bought Palm, so webOS may find some legs in an HP handset. Also, the Nokia and Intel lovechild, Meego (optimized for Atom processors) will be coming out soon, and promises to offer a different take on mobile OS. Lastly, Windows Phone 7 should be appearing on handsets by Q3 2010, providing an additional choice for mobile devices.

My questions above are not to dissuade anyone from buying an iPhone 4, it is certainly the best iPhone yet, but rather to help consumers make informed decisions. The iPhone does not have a 4G option, whether it is WiMAX or LTE, and is not any more technically advanced than any of the current powerful Android Phones (Nexus 1, HTC Evo, HTC Droid Incredible, Motorola Droid X). If your current phone is serving you fine, it may not be worth it to extend your contract 2 more years. At the rate that mobile hardware and software are advancing, as well with the inevitable advent of 4G networks with large coverage areas, the iPhone 4 in 2010 may not be a wise purchase.

Thanks for reading and please share any comments below!

How fast is 3G and what is 3.5G and when will 4G really be here?

BobGourley — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 08:02:19 +0000

Most enterprise CTOs are very interested in the “cloud” and ways to tap into cloud-based resources. An interesting aspect of this discussion has been how to access the cloud while on the move. Today’s cellular networks support that access today, and future enhancements are making that support even better and much much faster.

How much faster? I’ll try to put that in context in this post.

Early 3G networks had a download speed of 384kbits per second and an upload speed of 192Kbits per second. The wireless router you might have in your home, by contrast, might have a speed of 54Mbits per second. So, about 140 times faster.

But the 3G networks in place today use new transmission algorithms that enable much faster throughput. Here is a little more context from vendor pages:.

Verizon asserts their broadband access, based on CDMA2000 1x EVDO (Code Division Multiple Access Evolution-Data Only) provides download speeds of up to 1.4Mbits/s and uploads of up to 800kbits/s.

AT&T is leveraging its GPRS technology called EDGE to deliver higher speeds than Verizon’s. AT&T’s EDGE delivers speeds of around 1.7Mbits/s and upload of around 1.2Mbits/s. AT&T also claims that their new protocols (HSDPA/UMTS, for High Speed Downlink Packet Access/Universal Mobile Telephone System) makes it possible to make use of more services and credit this with their ability to let you talk and use the Internet at the same time.

Sprint asserts that its broadband cards delivery 350-500kbps but then say you might get a peak of 3.1Mbps. I wonder if or how often that happens. Sprint also claims that they “lead the way with 4G” and in many ways they seem to be the pioneers here, but they might be defining that term differently than others. Clearly their offering of EVO is revolutionary, it is an incredible device (look for reviews elsewhere on our site). Sprint’s system, which is fast at an advertised .5 to 1.5 Mbps uplink (and peak uplinks at up to 5 Mbps (another source said peak can be 12 Mbps)), is very fast but still no where near the speed I think of when I think 4G.

Really 4G refers to the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. I consider 4G to be IP-packet-switched networks operating at gigabit speed for access. Most in the field consider WiMAX and LTE (Long term evolution cell) as pre-4G or sometimes 3.5G.

What’s coming next:

A key emerging protocol is HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access). HSDPA is sometimes called 3.5G. This protocol is in the HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) family and allows download of up to 14.4Mbits/s download and 5.8Mbits/s upload. Now this is getting interesting.

HSPA+ allows speeds of up to 42Mbits/s. This is almost what you would expect to see in your home wireless LAN. The next step is a project called Long Term Evolution. This LTE will start with providing 150Mbits/s to handheld devices and soon thereafter expect protocols and algorithms to increase that up to 1gig of bits per second to your mobile device.

When will these new protocols and speeds be available to consumers? The answer is, the best roadmaps I have seen are all tightly held insider views, but if you look at what is being rolled out right now we should expect a continuing stream of announcements that brings the timing of these new protocols more into focus. Public information show many vendors moving to the first version of LTE by 2011. Sprint’s very fast WiMax and cell is available in many urban areas today and will hopefully spread fast.

So, brace yourself for the innovation that will drive in the devices that connect to the cloud through cellular.

For more on 4G I recommend wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G

Seven Technology Predictions for 2010

RyanKamauff — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:01:24 +0000

Acer wants to be the first to sell a Chrome OS Netbook

2010 will undoubtedly be a year of technology. In 2009, Twitter revolutionized the way we get news, it brought us closer to those who were a part of the news, almost making traditional media irrelevant. I don’t know who (or what) will be the Twitter of 2010, but below are a few predictions for the coming year.

Google’s Chrome Netbook OS will be a hit. Their OS will mostly be dependent on a Google Account. A Google Account opens up their full Google Apps suite, which includes email, calendar, word processing, and MS Office like functions. Google’s renditions of their current OS have been well received by the “blogosphere” especially it’s ability to fit on a 1GB flash drive. An OS that small is perfect for Netbooks and tablet PCs. The smaller footprint also gives the user more capabilities. A key part of the Chrome OS will be the Chrome brower (my browser of choice) and one that is noted for its speed and security. Google rarely has missteps and I don’t foresee that Chrome OS will be one of them.

Notion Ink's Adam Tablet is sleek, and has an incredible Pixel Qi screen

Tablet PCs will dethrone the Kindle and the Nook – Recently, Barnes and Noble stated that they expected to ship 60k Nook handsets this year. Amazon stated that the Kindle was the largest gift ever sold this holiday season. Both devices are great at one thing – reading e-books. But who will be satisfied with a $250 E-reader, when a full fledged tablet PC can be had for $300? Many tablets on their way are going to be “subsidized” devices with 3G services. They will be capable of reading B&N e-books, Amazon e-books, and .pdf/.txt/.doc documents. Tablet PCs can offer the reading package side by side with Web-browsing, video and music playback, and video output to HDTVs/Monitors, or even use it as a full fledge PC when docked.

The DROID could be as good as it gets in 2010

There will be no great Smartphone leaps in 2010 – Smartphones (iPhone/BlackBerry/Android/Windows Mobile devices) are in a bit of a rut. As telecom providers are rushing to roll out 4G/LTE (long term evolution) networks, there is not too much a cellular phone can do in the future that it cannot now. In my mind, the most limiting factor for mobile phones is bandwidth. Already they can be hacked to provide Wireless Access Points, use Google Voice, and be tethered to provide your computer w/ access. We already have Multi-Touch, OLED, 5MP, and other capabilities. Improved touchscreen interactions, standardizing tethering and VoIP will all be nice, but these are merely hacks, not innovations.

USB 2.0 Left, 3.0 Right

USB 3.0 will not revolutionize anything (at least in 2010) – USB 3.0 is a great improvement. Offering transmission speeds of up to 480Mbps, it is certainly faster than USB 3.0, but until it is actually adopted, it is a useless advancement. USB 3.0 can be a revolution for displays, hi-fi audio, external hard drives, and hardwired network transmissions. All of these require a high amount of bandwidth. There is talk of USB 3.0 becoming the standard for every digital connection – but until it is adopted it is merely just another “Betamax.” The most expensive motherboards commercially available now do not have USB 3.0 ports, and until they ship in every PC and every peripheral, USB 3.0 will not find acceptance and relevance.

Location information (and location based services) will be extremely important in 2010 – Cell tower triangulation, GPS, and RFID (not to mention credit card records) are creating an inordinate amount of information pertaining to people’s habits, their routes, and who is purchasing what, where. Recently it has come to light that Sprint has shared over 8 M records with authorities – the amount of digital information on every person is growing daily, and privacy vs law enforcement, military, and anti-terror issues will rise to the surface of public opinion, and quickly. Whether Sprint is right or wrong to release that information depends on whomever you ask – I’m sure the criminals in jail would disagree with it, yet I bet district attorneys and law enforcement officials enjoyed it (for more on the Sprint issue here). Check out SenseNetworks here for info on a locational data market leader.

Google's Android is powering this season's hottest cellphone: the Motorola DROID

2010, open source will have an impact on the consumer – Sun Microsystems’ OpenOffice.org project is an incredibly powerful desktop tool. It has become part of the suite of apps that I personally install on every machine I use. Why would I spend $100+ on bloated software (I’m looking at you Office 2007) when Sun offers the same capabilities in a 300MB download? In my opinion, this software is fully functional, and I suggest it to anyone I know in need of a desktop publishing solution. In addition, Google’s Android OS, an open source mobile phone (and PMP) operating system is going to touch a large number of consumers, and be an OS of choice for many tech manufacturers. Open source Linux servers have been supporting consumers for years, but in 2010 I foresee OpenOffice.org and Android reaching out and touching the consumer (and them knowing it).

Do you really want to wear these everytime you watch TV?

3D HDTV/3D in the house will not take off – Do you really want to wear glasses every time you decide watch TV or a new movie? I know I don’t, and I don’t think the majority of America does either. In my mind 3D has always been a gimmick – something for amusement park rides – not a really tenable technology. The advent of HD footage has gotten people used to clear, pristine images, 3D is neither of these. After recently watching Avatar in Digital 3D, after 2 hours and 40 minutes all I had was a headache, a desire for a refund, and no clue as to why anyone would film anything in 3D. In my mind, I don’t think this technology is ready for full scale adoption, I’ll probably avoid 3D until we have holographic projectors (maybe by the end of 2020!)

So what do you guys think of my predictions? Do you have any of your own? Please comment on mine, and leave your own!

Thanks!

5 Gadgets that I can’t wait to see in the New Year

RyanKamauff — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:43:28 +0000

2010 will bring a load of new gadgets, technology, and advancements for consumers and enterprises alike. Microsoft is releasing Office 2010, Apple is releasing their new Tablet (iTablet), NVIDIA is releasing their “GeForce 3XX” series of graphics cards, SSD’s will be (hopefully) affordable, and Sprint should have a 4G/3G phone.

Microsoft's Latest Office has quite the uphill battle.

Office 2010 – with the beta already released and being used/tested as we speak, Microsoft is hoping to follow up on the success of Windows 7 with a powerful new Office Suite. This Office will be about collaboration, working online, and easily sharing files with other users. Microsoft, after crushing Corel’s WordPerfect, is now worried about Google Apps and Sun’s OpenOffice.org. After extensively using both these alternatives, I really can’t imagine ever paying for desktop publishing software again. That said, I look forward to seeing their new efforts and see how the implementation works.

Could the iTablet change everything?

Apple Tablet - In 2010, Apple will finally release their tablet. Size, Pricing, specifications, and even availability are still up in the air, but most sources suggest March 2010. It is expected to be a 10-12″ diagonal, multi-touch device running Snow Leopard. This tablet is rumored to cost $1000 and may be available in 2 sizes. We can expect the iTablet to be complete with the full Apple multimedia suite. The iTablet certainly won’t be for everyone, but could be a Kindle-killer and a great living room/kitchen device. If you are not a Mac “Fanboy”, the ICD Android tablet could be the device for you. A 7″ Android 2.1 tablet designed to surf the web, read books, listen to music, and watch videos, both streaming and onboard. There are quite a few more specs for the ICD Android tablet, most notably the inclusion of NVIDIA’s Tegra platform. Due to the inclusion of Tegra chip, the ICD tablet should have long long battery life.

Will NVIDIA deliver once again?

ATI has set the standard, will NVIDIA meet the bar?

NVIDIA’s GeForce 3XX Series – In Q3 2009, ATI, the other dominant graphics card player, released their Radeon HD5XXX series of discrete graphics cards. ATI combined lower power consumption, equal or better graphics performance, and a lower price into an extremely attractive package. NVIDIA’s GeForce 9XXX and 2XX, their last two generations of processors, are keeping up with most of the ATI cards, except at the top end; however, ATI’s products are all DirectX 11 and Shader Model 5.0 compatible – something that NVIDIA’s are not. In addition, ATI’s efforts towards power friendly graphics cards raises the bar for PC components across the board. Hopefully NVIDIA’s 3XX series will be a fitting competitor to the ATI products.

Not only is it pretty, but it's fast!

New and Affordable Solid State Drives (SSD) – Right now SSD drives are just starting to become the norm for high speed applications. They are filling servers, lightweight laptops, and high powered desktops. Currently, SSD drives retail for around $3.33 per gigabyte, on the other hand 7,200 RPM HDD drives retail for just $.10 per gigabyte. Now SSDs are not optimal for storage, but they are unparalleled for boot drives/OS drives and portable computing devices. It is my belief that the cost per gigabyte to drop below $2.00 for SSDs, making them more available to the common user (and more affordable in portable computing.

What good is bandwidth that nobody can access?

Sprint releasing a phone w/ 3G/4G modems – Sprint has long been touting their WiMax 4th generation wireless network. It is live in many cities and continues to expand. But until they release a handset capable of accessing that bandwidth, it will be little more than a science experiment, useful to only the handful invested in a USB modem. As AT&T is debuting 3G capabilities of up to 7.2Mbps on a handset, Sprint must move quickly to remain relevant in the carrier wars.

Blackberry 9630 Tour: Perfect for my small business needs

BobGourley — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 01:09:48 +0000

I just upgraded my Verizon Blackberry World Edition to the BlackBerry Tour 9630. This note provides a few observations.

I use my phone for business, so I need good clear always-on voice. But my Blackberry is also my hand held office. I need a device that lets me rapidly draft and send e-mails, and I need always on connectivity to the many cloud computing services we have all grown to depend upon in this cloud driven age. I need access to contact info from the cloud and need access to my office and home calendars. I need access to work documents, spreadsheets and presentations as well.

My previous phone, the older Blackberry 8830 World Edition, met most all the requirements I really needed met. It was great at receiving and sending e-mail and had a keyboard that lets me fly when it comes to typing. Browsing speeds on the Verizon World were acceptable. I almost didn’t upgrade. But, in the end, I’m a gadget freak, and I thought it would be cool to have a 3.2 mega pixel camera. I convinced myself that I just had to do this.

I’m glad I did. The many feature upgrades add up to enhancements to my productivity. This was good.

The screen on the Tour is very bright and much higher resolution. That means I can make the font much smaller and still read e-mails- so I can read more faster.

The keyboard is just what I expected. It is fast to use.

The camera is very powerful. 3.2 Megapixel’s is pretty cool. I haven’t used it for work yet (and might never), but I have put it through its paces. One of the first pictures I took is of a Prince William County historical marker (I was somewhat surprised to find this marker in my neighborhood, since I think it means a relative of mine walked right down the road I currently live on (see: http://bit.ly/3KsKkp for a tid-bit on Captain Thomas Gourley of the Revolutionary War ) .

When I take a picture I’ve set the camera to automatically upload it to the site iTookThisOnMyPhone.com Photos are automatically put into a private folder then I can move them to public view when I want. For example, see: http://bit.ly/O2lJi

I also use Twitter, to keep myself informed and to stay engaged with the community. This phone makes it even easier to do that. The great screen means I can read more tweets at once. Great add on software like UberTwitter adds other key features. There is also a Facebook client for the Backberry, and I played around with that for a while, but for my needs I am find just using the mobile web version of Facebook. I uninstalled the Facebook client.

Thanks to Google, the contacts and calendar of my domain at http://crucialpointllc.com are always synched with the contacts and calendar on my new Blackberry, which is great for info management. I am a power user of Google documents. The blackberry provides a great way to view those, but, unfortunately, Google provides only limited ability to make changes to documents from Blackberry. I’m hoping that feature will come soon. Till then, the way to change documents with the blackberry is somewhat cumbersome. The only way I’ve figured out how to do that is to e-mail it to myself and use the word editor on the Blackberry then e-mail it back. That is clunky and I’m sure the gang and Google will figure out how to make this work better.

The Tour comes with Blackberry’s App Store. I thank Apple and Steve Jobs for this. If Apple had not produced the incredibly friendly, fantastically designed iPhone app store, RIM would likely not have been motivated to produce something so cool as what they did. The Tour’s app store has a great interface into all the applications you would want for a small business mobile device.

I’m not happy that the Verizon version of the Tour does not have WiFi. Sounds like someone at Verizon made a business decision that does not take consumer desires in mind. Shame on them for that. But, Verizon’s 3G network is very fast. And there has been a great deal of bad press about AT&T’s networks, so overall I’m glad I stuck with Verizon (see AT&T Is A Big, Steaming Heap of Failure).

Well, we all need connectivity to the cloud, and if you run a small business like me you need a way to connect that lets you rapidly crank out e-mails. This Blackberry Tour lets you do that and far more. I’d recommend it to any business professional.

NVIDIA’s Tegra – HD Video in your Hand

RyanKamauff — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:09:24 +0000

Tegra is smaller than a dime!!!

Today, we are experiencing a digital revolution, you can take with you (and make calls with via the iPhone) all the media you desire in your life. Yet, it is still stuck in that woefully inadequate 360p, or 480p (less than standard definition!). For all you HD snobs out there (myself included), NVIDIA’s Tegra processor is the answer.

Tegra!

NVIDIA’s newest foray comes in four flavors; there are currently 2 offerings in the APX line dedicated to PMPs (portable music players) and cellphones, as well the 600 series dedicated to MIDs (mobile internet devices) and netbooks. The APX line is capable of up to 720p output, and the 600 series 1080p (Full HD). NVIDIA designed this tiny chip to only sip battery life compared to today’s mobile graphics solutions.

HD Playback from your netbook - with even longer battery

NVIDIA claims that these devices could deliver 10 hours of continuous video playback on a single charge, and over 100 hours of audio playback. Unlike your iPhone 3GS that can last a few hours playing video – a Tegra powered device could last all day. A Tegra device could output directly to your HDTV, Projector, or LCD Monitor through HDMI.

But Tegra’s innovations are not just for your multimedia or personal communication needs. Imagine using a small stand, an HDMI cable, and an HDTV to conduct VideoTeleconferences, or Skype with your co-workers. This is not the end of the enterprise capabilities these devices would possess. With your cellphone/MID/PMP you could simply plug an HDMI cable into an HDTV and give a presentation.

As many firms are using HDTVs and HD projectors as displays in conference rooms, using your phone (or another device) to present and control it will lessen what you carry with you.

ZuneHD - 1st big brand Tegra Offering

Tegra is already being deployed into Microsoft’s ZuneHD (due this fall), and NVIDIA claims they will be integrated into at least 12 MIDs/PMPs. So before you make the switch to an iPhone 3GS or an iTouch 2nd generation, chance the wait for the ZuneHD or another Tegra-based device. Current PMPs and cellular devices do not allow HD video as well drain more battery than the future devices will. NVIDIA’s Tegra is the next generation processor to enable users who require more from their mobile devices.

For more information on NVIDIA Tegra check out this link. For more on ZuneHD here.

I like my MiFi: A micro hotspot that fits in your shirt pocket

BobGourley — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:14:53 +0000

I bought a NovatelWireless MiFi for business use this week. Like lots of other mobile users I need good connectivity and am not always places where WiFi is available and I also have several devices so the idea of having my own mobile hotspot sounded like something I would have to try. I purchased the MiFi 2200 from Verizon and tested it out soon after.

I’m really impressed. The device is small– it is the size of a stack of about 5 credit cards. But it is very powerful. After configuring my laptop and the card I can now securely log into the MiFi and have configured it to work with several of my devices. Now I really do have my own mobile hotspot. I have tested it with my MacBook, my Netbook and an iPod Touch and have had them all accessing the Internet at the same time and all performed GREAT! I was expecting horribly slow page downloads but it really isn’t bad at all. You can also do streaming video (at least the psuedo streaming video of sites like YouTube). I opened multiple YouTube sessions on multiple computers accessing the net via the tiny MiFi and, although it took more time for the video to start playing, once it did it was fine.

The quality of connection is so good, in fact, I don’t think I’ll be using connectivity from hotel’s when I travel. I’ll just use my MiFi.

The comms from the MiFi to the Internet are provided by Verizon’s 3G network. Real download speeds on the net from the MiFi are up to 1400 Kbps and upload is around 800 Kbps. You might ask how that compares to Comcast cable or Verizon Fios. By my calculation and observed performance it is about 8% of the speed of Comcast cable (I just tested my download speed at 17745 Kbps). From what I read, FIOS delivers up to 30,000 Kbps, so the MiFi is only going to deliver about 4.5% of the bandwidth of FIOS.

But those are the wrong metrics! The MiFi is designed to give you a hotspot where comms don’t exist and at the same time allow you to network your devices together. Download from the net at 1400 Kbps is infinately larger than no connectivity, and will get you most websites down in under a second.

This is the best solution to mobile laptop/iPod/printer/netbook connectivity that I know of.

The MiFi is available via Amazon. The list the price as free if you get the service plan.

Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot Modem (Verizon Wireless)

Thin Client Laptops: Functionality, Security, Mobility

BobGourley — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:18:00 +0000

For the past few weeks I’ve been using a unique device — a totally stateless laptop.

It is the Tadpole M1400 Ultra-Thin Client Wireless Sun Ray.

Here are some things this device can enable for enterprise users:

- Enhanced security. If the laptop is lost/stolen/attacked no data is lost. The data is never in the laptop, it remains in your enterprise.

- Enhanced functionality. All users everywhere can get upgrades to the latest software instantly. Upgrades happen in the server room, not by downloading apps to every device. And multiple domains can be presented to one laptop.

- Enhanced flexibility. All users everywhere can get access to presentations of operating system environments they need. Depending on what the enterprise chooses, users can be presented with MS Windows, Mac OS, Solaris or Linux desktops.

- Enhanced mobility. Like any other laptop, this device is designed to be mobile. It can connect to the grid over WiFi, 3G card, or if you desire, an Ethernet cable. I’ve tested it using WiFi at home and on the road and the performance is great.

Concerning speed and 3G: I tested the Tadpole thin client using 3G (using a Qualcomm 3G CDMA card on the Verizon Broadband Access network). When you have to use it, 3G delivers ok performance, but just like with fat client laptops or iPhones, 3G speeds can leave you wanting more (faster networks are coming quickly, see: How fast is 3G and what is 3.5G and when will 4G be here? ).

If you are a CTO/CIO/enterprise technologist you can probably already understand the power and potential of the “stateless laptop.” Having one in my hands just brings that home to me. This is a way to deliver significantly enhanced security and enterprise-class functionality/power to mobile users. And since it can be done in a way that reduces cost it makes this a compelling approach.

I wonder, what could the role of this new device be in the federal government’s Cyber Initiative (see Protecting Federal Networks Against Cyber Attack) ? Or what the role might be in reducing cyber crime? I’ll leave those for topics of future posts.

CTOvision.com » 3G

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