RIM In Conflict With Carriers Over Where To Store NFC Data, How About Device Makers?

Supposedly, RIM is butting heads with some GSM carriers over where near field communication data, NFC, would be stored. The bottoms here is who will have control over the customer, the data, and what promises to be a very lucrative revenue stream for both carriers and device makers.

NFC capabilities will increasingly become available in not just smartphones but regular cell phones as well. This NFC is important for mobile payments. And billions in transactions will be made this way.

Gone may be the credit cards. So who will win this fight? And where does Apple's closed iOS system and Google's Android fit in all this?

More at Greejava.

International iPad 2 Launch Should Go On As Planned But Don't Expect Much

CNet is wonder just how things are going to be like for international mobile warriors looking to hook themselves up (or sell them on eBay) with the new iPad 2.

Well, I think they should not have to worry about that. Apple isn't likely to jerk us around like that. However, I would start lining up. You guys, the lucky few who are slated for the next round of launch like Britain and Japan, will get the new iPads just like Steve jobs said but supplies will be limited.

No. Let me back that up. Supplies will be severely limited.

What prompt this is the fact that online orders from Apple is now a 3-4 weeks wait.

Just a recap for those who just want the high lights of the iPad 2 launch so far: the iPad 2 went on sale last Friday, March 11th - online at 1AM PST (4AM EST) while in-stores sales at Apple Store, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy started at 5PM local time.

The local stores, including Apple stores, quickly drew lines and were sold out quickly. I can attest to that.

I was able to place my iPad 2 orders online around 1:10AM with ease. After examining the forums and comments of various blogs, I was able to determine that for the next couple of hours, the ship time was 3-5 days with an estimated delivery date between March 18th - 25th.

The situation quickly deteriorated as people wake up and the lead time went to 1-2 weeks. Before long, the wait timebeas extended to 3-4 weeks.

As it stands now, most local places are dry. ATT locations are accepting orders with a 2-3 week wait while Verizon has a 3-4 week wait.

Sucks, I know.


-- Post From My iPad

Mobile May Be The Way To Fix The DMV and Possibly Other Government Sevices (And Ineffiencies)

I am at the DMV now. And boy, is this going to be a long long wait. And there really is no reason for me to be here that was my own doing. However, that is a story for another time.

But sitting here and looking around, I wondered about government services and why people like myself dread coming here. It takes time between the day you make an appointment and the actually appointment date. And getting to a DMV is just horrible. I had two cars steal my parking spaces!

And yes, I did go to the AAA to see if my business with the DMV could be taken are of there but it was simply something that was beyond their scope of services.

So I wonder, can't more apparatuses like the AAA be be empowered to take the load off the DMV. Maybe the local supermarket can get into it. Perhaps, Walmart as well.

And sure why not? Slap on a fee for this convenience. I don't have an issue with that.

I can totally see a company that can contract with the state or federal government agencies to help provide services to the citizens and still manage to make a profit.

But that is only going to alleviate some of the congestions at the local offices. To really change things, technology needs to be brought into the equation.

And not just new technology but better and efficient use of technology is the key. Since this is a mobile blog, I really like to have many services that now require local visits to offices move into the digital realm.

I look forward to the day when something that needs to get done and I am able to say "nice, there's an app for that".

Today, I was able to help my boss check into his flight with the app provided airline. I mean, just how cool is that!?

Eye exams for the DMV? Why not. Mobile devices have cameras for video conferencing. The DMV with the help of optometrists can create an app for eye exams when license renewals. Other simple issues and tasks can also be relegated to video-to-video contact than requiring drivers to march in drove into the local DMV office like we do now.

And you know, if the DMV wants to charge a bit for this convenience, I think many people will be happy to make use of this service.

And this goes beyond one segment of government services. Healthcare and Medicare, immigration, and Social Security are just a few that quickly comes to mind. I reckon the public services will embrace this eventually but it will be private sectors that will lead the way.

Right now, this is just the pipe dreams of a frustrated citizen sitting in a waiting room at the DMV



-- Post From My iPad

Prediction: Sprint To Do Smart Thing and Move to LTE (First of Two Sprint Posts Today)

There has been talk that Sprint is nearing a deal with Clearwire on use of its WiMax network. All along, there was also talk that Sprint might try to find an LTE route. I think they are more than posturing. Sprint really has to go LTE eventually. That’s my prediction.

Heck, even Clearwire will do that as well because in the US, it just makes sense to do that.

First of all, if Sprint stays with WiMax, it will effectively be isolated, more so than T-Mobile for years to come. And though T-Mobile’s 3G network doesn’t worth with virtually anyone else’s in the US, it is still a GSM network, a vastly more popular network than CDMA and WiMax.

And from what execs at both Sprint and Clearwire has indicated in the past, transitioning from WiMax to LTE is financially feasible. As a matter of fact, Clear has “clearly” started work on that as far back as fall 2010. These things take time but I do see it happen.

So I suspect that more than just about financial terms, Clear and Sprint might have come to an understanding that they’ll work towards LTE in the next couple of years. Also, Sprint has provided clues in recent weeks about their LTE future.

And the momentum is building in that direction.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

RIM: Will Ship 4th Gen Playbook In Weeks, Months, This Decade (It's a Joke But Must Read)

RIM's Playbook is kinda tied into the Blackberry for some services and it's not as severe as some in the media is misrepresenting it.

What the media really missed is that the Playbook has gone through so many changes since we heard about this back in the fall of 2010, October 25th to be exact. And Yes, in a couple of months, we will be in spring of 2011. And it's possible that the Playbook will not ship until summer, fully 9 months after the Playbook was announced.

That is the sin that the media committed. And you know why this is and allowable? Because RIM is now perceived as the underdog. Even yours truly have been giving RIM waaaay to much rope. And it's not a good thing. All that rope will only allow RIM to hang itself it it doesn't deliver.

So, when is the Playbook shipping? In weeks? Months? With 5G wireless access? More at Greenjava.

Xoom Superbowl Commercial - Good Enough To Turn Heads And Stop the iPad?

For those of us watching the on-going Superbowl game between the Pittsburg Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, we got to watch the Xoom commercial in full.

The statement being made is that 2011 is not 1984, an unmistakable reference to the iconic 1984 Superbowl commercial from Apple introducing the Macintosh. We received sneak peaks throughout the week and we finally saw it in full.

Here it is again or if you're seeing this the first time, I wonder if you think it was effective.



I like it and maybe I'm biased. I think the Xoom is a worth tablet to highlight the coming out party for Android 3, Honeycomb.

However, outside of mobile fans, I don't know if it will be remembered in any way by regular viewers. We saw no demonstration of features like Apple did with the iPad. We saw nothing in way of production that was iconic and it definitely did not rank near the top as best Superbowl commercials.

I thought the website address was hard to read and was not on the screen very long.

At the end of the day, was it effective enough to turn heads and get people to consider the Xoom over the iPad?

No. For the Xoom's sake, Motorola should do the right thing and copy Apple's approach to the iOS devices. Show buyers its strengths and why we should get the Xoom.

Maybe if not Motorola, Google should spend some of its changes and promote Honeycomb on the airwaves.

Atrix: Tweets and If Netbook Dock Will Change Mobile Computing (Android)

This is a post of my tweets regarding the upcoming Atrix with a laptop dock that will be available on AT&T:

#Atrix: The success of Atrix (or not) will determine whether #Android kills off #Chrome OS faster. #AT&T #Google #motorola (Part 1)

#Atrix: If successful, it might establish #Android as the default OS for future netbooks #AT&T #Android #motorola (Part 2)

#Atrix: It can move Nvidia out of just graphics and into mainstream CPU – Intel/AMD could lose out #AT&T #Android #motorola (Part 3)

#Atrix: This will accelerate #microsoft’s Windows for #arm chip even more if it happens. #AT&T #Android #motorola (Part 4)

#Atrix: Without need for storage, CPU, or others parts in a regular netbook, battery life sould be better. #AT&T #Android #motorola (Part 5)

#Atrix: A new mobile way of working – take your smartphone with you and plug it into any terminal #AT&T #Android #motorola (part 6)

#Atrix: Too bad it’s on #AT&T because it no longer offers unlimited 3G access #AT&T #Android #motorola (part 7)

#Atrix: $500 is a lot. #XOOM may offer better value as a tablet. No need for dock to have larger screen #AT&T #Google #motorola (part 8)

#Atrix: with Atrix & #Xoom, Motorola has a foundation for changing mobile life & computing #AT&T #Google #motorola (part 9)

#Atrix: will be available for pre-order with AT&T on Feb 13 - $199, $499 with netbook dock #AT&T #Google #motorola (part 10)

#Atrix: Impact on mobile computing depends on battery, enterprise, and #iPhone competition #AT&T #Google #motorola (part 11)

#Atrix: #AT&T just push netbook dock combo or else, it’ll just be another #Android phone #motorola (part 12)


Bottom-line: The Atrix is an incredible product on paper and promises to deliver based on the videos I’ve seen.

Motorla has a truly added a new dynamic to the mobile market. I look for a lot of copycats in 2012 if Atrix sales explodes. But like I said in the tweets, there could be things holding it back.

Pricing is one. AT&T is making users sign up for a bunch of services that they don’t need if they want to have the Atrix-dock combo.

Second, data plans. I’m not talking about the cost but the limited data access AT&T has. Seriously, as a mobile user, I want unlimited use. I don’t want to be restricted to 2GB or the limitation put on the tethering plan.

Rather than just AT&T, Motorola should have made the dock available to other networks that provide unlimited 3G access.

As it is now, it’s a very enticing product. We’ll just have to see if this is the magic bullet AT&T is looking for to replace its lost of iPhone exclusivity and if this will usher in an new era of mobile computing.

AT&T's "4G" Network Is Nothing To Write Home About

I inherited Mom's 3G iPad last week as she waits for iPad 2 with the better resolution and frontal camera so that she can conduct video chats for work and with friends. I have been using a Wi-Fi only version and more recently, bought an. iSpot for use with it to get the wireless Internet access.

And while ATT prides itself on having the fastest 3G network in the United States, I cannot be sure if that means much. And here is why.

In one day's use and based on past experiences with ATT in the past and with T-Mobile's own network and now Clearwire's WiMax service, I am in a good position to pass a long a few conclusions.

Today, WiMax is excellent if you can get it. It is wicked fast. I consistently get about 4.5 Mbps. When T-Mobile turned on their HPSA+ network last year, I went from about 1MBps on the Android G1 to about 3 Mbps. And my understanding is that things have vastly improved by quite a bit. We could be looking at speeds up to 20 Mbps by the end of 2011.

These two current scores are in contrast with an average of 2 Mbps that I am getting on the 3G iPad. There was about three bars.

However, all the speed on the world means nothing if you can't good signals. And while I might be able to see a couple of bars, I can't say that I am happy with the 3G speed from AT&T. On the iPad, I am still unable to get anything close to the WiFi signal through the iSpot or the G1 acting as a MiFI versus just the 3G on Ma Bell.

I still don't understand why that is the case. This is something that I'll probably need to get Dave the Mobile Warrior to chime in on this.

And this is a huge deal going forward. Presumably, the next iPad may have native wireless access to Verizon's CDMA network along side AT&T. Unless it is able to somehow shorten the latency time or flip a switch to boost signal, it will not matter if users cannot access AT&T's HSPA+ speed running 14-21 Mbps while the slower CDMA networking running 1-2 Mbps is accessible by users on the same area.

Trust me, Verizon will be going after potential iPhone switchers from AT&T. A side-by-side comparison of signal strength could be just what Verizon is eagerly waiting for.


-- Post From My iPad

Preliminary Impression of iSpot

After some hairy moments with Fedex on the delivery of my iSpot, I finally got in after days of back and forth with more customer service agents than I hope to deal with.

And yeah, I am very happy with this mobile investment. In fact, I was able to get it up and running in less than 5 minutes of opening up the box the iSpot came in.

Current State of Mobile Computing: Tablet or Laptop

Depending on who you talk to you and who you believe, the netbooks, perhaps even lsptops, are taking a sales hit because of the iPad.

Perhaps. Then there are those who are not so sure this is happen on a large scale. Given the potential that Apple may be on the verge of a $20 billion quarter and cuts on orders by dorm laptop and netbook makers, it has industry and mobile observers such as myself very excited.

Is this the beginning of the end of mobile computing as we know it?

More at Greenjava Mobility.

Death Of Unlimited Wireless Internet - Hope Not

Those of us who are fortunately enough to have relatively unlimited wireless Internet, and I say relative because our definition of unlimited is not the same as those of wireless providers, we need to remember these days when we tell our grandchildren about them. Because like ATT, Verizon Wireless (VW) is looking to rid themselves of us freeloaders and institute a similar pricing and limitation on data like Ma Bell.

How will this play out?

Despite iPad Success, eReaders Might Be Harder To Kill Off Than Expected

Maybe Amazon and Barnes And Noble are going about this the wrong way. Maybe Kobo Reader has it right after all. How so?

Maybe digital book readers should be a combination of the follow two factors that Kobo reader has:  simplicity and a relatively low price (though recently, the Kindle and Nook both had about $50 chopped off their retail price).  

Kindle/Nook Versus "Just Readers. Until the Kindle came on the scene, readers were fairly expensive and it was not easy to upload books into these readers.  Kindle made that iPod-like simple and has since been joined by Sony Reader and the Nook.  However, despite Amazon's claims of success, there is still no figure provided by Amazon about how many Kindles were actually sold and how may ebooks have been bought by Kindle owners since its debut.

But Kobo with its simple read-only device isn't shy about saying how well it's done in New Zealand.  According to Stuff, the first two batches of thousands of Kobo readers have sold out and a third batch is on the way in July.  And with books costing $10-15 (7.15-10.75 USD), this is cheaper than even what Amazon, BN, and Apple sells.

Kobo - Cinderella Reader? So what has made the Kobo such a large success?  It is more simple than the Kindle to install books?  First, the Kobo reader has no 3G or wireless access so the reader would need to buy books form a computer and then install it on the reader.  That might be cumbersome but it isn't any different from what many users do to sync media with Apple's mobile iOS devices for nearly a decade now.

What likely makes Kobo a success is that it just lets the user reader books.  It does not nothing else.  Just read.  And quite frankly, I, and likely many readers, find that refreshing.  I was not always impressed with the Kindle because it has a lot of features and yet it does none of them well.  Then along came the Nook and it was great to see the Kindle with a competitor and while it was based on Google's Android OS, my complaints against it was the same as that of the Kindle. It has features other than being a reader but none of them are easy to use.

Then the iPad came along but let's be honest. It's a great tablet and Apple has been hugely successful by selling three million iPads in just 80 days.  The complaints I had against the Nook and Kindle were solved with the iPad but the iPad isn't a great reader.  I've read only two books on it since I got it and I've got five others to read and I've been putting it off.  Plus, the iPad with its plethora of features, apps, and multimedia functions are a distraction.

And that's where readers like Kobo are different and might find success.  The Kobo reader just let users read books.  And just like a book, it offers no distraction.  When BN released a 3G-less Nook last week at $150, I nearly pulled the trigger (I've already bought two Nooks for family members) on it.  But then the old complaints about it still exist.  Honestly, trying to browse the Web or play games on the Kindle and Nook is very maddening and suffocating.

Borders is currently offering the Kobo reader for pre-order in the US.  So for anyone looking for a dedicated reader that is free from half-baked features like the Kindle or the Nook or isn't in the market for a full-featured tablet like the iPad, I definitely encourage anyone in the market for a good digital book reader to take a look at Kobo reader.  

So I think Kobo and other readers should do well in the market long-term.  I also foresee a significant price drop in the next year or so.  At $150 (Borders price), the Kobo is a still mildly expensive so it isn't out of the realm of possibility to see a $25-$50 decrease in the retail price.  Heck, just wait until a Chinese company come out with a $50-$75 reader in the next year or two.  

Conclusion.  The iPad is a success and its the standard bearer for tablets.  The Kindle and Nook will try to add features because the companies that produced them will try to match them with the tablets feature for feature.  But at the end of the day, book lovers just want to read.  And that where Kobo and others will dominate.

More at Teleread, Stuff, Kobo, And Borders (Kobo's Page)

Note: I've included a link for Borders' Kobo reader page but I don't have any interest (ie. associate link) from any sale of the reader.

LTE - It's Gonna Be A Slow Build-Up

We're going see very little about it until late 2010 from Verizon and AT&T is still talking about HSPA 7.2, which is still MIA.

So, we will hear a lot about it. Mostly chest thumping by Verizon Wireless in the United States. Maybe a bit from AT&T when they realized they need to talk up their 4G plans as well.

However, given the amount of time that has taken for Clearwire, its main partner, Sprint, and others to get things going is clearly not a good sign as far as LTE goes. And still, Sprint has not managed to bring WiMax to many of the major markets, though they did assert a few like SF, LA, and Miami will be getting WiMax soon.

Meanwhile, I'm hoping my current provider, T-Mobile, will truly come through with HSPA+ which can provide up to 20mbps.

I recommend to my fellow mobile warriors that the stigma against the third and fourth place wireless providers, Sprint and T-Mobile respectively, should at the very least be put on hold and take another look at these two scrappy companies that came out of CTIA a couple of weeks ago swinging and hitting it out of the park while VW and AT&T thought it was enough to just talk.

As the saying goes, talk is cheap but these two number one and two providers are gonna find out that if they don't get going on faster wireless speeds, and stop talking about rationing wireless access, their words are gonna get an awful lot more expensive come 2011 and beyond.

Hundreds of Millions of Mobile VOIP by 2012

One hundred million? Two? Nope, about 300 million mobile warriors around the world will have mobile VOIP by 2013. That is the latest study released by In-Stat. A more precise number is 288 million, a shade under the size of the entire US population.

Of course, this is a far cry from the 6.6 billion Earthlings currently populating our small world. So we're talking about 4.5%.

I think that is just the beginning. As more 3G networks are build out or upgraded while 4th generation wireless networks become commercially available in 2011 and 2012, we should see an even faster adoption of mobile VOIP.

I like to go out on a limb now and say that we should see a number of half a billion by 2013 than what In-Stat conservatively came up with. China and the rest of Asia will emerge from this global funk we're in strong with a population flushed with cash with a great appetite for new mobile technologies.

And given the deal Skype recently made with Verizon, Google hungrily looking to expand its reach in the mobile market with Google Voice and Android, and Apple's own solution with the iPhone, we are looking a a strong spark to move mobile communication using VOIP. These are companies with a lot of influence and cash.

In-Stat all report 400 million devices will ship with Wi-Fi and traditional cell connection.

For startups and entrenched companies like Skype (I'm a Skype fan by the way), the VOIP market is ripe for the taking and allows for multiple players.

More at In-Stat.

WiFi On Amtrak - Shows More Needs To Be Done To Provide Wireless Access

It's great that Amtrak is now offer wireless Internet access on some of its routes but it really just shows that so much more has to be done and can be done.

For instance, in some places where public transportations and taxis are ubiquitous, it makes sense for the local government or private companies to install access points at intervals to allow wider Internet coverage. And it would be a great source of additional revenue in this kind of economy.

As the buses move around and the taxis serve the city, it allows patrons to be able to access fast Internet.  After all, not everyone has 3G access all the time and only a small minority of the workforce has a wireless-enabled mobile device for Web access. And I'm sure it won't be for some years before a large portion of the population has this capability.

As a matter of fact, this isn't without precedent as a school in Arizona provides Internet access on its school bus (Engadget). What started out as a pilot has turned into more as school officials found increased productivity (and likely, less wedgies and spitballs).

And in downtown areas where there are a lot of public transportions, installing wireless Internet access on taxis and buses allow a large portion of an area to be blanketed by WiFi coverage.  This is a cheap way to provide Internet access.

Along that note, it would be great if parking meters which are everywhere these days also act as access points.  Makes sense right?

More at Yahoo News.

Wi-Fi Christmas - Everywhere You Go (Eventually)

I like what’s going on in the wireless realm these days.  There’s a lot going for us mere mortal but dedicated mobile warriors.  Whether you’re a hockey or soccer mom, programmer in Asia, office manager drinking espresso in a Paris café, or just like me, a gear lover, we have more choices than ever of hardware to choose from.

More importantly, I’m beginning to feel a lot more confidence about our wireless access situation.  I’m talking about blanketing whole areas with Wi-Fi so that people will go and be able to use their mobile devices or smartphones.

Because it’s the Holidays in the US, I like to go out.  I enjoy the cooler air, decorations, and music.  The crowd.  Like the song says, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Now, what’s better about it this year?  Wireless access.  Starbucks.  Checked.  Airports, Google’s got some of them covered.  Bookstores like Borders and Barnes and Noble, right, free Wi-Fi for everyone. Even some small mom-and-pop coffee shops and diners now offer free Wi-Fi access.

I think business owners are now just wising up to the fact that wireless Internet access is as indispensable to their patrons as the restrooms, free water, and a good old-fashion smile.

Where else should offer free Wi-Fi to drive traffic?   How about the following places:

• Fast food places like MacDonalds – Wi-Fi with those fries?
• Car dealerships – oh, man. The waiting.  People can spend half a day there.
• Tech stores like Bestbuy – of course!  You sell tech!  What’s gadgets these days without Wi-Fi?
• Supermarkets – I’m not kidding.  I study at a local Pavilion.  They’ve got a deli, Panda Express, Jamba Juice, and a Starbucks.  But no Wi-Fi.  Why not?
• Malls – to continue to be the hangout place, free Internet is essential to drive foot traffic.
• College towns – this is a non-starter.  Wireless access should be required for any educational institution whether you’re a 36K strong campus like UCLA or a 1,000-student body community college.
• Theme parks – Disneyland had no Wi-Fi.  Steve Jobs is the largest single shareholder of Disney.  I wonder if he knows the Happiest Place on Earth has no free Wi-Fi.
• Office parks

Where else do you think we should have Wi-Fi access?  More and more it's beginning to look like a Wi-Fi Christmas for some businesses but more should follow.  

Mobility While Caring For A Kid At Disneyland Or Other Public Places

I know that the PC (politically correct) word is "child".  Still, when you've got a child running, yelling, and playing, let me have this one.  A kid.

So I took my 3-year old nephew to the Happy Place on Earth.  Here's a tip.  You would think with Monday being a work and school day, Sunday would be one of the lighter days at Disneyland.  Doh!  Apparently, it's their 2nd most busiest but the most crowded day of the week.

So obviously, if you've got a child with you, you wouldn't want to carry around a laptop.  Then again, why carry a laptop to Disneyland?  Well, my cousin has an annual pass and she likes the atmosphere.  So I can see why some folks would want to go there just to hang out.  But I was with a child.

I did see a Kindle DX there.  First time I've seen one on person.  I had a small chat with Dave the Mobile Warrior about that but that's something we'll post about later.

What I didn't see a lot of was cell phones, smartphones, or mobile devices like the iPhone.  Here's what I noted.

• Folks without kids had their iPhones (there was a lot) out while they waited in the 20-30 minute-long line.
• Folks with kids either didn't have mobile devices or cell phones but I suspect they had to watch over their kids instead of surfing the Web, reading, or playing games.  
• Folks with kids had cameras.  There was enough flashes to generate their own sun.  
• Cameras on mobile devices are horrible  as it is.  Even worse trying to capture "the moment" with kids zipping around.
• There an app for that.  It's called MouseWait.  It sells you how long the wait for the rides are.  There are also Disney's own apps but I didn't find any relating to Disneyland.  I'm sure there is but I was in a rush and couldn't find what I was looking for.  
• Twitter and Facebook are a good way to get together with people and reporting back on your moment to moment activities.
• There is actually designated stroller parking lots.  

• There isn't Wi-Fi that I could connect to.  Given Steve Jobs' influence at  Disney, I'm surprise.  Pixar influence was heavily felt.  Maybe we'll see Google or someone step in to offer the Mickies, Minnies, Donalds, Goofies, and Toy Story gang some way to link to the Internet wirelessly soon.

So, it was a good day with my nephew.  These days, having an Internet connection is good to have but in a place like Disneyland, it's not quite necessarily unless you're using apps to find out how long lines are and looking for things to do.

Perhaps there already is one but if Disney can create an app with Disney's going-ons and a realtime update, that would really help a lot.

Note:  These pics were taken with an iPhone.  I didn't share the awful ones.  I don't think you care to see them.

Wi-Fi Blanket: Will It Ever Happen?

The kind of Wi-Fi blanket I'm talking about means you can reach into your pocket, take out your Wi-Fi enabled device and just connect wirelessly to as you're walking down a street.  Probably a big business street.

Right now, I can down into a mall, an office park, or restaurant, and there are usually three to five access points.  Unfortunately, not always accessible because they're protected by wireless security measures like WEP or WPA.

This week, BN in conjunction with ATT will allow free Wi-Fi access at its bookstores.  And now, the New York Public Library will have a dedicated room with Wi-Fi access.  There's already Wi-Fi access at my local libraries and some local coffee shops.  Still, with my iPod Touch, I'd have to go from spot to spot in order to access the Internet.

I'm fine with that.  However, it is 2009 and if I'm walking through the busy streets of New York or downtown Seattle or San Francisco, I think it's time we mobile warriors expect to find open Wi-Fi AP's pretty much anywhere that has a lot of foot traffic don't you think?

Whether you're walking on the Vegas strip or the streets of Westwood in Los Angeles where you get big throng of people, it makes sense for wireless providers and the local governments to allow patrons to access the Internet through Wi-Fi access points rather than cell towers where overloading can take place.  It takes the load off the towers.

Remember last week, we talked about the solar flowers Toyota displayed as part of their Prius campaign?  Okay, I doubt cities will go that far but in true, it makes a lot of sense to create a blanket of Wi-Fi access points in the business parts of the city, if not to increase productivity and convenience, how about driving traffic to the sake of the local businesses?

Maybe they'll want to chip in the cost of creating such a localized network?

Toyota Offers Solar-Powered Wi-Fi Access

As part of their campaign to push the 2010 Prius, Toyota "planted" giant solar flowers that what mobile warriors can only dream of: free Wi-Fi access and serve as a charging station for their mobile gears. These solar mobile access stations are modeled after the solar roof tops of the Prius that will offer additional power to the hybrid vehicle.

According to the Design Blog, the flowers will fan out across the nation after first being seen in Boston. But it really does seem to offer a different take on Wi-Fi and mobile access. With the cost of solar power dropping over years and the need for added bandwidth, it makes sense for corporations and municipals to look into these mobile stations as a mean to bring access.

I have been out and about a lot in the last three months and there are tons of places where I see these solar Wi-Fi stations can be placed. It's likely these stations will go away once the Prius campaign is over. Too bad because Toyota or others can really use this opportunity to revolutionize mobile computing.

Restaurants. Coffee shops. Malls. Office buildings. University campuses. The possibilities are just endless. More than that, if the telecoms get into this, they can offer revenue sharing with cities upon which to place these mobile Wi-Fi stations. What with the wireless bandwidth already strained, this can go a long way in alleviate the wireless pressure by switching mobile devices and smartphones to Wi-Fi when they pass within range of these solar flowers.

Yes, I've dotted "solar" through the post. It's off the grid, too.

Source: The Design Blog, Gizmodo

802.11g Still Ahead of 802.11n Until 2010

I can understand folks upgrading from b to g since the older wireless protocol is pretty old now. The switch to g for most people was a no brainer since it offer greater flexibility and greater security.

As it was with any wireless protocol, there are folks who would upgrade first even before the protocol has been properly ratified. But from some reason, blogs and the media has been more 3G, iPhones, and waiting for LTE/WiMax to come to us. So there has not been a whole lot of home wireless networks.

It wasn't until lately that I began looking into routers that support 802.11n as I began looking into streaming video from one computer to another. Even then, 802.11g works just as well with The Daily Show streaming from my Mac Mini to my Macbook while the Slingplayer did its thing on another laptop.

But eventually, I'll want to stream HD quality video and 802.11g might no be enough. But I was surprised to learn that g still has not overtaken n in terms of sales and that would not happen until 2010. And with the economy in the shape it is in, I don't see many folks upgrading unless they absolutely have to.

Here is In-Stat's $3500 report offering the following summary:

• Total Wi-Fi chipset revenue will pass $4 billion by 2012.
• Set-top boxes currently have the largest adoption of Wi-Fi in non-portable consumer electronics applications. By 2013, shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled TVs, however, will exceed shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled set-top boxes.
• Although there have been draft n/802.11n shipments in most markets for some time, we will see the first shipments of draft n/802.11n-enabled portable CE equipment in 2009. These shipments will be dominated by personal media players. Digital still/video cameras will make up the majority of the remaining of draft n/802.11n-enabled portable CE equipment shipments in 2009.
• In 2008, Wi-Fi chipsets in mobile handsets grew by more than 51%. By 2010, In-Stat anticipates that this category will consume in excess of 20% of total Wi-Fi chipset shipments.

So, more TV will have Wi-Fi for streaming video. I guessing it'll have to be HD quality. This is accompanied by mobile devices and even cameras to upload videos and pictures. Also to support this assertions, Sprint and Verizon recently decreed that all their handset sand mobile devices must ship with Wi-Fi access.

While it has always baffled me why wireless providers previously kept Wi-Fi access off their phones, I am glad they've had this change of heart. My guess is that with more and more mobile warriors using their handsets for Internet access, the wireless providers are finding their networks more strained than ever before. Their best solution is to offload those traffic to Wi-Fi networks when possible.

In fact, according to Wired, ATT bought Wayport for $275 million to expand their Wi-Fi network by 10k hotspots.