Technology Bytes: June 2007 Archives

Tech Toy of the Month: Apple iPhone, part I

It is perhaps the most anticipated technology gadget in history. It promises to change cell phones in the way the iPod changed mobile music players. It is the Apple iPhone (http://www.apple.com/iphone). While it has not yet been released as of this writing, I will attempt to explain what the iPhone will be in as simple terms as possible.

The iPhone is of course a cell phone. It will only be available on the AT&T network (formerly Cingular) at least through the year 2009 (barring any changes in contract between AT&T and Apple). So if you are with any other wireless provider (Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon), you will NOT be able to get an iPhone unless you switch to AT&T. To be released on June 29th, the iPhone will cost $499 for a 4GB version or $599 for a 8GB version (both prices require a 2-year contract).

The iPhone will also be a fully-functional iPod, playing music, photos, and videos. For many people, the integration of a phone with an iPod will be very compelling. However, the initial cost may be prohibitive for those casually considering a phone/iPod combo.

The main feature most people will immediately notice about the iPhone is the large touchscreen display, along with the fact that there are no hard buttons. While the touchscreen feature looks very nice, the lack of hard buttons may be a concern to some people. Time will tell if the touchscreen interface will be intuitive enough to make up for the lack of hard buttons. One feature that people will notice is the fact that the iPhone can sense when it is rotated and will rotate the display accordingly. In other words, if you want to view the display in widescreen mode, you simply need to rotate the iPhone in your hand. Words really don't do this feature justice, so make sure to see this feature in action on Apple's web site.

Apple is touting that the iPhone will be the most advanced mobile Internet device to date. Apple is using the Mac OS X operating system from its Macintosh computers, along with its Safari web browser, as the operating system for the iPhone. Apple is promising a fully-featured web browser on a phone, the same one in use on desktop computers. This feature, along with the rotating display, should allow users to see web pages the way they were designed to be seen. Other mobile devices must reformat web pages for display on their screens.

The iPhone has Wi-Fi wireless networking for fast Internet speeds in public hotspots or other Wi-Fi networks. The iPhone can also connect to AT&T's data network for Internet access. Basically, this should allow users to be able to get on the Internet almost anywhere, as long as they are in Wi-Fi network or within AT&T's cellular network.

Since the iPhone is not yet available, I will do another article on it sometime after it released and I have the opportunity to read reviews and have had a chance to test the device myself.

For all things Apple, Marcel is your expert.

Posted by Marcel Brown on June 19, 2007 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)

Q: What is the difference in all the wireless formats (802.11 b, a, g, n)?

A: For the most part, if you are interested in wireless networking for Internet access, it doesn't matter much which implementation you go with, as they are all faster than any Internet access commonly available. However, if you are interested in wireless networking to share files across a local network, then the latest "n" standards may be of interest to you.

The 802.11 standard defines the types of wireless networks we are commonly familiar with today. The original standard (802.11 without a letter behind it) was not commonly used in the mainstream. Released in 1997, it topped out at 2 Mbps/Sec.

802.11b was the first mainstream wireless network implementation, defined in 1999. It uses the 2.4 GHz frequency range and runs at 11 Mbps/sec. 802.11b eventually was termed "Wi-Fi" by the then newly created Wi-Fi Alliance.

Released in 2003, 802.11g was the next implementation in the 2.4 GHz frequency range, supporting 54 Mbps/sec. It is also backward compatible with 802.11b. Some proprietary implementations of 802.11g can support speeds of 108 or 125 Mbps/sec. The Wi-Fi Alliance updated the "Wi-Fi" term to include a letter indicating which standard is being referred to (i.e. Wi-Fi b or Wi-Fi g).

802.11n is the next in the line of 2.4 GHz family. Currently, the "n" standard is not yet ratified, but there are already products available that use the proposed standard. These are called "draft n" or "pre-n" products. 802.11n will support speeds of up to 200 Mbps/sec, and will be backwards compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g.

Some of you may be wondering, "what about 802.11a?" Others are probably asking, "there's an 802.11a?" In 1999, 802.11a was an extension to the original 802.11 standard that uses the 5.8 GHz frequency range. It supports 54 Mbps/sec, but since it does not use the 2.4 GHz frequency, it is not compatible with the 802.11b/g/n standards. As the letter sequence indicates, 802.11a was actually created before 802.11b. However, 802.11b was first to mainstream market. Due to the explosive popularity of 802.11b, the fact that 802.11a was not backwards compatible with 802.11b hindered its acceptance.

For more help with networking, wireless or not, feel free to contact Marcel.

Posted by Marcel Brown on June 19, 2007 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The BSA is out to get you!

The Business Software Alliance (http://www.bsa.org), an organization made up of large software developers, has started publicizing up to $200,000 rewards for employees who turn in their companies for using pirated software. While I'm all for the legal and proper use of software, this latest initiative from the BSA should be of concern to all companies, whether they use pirated software or not.

The problem is that one allegation, if the BSA chooses to pursue it, requires a company to prove they are not pirating, even if they have legally purchased all their software. This can result in a lot of work for a company, as they scramble to look up software receipts, license codes, and CD keys. Additionally, the BSA may request they do an on-side audit, wasting even more of a company's time and productivity. If a company can't prove they aren't pirating software, they face costly settlements, usually requiring the repurchasing of missing software licenses. This is the case even if the company simply couldn't find the proper documentation, or if employees were the ones who brought in improperly licensed software.

Usually, the BSA likes to go after large companies. But they have been known to go after smaller companies, so don't think you are safe if you have a small business. In order to protect themselves, companies must be diligent about keeping good records regarding their software purchases. They also must have policies and practices in place that disallow the installation of non-company purchased software by employees. However, these things have a cost as well, both in time and money. The larger the company, the more expensive software licensing compliance becomes.

One thing companies can do to eliminate the hassle and expense of software licensing compliance is to use open source software. Open source software is not owned by any particular company and is usually licensed freely. Since the software is free, there is no need to keep track of licenses or the risk of being audited by the "software police".

There are not always open source options for every software in every business. However, there is a very good open source option for Microsoft Office. OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org) is an open source "office suite", including a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software, analogous to Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Unlike many other competitors to Microsoft Office, OpenOffice reads and writes the Microsoft Office formats with nearly 100% compatibility. Without going into too many more details about OpenOffice, it is suffice to say that many companies can save a lot of money by using OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office, not just in initial purchase price and the ongoing costs of upgrades, but also in the cost of staying in license compliance.

If you would like more help with software licensing, or are interested in saving money by using open source technologies, please contact Marcel.

Posted by Marcel Brown on June 19, 2007 9:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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June 2007 Archives

June 19, 2007

Tech Toy of the Month: Apple iPhone, part I

Q: What is the difference in all the wireless formats (802.11 b, a, g, n)?

The BSA is out to get you!

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