Trucking Technology Report - Jan. 8
 |  |
Both the online report and e-mail are sponsored by @Track Communications, a supplier of wireless communications and dispatch services.
Today's Technology Headlines:
ul>
Raft of New Wireless Technologies Could Lead to Airwave Gridlock
The use of the 2.4 GHz band by new wireless devices could interfere with other devices already using the band, such as airplane computers. The band is already in heavy use and the transmissions of wireless devices could interfere with airplane navigation systems.
Engineers are now working feverishly to construct wireless systems that do not cause interference. Some engineers are confident that problems such as these will be resolved as cellular technology advances.
Spread spectrum technology is used by many of today's wireless systems to avoid interference. The technology allows the transmission signal to move within a small range of frequencies to avoid collisions with other signals. Wall Street Journal (01/08/01) P. B1; Sandberg, Jared
Firm Seeks Protocol to Make Cellphones More Finger-Friendly
RealNames is developing simpler messaging technologies for entering data on WAP phones. Currently, users may have to punch a Web phone's keypad as many as 30 times to enter a four-word message. RealNames' technology allows mobile device users to access Internet sites by entering a few words rather than typing an entire "www" address.RealNames' database has a collection of over 1.3 million names of regular Web sites. RealNames also has agreements with prominent telecom companies, such as Openwave and VoiceStream Wireless.
According to the VoiceStream deal, RealNames will provide its keyword navigation system and other technologies to the carrier. VoiceStream plans to use the technology in its WAP phones, which are set to become available during the first quarter of this year. Wall Street Journal (01/08/01) P. B10
Virtual Blueprints Save Time and Money
Pacific Bearing, a manufacturer of machine shafting products, has unveiled a new function on its Web site to allow customers to design a product, view its price, order it, and follow the progress of its delivery online. The system reduces to minutes a process that once took several weeks.Pacific Bearing believes that the site will eliminate the mistakes that inevitably occur when the supply chain relies on paper. The site should also reduce labor costs, Pacific says. The new system includes features that correct design errors by customers and that warns them when design customizations will lead to a large increase in price.
Pacific Bearing hopes its new system will let customers and engineers focus on design and value rather than paper. Supply Chain Yearbook 2001 (01/01) P. 35; Kilburn, Will
Manufacturers Pin Hopes on 3G and Wireless Internet
As some telecom companies fail to meet their own predictions for adding wireless subscribers, some industry observers say consumers are looking for services focusing more on wireless Web data.Sellers of wireless Web devices and services are hopeful that the technology will help increase overall wireless sales. But some problems must be solved before wireless Web services become common. For instance, speakers at the IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference in Chicago caution product developers that adapting 3G and 4G wireless technologies to IP systems will lead to QoS constraints and confusion in addressing structure.
Engineers for AT&T Labs and Nortel Networks (NT) attended the IEEE Radio Wireless Conference in Denver, Colorado. Engineers from both firms demonstrated technology that could be used in a 4G network. AT&T engineers showed off the company's 4G Access network. The network brings together EDGE and OFDM technology. AT&T says the system will hasten the downloading time of packet data, especially for streaming audio and video.
Meanwhile, Nortel revealed a list of performance features for its IP-based 4G Networks. In addition, Nortel and Mobilian, a developer of integrated circuits and software for wireless data, plan to demonstrate their jointly developed TrueRadio device at Comdex. The device brings together Bluetooth and 802.11b technologies and is rumored to enable simultaneous use of both protocols with very little interference.
Technology on display at the World Fall 2000 show may also indicate a trend toward software and services that allow wireless devices to improve displays of complex graphics. For instance, Yada unveiled a wireless portal service that allows users to access Web sites via HTML. World Fall's Best of Show product award was given to Clickmarks for its mobile services platform.
Meanwhile, the primary topic of discussion at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, Calif., was the future convergence of wireless handheld devices. Several speakers indicated that cell phones and PDA features will be combined in a single device within two years. Internet Computing (12/00) Vol. 4, No. 6, P. 12
© copyright 2000 INFORMATION, INC. Terms of Service
| ||||
