Happy Valentine's Day! And Presidents' Day! And, to a short but exciting month. Politics will remain confusing, the market will go either up or down or both, and, for sure, the weather will get some of us while some of us won't be hit. There is one constant – IT will keep producing new hardware and software, which create new opportunities and directions.
IT's moving – to faster, smaller, more accessible, and more useful products. Many of us feel we're in the midst of innovations that will top the changes brought by the introduction of the Web in the 1990s. Come along with us to keep up with the changes. For example, check out the information on our new session on Web 2.0.
We've actually got a new look in February – we'll be launching our new Web site. We're slimming it down to make it easier to navigate, and adding the new information on our course updates. CSTA (Computers: Systems, Terms and Acronyms) now talks about Agile Programming, MDA (Model-Driven Architecture), call centers, help desks, and customer service, and provides additional coverage on Linux, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), SaaS (Software as a Service), Internet development, and much more. I'll talk about the updates to the specific technology topics, TR (Technical Recruiting) and UITJ (Understanding IT Jobs) next month.
Here's the schedule (or you can view the complete Schedule on our website.
CSTA Web sessions:
February 6, 7
March 5, 6
April 2, 3
CSTA Classroom session:
DC area - February 20
Atlanta - March 19
Chicago area - April 16
UITJ (Understanding IT Jobs) Web sessions:
March 6
TR Web sessions:
March 26
Keep in touch and keep up with technology!
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Mobile Computers
I'm not sure if this is a good name for this article. In fact, I've been bemused for a long time about the use of the word "mobile" to refer to handheld devices – cell phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). After all, laptops are mobile; we carry them everywhere. But we seem to have accepted that mobile does mean little.
So now we have to decide what's little. Obviously PDAs (handheld computers) and smart phones (cell phones with computer technology) are little. But there are a lot of computers that are bigger than PDAs, but smaller than laptops. What are they? One term that's caught on is UMPC, (UltraMobile Personal Computer). This is a computer that has a display that is a maximum of 7" (diagonal), weighs approximately 2 pounds, is both WiFi and Bluetooth enabled, and has a touch panel (keyboard) if not a touch screen.
A new definition was added to the mix last summer. Intel defined an MID (Mobile Internet Device). Much of the definition is exactly the same – the size and weight specifications, the touch screen functions, and screen size, and WiFi Internet access. The difference in the terms turns out to be the potential buyer, and the software. UMPCs are called enterprise systems – designed for business use and purchase. They run Windows operating systems and have included business software, e.g., Microsoft Office. Companies are developing applications to interface with these devices. MIDs are consumer systems – designed for individual use and purchase. As such, these devices also have cameras, MP3 players, and GPS navigation systems. They run Linux operating systems, and have other entertainment or personal software. These two definitions will merge. There's not enough difference to have to decide whether a device is an MID or a UMPC.
Now, back to the beginning, the mobile devices we're used to are PDAs and cell phones. And, the cell phone that has computer systems, and the computer that has phone capabilities – the smartphone. No matter what we call it, it's now the smallest mobile computer. Our cell phones now let us surf the Web and get email. Does that make it a smartphone? Yes. Does our BlackBerry allow us to make phone calls? It's a smartphone. Have we added computer functions – PIMs, office software? We've got a more functional smartphone. How about GPS systems, cameras, MP3 players, IPODs, etc? We're now describing the iPhone, which is now accepted as the base for all future handheld devices (except it doesn't have GPS – others do). Smartphones are the future of PDAs, and together with the older PDAs, are still the most common mobile computers.
And, the important thing is this is a quickly growing market. Not only are companies moving their applications to mobile platforms, but individuals are driving the move. We don't want to use one machine for work and another for personal functions, so we're using our own BlackBerry devices and iPhones at work. IT's learned to support this to keep us all out of trouble! It's a fun area – think about the next cell phone/smartphone/MID you will purchase.
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1. Teaser from January: What was the hottest product in 2007?
2. When it comes to computers, how light is light?
3. Which of the following is different?
a. Call center
b. CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
c. Customer support
d. Help desk
4. When is automated testing necessary?
5. What fairly new technology is important in developing RIA (Rich Internet Applications) sites?
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I know you've heard of it. Are you comfortable with your understanding? And what do people mean when they say they're using Web 2.0 technologies in corporate IT? What is a mashup? How about Ajax? RIA? RSS?
Have you heard that many IT professionals consider that Web 2.0 is going to make changes in IT that are equal in scope to the changes that the Internet first made in the 1990s? That's sort of scary when you first hear it.
We're adding a 45-minute Web session to the schedule that covers all that and more. We're going to show you what Web 2.0 is, who's using it (you could be surprised to find out that it's you), and how it's going to change IT. And, oh yes, we'll cover all those new words that inevitably spring up with any new technology. Keep watching the Web site. We'll have detailed information posted in a couple of weeks. Don't let this technology (or these technologies) run by you!
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Wireless
As we know, wireless technology is growing. In fact, we're all so used to it that we're unhappy if we can't get to the Internet anytime anywhere. Next month we'll look at the knowledge, technologies and products used by the IT staff who builds and maintains wireless networks.
3G (3rd Generation) Communications technology for wireless, or mobile systems. Based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) and extends the capabilities of GSM to handle both voice and data transfers. Goal is to provide speeds of 2Mbps (Million bits/bytes per second). Services introduced in Europe in 2004, and expected to be a standard product by 2005. Some analysts predict it will dominate the wireless voice market by 2009.
802.11, WiFi Communications. Family of specifications for wireless LAN technology. Defines interfaces between a wireless device and a server, or between two wireless devices and is an alternative to Ethernet LANs. Provides standards for wireless LANS with 1 or 2 mbps (million bits per second) transmissions. Also called WLAN.
802.15, Bluetooth Communications. Technology for wireless networks that was incorporated into IEEE 802.15 standards in 2002. Bluetooth defines standards that allow notebook, handheld and mobile telephones to use short-range radio links to connect to each other. The effective range is 32 feet, or 10 meters, and the radio frequencies are available over 95% of the world. The communication always exists and requires no hook-ups or initialization from the users. Mobile phones can be used as a modem to wirelessly connect notebook computers. Another use is to connect keyboards, printers, scanners, etc. without cables. Bluetooth enabled products are built with a wireless chip that operates in 2.4-GHz radio band, along with 802.11b, cordless phones, garage doors, baby monitors, and other wireless signals. This can result in interference. Developed by Ericsson, IBM, Intel, and Toshiba. Products available 2001.
802.16, WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)
Communications. Specification for wireless networks that proposes a range of up to 31 miles, compared with Wi-Fi's 300 feet and Bluetooth's 30 feet. Can operate in many bands within the range of 2 GHZ up to 11 GHz. Currently three profiles are being defined: one around 5.8 GHz, which is unlicensed in many countries; a second around 3.5 GHz, unavailable in North America but licensed in other regions; and a third around 2.5 GHz, licensed in the U.S. and much of the Americas. WiMax is IEEE Standard 802.16 and is being developed to be compatible with European standards. Transfers data at speeds of 75 Mbps (Million bytes per second). Also called WMANs (Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks). Initially approved in 2002, and 801.16a was ratified in 2003. 802.16e was approved in 2006. First products included base stations and were certified in January, 2006. Sprint announced deployment of WiMax over its networks in August, 2006. WiMax could be installed in laptops and PDAs by 2007/2008.
broadband Communications. Technology that used a wide band of frequencies so that more than one message can be transmitted at a time. Contrast with baseband, transmitting on a single band. While differing definitions can be found, all refers to a high speed, always on connections. Both Internet cable connections and DSL (Digital Subscriber Lines) are broadband networks.
BW (Broadband Wireless) Wireless technology that allows simultaneous wireless delivery of voice, data, and video, and competes with DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). It is generally implemented in metropolitan areas and requires clear line of sight between the transmitter and the receiving end. Includes two flavors, LMDS (Local Multi=point Distribution Service) and MMDS (Multi-channel Multi-point Distribution Service).
RuBee (IEEE 1902.1) Short-range wireless technology and an alternative to RFID. Rather than using radio signals, Rubee uses magnetic signals. Radio signals (thus RFID) have problems in some environments, especially liquids and metals. Rubee's magnetic signals are not affected, so it works in any environment including harsh environments, and can handle networks of thousands of tags. These tags can be low in cost, near credit card thin (1.5 mm), and fully programmable using 4 bit processors. Despite their high functionality, RuBee tags have a proven battery life of ten years or more using low-cost, coin-size lithium batteries. The RuBee protocol works with both active tags and passive tags that have no battery. Rubee was introduced early in 2007 and products are expected in 2008.
Wibree Communications technology. Wireless specification provides a radio link of up to 30 feet between devices. Provides the same functionality as Bluetooth, but uses a fraction of the power. Wibree radio chips will make it possible and efficient to connect phones and other electronics devices to low-power watches, sports sensors, wireless mice or health monitors, which might not be able to use Bluetooth technology because of its power demands. Announced: October, 2006.
Zigbee Communications. Wireless standard based on IEEE 802.15.4, a physical radio standard. It operates in unlicensed bands worldwide at 2.4GHz (global), 915Mhz (Americas) and 868Mhz (Europe). Raw data throughput rates of 250Kbs can be achieved at 2.4GHz (16 channels), 40Kbs at 915Mhz (10 channels) and 20Kbs at 868Mhz (1 channel). Transmission distances range from 10 to 100 meters, depending on power output and environmental characteristics. The ZigBee Alliance is a consortium of companies working together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wirelessly networked, monitoring and control products based on an open global standard. ZigBee can coexist with both BlueTooth and WiFi and, in fact, some devices successfully support both standards. The ZigBee 2006 Specification was announced in September, 2006.
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1. Of course you're right – the iPhone. This from many, many articles. What's fun, though, is to look at some of the other products that were mentioned. Google Maps was one choice, Slingbox was another. High temperature supercapacitors were hot – but that was in an article in EDM Magazine (Electronics, Design, Strategy, News). We'll stay out of the specific industry picks, but think about Google Maps, and check out SlingBox.
2. We're talking ounces, of course, but only a few! With full QWERTY keyboards, a little over 4 ounces (Motorola's Moto Q). in other words, we have no problems carrying them around, and they'll only get lighter.
3. Well, this time they could all be the same! But, officially, CRM is the overall name of software that includes the other three. And, the other three could have differences. Call centers might do no more than route and forward calls. Help desks add to that assigning ticket numbers and following the status of the call and its resolution. Customer support is the broadest of the three. It adds handling orders, producing reports and analytics, and supporting multiple channels.
4. Automated testing really has to be used when tests need to be repeated, such as testing the load on a Web site or database. These tests must be run frequently because the load constantly changes.
5. Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript And XML). The ability to update only the part of a Web page that changes is critical to speeds – as is the ability to continue interacting with the Web page while the update is going on.
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