By Vahid Buehrer
If you’re still confused about all the news about the “Blueteeth,” don’t worry, you are not alone. There has been lots of talk about this new technology because it’s destined to make good profit. It may not be the best on the market, but companies like Microsoft, IBM, Ericsson, and Intel are throwing enough money into it that it’ll crush anyone that gets in the way. Bluetooth has nothing to do with teeth. It is a new technology that allows short-range wireless transmissions. It’s somewhat like the remote control of your TV, only that it can transfer data up to one megabit per second (Mbps). That would be just a little faster than downloading Harry Potter in the dormitories or twice as fast as your ADSL at home. So why do we need a faster remote control? Well, even experts are still querying about which areas are most suitable for this new technology. IBM is working on a range of innovations including the WatchPad, a wristwatch with a high-resolution touchscreen, and CyberPhone-2, a lightweight cell phone that can project data on to a small mirror the user can look at while talking. Sound sci-fi? Believe it or not, prototypes have already been designed and products will be commercialized in the next few years. By that time, it’ll be like learning how to use a new cell phone. By the end of this year 11 million products featuring the Bluetooth wireless technology will be sold, generating worldwide revenue of USD 5 billion. Wireless technologies have now begun to flourish and a few wireless technology companies are already trying to get a share of this jackpot. They all have their advantages and downsides. It’s up to us to choose what type of technology best suits our needs. To help you out, here’s an introduction to the three leading wireless technologies, Bluetooth, HomeRF and 802.11b: l Bluetooth, as I mentioned before, is a Personal Area Network technology with transfer rates of about 1 Mbps. Compared to other wireless technologies it is quite a bit slower, even though it is still faster than most connections that we are currently using at home. This type of technology is designed for device-to-device transmissions, like transferring an mp3 from your friend’s PDA to your mobile phone. This design also allows dramatic decreases in power consumption. Your mobile phone will be as light as it was. No extra batteries needed! Bluetooth is also a lot cheaper than the other wireless technologies. Currently the lowest price for a Bluetooth chipset is USD 8.50. Prices are targeted to USD 5 in the next few months. l HomeRF is a Local Area Network, or LAN, technology that offers speeds of about 2 Mbps and reaches over larger areas – from the living room to the backyard patio, for example. l 802.11b, only known by its scientific name, is a LAN technology. Good for surfing the web and watching live basketball games on the net without a wire connected to your laptop. It has already taken the lead over HomeRF, because it offers the fastest transfer rate speeds – about 11 Mbps. Its compatibility is also better than that of HomeRF. 802.11 equipment is still more expensive than HomeRF equipment, but as 802.11 becomes widespread the costs will come down quickly. And its second generation, with the “creative” name of 802.11a, promises to offer speeds up to 55 mbps later this year. Ultimately, we will end up with only Bluetooth and 802.11, or even a merger of these two technologies. For now, we can just sit back and change channels with infrared remote controls and wait until the experts figure out what they want to call the new wireless technologies, maybe something like “802.11x” or “Redface.” #Volume 7 Issue 2 a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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