Aug 10 2009 2:01PM GMT
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
3G,
Telecom,
high speed packet access,
HSPA
 |
It’s no secret that 4G wireless technology - aka Long Term Evolution and WiMax - is in the works and actually starting to see some deployment. But until then, a 3G technology called High Speed Packet Access, or HSPA, is seeing the big growth numbers around the globe.
Sam Diaz, Growth of 3G wireless broadband illustrates demand for 4G connections |
HSPA is a general name for the High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High-Speek Uplink Packet Access protocols. They are packet-based mobile telephony protocols used in 3G to increase data capacity and speed up transfer rates. One of the primary differences between HSPA and EV-DO networks is that HSPA allows mobile handsets to transmit voice and data simultaneously.
Jonathan Morgan has written a very interesting post explaining why HSPA is so important. It all comes down to dollars.
Jul 3 2008 12:31PM GMT
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
Telecom,
Apple,
Mobile,
Gps
 |
GPS brings a whole new level of precision to the mobile experience. Cell phones have been required to be location-aware for several years in order to comply with the needs of emergency response agencies in the U.S. However, the primitive triangulation system that basic phones use isn’t very precise. With GPS, a user’s location could be pinpointed to within a few feet.
Paul Gillin, The Promise and Pitfalls of Location-Awareness |
If you do a search on Google for location awareness, you’ll find lot of articles written by people who are excited about the possibilities of mobile devices and location awareness. Advertisers, particularly seem excited. If you look at the dates for a lot of those articles, however, you might be surprised to see they were written in 2001. Will the iPhone really be the tipping point for location awareness 3rd party apps? I’m not going to hold my breath.
Jun 23 2008 5:01PM GMT
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
Telecom,
Open source
 |
Less than two weeks after the blogosphere and press erupted with stories that the cable TV set-top faced extinction as a result of Sony signing onto a major interactive TV initiative by cable operators called Tru2Way, folks close to Tru2Way say the first certification test of the technology is a “disaster of spectacular proportions.”
Cynthia Brumfield, Terrible Troubles with Cable’s Tru2Way Initiative? |
Cynthia got slammed for this blog post, but even James McQuivey (Forrester) has said “So here’s where I stand on tru2way: I’ll believe it when I see it.” As close as I can figure it, here’s what the big deal is:
1. Cable companies would like to get rid of set-top boxes. They cost them money.
2. TV manufacturers are getting extra press by announcing they are getting behind Tru2way as the standard for allowing the TV itself perform the functions of the set-top box. (True2way is open source.)
3. A lot of industry experts don’t see how the business model for this change is going to work — consumers worry that putting the interface in the TV means it’s one more thing that can break on their TV — vendors remember a former effort to get rid of the set-top box (called CableCard) that just confused everyone and went belly up.
Jun 10 2008 7:29PM GMT
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
Telecom,
iPhone,
Apple,
Mobile,
Technology
 |
We have had nearly 24 hours to jump out Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field and put common sense behind the announcements made yesterday – especially the company’s iPhone 3G.
Christian Zibreg, WWDC 2008: Will the iPhone 3G kill the iPhone?
|
Christian Zibreg thinks the money iPhone users shell out to AT&T each month is the deal killer. It is for my family.
Just as I was posting this, Verizon called and offered my whole family free phone upgrades and extra minutes. Coincidence? LOL!