Nanotech - The Circuits Blog

In the interest of achieving faster 3G on my Apple MacBook Air while getting more bang from my BlackBerry, I've found two paths to 3G Nirvana. Well, maybe not quite Nirvana.

My first foray into 3G on the MacBook Air via a BlackBerry Storm produced satisfactory results. Here, the Blackberry served as a 3G modem via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth bottleneck, however, can be frustrating (it's closer to 2G than 3G) when there is a need for speed. So, I turned to a physically tethered connection via USB.

MacBook Air tethered to Blackberry Storm via USB

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Let me preface this by explaining why I resisted a tethered (wired) USB connection at first. Quite simply, the idea of plugging and unplugging a clunky USB cable, dealing with the VZAccess Manager (Verizon) software, and then finding a place to put the Storm (if I wasn't sitting near a flat surface) seemed like too much overhead.

Not only that. Verizon doesn't make this easy. To date, there is no documented support or software for doing USB BlackBerry 3G on a MacBook. In short, you have to use a version of the VZAccess Manager that is specified for a Motorola smartphone. (More details here.)

(Apple could obviate all of this, of course, by providing an elegant internal 3G option for MacBooks.)

That said, it was relatively painless to set up and connect (it took maybe 15 minutes). And the best news is that this is truly a 3G connection: even the most ad-laden, multimedia-intensive Web pages loaded comparatively quickly--which is not the case with Bluetooth.

Based on SpeedTest.net, I achieved a download speed of 1.11Mb/s

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

And, as I pointed out in a previous post, an external 3G phone/modem is a movable 3G feast. I can use the BlackBerry with any laptop as long as it has Bluetooth or a USB port (which is virtually every laptop on the market).

Internal 3G modems, on the other hand, are wedded to one computer and one computer only. Each computer requires a separate subscription and another $60 (more or less) per month.

There's the USB "stick" modem option, of course. I can't address that because I've never tried it. The way I see it is: use the existing 3G on your mobile phone. It's cheaper than the dedicated USB modem: on Verizon, about $30 per month for tethering versus $60 for a dedicated modem.

Or if that option doesn't appeal to you, opt for a laptop with an internal 3G modem option.

Which brings me to Apple's dearth of (as in zero) offerings in this department. Even with the ostensible advantage of an external modem described above, I would still prefer a built-in 3G modem option on the MacBook Air.

Apple take note: there's a modem technology from Qualcomm called Gobi that doesn't tie the user to a single service provider. Users can choose between Verizon or AT&T or another provider. This could, at the very least, be offered as an option on a high-end version of a future MacBook.

Apple, are you interested? Why do I get the feeling you're not.

Intel concept wide-screen mobile device

(Credit: Intel)

Intel smartphone and mobile Internet device concept designs have potential. So, as Intel prepares to enter the smartphone market with LG Electronics and others, will these designs be realized? And would you buy one?

One thing is certain. A re-badged Apple iPhone running Windows isn't going to upset the Apple cart (pun intended).

So, one obvious challenge is for Intel to get its considerable weight behind a new smartphone or mobile Internet device (MID) design that resets the market.

Just so happens there's a design that Intel has been brandishing for a couple of years now (see photos). It's essentially a high-end wide-screen smartphone or MID (choose your favorite device category nomenclature).

A series of videos demonstrating the Intel Moorestown-based mobile device pretty clearly show how--by virtue of the wide screen--the device would be different.

Intel concept device, with virtual keyboard

(Credit: Intel)

Now, if that device could run a browser and basic applications faster than my BlackBerry Storm (which I gauge has circa 1995 PC performance) on a bigger screen, that would be enough for me to buy one.

At least one analyst expects big things from Intel in this market. Doug Freedman of Broadpoint AmTech upgraded Intel to a "buy" this week, partially on expectations that Intel may flourish in the system-on-a-chip market as a result of the chip production deal struck earlier this month with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. Intel's upcoming Moorestown chip--the linchpin of the deal--is a system-on-a-chip that's targeted, not coincidentally, at high-end smartphones, among other devices.

Freedman had this to say in a research note about Intel: "The TSMC (deal) likely opens the door to highly integrated (system-on-a-chip) solutions for target markets such as consumer, wireless, communications and networking infrastructure, and automotive," he wrote. "Though we cannot assign a value to future business opportunities without specific customer announcements or end-market intentions...We note that a minor incremental opportunity would not have triggered a press release event for Intel or TSMC."

Translation: there's probably something pretty big in the works.

At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, Intel will present 15 papers, with a renewed emphasis on integrating more functions into one chip--and less focus on gigahertz. Intel is especially focusing on squeezing more sophisticated wireless silicon into small devices.

"The trend of using smaller transistors to build larger microprocessor cores with higher operating frequency is coming to an end," Mark Bohr, an Intel senior fellow, said Wednesday.

The chipmaker will highlight research on what it is proclaiming as the "new system-on-a-chip (SoC) era," which it describes as requiring "a fundamental shift in the way semiconductor manufacturers will innovate to keep Moore's Law alive." An SoC typically integrates a number of separate functions onto one piece of silicon or into one chip package.

As part of the focus on SoC, Intel is riveting its gaze on the integration of radio silicon, as mobile computers--handhelds, Netbooks, and laptops--become increasingly oriented around connectivity. Future SoCs will have "flexible" radios included on-chip that handle Wi-Fi, WiMAX, 3G, Bluetooth and other widely used standards, according to Intel.

Intel is focusing on getting a variety of wireless technologies onto a system-on-a-chip

(Credit: Intel)

"The key research challenge Intel is looking at is how to resolve the inherent problems with a growing number of network technologies--WiMax, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.--that are landing on platforms and in computers," Intel said Wednesday. "How can you support multiple standards in small form factor devices when you have limited space not only for the radio, but also for the antennas."

Intel spelled out some of the key radio requirements:

• Should fit in a variety of form factors from laptops to mobile Internet devices (MIDs) to cell phones
  
• Increased levels of integration needed
  
• Convert more analog to digital to take advantage of Moore's law (45 nanometer, 32nm and beyond)
  
• Users can get 200Mb/s today will want 5Gb/s very soon
  
• Future radios will need to automatically switch from one network to another with no negative impact to the user
  

Intel will also discuss optical interconnects for chip-to-chip communications. "The idea of photonics (which is still very much a research idea) is to use optical interconnects to provide the high bandwidth that will be required for some chip-to-chip communications in the future," an Intel spokeperson said Wednesday. This would be an example of another component that could appear in a future SOC, according to Intel.

Intel will also present a paper on a temperature sensor for processors. "Numerous remote sensors are used to measure temperature over the entire multi-core die," Intel said in a statement. "The processor control unit can then work with these sensors and provide accurate temperature information to higher level software components for various housekeeping and optimization tasks."

This will allow better microprocessor performance reliably, with multiple location hot spot temperature measurements and extend the life of processor components by maintaining lower operational stress, Intel said.

On the graphics silicon front, Intel will talk about research into mobile graphics based on SIMD, in which a Single Instruction is applied to Multiple Data elements (such as all the pixels in an image). "With devices becoming smaller and applications becoming more visual, better techniques are needed to do more SIMD processing while using less energy," Intel said in a statement. "Today's SIMD acceleration circuits have high leakage currents and limited power management, and do not scale well to reduced voltages."

For the time being, Intel is not talking about graphics silicon for specific processors. "We are not talking about any specific processor or chip. This is a research effort that would eventually be a component which does the parallel processing within an SOC, CPU or GPU," an Intel spokesperson said Wednesday. (CPU stands for Central Processing Unit; GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit.)

"This paper is talking about an achievement which would specifically target small devices (i.e. laptops)," the spokesperson said. "We can do SIMD MMX on desktop today, but this research is bringing the technology to small devices." (MMX is a type of SIMD instruction.)

Though Apple has yet to offer built-in 3G on MacBooks, pairing them up with phones like the Blackberry Storm provides a decent wireless workaround.

The MacBook Air can use the Blackberry Storm as a Bluetooth 3G modem

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

In December, I took the MacBook Air (i.e., the designers of the Air) to task for what I thought was a serious technological gaffe: not building 3G into the Air. At the very least, I thought 3G should have been included in the October refresh of the Air.

But I'm not going to rehash those gripes here (or repeat Apple's likely reasons for not including 3G). This time I bring good tidings.

After recently picking up a Blackberry Storm (Verizon), I quickly set it up as a Bluetooth "3G" modem by pairing it with my MacBook Air. The Blackberry uses an EV-DO 3G connection.

The Storm was relatively easy to set up and "tether" to the Air. And the results were better than I expected. Using Speedtest.net, I got download speeds of up to 1,088 Kbps (though it was typically closer to 500-600 Kbps) and uploads of up to 127 Kbps. Not torrential bandwidth but certainly good enough for the occasions when I don't have access to Wi-Fi (or when the Wi-Fi is iffy).

By comparison, on my Hewlett-Packard 2510p ultraportable with a built-in Verizon EV-DO modem, Speedtest.net said I was getting download speeds of up to 1,392 Kbps and uploads of 469 Kbps. (The Air's Wi-Fi connection gets about 2X download and 4X upload more than the Storm.)

As to setup: First, pair the two Bluetooth devices, then configure the phone on the MacBook side, telling it during the configuration process that you want to "Access the Internet with your phone's data connection." In Verizon's case, the account name is yourphonenumber@vzw3.com Then, in the next screen, you select "vendor: other" and "Verizon support, PC5220." (See screen shot of OS X 10.5.6 configuration Network setup.)

Setting up the Blackberry Storm as a Bluetooth modem was relatively easy

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Do I still wish Apple would build 3G into the MBA? Of course. But I am pretty satisfied with this solution for now. Particularly when it allows me to extract more functionality out of the Storm. (Which as a standalone 3G phone I like a lot and which I will review in the near future.).

Verizon, however, does charge extra for tethering, particularly if the Storm is connected via USB. I have no interest in a USB connection (at least, not at this time) because that defeats the purpose of having a wireless Bluetooth-enabled phone. As people have pointed out, a Bluetooth modem is much more convenient. Particularly for frequent travelers. I can just attach the Blackberry to my belt and use the Air as though it had a built-in 3G modem.

(Note: A reader in Ireland provided the inspiration to use the Storm as a modem when he correctly pointed out that internal 3G access would start to get expensive if you had a modem in each computer, with each requiring a separate subscription. Or would become inconvenient if you kept having to move SIM cards between computers.)

(Also note that a quick search will yield examples of people who have hooked their Blackberry up to a MacBook.)

LAS VEGAS--At the Consumer Electronics Show, Wireless USB devices made an appearance en masse.

What does that mean exactly? Wireless USB notebooks, docking stations, hard drives. And more consumer-centric devices like Wireless USB speakers, displays, and USB phones. In fact, Samsung was showing a prototype mobile phone. (See photo below.)

"It looks and feels like wired USB, only it's wireless," according to Jeff Ravencraft of Intel, who is president of the USB Implementers Forum, speaking in an interview at CES.

Over 130 products have been certified, according to Ravencraft. "The next thing in Wireless USB is Wireless USB 1.1 where we're adding upper band support for a worldwide footprint for ultra-wide-band frequency, easier association of the device to the host, and more power efficiency," Ravencraft said.

At close range, up to 3 meters, Wireless USB delivers up to 480 megabits per second, he said. At this range, throughput is essentially the same as wired USB, Ravencraft said. Up to 10 meters, this drops to a maximum throughput of 110 megabits per second.

Ravencraft said there are wireless hard disk drives in the market now.

ThinkPad notebook with Wireless USB Intel silicon

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Samsung DUOS mobile phone with Wireless USB

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

IOGEAR was showing commercial devices with Wireless USB, including a Wireless USB audio adapter and a Wireless USB to VGA kit that makes monitors wireless.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Apple's MacBook Air doesn't live up to its wireless promise.

To quote an Apple tagline, "without wires, you're free to go anywhere." But the wireless part of the "air" play on words fails to deliver. (The other half its light-as-air weight: here it does deliver.)

As I've written in the past, I like the Air. I got one in February as soon as it was available at retail and have been pleased with the performance, screen, keyboard, build, and, until recently, the battery life (which has dwindled to under an hour). Of course, the head-turning aluminum aesthetics is also a major appeal to many people.

That said, after a spurt of trips including a 10-day stay on the East Coast and a few treks to Los Angeles, the Air's wireless shortcomings have become painfully clear. In a word (or two), no 3G.

Now, before I get slammed, let me say that I fully realize that I'm not the first person to reach this conclusion so I'm not claiming any unique epiphany. There were a number of observers citing this paradox way back in January. Some frustrated users even attempted hacks to shoehorn a 3G modem into the Air. The point is: because of the price and the way it's marketed, 3G should be built in.

But the full brunt of not having 3G hit me on Friday when I made a trip to Qualcomm to get briefed on a new version of the Snapdragon applications processor (more on this in another post). Sitting there in the nerve center of one of greatest wireless companies in the world, I couldn't get a wireless connection. Everyone else in the room had 3G connections of one kind or another. The Air instantly became the proverbial doorstop (or paper weight--choose your simile, or maybe it's more apropos to say it was a dinosaur.)

It didn't take much prodding from me to get the Qualcomm product manager to point out this fatal flaw.

This came after weeks of not being able to use the Air in many situations when I desperately needed a wireless connection. For instance, not all LA airports have reliable Wi-Fi connections. The John Wayne Airport in Orange County being one example. And when I was on the East Coast, one sprawling place I stayed at for several nights had Wi-Fi only in one inconveniently situated area that was inaccessible at night.

In these situations, the Air is nothing more than a slab of beautifully sculpted aluminum.

Hewlett-Packard Compaq 2510p (L) and MacBook Air. The HP comes with a built-in WWAN option, the Air does not.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Which brings me to the cult of Steve Jobs. Apple was brilliant enough to deliver a groundbreaking design like the Air but why wasn't it savvy enough to build in 3G?

Before I get slammed again, let me throw out some reasons (excuses) why Apple didn't build in 3G, based on reports I've read and my own observations. Apple didn't like the fact that 3G modems often made the user commit to one service provider, i.e., Verizon or Sprint or Vodafone. Or, it believed that if users wanted 3G, they could simply plug in a USB 3G modem.

I have serious problems with both of those reasons. Particularly when you're paying typically more than $1,800 (or $2,500, depending on the model) for a notebook billed as a wireless wonder (for Apple ad copy on why the Air is such a wonderful wireless laptop, just cruise over to Apple's MBA page.) And I have even more of a problem when ultrathin Netbooks are coming with 3G at one-third (and potentially a tiny fraction of) the cost of the Air.

For comparison, let's look at another Valley company, Hewlett-Packard. HP has been selling WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) modems in its business laptops for at least two years (and probably longer). The HP-Compaq NC6400 laptop introduced about two years ago was offered from day one with WWAN built in.

Granted, the choice of carriers at first was limited but look at HP's offerings today. Models (including those in the EliteBook line) are offered with Qualcomm's Gobi modem. Gobi obviates the need to have unique radios for each carrier. Gobi supports Verizon, Sprint, and others in one device.

Where was Gobi when Apple refreshed the MacBooks in October? I'm sure Apple has plenty of excuses (for example, not enough space in the Air's ultrathin design).

But Apple should have had 3G from the beginning and certainly in the October refresh. In today's 3G world, continuing to call it the MacBook Air brings another meaning to the play on words: lightness of weight with a touch of advertising hot air.

Additional comments::
The point is not that a user can potentially add an external WWAN modem (though even that's not necessarily easy to do), the point is that the Air should come with 3G capability built in considering how the computer is marketed.

Intel is working on technology that would allow handheld Internet devices to wirelessly use big screens.

Intel Mobile Internet Device could connect wirelessly to a big screen.

All technology is a problem looking for a solution (or the converse). Intel is working on technology that would mitigate one of the inherent problems with ultra-small devices: ultra-small screens. Vic Lortz, a research scientist and senior architect at Intel's Communications Technology Lab in Hillsboro, Ore., discussed a technology that would include a wireless display feature on big-screen digital TVs allowing Mobile Internet Devices, or MIDs, to wirelessly use the display on a big screen.

"Imagine if digital TVs included a wireless display feature (either integrated or through an external adapter) so that a MID could easily use that large display instead of or in addition to the integrated screen of the MID," he writes. "Intel is working on this and other similar problems...As we identify the necessary set of technologies and standards to support, we will integrate them into our next-generation mobile devices (both laptops and MIDs)."

Lortz says the success of the MID may ride on whether technologies like this come to fruition. "If we succeed, the MID may confound its detractors and become the next big thing after all."