Wireless equipment maker Nokia Siemens Networks said Thursday that it has new software that will more than double the download speed on networks using 2.5G EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM Environment) wireless technology.
This is good news for first generation iPhone users whose phones connect to the mobile Net via AT&T's EDGE network. On average iPhone users report that they can get download speeds of 210 kbps. Nokia Siemens says that with a simple software upgrade to the EDGE network equipment, operators, like AT&T, can offer their customers download speeds of 592 kilobits per second.
EDGE is typically considered a 2.5G network technology that is based on the worldwide GSM (Global System Mobile Communications) cell phone standard. Many cell phone operators, such as AT&T, first built their wireless data networks using this technology. But now AT&T and other GSM carriers around the world are deploying faster 3G networks using a technology called HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access). Networks using HSDPA offer download speeds between 600 kbps and 1.4 megabits per second.
Most of the 3G rollouts are nearing completion and many carriers are already talking about 4G networks. This means there are few, if any, carriers around the globe still deploying new EDGE networks. So why is Nokia Siemens enhancing the technology?
The reason is simple. Nokia Siemens believes that speedier EDGE networks will extend the life of the already deployed 2.5G networks. Carriers have already paid for these networks, so the software upgrade simply breathes new life into an existing asset. The network upgrade also allows mobile operators to provide a smoother transition between the 2.5G EDGE network and the newer 3G HSDPA network, since most carriers have a wider network footprint using EDGE than they do using HSDPA.
For example, I have a 3G Samsung Blackjack that operates on AT&T's network. In New York City where I live, I access AT&T's 3G network when I download my work e-mail or when I check my favorite mobile Web sites. But when I visit my father at the beach in Delaware, my phone often roams to AT&T's EDGE network, because the 3G service is limited there. When I try to access mobile Web pages or sync my e-mail from the EDGE network, the service is painfully slow. If AT&T used Nokia Siemens' software to speed up its EDGE network, I probably wouldn't even notice when I was roaming on EDGE instead of using the 3G network.
"By 2015, we expect to live in a broadband-IP world with 5 billion people 'always on' and therefore Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to protecting customer investments and continue to implement leading EDGE technology," Ari Lehtoranta, Head of Radio Access Business Unit for Nokia Siemens, said in a statement. "Dual Carrier software upgrade is an easy and extremely cost efficient step to bring broadband user experience to GSM/EDGE networks."
A faster EDGE network would also be great for all those first generation iPhone users whose biggest complaint is that downloading Web pages on an iPhone over AT&T's network is like watching paint dry.
Of course, AT&T would have to deploy the Nokia Siemens technology in order to get these benefits. The software will be available in the third quarter of 2008, the company said.
A few weeks ago there were two interesting announcements involving encryption technologies. First, SafeNet acquired application and database encryption leader Ingrian while Symantec announced that it will partner with GuardianEdge to provide Full Disk Encryption (FDE) for PC security.
Why did SafeNet buy Ingrian rather than simply partner? Because SafeNet has made its mark selling security widgets not security solutions. This business model holds less appeal when large organizations fold security into their global governance, risk management, and compliance requirements. With Ingrian in hand, SafeNet can compete on these kind of enterprise deals and become a more strategic vendor to customers.
SafeNet-Ingrian is pretty straightforward, but why wouldn't Symantec simply buy GuardianEdge? Symantec certainly has the money and the industry precedent was set when Check Point purchased PC encryption vendor PointSec while McAfee grabbed SafeBoot.
Symantec looked at the market and saw a very short runway to make money. Hardware-based FDE is clearly on the horizon, led by Intel, Hitachi, and Seagate Technology. Pretty soon, laptops will ship with encryption already baked in, so the market for software solutions can be measured in the 12-to-24-month timeframe. With so little time to make an acquisition accretive, Symantec decided that partnering with an industry leader was a better business decision.
There are a lot of encryption and key management start-ups available and I expect a lot of acquisitions, partnerships, fire sales, and bankruptcies over the next few years. One way or another, users want to encrypt their confidential data sooner rather than later. Which vendors win and which lose is another story.
Finally, here's a phone plan that allows you to switch from the U.S. government's Secret Internet Protocol Router Network to the Unclassified but Sensitive Internet Protocol Router Network with a single keystroke.
(Credit:
General Dynamics)
The National Security Agency has authorized military and government personnel to order up a bunch of General Dynamics' Sectera Edge secure, wireless smartphones, which will not only allow them to make secure calls but also to e-mail and Web-browse in either classified or unclassified mode.
The phones will still operate right along with everyone else on the existing high-speed Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CMDA) and Wi-Fi commercial cellular networks.
Although it looks like a regular phone, the company says the Sectera Edge is designed to rugged military specs, allowing for the wear and tear of both the office and "war fighters completing a tactical mission." And it comes with a personal organizer that includes contacts, calendar, tasks, alarms and notes so you won't forget your loved ones' birthdays in the midst of a covert operation.
Deliveries are scheduled for later this year, with sales estimated as high as $300 million over the next 5 years, according to the company. The Sectera Edge is part of the NSA's Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device program, but there are civilian models available. Did we mention the secret handshake?
As per usual, the weekend rolled around and we headed up to Stinson Beach armed with our iPhones. In between catching rays and laying out my friends I wanted to check out the new features from Meebo and Facebook for the iPhone. Strangely, the EDGE network was very either/or--it was on...or completely off. Spotty coverage with the EDGE network? Surely not.
In another comparison, my friend Max and I were waiting for a table at a popular crepe place in San Francisco's Mission District and were surfing the net via our iPhones. Yet, we noticed that while my iPhone had 5 bars of service from AT&T, Max's had one, then none, then one.
Not sure why, but I'm sure it has to do with towers, transmission rates, data compression...But you would think that two identical iPhones bought from the same store, at the same time, would be alike. Think again, I guess.
Facebook and Meebo introduced new applications for iPhone users this week. I had been awaiting these two apps as, sadly, these are two of my addictions - social networking and chatting.
Facebook's typical page would load in my iPhone's Safari browser decently well. Loading the page and surfing around was pretty fast regardless of being on the EDGE or on a Wi-Fi network. However, on Safari, I soon came to realize that I couldn't change or update my "status" and was forever stuck doing whatever it was I was doing in the morning I updated my status. I mean I know my friends want to what I'm doing at all hours of the day, right? I discovered that you could text your status to "FBOOK" and that would take of the problem. However, with Facebook's new iPhone application located at iphone.facebook.com (only accessible if you're on an iPhone), this issue was resolved. The iPhone-specific application's design is slick and less graphically intensive, which is great if you have to access the site via the spotty EDGE network from AT&T. The user-interface is pretty simple and elegant. Friends and updates are given a wide toolbar look and you can navigate without having to enlarge or shrink the page. The top menus feature the most commonly used content. Only drawback is having to enter your login credentials each time you've exited the application/site, but I suppose that's a good security feature as well as not having to maintain an open network connection to an otherwise idle account.
Meebo
I had also been awaiting an iPhone-only application for Meebo (the universal chat Web site that merges and allows you to use the most common chat programs - i.e., AIM, Yahoo, MSN and GTalk. While Meebo's regular page would load up in the iPhone's Safari browser, you couldn't actually send a message or do anything useful once you logged in. So, when I found out that Meebo had created a version for iPhones at wwwm.meebo.com I was stoked. I logged in as usual and was happy to see my friend list appeared and it looked as if I was good to go. The user interface is quite similar to Facebook's iPhone version, horizontal displays for contacts, clean, simple and easy to navigate almost inviting you to ping someone.
But, my test fell short and ended prematurely as after I tried to ping a co-worker an error screen stating "network connection interrupted" and "java application detected" brought me back to the login screen. Two more attempts have been unsuccessful thus far. I'll keep you posted as to how it works out.
Overall, with these two applications coming online, I'm eager to see what else is in the works. It would seem that these two applications have common design elements that are likely to be incorporated for future iPhone applications. While it may be too early to predict, I would have to guess that upcoming iPhone non-Apple applications will be hallmarked by clean, non-scalable pages that display content in that, well, iPhone-way, simply and cleanly, but somewhat lacking... Luckily, however, one sacrifice I don't mind as content is culled down to fit the iPhone is that these pages and applications do not feature as many ads as their PC-based ancestors.
Yesterday, my friends Max and Zach and I were like the Three Amigos, but instead of sombreros we were armed with our iPhones. And instead of adventures with El Guapo, we were doing battle with AT&T's El EDGE network, the network the iPhone defaults to when it can't connect to an active Wi-Fi connection.
Our brave amigo adventure began when we decided to celebrate the Fourth by heading north of San Francisco to hang out at Stinson Beach. We got our fill of sun, surf and sand. During hours in the sun we got out our iPhones to goof around in a sandy environment. The screens were hot to the touch and managed to take sunscreen-soaked fingers pretty well, and there was no effect on performance from what we could tell. The sand didn't scratch up the screen, nor did any get into the ports or small crevasses on the iPhone's body.
So Max and I took pictures of each other and wanted to e-mail them to our mothers and friends. Because you cannot send mass SMS text messages or send a picture embedded in a text message, the only viable option is to send an actual, swear-to-God e-mail. (Many of my friends, recipients of mass SMS text messages, cheered at that limitation. Apple, will you please issue an update to allow me to send mass text messages again?)
Sending e-mails from the beach ultimately tested AT&T's EDGE network. It's at the continent's edge, quite literally. There is no Wi-Fi network for our iPhones to tap. Each of us have synced our contacts to include e-mail addresses, and each of us uses Gmail and our e-mails are sent through Gmail.
So our experience? The sun was pretty intense, so the shadows and the contrast levels really tested the camera's limitations. The pictures turned out fine, but were a bit shadow-heavy (we look "swarthy," according to some). But the EDGE network proved to be hot and cold. One message flew away and the EDGE network proved to be surprisingly fast. But at another point, we got the message "unable to send, cannot connect" and a copy of the e-mail was placed in an outbox queue. (On a separate bike ride it took three hours for my e-mail message to go through, and that only happened after the iPhone found my native W-iFi network!)
Ultimately, it's pretty cool that the phone could take a pretty good picture and e-mail it to loved ones, especially from the beach. The EDGE network is spotty. But if you live somewhere like San Francisco where Google plans to blanket free Wi-Fi to the whole city, or where the iPhone will find every Wi-Fi network around it, and where unsecured Wi-Fi networks are pretty common, then the EDGE issues should be neutralized.
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