Wireless internet on an itty-bitty phone.

Sometime ago I mentioned my current cellular handset of choice - the Nokia E51. Along with many other features it has built-in wireless. Great, you can browse the web at a wireless access point, as well as using EDGE. Maybe I’m spoiled because of the larger screens on PDAs, but browsing the internet on a 2 inch 240 by 320 pixel screen really doesn’t do it for me. Make no mistake, the Nokia E51 web browser is no slouch, and has an easy way of navigating around web pages not meant for mobile devices.

Then I remembered something from the manual (yes, I glanced through the manual, I couldn’t help it!); the Nokia E51 can be used as a cellular modem. The manual describes using a laptop to connect to the Nokia E51 with either Infrared or Bluetooth, and so browse the internet on a bigger screen. I was looking for a more portable solution though.

I have not tried it yet, but I’d be willing to bet that it may be possible to use the E51 as a cellular modem for the Nokia N800 Internet tablet. This may be possible especially since both devices are made by Nokia, even though they have different Operating Systems.

In the first “Best for Mobile Browsing” blog posting I got side-tracked after blogging about the Motorola A780 and the iPhone.

Apart from cellphones there are several other mobile devices which can be used for web browsing. The not-dead-yet PDA handheld is one of them. The Blazer web browser on the Palm TX has a number of fans, but I’d label it as average. Almost all Windows Mobile handhelds (previously known as Pocket PCs) like the HP iPaq 110 and HP iPaq 210 have Wi-Fi, and of course PIE (Pocket Internet Explorer). Opera for Windows Mobile was not free the last time I looked, but it was still worth buying for the improved browsing experience, with tabs. The iPaq 210 has a 4-inch, 640 by 480 pixel “VGA” touch screen display, so would be quite decent for web browsing.

Then there are the products made specifically for web browsing, as well as having a host of other features, the Nokia N800 and Nokia N810 Internet Tablets. These are still pocketable (jacket pocket not shirt pocket) mobile devices. Both have around 4-inch, 800 by 480 pixel resolution touch screens, and run a Mozilla-based browser with Ajax and Adobe Flash 9. The web browser allows zooming and full screen mode, as well as multiple browser windows.

There is something about networks that I just don’t get. It is not using networks or the internet, that I do every day. Networking with a Windows Domain server I understand. It’s when configuring a home network that I run into a minor problem (well, maybe not so minor!). Getting various computers to connect to a wireless router along with wired connections is no problem. Neither is connecting to the internet. It is the simple task of sharing resources on a home network. Now at work I have absolutely no problem with this, but then professionals have set up the network. It is at home where I run into problems. The simple matter of sharing a directory (folder) just causes problems. Getting it shared is not the problem, it is having Windows crash when I copy from a shared folder to another computer. Admittedly it could have been overzealous antivirus or firewall software which I was using at the time, but eventually I gave up.

Then I found a product similar to Encore Network Now! Pro. It made networking simpler. One of the things it did was recommend a range of IP addresses of my computers which had to be entered as a local network in my firewall. It paid for itself when I was able to install and share a printer connected to one of the PCs, and print from a wirelessly connected notebook.

So what is the best mobile device for browsing the web? By mobile device I’m excluding small notebooks and tablets which run Windows.

Firstly there are a number of factors which influence the quality of web browsing. The actually web browser engine, physical screen size, screen resolution, bandwidth and ease of navigation all play a part in the browsing experience. On the “Mobile browser rendering” webpage by Mark “Tarquin” Wilton-Jones, a series of tests performed in 2005-2006 were used to compare mobile web browsing software.

Normal cellphones – in other words cellphones without extra large screens, non-converged mobile phones, non-smartphones – generally have the worst browsing experience. This is usually due to small screens coupled with rather average browsers and bandwidth. Usually with these cellphones you can only browse to the sites which the carrier allows you, via text menus. In contrast I’ve seen the Motorola A780, not much bigger than most cellphones, but which runs Linux with the Opera Browser. You can go to any webpage, and pages are rendered really fast. This is a good mobile browsing experience but the cellphone is a smartphone.

Of course I cannot mention browsing on a smartphone without mentioning the iPhone. With a screen measuring 3.5 inches diagonally and resolution of 480 by 320 pixels, running the Safari browser, it naturally has an advantage when it comes to mobile browsing.

One technology has gradually become more widespread, another is slowly disappearing.
It was around ten years ago that the “Bluetooth Special Interest Group” was formed. They were working on a new open technology called Bluetooth. Now it is familiar to many who have Bluetooth headsets for their cellphones. Bluetooth was made for short distance wireless transmission with low power consumption. This makes it ideal for cellphones, in which battery power needs to be conserved.

Various other applications for Bluetooth have been developed. I have a pair of third generation stereo headphones (Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones) which include a tiny transmitter which can be plugged into any audio output jack. My original intention when buying them was to use them as wireless headphones when playing on games on my Xbox 360 in the family room so I wouldn’t disturb my wife. The headphones are actually made with MP3 players in mind, and I have found them very useful. To listen to music while not worrying about wires is really great.

Bluetooth has been available on most Palm PDAs since around 2002. When it is available on devices which also have Wi-Fi, like the Palm TX, HP iPaq 110 Classic or Nokia N810 Internet tablet, it is intended for use with a Bluetooth enabled phone when Wi-Fi access points are not available. A number of high end Notebook PCs have Bluetooth for the same reason.

Although Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is largely replacing IrDA on laptops, it is still widely used in TV remote controls and PDAs. IrDA refers to an Infrared communications protocol. The “Infrared Data Association” (IrDA) defines physical specifications communications protocol standards for the short-range exchange of data over infrared light. IrDA requires line of sight, which is where Bluetooth has the upper hand. Palm PDAs have had infrared since the Palm III in 1998. The easiest way to get information from one PDA to another was to “Beam” it. Some Sony Clie PDAs came with stronger infrared transmitters than their Palm-branded brethren, along with a program to use the Clie as a remote control for a limited selection of TVs and VCRs.

Is it a Browser War or just a squabble? Naturally “Browser Wars Part Two” really appeals to the media. This is especially since Apple’s Safari browser for Windows is now in the running.

Yet most people, unless they are technically adventurous, just use the Web Browser provided with their computer. Browser statistics vary widely from site to site. This is highlighted by “Browser Statistics and trends” from w3chools.com (not a school but a site loaded with web development tutorials). According to their statistics, Firefox has around 36 percent of the market and Internet Explorer (version 5, 6 and 7) 52 percent. Yet w3schools.com statement below the statistics explains:
“W3Schools is a website for people with an interest for web technologies. These people are more interested in using alternative browsers than the average user. The average user tends to use Internet Explorer, since it comes preinstalled with Windows. Most do not seek out other browsers.
These facts indicate that the browser figures above are not 100% realistic. Other web sites have statistics showing that Internet Explorer is used by at least 80% of the users.”

Internet Explorer still has the lion’s share, although somewhat diminished, probably from over 90 percent to less than 80 percent. On FeelFireFox.net Mozilla corporation is quoted as stating: “Mozilla hopes that Firefox will reach a 30% market share by June 2008” . What about the Apple Safari Browser? Warmongers say 5 percent, others say less. I haven’t tried Safari on Windows yet, but it is the only browser available on the iPod Touch and the iPhone.

This week is spring break, which means one thing around my household: Road trip! Time to visit friends and family — anything to prevent this adult from imposing permanent damage on the family heir in a fit of parental insanity.

That includes time with my mom, who surprised me recently when she told me on the phone that she has wireless now. How did that transpire? “It was included with TiVo,” she told me. That’s right. TiVo sells a device — the TiVo AG0100 Wireless USB Network Adapter – that lets users connect their digital video recorder with their 802.11g or b wireless home network. I’m no TiVo user. What do I know? (Apparently, she didn’t know about it either until my brilliant brother – who always thinks up the greatest gifts — got a unit and installed it for her.)

My mom loves TiVo. She has two of the machines in her home, one on the big screen in her living room; the other in one of the guest rooms where she does a lot of hanging out and watching recorded shows from HDTV.

And now she can transfer shows from one to the other TV and surf at the same time while she kicks back in her giant black-leather massage chair.

Reviewers on PriceGrabber report how, although it costs a bit more than other options, they’re quite happy with how easy it is to install and how quickly shows transfer from one machine to another or from their TiVos to their desktops.

I may not watch much TV, but I am a great sucker-upper of wireless broadband. What this means is, I’ll have no excuse not to bring my notebook computer with me when we go to visit. Wonder if that chair is available.

Multiuser computing is nothing new. It’s been around for decades. The idea is that a single central processing unit can serve multiple users, each of them working on their own monitors, keyboards and mice. After all, the typical CPU mostly sits there, awaiting the brains in our fingers to tell it what we want it to do next. I assure you, if a CPU had opposable thumbs, they’d be twiddling a lot.

NComputing’s X300 lets you share one PC among seven users. Where would this be useful? In a home environment where more than one family member at a time needs to have access to computing power. In a small office, where computers aren’t what people sit in front of all day, but when they need to get onto one, they need it now. Educational environments where budget is tight but the need is great. In other words, each of those people doesn’t need his or her own computer, just a display, keyboard and mouse. These days, those components are relative bargains.

The X300 works on both Windows and Linux systems. To set it up, you install a PCI card and virtualization software onto the computer that’s to be shared. Then you connect access devices to the PCI card with cables that you get in the box. Finally, you plug in a user’s monitor, keyboard and mouse to each access device. That gives you room for four users. To get the full seven, you add a second X300 kit.

And, yes, each user can do multi-media and run their own sets of software applications in their own space on the virtual desktop.

Sony has officially announced VoIP (voice over IP) for the Sony PlayStation Portable. Unfortunately owners of the original Sony PSP “1001″ model like myself are excluded, as this will only work with the new updated Slim PSP model. Somehow visions come to mind of holding the 6.7 inch by 2.8 inch PSP awkwardly to your ear, like the first generation Nokia nGage. Of course VoIP will most likely require a headset with a microphone.

Although the updated Slim (aka Slim and Lite) PSP has several enhancements which improve the gaming experience it is not a “must have” upgrade.

The Sony PSP is already a multifunction device, with the ability to play videos and music as well as browse the internet. It is rather large to use as an MP3 Player, even though the Memory Stick Pro Duo media is currently available in capacities up to 8GB. I’ve watched a couple of video clips on my PSP, and the screen is excellent. Of course, having the Sony Media Manager to copy the video files in the right format to the right directory on the Memory stick (with the right filename) helps. Mostly though, I play games on it. Slow load times aside, this is where the PSP excels - and I’ve played with a number of different handheld gaming consoles, each with its own unique qualities.

Wireless-N or 802.11n is the wireless technology for 2008 and beyond. This new wireless standard surpasses 802.11g. It is the next generation IEEE standard for wireless LANs.

Great, so do you need it? You may if your home or business has wireless “dead zones”, as 802.11n has a greater range than the previous 802.11g, up to twice the range (although some router manufacturers are no longer making these claims), and with better coverage and resistance to interference. Wireless-N routers feature a smart-antenna technology called MIMO, which stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output. It allows wireless devices to more efficiently transmit data in indoor environments.

MIMO has been around for a while on Wireless-G Plus Routers, which are also known as Pre-N Routers. This confusing terminology was caused by vendors implementing their own proprietary implementations of the MIMO technology before 802.11n draft specification was approved. So while a Pre-N or Wireless-G Plus Router would be faster than a Wireless-G router, it may not be compatible with future Wireless-N devices. This is something to be aware of, as a Pre-N router may be cheaper that a Wireless-N router, but could result in problems later on as more 802.11n devices become available.

That of course brings me to the downside – cost – generally 802.11n routers cost twice as much as 802.11g routers. However, if you are replacing wireless router, or putting in a new one, and your wireless clients are support 802.11g, then a 802.11n router makes sense.