Jef's web files - Networking

Wireless Gets Up Close

Tue, 14 Sep 2004 10:26:49 -0400

When comparing wireless transmission range, longer is almost always better. Yet the developers of a new technology called Near Field Communications, or NFC, boast not about how long a distance it works over, but how short.

With a range of just 10 centimeters, NFC can get by with a very small, low-cost radio transmitter that draws only a pittance of power. Its very feebleness of transmission helps to ensure security. Forget about a hacker snooping on your Wi-Fi session from a laptop outside the building—with NFC, even a colleague sitting next to you at a meeting may be too far away to sniff the signal. Yet if you do want to swap data and move your NFC device next to hers, the connection is immediate. What's more, you can take the same device down the hall and use it to buy a soda from a vending machine. These attributes were enough to convince Nokia, and as of August 30, Samsung, to announce that their next-generation cell phones will come equipped with NFC chips. Nokia's NFC-enabled handsets are promised by the end of the year.

Evolution could speed net downloads

Tue, 06 Jul 2004 15:49:31 -0400

Internet download speeds could be improved dramatically by mimicking Darwin's evolution to "breed" the best networking strategies, say computer scientists.

Transferring popular data across the internet repeatedly can be inefficient and costly, so networking companies have developed ways of temporarily storing, or "caching", data at different locations to reduce costs and increase download speeds.

But figuring out where to store data and for how long is a complex problem. One solution might be to have caches "talk" to each other repeatedly, but this is inefficient as it takes up a lot of bandwidth.

To tackle the challenge, Pablo Funes of US company Icosystem and Jürgen Branke and Frederik Theil of the University of Karlsruhe in Germany used "genetic algorithms", which mimic Darwinian evolution, to develop strategies for internet servers to use when caching data. Using a simulation they were able to improve download speeds over existing caching schemes.

Nokia, Philips and Sony establish the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum

Mon, 05 Apr 2004 11:16:22 -0400

Nokia Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) and Sony Corporation establish the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum to enable the use of touch-based interactions in consumer electronics, mobile devices, PCs, smart objects and for payment purposes. Touch-based interactions will allow users to access content and services in an intuitive way by touching smart objects and connecting devices just by holding them next to each other. The new forum will promote implementation and standardization of NFC technology to ensure interoperability between devices and services.

Bush Calls for Universal Broadband by 2007

Sun, 04 Apr 2004 21:01:59 -0400

President Bush has set a goal of broadband access for all Americans in three years to boost competitiveness with other nations and create new business opportunities at home.

"We ought to have a universal, affordable access for broadband technology by the year 2007, and then we ought to make sure as soon as possible thereafter, consumers have got plenty of choices when it comes to purchasing the broadband carrier," Bush said during a recent campaign swing through the Southwest.

Internet use grows to 69 percent of US adults

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 15:19:35 -0500

More than two-thirds of American adults were users of the Internet in 2003, according to a poll published by market research company Harris Interactive.

The figure of 69 percent of those polled represents around 146 million people.

Internet use among adults is growing constantly, Harris Interactive said, noting that the figure had risen from 67 percent in 2002, 64 percent in 2001, and 56 percent in 1999.

Wearable Wi-Fi

Fri, 16 Jan 2004 13:32:16 -0500

News: Wearable Wi-Fi--the wave of the future?
Companies like Wi-Fi start-up Vocera Communications are focusing on merging telephone networks with Wi-Fi's ability to deliver data over short ranges. On Tuesday, the company said it was teaming with chipmaker Intersil to create a pager system that uses Wi-Fi wireless networking equipment for voice capabilities and 4-inch-long rectangular "badges" worn on someone's clothing.