November 2006 Archives

Yesterday in this blog, I wrote about the differences and similarities between established wireless standard Bluetooth and new-kid-on-the-block Wibree. Talk about good timing—guess what landed in my mailbox today? A report from ABI Research regarding the future of, you guessed it, Wibree.

Specifically, ABI is predicting that the market for Wibree products could be worth $513 million by 2011—if certain things happen.

ABI lists several key “ifs” that are required for Wibree to grow as predicted. There include:

• Nokia forces Wibree into handsets at the earliest opportunity

• Sillicon vendors bring dual-mode ICs to market at prices close to those of Bluetooth ICs today

• Ratio of dual-mode to standalone devices grows rapidly after market seeding

• Bluetooth SIG adopts the Wibree standard

• Widespread adoption of Wibree by handset vendors

In the report, ABI analyst Stuart Carlaw says: “While some industry observers are skeptical about the prospects for Wibree, we believe it is a unique technology that can leverage the very positive market position of Bluetooth in segments such as medical and sports equipment, where the total available market is extremely large and still relatively untouched.”

But, Carlaw cautioned, if Bluetooth SIG thumbs its nose at Wibree, and if handset vendors pass on adopting the new technology, the Wibree market in 2011 will be worth almost nothing.

"These two factors go hand in hand to some degree, and positive noises emanating from both the Bluetooth SIG and Wibree communities provide support for a favorable market forecast,” Carlaw said.

The main advantage of Wibree seems to be its low power consumption. It seems to me that, given this fact, if bandwidth capabilities of the technologies are boosted to the levels of Bluetooth today, the new kid soon will become king.

What do you think?

A reader of this blog recently e-mailed me to ask what I know about the differences between Bluetooth and Wibree. I had to admit to myself that I really didn’t understand the differences and similarities much better than my reader. So I set out to educate myself.

First stop was Wikipedia, where I uncovered the follow definitions for the two technologies.

Wibree – “a digital radio technology (intended to become an open radio standard) designed for ultra low power consumption (button cell battery) within a short range (10 meters / 30 feet) based around low-cost transceiver microchips in each device.”

Bluetooth – “an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs). Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras and video game consoles via a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency.”

Wikipedia further explained that WiBree, which operates in the 2.4 GHz band, is designed to complement Bluetooth (although in some circles the two are slated as competitors). WiBree, it should be noted, is new—completion of the specification is expected sometime next year.

Yes, I did mention that WiBree is new, didn’t I? The technology was unveiled in early October by Nokia; that company’s Research Center developed Wibree “as an open industry initiative extending local connectivity to small devices.”

Nokia focused much of its roll-out marketing of Wibree on the new technology’s low power consumption (up to ten times more efficient than Bluetooth), and said Wibree complements other forms of connectivity, such as Bluetooth.

“Wibree is the first open technology offering connectivity between mobile devices or Personal Computers, and small, button cell battery power devices such as watches, wireless keyboards, toys and sports sensors,” Nokia said in an Oct. 3 press release.

So Wibree isn’t a Bluetooth competitor then? I admit that, like MobileTech blogger John Shepler, I was at first suspicious that Wibree is “an example of a big manufacturer looking to establish a proprietary standard so they can hog the market for lower power wireless devices.”

In a recent post, though, Shepler points out that despite Wibree being spearheaded by Nokia, the new standard really is an open project designed to create low-power PANs or Personal Area Networks.

While Bluetooth 2.0, with its 15-30 foot range and up to 3 Mbps bandwidth, fills the niche of most PAN applications nicely, Shepler says that Wibree has a place, too.

“Nokia believes the low power consumption will enable applications that use the small button type batteries to gain wireless access,” Shepler writes. “Perhaps this will also include in-the-ear headsets much like the invisible hearing aids. Who knows, maybe a combination hearing aid / wireless headset will be a hit with the legions of rock music deafened baby boomers now addicted to their cell phones.”

Now that’s a scary thought.

So, we’ve established that Wibree is designed to interoperate with Bluebooth, and that its low power consumption enable it to be useful in very small devices like watches. Wibree may be new, but the kid has potential to knock Bluetooth off its throne.

That may not happen right away (especially since commercial roll-out won’t happen until second quarter of 2006), but my guess is that if Wibree is everything people are saying, the new kid on the block will one day be in charge, especially if its bandwidth capabilities for Wibree are boosted.

Some key manufacturers see the potential in Wibree, too. A quick stop to Nokia’s Wibree pages reveals that the technology already is licensed by Broadcom, CSR, Epson and Nordic Semiconductor. Meanwhile, Suunto and Taiyo Yuden are contributing expertise to development of the standard.

What do you think—is Wibree better than Bluetooth? If they’re competitive, which will win?

So much news has been generated lately about WiFi that sometimes it seems as if the world has forgotten that technology’s younger, more powerful sibling, WiMAX.

But, market research firm In-Stat hasn’t forgotten. In a recent report, the firm predicted some significant growth in worldwide subscribers to WiMAX-based broadband.

In-Stat said it expects 2006 to yield 222,000 WiMAX subscribers, and that number should grow to 19.7 million by the end of 2010. The firm noted that most WiMAX subscribers today are in the Asia/Pacific region.

I find it interesting that, even looking ahead to 2010, WiMAX subscribers are measured in the millions rather than the billions. The technology does need to overcome some notable challenges before it becomes more widely adopted.

“The biggest challenge still comes from competing technologies and services,” In-Stat analyst Daryl Schoolar said in the report. “WiMAX will have difficulty competing in areas that already have established broadband services.”

I have read that one of the most promising markets for WiMAX is rural areas, and in the report Schooler conveys that idea.

“Much of WiMAX's early success will come from under-developed regions of the globe,” he says.

When it does get deployed, it appears likely providers other than those specializing in 3G will be the ones to jump in and get their feet wet. In-Stat predicts that, with the exception of Sprint, most 3G carriers won’t be deploying WiMAX anytime soon.

What do you think lies ahead for WiMAX in the future? Watch this space for more discussion of the topic soon.

So much news has been generated lately about WiFi that sometimes it seems as if the world has forgotten that technology’s younger, more powerful sibling, WiMAX.

But, market research firm In-Stat hasn’t forgotten. In a recent report, the firm predicted some significant growth in worldwide subscribers to WiMAX-based broadband.

In-Stat said it expects 2006 to yield 222,000 WiMAX subscribers, and that number should grow to 19.7 million by the end of 2010. The firm noted that most WiMAX subscribers today are in the Asia/Pacific region.

I find it interesting that, even looking ahead to 2010, WiMAX subscribers are measured in the millions rather than the billions. The technology does need to overcome some notable challenges before it becomes more widely adopted.

“The biggest challenge still comes from competing technologies and services,” In-Stat analyst Daryl Schoolar said in the report. “WiMAX will have difficulty competing in areas that already have established broadband services.”

I have read that one of the most promising markets for WiMAX is rural areas, and in the report Schooler conveys that idea.

“Much of WiMAX's early success will come from under-developed regions of the globe,” he says.

When it does get deployed, it appears likely providers other than those specializing in 3G will be the ones to jump in and get their feet wet. In-Stat predicts that, with the exception of Sprint, most 3G carriers won’t be deploying WiMAX anytime soon.

What do you think lies ahead for WiMAX in the future? Watch this space for more discussion of the topic soon.

Well, Thanksgiving is over. You know what that means. If you’re someone who celebrates Christmas, it’s time to get started on your holiday shopping in earnest. And, if you’re a tech geek like me, you probably have at least a few gadgets on your list—to buy for friends and family, or that you are hoping they’ll buy for you.

If you are also somewhat of a butterfingers, or the person you’re buying for is, you may be worrying that the new toy you get won’t last very long before it breaks.

Well, at least if you’re talking about smartphones and PDAs, there is a company out there with an alternate solution to waiting several weeks for the manufacturer of a Treo, for example, to replace a broken screen.

A rep from the company, PDAParts.com, recently got in touch to tell me about their solution: replacement parts for some of the most popular Pads, and instructions for how to fix the device yourself.

Before we go any further, it should be noted that attempting self-repair of a PDA will void your warranty, so you’d need to be fairly confident that you can successfully complete the task before starting.

PDAParts.com offers replacement screens, motherboards, keyboards and other parts for a pretty broad range of PDAs, including Palm Treo, Visor, and Clie. They also offers parts and repair instructions for iPods.

Seems like an interesting idea, although I’m not so sure whether voiding your warrantee is a good thing. If you’re really impatient, or the warrantee on your PDA already has run out, this could be an option.

Now, here’s hoping you never will need the services of PDAParts.com!

If you’re a person who recalls not-so-fondly the days of dial-up Internet connections—when you’d start a download or begin checking your mail and then go off to do something else while the process took place—count yourself lucky.

It turns out that as few as 28 percent of American households today have access to broadband Internet. That’s according to reporter Richard Hoffman in a Nov. 20, 2006 Information Week article, citing data from Government Accountability Office.

Hoffman notes that The Pew Internet & American Life Project puts the number of American adults using broadband at 42 percent. Still, that means more than half of our fellow country-people are using dial-up connections, or maybe no connection at all.

What a terrifying thought.

Among those who still don’t have access to broadband are my parents, who live in northern Vermont. While they’re not heavy Internet users, the slow speeds are frustrating to me because I can’t send them more than a few down-sampled photos at a time, and certainly not large files like PDFs.

Technologies aimed at closing the gap between broadband haves and have-nots include satellite, cellular, and WiMAX. None of them, though, are anywhere near ready for large-scale deployment.

The biggest problem, as I see it, is that service providers simply have no reason to stretch their broadband offers into rural areas if the cost of infrastructure needed to do so is higher than the profits those companies could make from subscription fees.

That means, I guess, that bringing broadband to the sticks, as Hoffman puts it, probably will require government subsidization. Which raises the question: is broadband important enough to spend taxpayer dollars bringing it to rural areas?

I’m not sure I know the answer to that, but I will say this: it sure would be nice if I could send more photos to my folks.

What do you think the solution is?

If you’re planning to fly to Dubai next year on an Emirates Airline flight, keep your eyes and ears peeled for details about a new on-flight mobile phone service offered by AeroMobile (a joint venture between communications vendor Arinc and Norway-based telecom service providers Telenor).

A ComputerWorld.com report (http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1267221105;fp;4194304;fpid;1)earlier this month noted an announcement from Emirates Airline regarding plans to deploy the mobile phone service on one of its Boeing 777 planes early in 2007, assuming it can get necessary approval.

On-board phone service hasn’t been that successful to date. Boeing previously tried to get  an Internet access service called Connexion off the ground, but phased it out in August after failing to find a buyer.

Connexion did make it onto some European and Asian flights, but no major carrier jumped on board.

Unlike Connexion, which used a combination of satellite transmission and WiFi, the AeroMobile service will beam signal to the ground using satellite systems from Inmarast, which are already installed on all Emirates planes, ComputerWorld.com reports.

A similar service, OnAir, is being developed by European airplane manufacturer Airbus SAS, and air transport IT services provider SITA. According to ComputerWorld.com, last year the British carrier BMI and TAP-Air signed on to offer OnAir’s voice and text messaging services for European flights—again, pending approval.

Apparently, European officials are interested in allowing the on-board mobile phone services. officials, meanwhile, are still reviewing safety concerns about the technology.

Specifically, ComputerWorld.com notes, “Numerous experts are concerned about the possible risk of wireless devices interfering with cockpit and ground-based communication systems.”

Whether or not the technology poses a true security threat, perhaps a bigger concern is whether passengers will actually use it enough to make the service viable. If the ubiquity of cell phone use in our culture nowadays is any indication, I would bet that answer is a resounding “yes.”

That’s especially true since ComputerWorld.com reports the services discussed here would bill usage for calls and text message to users’ regular phone bills, and rates would be comparable to international roaming rates—not cheap, but likely still attractive to passengers who already shell out extra bucks to stay in touch while traveling abroad.

Of course, using cell phones on a plane does pose a potential etiquette problem: in such a small space, would everyone chatting away drive passengers batty? I guess that would depend on how many people use the service, and how loud they talk. We’re already used to overhearing all types of conversations just about anywhere we go, so maybe it wouldn’t be that much of an adjustment.

What do you think—is in-flight Internet and phone service a good thing? A terrible idea?

Apple’s line of iPod MP3 players have dominated the market for a while now. But a preliminary study Nielson Media Research may indicate that by turning its device into a media player (iPod Video) for TV and movies as well as music, Apple may have overextended its reach.

A Reuters report I came across this morning said that data Nielsen has gathered so far show that “despite iPod's upgrade to video capabilities in October 2005, the device is still

Well, the Apple iPhone rumors are back. This time, word has it that Taiwan-based manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry (also known as Foxconn Electronics) received an order from Apple for 12 million iPhones. That’s the same company, InfoWorld says, that builds Apple’s iPod.

According to AppleInsider, the new iPhone rumors started with a report published Thursday in China Times. So far I haven’t been able to locate an English version of the report to verify. (It should be noted that InfoWorld claims the news was broken by a publication called Commercial Times; all I can conclude is that the news came out of Asia.)

AppleInsider also claims the iPhone, which allegedly will include an MP3 player and a 2.0-megapixel camera (with components and assembly from Largen, Micron and Foxconn subsidiary AlusTech), will start shipping in February, 2007.

“Intel, Sharp, Tripod Technology, Broadcom and Sunrex are also said to be part of the mix, supplying the memory, LCM display, circuit board, baseband chip and keypad, respectively,” AppleInsider said.

Also according to AppleInsider, “Apple will reportedly tap long-time iPod casing manufacturer Catcher Technology to mold and manufacturer the phone's exterior housing.”

Of course, so far none of the manufacturers cited will confirm that they’re involved. And Apple, as usual, is presenting a perfect poker face. So we’ll just have to wait till February to find out if the rumors are correct.

But, while we’re waiting, there are other aspects of the alleged upcoming iPhone launch to consider. Take distribution and profits, for example. InfoWorld in a report today quotes Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff as saying that he figures Apple will ship 29 million iPhones next year, and that the new device could reduce sales of iPods somewhat.

Neff estimates that iPhone sales could reach $6 billion during 2007. Obviously, this is just an estimate since we don’t know yet how much the supposed iPhones will sell for, nor how many units Apple will make and ship next year (if any).

Another thing to consider is how popular and iPhone will be, when it is launched (I won’t say “if,” because I think it’s a sure thing at some point in the future). At first glance, I would hazard a guess that many, many people will snap up iPhones as soon as they arrive.

But at least one person is less than enthusiastic. ZDNet blogger Jason O’Grady predicts that the iPhone will incorporate “a candy bar or slider form factor,” rather than arrive in smartphone format—and that poses a dilemma.

“My problem is that I don't really want an iPod/phone hybrid - I'm more of a smartphone guy,” O’Grady writes. “Readers of this blog know that I'm a huge fan of the Treo (I live on the thing) and can't really see myself giving it up any time soon.”

O’Grady acknowledges, though, that plane and train commuters, as well as students, probably will “freak out” about iPhone. He even admits that he probably will buy one, but not to use as his primary phone.

If you’re just dying to let the world know if you will buy an iPhone, cast your vote using O’Grady’s poll.

Okay, that’s it for now from the rumor mill. Do let me know if you happen across any related, semi-likely info, okay?

I thought this was kind of interesting when I saw it: WiMAX day reports that the subway operating company in Seoul, South Korea—Seoul Metro—is planning to begin installation of wireless Internet access in its underground trains next year.

The service will be provided by KT, using WiBro technology. Access will be available in some trains and stations this coming January, with coverage of the entire system by end of 2007.

The English version of chosun.com notes that the WiBro installation is a sidebar to Seoul Metro’s $439 million project replacing hundreds of aging subway trains, slated to be complete by 2009.

Wireless Internet access for subway riders seems like a pretty cool idea. I’d even bet a lot of people would be willing to pay for the service. And, apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so. A recent report in The L Magazine says that New York City officials are looking into the possibility of creating universal WiFi access for everyone in the greater metro area—including subway riders.

The plan would be to create a WiFi network, and then charge roughly $20 per month for access. Since so many other U.S. cities are installing WiFi networks, it seems to be it’s just a matter of time before the Big Apple jumps on board, too.

What do you think—would you pay for to use underground WiFi?

Yesterday, a spokesperson from wireless mesh technology manufacturer Firetide called to let me know that the company has been selected to build part of Singapore’s nationwide WiFi network.

I thought the story was rather interesting, since most WiFi projects involve a particular city, not an entire country. (Granted, it’s not a very big country; CIA World Factbook describes the island nation as being “slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC.”) Here are the details.

In partnership with iCell Network, Firetide will be building the eastern portion of Singapore’s WiFi network. The project is being overseen by Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore, which has dubbed the project Wireless@SG.

Once complete, the network will provide free WiFi access to all Singaporians. IDA plans to complete the project by year’s end.

“Although the initial goal is to provide basic free Wi-Fi Internet access, we are actually building a high-capacity wireless network that will be delivering even more services and applications in the future,” iCell’s CEO, Ken Chua, said in a statement.

Chua explained further that “ “The Firetide mesh network and access points provide the convenience and flexibility of wireless with plenty of performance for more demanding applications such as high speed broadband access, voice over IP and voice over Wi-Fi, and live video surveillance.”

The build-out will include Firetide’s new HotView Controller software, which makes it possible to provide high-speed mobility services on the network.

“The scope of the project in Singapore is huge and is, for example, much larger than the networks we are seeing being deployed in the United States,” said IDC research manager Godfrey Chua, in a statement.

He added that the government’s backing of the project is crucial to its success. The entire project is estimated to cost $100 million, and of that the government is contributing $30 million.

It should be noted that the Singapore WiFi project is something of a trial for the three wireless operators (iCELL Network Pte Ltd, QMAX Communications, and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd) who so far have signed on to offer service for two years.

On its Web site, IDA notes that, starting in 2007, Sinaporeans “will be ushering the new year with at least 24 months, or two years, of free (basic tier) wireless connectivity.” It’s unclear what might happen after those two years. If I had to guess, I’d say that the free ride will only take users so far—at some point, surely, they’ll have to start paying.

Regardless, do a me a favor the next time you’re in Singapore: drop a note to let me know how the WiFi coverage is. Okay?

Last week I wrote an article about a new location-based service from Helio that lets friends find out the location of their nearby friends using a mobile phone.

Apparently, this type of service is becoming more popular, especially for younger mobile phone users; today an announcement landed on my desk about a similar service being launched by Boost Mobile (a Sprint Nextel brand) and loopt (a social mapping service startup in Palo Alto, CA).

The service, Boost loopt (try saying that ten times fast), “leverages the only 100 percent GPS-enabled wireless network to automatically update the location of everyone in a private network of Boost customers and displays that information directly on a map on the phone,” the companies said in a press release.

In a statement, Boost Mobile’s Director of Value Added Services, said: “Fourteen to 25-year-olds are committed to their social circles and constantly want to know where their friends ‘are at.’ They also comprise the majority of Boost Mobile’s customer base.  Could there be a more perfect marriage?”

Boost loopt will be available free through the end of 2006 to Boost customers with Java-enabled phones. (Application will be available to download starting November 20.) After that, the service will be offered on a pay-as-you-go basis for $2.99 per month for the first 30 days.

Perhaps what’s most interesting about this is that Boost loopt, like Helio’s Buddy Beacon, is that it uses GPS technology to determine locations of users.

In the article I wrote last week, I cited an AP report that said a similar type of service once was available from AT&T (discontinued after the acquisition by Cingular), which located users by measuring the distance a signal traveled between a phone and the nearest antenna—true triangulation, you could say.

GPS has now become so ubiquitous—and I would guess more accurate (but correct me if I’m wrong)—that it makes sense service providers would choose to use it for location-based applications.

If Boost loopt sounds intriguing to you, the service is being launched in conjunction, starting November 20, with a six-week-long campaign during which local subscribers will “encounter approximately 130 random event invitations listing the times and locations of where the Boost loopt Market Manager will appear.”

Using the service, subscribers can then zero in on the Market Manager, and use that info to claim a daily prize.

“Winners will be selected based on their ability to get to the event invite location first with a friend and demonstrate that they have Boost loopt service on their phone,” Boost said in its announcement. (More info about the contest at www.boostmobile.com).

One final note: if you participate in the Boost contest, let me know how it goes. It sounds like an interesting time.

A couple of items caught my eye this morning, both of which relate to the ways in which mobile technology is changing the way we live, work, and play. One is a study commissioned by Nokia, the other is a news story citing Samsung’s predictions about the future of mobile phones.

I take these news items, by the way, with a grain of salt, since in both cases the info is being provided by companies that make the technology in question—and thus have an obvious stake in the matter.

First up is a study Nokia commissioned from London School of Economics, about the impact of mobile television, specifically on the broadcasting and advertising industries.

The report predicts that, unlike broadcast TV, mobile TV will be characterized by a more personalized experience for each user.

“Users will be able to receive content anytime, anywhere, choose what is most relevant to them, and even create and upload their own television content, while content providers and advertisers will be able to tailor their offerings more specifically to the user,” Nokia said in a press release about the report.

User-generated content—like that found on YouTube—also will be a key trend in the mobile TV market, Nokia said.

Successful advertisers, the report said, will adapt to this new paradigm both with better-targeted ads, and by catering to the short attention span of viewers by displaying 5-7 second ads.

When it comes to what genres of programming will be most popular among mobile TV users, the Nokia-commissioned report puts news, entertainment, sports, music, and children’s shows on the list.

Hmm… doesn’t that kind of sound a lot like current TV offerings, but just available on the-the-go?

I think the format of the programming, as predicted by Nokia, is more interesting; the study says that mobile TV programs will be both shorter and more interactive than current offerings.

The shorter part makes sense to me—if a person is watching a show on an iPod while waiting in doctor’s office, riding the train, or even (heaven forbid) killing time while sitting in traffic, it needs to be a quick program or the user’s attention probably will wander.

I’m not so sure about interactivity—unless we’re talking about gaming rather than TV viewing. For me, at least, watching TV has always been a passive activity, a way to escape (and maybe learn something) without having to expend much (if any) mental effort. Why should that change if I am carrying a show around on a portable player?

Okay, moving along to Samsung’s mobile phone predictions...

In a Channel NewsAsia article today, reporter Johnson Choo quotes Samsung as saying that it predicts mobile phones will soon outperform computers.

The company says that manufacturing handsets incorporating many features—such as cameras, music players, and mobile TV players—will help make mobile phones even more useful, and even more successful in terms of sales.

Samsung added that its brand of wireless broadband, WiBro, is a key feature of tomorrow’s mobile phones. Future phones also will includes features like 1 GHz processors, 10 megapixel cameras, as much as 20GB of storage, digital TV receivers, and GPS navigation.

The result, Samsung says, will be a “true all-in-one handset.”

The timing of this article is interesting, as my husband I just last night were talking about ways to get away from our computers more—and one concept we came up with was to adopt more single-function devices, like iPods, that do one thing well and don’t present the temptation to get involved in other projects.

While I can see the allure of a cool handheld that does it all, I have to wonder why if most consumers really are interested in performing true computing functions on a device that so small they can only type with their thumbs, and with a screen so small they have do a lot of squinting and scrolling to see everything.

Why not just carry around a small, light laptop instead, and grab an iPod when you want to listen to music, or your mobile phone when you want to make a call?

What do you think? Are mobile phones destined to become miniature computers? And will mobile TV be interactive?

Turns out that PDAs can be hazardous to your health. Who knew?

USA Today reporter Stephanie Armour wrote in an article today that, increasingly, companies are facing workers’ compensation claims from employees claiming they were injured by PDAs.

Okay, it’s true that PDAs don’t literally bite the hand that feeds them, but excessive use of such a device can lead to hand injuries—much as the repetitive stress associated with use of keyboards and mice can lead to carpel tunnel syndrome.

There’s even a name for PDA-related hand injuries: BlackBerry Thumb.

The USA Today report cites the American Physical Therapy Association as saying that BlackBerry Thumb is characterized by “hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling.”

Armour quotes Cornell University ergonomics professor Alan Hedge saying, “If you develop full-blown symptoms, it’s pretty severe. Employers can train people how to correctly hold and use the handheld device and encourage employees to write brief e-mails.”

I’m skeptical about the idea that people might cut down on their PDA usage, but maybe it is possible to hold the devices in ways that aren’t quite so damaging. (Just as an ergonomic keyboard is better than a regular one.)

Washington, D.C.-based lawyer Frank Morris is quoted in the USA Today article as saying that, to protect themselves, employers should develop policies for PDA policies.

Part of the problem is that employees are simply using PDAs too much, the article quoted Stacey Devon, president-elect of American Society of Hand Therapists, as saying.

“In the workplace, you should dock them into a regular-size keyboard and monitor,” Devon says in the report.

So what should we learn from all this, beyond the fact that excessive use of any device can be dangerous? Well, I for one feel a lot more enlightened to know that a) it is possible to be a professor of ergonomics and b) there is an organization called American Society of Hand Therapists.

Here’s my question to you: do you use a PDA? And, have you suffered hand injuries from using it? I’m curious how widespread this problem is.

In a recent blog entry, I wrote about T-Mobile’s dual-mode (WiFi/Cellular) service being rolled out in Seattle. In the entry, I posed the question: “are consumers actually interested in dual-mode services?”

A definite “yes” answer came from a reader who asked to be identified as Levi from Nairobi, Kenya, who is attending graduate school in the U.S. and wants a cheaper way to communicate with friends and family back home.

“My interest is to have, create, start, or whatever it would take, an easier wireless/wi-fi communication from USA to Africa and vice-versa,” Levi wrote.

Levi said that, while most African cell phones use SIM cards, they are quite expensive compared to those in the U.S. When he flies back home, his Sprint cell phone doesn’t work. T-Mobile, he noted, does provide a mobile phone that works in Africa—and he is planning to switch to T-Mobile for that reason—but it requires a Kenyan SIM card.

“Calling from Kenya to the USA, you have to go to phone bureau or booth that might not charge a lot due to the exchange rate (US dollar to Kenya Shilling) but sometimes, calls are not clear,” Levi wrote. He noted that he can use phone cards to call Kenya, but it is a hassle having to dial all the extra numbers. Also, while calling card rates may be relatively inexpensive, the minutes do add up if you call abroad often.

Clearly, if a dual-mode service offered cheaper rates, reduced hassle, and better voice quality when calling abroad, via WiFi, Levi is one person who would be interested.

I must admit I haven’t attempted to use a cell phone for international calls; when my husband spent six months in India a couple years ago, we mostly communicated via instant messenger (which was slow because he was on a dial-up connection) or occasionally phone using a calling card. Even with the card, phone calls were expensive enough that we saved them for very high priority communications, and stuck with IM for the day-to-day stuff.

It seems to me that two things are needed: better or different communications infrastructure (in the case of India, broadband—whether cable or wireless—would have been helpful) and appropriate services to go along with it.

That could be a challenge, since in some places even basic electrical and phone services are lacking. But, I have heard that WiFi is pretty cheap to deploy compared to some other ways of delivering broadband (and voice).

What do you think—will we all someday make phone calls using WiFi? Will that make it easier and cheaper to make international calls?