We all remember the AT&T long distance ads on television that
encouraged us to “reach out and touch someone.” Despite
what AT&T might have charged back in the good old days of
the long distance monopoly, we must admit that they had figured
out the most important driver of communication. They
realized that personal communication is largely an emotional
activity, and people will pay to share emotions. Now, we aren’t
saying that communication should make you cry, but communications
can allow the kind of sharing that people will value. 221
IT Certification CCIE,CCNP,CCIP,CCNA,CCSP,Cisco Network Optimization and Security Tips
WIRELESS EFFICIENCY
As we mentioned earlier, humans have always sought to communicate
efficiently. Who wants to endlessly repeat something
or have to deal with not being understood? The most successful
persons throughout history have been those who communicated
well on some level. Perhaps it wasn’t through speech—an
engineer might choose a technical drawing to entirely communicate
an idea and avoid talking at all.
efficiently. Who wants to endlessly repeat something
or have to deal with not being understood? The most successful
persons throughout history have been those who communicated
well on some level. Perhaps it wasn’t through speech—an
engineer might choose a technical drawing to entirely communicate
an idea and avoid talking at all.
MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING
One of the Wireless Internet technologies on the near horizon
is Multimedia Messaging (MMS). MMS is an application that
uses a data call to a wireless device that delivers a message
capable of incorporating any of the following in an organized
and choreographed presentation:
• Pictures
• Data
• Text
• Audio
• Video
• Voice
Whereas SMS messaging typically uses a digital control channel,
MMS will be one of the first applications that make use of the
carrier’s higher speed data capabilities available in 2.5 and 3G systems.
MMS will take advantage of combinations of media to allow
users to communicate with more detail, emotion, and efficiency.
It’s important to understand how wireless mobility adds value to
multimedia by allowing the timely exchange of information.
MMS will be used to communicate in ways that even a digital
voice call can’t achieve. Though many of us have tried to
explain the sights and sounds around us while on a simple
voice call we can agree that the effect is poor at best. Just as
SMS will be the first nonvoice communications most of us
encounter, MMS will be one of the first 3G communications
we use in a wireless fashion.
is Multimedia Messaging (MMS). MMS is an application that
uses a data call to a wireless device that delivers a message
capable of incorporating any of the following in an organized
and choreographed presentation:
• Pictures
• Data
• Text
• Audio
• Video
• Voice
Whereas SMS messaging typically uses a digital control channel,
MMS will be one of the first applications that make use of the
carrier’s higher speed data capabilities available in 2.5 and 3G systems.
MMS will take advantage of combinations of media to allow
users to communicate with more detail, emotion, and efficiency.
It’s important to understand how wireless mobility adds value to
multimedia by allowing the timely exchange of information.
MMS will be used to communicate in ways that even a digital
voice call can’t achieve. Though many of us have tried to
explain the sights and sounds around us while on a simple
voice call we can agree that the effect is poor at best. Just as
SMS will be the first nonvoice communications most of us
encounter, MMS will be one of the first 3G communications
we use in a wireless fashion.
MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING
One of the Wireless Internet technologies on the near horizon
is Multimedia Messaging (MMS). MMS is an application that
uses a data call to a wireless device that delivers a message
capable of incorporating any of the following in an organized
and choreographed presentation:
• Pictures
• Data
• Text
• Audio
• Video
• Voice
Whereas SMS messaging typically uses a digital control channel,
MMS will be one of the first applications that make use of the
carrier’s higher speed data capabilities available in 2.5 and 3G systems.
MMS will take advantage of combinations of media to allow
users to communicate with more detail, emotion, and efficiency.
It’s important to understand how wireless mobility adds value to
multimedia by allowing the timely exchange of information.
MMS will be used to communicate in ways that even a digital
voice call can’t achieve. Though many of us have tried to
explain the sights and sounds around us while on a simple
voice call we can agree that the effect is poor at best. Just as
SMS will be the first nonvoice communications most of us
encounter, MMS will be one of the first 3G communications
we use in a wireless fashion.
is Multimedia Messaging (MMS). MMS is an application that
uses a data call to a wireless device that delivers a message
capable of incorporating any of the following in an organized
and choreographed presentation:
• Pictures
• Data
• Text
• Audio
• Video
• Voice
Whereas SMS messaging typically uses a digital control channel,
MMS will be one of the first applications that make use of the
carrier’s higher speed data capabilities available in 2.5 and 3G systems.
MMS will take advantage of combinations of media to allow
users to communicate with more detail, emotion, and efficiency.
It’s important to understand how wireless mobility adds value to
multimedia by allowing the timely exchange of information.
MMS will be used to communicate in ways that even a digital
voice call can’t achieve. Though many of us have tried to
explain the sights and sounds around us while on a simple
voice call we can agree that the effect is poor at best. Just as
SMS will be the first nonvoice communications most of us
encounter, MMS will be one of the first 3G communications
we use in a wireless fashion.
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES SOCIAL INTERACTION
It is easy to think that all this new technology will dehumanize
us all and shift the emphasis from communicating with people
to interacting with technology. But the reality is just the opposite,
because innovations such as the Wireless Internet allow
for more frequent and detailed social contacts.
The Wireless Internet will be used more as a social medium,
making complex interactions less dependent on face-toface
encounters. Technologies such as wireless email and
messaging help maintain contact while away from friends and
family and are very useful for arranging impromptu face-toface
interactions. There will be an evolution from using a
voice-only phone to using a 2.5G or 3G computing or handheld
device to send pictures, coordinate diaries, organize social
events, and play games.
People will also benefit from the multimedia presentation
of information. The inclusion of graphics, sound, and animation
as part of the information that users consume conveys
much more than text. In an age of macromedia Flash and MTV
today’s users may reject information that is not presented in an
interesting way.
us all and shift the emphasis from communicating with people
to interacting with technology. But the reality is just the opposite,
because innovations such as the Wireless Internet allow
for more frequent and detailed social contacts.
The Wireless Internet will be used more as a social medium,
making complex interactions less dependent on face-toface
encounters. Technologies such as wireless email and
messaging help maintain contact while away from friends and
family and are very useful for arranging impromptu face-toface
interactions. There will be an evolution from using a
voice-only phone to using a 2.5G or 3G computing or handheld
device to send pictures, coordinate diaries, organize social
events, and play games.
People will also benefit from the multimedia presentation
of information. The inclusion of graphics, sound, and animation
as part of the information that users consume conveys
much more than text. In an age of macromedia Flash and MTV
today’s users may reject information that is not presented in an
interesting way.
LIFE TURNS DIGITAL
We possess increasingly more personal digital content—digital
photos and video clips, digital music clips, and even cherished
emails. (Admit it—you’ve saved more than one personal email
for no other reason that to read it over and over, you softie!)
The Wireless Internet will encourage the collection of a growing
amount of personal digital content. Some of the newer
wireless devices have already announced plans for MP3 players,
audio-recording capabilities, and built-in digital cameras.
We will soon have the tools to digitally capture and share
like never before. Just as the world was forever changed with
the adoption of the personal video camcorder. (As chronicled
by shows like America’s Funniest Home Videos—just imagine
what the future will bring. Anyone care to tune into America’s
Funniest PDA Audio Captures? Just think: You could actually
win a prize for recording those Dilbertesque comments your
boss makes in the weekly staff meetings.) 219
photos and video clips, digital music clips, and even cherished
emails. (Admit it—you’ve saved more than one personal email
for no other reason that to read it over and over, you softie!)
The Wireless Internet will encourage the collection of a growing
amount of personal digital content. Some of the newer
wireless devices have already announced plans for MP3 players,
audio-recording capabilities, and built-in digital cameras.
We will soon have the tools to digitally capture and share
like never before. Just as the world was forever changed with
the adoption of the personal video camcorder. (As chronicled
by shows like America’s Funniest Home Videos—just imagine
what the future will bring. Anyone care to tune into America’s
Funniest PDA Audio Captures? Just think: You could actually
win a prize for recording those Dilbertesque comments your
boss makes in the weekly staff meetings.) 219
WIRELESS INTERNET— THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL!
Our personal information is increasingly found in digital format—
pictures, letters, bills, receipts, videos—digital means it’s
easier to share not only content but the impact of content,
whether the content is informational, educational, entertaining,
or emotional.
Internet users today can create messages that incorporate
many media types: emails can include attachments of sound,
picture, audio, and pure data files. But let’s think about what
we would send and when we send it once we have the ability to
compose and send while mobile. In short, real-time distribution
will result in an increase in the quality and frequency of
communication.
pictures, letters, bills, receipts, videos—digital means it’s
easier to share not only content but the impact of content,
whether the content is informational, educational, entertaining,
or emotional.
Internet users today can create messages that incorporate
many media types: emails can include attachments of sound,
picture, audio, and pure data files. But let’s think about what
we would send and when we send it once we have the ability to
compose and send while mobile. In short, real-time distribution
will result in an increase in the quality and frequency of
communication.
WIRELESS BRIDGES THE DIVIDE
A Wireless Internet can play an important role in transforming
the digital divide into the digital dividend. The flexibility of
wireless infrastructure allows carriers to provide coverage in
difficult terrain as well as access in established buildings with
minimal labor and installation time. Equipment costs are
much less than for the PCs typically used to access the fixed
Internet; therefore the Wireless Internet is more accessible for
those who wish to own the access equipment for personal use
as well as for pay-per-use businesses. Remote users in developing
countries will benefit from the mobility and freedom of
smaller more portable devices that can be easily transported
from village to village. Although Wireless Internet access is
more limited than fixed, PC-based access, many countries will
benefit from the use of wireless access services as an important
part of the digital dividend solution. 218
the digital divide into the digital dividend. The flexibility of
wireless infrastructure allows carriers to provide coverage in
difficult terrain as well as access in established buildings with
minimal labor and installation time. Equipment costs are
much less than for the PCs typically used to access the fixed
Internet; therefore the Wireless Internet is more accessible for
those who wish to own the access equipment for personal use
as well as for pay-per-use businesses. Remote users in developing
countries will benefit from the mobility and freedom of
smaller more portable devices that can be easily transported
from village to village. Although Wireless Internet access is
more limited than fixed, PC-based access, many countries will
benefit from the use of wireless access services as an important
part of the digital dividend solution. 218
DIGITAL DIVIDE—HOW WIRELESS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
The growing consensus is that in the New Economy access to
knowledge is critical for economic success. Unfortunately the
economic power of the Internet is not equally distributed.
Recent Internet usage statistics show that there are currently
429 million Internet users worldwide. This number is
actually small when considered in context. Of that 429 million,
41 percent are in North America; in fact, the United States has
more computers than the rest of the world combined!
These 429 million users actually represent only 6 percent of
the world’s entire population. The following breakdown shows
just how uneven Internet usage is across the world’s regions.
Of the online population:*
• 41 percent are in the United States and Canada
• 27 percent live in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
• 20 percent are located in Asia
• Only 4 percent are located in South America
The importance of Internet access will further divide the
world’s population into two main groups—those having access
and those who do not.
The poorest members of society suffer based on three primary
assumptions:
• The poor cannot afford to buy the necessary equipment needed
to be connected to the Internet.
• The infrastructure of developing countries may be so poor
that a significant portion of the population is not able to connect
even if equipment is available.
• The poor may not be literate enough to make use of equipment
and connectivity even when available.
The issue of the digital divide is beginning to evolve into a
drive towards realizing the digital dividend. The digital dividend
focuses on how to use technology to improve the economic
possibilities of global society.
Some of the key principles that will enable a digital dividend
include:
• Access vs. ownership. The assumption that users must purchase
equipment to have access to the Internet must be challenged.
In the New Economy the true economic benefit
comes from access to sources of knowledge and competence,
not from ownership of the access device.
A phenomenon is developing in several developing countries
where the trend is for individuals with equipment and
access to create a business around providing access. Local
entrepreneurs in India (mostly women) are operating payper-
use telephone services that provide traveling access to
remote and other underserved areas. With little more than a
mobile phone, these entrepreneurs have made access to the
telephone possible for a large number of urban poor and people
in remote villages. Many are now adding fax and PC services
to their portfolio of services.
• Rational trade offs. While many of us would opt for direct ownership
of a PC or cellular phone, trading currency for convenience,
the poor make an equally logical trade-off by exchanging
personal convenience for low-cost, no-investment access.
This approach may also make sense for those who are able
to purchase, because technology seems to advance at a rate
that quickly makes equipment obsolete!
In an age of ever-changing PC features, individual ownership
may not be the best choice after all.
• The connectivity leapfrog. Many developing countries have
never had far-reaching telephony systems due in part to the
cost of infrastructure needed to cover sparse or difficult terrain.
Without a legacy wireline system in place, users are
unable to access even simple communications. With infrastructure
costs less than half that of a wireline system, wireless
is becoming the telephony system of choice for many
regions that lack existing copper connections to homes and
businesses. The Wireless Internet will help overcome connectivity
issues in countries that lack adequate physical
wiring.
• Multimedia literacy. It’s well known that the Internet started
as largely an English-language medium to the exclusion of
many languages, especially those that use a non-Arabic
alphabet. The tide is slowly turning and more Web sites are
publishing content in local languages.
The move towards multimedia will also help alleviate this
issue for those who are not able to read text but can communicate
verbally and visually. Many cultures have unique
dialects that are difficult and costly to translate into text but
that can be published at lower cost in a voice format.
Multimedia will enable communication to take place in ways
that accommodate the needs of the user by integrating text,
audio, and video in ways that the individual user can utilize. 217
knowledge is critical for economic success. Unfortunately the
economic power of the Internet is not equally distributed.
Recent Internet usage statistics show that there are currently
429 million Internet users worldwide. This number is
actually small when considered in context. Of that 429 million,
41 percent are in North America; in fact, the United States has
more computers than the rest of the world combined!
These 429 million users actually represent only 6 percent of
the world’s entire population. The following breakdown shows
just how uneven Internet usage is across the world’s regions.
Of the online population:*
• 41 percent are in the United States and Canada
• 27 percent live in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
• 20 percent are located in Asia
• Only 4 percent are located in South America
The importance of Internet access will further divide the
world’s population into two main groups—those having access
and those who do not.
The poorest members of society suffer based on three primary
assumptions:
• The poor cannot afford to buy the necessary equipment needed
to be connected to the Internet.
• The infrastructure of developing countries may be so poor
that a significant portion of the population is not able to connect
even if equipment is available.
• The poor may not be literate enough to make use of equipment
and connectivity even when available.
The issue of the digital divide is beginning to evolve into a
drive towards realizing the digital dividend. The digital dividend
focuses on how to use technology to improve the economic
possibilities of global society.
Some of the key principles that will enable a digital dividend
include:
• Access vs. ownership. The assumption that users must purchase
equipment to have access to the Internet must be challenged.
In the New Economy the true economic benefit
comes from access to sources of knowledge and competence,
not from ownership of the access device.
A phenomenon is developing in several developing countries
where the trend is for individuals with equipment and
access to create a business around providing access. Local
entrepreneurs in India (mostly women) are operating payper-
use telephone services that provide traveling access to
remote and other underserved areas. With little more than a
mobile phone, these entrepreneurs have made access to the
telephone possible for a large number of urban poor and people
in remote villages. Many are now adding fax and PC services
to their portfolio of services.
• Rational trade offs. While many of us would opt for direct ownership
of a PC or cellular phone, trading currency for convenience,
the poor make an equally logical trade-off by exchanging
personal convenience for low-cost, no-investment access.
This approach may also make sense for those who are able
to purchase, because technology seems to advance at a rate
that quickly makes equipment obsolete!
In an age of ever-changing PC features, individual ownership
may not be the best choice after all.
• The connectivity leapfrog. Many developing countries have
never had far-reaching telephony systems due in part to the
cost of infrastructure needed to cover sparse or difficult terrain.
Without a legacy wireline system in place, users are
unable to access even simple communications. With infrastructure
costs less than half that of a wireline system, wireless
is becoming the telephony system of choice for many
regions that lack existing copper connections to homes and
businesses. The Wireless Internet will help overcome connectivity
issues in countries that lack adequate physical
wiring.
• Multimedia literacy. It’s well known that the Internet started
as largely an English-language medium to the exclusion of
many languages, especially those that use a non-Arabic
alphabet. The tide is slowly turning and more Web sites are
publishing content in local languages.
The move towards multimedia will also help alleviate this
issue for those who are not able to read text but can communicate
verbally and visually. Many cultures have unique
dialects that are difficult and costly to translate into text but
that can be published at lower cost in a voice format.
Multimedia will enable communication to take place in ways
that accommodate the needs of the user by integrating text,
audio, and video in ways that the individual user can utilize. 217
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)