Wireless devices of the future look the same, but act all new

What will cell phones, PDAs and other wireless devices look like in the future? Judging from comments made at a recent technology conference, they’ll look a lot like the devices on the market now – unless you take the backs off. Wireless industry insiders provided predictions for the mobile device market at VoiceCon in Orlando on March 8. Representatives from Research in Motion Ltd. (RIM), SpectraLink Corp. and Nortel Networks Corp. offered no new form-factors for these untethered units. They said wireless devices will probably maintain their current shapes and sizes in the coming years but, in the background, new technologies will inform the way the products work and what people do with them. One major impetus for technological changes has to do with mobility in business environments, said Ben Guderian, VP of market strategies at SpectraLink. Corporations will purchase wireless devices that interoperate with enterprise communications systems for increased worker connectivity. As such, equipment providers must learn to answer some crucial questions: how does the wireless device connect to the central business voice platform and email server? How easy is it to manage the wireless device from an IT perspective? Emerging protocols like 802.11v for handset management across Wi-Fi networks could become important. But even as the technology changes, other things will stay the same. "You’re never going to please everyone with one device," Guderian said, indicating that the existing range of products – from voice-centric devices such as phones to the data-centric PDA and variations on those themes – will continue. Users demand these options as each one suits unique purposes. Cell phones remain the best option for voice-heavy users, while the BlackBerry will still be popular among email-focused folks. Psychology plays a large role in the wireless future. According to the industry observers, users tend towards the familiar. Eric Ritter, director of WLAN solutions at RIM, knows this first-hand. At his workplace, employees navigate the hallways with their heads down as they tap into their BlackBerries. No one ever collides, Ritter said. But one day he braved the corridors with a laptop computer – as email-capable as a BlackBerry and then some. "I was run into 10 times," he said. Jason Frannea, IP clients portfolio brand manager at Nortel, said his company experimented with in-business wireless phone systems by taking the wired desktop phones away from a handful of users and giving them wireless phones instead. By the end of trial, nearly half of the users had snuck desktop phones back in. They were used to the old phones and not partial to trying something new. "We’re creatures of habit," Frannea said. People are also creatures of acquisition: every year they want new cell phones and PDAs that provide more functions than the previous versions did. But this causes problems with battery life, the industry reps said. Each function requires power and it’s getting difficult to balance battery life and functionality. "You’re never going to get all those features on the battery technology we have today," Ritter said, adding that RIM is always looking for ways to boost battery power and life while keeping the size and weight of the power packs down. Wireless deployments in businesses could also pose a problem for carriers. Service providers aren’t necessarily welcome in such situations. Guderian said users want to access enterprise applications directly from enterprise sources such as application servers. "I want the carrier to be invisible," he said. Asked if cellular service providers might play a bigger role in the enterprise by offering more in-building cell coverage, the reps said no. "Why would want to install a network that isn’t IP?" Guderian said. "And why would you install something you don’t own? It’s the wireless equivalent of Centrex," a reviled and increasingly obsolete wireline service. But not everyone agrees with that assessment. Jeff Lemmer, manager of global telecommunications at the Ford Motor Co., said his company called on US wireless service provider Sprint Nextel for a cell-based voice network to connect the automaker’s product development team members, who wanted connectivity not only on the corporate campus, but also when traveling. "Building a wireless network compared to a wired network is much more complicated," Lemmer said. Guderian made a distinction between consumer wireless technology and enterprise wireless, saying it’s important to note the differences. Enterprises seek business features, investment protection and high-quality sound on phone calls. Consumers seek ease of use, network ubiquity and the ability to personalize their devices. Frannea added that consumers don’t care as much about sound quality as business users do. But their comments are at odds with a popular notion bandied about VoiceCon: today’s young consumers are tomorrow’s business users. And as the youngsters expect text messaging and video capabilities on their handsets today, they’ll do so as business users in the future. Likewise, they might not care about the occasional break in phone conversations since they’re getting used to such imperfections on Skype and other Internet-based VoIP services. In the end, "you can’t think of the business user and the home user as different entities," said Mark Davies, VP of global marketing at Motorola Inc.

Wireless devices of the future look the same, but act all new

News | 03/22/2006 5:00 am EST

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