Do you feel left out whenever you read about the ?wireless revolution?? ? Want to get take advantage of the latest technology when you?re out in the field? ? Or just want to be able to hold your own when the subject comes up at parties? ? Well, settle down to a technodog primer on wireless technology. ? With this column, I?ve tried to put together a brief, introductory primer on two of the major areas of wireless technology -- cell phones and handheld devices such as PDAs (personal digital assistants). ? Besides introducing the basics of each, I will also try to explain some of the problems, standards and communication technologies that challenge the current wireless marketplace. ? ? (Digital) Voices in the air ? Obviously one of the most common 'wireless' devices is the cellular phone, and in particular the current generation of digital cellular phones. ? Promoted as 'multi-functional wireless devices,' select cell phones can view and send e-mail, surf the Web, receive automatic stock quotes and sports scores, give you directions tailored to your exact location and otherwise wirelessly communicate with the Internet. ? The current generation of digital cell phones -- many of which are called PCS or Personal Communication Services devices -- can connect consumers to the Web and e-mail through regional or national cellular networks. And with built-in GPS or Global Positioning System chips, newer phones (and handhelds) can pinpoint your geographical location through satellites. But unfortunately for consumers, joining the digital cell revolution is more complicated than just selecting a phone you like -- digital cell carriers (and their phones) use different wireless communication standards. ? Each of the major digital cell carriers has adopted unique standards and frequencies. To use the United States as an example: Spring PCS uses CDMA or code division multiple access, AT&T Wireless uses TDMA or Time Division Multiple Access, while Pacific Bell uses the European standard of GSM or Global System for Mobile Communication. ? What this means, is that if you purchase a digital cell phone, you can only use that 'multi-functional device' with the network it supports. If, for example, you want to purchase the ever-popular Motorola StarTac phone, you have to select the particular model that supports (and runs on) the cell network you want to use. ? (If voice communication is your main concern, many manufacturers offer 'dual mode' cell phones that support a specific digital standard AND work on conventional analog cellular networks for expanded voice coverage.) ? And of course, you need to make sure that your digital cellular network supports the advanced features your phone boasts. ? For instance, the Motorola I1000plus can act as a 'microbrowser' for the Web, and can send and receive e-mail? but that doesn?t do you any good if the Nextel network in your area does not support those features yet. ? Most major digital cell networks are in the process of rolling out and refining their Web/data services, and by mid-2000, most major U.S. cities should be covered by cell carriers offering Internet features. ? Before you go out and buy a new cell phone to replace your computer monitor, bear in mind that the Web you may see on a monocrome, four-line cell phone display is a far cry from the detailed, colorful, multimedia WWW you are used to. ? ? Holding (wireless) data in your hand ? One of the biggest buzzwords in wireless technology last year was 'handheld devices.' ? From the Palm VII to advanced two-way pagers, the Web and e-mail have made the shift to these ultra-portable, stand-alone communication devices. ? For years, people have been receiving e-mail, sports and stock information on their pagers, and newer cell phones and pagers can request specific information or compose e-mails through sequences of keystrokes. ? But handhelds such as Palm Pilots and Windows CE devices offer larger displays and enhanced capabilities, compared with the minimalist one- to four-line displays of pagers and cell phones -- leading to a superior Net experience. ? Essentially, these devices are offering the same Internet services as digital cell phones but with superior displays and input options; typically, they access the Web through the same digital cell networks. ? The downside is that they are restricted to the same bandwidth constraints of cellular networks. ? ? Limited bandwidth ? Digital cellular networks generally transmit data at the equivalent of a 9,600 baud modem. In contrast, most people today access the Web through 28,000 and 56,000 baud modems -- just imagine pulling down information from the Net six times slower than you currently do through your modem. ? Furthermore, cellular carriers charge a premium for data communication. While many cellular carriers are still setting their rates, Palm Computing?s Palm.Net Wireless Communication Service typically charges $40/month for 300KB of data traffic (what they state is about 900 screens full of information). ? Those who have used Palm VIIs extensively can tell you that the freedom of wireless communication, can be cruelly offset by mushrooming service bills. ? [Due in part to the premium charged for data airtime on these networks, and to their limited display capabilities, handheld devices access the Web differently.] ? ? 'Clip' the Web ? Far from browsing the enormity of the World Wide Web, the current generation of handheld Internet devices, interact with a special sub-set of the Web written specifically for them. ? Using pre-written information request pages, users ask for predictable packets of data, like door-to-door directions, sports scores, personal banking data, travel information or the latest news stories. ? The returned information has been specially processed -- typically stripped of graphics, simplified and reduced to the smallest number of words -- for delivery on handheld devices. ? This simplification of content is necessary because of the display capability of handheld devices and the bandwidth of wireless networks. ? Now, not all handheld devices are restricted to this limited, bandwidth-sensitive approach to Web information requests -- but most are destined to see this limited version of the Web. ? This means that Web authors must strip not only the complex graphics and multimedia elements from their pages, but also trim down the layout and formatting in Web pages to the bare minimum. ? To that end, a wireless markup language standard has evolved -- Wireless Application Protocol or WAP -- that many hardware manufacturers and content editors are using to format and deliver content to handheld devices. ? ? Communicating amongst themselves ? Although they are typically dependent on wireless networks for information and communication, newer handheld devices are designed to communicate with each other. ? Although kind of a gimmicky feature, many Palm Pilot owners have enjoyed sending information to each other?s devices through infrared beams. ? For example, select Palm Pilot owners can send 'virtual business cards' to each other, with a person?s name, phone number and other contact information appearing on another person?s electronic organizer. ? However, a more revolutionary paradigm for inter-handheld communication is in the works. ? Industry heavyweights from Motorola, Nokia and Ericcson to IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Lucent, and Toshiba, are supporting the Bluetooth specification for local wireless data and voice communication. Already gaining acceptance in Europe, Bluetooth defines a universal wireless standard for different types of devices to communicate with each other -- exchanging information, and even connecting devices to networks. ? Bluetooth acts as a short-range wireless solution for connecting devices, but is not an actual wireless network or service like digital cellular networks. ? Widespread adoption of the Bluetooth standard could help close the standards and inter-connectivity gap that isolates most of today?s portable devices. ? Whether it is through convergence of technologies such as the Nokia cellular phone/PDA hybrid, improvements in technologies such as increased handheld resolutions and multimedia capabilities, or a standard for communication such as Bluetooth, in the next two or three years the 'wireless revolution' is poised to finally live up to its name.