Tips on wireless mobile devices

By Mila Day

JAKARTA (JP): The latest PDAs (personal digital assistants) are now able to define words in Chinese or English. They can also browse the Net, feature a calculator, memo and sketch pad, an address book, calendar and diary. In other words, they provide you with all the features of a standard office, though in wireless format.

Three mobile phone companies, Motorolla, Ericsson, and Nokia have formed a Wireless Village to develop and promote universal standards for wireless mobile devices. The focus of this initiative is to create a mobile world (browse www.wireless- village.com for details).

Make no mistake, not all wireless devices are mobile. You cannot carry a heavy laser printer or server around with you. Although the size and work speed of these devices is getting slimmer, you don't want to have a business lunch with a printer in your pocket.

Still, a mobile device is something that can be carried, handheld, or stored in a limited space, such as a handbag. Initially, mobile phones and PDAs were made to meet businesspeople's demands. However, their popularity has flourished so that nowadays even housewives use mobile phones to keep in touch.

As the name suggest, wireless devices do not require cables to plug them into a nearby electric socket. Instead, they use infrared or bluetooth technology to connect to an electricity socket or to other electronic devices.

Laser printers, for example, are usually connected with one or more PC workstations in an office. Cordless telephones are simply phones with a very short wireless connection to a local phone outlet. A mobile phone, however, features more advanced technology. It uses short-wave analog or digital transmission.

Look around at some of the electronic devices around you and you will find that many of them are wired. However, we are not far off from the day when those devices will become wireless and you will only need to clap your hands or push a remote box to activate home appliances or office equipment. It really will be as simple as that.

At your fingertips: The wireless Internet

The merging of wireless technology and the Internet is set to become a powerful combination. The Internet has already been around for some time now, as have mobile phones and, more recently, PDAs. Many of us are used to the habit of accessing the Internet from our wired PCs. However, are you aware that you can access the Internet from your mobile phone?

For techno-fiends, this technical innovation may not seem anything new or special. However, for most of us, when it comes to new electronic devices, new combinations, commands or features it becomes difficult to keep up with their rapid development. How does one remain regularly updated on the release of the latest wireless gadgets? How does one use them? Let me give you a tip or two.

Tip number one, when you read a magazine or newspaper, scan the entire advertisement. The most recently released electronic devices are always introduced through advertising. Don't forget to read the ad's specifications, even if you do not know the difference between bits from bytes.

Tip number two, take some time to go to an electronic exhibition at a local mall or convention center. If you are more curious and live in Jakarta, check out the prices in Glodok or Mangga Dua, Jakarta.

For my final tip, if you have the latest Siemens SL45 mobile phone, use it only for voice calls and don't know what an MP3 player is, I suggest you give your phone to one of your teenage kids. Believe it or not, teenagers these days are more aware of electronic gadgets than you might think. However, if you still want to keep a sophisticated mobile device in your pocket, just make sure the battery is well charged!