For the longest time, "Wireless in the Palm of your Hand" has been the unrealized promise of the Windows CE platforms. There are any number of industries and products that still haven't adopted Windows CE due to this
"wireless gap".
This is particularly true for the fields such as the healthcare industry, which seems to love the idea of Pocket PC devices (formerly called Palm-size PCs), but is constantly frustrated by the lack of wireless solutions available for that form factor.
Wireless Hardware
By way of comparison, the Windows CE H/PC and H/PC Pro devices have two main types of wireless access available.
The first of these is wireless LAN hardware, such as Proxim's RangeLAN2 (www.proxim.com). The RangeLAN2 is a system designed primarily to allow PCs and Windows CE devices to wirelessly connect to a corporate LAN. The main advantages of
such a system are that the cost is comparatively low, the user has access
to all corporate data with little or no administration work, and allows
the user to take advantage of the corporate Internet access point(s).
The second of the wireless hardware options is the wireless Internet hardware such as the RIM Wireless PC Card from BellSouth Wireless(www.bellsouthwd.com). The advantage of this type of hardware is that it's mainly designed to give the user access to the Internet without the need for a standard modem and wall jack. The disadvantages are a higher cost (pay per minute of use) and the fact that access to corporate data must be carefully configured and administrated, since that data is now being accessed via the Internet.
What most of the potential CE adopters really seem to want is a solution closer to the Proxim hardware -- something that would allow a worker using a Pocket PC device to roam freely within the office/building, all the while being able to access corporate databases,
documents, etc.
Until now, though, there have not been any wireless options for P/PCs at all.
A Solution Appears
Now, however, there is a solution to the wireless Pocket PC problem -- Socket Communications (www.socketcom.com) has just released a solution of the second type, which allows you to connect a Pocket PC (via a special type of CompactFlash card) to a variety of digital cellular phones. This card then makes it possible for you to establish a wireless, dial-up Internet connection (in many cases, to your existing ISP) from any location where your phone can access digital service.
The new Socket Digital Phone Card allows both Pocket and Handheld PC devices to get on the Internet from nearly anywhere, without having to stop and look for a phone jack. And, of course, if your administrator is willing to configure your network's firewall or other security measures, you could even have access to corporate data -- a big plus.
There is, however, a downside to using this means of connecting to the Internet and corporate data: the high connect-time fees charged by the cellular provider.
So, what can you do if you need wireless access for your Pocket PC? First, purchase the Digital Phone Card that's right for your cellular phone. Second, monitor the amount of time you spend online -- even custom applications can be modified to disconnect after long periods of inactivity. Third, limit your access to essential tasks only. Fourth, wait for the healthcare industry and other potential CE-adopters to begin
pushing for flat-rate cellular plans.
Since the pricing is the only thing that continues to hold these projects back, you can expect this to change dramatically in the next 6 to 12 months. Cellular services will increase in quality and availability, and soon after that, one of the providers will offer an
"all you can eat" plan.
Of course, in the meantime, you'll probably find it cheaper to read your friends' home pages from your PC with a more traditional modem.
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