Articles by Patrick Hindle

Some industry experts and research analysts agree that today's WiMAX (802.16e) and LTE technologies are 4G but do they really meet the definition of 4G as others say they do not. Now that the ITU has officially accepted 802.16m and LTE -Advanced as IMT -Advanced technologies (4G), the issue has surfaced again. What makes it more confusing is that where the ITU mainly referred to IMT -2000 and IMT -Advanced in the past, it is now including 3G with IMT -2000 and 4G with IMT -Advanced. It is true that the current LTE and WiMAX systems are 4 th generation...

There was a report last week that Apple is already testing a prototype iPhone with near-field communication (NFC) capability inside that could lead to using future iPhones as a mobile wallet or payment device. Unnamed sources say that Apple is testing an iPhone with NFC chips procured from NXP Semiconductor. It's not clear what exactly what they are testing and is very preliminary at this point. But coupled with the hire of Benjamin Vigier from mFoundry as mobile payments product manager, it seems possible that Apple could be planning to open up to mobile commerce. Using it the iPhone for...

One of the major trends at MILCOM this year is leveraging the use of commercial smartphones for military use to field advanced communications to the field quickly. Billions of dollars are invested in commercial development for smartphones so why not use that advanced technology for the military. The commercial market also updates capabilities quickly so if the commercial smart phone can "plug" into a secure military network, the comm device does not become obsolete after a year or two. One of the best examples of utilizing this strategy is Lockheed Martin's MONAX 3G broadband network. MONAX is designed to...

Although IP communications have been around for many years, interoperable and secure IP systems are now being realized in many military applications. The Warfigther is now being connected with vehicles, UAVs, ships, helicopters and other aircraft so that everyone can share information immediately and there is no single point of failure in the network as they can all act as nodes. This year's theme, "The Next Decade of Military Communications," addresses the issues with connecting various Defense, intelligence and homeland security networks as well as the evolution of communications systems and networks as we move into network-centric operations as...

Good news for cell phone component manufacturers as ABI Reserach reports that the mobile handset market is set for a stellar performance in 2010. 3Q-2010 is up 346.2 million in handset shipments. For the first three quarters of the year, YoY growth has been hovering around 20%. “This is a remarkable feat, irrespective of the rebound effect following the deferred handset purchases during the economic recession,” says Jake Saunders, VP for forecasting at ABI Research. “Layer on ‘ smartphone -envy’ and you have a recipe for high handset volumes.” This rebound is having some interesting consequences: 1) Component manufacturers have...

Car makers are showing their interest in wireless charging as a General Motors executive is chairing a standards effort that hopes to set interoperability standards for the magnetic induction approach. Toyota and Ford said they also are interested in the technology and the standards effort. The Consumer Electronics Association is trying to set a baseline for interoperability for chargers using magnetic coupling. One spec will target connections of less than 1 cm from coil to coil while another will address a 2-6 cm distance. The group will also try to define power efficiency and standard nomenclature for different technical approaches....

Tablets are quickly being adopted for many applications in business. I see real estate agents and contractors carrying them around to show clients information or take notes about a project. Now a new startup , E La Carte , is developing a new tablet-like computer for use in restaurants as a digital menu and ordering device. E La Carte is just one company trying to apply technology to help restaurants operate more efficiently and profitably while making customers happier. The company’s system is currently being tested at various Uno Chicago Grill locations. E La Carte ’s technology could help solve...

Google’s increasing focus on mobile was addressed in its financial results announcement last night. Google said it is seeing very strong growth in emerging businesses like mobile, with Jonathan Rosenberg, senior VP of product management, noting that Google is on pace to generate more than $1 billion in annual mobile search and display revenue. Rosenburg cited an interesting example of mobile ads that are working well, telling analysts on a conference call to do a search for ‘car rental’ on their phones. There's a "very good chance you'll see enterprise rental car ad," with a phone number and map to...

The Federal Communications Commission has freed up vacant airwaves between TV channels -- called “white spaces” -- to unleash a host of new technologies, such as “super Wi - Fi ,” and myriad other diverse applications. This is the first significant block of spectrum made available for unlicensed use in more than 20 years. TV white space spectrum is considered prime real estate because the 300 - 400 MHz signal travel long distances well and penetrate walls, making it ideally suited for mobile wireless devices. The National Broadband Plan noted the importance of unlicensed spectrum in creating opportunities for new...

Our EuMW 2010 show coverage is now available online. We will bring you the latest news, new products, photos, videos, exclusive articles and interviews plus live Blogging and Twittering from the show floor. We also have started our EuMW newsletters which will be daily during the show. Don't miss our Defence/Security Executive Forum at the show featuring speakers from NATO, the European Defence Agency and the French Defence Agency, among others, discussing future programs and technology for microwave applications. In addition, the Sept issue dedicated to EuMW 2010 is also online now including conference articles, messages from the chairs, exhibitor...