More Mobile Stuff

Mobile resources for cell phone / wireless device owners and enthusiasts. Learn more, find out what terms mean and where to find things you may need to enjoy your wireless more!

Mobile Websites

Get the best resources for mobility on the Internet. These websites are great tools for everyday living.

Reuters Mobile
Get the latest breaking news and business developments, as well as all the biggest entertainment, sports, technology, health stories and more on your mobile phone. You can also check weather and airport delay information for hundreds of cities, view US market performance and access stock information. With Reuters, you’ll always have access to the information you need.

The NY Times Mobile
Check the times from your cell phone or pda.

WeekendRUSH Weather Wireless
Check the weather on the go.

Mobile Weather Alerts
Don't get caught in the rain. Get alerts ahead of the storm.

Google Mobile
Search the web wirelessly

WeekendRUSH Careers (Mobile)
Research new jobs and search job listings online!

Bloglines Mobile
Blog anywhere you go! Connect to your blog and speak your mind.

Chicago Sun-Times Mobile Edition
Read the news from your wireless device

Microsoft Windows Mobile
Mobile Solutions, Mobile Applications, and Handheld Devices

Mobile Mapquest
Find your way through life from your phone

Download.com Mobile
3,985 products for Cell Phone, Mobile Essentials, Palm OS, Pocket PC and more.

Gmail Mobile
Check your Gmail from your cell

Adobe Mobile
Adobe on the go!

Mobile Magazine
The Original Mobile Magazine, covering news and reviews on mobile technology, including cell phones, PDAs MP3 players, digital cameras, wireless, notebooks and more.

Glossary of Mobile Terms

Learn more about the wireless world and it's often confusing terminology.

3G (Third-Generation Wireless)
Refers to planned developments in mobile communications that will increase bandwidth from 128Kbps at high speeds to 2Mbps for fixed stations. This will enable multimedia applications and advanced roaming features.

802.11a
A flavor of wi-fi that's faster and more expensive than 802.11b; it runs at speeds of up to 54 megabits per second. Unfortunately, it's not compatible with 802.11b networks. Companies sometimes use 802.11a when setting up corporate wireless networks to maximize their bandwidth, but the average wi-fi user doesn't need to worry much about this standard.

802.11b
The original wireless standard and one of several wireless flavors defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. It's the slowest of the current wi-fi standards in use, but at speeds of up to 11 megabits per second, it's still faster than DSL and many cable modems. You can use 802.11b-compatible wi-fi adapters almost anywhere you find access.

802.11g
The Next Big Thing in wi-fi. It's ultra-fast like 802.11a and backward-compatible with 802.11b networks—and an 802.11g adapter costs about twice as much as an 802.11b adapter. Until service providers start using the faster standards for their networks, there's little reason to get the latest adapter. That said, if you look for investment protection in all your technology purchases, go for it!

Access Point
The wi-fi receiver that communicates with your wi-fi adapter to allow you access to the Internet. At home, you might attach an access point to your cable or DSL modem. At a hotel or coffee shop, the access point is normally located in the ceiling, out of sight.

AirPort
Apple's name for wi-fi. No need to worry, the PowerBook you want will work with the 802.11b wi-fi network at your local Starbucks.

Bluetooth
A communications specification designed to enable PDAs, mobile phones, computers, and other devices to share information and synchronize data. This technology requires a transceiver chip in each device. Bluetooth products entered the market in 2000. Devices operate in the 2.4Ghz band, sending data at 720 Kbps within a 30-foot range.

CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
Using military technology originally developed by the Allies in WWII, it spreads transmisions over all available frequencies. Conversations are assigned a code which is used to reassemble it upon arrival. This allows multiple calls to be carried over one channel.

CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data)
A digital data transmission technology developed for cellular networks. Operating at 19.2Kbps, it sends data over constantly changing open intervals in voice channels. If the system is busy, the data is sent when a channel opens up.

Cradle
A stand or bracket designed to hold a phone or handheld computer in place on your desktop or mounted to your dashboard. It may incorporate recharging or data-transfer functions.

EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment)
Intended as an incremental step toward 3G services. It operates at 384Kbps and enables multimedia transmissions and broadband applications for mobile phones and computers.

EPOC
An operating systems for handheld computers and mobile phones with web access. It's an open operating system developed by Psion and now licensed by Symbian. EPOC's main competitor is Windows CE.

GPRS (General Packet Radio Services)
Provides packet-based, rather than circuit-switched connections on mobile networks. Data rates should range from 56 up to 150Kbps. The as-needed (rather than dedicated) connections should bring down the cost of data services. Based on the GSM standard, this is an incremental step toward Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and 3G services.

GPS (Global Positioning System)
A satellite-based system for determining your location within 10 to 100 meters, depending on the accuracy of the equipment. Originally used for military and scientific applications, GPS receivers are now widely available in everything from cars to wrist watches.

GSM (Global System for Mobile communication)
The standard digital cellular system in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. It is a variation on TDMA and has a data transfer rate of 9.6Kbps.

HDML (Handheld Device Markup Language)
A language that formats information for mobile phones or handheld computers in the same way that HTML does for PCs. It was originally developed by Unwired Planet (now phone.com) and is considered to be the forerunner of Wireless Markup Language (WML). Most current HDML browsers are capable of interpreting WML sites.

Hotspot
A location where your wi-fi adapter can communicate with a wi-fi access point and give you access to the Internet.

i-Mode
A packet-based mobile phone service from Japan's NTT DoCoMo. I-Mode operates at 9.6Kbps and uses a simplified version of HTML rather than WML. Its next-generation system should support rates of 384Kbps, enabling multimedia applications.

MSA/RSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area/Rural Service Area)
MSAs are cities with at least 50,000 people or urban areas with at least 100,000 people and the counties that include these areas. RSAs are all areas not included in MSAs. The FCC licenses and assigns freqencies in these areas, allowing multiple carriers.

Palm OS
The operating system originally designed for the Palm series of PDAs. Palm has since been purchased by 3Com, but it still develops and licenses the OS. Unlike operating systems used by other handhelds, the Palm OS is built to function on a particular type of device.

PCS (Personal Communications Services)
A small handheld device commonly used as a mobile computer or personal organizer. Many PDAs incorporate small keyboards, while others use touchscreens with handwriting recognition. Some of these devices have Internet capabilities, either through a built-in or add-on modem.

PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
A small handheld device commonly used as a mobile computer or personal organizer. Many PDAs incorporate small keyboards, while others use touchscreens with handwriting recognition. Some of these devices have Internet capabilities, either through a built-in or add-on modem.

Pocket PC (formerly Windows CE)
An upgraded version of Windows CE that offers greater stability and a new interface. Features include mobile Internet capabilities, an e-book reader, and handwriting recognition.

Smartphone/Web Phone
A mobile, digital telephone that has features not associated with traditional home or mobile phones. These features include Internet access, simple text messaging, and data services.

SMS (Short Messaging Service)
Originally part of the GSM system, it refers to any text messaging service available on digital mobile phones.

SSID (Service Set Identifier)
Identifies all the access points on a wi-fi network. You can't log on at a wi-fi hotspot without a proper SSID. For example, if you use a Linksys access point at home, the default SSID is "linksys." At Starbucks, the SSID is "t-mobile." But SSIDs are not secret, and they don't provide security. For this reason, if you have a wi-fi access point set up at home, you should probably change the SSID, making it harder to discover. Windows XP and various programs that come with wi-fi cards can sniff out SSIDs when you're near a hotspot. If the hotspot is operated by a service provider, you'll need to pay for access and get a password. If you're lucky enough to find a free hotspot, the SSID lets you log onto the Internet.

TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access)
Divides cellular channels into three time slots, increasing data capacity. This allows multiple users or conversations to be carried on the same channel.
Two-Way Paging/Interactive Paging/Two-Way Messaging
Sending and receiving data over the Web, via the paging network.

WAP (Wireless Access Protocol)
A set of standards that allows web access on mobile devices. WAP is supported by most wireless networks and operating systems. It supports HTML and XML but is designed for WML.

Web Clipping
The process of pulling specific information from a web page so that it can be displayed on a web phone or PDA.

WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy)
A security protocol that encrypts the data you send and receive over a wi-fi connection. Experts would tell you that WEP isn't very secure—and they'd be right—but it will help keep you safe from prying eyes. If you're concerned about wireless security but aren't exactly sending and receiving trade secrets, use WEP.

Wi-Fi
Short for "wireless fidelity," it has come to mean any type of wireless network that uses 802.11 technology.

Windows CE
A version of Windows designed to run on PDAs or other small devices. CE was renamed Pocket PC with the version 3.0 release.

WML (Wireless Markup Language)
A language developed to control the presentation of web pages on mobile phones and PDAs in the same way that HTML does for PCs. Part of the Wireless Access Protocol (WAP), WML is an open standard and is supported by most mobile phones.

XHTML
A reworking of HTML 4.0 designed to work as a application of XML. It allows anyone to create sets of markup tags for new purposes.

XML (Extensible Markup Language)
A standard for creating expandable information formats that allow both the format and the data to be shared. XML is similar to HTML in that both use tags to describe the contents of a document. However, while HTML only describes how the data should be displayed or used, XML describes the type of data. This allows anyone who can interpret those tags to use the data they contain.

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