Week 4 Discussion

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Internet Tools—Part 2

Now let us understand how the tools work. Two types of technologies provide wireless access to Internet tools:

Internet-enabled PDAs, cell phones, and other wireless computing devices are examples of the mobile computing technology, where users can access digital information on the web from any location.

WiFi represents the nomadic computing technology where users can obtain wireless web information if they are in the range of a wireless Hot Spot. This technology allows users to make instant decisions without being tethered to a desk or a computer. For example, GE’s transportation systems utilize eServices, which is a WiFi technology to maintain locomotives wirelessly by running diagnostic programs. These programs determine what parts are required to �x the locomotive engine and order the required parts from an untethered Tuff Book or iPAQ PDA. This is an example of �eld force automation (FFA), which automates tasks and delivers content to employees who are visiting customers.

The two principal standards for accessing the Internet from wireless mobile devices are:

I-Mode: Enables cell phones to receive web-based information and services developed by Japan’s NTT DoCoMo mobile phone network.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP): Allows cell phones and other wireless devices with tiny screens, low-memory constraints, and low-bandwidth connections to access web-based content and services. WAP uses wireless markup language (WML), which is optimized for tiny displays and is based on XML. A user with a WAP-compliant phone uses the built-in Microbrowser to make a request in WML. A Microbrowser is web browser software with a small �le size that can work with the low bandwidth of wireless networks on the tiny displays of handheld devices with minimal memory.