TechXNY: Toshiba Unwraps Wireless Gear, Previews Services

"Toshiba Computer Systems Group announced a two-year deal with Ascendent Telecommunications to develop a mobile communications platform for Toshiba notebook PCs and PDAs (personal digital assistants) that will link enterprise computer users to their corporate phone system, the company said Monday.

Called MobilityConnect, the system would allow users to access and manage incoming calls received through their corporate PBX through an interface on their notebook PC or PDA. Based on Ascendent's WirelessConnect technology, the system to be offered by Toshiba will allow multiple wireless devices to be linked to the corporate PBX, extending certain telephony functions to mobile workers.

TechXNY will also play host to a preview of the Toshiba Mobility Communications System, a future technology that should allow users to stay connected to the Internet as they roam across various 802.11b and 3G wireless networks, Toshiba said. The system is slated for launch in the second quarter of 2003.

Toshiba also unveiled plans to provide products that bring wireless connectivity to users at public 'hot spot' locations. The Toshiba Wireless Broadband Hot Spot, which is being previewed this week at TechXNY, is an all-in-one package of hardware and software that businesses such as hotels, coffee shops, and restaurants could purchase to offer fee-based wireless broadband services at their place of business. Toshiba said it is currently working with resellers to distribute the product to business customers....

For home computer users, Toshiba announced its Magnia SG20 Wireless Media Center, a wireless networking hub that can be used to interconnect a variety of devices in the home. In addition to connecting home PCs to the Internet over a wireless connection, the Media Center can link together PDAs, digital media devices, and home monitoring systems.

The first in a series of planned offerings from Toshiba for the digital home, the Wireless Media Center includes a VPN feature, which allows authorized users to access information on the SG20 via the Internet. The home network device is available now; pricing was not immediately available." [InfoWorld: Top News]

Maybe we'll start seeing some hardware options that make it easier for libraries to provide public WLAN access. That Magnia Wireless Media Center is intriguing, too. I just recently bought an Advent wireless outdoor speaker for the deck, and so far it's working out great. What I really need, though, is a way to stream my MP3s outside.

Right now, I figure I'll have to hook my Archos Jukebox up to the stereo, but there should be an easier, more permanent, yet inexpensive way to do that. At this point, I'm the only one in the house who knows how to get music to play outside!

Got Handhelds? HP, Sony, Kyocera Do

"The device makers announced the latest additions to their handheld product lines one day before the official kickoff of the TechXNY trade show in New York City. Kyocera announced a new smartphone, the 7135; Sony added the PEG-T665C to its Clie line of handhelds; and, as expected, HP announced two new additions to its iPaq handheld family....

The Kyocera 7135 is a clamshell-style smartphone that features voice capabilities but can also access high-speed cellular data networks for its PDA functions, according to Kyocera Wireless spokesman Rick Goetter. The 7135 will run on next-generation CDMA 1xRTT networks when they're released nationwide this summer. The 7135 will be available in the fourth quarter and will cost around $500.

'Voice is still the killer application, and our device has been tailored for voice first,' Goetter said. The gadget's design is more like that of a phone than a PDA. It's foldable and has a keypad, and its size is phonelike too. It measures 3.97 inches by 2.43 inches by 1.17 inches and weighs 6.6 ounces....

The 7135 features a color screen, Global Positioning System technology, a Secure Digital expansion slot with input and output capabilities, and a built-in digital audio player. The device comes with 16MB of memory and runs version 4.1 of Palm's operating system." [CNET News.com]

The Kyocera is by far the most interesting of the four devices announced today. I'm intrigued by the addition of GPS, although I want to know what exactly they mean by that. And does it synch with Outlook? If only it had Bluetooth for easy synchronization in the future.

Addendum: Wired News has more on this story.

"The smartphone also features a GPS chip enabling emergency dispatchers to pinpoint the location of callers who dial 911. This feature opens the door to other location-based services like on-the-spot maps, but Ro doesn't expect to see these services for another two years."