Blog Host: Tim Scannell - founder and chief analyst, Shoreline Research READ ENTIRE BIO

Sure, there is the standard business stuff -- like spreadsheets, PowerPoints and that scathing memo to your pig-headed boss that you'll never really send. But there is also an awful lot of MP3 music files, digital photos and other flotsam that take up an incredible amount of space on a disk. In fact, a recent survey showed that up to 35% of executives and managers admit storing personal information on their notebooks.

This is intriguing, since most companies look the other way when it comes to putting personal information on your company PC. They know it is bound to happen – heck, everyone can see your photo show screensaver when you walk away for a few minutes! But there are a few companies that have formal policies against using the company machine as a personal storage file. They do let you know they own the machine, the applications and data, and all of those emails that come spewing out. But there is never really a policy on personal information.

I don't think there should be a policy against it, since people who spend a lot of time on the road should have an outlet from the daily grind. Most do, as a matter of fact. Just check out what all of those executives are doing with their notebooks on transcontinental flights. If they are not playing games, they are watching a movie or organizing their iPod files.

There are ways to keep tabs on what is stored on an office computer without confiscating the machine and putting it under the IT administrative X-Ray. There are solutions, for example, that will screen all of your data during online synchronizations and can "catch" unofficial applications. On the flip side, these programs usually let users specify what files they do not want synced with the corporate server, so that bullet is easily ducked if need be.

Problems usually begin when the lines blur between corporate and personal use of company equipment. I have worked for or been associated with a number of companies that forcefully remind you that a company PC is all business, and heaven help your data if it is found lurking there during routine maintenance. There have also been instances where people have stored questionable material on their office notebooks and then "shared" it with other individuals via the company network. This usually is an express route to a pink slip if you are caught, since most companies have very clear policies about the use of networks for stuff like this.

As I said, I am not totally against mixing business with a few family photos or a movie or two. But I have to wonder if storing personal stuff on your PC and blurring those lines between business applications and pleasure might not be increasing the odds that a system might be lost or stolen someday and sensitive information disappears along with photos of Uncle Ben's birthday party.

There are an awful lot of instances in the press about lost and stolen laptops that contain the personal records of hundreds of thousand of people. I am thinking most recently of the situation at the Veterans Administration. And this is the stuff we hear about... the tip of the iceberg.

Just something to think about as you load more family photos on your company notebook and maybe plan to throw it in your car to show the family at that gathering this weekend.

*****

By the way, this is my last Weblog for the EAC for now. I may revisit in the future, though. In the meantime, if you want to keep the discussion going you can subscribe to Shorelines, which is Shoreline Research's occasional Weblog, by sending a request to me at tjscan@shorelineresearch.com. Thanks!

Tim Scannell is founder and president of Shoreline Research and carries all his photos and digital files along in a rented U-Haul to save disk space.
Posted by Tim Scannell Is 3G ready for prime time?
14 JUN 2006 17:56 EDT (21:56, GMT)
Everyone loves to save money, which is why I am intrigued by the recent news that the costs of 3G handsets and so-called "smartphone" devices are plummeting and may soon reach the magic under-$100 mark. This will really make consumers jump at the chance to own one of these babies and take it for a spin, right?

Not so fast. While the buzz would seem to indicate that low prices will spark this relatively nascent market, the real reason why there is lethargy in 3G is a lot more complicated and serious than just savings a few bucks.

Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS and other 3G operators in the U.S. have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the development of faster 3G networks over the past few years. And they have invested millions more promoting the benefit of 3G services to their current subscribers and potential new customers. Now it's payback time. These four major wireless carriers in the U.S. are currently scrambling to add wireless broadband customers who are willing to pay a premium for faster unwired services.

The problem is that the jump from traditional wide-area wireless and even robust 2.5G services to the 3G fast lane is not happening quickly enough, or at least not exactly according to early plans. In fact, people are spending less time on their cell phones, as compared with previous years, says Sprint. It's not clear if users are talking less and enjoying it more, or talking less and not enjoying the experience at all due to reliability and connection problems.

What's more, many subscribers may now be using 3G services without even knowing about it, which means that cheaper handsets won't necessarily deliver a strong push to the market. There is also quite a bit of competition out there. As of March 2006, there are approximately 194 commercial 3G operators in 84 countries worldwide.

Verizon Wireless may be the carrier with the most to lose, since it started pumping up the column on its service speeds as early as 2001 and began deploying 3G systems in the U.S. a year or two later. As of last year, according to Verizon, the company's high-speed EV-DO service was available in 180 major metropolitan areas, representing a potential user base of 150 million people.

Cingular claims to have the largest all-digital network in the U.S., although it lags in term of 3G developments as compared with Verizon. The company's Broadband/Connect 3G services are currently available in 52 communities across the U.S., and had a potential customer base of 35 million people as of December 2005.

Sprint is the number three wireless carrier in the U.S., although it has been the most aggressive in terms of more video-rich services since the launch of multimedia applications and video services about 18 months ago. The company has since expanded its "Power Vision" data service to more than 215 markets and a potential audience of 150 million people at the end of 2005.

For all its talk and promotions featuring the lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones, T-Mobile is not yet in the 3G game. They may soon be there, however, when they buy up some spectrum via auctions.

What will drive 3G? I think it will be the continued introduction of non-phone devices that make use of higher-speed cellular networks. This includes "purpose-built" handheld devices, tablet PCs and notebooks with embedded 3G chipsets. Some of the carriers are now partnering with mobile computer manufacturers to add cellular wireless capabilities to notebooks and other portable devices. Dell Computer, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Panasonic and Lenovo (IBM ThinkPad) have all announced plans to introduce systems, and demonstrated prototypes that have 3G radios embedded in them.

This is how the 3G connections will be made, and not through cheaper phones. Do you have a different thought? Drop a dime and let me know!

Tim Scannell is founder of Shoreline Research, which dials into mobile and wireless initiatives and trends on a daily basis.
Posted by Tim Scannell Lost and found
14 JUN 2006 08:12 EDT (12:12, GMT)
I talked a little bit about wireless and location-based technology in an earlier blog, and thought it is probably a good time to revisit the subject.

Why? Well, if you must know, I just spent the last two hours diligently following directions provide by MapQuest that did not result in my arriving at the proper address. In fact, when I arrived there were at least two other people who had followed MapQuest's directions and had been sucked into the same sea of traveler's despair.

So, you see, I am very interested in technologies that can hold my hand and get me where I need to go with the least amount of trouble and dead ends.

One company that seems to be going in the right direction (get it?) is Skyhook Wireless, Inc., based in Boston. I mentioned them in passing in an earlier blog. The company has developed a technology called Loki, which can be downloaded onto your PC and uses available Wi-Fi signals to pinpoint a particular event within a city, or even find a gas station with the lowest per-gallon prices. You can also e-mail your location to friends and associates trying to find you, adding a Wi-Fi twist to "Where's Waldo" scenarios.

The software offers a menu bar and selections that let you "geotag" a location, or get a "Wi-Fi-eye-view" of the nearest movie theatre or restaurant. This feature is useful to Web bloggers and creators of targeted content Web sites who normally have to use XML scripting to tag their whereabouts. It can also be used by retailers to tag their locations for potential customers who visit their Web sites.

The Loki software, available for free from the company's Web site and now in beta, basically matches the 802.11 wireless signals transmitted from a user's PC with the locations of wireless routers installed in nearby businesses, public hotspots and even residences. Pretty accurately, too, considering the number of APs in a typical urban area.

Presently, there are more than 82,000 documented Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide, with about 40% of those located in the U.S, says marker researcher In-Stat. But, the true number of consumer and business wireless access points is most likely in the tens of millions. Last year alone, In-Stat noted, more than 140 million Wi-Fi chipsets were shipped and roughly 30% were used in wireless gateways and routers.

Skyhook mapped the location of these wireless routers in more than 100 cities by enlisting people who then go exploring to discover these live access points. These people used Wi-Fi signal sniffing devices to collect the unique MAC address fingerprints from wireless access points. This data was then associated with the location information provided through GPS systems and then further validated by comparing it with available geographic data.

I talked to Ted Morgan, the company's CEO and founder, and he told me that they are still recruiting people for this army, so you should give them a call if you are in the market for a unique summer job. I'd apply, but I haven't yet subscribed to Loki and would have to use Mapquest to find the business, and we all know how that story would end.

Tim Scannell has been lost in the mobile and wireless industry since founding Shoreline Research in 2002.
Posted by Tim Scannell The quests to keep going, and going, and going...
12 JUN 2006 18:45 EDT (22:45, GMT)
If there's one thing that really toasts my bread it's poor battery life in a mobile device. I do a great deal of traveling in my business, with more and more of it including trans-Atlantic hops because of my relationship with a consulting group in Scotland. I carry a laptop in my travels, which usually lasts for about two or three hours before the battery coughs and dies somewhere in mid-flight.

The older the battery gets, the less reliable it is in terms of a lifespan. In fact, the original battery I got with my HP notebook now delivers about 20 minutes of power, which is about enough time to open a Word file, write a few paragraphs and hit the save button. As a result, I am forced to eat way too many in-flight meal packs (commonly known as pretzels), sit through the in-flight entertainment program, or talk to the people who are surgically attached to each of my shoulders because of the tight airline seating. It's enough to make me follow John Madden's cue and take the bus.

There is hope, however, as some enterprising companies develop promising new battery technology. One that I talked to recently is MTI Micro Fuel Cell, a young upstart company located in upstate New York. The company recently struck a deal with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. to develop micro fuel cells for mobile systems. Their promise is longer battery life and much faster recharge cycles.

MTI is using direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology in its quest for a better battery. These batteries can be "recharged" by inserting fresh methanol fuel cartridges into the battery, much like new razor cartridges are slipped into a non-electric shaver, says Allan Soucy, the company's chief corporate strategist. Oddly enough, the small company is also partnering with The Gillette Co. to develop small and consumer-friendly fuel cell cartridges that may one day be available at consumer retailers like Wal-Mart.

"The fuel cell itself will stay with the unit forever. What the user will do is replace the fuel cartridge with another containing methanol, which will power the cell," Soucy explained.

Awesome!

MTI Micro will work with Samsung, as part of a 15-month project, to further shrink its battery technology, which relies on methanol fuel and water to generate power for mobile phones and small personal devices.

MTI Micro has tinkered around with methanol fuel cell technology for several years, demonstrating the first prototypes of a battery for mobile devices as early as 2002. The technology is a variation of a design pioneered at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. (MTI Micro licensed this technology and hired away the chief researcher on the Los Alamos project.)

Casio, Toshiba and NEC Electronics are also looking into methanol fuel cell technology to power notebook computers, although these approaches are much more complicated than the MTI Micro technique.

It will be some time before we see product on the consumer shelves, at least at your local Wal-Mart. But, it may be worth the wait since these babies are expected to deliver days or weeks of power between charges.

Now, if only the airlines could stop with the peanuts and pretzels and get back to feeding us some real food. Now that would charge my batteries!

Tim Scannell heads Shoreline Research and has been known to hunt for hours in airports for an open power receptacle to charge his notebook between flights...
Posted by Tim Scannell A Prescription for Wireless in Hospitals
09 JUN 2006 22:31 EDT (02:31, GMT)
I had the unfortunate experience of visiting a hospital the other day. Well, not really a hospital, but one of those one-stop HMOs where you run from floor to floor with your records tucked under your arm and your dignity checked at the door.

I also shouldn't say unfortunate because I was there to again check my blood pressure, which is higher than it should be. I really don't know why, given the world situation, the price of gasoline and the increased cost of everything under the sun. Anyway, I was sitting there for about an hour when it suddenly hit me: "Wouldn't it be terrific if this HMO had a Wi-Fi network up and running that let me check my email, cruise the Internet and keep tabs on the rising gas prices?"

This particular branch had a desktop PC tucked away in the corner for patrons, but it was obviously locked on the HMO's Website. Great! Just what I need -- more medical information!

The fact is, a lot of hospitals are installing Wi-Fi as a public convenience, and some are even extending that bubble of connectivity to the patient's room. I actually heard a story not too long ago of an Intel executive who refused to enter a hospital for necessary surgery because it did not offer Wi-Fi access. Sure hope it wasn't for heart surgery, because I can think of a lot better things to die for (and none of them have anything to do with a computer...imagine that!).

I was speaking with a friend of mine at Bluesocket, Inc. the other day, and he told me that his company is seeing more and more business from small- to mid-sized hospitals in the U.S. -- as opposed to the larger health garages. His guess is that these smaller hospitals are using Wi-Fi as a sales incentive to attract patients, and then extending these services to provide "point-of-patient-care" wireless access right at a patient's bedside.

Almost 80% of hospital executives polled last year by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society claimed they used, or planned to deploy, wireless networks within their organizations in 2005. These figures are backed up by market researcher International Data Corp. (IDC).

Most hospitals keep their wild and wooly Wi-Fi corralled to a specific area of the hospital, like the waiting room or a visitor area. This is because they want to keep access to the wireless net nice and simple and without too many ID and authentication hurdles. Nothing turns a person off more than complicated security procedures.

These same hospitals usually operate a public Wi-Fi in addition to proprietary wired and wireless systems. This is good because you don't want to provide a clear pathway back to sensitive medical records. It is also too bad because the real ROI of wireless comes from allowing people to use it to get back at those useful files and records -- especially doctors and nurses since it allows them more time with patients and less time running back and forth to a centrally located PC station.

There are some hospitals that are progressively using Wi-Fi to allow access to healthcare records, and even allowing patients to use this access to get more involved in the healthcare decision process. One of these is Providence Health System in Oregon, where a public wireless network can be used by patients and their family to get more information on hospital procedures and alternatives. "The goal is to get patients as educated and aware of the issues as possible," said Dr. Dick Gibson, chief medical information officer at the Portland-based hospital.

Good idea, especially as I face yet another HMO visit to check my blood pressure. And once again I sit there with nary a wireless signal in sight.

Tim Scannell is president of Shoreline Research and believes all hospitals should heal their wireless woes by taking two APs and e-mailing him in the morning.
Posted by Tim Scannell Hey buddy! Can you spare a tune?
08 JUN 2006 18:05 EDT (22:05, GMT)
I was out jogging with my hand-me-down iPod the other day. It is an earlier model that seems like a brick when compared with the lighter and sleeker units that are available now, but it serves my purpose well since I have built up pretty strong arm muscles from years of carrying around a six-pound notebook computer. Actually, I'm pretty buff in a pasty iPod kind of way.

Anyway, I was randomly shuffling through my library of about 1,200 tunes when suddenly it hit me: "My God! Did I make sure all of these songs were properly copyrighted and sourced before I stacked them in my iPod brick?" The answer, quite honestly, is yes. For the most part, anyway, since I am sure there are a few titles here and there that may have been passed along through Kazaa, LimeWire or one of the other file-sharing networks out there that let you "borrow" music without having to pay those exorbitant CD costs or deal with that frustrating shrink-wrap packaging. I mean, does anyone really view file-sharing and music-swapping as a crime these days?

Not many students, it seems. I talked a few months ago with Edmond Cooley, an assistant professor of engineering and the chief technology honcho at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire., He said that most students and employees at the school just don't perceive file-sharing as a crime, "even though it is in direct violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)."

For those of you who aren't up-to-date on music-related legislation, the DMCA was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and increases the penalties for Internet copyright infringements. The law also limits the liabilities of online service providers in copyright incidents involving their subscribers -- which is good news for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who do not want to get caught in the middle of a war between a college freshman and Bono or Meatloaf over copyright infringements. That could get kind of nasty.

"We cannot ignore the growing misuse of campus LAN systems or the toll this means of theft is taking on our industry," said RIAA President Cary Sherman, in a statement.

Most colleges reacted in typical administrative fashion by posting a notice on the campus online bulletin board, or pinning a paper warning right up there beside the "roommates wanted" listings in the student activity center. That'll get their attention!

Some colleges are taking it quite seriously, however. At Rutgers University, for example, IT administrators have established a bandwidth quota system for all of its users that limits the size of files passing through the wired and wireless networks. They can also use this rationing system to lock out users who exceed a specific amount of bandwidth within a seven-day period, explained one of their IT administrators.

Other colleges will most likely follow suit with similar monitoring and blocking technologies, which is good news for companies like Bluesocket, Inc. and Newbury Networks, Inc. which peddle those sorts of things. And business has never been better, since up to 98% of the top 50 campuses in the U.S. now have a wireless network, and 74% of those provide full coverage throughout their campus, according to Intel Corp.

Will these efforts stop file-swapping and sharing within colleges? Probably not. College kids just love a challenge, and the ones I know don't really take restrictions too seriously. Educators are also stuck between a rock (and roll) and a hard place, since they don't want to impede free speech and the free-flow of information, but must also comply with restrictions and rules.

Who knows!? We may eventually see college kids and others running to find sanctuary in the nearest library, where they can download all the files and materials and music they want, and then claim protection under the U.S. Constitution. What a country! It's music to my ears!

Tim Scannell is president of Shoreline Research, which follows the beat of the mobile and wireless industries and hardly ever drops a note.
Posted by Tim Scannell Changing my mind on MIMO (I think...)
07 JUN 2006 22:45 EDT (02:45, GMT)
One of the great things about being a mobile and wireless analyst is that you can change your mind if the industry winds start to blow slightly in another direction. After all, analysts base their predictions -- er, I mean intelligent forecasts -- on market conditions and technology developments. So it is perfectly acceptable that we can change our opinions when the variables suddenly shift.

This is why I now think that multiple input, multiple output technology (MIMO) might just be ready for adoption by some users -- even though the standards-setting bodies are still months, if not years, away from deciding on a final specification for release. Most of the major wireless device manufacturers have already released products based on early versions of the 802.11n specification, flooding the market with "maybe-MIMO" products.

It is sort of hinted that these products may be upgradeable to the final spec when it is released, although no one is really committing to it. As I talk with more and more MIMO makers, it is becoming increasingly clear that it will not be possible to simply inject a software upgrade into these early devices to bring them up to speed with the products due to come out a year or so from now.

Most likely, these early products will require a board-level upgrade, which means if they are not designed with an upgrade slot or swappable insert, they are pretty much destined for obsolescence. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since today's technology doesn't have that great a lifespan anyway. It is unfortunate, though, that some of these early MIMO devices can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars -- at least the stuff that is designed for enterprise use.

So, why am I changing my tune when it comes to early MIMO? Basically, it goes back to that old technology adage that the best time to buy new technology is today, since you can immediately begin using it before it is outdated tomorrow. Even though MIMO isn't quite there in terms of what it will eventually become, it does deliver a stronger and more reliable signal across a user's network. This is just the nature of multiple antenna technology.

Sure, a MIMO access point costs more than a conventional 802.11 a, b or g product, but since it provides a wider and more robust coverage area, you can use less access points (APs) to provide services. Right now, most businesses throw technology at the problem by over-saturating an office or building with APs to eliminate weak signal areas or dead zones. This not only costs more money, but may also create control and management problems in dealing with an army of APs. The trend right now is to extend security and management to the very edges of a wireless network, which is a challenge if you have too many edges in the mix.

I am still skeptical about many of the MIMO products out there and respect the position of companies like Hewlett Packard, which are passing on MIMO until the ink has dried on the final specification. But, it is worthwhile to at least dip a small toe into MIMO to get ready for what may be coming down the road. My advice would be to look for products that allow you to perform a hardware upgrade at some point, perhaps by swapping out internal boards.

Also, go for those products that are compatible with your current network equipment. The last thing you want to do is throw out the Wi-Fi baby with the bathwater. That would be a MIMO-mistake, don't you think?

Tim Scannell is founder and president of Shoreline Research and retains the right to entirely change the opinions stated in this blog without a moments notice...just because he can.
Posted by Tim Scannell Why WiMAX?
07 JUN 2006 00:14 EDT (04:14, GMT)
Is it a coincidence that the WiMAX Forum is holding its strategy meeting this week as part of the Globalcomm 2006 conference in Chicago, which is also known as the "Windy City"?

It's not that the technology doesn't work, because it does and is chugging along quite nicely in Europe and Asia. The problem is that there have been very little actual deployments here in the U.S. except for a few trials here and there. This is because the frequencies reserved for WiMAX operation, which are open and widely available outside the U.S., are reserved for highly proprietary functions here in the States. And by "proprietary" I mean mostly military and non-civilian applications.

That's a problem for WiMAX system developers, since the standards-based systems they build for applications outside the U.S. do not comply with communications frequencies here in the U.S. These manufacturers also do not want to build products specific to the U.S. markets and frequency restrictions because there just isn't any demand for WiMAX here.

The reason there is little or no demand for WiMAX is primarily that the more familiar and widely available technologies, like 802.11 Wi-Fi already work quite well for most applications. This technology is even evolving into city-wide mesh networking systems that not only expand that 802.11 bubble from several hundred feet to hundreds of miles, but also provide some degree of failsafe redundant operations since this is the nature of the mesh networking beast.

At the Chicago conference this week, the WiMAX crowd will be discussing such things as WiMAX market momentum and how service providers will fit into the WiMAX picture. They will even exchange thoughts on WiMAX and the future of Voice over IP (VoIP) -- although if the recent heat being applied to Vonage and other leading VoIP providers is any indication, this may be a stone best left unturned for now.

If I were invited, however, I would focus my attention on how to play ball with the Wi-Fi team, especially as companies involved in this sector expand with all sorts of new technologies and twists ranging from location-based systems to mobile wireless networks. It's just as well I wasn't invited, though, since the weather is still a bit unstable for a Chicago tour.

It might be helpful to invite someone from outside the WiMAX camp to talk about needs in the real world as well. For example, WiMAX vendors think that lowering the cost of equipment will make the wireless service providers come running to sign up for last-mile and backhaul connections. What they don't realize is that they are still huckstering technology in a world that buys applications -- sort of like a carnival barker selling tickets to take a peek at the world's tallest man, but the tent is only eight feet high so you know the promise just won't meet the reality.

Buyer resistance and frequency roadblocks aren't the only problems facing poor WiMAX. It must also contend with the rapid evolution and refinement of 802.11 and other wireless systems. I'm not talking about the introduction of MIMO technology at your local Best Buy, since this technology is still a bit wet behind the ears and vendors are jumping the gun. I am referring to companies like Boston's SkyHook Wireless, which has developed a way to use Wi-Fi and GPS to provide very accurate outside and in-building location-based technology.

I am also intrigued by Rosum Corp., which does the same thing, but relies on television broadcasting signals to pinpoint a person's location. Public safety officials are also interested, since this and other systems can be used to track firefighters, police officers and others during times of emergency or natural disasters. These are real applications in need of new technology approaches. Don't agree with me? Then tell me why!

Tim Scannell is a long-time user of all types of wireless networks and technologies, but still manages to get occasionally lost when he strays too far from the Shoreline Research offices in Quincy, MA.
Posted by Tim Scannell Moving forward with backup
05 JUN 2006 18:20 EDT (22:20, GMT)
If there is one thing I have learned in communicating with hundreds of mobile workers over the past year or so, it's that most are more reactive than proactive when it comes to technology safeguards.

The majority of these up-and-around people don't really think about security and encryption until they lose a handheld system or their cell phone in the back of a New York City cab. ("Yes, officer, I believe I dropped it in a yellow taxi. It shouldn't be too hard to find!") They also don't worry about backing up the data on their mobile system or easily retrieving that information while on the road until a system goes missing or it suddenly crashes.

IT departments worry about mobile workers losing systems and data while on the road. I do, too, although this is more out of that good old Catholic guilt that forces me to find the negative in even the most positive situation. That's a topic for my therapist, though, and not today's blog, which will focus on the issue of backup and retrieval alternatives.

Most people do not back up their data on a regular basis because:

1. It take so much time and

2. It isn't something that is easily accomplished when you are traveling and the victim of a closed Internet connection.

Microsoft Windows XP offers a built-in backup utility, although it backs up the entire drive and does not selectively tag those files that have changed since your last visit. As a result, this can take hours even with the fastest connection. You also have to have some place to store this backup information, which means you must carry one of those portable hard drives with you. Not impossible, but just another brick in the wall for road demons.

There are a variety of so-called "free" services from Google and others that provide a limited amount of online backup, but most of these alternatives provide a limited amount of storage space. If you want more, you have to pay more. At least this is the business model offered by xDrive, iBackup and other companies that charge fees based on how many megabytes you eat up with your storage needs.

Services like Go-To-My-PC and LapLink also let you access your home or office PC remotely to retrieve needed files. But this means you have to leave the remote system on and you have a functioning client system to use to access the remote computer.

I recently found another alternative that seems a little too good to be true since it offers unlimited backup and retrieval services for about $5 per month, or less if you sign on for a yearly plan. The company is called Carbonite, which was reason enough for me to ring up the CEO and founder to ask him just what the deal is and how much this service is really going to cost.

As it turns out, the service really is just five bucks a month for all-you-can-eat storage and some pretty cool retrieval tools. CEO David Friend tells me that he hopes to attract a wide base of consumers, telecommuters and small businesses with this strategy. Of course, he also hopes to make some money since storage is getting cheaper every day and the dynamics of mass consumption will eventually deliver profits. Also, most people will only use as much storage as their mobile PC, which means the majority of Carbonite customers will average about 100GB of space.

When you first use Carbonite, you are offered the option of backing up the entire disk or just files contained in a PC's Desktop and My Documents folders. The service does not back up system files, executables or temporary files, and will not back up files larger than 2GB, since this would take too long, says Friend. After that initial backup, the service -- a piece of which resides on your mobile system -- only backs up those files that have changed since the last session.

What is really neat is that if you don't have a connection, the local software will keep on cataloguing and tagging files in anticipation of that Internet fix at the end of the day.

Friend told me he got the idea for the service when his college-aged daughter's computer crashed and she lost six weeks' worth of work for a term paper. He took her PC to one of those computer forensics places, but they were unable to recover the files. The incident gave birth to Friend's sixth company -- all in a day's work for a die-hard serial entrepreneur! (And if you must know, the name of the company is inspired by that famous scene from Star Wars where Han Solo is flash-frozen in carbonite. In fact, if you drill down into the company's Web site you will find an "instructor" that bears a strikingly similar name!)

I haven't tried the service yet, despite an invitation from Dave Friend. Maybe it's that Catholic guilt agin -- this time it's preventing me from taking what seems to be an easy route out of backup hell. Or maybe I am just one of those reactive mobile types who is just waiting for the hammer to fall before taking the plunge. What are your thoughts on the backup upstarts?

Tim Scannell is president of Shoreline Research, which always has a backup plan when it comes to keeping tabs on the mobile and wireless industries.
Posted by Tim Scannell Government control of wireless security a real 'Paine'
04 JUN 2006 00:10 EDT (04:10, GMT)
Don't say we were never warned. More than a few years ago I was sitting in a crowded conference room listening to yet another presentation on wireless security and the impending doom and gloom facing every company that dares to unplug its network and throw data to the wind.

I suddenly perked up as a speaker from one of those alphabet soup government agencies got up, looked the IT audience smack in the eye and said, "If U.S. companies don't do something about wireless security and do it fast, then the government would come in and do it for them."

Naturally, this sent a chill through the audience since everyone knows just how disastrous it would be for the government to take control of wireless network security and the unlicensed 802.11 spectrum. Revolutionary author Thomas Paine had it right when he said that "government is best which governs least," although I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about wireless back then.

I kind of dismissed this comment for years, until several weeks ago when I found myself talking to Andrew Neuman, senior assistant to the county executive in tiny Westchester County. You see, Andrew and other legislators in this upstate New York region decided to pass a law that made it illegal for businesses not to secure their wireless networks. Starting this October, if their network police catch a business with an unsecured Wi-Fi network, it will be a stern warning for the first offense and a cash fine for subsequent infractions.

Westchester County officials decided to be the first region in the nation to put a wireless law on the books. This was their reaction to increasing reports in the press about security breaches, and warnings from Homeland Security-types that "mainstream" American cities would most likely be gateways for terrorist attacks on major computer systems. It's enough to cause Barney Fife to take that single bullet from his pocket and put it into his gun.

Neuman and his legislative band are quite serious about this effort and have gotten inquiries from as far away as Japan asking how they intend to police activities and force businesses to comply. While the new law does not affect public hotspots, it will require local hotels, airports and the ubiquitous Starbucks to post signs warning individuals to use security on their notebooks when wirelessly cruising the Internet.

I asked Neuman if Westchester's Wi-Fi Squad would be offering any training courses or requiring network scofflaws to sign up for network security education classes when they break the law. After all, many states do this for traffic violations, so it would seem logical to do the same for people who leave their wireless door open to the neighborhood al-Qaida. "Nope," he said. "They will just deal with the crime and the punishment, and not education and prevention."

This is a bit disturbing, since most of the network security-types I talked to agreed that education was the best route to teach prevention.

Maybe you think this is just a one-shot deal and that Westchester County, which encompasses White Plains and IBM Corp., is just creating a tempest in a T-Mobile pot. That's what I thought, until I read this week that city officials in Lawrence, Kan., want to ban the use of all cell phones and mobile devices in cars. A few months ago, lawmakers in a small Texas town also tried to prosecute someone for abusing a wireless network -- although they only managed to nail the guy for accessing a database without permission.

Thomas Paine was right. These are times that try men's souls. What do you think?

Tim Scannell is founder and president of Shoreline Research and most always drives the speed limit when wirelessly driving down the information superhighway.
Posted by Tim Scannell