The Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications, From Cellular Systems to WAP and M-Commerce [Paperback]

Andy Dornan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130317160 | ISBN-13: 978-0130317162 | Publication Date: December 12, 2000 | Edition: 1st

The next-generation wireless and mobile Internet revolution is underway! Now, there's a complete guide to next-generation wireless applications and their business impact -- written specifically for non-technical professionals. Network Magazine editor Andy Dornan reviews all the latest developments, from WAP and Bluetooth to wireless LANs and Internet satellite services, and beyond. The book includes detailed, up-to-date coverage of cellular, PCS, third-generation systems, and their applications -- including real-world guidance on purchasing cell phones and service for business. Dornan takes an in-depth look at WAP-based mobile data services, gateways, and servers, and walks you step-by-step through WAP-enabling your Web site. He reviews the state-of-the-art in mobile commerce, including security, payment systems, and the coming battle between mobile operators and content providers over "who owns the customer." The book includes detailed comparisons of mobile OSes, including Palm, Windows CE, and Symbian's EPOC; an extensive overview of private wireless LANs and Bluetooth Personal Area Networks (PANs); coverage of Internet access via satellite, and more. A follow-up to the best selling Essential Guide to RF and Wireless (ISBN: 0-13-025962-4), which focused on the underlying technologies and infrastructure of next-generation wireless.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Wireless applications may (or may not) be the next big thing in communications. The Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications surveys the universe of wireless telephony and data-communications technologies with an eye to mobile commerce and information services. For the most part, this guide isn't well suited to engineers or technicians, but rather to managers, salespeople, corporate decision-makers, and investors, who need the big picture without too many details. When they finish this book, readers will understand competing wireless telephony technologies, as well as the latest developments in short-range wireless networking (Bluetooth especially) and the promise of satellite-based global-roaming services. As the title implies, the book also emphasizes ways of putting telecommunications to work--distributing information and bringing in revenue.

You can read this book straight through if you like, but many readers probably will prefer to use it as a sort of encyclopedia. You can locate the section that interests you, and absorb its essentials (mostly in the text format) in a short time. As with a traditional encyclopedia, you can expect to back up your research with further reading on the Web and in more focused publications. --David Wall

Topics covered:

• Wireless voice and data communications technologies and the applications (such as mobile commerce) that run on them
• Established cellular and digital technologies (AMPS, D-AMPS, GSM, and CDMA)
• Third-generation standards (including IMT-2000, W-CDMA, and CDMA-2000)
• Applications technologies (including the Wireless Application Protocol--WAP--suite and Short Messaging Services--SMS)

From the Inside Flap

Preface

Most of us form some kind of picture in our mind when we talk to someone on the phone. We usually imagine them sitting at a desk or lounging on a sofa, but those pictures are no longer true. Dial a number in some European countries, and the chances are that it will reach a wireless phone. The person you talk to could be sailing in Lake Geneva, trekking across Lapland, or just walking down any city street.

Soon we won't have to imagine. The phone companies are already demonstrating wireless videophones that double as pen-based computers, and that's just the start. The very term "cellphone" may soon itself becoming outdated, as the next generation of mobile data terminals will be able to do far more than transmit voice. Visionaries predict mobile links as good as those that office computers users enjoy, enabling high-speed Internet access, CD-quality sound, and crystal-clear video.

Even more exciting are the new applications unique to mobile devices: location-based maps, personalized weather forecasts, even real-time medical monitoring. Electronic currency could allow a cellphone to become a virtual wallet, transmitting the equivalent of cash to stores both in the real world and online. Marketers refer to all these applications as the "Wireless Web," a somewhat empty phrase. It is both as meaningless and as promising as the "Information Superhighway" of nearly a decade ago.

The Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications is designed to look beyond the hype, examining just what is and isn't possible with present-day and future wireless systems. It is primarily focused on the applications, but to understand these properly requires a look at the underlying technology. For example, the first version of WAP promoted a backlash among European users because it had been promoted as equivalent to the wired Internet. If the marketers had understood the technology and been more honest, it might have seemed less of a disappointment.

This book is intended for anyone who wants (or needs) to learn about the new wave of wireless networks. It will introduce you to all the most important wireless technologies, then explore their likely impact on both commerce and culture.Structure

Each chapter is intended to stand alone, though the whole book should also make sense when read from beginning to end. Readers who already know a bit about the technology, or who are entirely technophobic, may wish to skip parts of Chapters 2 to 5. These explain in detail how the first, second and third generation cellular systems work, exploring the type of applications that each is best suited to as well as the financial and regulatory problems in their way.

Chapters 6 and 7 focus solely on the applications, looking at the types of services available from each system today and tomorrow. They also take a look at the hard economics behind investment in mobile systems, and the reason that Europe's telecom carriers are gambling up to a trillion dollars on 3G.

Chapter 8 deals with some of the hardware needed for wireless services, from the cellular operators' infrastructure of radio masts to the servers hosting individual WAP sites. Mobile phones themselves are investigated in Chapter 10, which considers the different paths that their evolution may take. Some are predicting that they expand to become computers, others that they shrink to the size of headsets.

Bluetooth is one of the hottest new wireless technologies, designed for short-range links between almost all electronic appliances. Chapter 9 takes a detailed look at this, and compares it to rival systems that might be used for the same purposes. The final two chapters are dedicated to fixed wireless systems, such as satellites. Despite some high-profile failures, many new satellite constellations are still on the launchpad. They claim to offer truly global networks, promising Internet access from ocean liners, intercontinental jets, and even the South Pole.

At the end of every chapter is a summary page, highlighting the important information contained within. Each chapter also contains a short a list of relevant Web sites, for readers hoping to learn more. None of these have any connection with this book, but all contain some useful information.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 315 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR; 1st edition (December 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130317160
• ISBN-13: 978-0130317162
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,535,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of the wireless world, January 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications, From Cellular Systems to WAP and M-Commerce (Paperback)

As someone new to wireless technology, I found this book very helpful. It explains what all the buzzwords like 3G and m-commerce actually MEAN, and left me understanding a lot mroe about the industry than before. I particularly liked the chapter on how 3G works, because it had a lot of detailed info without being overwhelming. There's actually quite a lot of technical details throughout the book, yet it's still readable. You can read it almost from cover to cover as an introduction to the topic, then keep it as a reference later.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little of everything, February 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications, From Cellular Systems to WAP and M-Commerce (Paperback)

Explains what lies behind most of the hype about 3G and mobile Internet, plus a lot more like MMDS that I hadn't heard of before. Don't expect it to turn you into an expert on wireless overnight, but it will bring you up to speed on the technology.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and balanced perspectives on wireless technology, May 23, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications, From Cellular Systems to WAP and M-Commerce (Paperback)

The writing of such a book inevitably involves balancing between the amount of detail provided and the level of accessibility for the average layman; in my opinion, the author manages this remarkably well. Almost everything that spans the gamut of wireless technology is covered, apart from technically involved topics, yet the conciseness of the text allows the reader to have a good grasp of the relevant issues within a short time. What makes this book stand out though is the refreshing insight into various aspects of the technology offered by the author; the preface says that "it is designed to look beyond the hype", and from what is written you can tell that the author knows what he is talking about.

I will definitely be looking out for a second edition and other works by Andy Dornan.