Chapter 26

1. Chapter 26 Emerging Technologies

2. Chapter 26 Objectives • Understand methods to handle speed and bandwidth on the Internet • Prepare for real time wireless communications • Consider the human interface and role of PDAs • Understand the meaning of artificial intelligence • Explore the role of bots on the Web • Define HDTV and the future of digital television • Consider how hubs facilitate wireless Ethernet networks

3. Emerging Technologies • Since the Internet is the communications infrastructure of the 21st century, its future is vitally important • New technologies are cyclical, and include • Invention • Prototyping • Proof of concept • Productizing • Manufacture

4. Emerging Technologies • Information technologies are rapidly changing and PCs bought this year are quickly outdated • Sometimes it seems like WWW stands for World Wide Wait • Fuchs’s law* states, “The time to acquisition is longer than the time to obsolescence.” *Ira Fuchs, V.P. IT Research, Andrew Mellon Foundation, Chronicle of Higher Education 28 March 1997

5. Improving the Infrastructure • Solutions include MBONE, which stands for Multicast Backbone • MBONE • is a multicasting network of computers on the Internet that is growing in importance • It transmits simultaneous live video and audio broadcasts for the converging TV, telephone, and computer industries • To connect MBONE, your ISP needs special routing and switching equipment

6. Improving the Infrastructure • Streaming media network (SMN) vendors apply MBONE concepts for uninterrupted audio/video streams • iBeam uses satellites • Akamai uses server farms that are near the edge of ISPs for streaming media • In Europe, the Servecast SMN has a similar edge delivery network

7. Figure 26-2 Streaming media networks locate so-called edge servers that contain mirror copies of multimedia content; thus, an ISP can get a stream started faster from the edge server than from the original source of the Webcast.

8. Internet2 • A consortium of over 200 universities is leading a project called Internet2 • Internet2 uses high speed connection points called Gigapops • Internet2 has three protocols • The Resource Reservation Protocol reserves bandwidth between the workstation and the host • Internet Protocol version 6 is a packet-delivery protocol with assigned priorities • Multicast uses IP tunneling and multithreading

9. Wireless Communications • In the 20th century, a wire or cable hookup was required to connect a computer to the Internet • Today, wireless communication techniques include smart cell phones, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,and IP Telephony

10. Wireless Cell Phones • Cingular Wireless offers Internet service on the Motorola Smartphone • Access a mobile Web browser for online shopping, news, weather, sports, stock quotes, flight reservations, check arrivals, online trading, etc. • ActiveSync software synchronizes your phone with Outlook or Lotus Notes • Read your e-mail from WorldNet, AOL, or Yahoo!mail

11. Bluetooth • Bluetooth is an emerging standard for high-speed wireless communications • All major telecomm and computer vendors support Bluetooth • Bluetooth transmits a short-range radio signal that replaces cable connections • Bluetooth offers wireless connections to LANs, telephone networks, and the Internet • The Bluetooth specification is free at www.bluetooth.com

12. Bluetooth Bluetooth devices communicate via short-wave radio links called Piconet. Figure 26-4 Bluetooth-enabled devices can communicate with up to seven devices at once.

13. Wi-Fi • Wi-Fi is the trade name for products based on the IEEE 802-11 specification for wireless local area networks • Wi-Fi networks • Operate up to 300 feet with access points called HotSpots for Wi-Fi enabled devices • Wi-Fi requires either a provider account or FreeSpots at hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, malls, airports, business districts, etc. • The Wi-Fi Alliance has 205 companies and 1,500 certified products

14. IP Telephony • Microsoft’s Telephone Application Program Interface (TAPI) converges public switched telephone networks with the Internet Protocol (IP) telephony • IP telephony collapses voice, video, and data into one network • TAPI technology is evolving • Microsoft is developing a markup language that will allow users to dial and talk over Web pages

15. VoIP • Using TAPI, a Web site can easily establish a voice-over (VoIP) link • The VoIP bandwagon is growing • VoIP calls cost about 80 percent less than traditional long distance • Verizon (phone) and Comcast (cable) are competing aggressively for VoIP customers

16. Personal Digital Assistants • Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are portable, handheld computers • PDAs can be synchronized with your computer for personal information such as address book, calendar, and Web sites • You can also download music and videos • The two main families of PDAs are Windows CE and Palm

17. Personal Digital Assistants • Windows CE is a compact version of Microsoft O/S for consumer devices • PocketPCis the trade name for palm-sized PDAs • Palm, Inc. is the leader in PDAs • It was first to market in 1996 • Palm’s OS market share slipped from 70% in 2000 to 30% in 2005 • Future competition will be keen between PocketPCs and Palm devices

18. Smart Watches Microsoft’s MSN Direct service offers a Smart Watch with three-step access • Choose smart watches from Swatch, Fossil, or Tissot • Use a Web browser to activate and use the service from the MSN direct Web site • Information is encrypted and sent to your watch via FM radio signals Figure 26-7 The Tissot HighT is a Smart Watch with a touch screen. Six alternate faces come with the watch.

19. Artificial Intelligence for the Internet • Voice Recognition • Apple Speech Recognition is built into the Mac OSX • The product allows the developer to define the active words for custom vocabularies • IBM’s Via Voice and Dragon System’s NaturallySpeaking are competing on the Windows platform • Both products recognize tens of thousands of words and are trainable

20. Artificial Intelligence for the Internet • Text-to-Speech Conversion • PlainTalk, • Apple’s text-to-speech product speaks in Spanish and English • DirectTalk • On Windows and Unix, an IBM product for building an interactive voice response system • Chant Corporation’s SpeechKit • Includes speech synthesis and text-to-speech

21. Foreign Language Translation • IBM’s Websphere Translation Server can translate Web pages, e-mail and chat • From English into French, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean • FromFrench, Italian, German and Spanish into English • Translation speeds range from 200 to 500 words per second • Several foreign language translations are used at the Google.com search engine

22. Image Recognition • Virage’s VIR product compares images with a visual template • VIR software reduces an image into a one-kilobyte file, based on the placement, color, and texture of the shapes • The VIR image engine is used with Oracle, Informix, Sysbase, Object Design, and Objectivity databases • To read U.S. Patent 5,893,095 for VIR, go to www.uspto.gov

23. Bots • Bots, short for robots, are programmed to act as intelligent agents that go out on the network to find or do things for you • Ferretsoft • Hunts for Web pages, e-mail addresses, files, chat rooms, phone numbers and news • BotSpot • Helps to shop, invest, learn, and research • StreetPrices, Priceline, mySimon, BottomDollar etc, • Online shopping bots

24. Digital Television and Video • By 2010, most users will be able to surf the Internet and watch TV on the same high-resolution display screen • The new digital television signal is called HDTV, which stands for high-definition television

25. HDTV • The HDTV standard is based on four technologies • MPEG digital video compression • Packet transmission that permits video, audio, and data • Progressive scanning for computer interoperability • 60 frames per second at 1920 x 1080 pixels • CD-quality digital surround using Dolby AC-3 audio technology

26. MPEG • MPEG stands for Motion Picture Experts Group • MPEG compresses video by using a transform algorithm to eliminate redundancy in blocks of pixels • MPEG is the standard for compact discs, DVD, cable TV, satellite broadcasts, HDTV, and the popular DirecTV system

27. MSN TV Internet Receiver • The MSN TV Internet Receiver is a new set-top box technology • The set-top box is a device that combines your telephone with the video signal on your TV or VCR • You must subscribe to the MSN TV service, which provides MSN Messenger, MSN News, and Hotmail

28. MSN TV Internet Receiver Figure 26-9 MSN TV comes with a set-top box, a computer keyboard, and a universal remote that features “one-thumb” surfing. Figure 26-8 MSN TV connects your telephone to your TV for access to the World Wide Web and e-mail.

29. Microsoft TV • Microsoft TV records your favorite shows without a VCR, pauses live TV, creates your program lineup, and does instant replay • Verizon, SBC, and BellSouth’s Fiber Optic Services all include an interactive program guide, HDTV, digital video recording, and video on demand

30. Digital Hubs • Your future PC will be a digital hub that will coordinate all of the electronic devices in your home • Microsoft’s hub product is called Windows XP Media Center Edition • Apple is working to make the Macintosh the preferred home entertainment hub • In 2004, Moxi Media Center won an Emmy for Best TV User Interface Design

31. Emerging Digital Hub Features • Wireless transmission of multimedia • Distribution of video streams • Print photos from your digital camera • Download music in your PDA • Upload, edit, and play movies on HDTV • Capture images from wireless cameras • Send scheduled/random pages to you • Remote control of all devices, on or off site