SIM with WiFI

Sagem Orga and Telefonica have been working on next generation SIM card called SIMFi.

With SIMFi, you can convert a phone into a WiFi hotspot. The phone would use HSPA/LTE for data connectivity and at the same time it would broadcast WiFi signal for any equipment to connect to these signals ans browse the web. Power consumption information have not been mentioned which I am sure be a problem for the phone.

SIMfi removes the need for additional accessories to facilitate transmission services (e.g. WiFi, USB modem, PCMCIA) and can make connectivity a lot simpler, straitforward and cheaper.

SIMFi specifications

• SIM card compatible with the latest telecom specifications.
• SIM card: ISO 2FF plug-in
• The mobile phone does not need any special features.
• Modem WiFi integrated in the SIM card, works with 802.11b.
• The modem is guided by the SIM card's tools.
• Energy-saving features (works with 2G and 3G).
• The aerial is adaptable, allowing short- and long-range operations (from 2 cm to 30 m) managed by the SIM card's tools.

参考：http://www.morpho-edocs.com/index.php?myELEMENT=World%20premier:%20Sagem%20Orga%20and%20Telefonica%20turn%20the%20SIM%20card%20into%20a%20Wi-Fi%20hotspot&mySID=cbd11aad8770d04adc34f134a0bf442b&new_site_id=2

Bluetootch 3.0 has a big problem on consuming too much power. The new 4.0 specifications allow for smaller devices that require coin-cell batteries to run.

As well as utillising less power, the device also has higher speed data transfer. Version 3.0 was launched last year although it kind of fell flat on it's face due to the power requirement needed. Version 4.0 fixes those problems

Versio 4.0 allows devices to jump onto Wi-Fi 802.11 networks, where it can transfer data at up to 25Mbits per second.

Hopefully with the lower power requirement s and the options to switch to 802.11 netwroks we should start seeing more devices using the Bluetooth sepecifcation.

Discovery Protocols for FMC devices

Mobile computers include additional features such as Java, Bluetooth, Smart Covers, WAP 2.0, and JavaScript enabled Web pages and with embedded SOAP, 3GPP with SIP, and other technologies that make it possible to provide sophisticated, distributed applications. These new application need Discovery tools to learn about the nearby networks or network-accessible resources available to them.

In FMC, PnP devices (Plug and Play) will be commonly available. When a user bring a new device home, the device will be able to automatically integrate itself into the home network. Discovery protocols are the mechanisms that make this possible.

Discovery protocols are network protocols used to discover services, devices, or other networked resources. The ability to discover networked resources at runtime makes it possible to dynamically configure distributed systems.

The main topics for discovery protocols are scalability, security, and awareness.

Usually, a discovery protocol allows a service to be discovered on the basis of its type, its Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and other properties -- not joust its name. For example , DNS is a name service. It resolves domain names to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. For example SLP(Service Location Protocol) clients can ask for services that match certain constraints, and servers respond with the names of services that match those constraints.

In general, there are four basic mechanisms that discovery protocols use for "discovery"

1. Advertisement

2. Inquiry

3. Directories

4. Description

Today's systems implement multiple discovery protocols. However, Mobile phones users may be concerned inefficient protocols designed for LANs -- both the financial cost of using the cellular network and the drain on their batteries of using any network.

It is common for discovery protocols to come as an integrated part of a distributed middleware toolkit. In addition to discovery, distributed middleware toolkits provide for remote invocation and events. Jini is a distributed middleware toolkit that provides its own services discovery protocol.

Distributed middleware toolkits make it possible to create smart controllers that

1. use discovery protocols to integrate themselves with the home devices.

2. aware the device state and display information from the device to the user

3. receive responses from control messages

4. authenticate themselves as authorized for the device

5. coordinate the actions of many devices.

参考：Technologies for Home Networking