Award: Mobile Device Management System
Winner: XcelleNet: Afaria 3.0
For years, we've written about the challenges associated with managing networked desktop computers in an enterprise setting. If that's not challenging enough for you masochists out there, try managing a large population of mobile computer users. If you search hard enough, you can find some interesting products, but none offer the administrative flexibility and scalability of XcelleNet's Afaria. Using a channel paradigm, the Afaria server creates and publishes channels to which remote clients can subscribe and unsubscribe. Channel access can be restricted in a number of ways, and we liked Afaria's integration with Windows NT domains and LDAP directories.
Afaria's software distribution component, the Software Manager, supports both automatic data/file compression and built-in encryption. The Software Manager includes an excellent wizard that allows for incredible software distribution flexibility that's among the best we've seen. Afaria's content/document management capabilities let you quickly set up automatic or user-requested distribution of specific kinds of content and data while the Session Manager module controls file-transfer parameters, fault-tolerant communications, incremental updates, file differencing, checkpoint restart and so on. Finally, you can configure Inventory Management Channels to automatically retrieve hardware, software and/or directory-level information from client devices.
When we reviewed Afaria in June 2000, we were a little disappointed with the product's PDA (personal digital assistant) management capabilities, but recent releases of the product have significantly improved the product's capabilities in that area.
Award: Mobile Handheld Wireless Data Service
Winner: Sprint PCS: Sprint PCS Wireless Web
Promise abounds for really great wide-area wireless data services in coming years, but don't hold your breath. While the here-and-now for mobile data is full of compromises, it doesn't mean you can't make a business case for existing technologies. If you had to pick one service that comes closest to delivering value for mobile data users, it would be Sprint PCS' Wireless Web. Sprint's network is built on a firm technical foundation - CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) -- that will serve as the basis for 3G networks of the future.
Unlike those future networks, Sprint's current offering is circuit switched, but that doesn't totally diminish its effectiveness. Like all 2G mobile data networks, performance is nothing to get excited about with maximum theoretical data rates of 14.4 Kbps. In our testing, effective throughput was less than 20 percent of that data rate -- proving again that when it comes to wireless data, your mileage may vary. Nonetheless, with the increased availability of Web sites optimized for low-speed mobile data, Sprint's service, used in conjunction with the newest generation of PCS phones, delivers functionality you just couldn't get a few years ago.
Coverage is generally good within metropolitan areas, including all major U.S. airports. However, if you wander away from cities or major interstate highways, it won't take long for the signal to disappear. Likewise, in-building access is spotty -- an indication that Sprint still has some work to do to build out its infrastructure.
Award: Wireless LAN Platform
Winner: Cisco Systems: Cisco Aironet 340 WLAN Series, now shipping 350 Series
Cisco came relatively late to the WLAN (wireless LAN) game, but its acquisition of Aironet was just one more in a long line of well-conceived and well-executed business deals. Cisco has continued to invest in and improve upon Aironet's market-leading technology, and it seems committed to maintaining a leadership position. The Cisco Aironet 340 WLAN series consists of two primary components: The well-designed Aironet 340 PC-card NIC, which is built around the popular Intersil radio chipset, and the first-rate software utilities that accompany the card. While you'll pay a premium for Cisco's Aironet NICs, it's a safe choice for network managers who are looking for high quality in an increasingly commoditized market.
The Aironet 340 access point continues to set the standard for competitors. While we're still far from satisfied with the state-of-the-art in WLAN management, Cisco comes the closest to meeting enterprise standards. The unit offers a range of configuration, management and security options, and its performance is excellent. Cisco's newest generation 350 Series adds to an already solid offering with tunable power levels, load balancing across access points, power over Ethernet support and a robust security system. While the security system does force you to sacrifice interoperability to achieve the desired benefits, Cisco deserves some credit for building the system around industry standards. Some day, the 802.11 committee will catch up.
Award: Mobile Handheld Wireless Device
Winner: Palm Computing: Palm VIIx Wireless Handheld
Is the Palm VII the perfect wireless-enabled PDA (personal digital assistant)? We think not. But the overall package offering, which combines the obvious benefit of compatibility with the leading PDA operating system -- Palm OS -- with wireless access through Bell South's ubiquitous data network, makes it a winner in our book.
When the Palm VII was first introduced, it took its share of hits, including some in our pages. But those criticisms had as much to do with unrealistic expectations as anything else. We'd all love to have a PDA that lets us browse the Web as quickly and easily as we do on our desktops, but it's not Palm Computing's fault that today wide-area wireless data services leave a lot to be desired. The product's designers accepted these limitations and designed a product that provides value within these constraints. The secret sauce is the PQAs (Palm Query Applications) that allow the Palm VII to interact with Web-based services in a manner considerably more bandwidth-efficient than standard HTML. The Palm VII ships with a selection of PQAs that make the product useful the instant you open the box, and hundreds more are available for download from the Web.
With prices ranging from around $10 per month for limited access (about 50 screen views) to $45 for unlimited access, using a Palm VII isn't cheap. However, if you need data-on-the-go and you need it now, it's tough to go wrong with this product/service combo. On the other hand, if you're willing to wait just a little longer, you can expect a successor to the Palm VII before too long.
Award: Most Innovative New Wireless Data Service
Winner: MobileStar Network Corp.: MobileStar
Innovation is all about taking risks. That's just what MobileStar Network Corp. did when it began building out what is now the world's largest wireless broadband communications network targeted at meeting the needs of mobile professionals. In developing its network-using standards-based wireless technology, MobileStar chose some obvious locations -- airports and hotels -- and some not-so-obvious locals -- coffee shops and restaurants -- that made people scratch their heads and say, "that's way cool."
Unlike traditional wireless service providers that incur tremendous build-out costs in their attempts to provide near-universal coverage, MobileStar has embraced the concept of wireless broadband hotspots. Just because MobileStar has coverage in a particular airport, doesn't mean the entire airport is covered -- sometimes, you need to be in a particular terminal to get service. But hey, for affordable multimegabit Internet access, most of us are willing to hike a few yards. Some of our frequent-flier editors have been early adopters, and the reactions have been universally positive. MobileStar now has a presence in 140 different locations, including 18 of the top 20 metropolitan areas.
While we applaud the folks at MobileStar for their innovation, we think there's room for improvement. We'd like to see them dump the proprietary, frequency-hopping technology installed in some locations in favor of 802.11b everywhere. And while MobileStar offers a range of pricing plans, the flat-rate pricing for unlimited service, at $59.95 per month, is a bit on the high side.
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