webPads

1
webPads

• Jeff McDonell
• Director
• Information Technology Services
• University of Southern Queensland
• Australia

2
What are webPads

• Typically single-function interface devices that
  display a web page or similar
• Usually with minimal I/O capability, such as a
  touch screen, infrared keyboard, etc
• Generally considered midway between laptops and
  PDAs
• Usually battery powered and connected to a
  wireless network

3
What are webPads

• Often without a local hard disk, but may have
  memory card storage
• Often come with a cradle or base-station
• Usually require extensive backend application
  servers
• Strongly marketed for home roaming
• Examples are the QUBIT, Intel tablet (coming),
  Sony AirBoard (Japan only)

4
What are Internet Appliances

• Internet Appliances are devices connected by
  power and network cables
• Typically low-cost PC equivalents for example
  the NIC or IAN devices
• Can also depend on back-end application servers,
  but often run stand-alone operating systems with
  local hard disk storage

5
Why will webPads be important to Higher Education?

• webPads have the potential to provide low-cost
  simple interface devices for all students on
  campus
• They come without the high IT support
  requirements of laptops
• But have more power and performance than PDAs or
  WAP-enabled cell phones

6
Why will webPads be important to Higher Education?

• Despite requiring extensive tele-communications
  infrastructure and robust application servers,
  webPads will substitute for desktop computers,
  particularly for student casual IT use on campus
• The demand for large classrooms of desktop
  computers will diminish, as the cost of desktop
  computers is effectively transferred to students

7
Why will webPads be important to Higher Education?

• But more importantly - with appropriate
  investment by universities in wireless LAN
  infrastructure and application servers, webPads
  can provide an Internet Everywhere environment
• This can be the lynchpin for future student
  centered e-learning environments, for on-campus
  and off-campus education

8
When will webPads become major technology tools
on campuses?

• Not this year!
• A number of campuses have been using wireless LAN
  equipped laptop computers or PDAs for some
  time(check out http//www.pc-ephone.com/ )
• No known trials are currently known of webPads on
  campuses
• My own university (Southern Queensland) has an
  ambitious project called the USQ webSlate just
  beginning

9
How are webPads evolving

• webPads are in their infancy with not many units
  on the market
• Examples are
• SONY AirBoard device - released in Japan last
  December - due out in the US soon
• Aimed at the home edutainment market
• Has the ability to show television channels, VCR
  movies, plus the Internet

10
How are webPads evolving(examples)

• QUBIT have released a webPad device
• Others - like Microsoft, Intel, etc - have
  released plans, but no schedule of availability
• Some companies have already dropped out of the
  market, e.g. 3Com with the Ergo Audrey device

11
How are webPads evolving

• Other devices are evolving for the mobile,
  better-than-PDA market
• An interesting new development is the potential
  for disparate wireless LAN networks to allowing
  roaming see http//www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/05
  28wispr.html
• Also new screen technologies could bring the
  breakthrough required to bring costs down to the
  desirable 500 or lower level

12
Issues to be addressed

• Operating systems - Windows CE, BeOS, Linux,
  other
• Wireless access speed - IEEE 802.11b or 802.11a -
  ie. 11 Mb versus 54 Mb
• Widespread wireless LAN coverage examples are
• Cisco are deploying wireless LANs in US airport
  lounges and shopping malls
• SkyNet Global are doing similar in Australian
  airport lounges

13
Issues to be addressed

• Weight, battery life, ruggedness, usability
  portability
• Cost/volume of production
• Range of cover (wireless LAN, ADSL, Cable,
  Satellite, etc)
• How to differentiate the webPad market from
  cell-phones, PDAs, laptops, Internet Appliances,
  etc

14
Conclusions

• webPads are a quietly emerging market
• The market is generally immature, but evolving
  very rapidly
• They can be an alternative end-user device to
  reduce the cost of desktop computing
• But they require almost 100 up-time for
  Internet Everywhere usability

15
Conclusions (2)

• Widespread use of these devices will rely on a
  rollout of the wireless network/access and an
  application server infrastructure first
• They require a robust always-on
  telecommunications infrastructure
• Access to application servers is very important,
  which also needs to be fault tolerant and always
  available

16
A few Reference Sites

• Cisco http//www.cisco.com/warp/public/779/consume
  r/
• Intel http//www.intel.com/home/webtablet/
• QUBIT www.qubit.net
• LG http//www.lge.com/aboutus/news/pressroom/2001
  /2001_0108.shtml
• Microsoft
• http//www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2
  000/nov00/11-13tabletpc.asp
• SONY
• http//www.sony.co.jp/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/
  200009/00-044/index.html

17
Some more Product and Vendor URLs

• AirSpeak http//www.airspeak.com/home.html
• Fujitsu http//www.fujitsu.com.au/products/pc/styl
  isticx.htm
• Philips http//www.philips.com/netdisplay/
• Siemens http//www.ad.siemens.de/mobic/index_76.ht
  m
• SonicBlue http//www.frontpath.com/ship_progear.ht
  ml
• GE http//www.geappliances.com/pressroom/usn
  ews/othrnws/geadon.htm
• Honeywell
• http//content.honeywell.com/Home/webpad/WEB
  Pad_pr.htm
• National Semiconductor http//www.national.com/ap
  pinfo/solutions/0,2062,386,00.html

18
PDA-based Devices

• Handspring Visor http//www.handspring.com/
• HP Jornada http//www.hp.com/jornada/
• Palm Pilot http//www.palm.com/wireless/email/
• Casio Cassiopeia
• http//www.casio-usa.com/corporate/pressroom
  .cfm?act2pr4870
• Compaq iPAQ Blackberry http//www5.compaq.com/pro
  ducts/handhelds/
• Microsoft Pocket PC software
• http//www.microsoft.com/mobile/pocketpc/wire
  less/

19
Further Reading

• http//www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/384/eustice
  .html
• http//www.nytimes.com/2001/05/17/technology/17TAB
  L.html?searchpvsite09
• http//ifets.gmd.de/periodical/vol_4_99/dan_lim.ht
  ml
• http//www.techrepublic.com/article.jhtml?idr0062
  0010521ggp01.htmfromtme106-3
• http//research.microsoft.com/srg/mipad.asp
• http//chronicle.com/free/2001/05/2001050301t.htm
• http//www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/0528wispr.html

20
Acronyms

• ADSL Asynchronous Direct Subscriber Line
• IA Internet Appliance
• IAN Internet Appliance Network
• LAN Local Area Network
• NIC New Internet Computer
• PDA Personal Digital Assistant
• ROI Return On Investment
• WAN Wide Area Network
• WAP Wireless Application Protocol

21
Questions?

• Email mcdonell_at_usq.edu.au