THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY March 15, 2004
WPAN _____________ SPONSORED BY: PC Lifecycle Info Center Visit the new PC Lifecycle Info Center on SearchCIO.com. You'll find news, tips, webcasts, white papers and targeted Web resources focused on all aspects of managing the PC lifecycle - from purchase to retirement. Get valuable advice and insight on how your IT organization can make smart PC investment decisions. Topics covered include PC replacement cycles, patch management, ROI, mobile workforce management, desktop security, data backup, wireless LAN -- and much more! http://WhatIs.com/r/0,,25773,00.htm?track=NL-34&ad=478332&ad=478203&intel ______________________ TODAY'S WORD: WPAN See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci837444,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 A WPAN (wireless personal area network) is a personal area network -a network for interconnecting devices centered around an individual person's workspace - in which the connections are wireless. Typically, a wireless personal area network uses some technology that permits communication within about 10 meters - in other words, a very short range. One such technology is Bluetooth, which was used as the basis for a new standard, IEEE 802.15. A WPAN could serve to interconnect all the ordinary computing and commmunicating devices that many people have on their desk or carry with them today - or it could serve a more specialized purpose such as allowing the surgeon and other team members to communicate during an operation. A key concept in WPAN technology is known as plugging in. In the ideal scenario, when any two WPAN-equipped devices come into close proximity (within several meters of each other) or within a few kilometers of a central server, they can communicate as if connected by a cable. Another important feature is the ability of each device to lock out other devices selectively, preventing needless interference or unauthorized access to information. The technology for WPANs is in its infancy and is undergoing rapid development. Proposed operating frequencies are around 2.4 GHz in digital modes. The objective is to facilitate seamless operation among home or business devices and systems. Every device in a WPAN will be able to plug in to any other device in the same WPAN, provided they are within physical range of one another. In addition, WPANs worldwide will be interconnected. Thus, for example, an archeologist on site in Greece might use a PDA to directly access databases at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and to transmit findings to that database. _________________________ RELATED TERMS: personal area network http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci546288,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 wireless http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci213380,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 Bluetooth http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci211680,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 ______________________ SELECTED LINKS: SearchNetworking.com offers offers "Best Web Links" to more information about wireless networks. http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/bestWebLinks/0,289521,sid7_tax286411,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 Lisa Phifer discusses WPANs in "Understanding the wireless landscape." http://searchcio.techtarget.com/infoCenter/tip/0,294276,sid19_gci952219_tax296045,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 At IBM Research, T. G. Zimmerman has an overview of WPAN technology. http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/384/zimmerman.html ______________________ WIN A DISK-ON-KEY! Enter every day -- each response qualifies you for our daily prize draw! Every time you enter (once per day, Monday-Friday) also gives you another chance in the final draw for a nifty disk-on-key in April. (What's a disk-on-key? See: http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid5_gci869057,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 ) Today's question: Sears Roebuck and Co. has announced that it will stop carrying PCs in the third quarter of this year. What other product will also be out of the picture? Click to find out: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/infoCenter/originalContent/0,294292,sid19_gci954452,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 E-mail your answer to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and we'll enter your name in today's drawing for a set of whatis.com refrigerator magnets. Check back tomorrow for a new question and a new prize! Congratulations to R. Murray for winning Friday's drawing! Your prize is in the mail. _____________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: TEARS FOR SEARS - RETAILER TO SAY 'PEACE OUT' TO PCs Sears Roebuck and Co. certainly has had some catchy slogans over the years. Today it's "The good life at a great price. Guaranteed." Over the years, you've probably heard "Sears, where America shops," and "Come see the softer side of Sears." http://searchcio.techtarget.com/infoCenter/originalContent/0,294292,sid19_gci954452,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 A CIO CONVERSATION: SIM PRESIDENT NANCY MARKLE What are some of the issues CIOs talk about around the watercooler? Are there certain topics that seem to be constants regardless of company size? http://searchcio.techtarget.com/qna/0,289202,sid19_gci954548,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 BI AND THE BIG DANCE The office pool is almost as much a staple of spring planning as first-quarter financial results. Two university professors are applying predictive analytics to narrow the field of potential contenders for the so-called Big Dance. http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid11_gci954328,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com?track=NL-34&ad=478332 ______________________ SECRET WORD-OF-THE-DAY | What is IT? Sometimes called tracking software, this is a type of program that gathers information about you from your computer and online behavior and reports it to advertisers or other interested parties. Do you think you know the Secret Word? Click to see if you're right! http://searchcio.techtarget.com/gDefinition/0,294236,sid19_gci214518,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 ______________________ HOROSCOPES FOR GEEKS | March Find out what the stars have in store for you this month! http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid19_gci919205,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332&ad=478203 ______________________ QUIZ #49 | Regulatory compliance Despite the amount of press it's gotten lately, compliance is a difficult subject -- with so many angles, it's hard to keep them all covered! Our quiz tests your knowledge on things compliance-oriented, including legislation to be complied with, and organizations that demand compliance to one thing or another. http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid19_gci947416,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332&ad=478203 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] A-weighted decibels http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci955021,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 [2] megachips per second http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci954334,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 [3] Broadband over Power Line http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci953137,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 [4] cell http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci211761,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 [5] cell breathing http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci820970,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478332 ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: MARGARET ROUSE, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) IVY WIGMORE, Consulting Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) LOWELL THING, Consulting Editor and Founder ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) GABRIELLE DERUSSY, Advertising ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ::::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER :::::::::::::::::::::: This e-newsletter is published by WhatIs.com, a targeted Web site from TechTarget, the most targeted IT media and events company. 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