One of the things that frustrated me most about the 360MB/48 hours limitations imposed by NomadISP at Beaudry RV was that I couldn’t download software and updates, much less audio books or podcasts or Adobe Acrobat to work on some ebook projects, I had to order it on CD-ROM instead of getting it immediately via download.

I wanted to start figuring out how to use the new features in version 9, so it was frustrating to have to wait for phyical delivery. Besides, we weren’t even 100% certain we would stay at this resort long enough for it to arrive! I went ahead and ordered it anyway, but after getting here and discovering the WiFi is decent, and that they won’t throttle our bandwidth (or so they advertise), I decided to get the 30-day trial. Well, that is only available for Windows™, and while I do have Parallels Desktop for Mac OS, and it is on the same computer, to the ISP it looks like a second machine, with its own IP and MAC addresses. I was able to log in long enough to update my copy of WinXP Pro to SP2, thank goodness, but when I tried to download the Acrobat 9 trial version, I got an error message saying my username and password weren’t accepted. So, I sent a query to Tengo’s support, explaining my situation, and will wait to see what they say. Meanwhile, though, because Parallels allows me to access a “shared” folder from Windows, I downloaded the installer from the Mac side, and copied it over to the Windows desktop. That worked!

I will not be happy (nor will I do it) if I have to buy yet another “card” to use the local WiFi on each virtual machine. That could really run into money, at $29.95/month per VM! If I absolutely must use the ‘net from a VM, I’ll switch over to our Verizon AirCard, but it is limited, too, and I don’t want to overdo it in case we need that bandwidth later on.

If President Obama really wanted to stimulate American productivity and commerce, he’d consider upgrading the country’s internet infrastructure, perhaps using WiMax, to make sure everyone, everywhere can get online to do what they need to do. Think of all the thousands of ebook and independent music publishers out there who could supplement their faltering personal economies by selling their wares online, if only they could!

Update on Local WISP

4 March 2009 — After I posted this blog, I got a reply from TengoInternet. Apparently I do not have to buy another account to use with my virtual machines. Sometimes switching between them lags slightly, but the same account does work on both MacOS and WinXP (and presumably Linux) on the same hardware. So my rant was unnecessary, but it’s possible that just after informing tech support of what I was doing they flagged my account to allow the strange-looking behavior. I got a reply to my email to tech support, and although they didn’t say so explicitly, I haven’t had any problems with it since then.

]]> http://newmediaonthego.com/blog/2009/03/01/virtual-machine-real/feed/ 2 http://newmediaonthego.com/blog/2009/01/02/new-year-new-tech/ http://newmediaonthego.com/blog/2009/01/02/new-year-new-tech/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:28:58 +0000 Katherine W. Prawl http://newmediaonthego.com/blog/?p=90 As we prepare for the second phase of our annual southern migration, I was considering our internet connectivity during our travels. Last night when I was trying to put on an event at the ISM, I kept crashing because the cable here has a problem with frequent drops. That’s one problem, but mostly while we’re on the road just getting connected in the first place is our worst problem. A year-end technology roundup on NPR reminded me of a technology that’s been promised by the wireless industry for years, but hasn’t seen the light of day till now: WiMax. Well, maybe it has. I didn’t know much about it, so I did a bit of research.

First I should define WiMax. It is the abbreviation for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. Similar to WiFi, the two technologies are implementations of different standards. WiFi is described in the IEEE 802.11x family of standards, while the WiMax definition includes IEEE 802.16 as well as several other standards. Obviously, the two are related, both falling into the IEEE 802 book, but my most burning question is how interoperable are they? Will a device such as a laptop or smartphone that has WiFi capability be able to seamlessly connect to a WiMax transmitter, or do we have to go through yet another iteration of hardware upgrades to take advantage of it? In particular, should I wait to upgrade my first generation iPhone to see if the new 3G version is WiMax-capable, or should I wait for iPhone 3.0?

So far the answers are elusive. I found an article that purports to explain WiMax “to da max”, but it didn’t tell me explicitly. There was one sentence that hinted around about it, though.

“You could even combine WiFi with WiMAX by having the router send the data to the computers via WiFi.” [Brain, Marshall, and Ed Grabianowski. "How WiMAX Works." 02 December 2004. HowStuffWorks.com.]

So, existing WiFi enabled hardware probably will not be able to connect to WiMax directly, but will require a router to translate the signals from WiMax to WiFi and vice versa. And since Sprint is the major cellphone carrier involved in WiMax development, not AT&T, it is unlikely that our iPhones will be WiMax capable anytime soon.

I’ll keep following this technology as it develops. Several manufacturers promise new hardware in 2009, and Motorola actually introduced a USB WiMax adapter for laptops last September, and promised to ship products in 4Q 2008. Intel has an integrated WiFi/WiMax adapter for computers based on their new Centrino chip. This new year may be the base of the hockey stick for WiMax.

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