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Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
Get started
Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
Web texting
Web texting is two-way text messaging from the Web to a handheld mobile device, usually a cellular phone. Continue Reading
Short Message Service (SMS)
SMS (Short Message Service) is a service for sending short messages of up to 160 characters (224 characters if using a 5-bit mode) to mobile devices, including cell phones, smart phones and PDAs... (Continued) Continue Reading
pager
A pager is a small telecommunications device that receives (and, in some cases, transmits) alert signals and/or short messages. Continue Reading
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short message service center (SMSC)
A short message service center (SMSC) is the portion of a wireless network that handles SMS operations, such as routing, forwarding and storing incoming text messages on their way to desired endpoints...(Continued) Continue Reading
SMS gateway
An SMS gateway is a website that allows users to send SMS messages from a web browser to people within the cell served by that gateway. An SMS gateway can also serve as an international gateway for users with roaming capability, allowing SMS ... Continue Reading
common short code (CSC)
Common short codes (CSC) are short telephone numbers, usually consisting of five digits, that are used to address SMS and MMS messages from cellular telephones. Common short codes may also be called mobile short codes or short numbers... (Continued)Continue Reading
short message
A short message is a brief text message sent to or from a mobile phone subscriber through the Short Message Service (SMS).Continue Reading
SMS spam (cell phone spam or short messaging service spam)
SMS spam (sometimes called cell phone spam) is any junk message delivered to a mobile phone as text messaging through the Short Message Service (SMS). The practice is fairly rare in North America, but has been common in Japan for years. In 2001-2002...Continue Reading
mobile Internet device (MID)
The mobile Internet device (MID) is a mini-tablet communications unit aimed at the consumer market and designed to provide entertainment, information and location-based services... (Continued)Continue Reading
notebook computer
A notebook computer is a battery- or AC-powered personal computer generally smaller than a briefcase that can easily be transported and conveniently used in temporary spaces such as on airplanes, in libraries, temporary offices, and at meetings.Continue Reading
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OLPC (One Laptop Per Child)
The One Laptop Per Child project (OLPC) is an initiative aimed at providing inexpensive laptop computers to children in the developing world as a means of bridging the digital divide.Continue Reading
Sugar
Sugar is a graphical user interface GUI developed for the $100 laptop (XO)... (Continued)Continue Reading
upgrade
In computers, an upgrade is a new version of or addition to a hardware or, more often, software product that is already installed or in use.Continue Reading
Near Field Communication (NFC)
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless connectivity standard (Ecma-340, ISO/IEC 18092) that uses magnetic field induction to enable communication between devices when they're touched together, or brought within a few centimeters of...Continue Reading
personal operating space (POS)
A personal operating space (POS) is a roughly spherical region that surrounds a portable or handheld digital wireless device operated by a person.Continue Reading
personal area network (PAN)
A personal area network (PAN) is the interconnection of information technology devices within the range of an individual person, typically within a range of 10 meters.Continue Reading
Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR)
Also see Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio (ESMR).Continue Reading
forward error correction (FEC)
Forward error correction (FEC) is a method of obtaining error control in data transmission in which the source (transmitter) sends redundant data and the destination (receiver) recognizes only the portion of the data that contains no apparent errors.Continue Reading
GPS messaging (Global Positioning System messaging or mid-air messaging)
GPS (Global Positioning System) messaging is a wireless messaging system for location-specific rather than recipient-specific messages.Continue Reading
directional sound
Directional sound is a technology that concentrates acoustic energy into a narrow beam so that it can be projected to a discrete area, much as a laser focuses light... (Continued)Continue Reading
NOAA Weather Radio (NWR)
NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is an emergency broadcasting system operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, pronounced NO-ah).Continue Reading
Galileo
Galileo is the informal name for the European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), a system that will offer users anywhere in the world "near pinpoint" geographic positioning when it becomes fully operational by 2008. Designed to be ...Continue Reading
Over the Air (OTA)
Over The Air (OTA) (or Over-The-Air) is a standard for the transmission and reception of application-related information in a wireless communications system.Continue Reading
MEO satellite (medium earth orbit satellite)
A medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite is one with an orbit within the range from a few hundred miles to a few thousand miles above the earth's surface.Continue Reading
mobile satellite services (MSS)
Mobile satellite services (MSS) refers to networks of communications satellites intended for use with mobile and portable wireless telephones.Continue Reading
ESMR (Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio)
Also see Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR).Continue Reading
Mobitex
Mobitex is a wireless network architecture that specifies a framework for the fixed equipment necessary to support all the wireless terminals in a packet-switched, radio-based communication system.Continue Reading
helical antenna
A helical antenna is a specialized antenna that emits and responds to electromagnetic fields with rotating (circular)polarization.Continue Reading
wireless service provider (WSP)
A wireless service provider (WSP) is a company that offers transmission services to users of wireless devices (handheld computers and telephones) through radio frequency (RF) signals rather than through end-to-end wire communication.Continue Reading
downlink and uplink
These terms should not be confused with downstream and upstream.Continue Reading
IrDA (Infrared Data Association)
5IrDA (Infrared Data Association) is an industry-sponsored organization set up in 1993 to create international standards for the hardware and software used in infrared communication links.Continue Reading
EUTELSAT (European Telecommunications Satellite Organization)
EUTELSAT (European Telecommunications Satellite Organization) refers to both the organization and its set of satellites that were placed in geostationary orbits over Europe beginning in 1983. By early 1998, at least 48 countries had become members ...Continue Reading
Deep Space Network (DSN)
The Deep Space Network (DSN) is a sophisticateddata communications system used by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in conjunction with manned and unmanned space missions.Continue Reading
EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment)
EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) is a faster version of GSM designed to deliver data at rates up to 384 Kbps and enable the delivery of multimedia and other broadband applications to mobile phone and computer users.Continue Reading
GPRS (General Packet Radio Services)
General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is a packet-based wireless communication service that promises data rates from 56 up to 114 Kbps and continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer users.Continue Reading
roaming service
Roaming service is the ability to get access to the Internet when away from home at the price of a local call or at a charge considerably less than the regular long-distance charges.Continue Reading
VoWLAN (Voice over WLAN)
VoWLAN (Voice over WLAN) is a method of sending voice information in digital form over a wireless broadband network. The technology is sometimes called "VoWi-Fi" or "Wi-Fi VoIP" because it uses the IEEE 802.11 set of specifications (informally known...Continue Reading
Veepers
Veepers is a product that is used to animate digital images of people (or other creatures) for video presentations in which the characters appear to talk.Continue Reading
wireless ISP (wireless Internet service provider or WISP)
A wireless Internet service provider (WISP) is an Internet service provider (ISP) that allows subscribers to connect to a server at designated hot spots (access points) using a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi.Continue Reading
automated speech recognition (ASR)
Automated speech recognition (ASR) is a technology that allows users of information systems to speak entries rather than punching numbers on a keypad.Continue Reading
text-to-speech (TTS)
Text-to-speech (TTS) is a type of speech synthesis application that is used to create a spoken sound version of the text in a computer document, such as a help file or a Web page.Continue Reading
WAX (Wireless Abstract XML)
Wireless Abstract XML (WAX) is an abstract markup language and associated tools that facilitate wireless application development.Continue Reading
BitPim
BitPim is a cross-platform, open source application for managing data on cell phones that use the CDMA mobile telephony protocol. BitPim can be used to back up data stored on a phone and synchronize contacts and calendars... (Continued)Continue Reading
Virtual Home Environment (VHE)
In mobile computing, the Virtual Home Environment (VHE) is the concept that a network supporting mobile users should provide them the same computing environment on the road that they have in their home or corporate computing environment.Continue Reading
HDML (Handheld Device Markup Language)
HDML (Handheld Device Markup Language) - often compared to Wireless Markup Language (WML) - is a language that allows the text portions of Web pages to be presented on cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDA) via wireless access.Continue Reading
remote-control software
Remote-control software is programming in a central or server computer that is used to control other computers (or their users) at a distance, either under the control of an administrator or at the request of the user. Although remote-control ...Continue Reading
digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB)
Digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) is the process of multicasting by satellite or terrestrial services (or a combination of both) for reception by mobile and portable devices, particularly cell phones... (Continued)Continue Reading
wireless point of sale (wireless POS or WPOS)
Wireless point of sale (wireless POS or WPOS) is the use of wireless devices in retail establishments to facilitate payment for products or services... (Continued)Continue Reading
reconfigurable tactile display (RTD)
A reconfigurable tactile display (RTD) is a control interface that provides physical touch input, but that can be configured by programming.Continue Reading
FeliCa
Ogo
Ogo is a handheld, battery powered, wireless communications device, released in 2004, that provides instant messaging (IM), text messaging, and e-mail for subscribers to America Online (AOL), the Microsoft Network (MSN), and Yahoo!. The unit is ...Continue Reading
handtop (ultra personal computer)
A handtop is a full-featured portable computer that is slightly larger than a PDA, but much smaller than a laptop.Continue Reading
datacard
A datacard is any removable computer component, approximately the size of a credit card, that contains data, or that contains nonvolatile memory to which data can be written and from which data can be recovered.Continue Reading
chucking
In computer and telephone use, chucking is the process of discarding a small piece of hardware by violent means, such as hurling it out a window, against a wall, or into a body of water.Continue Reading
iPod
The iPod is a combination portable digital media player and hard drive from Apple Computer...(Continued)Continue Reading
digital pen
A digital pen is a battery-operated writing instrument that allows the user to digitally capture a handwritten note or drawing.Continue Reading
Smart Display
Smart Display is a wireless touch screen display device in development at Microsoft.Continue Reading
mobile node
A mobile node is an Internet-connected device whose location and point of attachment to the Internet may frequently be changed.Continue Reading
nomadicity
Nomadicity is the tendency of a person, or group of people, to move with relative frequency.Continue Reading
Compact HTML (CHTML)
Compact HTML (CHTML or cHTML) is a subset of standard Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) adapted for use with small computing devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, and smartphones.Continue Reading
E Ink (eInk)
E Ink is an electronic device that is similar to a computer display, but with qualities that enable it to be used for applications such as eBooks, electronic newspapers, portable signs, and foldable, rollable displays.Continue Reading
electronic ink
Electronic ink is a liquid substance, in development at MIT's Media Lab in partnership with a company called E Ink, that responds to electrical impulses to enable changeable text and image displays on a flexible surface.Continue Reading
e-paper (radio paper or electronic paper)
E-paper (sometimes called radio paper or just electronic paper) is a portable, reusable storage and display medium that looks like paper but can be repeatedly written on (refreshed) - by electronic means - thousands or millions of times.Continue Reading
electronic newspaper
An electronic newspaper is a self-contained, reusable, and refreshable version of a traditional newspaper that acquires and holds information electronically.Continue Reading
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a set of standards that define digital broadcasting using existing satellite, cable, and terrestrial infrastructures.Continue Reading
Palm
Palm is the trade name for a popular personal digital assistant (PDA), a form of handheld device that is also known as a palmtop computer.Continue Reading
battery
A battery is an electrochemical cell (or enclosed and protected material) that can be charged electrically to provide a static potential for power or released electrical charge when needed.Continue Reading
zipping
Zipping is the act of packaging a set of files into a single file or archive that is called a zip file.Continue Reading
Zip drive
A Zip drive is a small, portable disk drive used primarily for backing up and archiving personal computer files.Continue Reading
unzipping
Unzipping is the act of extracting the files from a zipped single file or similar file archive.Continue Reading
Palm OS (Palm Operating System)
Palm OS is the computer operating system that provides a software platform for the Palm series of handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) made by Palm Inc.Continue Reading
HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access)
High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is a packet-based mobile telephony protocol used in 3G UMTS radio networks. (...Continued)Continue Reading
Mobile IP
Mobile IP is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard communications protocol that is designed to allow mobile device users to move from one network to another while maintaining their permanent IP address.Continue Reading
Mobile IPv6 (MIPv6 or Mobile Internet Protocol version 6)
Mobile IPv6 (MIPv6) is a protocol developed as a subset of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) to support mobile connections.Continue Reading
Hierarchical Mobile IPv6 (HMIPv6)
Hierarchical Mobile IPv6 (HMIPv6) is the proposed enhancement of Mobile Internet Protocol versions 6 (MIPv6) that is designed to reduce the amount of signaling required and to improve handoffspeed for mobile connections.Continue Reading
mobile-to-mobile convergence (MMC)
Mobile-to-mobile convergence (MMC) is a technology that facilitates the interoperability of mobile communications devices without the need for any fixed capabilities or proprietary service provider... (Continued)Continue Reading
WiDEN (Wideband Integrated Digital Enhanced Network)
WiDEN (Wideband Integrated Digital Enhanced Network) is an upgraded version of iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network), a wireless communications technology originally developed by Motorola in 1993 and deployed by Nextel in 1996 to combine the ...Continue Reading
unlocked cell phone
An unlocked cell phone is a cellular telephone handset that can be used with more than one service provider, making it easy for a user to switch from one cellular network to another... (Continued)Continue Reading
no-swipe credit card
A no-swipe credit card is a credit card equipped with a radio frequency (RF) transponder that allows for purchases without the need for passing the card through a traditional magnetic-stripe detection machine. The card holder can simply come within ...Continue Reading
SMiShing (SMS phishing)
SMiShing is a mobile phone security attack in which the user is tricked into downloading a Trojan horse, virus or other malware onto his phone. SMiShing is short for "SMS phishing." (Continued)Continue Reading
CDMA2000 (IMT-CDMA Multi-Carrier or code-division multiple access 2000)
CDMA2000, also known as IMT-CDMA Multi-Carrier or 1xRTT, is a code-division multiple access (CDMA) version of the IMT-2000 standard developed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).Continue Reading
Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA)
QVGA (Quarter Video Graphics Array) is a small-screen display mode in which the resolution is 320 pixels horizontally by 240 pixels vertically (320 x 240). This is 25 percent of the total number of pixels afforded by the VGA (Video Graphics Array) ...Continue Reading
Wibree (Baby Bluetooth)
Wibree, also called Baby Bluetooth, is a low-power wireless local area network (WLAN) technology that facilitates interoperability among mobile and portable consumer devices such as pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless computer ...Continue Reading
screaming cell phone
A screaming cell phone is a cellular telephone that is programmed to emit a noise like human screaming. (Continued)Continue Reading
mobile VPN (mobile virtual private network)
A mobile VPN is a networking configuration that enables mobile devices such as notebook computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access a virtual private network (VPN) or an intranet while moving from one place to another... (Continued)Continue Reading
VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal)
VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) is a satellite communications system that serves home and business users.Continue Reading
feed line
In a wireless communications or broadcasting antenna system, the feed line connects the antenna to the receiver, transmitter, or transceiver.Continue Reading
narrowband
Generally, narrowband describes telecommunication that carries voice information in a narrow band of frequencies.Continue Reading
modem
A modem modulates outgoing digital signals from a computer or other digital device to analog signals for a conventional copper twisted pair telephone line and demodulates the incoming analog signal and converts it to a digital signal for the digital...Continue Reading
802.11
802.11 is an evolving family of specifications for wireless local area networks (WLANs) developed by a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)....(Continued)Continue Reading
MIMO (multiple input, multiple output)
MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) is an antenna technology for wireless communications in which multiple antennas are used at both the source (transmitter) and the destination (receiver).Continue Reading
wireless backhaul
Wireless backhaul is the use of wireless communications systems to get data from an end user to a node in a major network such as the Internet or the proprietary network of a large business, academic institution or government agency... (Continued)Continue Reading
spectrum efficiency
Spectrum efficiency is the optimized use of spectrum or bandwidth so that the maximum amount of data can be transmitted with the fewest transmission errors.Continue Reading
EV-DO (1x Evolution-Data Optimized)
1x Evolution-Data Optimized, (EV-DO) is a 3G wireless radio broadband data standard. (...Continued)Continue Reading
unified messaging (unified messaging system or UMS)
Unified messaging (sometimes referred to as the unified messaging system or UMS) is the handling of voice, fax, and regular text messages as objects in a single mailbox that a user can access either with a regular e-mail client or by telephone.Continue Reading
Stratellite
A Stratellite is a rigid framed airship that hovers in a fixed position in the lower stratosphere and carries one or more repeaters to create wireless communication networks. (Continued...)Continue Reading
Generic Access Network (GAN)
The Generic Access Network (GAN) is an evolving wireless communications system in which mobile phone sets function seamlessly between local area networks (LANs) and wide-area networks (WANs)... (Continued)Continue Reading
microwave integrated circuit (MIC)
A microwave integrated circuit (MIC) is an integrated circuit (IC) designed for operation at frequencies of approximately 1 gigahertz (GHz) or more... (Continued)Continue Reading
breathalyzer cell phone (sobriety cell phone)
A breathalyzer cell phone, also known as a sobriety cell phone, is a cellular telephone handset equipped with a built-in device for detecting the presence of ethyl alcohol vapor in the breath. ..(Continued)Continue Reading
CSD (circuit switched data)
Circuit switched data (CSD) was the original form of data transmission developed for TDMA-based networks, typically obtaining speeds up to 9.6 Kbps.Continue Reading