A survey of tech-savvy computer users show that the Internet has been the single most important innovation contributing to improving productivity in the past half-century. A majority of users also believe that wireless networks will have the biggest impact on productivity in the next five years.

These findings are from a new international survey commissioned by Lexmark International, and conducted by global pollster Ipsos. The online survey of Ipsos panelists comprised 9,000 respondents from 18 countries.

The last 50 years
Considering a wide range of innovations over the past 50 years, respondents said the following have had the most significant impact in terms of saving them time and increasing their productivity (up to three responses were possible):

• Internet – 60 percent
• Personal computers/laptops – 50 percent
• Mobile phones – 43 percent
• E-mail – 23 percent
• Cars and motorcycles – 22 percent

The next 5 years
In the coming five years, respondents predicted the following will have the most significant impact on productivity and saving time (up to three responses were possible):

• Wireless networks – 50 percent
• Greater computing speed – 44 percent
• Smart cards – 41 percent
• Internet/broadband – 40 percent
• All forms of portable computing – 39 percent

“Wireless is the technology wave of the future and our new wireless printers will ensure that consumers can catch the wave easily, securely and affordably,” said Najib Bahous, Lexmark vice president and president of its Consumer Printer Division

(To Be Continue in Part 2)

Through interactive games and vertical-themed demo stations, Lexmark International (Singapore) today introduced a total of ten wireless inkjet and colour laser printers, as well as showcased its latest print and document management solutions customised for various business environments.

This year, Lexmark identified wireless networks and the proliferation of colour as key drivers in printing.

According to recent market research commissioned by Lexmark International and conducted by global pollster Ipsos, results indicate wireless networks will have the biggest impact on productivity in the next five years.

“With the rapid adoption of wireless notebooks and access to services like Wireless@SG, working wirelessly at home and in the office is becoming the norm. Being able to print wirelessly is a natural extension of this trend,” said Loh Teck Heng, Country Manager, Lexmark International (Singapore).

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The Buffalo Nfiniti Dual Band Gigabit Router & AccessPoint is based on IEEE Draft 802.11n specifications and delivers ultimate connectivity for your wireless world.

It is fast, versatile and now offers a built-in auto sensing 4-port 10/100/1000 Gigabit switch. For deployments within a local network this router even offers Gigabit speeds on the WAN port. With faster wireless data rates and more coverage than legacy 802.11 products, Buffalo Nfiniti Wireless solutions provide sufficient bandwidth, range and reliability to stream High-Definition (HD) video, voice and music.

In addition to best range and performance, the AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS) allows you to set up a high-speed secure wireless network within minutes. The AirStation Nfiniti Dual Band Gigabit Router & AccessPoint is a great solution for multimedia streaming offering ultimate range at blazing fast speeds for your wireless network.

News: HardwareZone

ZyXEL Singapore announced its new ZyWALL 2WG, a mobile broadband security appliance for Internet access using cellular phone services. The ZyWALL 2WG equips small office users and remote mobile workers with instant secure broadband Internet access anywhere, anytime. Designed with user mobility, flexibility and security in mind, the new ZyWALL 2WG is an ideal solution for tradeshows, outdoor environment, or difficult-to-wire locations.

“As more operators roll out 3G networks, the implementation of 3G as an alternative internet access vehicle will become more widespread. While the advantage of 3G broadband access provides more flexibility and mobility, the security implication is that the network becomes more vulnerable to attacks due to its open connectivity,” said Mr Jimmy Goh, General Manager of ZyXEL Singapore. “With built-in security features such SPI firewall, DoS prevention, IPSec VPN and content filtering for state-of-the-art protection, the ZyWALL 2WG offers a comprehensive firewall protection against attacks and threats from the public domain,” he added.

The ZyWALL 2WG is a mobile Internet security appliance with integrated firewall, VPN, wireless LAN that enable broadband Internet access in 3G networks. To establish instant Internet access on a 3G platform, the user only need to insert a 3G data card into the extension slot. The ZyWALL 2WG can use the 3G network connection as the primary or backup connection for Internet access and load-balancing for dual WAN applications. Utilizing ZyXEL’s proprietory ZyNOS ICSA-certified IPSec VPN, data encryption over the Internet ensures a secure transmission between two sites without expensive leased lines, global interconnectivity can be achieved at a minimal cost. Incorporating the Redundant IPSec VPN feature, the ZyWALL 2WG’s dialup client will keep the connection running even when the primary VPN connection fails.

For wired connections, the ZyWALL 2WG also supports WAN backup, load balancing, fail-over and fail-back technologies. For wireless connections, the ZyWALL 2WG offers the flexibility of dual band technology with 802.11a/b/g for LAN users.
The ZyWALL 2WG features the Secure Zone technology that allows SOHO/SB users to deploy access servers in a DMZ zone, separate from the trusted local network (LAN). The ZyWALL 2WG provides independent DHCP services for the DMZ and WLAN zones and all zones are securely protected by firewall rules.

News: HardwareZone

U.S.-based TRENDnet, a networking manufacturer of wired and wireless networking solutions, announced its expansion into Singapore through an exclusive distribution partnership with Jardine OneSolution, the leading provider for IT solutions and services in Singapore. TRENDnet’s highly awarded wireless N routers, access points and adapters will lead their brand launch into Singapore’s SMB and consumer markets.

TRENDnet’s wireless N routers boast speed improvements of up to ten times faster than the older wireless G standard, while Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology provides longer range and enhanced coverage. The routers also feature powerful StreamEngineTM prioritization technology that improves quality of service in latency-sensitive applications such as video streaming, gaming and VoIP. Since the launch of TRENDnet’s Wireless N Firewall Router (model number TEW-631BRP) in the U.S. earlier this year, it has won a host of awards and ranked first in CRN Test Center’s shootout of 802.11n-standard routers.

“The demand for a seamless and data-rich mobile experience is placing increased pressure on wireless networks and their respective supporting network backbones,” stated Pei Huang, President and CEO of TRENDnet. “TRENDnet’s award winning wireless N solutions deliver the highest quality VoIP, streaming video, gaming and mobile experience to home users and mobile professionals.”

Beyond the wireless N products, Jardine OneSolution will also distribute TRENDnet’s wider portfolio of wired and wireless print server, IP camera and storage solution products for both the SMB and consumer markets.

Andrew Tan, General Manager for Distribution Sales at Jardine OneSolution said, “With IT spend among Singapore’s SMBs on the up trend, our timely partnership with TRENDnet will help bring to market, tested quality products to our customers at very competitive price points.”

Source: HardwareZone

Voice over IP (VoIP) can provide substantial savings on your telephone service by allowing you to use an IP network to make phone calls instead of the traditional telephone companies’ public switched telephone network (PSTN). Many organizations today run IP networks over wireless technology, and it’s possible to run VoIP applications over Wi-Fi, too. But you need to be aware of a number of issues when planning a VoIP over wireless (often called VoW, VoFi, or wVoIP) deployment.

With the advent of WiMAX for longer range Wi-Fi communications, wireless phone companies are gearing up to offer hybrid phones that will use VoIP over Wi-Fi when a Wi-Fi network is available and switch to cellular when one is not. So VoIP over wireless encompasses different things, depending on the context. Here are some things you need to know about wVoIP.

1. Wireless VoIP Offers Advantages Over Mobile Service
A big advantage of wireless VoIP is that IP phones that work on Wi-Fi networks can be used in place of cell phones in many cases. Public 802.11 hotspots are often free or available at a low daily cost. If you’re connecting to the Wi-Fi network anyway for Web and e-mail access, there’s no additional cost to make VoIP calls other than the cost of your VoIP service, which is usually far less than the cost of cell phone service and may offer free unlimited international calling, something you don’t get with most cellular plans.

2. VoIP over Wireless LAN Has Many Uses
VoIP over a wireless LAN can provide easy internal calling for corporations, educational campuses, hospitals, hotels, government buildings, and multiple-tenant units such as dorms, with the ability to roam freely and advanced calling features such as voice mail and caller ID. Users can also use the LAN’s Internet connection and an account with a VoIP provider to make calls outside the site, including domestic long distance and international calls, often at no extra charge.

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Not yet. Not yet, that is if you value your PDA battery’s life. Most PDAs with any kind of expansion slot can take a Wi-Fi card of some kind. The problem is that Wi-Fi is a relatively power-hungry technology, and current Wi-Fi cards can drain a Palm’s batteries in less than 2 hours. The PocketPC architecture is a little better, but only some, and reports I trust indicate that a Wi-Fi card cuts battery life by 50%.

This will be changing over the next two years. Texas Instruments has announced a new power-conserving Wi-Fi chip set, and Wi-Fi card manufacturers have begun to realize that you don’t need full Wi-Fi power to reach a coffee shop’s Wi-Fi hotspot when you’re sitting right there in the coffee shop. Transmit power management (that is, the ability to control the power output of a Wi-Fi card’s radio system from software) has always been possible, but most manufacturers haven’t given the user any sort of control over output power except in the crudest way. Eventually, such management will grow sophisticated enough to keep as much of the radio disabled as possible any time it’s not in use, and lower the connection speed for specific applications like email where speed is not essential.