Wireless advances

More than 160 million Americans now use cell phones. We’re all accustomed to seeing mobile callers weave down the expressway; yak obliviously on the sidewalk; and take calls in the middle of meetings, movies, and even live performances. With wireless voice communication now so commonplace, you have to wonder why wireless data is still a relative novelty.

The answer to that question, and much more, lies in Executive Editor at Large Eric Knorr’s cover story, “The return of the mobile enterprise,” Knorr briefly examines the history of broken promises, including the 3G revolution that was going to bring high-bandwidth wireless data to all. Although 3G is slowly becoming a reality in other parts of the globe, North Americans still struggle with spotty coverage, dropped connections, and data rates that would have seemed whizzy in 1989. Better days are coming though, and Knorr examines recent improvements in mobile devices, including the dependable BlackBerry, the Palm, and the Pocket PC.

On the carrier side, Verizon is investing heavily in EvDO (which stands for “evolution, data optimized” or “evolution data only”), the next-generation wireless technology that delivers data at rates from 300Kbps to 600Kbps. Editor at Large Ephraim Schwartz explores the implications in “Verizon races toward wireless broadband” and in this week’s Reality Check.

GSM carriers AT&T Wireless, Cingular, and T-Mobile have been rolling out edge technology that reaches 100Kbps to 130Kbps, with even faster speeds on the way. And while Cingular executives say they cannot discuss details of their $41 billion acquisition of AT&T Wireless until it gains regulatory approval, they do see huge opportunity, even for Cingular on its own. “Wireless technology is ripe to give people what they want, which is access to their stuff when they’re out of the office,” says Jim Ryan, the company’s vice president of data product management and business marketing. And corporate customers are keenly aware of the potential benefits. “When wireless e-mail first debuted in the early ’90s, you had to convince people they needed it. Now everyone understands the value.”

As is any technological advance, though, mobile data is both blessing and curse. The blessing — at least in the case of e-mail — comes when you get back to the office or hotel after a busy day and don’t have to spend an hour sorting through the day’s mail. The curse comes when you find yourself, as I did the other day, sitting on a bench in a lovely college town on a sunny Saturday reading messages that — frankly — could probably be ignored without damage. So be careful what you wish for!