Melinda

[RyanSalahi]

I am at a complete loss. I am a doctor who uses my recently purchased Clie NX60 for scheduling surgery, epocrates, and money management (Splashmoney, which is great by the way)

I would like to be able to access email and IM from my Clie but can somebody please give me the info on how to go about it? Should I buy the Wireless card or do I use bluetooth? And what is bluetooth? And does the NX60 have bluetooth? I have a couple more days to return the Clie and think that the TG50 may be a better fit for me. I saw that it has bluetooth.......As you can probably tell, I am not well-versed in wireless and really am in need of some help as I would like to use all that my Clie has to offer.

Thank U very much for your help.

[n2ifp]

Will there be any wireless LANs available in your travels? Bluetooth is better suited to connect devices such as cellular phones, cameras, and the like. It also has a shorter range. Now a regular 802.11b LAN card is better, but only if you have LAN access. It's does not have wireless coverage that you would find with a cellular phone. There are other PDA's that can do this, but a wirelsss LAN card or bluetooth on the clie won't. Now it is possible to connect your clie with a celluar phone as modem, providing you can connect it via bluetooth, infrared, or a cable. I hope this clears things up a little.

[flyclieguy]

if you want to access this at any time, you must have a blue tooth phone, which will allow the phone to be used as a wireless modem.

If you are in a hospital, you can use blue tooth or the Wireless card. You must have a computer that has either also. You must be closer to the bluetooth computer, but on each you really can't go very far away. I think something like 150 feet for the Wlan.

You can go neither way and use your cell phone as a modem again, but just get a cable that connects the two.

In summary, if you want to be able to access email and the web at anywhere, you need either a bluetooth phone with a bluetooth pda. Or you can go phone with webaccess and connect to your pda through cable. Wlan only works if your withing 150 feet of a computer that has a wireless signal coming out of it.

[RyanSalahi]

Thanks for the info, I am still not quite sure what my best option is though. I have a sprintPCS mobile phone and I don't know if I should keep the NX60 and buy the WL100 card or ditch it and buy the TG50. There is a LAN at the hospitals and at the office....I don't know what bluetooth does. Can I surf the web with bluetooth?

[rhart00]

have you ever beamed data from your pda to another pda or electronic device? bluetooth is similar to this. it works as far as about 30 feet or so and connects bluetooth enabled devices with other bluetooth enabled devices. they are putting bluetooth in lots of devices such as cameras, computers, laptops, camcorders, pdas (of course), cellphones, etc.

I personally don't have any use for bluetooth as I don't have any bluetooth enabled devices. And since you don't know about it, you probably won't either. The NX60 does NOT have bluetooth but I believe you can buy a bluetooth memory stick that will work with it.


If you want to access IM and email wireless (not by downloading email from computer) you are going to want to go with the wifi card. but an important consideration is it will only connect to the internet if there is a wireless (wifi) internet connection nearby. You can usually buy these for less than $100 or so.

I don't have a whole lot of personal experience with either bluetooth or wireless yet but I hope this helps.

[RyanSalahi]

Thanks soo much...the fog is clearing and I think I will try and research a little more before I make my decision

[RyanSalahi]

Which is newer, Bluetooth or Wifi? Will one become obsolete?

[n2ifp]

Niether, as they basically have two different purposes. You can have bluetooth between your clie and phone. I wouldn't think that if your were in a hospital they would have bluetooth. Don't get the two confused, as one doesn't replace the other. Bluetooth is shorter range, is not compatible with Wireless LANs, and it is also slower.

[RyanSalahi]

Thanks for your help.

[worldinmyeyes]

I'm not expert, but hopefully this is a simple (and correct) explanation. Bluetooth and wi-fi (aka 802.11b) are the two standard ways to get wireless internet. To get bluetooth, you have a bluetooth connected cellphone (like the Sony Ericsson T68i) - and the phone just needs to be in the close proximity of the bluetooth-enabled device (like a Palm, IPAQ, or even laptop). The downside is you have to probably get a new cell and plan, and get a bluetooth device. I'm not sure how pricing works on bluetooth in terms of minutes used (in the case of a cellphone). The benefit is that wherever you need wireless, it is there assuming a cellphone connection.

Next is wi-fi, which is limited in it's range (you have to be somewhat close to the access point itself). However, wi-fi access points are spreading very quickly - and it is becoming very popular in homes. In a lot of cases it is free, so just get around a WAP (wireless access point) - or better yet, set one up in your home (Linksys sells a popular router, which is very reasonable on amazon). Sounds like the hospital you are at may already be wired for it. A lot of airports, hotels, and libraries are onboard with it. All you need to get wi-fi is the wireless lan card (WL100) which is now $100 after a $50 rebate.

I personally like wi-fi better, and would recommend you keeping the best PDA on the market. Hope that helps.

[rhart00]

I agree that wifi and bluetooth are 2 different things. Well they can both be used to access the internet, bluetooth is designed more as a standard technology to connect different electronic devices. Wifi is used specifically as a connection to a network and/or the internet.

Examples of uses of bluetooth:
~beaming pictures taken on a digital camera to a PDA for viewing
~transfering phone numbers between a PDA and a cellphone
~transfering movies from a camcorder to a computer

[RyanSalahi]

Thank U all very much for your help.
It seems like the NX 60 would be better for me as I believe that transfer rates are faster and I really have no use for beaming pics from a digital camera (I can simply swap MS's) I hope to be online and running soon. BTW, what would be the advantage of setting up a Wireless adapter to my home PC that's hooked up online with a cable modem? I could email and hotsync without cradle-usb connection?

[rhart00]

Originally posted by RyanSalahi
Thank U all very much for your help.
BTW, what would be the advantage of setting up a Wireless adapter to my home PC that's hooked up online with a cable modem? I could email and hotsync without cradle-usb connection?

yes could could email and hotsync and view webpages and IM directly from your clie if you bought this stuff and the Wifi card for your clie. and Wifi has pretty good range so you could probably be in any room of your house and do this.

[davidy]

Hi Ryan.

Both BT and WiFi are wireless means of connectivity using radio frequencies of different frequencies. Both standards require that the devices you want to interconnect to have a transmitter-receiver of the same type. It is a means of connecting two devices wirelessly, using radio frequency waves to transmit the information instead of electricity in wired connection, or infrared light in infrared connections/communications. So if you want to connect your NX to your cell phone, without wiring the two together with cables, then the most available means for doing this is via BT. You will need to get a cell phone that has BT, and then add a BT transmitter-receiver for your NX in the form of a memory stick card.

The functionality of any established wireless connection depends on software. For example, the Sony Ericson T68i has BT builtin. When paired with a palm with BT, (either builtin as per Tungsten or added as per NX), there is builtin software that allows you to adminnister the address book in the T68i. You can transfer your whole palm address book to the T68i, if you wished, and if this doen't overflow the T68i's memory capacity. You could also wireless interconnect the two utilizing IR. The same software functions via this interconnection. The other builtin interconnectivity software for BT/IR is to allow the NX to dial through the cell phone and use it as a modem to connect to the internet. You could also dial to another computer's modem for direct interconnection with that PC, or dial through to a talk line. If you were to get a BT handsfree device for your cell phone, then you could have your cell in your jacket, handsfree in your ear, and palm in your hand. Look for your intended phone number, dial through BT, and speak through the handsfree. You could then jot down notes of the conversation onto the palm as you are talking. Put the palm away when not needed, and end then call by preesing a button on the handsfree earpiece.

When you set up a BT connection between a desktop and the palm, you could transfer information between the two whenever you are within range. Rudimentary software exist to allow synching the two. Software may exist to allow you to do other things via this interconnection. To set up a BT interconnection between the two, you would need the PC to have a BT transmitter-receiver either builtin (uncommon), or in the form of a USB device (common). You will also need to add the BT to your NX. Look for software to add functionality to this interconnection first before you buy the hardware. I assume you would not be interested in programming for the functionality. Check first to see what software exist. After the hardware is setup for both devices, you will need to run software to allow one device to be discoverable (ie emit a signal for detection), then run software on the other device to discover this first device (ie detect that signal). Then set up some password so that others cannot budge in on your interconnection with their BT device. The two devices then becomes paired. Then run software that do what you want to do through the established wireless interconnection. Theoretically, software and hardware could be made to transmit sound to BT earphones to allow you to listen to music from the nearby palm. I am not sure however, if the rate of data transmission required for mp3 is accomodated by the BT connection.

WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) aka WLAN (Wireless LAN) aka 802.11b (an IEEE standard) is another way of wireless interconnectivity between 2 or more devices.

I hope this scenario is helpful. I could explain further regarding the difference between the 2 standards if you are interested. I am sure others could paint you scenarios of how BT and WiFi can be used to obviate wired connections. Let me know if my explanation gets the message through before I proceed with more typing.

[RyanSalahi]

OK 1 last question, once I set it up, I can use it in my home, or anywhere else that has a wireless LAN, right? But do I have to change the settings as I move from one place to another, or will the clie detect that there is a network present and connect?

[davidy]

Wow, the posts have really rolled in whilst I was typing.

[davidy]

If the nxis set up to roam and to connect to any access points, then it should automatically detect and connect as you move into an area where there is WiFi transmission ie a WiFi hotspot.

[RyanSalahi]

Your explanation was quite thorough and I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to elucidate the uses and differences between BT and WiFi however, is Wifi faster? And can I do more with it (I really don't relish the thought of buying a new phone and service plan only for the BT feature)

[davidy]

It should be mentioned that the WiFi card for the NX will really chew through the batteries. BT is a lot more battery friendly as it transmit a weaker signal, hence the shorter range compared to WiFi. For the cost of interconnectivity over a longer distance, you need more power to transmit the stronger signal, hence much shorter battery life.

I don't have the WiFi card for my nx, so maybe those who do can furnish you with real life battery life figures when constantly using WiFi, say for surfing the net. The intermittent synching should not pose a threat to battery life.

[RyanSalahi]

Ooh, so the wifi isn't really faster transfer rates, but stronger signal that uses more battery. I was interested in the faster of the 2 methods of connecting (I don't think I would be satisfied waiting for web pages to load like the old 2400 bps dial-ups) But if they're the same speed Bluetooth may be better.?.? However, I like the idea of wifi with no need for a new cell phone as I have Sprint service now.

[davidy]

WiFi is faster at the cost of battery life. It is also not independent of nearby transmitter-receivers. Besides the 802.11b standard, there is the even faster 802.11a and developing ultraspeedster 802.11g. You may want to google these for more information.

With BT pairing of the cell phone, it allows you to connect to the internet wherever your cell has a signal. This is much slower than WiFi but can be done in remote places where no WiFi hotspots exist. It will probably chew the cell phone's battery for prolonged connection though. Some people get around this by plugging the cell to the car's cigarette lighter.

WiFi 802.11b transmit at 11Mbps max = 11/8 MBps = 11/8*1024 KBps = just under a floppy full of information per second. This maximum rate is rarely achieved. A quarter of this rate is great in real life, whilst a tenth is good when downloading. Do others concur in this?

[RyanSalahi]

Thanks. I feel like I"m heading in he direction of wifi, now.... Is there a way to find out what public and private places have WAN's?

[flyclieguy]

I didn't read through all the info on this tread, but if it hasn't been pointed out.

As far as I know, Sprint does not offer a phone that has Blue tooth capabilities. Even though they have head sets that do. Not much sense if you ask me, but anyways, unless a new phone has just come out, you would not be able to connect via Sprint using Bluetooth.

Does anyone know the transfer rates for cable connection? That is what I planned to do, as there are really no hotspots in my location for WiFi use.

Another thing on the Sprint PCS vision plan, you do get unlimited web access, but you must pay like an extra 20 bucks for something like 10MB of download.

[davidy]

BT speed through the cell phone is bottlenecked at the service for the cell. 3G is slow to become standard and offers high speed. The more common GPRS (General Packet Radio System) service is much faster than 2400bps at 114000bps = 114000/8/1000 KBps = 14.25 KBps = 1% of a floppy.

This is however only the theoretical maximum and in real life may be slower. It should however be faster than a 56K modem though.

That being said, BT through PC through broadband/cable is as fast as WiFi but with the distance restricted to about 10m. This is because the bottleneck of the cell service is removed. I will check the actual BT speed and post it.

[oneeyesquare]

Everyone has been very helpful, but why is the post named "Melinda"? Granted I did look....:D

[davidy]

OK, BT runs at 720kbps max = 720/8 KBps = 90KBps = about 6% of a floppy per second.

What you may consider besides speed is availability of WiFi at your hospital.

You could always buy a memory stick BT when you want it later. You won't be able to have extended memory via memory stick at the same time. When the CF driver comes out, you may have CF memory car at the same time as using the MS BT. But the CF issue is a whole big issue of itself. Sufficient to say it made me so disgusted that I now use a NEXiO but that is another story again.

[*YellowRose*]

Originally posted by oneeyesquare
.... but why is the post named "Melinda"? Granted I did look....:D I was wondering too . . . maybe there's a girl named Melinda with bluetooth . . er . . . teeth?

j/k :D

[davidy]

So if BT's real life throughput is up to its maximum, then the user esperience should be similar to WiFi which way underperforms its theoretical maximum, even when standing next to the transmitter-receiver. It is theoretically not capable of the same speed as WiFi though. I haven't tried BT myself so I can't give you real life figures on real throughput or battery life.

[DukeTogo]

I don't think the WiFi card will automatically roam, you have to change profiles in the Settings area. I have one.

BTW the NZ90 has built-in Bluetooth, if you are interested in Bluetooth. For the NX, it is a hard to track down MemoryStick module... which means you can't use a MemoryStick at the same time.

I am REALLY surprised that you would be allowed to use a wireless device/cell phone in a hospital. Every hospital I have EVER been in, says quite clearly no such devices. While the probability is probably low, I gather they could interfere with various electrical devices there and since some of those devices keep people alive, well... you don't want to mess with them.

[oneeyesquare]

YellowRose,
Sounds like an old country song "Melinda "Bluetooth". LOL

[davidy]

Duke, you are probably right about WiFi with the nx. As I said I don't have it for my nx. Thanks for the correction. I was extrapolating WiFi use on my laptop and now with my Samsung NEXiO which does indeed allow me to discover hotspots and connect automatically. I just walk around till I find a good free signal. There is a lot of WiFi signals floating about the CBD in HK but few allow free access. As an aside, I wonder how secure this is for the institutions that use WiFi - WEP is hackable, WPA is newish to a lot of network admin still.

As for the wireless situation in hospitals, things are changing, even with cell phone usage. Check out 'Debunking an Urban Myth' at

http://www.pdacortex.com/EMI.htm

[Token User]

Originally posted by RyanSalahi
Which is newer, Bluetooth or Wifi? Will one become obsolete? Think of Bluetooth as being a wireless cable between two devices that you could plug together like lego to extend its functionality. Bluetooth is more like an exansion option than a heavy duty network option.

WiFi (or more correctly IEEE 802.11b) is a wireless ethernet standard much more akin to plugging your device into a network for accessing information.

They are different beasts, but do share the same radio spectrum (unlicenced 2.4GHz - same as cordless phones).

802.11 has a greater range and higher speed (generally 11Mb to 22Mb and up), but at the cost ofhigher batter usage in portable devices. Bluetooth is intended for short range (10m or 30' max) at low power, and much lower speeds. Not a gratifying web surfing experience, but acceptable.

What you need to ask your sysadmins at the hospital is if they have 802.11 setup in the hospital. If so, great, this is the choice for you.