Wireless Data and
Windows CE:

A marriage made in heaven or strange bedfellows?

By Andrew Seybold

When Microsoft announced the Windows CE operating system in September of 1996, and then later, when Bill Gates stood on the stage at COMDEX/Fall ‘96 to officially unveil Microsoft's hardware partners and to talk about the future, the wireless data community took note.

Many who have invested heavily in the wireless data industry, as well as network providers, wireless modem vendors, software developers, and systems integrators, hope that the Windows CE platform and the accompanying hardware will provide the "killer" application for the wireless data industry.

Setting the Stage

The rapid growth in the number of wireless data users projected by analysts and the industry itself has not materialized over the course of the past four to five years. There are many reasons for this. Equipment was too big, networks did not provide adequate coverage, and applications required special "middleware" to run over wireless, and, of course, the perceived price of wireless data was high.

Then RAM Mobile Data was launched in 1992, the "killer" application was thought to have been e-mail. But to send and receive e-mail with a wireless modem, users were required to have two different e-mail addresses--one for their corporate use, and one for wireless. Having two e-mail addresses, carrying around a bulky wireless modem, and not being able to count on wireless network coverage soon burst the e-mail balloon and network providers regrouped, turning their attention to "vertical" or fleet market users.

Enter Windows CE

The hope is that with Microsoft now in the handheld PC operating system business, and hardware vendors rushing to enter the handheld PC or PDA market with products that run Windows CE, there will be a renewed interest in wireless connectivity, especially to and from handheld devices.

Beginning with the initial group of H/PC announcements during COMDEX/Fall '96, every major wireless network provider, service provider, wireless modem vendor, and software vendor has stepped up to declare its support for this platform with products and services. However, one major issue remains to be resolved--one that I believe will impose significant constraints on the marriage of Windows CE products with wireless networks and services.

The Problem

The issue does not concern how to connect to the wireless network. This can be accomplished via PC Card wireless modems or built-in modems. The issue concerns what should be at the other end of the wireless network connection. Today, a handheld PC with a wireless modem can connect to a network to send and receive information over the Internet and to communicate with other wirelessly-enabled devices. However, it is still not easy to connect back to a user's own local-area network (LAN) or desktop computer.

Most LANs are protected from access via the Internet by firewalls. Even if access is permitted to a corporate LAN, it is not an easy task to enable the wireless user to access his or her own desktop computer. Today, such access can be accomplished with a direct connection between a wireless network and a corporate LAN or desktop, but these connections are expensive. They also require a high level of commitment from the corporate information managers--people who are, at the moment, not entirely comfortable with permitting dial-up access to their networks, let alone wireless connectivity.

The Push to Solve the Problem

I believe that end users equipped with first- or second-generation Windows CE devices will begin demanding both dial-up and wireless access to their own resources in sufficient numbers that Information Managers will have to take notice and begin exploring solutions that will enable it.

The driving force will come from the fact that Windows CE devices, to be useful, need to "talk" to their owner's desktop computer in order to synchronize calendars, phone books, e-mail, and other files the user may need while away from the desk. Soon after becoming "hooked" on this easy way to keep current, users will begin asking for the same level of synchronization and access while they are across the hall at a meeting, across the city at a customer's site, across the country in another city, or around the globe.

Information managers who have thus far ignored users' requests for wireless connections will be forced to listen as the number of Windows CE device users grows substantially over the next few years. New Windows CE form factor products that will reinforce the use of wired and wireless communications for information exchange and retrieval will be introduced, further adding to this push.

What Is the Answer?

The reality is that there is no single answer that will solve the handheld-to-desktop connectivity issue. Microsoft must first enable remote control of the synchronization process--something not provided for in the current Windows CE release. Different sizes of companies with different types of corporate infrastructures will want different flavored solutions. And security, the greatest issue of all, is of real concern to IS professionals whose job it is to keep their corporate information assets secure from hackers and industrial spies.

Enter the PCCA

Long before the announcement of Windows CE, a not-for-profit organization called the Portable Computer and Communications Association (PCCA) began developing standards to address a variety of wireless connectivity issues. At COMDEX/Fall, this organization held a meeting to discuss working on solutions to the handheld-to-desktop communications problems. More than sixty-five companies attended, including Microsoft. Since that first meeting, the PCCA has formed three committees and has been working diligently on this project.

The committees are working on the issues of security, hardware and software requirements, and education of the user and information management communities. Public relations projects have been undertaken, as well, to make sure that the association is working with all of the appropriate companies as well as with corporate end users and information managers.

Windows CE and Wireless

I believe that Windows CE devices coupled with wireless modems are powerful tools in the hands of mobile workers. Cellular phones gave those who are away from their desks the ability to stay in contact with their customers and to check their voice mail. I believe that handheld or mini-PC computers equipped with wireless data modems can do the same for e-mail and fax--two of the fastest-growing forms of business communications today.

We need to complete the link for the end user community. Maybe they will want access to information on the Net, but I believe that first and foremost they want to be able to access their own information to update their calendar, check on the status of a project back at the office, pull down a phone number, read their e-mail, and send and receive faxes.

Microsoft's CE operating system in and of itself does not enable these activities. However, Microsoft's entry into the handheld arena certainly has focused attention on this market segment, and Windows CE will play a leading role in building the critical mass necessary to solve these communications issues.

I am fortunate to have been elected president of the PCCA and to be able to work closely with the committees and companies addressing these areas. This magazine, too, has embraced the work of the PCCA and we will be reporting on its progress in these pages. If you would like to learn more about what the PCCA is doing, visit the PCCA Web site at www.outlook.com/pcca. 

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