One more thing: VoIP on the iPhone?

After some verbal grandstanding and many deadlines, Cisco and Apple worked out their differences regarding the iPhone trademark. The unusually short press release mentions:

In addition, Cisco and Apple will explore opportunities for interoperability in the areas of security, and consumer and enterprise communications.

This leads Wired's Cult of Mac to speculate about the possibilities of of voice over IP compatibility between Cisco products and the iPhone.However, the Cisco (or rather, Linksys) iPhones aren't so much VoIP phones that use the standard SIP protocol (Cisco does make these for the enterprise market), but rather proprietary Skype or Yahoo Messenger phones. As such, it's hard to see how interoperability would even be possible, unless Apple's iPhone were to come with its own version of these applications. Apple hasn't exactly been forthcoming with details about what will and what won't run on its iPhone, but curiously missing in action during Steve Jobs' demo was Apple's own instant messaging and voice chat program, iChat.
But here's a more fundamental question: why does Apple's iPhone have WiFi in the first place? All the applications that that Steve Jobs demoed would work well enough over EDGE. EDGE is not particularly fast, but it's not that slow. Mail and the kind of web pages that are usable on a hand-held device (even a relatively powerful one) don't require multi-megabit per second Internet access speeds. Would the same company that keeps putting last year's graphics cards in top segment computers spend extra money on a WiFi chip just to speed up applications that don't really require the extra speed? It's not like we get to sync or buy from the iTunes Store wirelessly. Or will we?
I'm pretty sure there is one more thing, something that really needs the 802.11 capability. VoIP would fit the bill perfectly. With VoIP on board, the iPhone can replace existing fixed phones and more easily justify its steep price tag. It also makes sense that Apple would like to keep this secret from Cingular (or maybe just the overseas wireless networks that it's no doubt negotiating with right now) in order to get the best deal possible. When Steve then drops the VoIP bomb on them right before the iPhone becomes available, the carriers are already committed and it won't be easy to back out. Or maybe the carriers are in on the deal and are working on mobile-VoIP integration as we speak. This is where a user calls over VoIP/WiFi/ADSL at home and over the cell network elsewhere.
Or maybe the raison d'être for the iPhone's WiFi is something completely different. But somewhere, somehow, there's another shoe that has yet to drop.

Dell To Replace BlackBerries With Own Venue Pro Smartphone

With a sweeping announcement, Dell has put Research In Motion (RIM) and other potentialsmartphone and mobile market competitors on notice: Dell's here.

That was the real message in Dell's decision to swap out some 25,000 BlackBerry smartphones deployed across its workforce in favor of Dell's own forthcoming Venue Pro, a Windows Phone 7 device.
The Wall Street Journal reported the move, and that Dell employees will be offered the upcoming Dell Venue Pro phone to replace their BlackBerrys. The switch-out begins next week, and Dell hopes to save some 25 percent in communication costs, mainly by shifting off of BlackBerry servers.
"Clearly in this decision, we are competing with RIM, because we're kicking them out," said Brian Gladden, Dell's CFO, in an interview with the Journal Friday.
Dell's mobile device strategy has gradually taken shape in the last few months, and what's emerged so far are a few showpiece devices, including the Dell Streak and the Venue Pro, which was among the phones touted during Microsoft's splashy Windows Phone 7 launch in October.
Dell partners are skeptical -- many see Dell's mobile salvo as too little, too late -- but also told CRN last month that they're encouraged by Dell's new commitment to mobile innovation.
The Journal reported that Dell will also offer phones to employees that run Google's Android. Dell is already committed to Android in some respects -- the Streak is an Android device, for example -- and further Android use would put Dell up there with Motorola, Samsung, HTC and other smartphone vendors that have hitched their wagons to Android's rising star, with a small galaxy of buzzed-about devices between them.
When asked by the Journal about whether RIM had been informed of Dell's switch, Gladden said RIM hadn't been told and that "it's not clear to them the scope of what we're doing."
Dell's mobile device strategy comes during a time of an increased emphasis on enterprise networking, too. The company has OEMagreements with Brocade, Juniper, and more recently, Aruba, marketing those vendors' products under its PowerConnect B-series, J-series and W-series brands.
Dell in late September also hired industry veteran Dario Zamarian as its vice president and general manager for networking -- the first time Dell has named a dedicated vice president to that division.

New Cisco Router Points To Growing Tactical Mobility Opportunity

Cisco on Monday introduced a new embedded services router designed for high-stress environments that require secure IP routing and services.

The goal, according to Cisco, is to extend top-of-the-line networkingneeds, from voice to video, to workers in public safety, transportation, construction, mining, defense and other harsh and heavy-duty field environments while eliminating on-site configuration hassles.


Those types of conditions, also known as mobile ad hoc networks, allow field personnel to stay in contact with command censors, perform advanced networking functions in the field, and adapt to changing orders.


"Our defense customers, first responders, heavy construction and so forth require a small form factor with the right size, weight power and mobile ad hoc networking capabilities to help them in certain operating environments," said Brad Boston, Cisco senior vice president, Research & Advanced Development, in an interview withCRN. "They are in situations where normally, they'd either have no infrastructure or that infrastructure is partially damaged."


The new router, known as the 5940 Embedded Services Router, establishes a scalable mobile network with onboard hardware encryption. It includes four Gigabit Ethernet interfaces and pre-loaded Cisco IOS software and Mobile Ready Net capabilities. Physically, it is a 3U CompactPCI router card -- about the size of a 4-x-6 inch photograph -- available in both air- and conduction-cooled versions. Each version meets MILSPEC requirements.


The key is not only the form factor but the scalability, said Murray Duff, mobility programs manager at Cisco. It relieves field personnel of having to configure networking equipment to streamvideo or connect for voice and data services or perform other mission-critical functions, and is intended to work with any vehicle that "flies, walks, drives or sails."


"None of these tactical operators have a networking expert to put in every vehicle," Duff explained. "So the network has to be smart enough or intelligent enough to reconfigure in this environment without the benefit of a CCIE sitting there. Ad hoc networks don't necessarily rely on existing infrastructure."


Tactical mobility is an emerging hot spot for solution providers, Duff said -- especially those who can cater to environments and industries as varied as heavy mining, chemical transportation and military defense. Given its Cisco IOS compatibility, Duff said, the 5940 will be appealing for solution providers who already work with these types of customers in Cisco-heavy infrastructure and mobility deployments.


Defense and first responders are typically the markets most served by tactical mobility solutions, he added, but as field mobility gets more common, there'll be an even greater need in commercial and more mainstream environments, too.


"I'm amazed at how quickly these are moving into commercial vehicles," Duff said. "Partners will help deliver these capabilities to vehicle fleets, and there will be a lot of addressable demand going forward."

Intel Joins Wireless Broadband Alliance

Intel on Monday joined the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), an industry group that promotes adoption of 3G Wi-Fi roaming worldwide.


The WBA was founded in 2003 by telecommunication operators looking to increase interoperability across networks and devices by developing common technical and commercial frameworks for wireless technology. The WBA has developed a standard specification called Wireless Roaming Intermediary Exchange which facilitates roaming and reduces the time it takes for new wireless technology operators to go to market.


Intel says its entry to the WBA is another example of the leadership role it has been playing in the Wi-Fi market.


"Intel has always been at the forefront of networking technologies and one of the Wi-Fi pioneers," an Intel spokesperson told CRN. "Intel sits on most of the industry bodies that create standards for networking technologies and has for years. This is a continuation of our ongoing networking efforts."


Several signs over the last few months have pointed to Intel's increased interest in the mobile market, including the purchase of Infineon Wireless Solutions in August, the appearance last month of a leaked internal e-mail , in which Intel CEO Paul Otellini called the company's investment in mobile technology "a marathon, not a sprint," and the company's announcement a week later of plans to build Atom processors specifically for tablets code-named Oak Trail.
Other new WBA members include Google, Aruba Networks, Meru Networks and Ruckus Wireless, as well as specialist roaming solution providers Accuris Networks and Aicent. New operator members include mobile communications operator NTT DOCOMO and broadband operator TTNet from the Turk Telekom group.


In total, the WBA includes forty-six members, sixteen of which joined the Alliance this year.

AMD'S Fusion Chips Rumored To Be Inside Upcoming Macs

AMD's upcoming Fusion platform will be featured inside Apple iMac and Mac Pro notebooks, according to published reports.

The possibility of an AMD-Apple partnership emerged from a presentation given on Tuesday at AMD's 2010 Financial Analyst Day. Emilio Ghilardi, senior vice president and chief sales officer, showed a slide during the session showing two iMac all-in-one systems and a Mac Pro under the Apple logo, alongside AMD's Fusion branding, according to Fudzilla.
Ghilardi flipped through several slides during the session and did not pause to give further details on the images, Fudzilla noted.
AMD isn’t commenting on the report. "As a matter of policy, AMD does not comment on speculations or rumors," a spokesperson for the company told CRN.
AMD did point out, however, that Apple added several GPUs from AMD'S Radeon 4000 and 5000 series to iMac and Mac Pro notebooks back in August. If the slide from Tuesday's presentation does include those Apple machines, AMD's APUs, which combineCPU and GPU capability on a single die, will likely appear in future versions.
Apple's move toward AMD could further embitter leading chip maker and AMD rival Intel. Intel's CPUS have powered Apple computers since Apple switched from PowerPC processors to Intel's x8architecture in 2005. In January, Apple began manufacturing its own ARM-based A4 processor, which now powers the iPad, the iPodtouch, and the iPhone 4.
Shortly after Intel acquired Infineon's Wireless Unitin August, rumors surfaced that Apple would switch from Infineon, whose chips are featured in the iPhone, to wireless chip supplier Qualcomm for its iPhone 5.
In September, Apple replaced Intel's processor inside the Apple TV with theA4 chip.
Intel (NSDQ:INTC) has since said it was preparing the Atom-based Oak Trail platforms for tablet devices scheduled to appear in 2011. Apple's iPad currently commands over 90 percent of the overall tablet market, according to research firm Gartner.