Vaio Wimax !

Couldn't believe it. Yes it is true- Finally, A good laptop with a Wimax radio in it. Sony Vaio, my fav brand, soon launching its P series (the smallest and the cutest one that also fits in the back pocket) with the wimax enabled radio. It is an smart and clever move! I mean, it has had to come from someone. I have had enough of Intel's rant of selling wimax enable laptops for years. It is smart in a way that it is future ready. The type of device P series is; It was hardly going to survive without a high speed Internet connection. I will not buy a 8 inch wide computer to watch movies or listen to music for a price tag of 999$. It would always be "Internet on the move" sort of gadget.

P model is the smallest one in Vaio series. It boast 8 inch screen and weigh only 1.8 pounds. 256 GB hard disk with 2GB RAM makes it almost as powerful as any bulky desktop. It has Intel Pentium processor which guzzles, highest in the class, 1.8 Ghz of processing power. It has in-built GPS, which is perfect for traveling.

Although wimax footprint is very small as of today, but it is rapidly expanding. Wireless technology needs some time to penetrate , which also depends upon the availability of low cost access devices in the hands of customer. GSM is a good example. Still the most successful wireless technology after AM radios on earth. This is because GSM handset are available for as low as 20$. Sony VAIOs move will pump a fresh breath of air into the Wimax ecosystem. This is good for both Sony as well as for the Wimax. I hope other laptop vendors will follow the suite. Find more information here

Will be back soon

I have been quite for a while. I will be back soon with some interesting readings.

New tools in the market

I am a Matlab programmer by heart. I prefer to code my algorithms in Matlab to quicken the development. Those who are not familiar with Matlab - It's a tool to simulate mathematical equations. The convenience of coding in matlab manifest itself in the form of floating point implementation. It is really easy to do anything that you think with out worrying about underflows and overflows of variables (DSP engineer will understand this). But then Matlab engineer are flogged with constant criticism of being "Academics". The reason for this is that matlab algorithms can't be ported directly into the target system. They have to undergo a cycle of either conversion to ANSI C, C++ or assembly. And sometimes it is impossible to convert them at all due to implicit use of square root and division operations.

Much to the relief of DSP engineers; Xlinix has introduced two tools that will enable the Matlab Engineers to convert their design directly into the HDL languages like VHDL and Verilog. These two tools are- System Generator and Accel DSP. System generator works with Simulink. The design, first, needs to be implemented with Simulink blocks. Then these blocks are replaced with Xilinx blocksets (some 90 enriched blocks are provided). The blocks are fixed point in nature. This exposes any design deficiencies in the beginning itself. That saves an enormous amount of cost in terms of design iterations. After fixing the timing issues , HDL code is generated by just press of a button. It is as easy as it sounds. This reduces the design to implementation process from months to weeks.

Accel DSP is a similar tool; Only difference is that it works on m files. It takes the raw M files and convert the instructions/commands into fixed point format. There are certain guideline that it requires to be followed, while coding, for smooth conversion.

Of course these two tools comes with a hefty price tag. System Generator costs around 1000$ and Accel DSP cost around 5000$. For more visit Xilinx website www.xilinx.com But I must say, Xilinx has worked hard to give a heavy dividend to the DSP engineers who leverage Xilinx chips in their hardware. But recently, I visited the Mathworks website and found out that Simulink has also come up with its own HDL coder, like system generator, which is independent of any target device. This is even more cool because I think simulink add on toolbox comes at a cheaper price then product like System Generator.

Neways, they are nice tools to check out !

New Internet surfing device on the streets

It's been quite a while since we have talked something about wireless. Actually today, I came across a very cool device that I can't wait to blog about. I have been searching for a wireless keyboard for my HTC Touch. I always find it difficult to write with the stylus. The keypad is too small to hit the right key in the first shot. A small wireless keyboard was always on my wishlist for quite a some time.

But not anymore;Datawind has launched a cool internet surfing device "PocketSurfer2". It is a hand held device that also fits easily into your handbag or belt. It has a transreflective 640X240 backlit display that gives an awsome surfing experiance- better than the mobile phones. Built-in GPS receiver, 4 hours active usage, 4 days standby Full QWERTY backlit keyboard and a Mouse pointer are just few of the coolest feature it has. With under 7 seconds of web page loading time, it will surely be a show stopper.

Pocketsurfer2 comes with a pre-loaded 20 hours per month internet surfing subscription. Oh, bye the way, did I tell you that it uses GPRS for the internet access? You may have to walk miles to find a Wi-Fi hot spot but finding a GPRS network- well, asking such thing is so fatous. It is ready to use right out of the box. Plus there is option for monthly subscription at a very nominal rates.

It cost 11,900 Rs in India (ca. 220 $). Check it out at http://www.datawind.com

New face of terrorism

It has been a terrible week for the Mumbaiker and for India . On the fateful night of Wednesday, coinciding with the movie on terror ‘Wednesday’, Mumbai was terrorized
by 10 outrageous terrorists. Clad with AK-47 and hand grenades, they walked freely on the streets of South Mumbai, reminding the haunting pictures of US military patrolling in Iraq.

It was uncalled for, as with any other terrorist attack, and it left the city of 18 million resident paralyzed. South Mumbai is a popular destination among the foreigners. Its active night life and star rated hotels makes it a sought after destination in India. It is also my personal favorite destination.

India has witnessed many terrorist attacks in the recent past, ranging from Islamist extremist attacks in Delhi and Ahmadabad, to the moist attack in South East India. But this time it was unusual in the way it was executed. For the first time terrorist used the sea route to penetrate India. They docked at the Gateway of India, split into a team of 2, marched toward Mumbai. They fired indiscriminately on the people, sterilizing the police and made a mockery of the Indian home land security.

They soon barged into some important places like the iconic Taj Mahal hotel at Colaba, hotel Trident Oberoi and Nariman building, a Jewish abode, showing the young and brutal face of terrorism. Soon, within 59 hours before Indian National Security commandos and marines corps could over power them, 152 people were killed including 22 foreigners and around 400 people were injured. A two year old Jewish Kid ‘Moshe’ was also left orphaned on his birthday.

Report says that they were all Pakistani’s. One captured terrorist Kazam(Inset) confessed that they were trained in Pakistan by an ex military commander. They went through rigorous training and, out of 40, 10 were handpicked for the operation. Indian investigating agencies, FBI and Israeli Mossad are investing the case. In the mean time several people have come out on the street to protest the continual negligence of security threats by Indian intelligence agencies.

A Maharastrian Wedding

Talking about wireless all the time can be quite boring and doing it all day is definitely not happening. Decided to take a break, I went to my friend's wedding in Western Mumbai today.

My friend is a Maharastrian from Mumbai. Maharastra is a Western part of India situated along the coastline of the Arabian sea. India's demography is very diverse. Every state has its own autistic people and language. Sometimes I wonder how these states, widely apart in their identity, glue together and resonate harmoniously to one tune called India.

Nevertheless, ride to the wedding was effortless. I boarded a train from my place, got off at a station, piggy-backed in my colleague's car and headed for the wedding. We lost our way in the middle, but after series of queries with the the side walker and few U turns we reached our place. After diligently parking the car at a risky place we entered into the hotel.

First thing that took my breadth was the agility with which the wedding was pacing. Almost, within two hours of its inception, the wedding entered into its final stage: The Reception.

Maharstrian wedding is generally shorter, lasting only for hours, than the average duration of weddings in India. Strategically organised on weekends to force large attendance, it is constantly hammered with the unavailability of space and cost that sometimes justify its premature ending.

It starts off with Bride and Groom standing in front of each other. A long white cloth separates them. They hold garlands in their hands, made up of handpicked flowers, patiently waiting for the priest to complete his perennial chantings of rituals. Guests, in the meanwhile, shower the couple with the flowers occasionally digressing into their own animated conversations. When the priest finally finishes, the bride and groom exchange garlands and the wedding is complete. There is no time for "Saath Phare" which is quite common in Northern India.

After this the lunch party begins and begins a hustle to get a nice picture with the couple on the stage. The parents of both the party also stand with them. I also walked up to the stage and congratulated the newly weds. Then, after sharing some light moments with my Colleagues and Friends over there, it was the time for me to go back home.

802.16e Network Architecture

First, A question: Who do you think is responsible for IEEE 802.16e Network architecture development? IEEE? No! Ironic to the common belief, Wimax network architecture development is the task of Network Working Group (NWG) of Wimax Forum.

I will cover this topic briefly because I, myself, have a very limited knowledge of this topic. This topic is so vast in itself that it is almost impossible to cover it into one posting or in one Blog. So, I will give you some pointers in the end that will impart deeper knowledge of networking in the Wimax.

Wimax network is an all IP network, supports all usage model(fixed and mobility) and has a provision to support different Quality of Service(QOS). It has open interface for both within the Radio Access Network(RAN) and between the RAN and the core network. It supports all type of Voice, Data and Multimedia services.

Wimax Network, as shown above, consist of two important element: Network Service Provider(NSP) and Network Access Provider (NAP). NAP has two important elements: Base station and Access Network Gateway(ASN). Where as ASN gateways connects and manages different Base stations, NSP provides connectivity to different backhand networks(e.g. IMS). Wimax network supports both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols.

Multiple ASN profiles has been provided in the Wimax to manage diversity in ASN implementation and usage.There are three different ASN profiles(A,B,C) that depends upon the location of ASN and BS and also on the status of different interfaces (R1, R2...). Interfaces provides physical and logical connection between various network entities. They can be open(Vendor specific) or closed(NWG specified).

You can find more information about network architecture here

Okay, in the next blog we will be starting introductory Medium Access Control(MAC) of Wimax. Cheers!