Wireless networks get closer

I remember when email wouldn't travel between networks. I had separate accounts for MCI Mail and Compuserve to increase my reach: it was a great day when email could traverse the Internet and move between networks. Now, of course, we take for granted that messages can move from one client to another. We're on the verge of reaching a similar point, at which the type of network that any client is connected to will matter much less. Smartphones that use both cellular and WiFi networks have been discussed for some time now, but they're finally beginning to make their way to market. Between cellular (and 3G data) networks, WiFi hotspots, and WiMAX networks, we're rapidly approaching a place when ubiquitous data connectivity will be a reasonable assumption virtually anywhere "in town". For those of us who work while moving from place to place, this is an incredible development. It's no less remarkable for organizations large and small because it will continue the change in how work (and the workplace) is defined. I'm not sure that I agree with Intel's assessment that 2008 will be "The Year of WiMAX", but I'm quite confident that we'll look back on 2007 and 2008 as years when the way that we work changed forever. -Curtis