Mobile technology is fast moving and there have been some recent developments that have really caught my attention.

Over the last couple of years I have had various conversations about the “Virtual Office” and how flexible and mobile working will change the way businesses work.  In practise, there have been many technological challenges that need to be overcome in order for a true “Virtual Office” to become reality. One of the biggest obstacles is connectivity – in the UK Wifi hotspots are now widespread but the majority require payment for the service.  This is of course not a huge obstacle if you’re willing to stump up the cash but what happens when you move out of the hotspot to another preferred work location?  Do you pay again?

The Cloud recently announced the launch of a City wide Wifi network within the London mile.  You can sign up for a free 1 month trial of the service here.  I signed up and received a login and password and I promptly went into the City to test it out – unfortunately I wasn’t able to pick up the network.  Maybe they are having some teething problems – I will try again when I’m in the area.

Wifi poses a problem in that you are subject to the availability of hotspots and even if you find one, can you guarantee the work environment will be to your liking?  What we need is to be able to take our broadband connection with us wherever we go.  This is where HSDPA could be the answer.

HSDPA or 3.5g is said to be 10 times faster than 3g – it’s been branded as the mobile broadband.  Users have reported being able to get 1.4Mbps in areas where it is available.  So what do you need to have in order to get this “mobile broadband”?

I am almost at the end of my 18 month contract with T-Mobile and I’ve done some research on various handsets that will replace my MDA Vario. I’ve specifically looked at handsets which support HSDPA as I am looking to use the phone as a modem to connect my laptop to the net.  In my search, I’ve come across two handsets that fit the bill – the MDA Vario II and the Nokia N95.  Both handsets have had excellent reviews but the Nokia N95 has something over the MDA Vario II – a SIP client.

“A what?!” I hear some of you ask. SIP is an open source protocol used in VoIP and the Nokia basically allows users to make VoIP calls from the handset.  This interests me as not only could this mean I can take my office number on the road but I will be able to dial my colleagues’ extension numbers completely free.  We have already tested this on a Nokia E60 over a Wifi connection (the Managing director was checking in on me from Paris) and I will be very interested to see how VoIP calls perform on the N95 via HSDPA.

Technologies like HSDPA and devices like the N95 are the beginnings of an age where the Virtual Office will be a reality.  I will be writing more about my experiences of becoming truly mobile once I get my hands on a new mobile handset – hopefully armed with support for HSDPA and VoIP.  Stay tuned.

Will Cheng