| As technology develops faster and faster, one of | | | | frustratingly sparse, even in tech-friendly cities like |
| the most important factors in what people | | | | San Francisco. More important, wireless was |
| choose to invest in is its ability to go mobile. One | | | | known for not quite functioning. Often times, the |
| of the reasons that laptops became so popular | | | | only way to get a signal, even somewhere like a |
| and continue to be bestsellers for most tech | | | | hotel lobby, was to try and point the computer in |
| companies is that a laptop offers its users the | | | | a specific direction or hunker down in a corner. |
| freedom to go wherever they want and still have | | | | Recently, the high-speed networks that cell |
| access to their files, information, and the internet. | | | | phones and various internet service providers |
| Likewise, the boom in smart phones has largely | | | | operate on merged with a new technology that |
| been because they offer the freedom of being | | | | finally provides wireless the way that consumers |
| able to do more than make a call and text | | | | have always envisioned it. Using the power of |
| without needing to drag around a laptop. | | | | towers to transmit signals far and wide at a much |
| As technology progresses at even faster rates | | | | stronger and steadier rate, WiMax allows anyone |
| and people have more options to choose from | | | | to get online from pretty much anywhere in the |
| than ever before, the progress that has led to | | | | United States. And unlike with a wireless network, |
| the current state of communications is often | | | | which requires passwords and configurations, this |
| overlooked. Less than a decade ago, something | | | | new version of the internet just requires you to |
| as simple as logging onto the internet required a | | | | boot your computer before it automatically |
| lot more time, and the fastest speed available to | | | | connects to the network. It's as simple as |
| surf the web for consumers was a 28.8k modem | | | | switching on your cell phone, but comes with so |
| that went through a regular dial-up phone line. As | | | | much more power considering now a high-speed |
| the speed for the internet increased from dial-up | | | | internet connection is anywhere that you and |
| to 4G, so did the number of options for tasks | | | | your laptop are. |
| that could be completed, from sending larger files | | | | The far-reaching implications for this fascinating |
| without waiting hours for an upload to being able | | | | new technology are fantastic as far as tech |
| to stream video footage from websites | | | | development goes, considering now the only limits |
| anywhere in the world. | | | | to what can happen online is the speed of the |
| However, even with the number of advances | | | | network and the amount of data that it can |
| being made, one thing was holding back those | | | | transfer at once. You could be on your way to a |
| who needed the mobility of a computer, not a | | | | business trip and be video-conferencing on the |
| small screen on a cell phone. The problem often | | | | train, or entertaining your family on a long car ride |
| fell with the shortcomings of wireless internet, | | | | by streaming films once you ran out. And unlike |
| which was not so wireless considering the short | | | | with the allegedly wireless service already |
| distance that the signal actually provided service. | | | | available, WiMax actually provides a strong enough |
| While it might be nice to take one's laptop to a | | | | signal anywhere so you can do more than hit |
| cafe and finish a school assignment or ride a train | | | | refresh over and over again hoping to load the |
| between cities and work on a report thanks to | | | | webpage you need. |
| the Wi-Fi, the fact is that coverage was still | | | | |