Communications Technology Definitions

Augmented Reality- A type of virtual reality that combines real and imagined images. In "augmented reality", most of the images are real. Not to be confused with virtual reality, computer generated images are placed in a real image (techweb.com). It could be applied with transparent headsets (Answers.com) Applications range from showcasing cars to being able to write in the air, or my favorite, holding a lightsaber (t-immersion.com)

Biometrics- The study of measurable biological characteristics. In computer security, biometrics refers to authentication techniques that rely on measurable physical characteristics that can be automatically checked. These include face, fingerprint, hand geometry, retina, iris, signature, vein, and voice (webopedia.com). A biometrics fingerprint reader can scan for each person's unique fingerprint, which could be used for security, clocking in and out for payroll, or for personal laptop security (digitalpersona.com).

Bit Torrent- Bit Torrent is a file sharing service that takes large files, breaks it down into chunks, and distributes them between all the users downloading or uploading at that moment. KaZaa and other file sharing programs often have an unequal upload and download rate, because people do not want to share their bandwidth letting people download off of them. In Bit Torrent, if you are downloading you are also uploading, or you can not download at all.

BlackBerry- Available in cellphone and PDA sizes, these popular devices extend the office to the road, providing e-mail, phone, text messaging, Web browsing, organizer (calendar, addresses, tasks, etc.), as well as paging, Yahoo instant messaging and corporate data access. A raft of third-party applications is also available. The devices are very popular with some businesses, where they are primarily used to provide e-mail delivery to roaming employees (Answers.com). It has a full keyboard, which is easy to use compared to the small keyboards other phones tried to have.

Bluetooth- Bluetooth is a wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology that can transmit data and digital voice from point to point or multiple points. Some of the first Bluetooth applications have been for cellphones, providing a wireless connection to a headset and to an automobile's audio system for hands-free operation. Bluetooth provides up to 720 Kbps data transfer within a range of 10 meters and up to 100 meters with a power boost. Unlike IrDA, which requires that devices be aimed at each other (line of sight), Bluetooth uses omnidirectional radio waves that can transmit through walls and other non-metal barriers (Answers.com).

Cable Modems- A modem used to connect a computer to a cable TV service that provides Internet access. Cable modems can dramatically increase the bandwidth between the user's computer and the Internet service provider. Cable modems connect to the computer via an Ethernet port, which is an always-on connection. Ethernet is a shared medium, and the individual user's speed will vary depending on how many customers are sending or receiving data on that cable segment at the same time. A splitter is attached to a cable line, and a line is sent to the television and the modem respectively (Answers.com).

Compression- The process of transforming information from one representation to another, smaller representation from which the original, or a close approximation to it, can be recovered. The compression and decompression processes are often referred to as encoding and decoding. The process is said to be lossless if the recovered data are assured to be identical to the source; otherwise the compression process is said to be lossy. Compression is useful because it helps reduce the consumption of expensive resources, such as disk space or transmission bandwidth (Answers.com). On the downside, compressed data must be uncompressed to be viewed (or heard), and this extra processing may be detrimental to some applications (wikipedia.org).

Digital Photography- Digital photography, as opposed to film photography, uses electronic devices to record the image as binary data. This facilitates storage and editing of the images on personal computers, and also the ability to show and delete unsuccessful images immediately on the camera itself. The "digital film," which is made up of flash memory modules or recordable CDs (CD-Rs), can be transferred to a local computer for printing, or it can be uploaded to a Web site for viewing and printing. Sensors read the input of light data, such as luminosity and chromatic information and digital memory devices store the digital image information (wikipedia.org).

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) data transmission- Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology is a modem technology that uses existing twisted-pair telephone lines to transport high-bandwidth data, such as multimedia and video, to service subscribers (answers.com). The customer end of the connection consists of a DSL modem. This converts data from the digital signals used by computers into a voltage signal of a suitable frequency range which is then applied to the phone line (wikipedia.org).

Digital TV- Television in which picture information is encoded into digital signals on the transmitter, and decoded at the receiver (Answers.com). All digital TV variants can carry both standard-definition television (SDTV) and high-definition television (HDTV). It uses digital modulation data, which is digitally compressed and requires decoding by a specially designed television set or a standard receiver with a set-top box (wikipedia.org).

Encryption- The reversible transformation of data from the original (the plaintext) to a difficult-to-interpret format (the ciphertext) as a mechanism for protecting its confidentiality, integrity and sometimes its authenticity. Encryption uses an encryption algorithm and one or more encryption keys. Two widely used encryption methods are DES (Data Encryption Standard), developed by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards and used by the government and many financial institutions, and PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) (answers.com).

Fiber Optics- A technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit data. A fiber optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves. Fiber optic cables have a much greater bandwidth than metal cables. This means that they can carry more data. Data can be transmitted digitally (the natural form for computer data) rather than analogically (webopedia.com).

Firewalls- A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet. There are several types of firewalls, including packet filter, application gateway, circuit-level gateway, and a proxy server (webopedia.com).

Flash Memory- A special type of EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) that can be erased and reprogrammed in blocks instead of one byte at a time. Many modern PCs have their BIOS stored on a flash memory chip so that it can easily be updated if necessary. Such a BIOS is sometimes called a flash BIOS. Flash memory is also popular in modems because it enables the modem manufacturer to support new protocols as they become standardized (webopedia.com).

Flat Panel Displays- A thin lightweight video display used in laptop and notebook computers and employing liquid crystals, electroluminescence, or a similar alternative to cathode-ray tubes. Also called flat screen. (Liquid Crystal Display) A display technology that uses rod-shaped molecules (liquid crystals) that flow like liquid and bend light. Unenergized, the crystals direct light through two polarizing filters, allowing a natural background color to show. When energized, they redirect the light to be absorbed in one of the polarizers, causing the dark appearance of crossed polarizers to show. The more the molecules are twisted, the better the contrast and viewing angle (answers.com).

Haptic Interface- A haptic device is one that involves physical contact between the computer and the user, usually through an input/output device, such as a joystick or data gloves, that senses the body's movements. By using haptic devices, the user can not only feed information to the computer but can receive information from the computer in the form of a felt sensation on some part of the body (webopedia.com).

High Definition DVD (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray)- (High Definition DVD) A high-capacity rewritable optical disk based on the Advanced Optical Disc (AOD) technology from Toshiba and NEC. A single-sided, single-layer HD DVD disk holds 15GB compared to 4.7GB for a regular DVD. A dual-layer HD DVD disk stores 30GB, and a triple-layer disk increases capacity to 45GB (webopedia.com).

Holographic Data Storage- Creating holograms is achieved by means of two coherent beams of light split from one laser source, one being the reference beam and the other the signal beam. When both these beams interfere with one another, a resulting interference pattern is formed which encompasses the pattern both in amplitude and phase information of the two beams. When an appropriate photorefractive material is placed at the point of interference, the interference patterns are recorded inside the material. When the reference beam illuminates the material in the absence of the signal beam, the hologram causes the light to be diffracted in the same direction of the initial signal beam and all the information of the original signal beam is reconstructed (wikipedia.org).

Intelligent Agents- Programs, used extensively on the Web, that perform tasks such as retrieving and delivering information and automating repetitive tasks. Agents are designed to make computing easier. Currently they are used as Web browsers, news retrieval mechanisms, and shopping assistants. By specifying certain parameters, agents will "search" the Internet and return the results directly back to your PC (webopedia.com).

Internet Radio- Internet radio is a broadcasting service transmitted via the Internet. Because the radio signal is relayed over the Internet, it is possible to access the stations from anywhere in the world. One of the most common ways to distribute internet radio is via streaming technology using a lossy audio codec. The MP3 codec is most popular, followed by Ogg Vorbis, Windows Media Audio, and RealAudio; use of HE-AAC (sometimes called aacPlus) is gaining in popularity. The bits are "streamed" over a TCP/IP connection, then reassembled and played within about 2 seconds. Therefore, streaming radio has about a two-second lag time (wikipedia.org).

iPods- Apple's iPod is a small portable music player. Users can transfer songs to their iPod with their computer, iTunes, and the iPod software. For downloading and battery charging, connection is made to the computer via FireWire or USB. The hard disk iPod is a multimedia device, which plays audio and video and displays photos (answers.com).

Network Computing (thin-client architecture)- Computers working together over a network, as opposed to stand-alone computing. With the advent of the World Wide Web, any server became a centralized data repository, and any browser could turn a computer into a thin client. Web services, for example Webmail services such as Hotmail, reduced the personal information kept on a client machine, and allowed people more mobility and personal information security (wikipedia.org).

Personal Servers- A content management solution that provides multi-user data protection, synchronization and sharing for homes and businesses. Retrieve digital content via the Internet any time. Sync content automatically between networked computers.

Podcasting- Podcasting is similar in nature to RSS, which allows subscribers to subscribe to a set of feeds to view syndicated Web site content. With podcasting however, you have a set of subscriptions that are checked regularly for updates and instead of reading the feeds on your computer screen, you listen to the new content on on your iPod (or like device) (webopedia.com).

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)- Short for radio frequency identification, a technology similar in theory to bar code identification. With RFID, the electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the RF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is used to transmit signals. An RFID system consists of an antenna and a transceiver, which read the radio frequency and transfer the information to a processing device, and a transponder, or tag, which is an integrated circuit containing the RF circuitry and information to be transmitted (webopedia.com). Like bar codes, RFID tags identify items. However, unlike bar codes, which must be in close proximity and line of sight to the scanner for reading, RFID tags do not require line of sight and can be embedded within packages. Depending on the type of tag and application, they can be read at a varying range of distances (techweb.com).

Satellite Radio- A satellite radio or subscription radio (SR) is a digital radio that receives signals broadcast by communications satellite, which covers a much wider geographical range than terrestrial radio signals. SR functions any place there is line of sight between the antenna and the satellite, given there are no major obstructions, such as tunnels or buildings. SR audiences can follow a single channel regardless of location within a given range. Satellite radio uses the 2.3 GHz S band in North America, and generally shares the 1.4 GHz L band with local Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) stations elsewhere. It is a type of direct broadcast satellite, and is strong enough that it requires no satellite dish to receive. Curvature of the Earth limits the reach of the signal, but due to the high orbit of the satellites, two or three are usually sufficient to provide coverage for an entire continent (wikipedia.org).

Smart Card- A small electronic device about the size of a credit card that contains electronic memory, and possibly an embedded integrated circuit (IC). Smart cards containing an IC are sometimes called Integrated Circuit Cards (ICCs) (webopedia.com). When inserted into a reader, it transfers data to and from a central computer. It is more secure than a magnetic stripe card and can be programmed to self-destruct if the wrong password is entered too many times. As a financial transaction card, it can be loaded with digital money and used like a travelers check, except that variable amounts of money can be spent until the balance is zero (techweb.com).

Smart Phone- Smartphones are a handheld device that integrates mobile phone capabilities with the more common features of a handheld computer or PDA. A smartphone is typically a cellular telephone that provides digital voice service as well as any combination of e-mail, text messaging, pager, Web access, voice recognition as well as picture taking (the camera phone). Personal information management (PIM) functions found in a PDA may also be integrated (techweb.com).

Speech Recognition Systems- The conversion of spoken words into computer text. Speech is first digitized and then matched against a dictionary of coded waveforms. The matches are converted into text as if the words were typed on the keyboard. Speaker dependent systems require that users enunciate samples into the system in order to tune it to their individual voices. Speaker-independent systems do not require tuning and can recognize limited vocabularies such as numeric digits and a handful of words. Because of their limitations and high cost, voice recognition systems have traditionally been used only in a few specialized situations. For example, such systems are useful in instances when the user is unable to use a keyboard to enter data because his or her hands are occupied or disabled (techweb.com).

Streaming Video- A one-way video transmission over a data network. It is widely used on the Web as well as private intranets to deliver video-on-demand or a video broadcast. Unlike movie files (MPG, AVI, etc.) that are played after they are downloaded, streaming video is played within a few seconds of requesting it, and the data is not stored permanently in the computer. In streaming video, both the client and server cooperate for uninterrupted motion. The client side stores a few seconds of video in a buffer before it starts sending it to the screen and speakers. Throughout the session, it continues to receive video data ahead of time (techweb.com).

Tablet PC- a type of notebook computer that has an LCD screen on which the user can write using a special-purpose pen, or stylus. The handwriting is digitized and can be converted to standard text through handwriting recognition, or it can remain as handwritten text. The stylus also can be used to type on a pen-based key layout where the lettered keys are arranged differently than a QWERTY keyboard. The tablet PC relies on digital ink technology, where a digitizer is laid under or over an LCD screen to create an electromagnetic field that can capture the movement of the special-purpose pen and record the movement on the LCD screen. The effect is like writing on paper with liquid ink (webopedia.com).

3G (3rd generation digital cell services)- The current generation of data transmission over a cellular network. 3G promises increased bandwidth, up to 384 Kbps when a device is stationary or moving at pedestrian speed, 128 Kbps in a car, and 2 Mbps in fixed applications. 3G will work over wireless air interfaces such as GSM, TDMA, and CDMA (webopedia.com).

TiVo- A consumer device that digitizes broadcast or cable TV onto a hard disk using MPEG-2 compression. It allows the viewer to pause at any time and continue playing or to record a program for viewing at a later date like a VCR. TiVo can also be set to periodically record favorite shows whenever broadcast (techweb.com). Based on a database of programs available to the user-dependent upon his or her location and/or cable/satellite services he or she uses, and updated roughly once a day via phone or network connection to TiVo headquarters-it selects and records the desired programs. Programs may be stored until internal storage is filled, at which time the unit will dispose of older programs (unless flagged to be saved until manually deleted), to allow for new programs to be recorded (wikipedia.org).

Videoconferencing- Conducting a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data. For example, a point-to-point (two-person) video conferencing system works much like a video telephone. Each participant has a video camera, microphone, and speakers mounted on his or her computer. As the two participants speak to one another, their voices are carried over the network and delivered to the other's speakers, and whatever images appear in front of the video camera appear in a window on the other participant's monitor. Multipoint videoconferencing allows three or more participants to sit in a virtual conference room and communicate as if they were sitting right next to each other (webopedia.com).

Virtual Reality- An artificial environment created with computer hardware and software and presented to the user in such a way that it appears and feels like a real environment. To "enter" a virtual reality, a user dons special gloves, earphones, and goggles, all of which receive their input from the computer system. In this way, at least three of the five senses are controlled by the computer. In addition to feeding sensory input to the user, the devices also monitor the user's actions. The goggles, for example, track how the eyes move and respond accordingly by sending new video input (webopedia.com).

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)- A category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls by sending voice data in packets using IP rather than by traditional circuit transmissions of the PSTN. One advantage of VoIP is that the telephone calls over the Internet do not incur a surcharge beyond what the user is paying for Internet access, much in the same way that the user doesn't pay for sending individual e-mails over the Internet (webopedia.com).

Wi-Fi- Short for wireless fidelity and is meant to be used generically when referring of any type of 802.11 network, whether 802.11b, 802.11a, dual-band, etc. The term is promulgated by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Any products tested and approved as "Wi-Fi Certified" (a registered trademark) by the Wi-Fi Alliance are certified as interoperable with each other, even if they are from different manufacturers. A user with a "Wi-Fi Certified" product can use any brand of access point with any other brand of client hardware that also is certified. Typically, however, any Wi-Fi product using the same radio frequency (for example, 2.4GHz for 802.11b or 11g, 5GHz for 802.11a) will work with any other, even if not "Wi-Fi Certified" (webopedia.com).

WiMAX- The name commonly given to the IEEE 802.16 standard. Fixed broadband wireless metropolitan access networks (MANs) that use a point-to-multipoint architecture. Published on April 8, 2002, the standard defines the use of bandwidth between the licensed 10GHz and 66GHz and between the 2GHZ and 11GHz (licensed and unlicensed) frequency ranges and defines a MAC layer that supports multiple physical layer specifications customized for the frequency band of use and their associated regulations. 802.16 supports very high bit rates in both uploading to and downloading from a base station up to a distance of 30 miles to handle such services as VoIP, IP connectivity and TDM voice and data (webopedia.com).