From the AEGIS e-Journal, Volume 5 Number 7, July 2002
Voicestream G100 iStream PC Card (Type II PC Card) and GPRS Service Voicestream Wireless http://www.voicestream.com/products/devices/cards.asp $249.99 Service costs: $19.99 per month: 5 Megabytes (MB) (90 web pages or 850 e-mails) plus 300 Ping Pong™ text messages. $5.00 per additional MB $39.99 per month: 10 Megabytes (MB) (180 web pages or 1700 e-mails) plus 300 Ping Pong™ text messages. $4.00 per additional MB $59.99 per month: 20 Megabytes (MB) (360 web pages or 3400 e-mails) plus 300 Ping Pong™ text messages. $4.00 per additional MB ÆGIS, July 2002 13 It is our general policy to review mature products, rather than products on the cutting edge of technology. We are making an exception in the case of the Voicestream G100 iStream PC Card, because it appears that GPRS will increasingly become an option for the mobile transmission of data. VoiceStream, owned by Deutsche Telecom, is a leading provider of GSM service in the US. ATT and Cingular are converting to GSM, and we hope to review their products when available. But at the moment, VoiceStream has the only GSM PCMCIA GPRS card we have encountered in our geographical location, supported by a national GSM network. Installation is easy if you are running Windows 98. You put in the CD and follow the directions. If you are running Windows NT, 2000, or XP, you will eventually call Customer Support and be told to download different software from the Internet. The card uses its own SIM. The card worked rather well, connecting at what appeared to be roughly in the 20 to 28kbps range. There are five issues (actually three known issues, one experienced issue, and one technical unknown), which we assume will be dealt with over time. (We say assume because we sent several e-mails to Kim Thompson, VoiceStream’s head of Corporate Communications, but never got a response, and assume they have no timeframe to report). These five issues are: • The line drops roughly every 6 minutes. This is, according to technical support, a known issue. • The software sets the DNS incorrectly, so you have to manually re-set the DNS in your browser. This is an ongoing process, as the software keeps resetting it every time you log onto the Internet. This is, according to technical support, a known issue. • The GPRS implementation doesn’t work with SMTP servers, so that you can use your regular email program to receive email from your POP server, but cannot send mail. In theory you can use your ISP’s ASMTP server with authentication, but in practice this cannot be done. This is, according to technical support, a known issue. • We also had a problem with large downloads, which tended in our tests to arrive corrupted. • GPRS packets should be encrypted between the modem and the GPRS gateway at the operator’s domain. The algorithm is GEA2, a 56 bit stream cipher. The GPRS specification calls for GEA2 to be used on all “bi-directional” data communications between the GPRS Gateway ÆGIS, July 2002 14 and the handset/modem. Because GEA2 can wreak havoc on corporate VPNs which use IPSec, some operators say they support GPRS security but in practice don’t actually turn it on. We have no idea if this is an issue with VoiceStream. Assuming that these problems are dealt with and that the connection speed goes up a bit, this technology will give mobile users a lot of freedom. In terms of the pricing, experience will lead us to discover if the pricing is appropriate for the amount of data normally dealt with. At this point in time, the technology is too new for anyone to have enough experience with it to price it other than by a seat-of-the-pants guess. We note, however, that downloading the daily Norton AntiVirus update would consume over three megabytes each day there was an update. If you did nothing else with the service, this would cost you $184 a month over the base of $59.99. This means that the service is appropriate for reading e-mails, but not really priced for actual work, This pricing may be a deliberate choice, indicating that there is, from a technological point of view, insufficient bandwidth to allow a significant number of simultaneous multiple serious users. Since we were not able to speak with anyone from VoiceStream, we cannot know what their thoughts are on this matter. Science and Litigation: Products Liability in Theory and Practice Terrence F. Kiely ISBN: 0849300258 480 pages $69.95 CRC Press http//:www.crcpress.com/ As a science buffs and litigation support experts, we have yet to see anything like this book. It is the most comprehensive treatment of the use of science in the courtroom we have seen. While the focus of the book is on product liability, this does not detract from its usefulness in other fields in the courtroom. It gives a refreshing view on the acceptability of science and experts for courtroom use. The primary audience for this book is those involved in insurance defense and product liability. But it is also one heck of a read for anyone who deals with science in the courtroom (such as police officials, prosecution and defense attorneys who encounter scientific evidence, and expert witnesses of any type.) 7. Free-Subscription/Unsubscription/Copyright Information •• ÆGIS e-journal is supported and maintained by voluntary efforts. This publication is owned, published, and copyright © 2002 by The LUBRINCO Group Ltd, Inc. and Financial Examinations and Evaluations, Inc. It is edited ÆGIS, July 2002 15 jointly by Richard Isaacs (RBIsaacs@lubrinco.com) and L. Burke Files (LBFiles@lubrinco.com). The LUBRINCO Group provides services in three high-threat areas, too specialized to be dealt-with in-house, that can adversely affect domestic and international bottom lines. • Protection of trade secrets and intellectual assets. o Anti-economic espionage. o OPSEC: The identification and protection of information that would give your competitors and adversaries an advantage. • International financial investigations and due diligence consulting. o Location and recovery of missing and hidden assets. o Establishing business relationships and strategic partnerships in Central and Eastern Europe, the offshore financial centers, Beijing and Shanghai, Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. o Anti-money laundering and financial fraud requirements under the International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2002 and the EU Revised Money Laundering Directive of 2002. • Protection of management, staff, and families. o In the high-threat environments of Latin America, Africa, the Mid- East, and Southeast Asia. o When traveling and living overseas. o When transporting items of substantial value. LUBRINCO identifies and quantifies threats and vulnerabilities, and their associated risk, then manages the vulnerabilities so you can transfer or live with the residual risk. We prevent disastrous financial loss to your company, and physical harm to you, your family, and your staff. For information on The LUBRINCO Group and its services, or for the archive of all past issues of ÆGIS e-journal in PDF format, please go to http://www.lubrinco.com/. To sign up for a complimentary subscription to ÆGIS e-journal or the ÆGIS e- journal PDF notification list, go to http://lb.bcentral.com/ex/manage/subscriberprefs?customerid=7768 or send an email to ejournal@lubrinco.com. ÆGIS, July 2002 16 To subscribe to our AvantGo channel, go to http://avantgo.com/channels/_add_channel.pl?cha_id=1773 To be removed from the subscription list, follow the instructions on the mailing you received, or send an e-mail to ejournal@lubrinco.com. 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Article Title, from the July 2002 ÆGIS e-journal (© 2002 LUBRINCO & FEE), to be found at http://www.lubrinco.com/. ÆGIS e-journal is a forum for the exchange of information, ideas, operating styles, theories, and related topics for corporate managers who make decisions about threats typically outside the expertise available in-house, yet which have the potential to affect their company’s domestic and international bottom lines. Nothing appearing in ÆGIS e-journal should be construed as legal advice. The information provided is “general information,” not “specific advice.” The solution to any problem is highly dependent upon the precise facts involved. Thus, before making any reliance upon anything said here, you should consult with an appropriately skilled professional. Opinions ÆGIS, July 2002 17 expressed by contributors are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher, and may be presented to encourage a dialogue among subscribers. The publisher and any re-publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred as a result of the application of any information published in ÆGIS e-journal. Please be safe, and be smart.