Wireless and mobile
Terms related to wireless and mobile technology, including definitions about consumer mobile technology devices and communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX and LTE.BLU - ELE
- Bluejacking - Bluejacking is the practice of sending messages between mobile users using a Bluetooth wireless connection.
- Bluetooth - Bluetooth technology allows computers, mobile devices and accessories to easily interconnect with each other.
- Bluetooth 2.0+EDR - Bluetooth 2.
- Bluetooth 4.0 - Bluetooth 4.
- Bluetooth brick - A Bluetooth brick is a battery-powered, sealed device that has sensors for monitoring and communicating information such as temperature or vibration levels.
- Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) - Also marketed as Bluetooth Smart, Bluetooth LE was introduced in the Bluetooth 4.
- body area network (BAN) - A body area network (BAN) is the interconnection of multiple computing devices worn on, affixed to or implanted in a person’s body.
- body cam (bodycam) - A body cam (bodycam) is an audio/video recording device that is clipped to one’s clothing, on the torso.
- bone conduction headphones - Bone conduction headphones -- sometimes called 'bonephones'-- are headphones that transmit sound waves through the bones in a user's skull instead of their ear canal.
- BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) - BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) is Qualcomm's open source application development platform for wireless devices equipped for code division multiple access (CDMA) technology.
- bring your own apps (BYOA) - Bring your own apps (BYOA) is the trend toward employee use of third-party applications and cloud services in the workplace.
- bring your own network (BYON) - When a network administrator talks about BYON, he is describing the ability that employees have to create a wireless hot spot at work.
- Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) - The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) is an initiative within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) created to promote the development and adoption of broadband throughout the United States, particularly in unserved and underserved areas.
- broadcast - In general, to broadcast (verb) is to cast or throw forth something in all directions at the same time.
- build your own broadband (BYOB) - Build your own broadband (BYOB) is a community- or individual-driven initiative to lay foundations for high-speed internet, instead of the work being performed by a traditional internet service provider (ISP) or government.
- burner phone - A burner is an inexpensive mobile phone that is designed for temporary use, after which it may be discarded.
- BYOD (bring your own device) - BYOD (bring your own device) is the increasing trend toward employee-owned devices within a business.
- capacitive touch screen - A capacitive touch screen is a touch-sensitive control display that uses the conductive touch of a human finger or a specialized device for input.
- care-of address - In Internet routing, a care-of address is a temporary IP address for a mobile node (mobile device) that enables message delivery when the device is connecting from somewhere other than its home network.
- CCMP (Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol) - Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (CCMP) is an encryption protocol that forms part of the 802.
- CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) - CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) refers to any of several protocols used in second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) wireless communications.
- CDMA One (cdmaOne or code-division multiple access one) - Also see CDMA, WCDMA, and CDMA2000.
- CDMA2000 (IMT-CDMA Multi-Carrier or code-division multiple access 2000) - CDMA2000, also known as IMT-CDMA Multi-Carrier or 1xRTT, is a code-division multiple access (CDMA) version of the IMT-2000 standard developed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- cell - In wireless telephony, a cell is the geographical area covered by a cellular telephone transmitter.
- cell breathing - Cell breathing is the constant change of the range of the geographical area covered by a cellular telephone transmitter based on the amount of traffic currently using that transmitter.
- cell phone jammer - A cell phone jammer is a device that blocks transmission or reception of signals, usually by creating some form of interference at the same frequency ranges that cell phones use.
- cellular telephone (mobile telephone) - Cellular telephone, sometimes called mobile telephone, is a type of short-wave analog or digital telecommunication in which a subscriber has a wireless connection from a mobile telephone to a relatively nearby transmitter.
- Centrino - Centrino is a technology package from Intel that provides built-in wireless support for laptop computers while making it possible to run a laptop all day (up to seven hours) without a battery recharge.
- charge cycle - The number of charge cycles a rechargeable battery can withstand before performance degrades is the accepted method of measurement for rating rechargeables’ charge cycles.
- Chromecast - Chromecast is a streaming media adapter from Google that allows users to play online content such as videos and music on a digital television.
- chucking - In computer and telephone use, chucking is the process of discarding a small piece of hardware by violent means, such as hurling it out a window, against a wall, or into a body of water.
- churn rate - Churn rate is a measure of the number of customers or employees who leave a company during a given period.
- circuit - In electronics, a circuit is a path between two or more points along which an electrical current can be carried.
- Citizen's Band Radio (CB) - The Citizen's Band (CB) Radio Service, also known simply as CB, is a public, two-way personal radio service.
- Citrix Worx - Citrix Worx is a line of certified mobile applications for the enterprise.
- Citrix X1 Mouse - The Citrix X1 Mouse is a small Bluetooth device that allows users to navigate Windows virtual desktops and applications on mobile devices.
- Citrix XenMobile - Citrix XenMobile is mobile management software that provides mobile device management (MDM), mobile application management (MAM) and cloud file-sharing capabilities.
- cloud printing - Cloud printing is a service that lets users print from any device on a network.
- coaxial antenna - A coaxial antenna is a variant of the dipole antenna, designed for use with an unbalanced feed line.
- coexistence testing - Coexistence testing, similar to compatibility testing, is a method of measuring the ability of multiple devices to interact in a single environment with limited bandwidth.
- COFDM - COFDM is a modulation scheme that divides a single digital signal across 1,000 or more signal carriers simultaneously.
- commodity - A commodity is a type of widely-available product that is not markedly dissimilar from one unit to another.
- common short code (CSC) - Common short codes (CSC) are short telephone numbers, usually consisting of five digits, that are used to address SMS and MMS messages from cellular telephones.
- communication portal - A communication portal is a service that allows individuals, businesses, schools and government agencies to share information from diverse sources using unified communications (UC) media.
- Compact HTML (CHTML) - Compact HTML (CHTML or cHTML) is a subset of standard Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) adapted for use with small computing devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, and smartphones.
- configuration profile (CP) - A configuration profile (CP) is an XML file that an IT administrator can use to customize settings on an end user's Apple iOS or Mac OS X device.
- consumerization policy - A consumerization policy is a documented set of practices for managing the use of consumer devices and technologies within a given organization.
- contactless payment - A contactless payment is a wireless financial transaction in which the customer authorizes monetary compensation for a purchase by moving a security token in close proximity to the vendor's point of sale (PoS) reader.
- context awareness - Context awareness is the ability of a system or system component to gather information about its environment at any given time and adapt behaviors accordingly.
- COPE (corporate-owned, personally-enabled) - COPE (corporate-owned personally-enabled) is a business model in which an organization provides its employees with mobile computing devices and allows the employees to use them as if they were personally-owned notebook computers, tablets or smartphones.
- cord cutting - Cord cutting, in a telecommunications context, is the practice of stopping a cable or satellite television service in favor of less expensive options, or getting rid of your landline phone and relying solely on cellular or VoIP (voice over IP) service.
- corporate mobility policy - A corporate mobility policy is a set of guidelines, established by a corporation, that govern the use and security of mobile devices such as smartphones, PDAs and tablets within the corporate network.
- corporate VM (corporate virtual machine) - A corporate VM (corporate virtual machine) is a virtual computing environment (VM) that is allocated to an end user for business use.
- CrackBerry - CrackBerry is a nickname for the BlackBerry handheld device.
- cramming - Cramming is the addition of unexpected or unauthorized charges to a bill for landline or mobile telephone service.
- creative destruction - Creative destruction is a process through which something new brings about the demise of whatever existed before it.
- CSD (circuit switched data) - Circuit switched data (CSD) was the original form of data transmission developed for TDMA-based networks, typically obtaining speeds up to 9.
- Cupertino effect - The Cupertino effect is an erroneous suggestion or replacement by a spellchecker, auto-correct program or smartphone predictive text feature.
- Cyber Monday - Cyber Monday is a marketing event created to promote online sales.
- CYOD (choose your own device) - CYOD (choose your own device) is an alternative model to BYOD (bring your own device) that involves allowing employees to select the device they want from among a limited number of options.
- D-AMPS (Digital-Advanced Mobile Phone Service) - D-AMPS (Digital-Advanced Mobile Phone Service), sometimes spelled DAMPS, is a
digital version of AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service ), the originalanalog standard forcellular telephone phone service in the United States. - data cap (broadband cap) - A data cap is a specific amount of mobile data that a user account can access for a given amount of money, usually specified per month.
- data plan (mobile data plan) - Since the advent of the smartphone made mobile Internet possible, most carriers offer data plans at varying rates based on the amount of data transfer allowed before a data cap is imposed.
- datacard - A datacard is any removable computer component, approximately the size of a credit card, that contains data, or that contains nonvolatile memory to which data can be written and from which data can be recovered.
- decibels related to dipole antenna (dBd) - dBd (decibels related to dipole antenna) is a measure of the gain of an antenna system relative to a dipole antenna at radio frequency.
- DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) - Unlike the analog cordless phones you may have in your home, DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) is a digital wireless telephone technology that is expected to make cordless phones much more common in both businesses and homes in the future.
- Deep Space Network (DSN) - The Deep Space Network (DSN) is a sophisticateddata communications system used by the U.
- device ID (device identification) - A device ID (device identification) is a distinctive number associated with a smartphone or similar handheld device.
- device-agnostic (device agnosticism) - Device agnostic is a description for computing components that work with various systems without requiring any special adaptations.
- digital audio broadcasting (DAB) - .
- digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) - Digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) is the process of multicasting by satellite or terrestrial services (or a combination of both) for reception by mobile and portable devices, particularly cell phones.
- digital pen - A digital pen is a battery-operated writing instrument that allows the user to digitally capture a handwritten note or drawing.
- digital tattoo - With more than one meaning, a digital tattoo is to a temporary tattoo that is outfitted with electronics, such as sensors or a near field communication (NFC) chip.
- digital wallet - A digital wallet is a software application that serves as an electronic version of a physical wallet, digitizing credit and debit card information to enable consumers to make purchases from their smartphones.
- digital wellbeing - Digital wellbeing is a term used by health professionals, researchers and device manufacturers to describe the concept that when humans interact with technology, the experience should support mental and/or physical health in a measurable way.
- direct broadcast satellite (DBS) - Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) refers to satellite television (TV) systems in which the subscribers, or end users, receive signals directly from geostationary satellites.
- direct mobile billing - Direct mobile billing is a method of paying for merchandise by charging the purchase to a cellular telephone (mobile phone) account.
- direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) or direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) - Direct sequence spread spectrum, also known as direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA), is one of two approaches to spread spectrum modulation for digital signal transmission over the airwaves.
- directional antenna - A directional antenna is a radio-frequency (RF) wireless antenna designed to function more effectively in some directions than in others.
- discontinuous transmission (DTX) - Discontinuous transmission (DTX) is a method of momentarily powering-down, or muting, a mobile or portable wireless telephone set when there is no voice input to the set.
- discoverability - Discoverability is the capacity of something to be found.
- dish antenna - A dish antenna, also known simply as a dish, is common in microwave systems.
- disposable phone number - A disposable phone number is a virtual phone number that is usable temporarily.
- distributed antenna system (DAS) - A distributed antenna system (DAS) is a way to deal with isolated spots of poor coverage inside a large building by installing a network of relatively small antennas throughout the building to serve as repeaters.
- distributor - A distributor is an intermediary entity between a the producer of a product and another entity in the distribution channel or supply chain, such as a retailer, a value-added reseller (VAR) or a system integrator (SI).
- DoCoMo (NTT DoCoMo) - DoCoMo, also known as NTT DoCoMo, is a Japanese communications corporation that has introduced a line of cell phone sets that contain the equivalent of a digital smart card.
- downlink and uplink - These terms should not be confused with downstream and upstream.
- driver assistance - Driver assistance, also known as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), are technologies used to make motor vehicle travel safer by automating, improving or adapting some or all of the tasks involved in operating a vehicle.
- dual persona (mobile device management) - Dual persona, in a mobile management context, is the provisioning and maintenance of two separate and independent end user environments on a single mobile device.
- dual Wi-Fi antenna - A dual Wi-Fi antenna is a pair of identical antennas on a wireless router or Wi-Fi-equipped device, intended to eliminate signal fading and dead spots.
- dual-carbon battery - Dual-carbon batteries are a new energy storage technology that uses a form of carbon for both the anode and the cathode.
- dual-SIM phone - A dual SIM phone is a mobile phone, typically a smart phone, with the capacity to use two subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.
- dumbphone (dumb phone) - A dumbphone (also seen as dumb phone) is a mobile telephone that, unlike a smartphone, has little-to-no computing or internet capacity.
- E-ZPass - E-ZPass is a toll collection system in the northeastern U.
- E.164 - E.164 is an international numbering plan for public telephone systems in which each assigned number contains a country code (CC), a national destination code (NDC), and a subscriber number (SN).
- E911 (Enhanced 911) - In the United States, E911 (Enhanced 91 is support for wireless phone users who dial 911, the standard number for requesting help in an emergency.
- EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) - EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) is a faster version of GSM designed to deliver data at rates up to 384 Kbps and enable the delivery of multimedia and other broadband applications to mobile phone and computer users.
- electret microphone - An electret microphone is a widely-used electronic communications and audio recording device.
- electric vehicle charging station - An electric vehicle charging station is equipment that connects an EV to a source of electricity to recharge electric cars, neighborhood electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
- electronic paper display (EPD) - An electronic paper display (EPD) is an electrically-charged surface that replicates the look and experience of ink on paper.