Transcript Presentation 1

Ubiquiplex
The Scrap Devices Company
Engineering:
Joshua Doubleday
Maksim Noy
Jing Su
Daniel Tran
Steve Zhang
Managed By:
Daniel Howe
Business:
Eddie Chung
Linda Pruitt
George Donegan
Matt Boos
Project Overview
 Goal
Create an infrastructure environment where the user's data is
device independent and devices are automatically configured to
the user using the device.
 Principal
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SpotON
Internet Connection
Applications
Profile Server
Platforms:
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elements
Video Wall
Compaq iPaq PDA
PalmOS PDA (maybe)
Business Plan
SpotON
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RF-Based Location Sensing Based on Signal Strength
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Developed and supported by Jeff Hightower
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Connects through the serial port of a device
Senses other devices and radio tags
Portable protocol stack already exists for C/Java/VB
Jeff promises that it works great ;-)
Complexity and Unknowns
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Need to do location calculations ourselves
What if two people walk up to a device at the same time?
Software implemented as a 3-thread model thus has to be
rewritten for the Palm
Internet Connection
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Connection to the Infrastructure
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802.11b Wireless Ethernet
Available in PCMCIA for Video Wall and the iPaq PDA
Protocol used is XML over TCP/IP
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Request: a SQL-like query/update expressed in XML
Response: a SQL-like response wrapped in XML
Policy: Update server whenever information changes
Complexity and unknowns
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How to connect Palm devices?
Would like to be low-bandwidth enough so that it can be run
over widely-deployed WAN infrastructures
Would like to work over Bluetooth but not in this version
Applications
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Date book
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Address Book
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Retrieved on-demand
Instant Messaging
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Retrieved on-demand
Memo pad
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Initial snapshot around current date/time is retrieved at
sign-on; after that it’s on-demand
Messages can be picked up from any device and disappear
from all when they are
Open Architecture!
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3rd parties are free to write applications leveraging our
platform
Profile Server
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Description:
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Handles sign-on/off, keeps the master copy of user’s profile
Distributes updates to all signed-on devices
Information store is mySQL
Written in Java for ease of development
Plug-in Architecture for easy extension
Complexity and unknowns
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Possible concurrency and collision issues for updates of a
single profile from multiple devices
Platforms: Video Wall
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Description:
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Access Point designed to be put in public places
“Magic Touch” touchscreen
On-screen keyboard
Implemented on top of a Windows 98 laptop
Applications written in VC++ with MFC
Heavily shares code with the iPaq implementation
Complexity and unknowns
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How much of the code will need to be rewritten from the
iPaq?
Platforms: iPaq PDA (WinCE)
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Description:
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Demonstrates a Scrap PDA
Also important since Win CE is the first platform we are
deploying on according to the business plan
SpotON connects through the serial port
Applications written in VC++ with MFC
Code meant to be shared with the Video Wall
Complexity and unknowns
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Limitations of WinCE when it comes to TCP connections,
serial port access, threading, and 802.11b are not wellunderstood.
Possible porting issues to full Windows 98
Platforms: PalmOS PDA
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Description:
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Would demonstrate another Scrap PDA
Not likely to be done due to the complexities
Complexity and unknowns
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Palm’s devices only have a single serial port so connecting a
network connection (even a modem) and the SpotON is
impossible for all practical purposes.
Handspring’s Visors appear to remove this limitation but
network connection is still limited to a modem.
PalmOS only supports a single thread requiring a rewrite of
the SpotON stack
Would not be able to reuse much of the iPaq code
Technology
 New
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technology being used
SpotON
 Standards
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being leveraged
802.11b, TCP/IP, XML
Demonstration plans
 On
sensing user’s SpotON pin, the
Video Wall and/or PDA automatically
configure themselves with user’s profile
information. Multiple devices can be
authenticated to and used at the same
time with information instantly
synchronized between them.
Business Plan
Company Name: "Ubiquiplex“
(from Ubiquitous + Multiplex)
 Will attempt to enter the market by “riding the
tablet and e-book wave”
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First product: “u-book”
Plan to enter the UW Business Plan
Competition
Schedule
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4-10 Feb:
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11-17 Feb
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7 Feb, Update I
Client Apps working at a prototype level on iPaq
Server working at above prototype level
Client Apps working at above prototype level on both iPaq
and Windows
Server at alpha level
18-24 Feb
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Apps at alpha level on iPaq and Windows
Server at beta level
Server and Applications working together
Schedule (cont)
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25 Feb – 3 March
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4-10 March
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2 March, Update II
Apps and Sever at beta level
Work on integration and bugs
Apps and Server at beta+ level
11-14 March
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14 March, Final Demo/Report
Assessment of project
 Strengths
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Simple authentication
Separates data from devices
Standards-based
 Weaknesses
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Weak security
No offline operation
Current Status
 High-level
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On-track:
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overview of progress
Profile Server, SpotON
Behind:
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Applications
 Possible
delays and issues
 Problems
Wall
with SpotON on PDA or Video