FOR

Mobile Internet-enabled phones have been around for almost two years now, but, unlike their desktop computer-based cousins, most microbrowsers on mobile phones have a potentially serious security flaw - the inability to authenticate a user across a wireless (cellular) connection. Until now. Thanks to a deal between RSA Security and Openwave that produces the microbrowsers seen in around 70 percent of mobile Internet-enabled handsets at the moment, an RSA digital certificate is now being embedded in selected later versions of the Openwave browser.

The first handset to get the RSA Security treatment is the Motorola Timeport 260, a tri-band (GSM 900/1800/1900) handset that may be used around the world, including North America, where the global system for mobile communications (GSM) is also known as personal communications system (PCS). The handset is also notable for its support for general packet radio system (GPRS) technology.

GPRS is a method of daisy-chaining GSM 'timeslots' together to beat the 9,600 bits per second (bps) speed limit of GSM. In theory, the networks could daisy-chain all eight timeslots on a single GSM radio channel to give users access to the mobile equivalent of twin-channel ISDN speeds.

Unfortunately, in many metropolitan areas, this wouldn't allow enough network capacity for regular mobile phone users who simply want to talk. Because of this, most GSM/PCS networks on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as across Europe and into Australasia, support between two and four timeslots downstream and one and two timeslots upstream. This supports mobile data access speeds similar to that seen on a desktop/landline 56K modem - a godsend in mobile Internet terms, especially since GPRS is an Internet protocol medium, supporting always-on connections.

The analogy with the regular Internet is an important one with GPRS, since it means that technologies such as secure socket layer (SSL) and wireless transport layer security (WTLS) will be seen when the color and security-enabled WAP 2.0 specification arrives early next year on mobile Internet-enabled mobiles. Until then, however, users must fall back on the Timeport 260 - and its competitor, the Ericsson 520mx, which is expected to ship in the third quarter of the year.

The handset allows users to access wireless application protocol (WAP) sites, as well as company intranet services, at 56K dialup modem speeds, with ease. There is none of the packet latency seen with standard WAP over GSM, so the interactions are almost as rapid as on the regular (landline) Internet. The RSA certificate embedded in the phone's microbrowser supports 128-bit RC5 on a symmetric transmission basis, as well as an RSA 1,024-bit encryption system, which should make it highly secure against incursions.

The RSA Security technology embedded in the Timeport 260's microbrowser goes a long way to meeting the security needs of mobile Internet users, as it secures the WAP connection on an end-to-end basis. Unlike most WAP authentication in use at the moment, which is either very basic, or server-based, the Timeport 260 has client/server authentication.

How secure is the Timeport 260's microbrowser?

Well, assuming that the destination server supports 128-bit RC5 or 1,024-bit RSA Security encryption levels, all but unbreakable. In theory at least, the spooks could apply brute force to crack your WAP session, but with current technology, it will take thousands to millions of years. This makes the Timeport 260 very useful for accessing WAP sites that have financial information - provided their servers support the RSA digital certificate technology.

The GPRS connection (on Vodafone and BT Cellnet in the U.K., and other carriers worldwide) will also please users, since it means no more watching the scenery from the car, bus, train or whatever while the screen responds to your interactions. But while the RSA Security technology is rock-solid, the same cannot be said for GPRS networks around the world. As we mentioned above, GPRS daisy-chains GSM/PCS network resources together to achieve higher-than-normal speeds. This is why the GPRS technology is often referred to as 2.5G network technology - against the third generation (3G) services that are expected to offer cellular nirvana in a couple of years' time.

But GPRS makes maximum use of finite network resources. At peak times - i.e. when everyone calls home to say they're stuck in a traffic jam, or when peak rates change over to off-peak - network capacity is heavily used. As a result, when this happens, most GSM carriers we've encountered in Western Europe don't have enough channel capacity to support a full GPRS call. This means that users are left with a standard WAP over GSM service as a fallback. This is bit like stepping down from a family saloon to a bicycle - it will get you there, but not as well or as quickly as you would like.

Because of this, as far as WAP usage is concerned, the Timeport 260 is a technological marvel of miniaturization that works well most of the time, but the underlying network technology on which it relies is still not perfect. BT Cellnet and Vodafone, as well as other European and U.S. carriers, tell us that the channel capacity issue will solve itself by the end of this year.

Now onto the Timeport 260's other features. For your money you get a good performer that tips the scales at 108 grams, with an unusually good Motorola user interface, and 120/180 minutes of talk time and 40/140 hours of standby time. The WAP user interface is good, especially since there's a smart button on the side that freezes your GPRS/WAP browsing session until you want to use it again. That's the great thing about WAP over GPRS, since you only pay for data transmitted, and not the time taken for the online session.

The starter kit comes with a multi-standard set of connectors for the U.K., European and U.S. markets. You also get a plug-in serial cable for hooking up your notebook PC to the phone and effectively using the handset as a digital mobile modem. There's also an infrared (IRDA) connection to hook up to your notebook or personal data assistant (PDA). You'll need extra Motorola software (drivers et al) to get this rolling. We downloaded the software, but couldn't get it to work under Windows 98/2000. We nearly cried - yes, really - trying to get it to work.
 

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