NEC awarded patent for smart downloading of files – wifi or over-the-air

With more and more phones these days coming packed with all sorts of wireless technologies, it makes sense that somebody develop technologies that will allow the device which wireless technology is best suited for a particular action. Case in point, the USPTO has awarded NEC a patent on their technology for smart file downloads.

The technology has been designed for phones with built-in wifi radios – allowing them to connect to any wireless access point. The idea is to have the phone decide, on its own, whether to download a file over-the-air (OTA: via cellular networks) or through a wifi network (wireless access point). Apparently, the tech is capable of determining which of the two networks (WiFi or cellular) would be best suited for downloading a particular file (considering cost and speed).

We’re waiting for someone to patent a technology that lets our mobile phone make our decisions on what to eat for dinner – that’s always such a hard one to figure out.

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