Wireless News
Linksys unveils new 'iPhone' lineYahoo! News- December 20, 2006
The iPhone has arrived, but it's not made by Apple Computer Inc., which was widely rumored to be working a cell phone-iPod combination of the same name. Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems Inc. that makes networking equipment for the home and small businesses, unveiled the new line of Internet-enabled phones this week. The phones use the increasingly popular Voice over Internet Protocol, better known as VoIP, and also allow users to switch over for traditional landline calling. [read more]
Cingular to Offer MySpace on Cell Phones
PC Magazine- December 20, 2006
Cingular, the largest U.S. wireless phone carrier, will offer a version of popular Internet social network MySpace on its phones in an expansion of their partnership, the companies plan to announce on Monday. For an additional $2.99 per month, customers will be able to upload photos taken on cellphones, read and respond to MySpace e-mails, update blog entries and view and search for friends from their handsets. Media and other entertainment services are expected to be a major areas of growth for the wireless and media industries, analysts have said. [read more]
The iPhone Launches...From Linksys
PC Magazine- December 19, 2006
Linksys (a division of Cisco) is joining Belkin and Netgear in the world of portable VoIP/Skype-ready phones. The company has announced the new iPhone family of VoIP handsets, including its first hot-spot ready Wireless-G Phone for Skype (WIP320). No PC is required. Users simply sidle up to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot and the 802.11g phone will use its embedded Skype software to let them make free VoIP calls. [read more]
RIM's Key To Success Will Be Great Applications, Not Lawsuits
Information Week- December 19, 2006
Research In Motion's BlackBerry brand is synonymous with wireless push e-mail, but that won't be nearly enough for RIM to maintain its lead in handheld computing. The winner of the next battle for business users will be the company with the right applications tuned for its platform. RIM, which has more than half the U.S. smartphone market and about 6 million subscribers, is scrambling to build an ecosystem of independent software vendors, particularly those that cater to industries that are early adopters of handheld computing, such as health care and real estate. [read more]
Let Your Cell Phone Be Your Shopping Savior
PC Magazine- December 18, 2006
Don't get nervous, but there are nine shopping days left this holiday season as of Friday. Indeed, as online retailers are starting to discontinue their holiday shipping deals (today is the last day to qualify for Amazon.com's free Super Saver Shipping), those who've put off the ritual online clicking and entering of credit card numbers are finding themselves in a difficult spot. For many, this means that phase two of the shopping season is about to commence; the one that actually requires consumers to use their legs, travel to various physical retail stores, and deal with real crowds, real lines, and real salesmen. [read more]
Cingular in deal with MySpace.com
AP- December 18, 2006
Cingular Wireless LLC, the nation's largest cell phone provider, has made a deal with MySpace.com that will allow MySpace users to access their profiles through Cingular phones. Under the agreement, cell phone users will be able to go to their MySpace.com page to edit it, post photos and get messages, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday. For example, a MySpace.com user could take a picture with his or her cell phone and then immediately post the image to a Web page. [read more]
Samsung Unveils Fusion Memory Chip
News Factor.com- December 15, 2006
Samsung Electronics has created an innovative memory chip designed to boost the processing speed in mobile phones for handling digital video and other data-intensive applications. The OneDRAM chip, currently in the prototype phase of development, is designed for next-genneration smartphones and handsets, as well as game consoles and other products that handle 3D graphics. By using a new design, Samsung claims, a single OneDRAM chip can replace two memory chips in high-end handhelds and thereby sharply decrease the time that it takes to transfer data between internal processors while also saving valuable space inside. [read more]
Microsoft's SQL Server Tops Databases Used For Wireless Applications
Tech Web.com- December 15, 2006
Microsoft's SQL Server is the database system most frequently used as the back end database for wireless applications, according to an Evans Data survey released today of 380 wireless developers in November. Thirty percent of wireless developers rely on SQL Server as the central, server-based database from which a wireless application receives data. In some cases, wireless applications also upload data and engage in synchronization exchanges with a central server. John Andrews, president of Evan Data, said Microsoft was gearing SQL Server to work with "the occasionally connected user or application," a hallmark of mobile device use. [read more]
ESPN to announce wireless licensing pacts soon
Reuters- December 14, 2006
Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN network will soon announce new licensing agreements for its wireless phone content, the network's chief said on Wednesday. "We simply recognized quickly that we needed to adjust our business model and that's what we're preparing to do," George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks, told Reuters. "You'll see an announcement from us relatively shortly on that." [read more]
Skype Supports Smart Phones
PC World- December 14, 2006
Skype released the beta version of Skype 2.2, a software client that allows Windows Mobile smart phones to access the company's voice over Internet Protocol (VOiP) service over Wi-Fi connections. Previous versions of the software were compatible only with Windows Pocket PC devices. [read more]
Sprint names Gary Forsee as chairman
Associated Press- December 13, 2006
Wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. on Tuesday said it named its president and chief executive, Gary D. Forsee, to serve as chairman. Forsee replaces Tim Donahue, who retires as executive chairman at the end of this month. The company, based in Reston with operational headquarters in Overland Park, Kan., announced Donahue's departure in October. [read more]
Samsung sued for trademark infringement
Associated Press- December 13, 2006
The maker of BlackBerry mobile devices is suing the maker of the new "BlackJack" smart phone, charging Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. with trademark infringement. The suit brought by Research in Motion Ltd. in U.S. Distinct Court for Central California alleges that "Samsung's use of the name `BlackJack' in connection with a smartphone" amounts to "unfair competition and trademark dilution." The BlackJack was introduced last month in the United States by Cingular Wireless, which also happens to be the single largest purveyor of BlackBerry devices and e-mail service. [read more]
HP Unveils Global Mobile Broadband Laptop
Tech Web- December 12, 2006
Hewlett-Packard has teamed up with Cingular to build global mobile broadband capabilities into an HP Compaq nc6400 notebook. The notebook has integrated Cingular Wireless UMTS/HSDPA-based technology that is designed to enable cellular data users to connect in more areas at broadband speeds to corporate networks, e-mail and the Internet without being tied to a wireless hotspot. HP said its nc6400 notebook is the first one with a tri-band UMTS modem supporting data rates of up to 3.6 Mbps in the U.S. and in some other countries, as well. [read more]
Survey: Weather updates popular via cell
Associated Press- December 12, 2006
A greater percentage of cell phone Internet users visit popular weather and sports Web sites compared with people who go online via computer, according to survey findings by MobileWeb Metrix. Though mobile Web usage still represents a tiny fraction of all online activity, the findings may suggest certain types of information and services are seen as more popular or critical on wireless devices. AccuWeather.com, for example, was accessed by cell phone browser among 7.5 percent of the roughly 4,000 survey respondents who identified themselves as wireless Web users in September. [read more]
Cingular goes 'big' with ads in fourth quarter
USA Today- December 11, 2006
Cellphones are among the most popular tech toys for holiday gifts, with carriers making about 30% of sales in the fourth quarter. "Cellphones are electronic devices with so many capabilities that make them great gifts - and you pay for them all year long," says Mike Gatti, executive director of the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA). That's why the fourth quarter is the heaviest for ad spending by Cingular, the biggest U.S. wireless carrier at about 59 million customers. [read more]
VoIP subscribers grow 18 percent in 3Q
Associated Press- December 11, 2006
U.S. subscribers to Internet-based telephone services grew 18 percent to 8.2 million in the third quarter, but the growth rate slowed for a second straight quarter, according to the research firm TeleGeography. The latest tally on the market for Voice over Internet Protocol, better known as VoIP, is more than double the total of a year ago. VoIP revenues for the second quarter were up about two and a half times — $732 million across the United States, compared with a year-ago level of $298 million. [read more]
New Orleans Gets Cellular Enhancements From Cingular And Sprint
Tech Web- December 8, 2006
With some of its citizens still struggling to get adequate telecommunications service, New Orleans residents Thursday were greeted by news from two leading cell phone service providers, Cingular Wireless and Sprint Nextel, that they had enhanced their networks in the city. Cingular said customers can use its 3G mobile broadband network to access e-mail and browse the Web. Sprint also said it had made extensive upgrades to both its Sprint and Nextel offerings.. [read more]
Apple May Dial Up iPhone To Shore Up, Expand Its Realm
Investor's Business Daily- December 8, 2006
As more cell phone makers launch handsets that also play musie, Apple Computer looks poised to defend its turf by going on the offensive with an iPod music player capable of making phone calls. The iPhone has been rumored to be in development at Apple for years. But tech industry observers say they've seen enough clues to think Apple may have one ready for release early next year. [read more]
Wireless firms say prepaid phone prices may go up
USA Today- December 7, 2006
That $20 cellphone at Wal-Mart may soon cost a lot more. Prepaid wireless companies say they may have to sharply raise the prices of their discount cellphones after a federal ruling that hobbles their ability to crack down on a rampant foreign black market in the devices. Such a price increase could damage the prepaid wireless business, says Ovum analyst Roger Entner. [read more]
Cell phones for the holidays
Associated Press- December 7, 2006
No longer is the cellular phone selection limited to the RAZR, a $500 Treo and hundreds of look-alikes and act-alikes. Recent months have brought a wave of new devices that stand apart from the pack in terms of looks and next-generation features. Dominating the new crop is a widening array of BlackBerry-like "smart" phones designed to be more consumer-friendly in function and price. [read more]
Cell phones don't raise cancer risk: study
Reuters- December 6, 2006
Using a cellular phone does not increase a person's risk of cancer, according to a broad study released on Tuesday involving more than 400,000 Danish cellular telephone users. A team of researchers used data on the entire population of Denmark to determine that neither short- nor long-term use of cellular phones, also called mobile phones, was linked to a greater risk of tumors of the brain and nervous system, salivary gland or eyes, leukemia or cancer overall. It is estimated that more than 2 billion people worldwide use cellular phones. [read more]
With cellphone video, little brother is always watching
USA Today- December 6, 2006
Comedian Michael Richards (Kramer of TV's Seinfeld) launches into a racist rant at a West Los Angeles comedy club. A police officer repeatedly uses a taser gun on a student in the UCLA library. A high school teacher calls a student a homophobic name. Another yells at a student for not standing during the national anthem. These events were captured on small digital cameras or cellphones with video cameras. [read more]
Don't Believe Ads On Cell Phone Quality: Survey
Tech Web- December 5, 2006
There is a major disconnect between the claims of cell phone service providers and subscribers, many of whom complain about the service they receive, according to Consumer Reports' annual survey of cell phone service performance. While Cingular Wireless and Sprint Inc. have been bragging about the quality of their service, many customers criticized their service. Each firm has acquired another service provider -- Cingular picked up AT&T Wireless and Sprint acquired Nextel -- and there are indications the acquisitions negatively impacted service for the new parents. [read more]
Qualcomm Buys Airgo, Bluetooth Assets
PC Magazine- December 5, 2006
Qualcomm Corp. said Monday that it will purchase Airgo Networks for an undisclosed sum of cash, and had picked up the Bluetooth assets of RF Micro Devices. Qualcomm, which counts itself as a leader in CDMA and related wireless technologies, will apparently use both companies' assets to improve its own wireless platform through an integrated chipset. "Qualcomm's business strategy has always been integration, enhancing performance and reducing time to market by offering complete solutions," said Sanjay K. Jha, president of Qualcomm's CDMA technologies business, in a statement. [read more]
Samsung Intros New Windows Mobile Smartphone
News Factor Network.com- December 4, 2006
Samsung Electronics today introduced its latest Windows Mobile smartphone, a slim and trim handheld designed for mobile professionals needing access to next-generation wireless data networks and support for business communications applications. The Ultra Messaging i600, which uses HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology for handling high-quality digital music and video clips, offers voice communications on UMTS/GSM wireless networks. It has a full Qwerty keyboard for text messaging and e-mail, and weighs in at just 99 grams. [read more]
Qualcomm buys 2 wireless companies
Associated Press- December 4, 2006
Qualcomm Inc. said Monday it is expanding its wireless semiconductor capabilities with the acquisitions of a company that develops Wi-Fi technology for laptops and hotspots, and a business that specializes in Bluetooth connections between mobile devices such as a cell phone and headset. Qualcomm is paying an undisclosed amount to acquire all of Airgo Networks Inc., and $39 million to RF Micro Devices Inc. to buy the majority of that company's Bluetooth operations. The acquisitions are expected to close by the end of December. [read more]
Nokia Enters Thin-Phone Market
InformationWeek- December 1, 2006
Nokia on Tuesday unveiled four mobile phones, including one that launches the world's largest handset maker into the thin-phone market. The model 6300, one of three mid-range phones shown to shareholders at Nokia's annual Capital Market Days in Amsterdam, is 13.1 millimeters thick, or slightly more than a half-inch, with a stainless steel frame. While thin by Nokia's standards, the phone falls short of competitors' offerings, including No. 2 handset maker Motorola's 9mm MotoFone set to ship early next year, and No. 3 Samsung's X820, which shipped in the summer and is 6.9mm. [read more]
Apple Seeks Patent For Wireless Handheld
Techweb - December 1, 2006
Apple's latest patent filing for a handheld computing device reveals that wireless communications will play a part either in an upcoming revision of the iPod or in Apple's long-rumored mobile phone. The patent application, filed in August and published today, summarizes the invention thus: "The portable computing device includes an enclosure that surrounds and protects the internal operational components of the portable computing device. [read more]
Cingular to sell BlackBerry Pearl starting Friday
Reuters - November 30, 2006
Cingular Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile phone service carrier, said on Wednesday it will start selling Research in Motion's new BlackBerry "Pearl" handheld device on Friday as both companies seek to boost sales during the holiday season. The Pearl, the latest version of the BlackBerry handheld device used by thousands of corporate customers, has a digital camera and expanded capabilities for handling videos and photos. It is slimmer and lighter than its predecessors. [read more]
Regal arms theater-goers with cellphone busters
Reuters - November 30, 2006
The next time you talk on your cellphone in a movie theater, beware: Your neighbors are listening. Regal Entertainment Group, the largest U.S. movie theater chain, is arming moviegoers with a new gadget that allows them to call in the ushers and remove unruly audience members with the press of a button. "Cellphones drive us crazy," Regal Chief Executive Michael Campbell told the Reuters Media Summit in New York on Wednesday. [read more]
Nokia to offer Yahoo services on mobile phones
Reuters - November 29, 2006
Mobile phone maker Nokia and Yahoo Inc. said on Wednesday that they were expanding their partnership and offering Yahoo services such as e-mail and messaging on new Nokia phones. Yahoo services will initially be available on the newly announced Nokia 6300, Nokia 5300 XpressMusic and Nokia 5200, and will eventually added to an wider range of devices, the companies said in a statement. The two companies said they have been working together since April 2005. [read more]
Verizon adds Revver to user videos
Associated Press - November 29, 2006
A day after saying it will bring YouTube videos to cell phones, Verizon Wireless is announcing a similar deal with Revver.com, a Web site that shares ad revenue with the people who upload the video clips. The mobile Revver service to be announced Wednesday will be launched in early December. It will be available for no additional fee on Verizon's V Cast multimedia download service, which costs subscribers $15 per month or $3 per day. [read more]
Verizon Wireless to feature YouTube videos
USA Today - November 28, 2006
YouTube videos will be viewable on cell phones for the first time under a deal with Verizon Wireless, which will also allow users to upload videos shot with their camera phones. The partnership to be announced Tuesday marks the first big distribution deal for YouTube since the young video-sharing Web site was acquired earlier this month by Google Inc. for $1.76 billion. The mobile YouTube service, to be launched in early December, will be offered for no additional fee as part of Verizon's V Cast service, which costs subscribers $15 per month or $3 per day. [read more]
Wireless 'Push' E-Mail Offered To Not-So-Smart Cell Phones
Tech Web - November 28, 2006
Wireless "push" e-mail doesn't have to come with a high price tag or require a smartphone. Seven Networks, a provider of wireless e-mail software, and service provider Alltel Wireless on Monday extended the capability to receive wireless push e-mail to cell phones that use the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, or Brew, Qualcomm's application development platform for enhanced cell phone services. Now mobile users with cell phones like the popular Motorola Razr and an Alltel subscription can receive wireless e-mail and get access to their contacts through Seven's Office Sync software for Brew. [read more]
Samsung Develops Ultra-Slim LCD
PC World - November 22, 2006
Samsung Electronics has developed what it claims is the thinnest LCD panel, just the thickness of a credit card, designed for use in mobile phones. The screen measures 0.82 millimeters thick and, combined with a new method for attaching the panel to devices, will allow manufacturers to shave between 1.4 mm and 2.4mm off the thickness of their phones, Samsung said. [read more]
E-mail for Basic Mobile Phones Unveiled
PC Magazine - November 22, 2006
A start-up founded by a group of successful European entrepreneurs is set to bring e-mail, instant messaging and other communications services to low-cost mobile phones, its chief executive said on Tuesday. Babur Ozden, the head of Berggi Inc., said his company plans to offer a simplified alternative to the Blackberry e-mail delivery service from Canada's Research In Motion, which dominates the mobile professional market. Berggi aims to offer messaging services for basic mobile phones that still represent two-thirds of the U.S. mobile market. [read more]
Rapper Chingy personalizes ringtones for fans
Reuters - November 21, 2006
Young music fans who personalize their cellphones with a choice of ringtones can go the extra step and have multi-platinum selling rapper Chingy announcing each of their friends when they call. Chingy, who's signed to EMI Group's Capitol Records, has recorded over a 100 versions of his 'Dem Jeans' single using a different popular girls' name each time. The 26-year-old hip hop artist from St. Louis, Missouri, who has released three albums since 2003, replaced the word 'girl' in the chorus line "Damn Girl, How'd You Get In Dem Jeans?" for each version. [read more]
Mac fans buzzing about expected Apple "iPhone"
Reuters - November 21, 2006
The long-rumored arrival of a hybrid mobile phone and iPod music player from Apple Computer Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL - news) has morphed from a question of "If" to "When" among fans and analysts. Since Apple's introduction of the iPod five years ago, the company has sold more than 67 million of the devices and more than 1.5 billion songs from its iTunes online music store. Now, Chief Executive Steve Jobs and Apple are poised to roll out what has been dubbed the "iPhone," perhaps as soon as January next year at the Macworld conference that kicks off every new year, analysts say. [read more]
Microsoft Joins Municipal Wi-Fi Push
News Factor.com - November 20, 2006
Microsoft jumped into the free Wi-Fi business this week, teaming with MetroFi to build a wireless network in Portland, Oregon, that will run at a clip of 1 Mbps. Although the service will be free to users when it launches later this year, Redmond plans to make money through the offering with a one-inch advertising bar that will appear whenever a user browses the Web. [read more]
The Mobile Web Moves Forward
News Factor.com - November 20, 2006
The mobile Web is moving forward -- slowly. This week, 3 Group, a provider of mobile broadband in Europe, announced a new service, called the X-Series, that combines two new phones with all-you-can-eat mobile broadband in markets that have been dominated by pay-per-click or metered-download plans. [read more]
Microsoft and Sprint Partner on Mobile Search
News Factor.com - November 17, 2006
Wireless operator Sprint has tapped Microsoft in rolling out a mobile-search service that not only provides information on getting from point A to point B, but also offers the ability to save the query results for future reference. With the location-based Windows Live Search for Mobile, users enter their location by providing a ZIP code, address, or city and state. Down the road, consumers will be able to allow the application to locate them automatically and show the nearest businesses that match their searches. [read more]
Boost Launches Phone Tracking Service
News Factor.com - November 17, 2006
Mobile phone users looking to hook up with their friends and associates, as well as share messages, photos, and other tidbits of personal interest, will soon have access to a service that essentially takes MySpace into the wireless realm through location-based technology. Boost Mobile, a virtual-network operator backed by Sprint Nextel, has partnered with a start-up called Loopt in developing the mobile-tracking system that uses GPS technology to update the location of everyone in a private network of Boost customers and display that information on a mobile map. [read more]
Watch cable TV on your cell phone? Soon.
Associated Press - November 16, 2006
Embracing a technology that has unnerved media and telecommunications companies, a major European wireless provider will let customers watch their home cable TV on a cell phone if they also have a device called the Slingbox back at the house. 3 Group will launch the new service in Britain first, starting Dec. 1, followed by three more of its 11 markets in early 2007, the wireless company announced Thursday. Two new handsets running on 3's next-generation wireless network will feature the Sling application, which customers can use to watch any channel available on their cable TV at home. [read more]
Camera phones focus on police use of force in L.A
Reuters - November 16, 2006
One cell phone video shows Los Angeles police beating a man repeatedly in the face. Another shows a handcuffed, homeless man being blasted with pepper spray in the face. A third grainy video has campus police using a Taser stun gun on a student who refused to leave a Los Angeles university library. Once regarded as a toy for rich teens, the ubiquitous camera cell phone is becoming a powerful community tool in the debate about police conduct. [read more]
Cingular plans mobile banking service for 2007
Reuters - November 15, 2006
Cingular Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. cellular operator, said on Wednesday it is talking with banks about letting its customers manage their money by cell phone as part of a push to expand phone use beyond talking. The wireless venture of AT&T Inc and BellSouth Corp. said a wireless banking application it is testing would let customers of participating banks view account balances, transfer funds and pay bills on their cell phones. Spokesman Mark Siegel said Cingular hoped to launch the application commercially in early 2007. [read more]
Orb aims to beat YouTube at wireless Web video
Rueters - November 15, 2006
Privately held Orb Networks plans to offer Web videos from YouTube.com on mobile phones with a new software launch this week, well before the wildly popular Web site makes its own cell phone service available. More than 400,000 people have already downloaded Orb's previous software program that allows them to view their own digital media stored on a home computer, like photos, videos and music, on a mobile phone or wireless device. This week, Orb will offer users a program that lets them view, search and create media channels from the Internet and direct it onto cell phones and laptops from sites like YouTube or Google Video. [read more]
Motorola to Buy Rival of BlackBerry
NYTimes - November 14, 2006
The cellphone maker Motorola said Friday that it would buy Good Technology, a rival of BlackBerry, in a deal that should improve the prospects for its new Q hand-held device. The financial terms were not disclosed. The deal underscores efforts by Motorola, a leading maker of handsets, to sell more mobile devices that offer access to e-mail and other business-oriented services. [read more]
New BlackJack Smartphone Debuts
TechWeb - November 14, 2006
Cingular Wireless, Samsung, and Microsoft on Monday unveiled their BlackJack smartphone, continuing the trend of affordable, ultra-thin mobile devices that appeal to both businesses and consumers. The BlackJack is packed with the latest features. It's powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, which comes with "direct push" technology for receiving wireless e-mail (similar to the BlackBerry). [read more]
New Cell Phones Target Seniors
Consumer Affairs - November 13, 2006
Advertisements for cell phone companies and the features they offer make one thing abundantly clear -- mobile communications are primarily designed for, and driven by, young people. But what about older consumers? Senior citizens appear to be the one market that cell phone companies have missed. [read more]
For better or worse, cell phones go to sea
Chicago Tribune - November 13, 2006
Imagine cuddling with your cutie on the bow of a cruise ship, canoodling under a star-studded Caribbean night. The only sounds are the swish of the water as it sweeps under the ship and the sweet nothings whispered in your sweetheart's ear. And then a cell phone rings. [read more]
New Patents Point to Apple Phone
InformationWeek - November 10, 2006
Two Apple patent applications published on Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lend further weight to rumors of a forthcoming Apple mobile phone. The first, "Actuating user interface for media player," details the technology that will likely replace Apple's iPod scroll-wheel interface. Previous patent filings indicate that Apple has been working on a touch-screen interface that might suit a variety of portable devices. [read more]
Helio phone tracks friends by satellite
Yahoo!News- November 10, 2006
A Helio mobile telephone service launched in the United States lets users track friends and plot routes using satellite-mapping technology. Helio's Drift model telephone, custom-built by South Korea's Samsung Electronics, has a "Buddy Beacon" feature that maps the whereabouts of as many as 25 selected people with similar devices." Now, Helio members can spend less time searching and more time hanging out," said the Los Angeles company's chief executive Sky Dayton. [read more]
Samsung Unveils Multi-featured PDA With WiMax
InformationWeek - November 9, 2006
Samsung has unveiled its version of a high-tech Swiss Army knife: a combination PC, cell phone, portable music player with built-in WiMax. Announced this week, the SPH-P9000 has a folding qwerty keyboard and has high-speed CDMA EV-DO capability as well as the mobile WiMax feature. [read more]
It Phones, It Surfs and Its Keyboard Glows in the Dark
NYTimes - November 9, 2006
“It’s a personal digital assistant.” “It’s a phone with a keyboard.” Stop! You’re both right. It’s the Cingular 8525, a smartphone that looks like a standard P.D.A. but slides open to reveal a full keyboard. The 8525, designed and manufactured by HTC of Taiwan for Cingular, has a 3-inch touchscreen, a 2-megapixel camera and Bluetooth wireless networking. [read more]
Portable music's future could be in your phone
USA Today - November 8, 2006
Forget for a moment that nearly 70 million consumers have purchased iPod digital music players in the last five years. Or that over the holidays millions more will add new models to their collections. The wireless phone industry will tell you that the days of the stand-alone digital music device are numbered. [read more]
Samsung's Sync wins in test comparison
USA Today - November 8, 2006
Wireless carriers want you to listen to music on a cellphone. But don't throw away your iPod yet. We tested phones and services from Cingular, Verizon and Sprint. None were as easy and reliable as the iPod or other digital music players. The main problem: Phones are built for communication first. [read more]
Yahoo brings more imagery to mobile ads
Associated Press - November 7, 2006
Yahoo Inc. is expanding a test of its mobile telephone advertising network to include more visually appealing messages. The addition of graphical ads, announced Tuesday, comes a month after Yahoo began delivering short, written messages to mobile phones, relying on some of the same algorithms used by its Internet search engine. That, too, is being done on an experimental basis for now. The first graphical ads are set to go live later this week. [read more]
Verizon near content deal with YouTube: WSJ
Reuters - November 7, 2006
Verizon Communications Inc., the No. 2 U.S. telecommunications company, is in advanced talks with YouTube Inc. to bring the Web site's videos to cellphones and television sets, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. A deal may give Verizon a marketing edge over its rivals in the wireless and cable industries, furthering the company's efforts to expand into Internet and entertainment services, the Journal reported. Under the terms being discussed, customers of Verizon Wireless -- Verizon's joint venture with Vodafone Group Plc -- would be able to view some YouTube videos on their cellphones through the carrier's premium V Cast service, the Journal said.[read more]
Companies track gridlock via cell phones
Associated Press - November 6, 2006
Tracking traffic can be an expensive business. In some places, costly cameras and radar systems are mounted high above highways to watch traffic at strategic points. Transportation agencies also dig up roads to install sensors that monitor the flow. [read more]
Vodafone first to standardize software - Microsoft
Reuters - November 6, 2006
Microsoft said on Monday that Vodafone was the first mobile carrier to standardize the software on its handsets, but that the software giant was working with other operators on similar deals. "Vodafone is the first to go into this direction, but there are others doing similar things and we will be talking about them in due course," Pieter Knook, senior vice president for the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft Corp., said in a telephone interview. Microsoft Windows Mobile was one of just three core software platforms selected by Vodafone for future consumer handsets, in an attempt to cut costs in offering services to subscribers. [read more]
Google takes aim at fast e-mail for cell phones
Reuters - November 2, 2006
Google Inc. aims to close the gap between the classic way people get e-mail -- sitting at a computer -- and the slow-as-molasses reality of receiving e-mail on cell phones, the company said on Thursday. The Web search leader is introducing a custom version of its Gmail e-mail service that can run on any phone with Java software, or close to 300 different mobile phone devices. "Because it is an application and not running through a browser ... it looks and feels like Gmail on the desktop," said Tony Hsieh, product manager for the Gmail on mobile service. [read more]
YouTube hopes to be on mobile devices in 2007
Reuters - November 2, 2006
YouTube Inc., the popular online video sharing site, said on Wednesday it hopes to launch a service for wireless devices within a year. Chad Hurley, YouTube chief executive and co-founder, told an advertising conference that offering video services on mobile phones was a key opportunity for the company. "Within the next year we hope to have something on a mobile device, it's going to be a huge market, especially for the video mind-set we're dealing with, it's a natural transition," said Hurley. [read more]
Cingular to launch cell phone music service: report
Reuters - November 1, 2006
Cingular Wireless is expected to team up with online music services, including Napster Inc., Yahoo Inc.'s Yahoo Music and eMusic, to launch a music service on its cellphone network, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The move by Cingular, jointly owned by AT&T and BellSouth, may set the stage for a battle with Apple Computer's Ipod. The service would work on cellphones that double as music players. [read more]
AT&T cable plan includes wireless
USA Today - November 1, 2006
Mobile phones figure prominently in AT&T's attack plans as it prepares to take on the big cable TV operators. "Wireless is at the top of our list," says Scott Helbing, AT&T executive vice president of entertainment, who is responsible for acquiring programming content for AT&T's new video service, called U-verse. Cable operators don't have a wireless product right now. [read more]
Verizon to offer automatic phone contact updates
Reuters - October 31, 2006
Customers of Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. mobile provider, can now have the contacts in their phones automatically updated without manually entering the data, according to Plaxo Inc, which created the service. The service takes computer-based contact lists from commonly used e-mail systems, such as those of Microsoft Corp or Yahoo Inc, and sends the contact details wirelessly to the customer's cellphone. Customers will still have to choose which names in e-mail address books they want to copy onto their phones but the service eliminates the need for users to manually copy numbers from computer address books or recreate entire contact lists every time they buy a new phone. [read more]
Students produce movies with cell phones
All Headline News.com - October 31, 2006
To many who own cell phones, they are looking for a good design and nothing else. Fashion trend marketers are taking an advantage of this by coming out with new mobile phones in various colors and sleeker designs along with fancy accessories. Neil Strother, research director for mobile devices at The NPD Group market research firm, tells CNN, "Where we had A or B, now we have A through Z." [read more]
Students produce movies with cell phones
Associated Press - October 30, 2006
The cameras capture the young man walking down the stairs, reciting a monologue about the three things people should know about him: His favorite movie is "Gone with the Wind," he loves roller coasters and he hates when people don't take him seriously. The shot is complicated and takes several attempts to perfect. But there's no big camera equipment, no expert sound system and no reels of film to capture the moment. [read more]
Cell phone takes security to new heights
Associated Press - October 30, 2006
A new mobile phone in Japan takes security pretty seriously: It can recognize its owner, automatically locks when the person gets too far away from it and can be found via satellite navigation if it goes missing. The P903i from NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile carrier, comes with a small black card about the size of a movie-ticket stub. The card works as a security key by connecting wirelessly with the cell phone. [read more]
Free Wi-Fi Router Promotion Slated For San Francisco
Tech Web - October 27, 2006
A Spanish startup FON says it will offer free Wi-Fi wireless routers to San Francisco residents at an event Friday. The company is promoting a Wi-Fi sharing model via which it hopes to build out a global Wi-Fi network. FON members plug the routers, called La Foneras, into their home broadband and set up a private in-home hotspot. They also share a certain amount of wireless Internet access with other members, and in turn get free Wi-Fi at other Fonera access points. [read more]
Cingular To Offer New iPAQ Smartphone
Newsfactor.com - October 27, 2006
Cingular has announced the release of the HP iPAQ hw6920 Mobile Messenger, designed to let business users connect from nearly anywhere. For e-mail, Web surfing, and instant messaging, the hw6920 offers three kinds of data connections: GSM, GPRS, and EDGE, which is faster than dial-up but slower than mobile broadband. For voice, the hw6920 sports quad-band capabilities -- at 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz -- to make it possible to use the device while traveling in most regions across Europe and Asia. [read more]
Veeker Gets Mobile Video Uploaded To Web
Tech Web - October 26, 2006
A one-year-old San Francisco startup on Wednesday launched its flagship service that lets consumers upload pictures to the Internet from their mobile phone. Veeker built a photo sharing service with technology it gained in August when acquiring ThumbJive that lets consumers upload still pictures or video to its Web site from any camera phone. It was announced at Digital Hollywood Fall in Santa Monica, Calif. [read more]
Opera Mini Comes to BlackBerry and Treo
News Factor.com - October 26, 2006
On Tuesday, Norway-based Opera Software released a new version of its Opera Mini Web browser for owners of BlackBerry and Palm Treo cell phones. "Mini is remarkably fast," said Opera's Michelle Valdivia Lien. Unlike other mobile browsers, it downloads Web sites after they've been passed through Opera's servers, where they're compressed to download more quickly. [read more]
Verizon Wireless to use flash technology
Associated Press - October 25, 2006
Verizon Wireless is deploying a version of the Web media technology known as "Flash" to boost the visual sparkle of graphics, animation and video delivered to its cell phones — and hopefully spur more customers to buy that content. The company said Wednesday the "Flash Lite for Brew" technology, developed by Adobe Systems Inc. and Qualcomm Inc., initially will be compatible with four high-end phone models. The handset's software will be upgraded over-the-air with an automatic download when a customer accesses Flash-enabled content. [read more]
Report: Many U.S. Consumers Have 3G, But Don't Use It
Tech Web - October 25, 2006
U.S. consumers with 3G mobile phones have advanced technology, but rarely use it, according to a survey conducted by TNS Global Technology Insights. In reporting the results of the survey Tuesday, the market research firm said just 16 percent of U.S. consumers with cell phones have 3G handsets and of that amount just 10 percent make use of the advanced 3G functionality contained in their phones. Don Ryan, vice president of technology and media at TNS, said most U.S. consumers don't seem to realize the power of the technology in their 3G phones. [read more]
Cell phone carriers target Hispanics
Associated Press - October 24, 2006
Speaking mostly Spanish and knowing little to no English — let alone any Greek — didn't keep six of the 10 employees at Stoupsy's of Athens from finding work in the Washington restaurant. It also hasn't kept them from getting cell phones like all their fellow workers. Vilma Torres, a bilingual Stoupsy's cashier originally from El Salvador, said she is loyal to Cingular Wireless because of its Spanish-language customer service. [read more]
Cell phones democratize filmmaking
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) - October 24, 2006
Paris - "Silence on the set," ordered movie director Xavier Mussel as he grabbed his cell phone - not to make a call but to film another scene for his short film. Cheap, easy and accessible, mobiles-as-movie-cameras are breaking the motion-picture mold, putting a touch of Hollywood into amateur filmmakers' hands. How-to workshops have sprung up from Boston to Abu Dhabi to Rio de Janeiro, and Paris just held its second film festival devoted exclusively to movies shot with cells. [read more]
Microsoft sees fast growth in Windows phones: report
Reuters - October 23, 2006
Microsoft aims to double the number of mobile phones running its Windows software this year from 6 million at the end of 2005 and to keep up this rate of growth in coming years, a Microsoft executive said. "The number of devices operating on Windows Mobile doubled to 6 million last year," Peter Knook, head of Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Devices division, told Germany's Euro am Sonntag in an interview published on Sunday. "We want to make 100 percent again this year and to grow further at this rate in coming years." [read more]
CONSUMER TRENDS: Nearly 1 billion have cell phones
Courier Post Online (NJ)- October 23, 2006
Cell phone shipments rose 21 percent in the third quarter, putting the industry within reach of exceeding 1 billion mobile phones worldwide this year, the technology research firm IDC reported recently to The Associated Press. The top five cell-phone vendors all reported record results in the July-September period, increasing the total shipped from all vendors to 255 million from 211 million in last year's third quarter, IDC said. The most recent quarter's 21 percent growth rate compared with a 28 percent gain in this year's first quarter and 22 percent in the second quarter. [read more]
Mobile phone shipments hit new high: research firm
Yahoo!News- October 20, 2006
Sony Ericsson led a 22-percent boom in global shipments of mobile telephones in the third quarter. Finnish giant Nokia remained top overall as worldwide cellphone shipments reached a record high of 256 million units in the three months to September 30, research firm Strategy Analytics said Thursday. Sony Ericsson was the "star performer", growing volumes at an annual rate of 43 percent, the Boston-based consultancy said. [read more]
Nokia Leads Handset Shipments, Market Researchers Say
TechWeb - October 20, 2006
Market research firms Strategy Analytics (SA) and IDC on Tuesday released surveys suggesting the worldwide mobile handset market grew more than 20 percent in the third quarter compared to the year-ago quarter. Competition among the top five vendors has become intense, according to the reports with Nokia leading the market. "Nokia is sacrificing value for volume," said Neil Mawston, associate director of SA's wireless device strategies service, in an interview. "Nokia is slashing prices aggressively." [read more]
Boston's Wi-Fi Network Takes Shape
TechWeb - October 19, 2006
Boston's effort to deploy a citywide Wi-Fi network is beginning to take shape. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino lit two hotspots this week and then announced that work on a demonstration hotspot for citywide access is underway. Boston city fathers said they are committed to bringing wireless broadband service to all areas of the city in an effort to bridge the "digital divide." [read more]
LG Launches 'Chocolate' Phone Successor
PC Magazine - October 19, 2006
LG Electronics Inc., the world's number four mobile phone maker, on Wednesday unveiled a new handset model aimed at repeating the success of its premium "Chocolate" phone and building market share. "The new version of the Chocolate phone follows the current consumer preference for (slim) metal casings. It's a global market trend," said SR Kwon, an analyst at Hyundai Securities. LG's mobile phone business, trailing Nokia, Motorola Inc. and Samsung Electronics, is on the rebound after seeing its market share ravaged by blockbuster models such as RAZR and Walkman music phones. [read more]
Industry Buzzing with Apple iPhone Rumors
newsfactor.com - October 18, 2006
After several years of eager speculation among the ranks of Apple fans, it appears that Apple might be ready to make its long-awaited foray into mobile phones. According to news reports published this week, Jesse Tortora, an analyst with Prudential Equities, told clients that Apple will be unveiling two iPhone models at January's Macworld Expo trade show. "We have learned that one model will be a smartphone including integrated keyboard, video, and music capability, while the other model will be a slimmer phone with music capability," Tortora was quoted by the International Business Times as saying. "At least one of the models will include Wi-Fi." [read more]
Securing consumer-friendly smart phones
Cnet.com - October 18, 2006
This holiday season, new phones that look and act more like mini-computers rather than cell phones will likely end up under Christmas trees and in stockings. But so far, security products designed for individual mobile users--software and systems that keep data secure and devices free from viruses--aren't widely available. Manufacturers, such as Palm and Research In Motion, have seen great success in addressing the business market with handheld devices like the Treo and BlackBerry. [read more]
Cingular, Symbian Team On Smartphone Development
TechWeb - October 17, 2006
Cingular Wireless and Symbian said Monday they are teaming up to accelerate the development of Symbian OS smartphones. The application development program is targeted at Symbian OS smartphones version 9.x and above. Complimentary Symbian Affiliate status will be offered to Cingular Deluxe and Corporate Deluxe developers who will be provided with early and free access to Symbian reference materials, according to Symbian. [read more]
New Standard Promises Better Security For All Mobile Devices
Information Week - October 17, 2006
As wireless handheld devices begin to act more like PCs, they need to be secured even better than PCs. With E-mails, files, and electronic wallets increasingly being stored on devices small enough to fit into--and just as easily fall out of--a jacket pocket, security for them has to be top of mind for IT managers. The ability to protect data on a fleet of BlackBerrys and smartphones typically has been hampered by a lack of standardization among devices, making it nearly impossible to deploy consistent security measures across all of a company's handheld devices. [read more]
Vendors Begin To Introduce WiMax Infrastructure Gear
Information Weekly - October 16, 2006
WiMax got the push it needed this week when Intel, Motorola, Nokia, and Nortel Networks announced plans to roll out WiMax equipment for consumer and service providers. Commitment from established vendors means WiMax could become a mainstream wireless broadband technology in the next two years. Motorola, at this week's WiMax World conference in Boston, rolled out its first line of WiMax consumer gear, a wireless modem that connects a customer's computer to a WiMax service provider. [read more]
Ask.com Intros Mobile Search Tools
Information Weekly - October 16, 2006
Ask.com on Thursday rolled out a new service for searching the Web from mobile devices known as Ask Mobile. Ask Mobile's interface and search tool are designed to minimize keystrokes, increase navigability on small displays and accelerate page loads to speed searches on the go. The site supports links to key search categories directly from the home page, making it easier to navigate to relevant results. The design aims to save keystrokes for searches. [read more]
Nokia trims multimedia phone prices
Yahoo!News - October 13, 2006
The world's top handset maker Nokia has cut prices of several of its more advanced multimedia phones by 5 to 10 percent on average in Europe, according to retailers and a source at a big UK operator. In Nokia's home ground, Finland, retailers have cut 20 to 30 euros off the price of older models such as music phone 3250 and smartphone 6680 and also slashed prices of newer models such as N73, N71 or N93 on average by 5 to 10 percent. A source at a major British telecoms operator said Nokia had trimmed prices of its advanced N-series in an attempt to boost sales, which have been disappointing despite huge marketing expenses, and cut the price of the mass-market multimedia 3G phone 6233 by around 5 pounds ($9.29), even when it was already priced competitively. [read more]
Palm Launches Treo 680, Touts Multimedia Capabilities
Tech Web - October 13, 2006
Palm Inc. on Thursday introduced the Palm Treo 680 smart phone, which aims to meet growing demand for devices with multimedia capabilities that let users listen to digital music, download podcasts and receive e-mail. As part of Palm's marketing campaign, smart posters with plasma screens and cellular radios built in are being embedded at about a dozen bus stops in major U.S. cities. They will let people send SMS messages to get information on local weather or pizza locations, for example. [read more]
Cingular, Rave Take Mobile Apps To College
Tech Web - October 12, 2006
Cingular Wireless and Rave Wireless have partnered in offering colleges campus-specific mobile applications and services targeted to students. Under the alliance, Atlanta-based Cingular provides the voice communications and data services, while Rave supplies the software and manages the services. Eastern Michigan University is the first college to agree to deploy the new offering, the companies said. [read more]
T-Mobile unveils phone with keyboard, Wi-Fi
Reuters - October 12, 2006
T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 U.S. wireless service, said on Wednesday it will start to sell a mobile phone with computer-like features and WiFi, or short-range high-speed Internet links. T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, said the phone from Taiwan's High Tech Computer Corp. runs on a Microsoft Corp. operating system and has a minicomputer-like keyboard designed to make it easier for consumers to use the phone for e-mailing. The phone, branded the T-Mobile Dash, will go on sale on October 25 for $199 after rebates to people who sign two-year contracts. [read more]
Nokia expects to sell WiMAX cell phones in 2008
Reuters - October 11, 2006
Nokia expects to start selling cell phones using the new WiMAX Internet technology in 2008, the world's top handset maker said on Wednesday while unveiling network technology for WiMAX. For now, a computer can connect to a WiMAX fast wireless Internet connection only when it is stationary, but a new mobile version of WiMAX will be available this year, which is expected to be a breakthrough for the technology. Intel, Nokia, Samsung and Motorola all support the open-standard WiMAX as an alternative wireless broadband Internet connection alongside third generation mobile telephony networks, on which Internet access can get squeezed if networks fill up with voice callers. [read more]
Cingular sues telemarketers for unsolicited calls
Reuters - October 11, 2006
Cingular Wireless, a joint venture between AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp., on Tuesday said it filed three lawsuits in a U.S. federal court against telemarketers to stop them from making unsolicited and illegal calls to Cingular customers. Cingular is seeking injunctions and damages in all the three lawsuits, filed in the U.S. District Court in Atlanta, the largest U.S. wireless service, said in a statement. In recent months U.S. telecom providers have filed multiple lawsuits against companies they believe are infringing on their customers privacy. [read more]
T-Mobile In Bid To Overhaul Competitors
Tech Web - October 10, 2006
Considered not long ago to be an acquisition candidate and lagging in the latest mobile phone technology, T-Mobile has made a decision to battle its U.S. counterparts for technology leadership. The company is committing nearly $7 billion to the effort. In recent days, executives at T-Mobile, a unit of Germany's Deutsche Telekom, have said they plan to commit $2.7 billion to upgrade its GSM network. [read more]
Cellphones mean fewer travelers use hotel phones
USA Today.com - October 10, 2006
A growing number of business travelers are using their cellphones and other technology to avoid extra charges for Internet access and telephone calls. "I do not use the telephone in hotels for fear of what they would charge," says Kathie Nunley, an educational psychologist in Amherst, N.H. "I have a personal motto that I never pay for Internet in hotels." [read more]
Wireless Tower Operators Face Off
Business Week - October 9, 2006
The ball is squarely in American Tower's court. In the acquisitions volley between the top two U.S. wireless tower operators, Crown Castle just hit an ace. On Oct. 6, the company said it's buying smaller operator Global Signal for $5.8 billion in cash, stock, and debt. [read more]
Wireless Tower Operators Face Off
Business Week - October 9, 2006
The ball is squarely in American Tower's court. In the acquisitions volley between the top two U.S. wireless tower operators, Crown Castle just hit an ace. On Oct. 6, the company said it's buying smaller operator Global Signal for $5.8 billion in cash, stock, and debt. [read more]
Miami-Dade mayor wants wireless Internet for the entire county
Sun-Sentinel.com (FL) - October 9, 2006
If Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez gets his wish, people could be surfing the Internet from the county's beaches to its swamps. Earlier this year, Alvarez announced his plan to blanket the 2,000-square-mile county with a wireless broadband network, commonly known as wi-fi. With such a network, people could access the Internet throughout Miami-Dade by using wireless cards in computers or electronic devices. [read more]
Dressing Smartphones for Success
NYTimes.com - October 6, 2006
As if you didn’t already lavish enough attention on your Treo or BlackBerry, it’s now easier than ever to spoil it rotten. You can slip it into a stylish case, scratch-proof its screen and connect all manner of strange and wonderful devices to make your smartphone even smarter. Smartphones, roughly defined as cellphones that can store personal information and provide Internet access, were once clunky affairs carried only by the hopelessly geeky or the relentlessly corporate. [read more]
Cell Phone Usage Survey: Jury Still Out on Etiquette Matters
TechWeb.com - October 6, 2006
A nationwide survey of cell phone etiquette has found little agreement on when and where it is appropriate not to make phone calls. For instance, more than one in three surveyed said it is fine to talk on a cell phone in a restaurant, but there was less agreement on answering cell phones a movie theater. Sponsored by Samsung Telecommunications America, the survey of more than 1,000 teens and adult users of cell phones, asked respondents to state their approval of cell phone behavior. [read more]
Fuel Cell Powered Mobile Phones Coming Soon
Laptop Logic.com - October 5, 2006
The world's top mobile phone maker said environment-friendly fuel cells used to power cell phones are only a few years away. Nokia said the issue isn't the technology, but blames it on supply-chain. The technology is available and has been tested by Nokia. Fuell cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. Fuel cell is more friendly to the environment and adds more efficiency compared to batteries. [read more]
Yahoo serving up search ads on mobile phones
CNET.com - October 5, 2006
Like Yahoo's sponsored search results on the Web, advertisers will bid in an auction on keywords that will display their ads on the search results page. The service will work on most mobile phones and handhelds that have Web browsing capabilities. Clicking on the link will take a user to the advertiser's mobile Web site or a landing page that offers more information, including the ability to call the advertiser, Yahoo said. [read more]
Nokia Plans Bluetooth Alternative
PC Magazine - October 4, 2006
Nokia is introducing a new short-range wireless data service designed to move beyond Bluetooth and enable wireless communications with devices that are smaller and use less power than today's Bluetooth devices. The new technology, announced Oct. 3, is called Wibree, which the company says will support communications at a fraction of the power consumption of Bluetooth. The new technology is an open industry initiative, which means that Nokia will allow other companies to license it. [read more]
Disney to take $30 million loss on Mobile ESPN: CFO
Reuters - October 4, 2006
The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS - news) will spend about $30 million to shut down its Mobile ESPN wireless telephone services, but remains "excited" about its family-oriented Disney Mobile phone service, Disney Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs said on Monday. Staggs told analysts on a conference call that Disney would write down the ESPN termination costs mainly in fiscal 2007. The company announced last week it would shut down its Mobile ESPN phone operation and license the brand to existing mobile providers. [read more]
Totally wireless on campus
USA Today - October 3, 2006
A.J. Hunter can't start the day without first pulling out his laptop. Each morning, the 21-year-old Ball State University junior downloads his schedule onto his Mac Powerbook G4, which - along with his iPod and cellphone - is always close at hand. Hunter, of Uniondale, Ind., is a typical tech-savvy college student. He can access the social networking site Facebook from his cellphone. He uses e-mail and instant messaging anywhere on the wireless campus. He downloads music to his laptop and his iPod, and he uses a 1-gigabyte flash drive provided by the university to transfer files and songs and to access his digital portfolio. [read more]
Project-a-Phone announces overhead projector for the cellphone
TGDaily- October 2, 2006
Project-a-Phone, a company that makes products for projection of cell phone screens, today announced the launch of the ICD-5000 Image Capture and Display system. The ICD-5000 allows cell phone owners to display the content on their mobile screen to a computer, monitor, or projection screen. Much like devices that teachers and professors use to display a calculator screen to an entire class, the ICD-5000 physically clamps onto and hovers over a cell phone or PDA screen and connects to a PC via a USB cable. Users can then project that image to a projector or monitor. It can also be used to record demonstrations of cell phones for later viewing and sharing. [read more]
Cell phone doubles as personal trainer
Mercury News - October 2, 2006
Trimble invites you to track your workout with your cell phone. The company has released AllSport GPS, an application that enables users to measure distance, time, speed and calories on their cell phones. In addition, the program lets cyclists, runners and walkers track their location on street maps, topographical maps and aerial photos. The data can then be uploaded to a Web site for analysis or just to track your progress. [read more]
T-Mobile's MyFaves Lets You Call for Free
PC Magazine - October 1, 2006
Try not to call it "My Semicircle." T-Mobile became the first national wireless carrier to offer a plan with unlimited flat-rate calling to customers of other carriers today with their "MyFaves" plan, which lets you select five friends in the US to call for "free." MyFaves is the first plan of its kind from one of the "big four" carriers—T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and Cingular—but regional carriers have been dabbling with flat-rate calling for some time now. Alltel's "My Circle" plan lets you call ten numbers for free, though you can't subscribe to Alltel's service in the most densely populated parts of the USA. [read more]
Who's Calling? Just Check Your Watch
Techweb - September 29, 2006
Watch designer Fossil and handset maker Sony Ericsson unveiled Thursday a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone accessory called Caller ID wristwatch. After syncing their cell phones with their wristwatches, users will feel a slight vibration and see incoming caller ID information on the watch face. "The caller's phone number shows up on the watch," said Shannon Gotthelf, a spokeswoman for Fossil. "When users are unable to answer their phone, the call can be muted or sent to voice mail by pressing a button." [read more]
YouTube in Your Pocket
EDN.com- September 29, 2006
Intel plans to create a new category of ultra mobile PCs (UMPC) that are smaller, offer better battery life and extend the Intel architecture to a new class of systems -- systems that allow users to take the Internet with them.David “Dadi” Perlmutter, Intel senior VP and general manager for the Mobile Computing Group, provided an update on the UMPCs and Intel’s existing mobility products during a keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum here Wednesday. Intel’s vision of the opportunity for UMPCs centers on the future of the mobile Internet, according to Anand Chandrasekher, senior VP and general manager of Intel’s Ultra Mobile Group. [read more]
DEMO Speakers Ponder Almost Free Wi-Fi Access For All
Techweb - September 28, 2006
Would consumers pay $5 for a router to create a free Internet access hotspot if in turn they got free access at other hotspots around the world? That was one question pondered by a panel at DEMOfall 2006 in San Diego featuring Sun Microsystems Laboratories Director of Research Tom Jacobs, FON North America General Manager Juergen Urbanski, IBM Vice President Corporate Strategy Joseph Ziskin, and Attitude LLC President John Patrick. The discussion began with questions to Jacobs on digital rights management (DRM), who said "the focus has been on how to make it a worth while technology" and meet the needs of content owners who have intellectual property concerns, but quickly switched gears toward FON and free Wi-Fi access. [read more]
Bluetooth watches to show who's calling
Associated Press - September 28, 2006
Watches have always done a good job of quickly showing the time and date. But Fossil Inc. is convinced there's another piece of information worth displaying on the wrist: caller ID. In a partnership with Sony Ericsson, Fossil on Thursday announced a new line of timepieces that will show who's calling on your cell phone. The main advantage is that the system lets users quickly and discreetly know who is calling, without having to dig their phone out of their pocket or purse, said Bill Geiser, Fossil's vice president of watch technology. [read more]
Mobile Domains Debut for Public
Red Herring - September 27, 2006
The general public could begin signing up Tuesday for their own .mobi wireless Internet domain names so their sites could be viewable on cell phones and other mobile devices. The general registration began with the “land rush” on Tuesday, followed by a standard general registration on October 11. The organization managing .mobi is Mobile Top Level Domain, also known as dotMobi, a Dublin-based joint venture backed by a number of tech heavyweights, including Microsoft, Google, Vodafone, Ericsson, Samsung Electronics, Hutchison 3, T-Mobile, Telfonica Moviles, and Nokia. [read more]
Nokia unveils N95 multimedia phone
Reuters - September 26, 2006
The world's largest cell phone maker Nokia unveiled a new all-in-one multimedia phone and a new slimmer model targeting U.S. consumers, at an event to showcase its multimedia devices on Tuesday.Nokia said multimedia is the fastest growing mobile sector, adding that this year it has already sold more than 10 million handsets in its upscale N-series. The new N95 model, the first Nokia phone with integrated GPS receiver, is expected to retail in volumes in the first quarter of 2007 for the price of about 550 euros ($700), excluding subsidies and taxes, Nokia said in a statement. [read more]
Mercora launches music service for mobile phones
Reuters - September 25, 2006
Privately held Mercora Inc., a digital music company, said on Monday it was launching a mobile music service that transforms certain cellphones into wireless music players. Entertainment companies have been experimenting with different models to sell songs and programming over phones, but so far ringtones are the biggest market. The application, known as Mercora M, gives people access to their own digital music libraries and friends' collections. [read more]
DEMOfall 2006 to showcase new technology
Associated Press - September 25, 2006
Instant messages. Text messages. E-mail. Voicemail. Blogs. Online social networks. And the good ol' cell phone. If you thought there were enough ways to communicate with others and express yourself, think again. At this week's DEMOfall 2006 conference in San Diego, a showcase of some of the most promising innovations in technology, nearly 70 companies will each have six minutes on stage to tout their new or upcoming products. [read more]
Circuit City to sell Amp'd cell phones
Reuters - September 25, 2006
Amp'd Mobile Inc. said on Monday that consumer electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. would sell its mobile phones, as start-up wireless service Amp'd expands its distribution. Privately held Amp'd rents network space from Verizon Wireless to offer mobile phone services to young customers who pay in advance for phone calls and music and video downloads. It said Circuit City would sell Amp'd phones and airtime in more than 600 of its stores beginning October 1. [read more]
Skweezer Selected by Bloglines to Improve Mobile Experience
PRweb - September 22, 2006
Greenlight Wireless Corporation announced that its Skweezer technology, which optimizes Web content for mobile devices, has been integrated into the mobile version of Bloglines (www.bloglines.com), the world’s number one online RSS aggregator.Bloglines Mobile (mobile.bloglines.com) users now view "skweezed" versions of the Web pages they access through their favorite RSS feeds. This allows Bloglines to both accelerate download speeds and present content that is easier to view and navigate on the small displays found on cell phones and PDAs [read more]
Motorola to sell cell phones via machine
Associated Press - September 21, 2006
Shoppers craving the latest Motorola Inc. cell phones and accessories will be able to buy them at automated sales machines being installed in nearly two dozen malls and airports nationwide. The vending machine-like "Instantmoto" stores will sell 12 kinds of phones and 18 accessories, said Bob Many, Motorola's director of automated retailing. One of the machines installed in downtown Chicago drew stares from customers on Thursday. The machines are about three times the size of a typical beverage vending machine. [read more]
Verizon Wireless sees growth from data, rivals
Reuters - September 21, 2006
Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. mobile service, sees future growth coming from data services like mobile downloads and from customers won over from rivals, chief executive Denny Strigl said on Wednesday. Bigger rival Cingular Wireless and smaller rival Alltel Corp. (NYSE:AT - news), whose executives also spoke at an investor conference in New York on Wednesday, are also eyeing data services for growth but have a more cautious view. [read more]
Corvallis voters reject tax on cell phones
OregonLive.com - September 21, 2006
By a 2-1 margin, Corvallis voters turned down a new telephone tax designed to gain revenue from customers who switch from land lines to cell phones. The vote Tuesday was 8,210 to 3,650. "It's a victory," said Brian McElligott of Corvallis, who campaigned against the tax. "The outcome was what the people of the city wanted." [read more]
Cingular to sponsor online battle of band
Associated Press - September 20, 2006
Cingular Wireless LLC has agreed to sponsor an online battle of the bands on YouTube Inc., providing the Internet's most watched video site with a cash infusion as the rapidly growing startup tries to prove it will be able to parlay its popularity into profits. Financial terms of the deal, scheduled to be announced Wednesday, aren't being disclosed. The backing of the nation's largest cell phone provider has symbolic as well as financial value for San Mateo, Calif.-based YouTube, which serves up more than 100 million videos per day. [read more]
Column: Schools crack down on cellphones
Associated Press - September 20, 2006
Alabama was lifting the cell phone ban for its public schools just as New York City was implementing a crackdown. Just about every school system in the nation is facing the same conundrum, with little consensus, about how to balance a modern reality against the need to maintain order in the classroom and the hallways. With more than half the nation's teens now carrying them, cell phones have become an appendage that many refuse to leave at home, and which many parents want them to carry at all times for emergencies and general peace of mind. [read more]
Airwaves sale grosses $13.9 billion
Reuters - September 19, 2006
The U.S. sale of airwaves for advanced wireless services grossed a record $13.9 billion when it ended on Monday, and spectrum-hungry wireless carrier T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and a group of cable companies were the highest bidders. The Federal Communications Commission sale of 1,122 licenses began on August 9 and ended after no bids or withdrawals in the 161st round. While 168 bidders qualified to participate, 104 stayed in the bidding and won 1,087 licenses. [read more]
Mobile VoIP Poised To Surpass Fixed Net Telephony
Tech Web - September 19, 2006
Cellular VoIP services will generate more revenue in the U.S. than fixed VoIP by 2012, recording more than $18 billion versus about $12 billion for fixed VoIP, according to a report released Monday by Analysys. Although mobile phone VoIP is still a rarity today, the upgrade of CDMA2000 1x EV-DO to Revision A beginning in 2007 and the upgrade of W-CDMA to 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE) beginning in 2010 will hasten the move to cellular VoIP by service providers, the market research firm said. "The capacity, cost per megabyte and quality of service of existing 3G cellular technologies [are] not yet adequate to support a significant move to wireless VoIP services," said Mark Heath, the co-author of the report, in a statement. [read more]
Can You Hear Me When It Counts?
PC Magazine - September 18, 2006
To John Graves, wireless communications is a lot more than Verizon Wireless' catchy "Can You Hear Me Now?" tag line. It's about emergency responders hearing one another when it counts. Graves, program director for the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, is one of the people trying to answer a key question revolving around wireless networks: Why are cellular networks among the first to fail during an emergency? [read more]
Local Coupon Service Arrives On Cell Phones
Tech Web - September 18, 2006
A mobile phone coupon service from Silicon Valley startup Cellfire Inc. could cost retailers more than discounts at the cash register as they wait for consumers to become comfortable with the technology. The service, which officially debuted this week at CTIA Wireless & Entertainment 2006 in Los Angeles, provides consumers discounts on household-brand items from retailers, such as 1-800-flowers.com, Bath & Body Works, Hollywood Video, and T.G.I. Friday's. [read more]
Text Messaging Helps Nab Fugitive
Tech Web - September 14, 2006
A high-speed mobile phone network was pressed into service in the search for a fugitive charged with killing a New York State Trooper, authorities said this week. When law enforcement officials realized they couldn't communicate with their own radios as they closed in on Ralph "Bucky" Phillips near the New York border with Pennsylvania, they requested 20 cell phones from Cellular One. According to law enforcement, Phillips crisscrossed creeks attempting to escape police dogs, who were closing in on him while helicopters circled the skies above. [read more]
Northrop to build NYC wireless network
Associated Press - September 14, 2006
The city has awarded defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. a $500 million contract to build a wireless network that will let police and firefighters plug into city computer systems, even when they are rushing to emergencies. Police hunting for a suspect would be able to download a mug shot or view surveillance video. Fire chiefs might use the system to map the location of each unit or see around a wall of smoke and flames by getting live aerial footage of a burning building, beamed in from a hovering helicopter. [read more]
High-Speed Wireless Users On Track To Top 1 Billion
Tech Web - September 13, 2006
The number of mobile-phone users with high-speed data connections is expected to reach 167 million this year, topping the 1 billion mark in 2010, a market research firm said Tuesday. In addition, users of 3G wireless networks globally are expected to account for more than half of all cellular service revenues in four years, despite the fact that they will make up only a third of the total number of users, Strategy Analytics said. "3G still has its detractors, but it is starting to make a significant contribution to the wireless market place," David Kerr, analyst for Strategy Analytics, said in a statement. [read more]
New Ways to Keep in Touch by Cell Phone
PC World - September 13, 2006
Phone calls and text messages are great for one-on-one communication, but what about for easily keeping in touch with a circle of friends? New cell phone services use handset features such as GPS and cameras to maintain and enhance personal communities. The ability to track down friends and find out what they're up to--and to do so quickly--is the primary appeal of Loopt, an application and service that Boost Mobile launched Monday on the eve of the CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment show, which runs through Thursday here. [read more]
Sprint phones will soon pipe in video news clips
USA Today - September 12, 2006
Sprint will announce Tuesday that it will create its own sports and entertainment "network" for Sprint mobile phones with daily video news clips on topics that range from fashion to football. Initially, the "Sprint Power View" service will offer about 25 minutes per day of made-for-mobile videos that emulate Entertainment Tonight and ESPN's SportsCenter. Content will be stored for 24 hours for access on demand. [read more]
Why We Love to Hate Our Cell Phone Company
PC World - September 12, 2006
Maybe it's a $3-a-month charge from Verizon Wireless for Roadside Assistance that you don't remember requesting. Maybe it's an $18 "upgrade fee" that Cingular Wireless neglected to mention when you bought that snazzy new Motorola Razr phone. Or maybe you're just peeved about dropped calls. Whatever the cause, if you've had it with your cell phone company, you're not alone. Consumers are mad, and the lawsuits are flying. [read more]
Cell phone makers fight resales
Associated Press - September 11, 2006
People moving state to state, armed with cash and tricks to avoid scrutiny, are buying cheap prepaid mobile phones by the thousands with plans to sell them in Latin America and Hong Kong. Cell phone companies say the practice is costing them millions of dollars, and some have hired private investigators to document what they say is illegal tampering with their phones. Wal-Mart, Radio Shack and other retailers are limiting how many phones they will sell at one time. [read more]
Gas-line broadband a pipe dream?
USA Today - September 11, 2006
So intense is the drive to deliver high-speed Internet service to American homes that entrepreneurs have seemingly tapped every conceivable pathway: fiber-optic cable, the air, even power lines. Now the relentless pursuit for faster, cheaper broadband is leading to perhaps the last unclaimed conduit to your house: natural gas pipes. Nethercomm, a San Diego-area start-up, says it has developed technology to send lightning-fast broadband and TV services via wireless signals through the pipes that deliver the fuel used to heat homes and fire up stoves. [read more]
Miami, LA top list of cellphone chatterers
Reuters - September 8, 2006
Look who's talking! People in Miami and Los Angeles chat on their cell phones more than any other Americans, according to a survey of cell phone use in major cities. People in Miami make and receive an average of 298 calls a month -- an average of 9-10 calls daily -- while Angelenos talk second most, averaging 260 calls per month, a survey of Verizon Wireless users found. [read more]
Analyst: Fat Chance Mobile Phone Users Will Pay For Video
Tech Web.com - September 8, 2006
Mobile phone subscribers like the idea of watching video but haven't shown much interest in paying for it, a market researcher said Thursday. More than one in 10 mobile phones sold this year would be video capable, but only one in 100 wireless subscribers would pay for a subscription this year, JupiterResearch said. Overall, 25 percent of consumers surveyed by the researcher said they're interested in watching video on their cellular phones, with live TV topping the list of preferences. [read more]
HTC Announces New Windows Mobile Devices
Geek Zone.com - September 7, 2006
HTC has launched its product portfolio for 2006 Q4. The four new additions to the HTC range are each specifically designed to appeal to new market segments. The innovative form factors and new designs showcase the latest mobile applications. [read more]
Sprint offers pay-per-view movies on cell phones
Mobile Magazine - September 7, 2006
Sprint may not be the sexiest name that comes to mind when it comes to innovating the cell phone industry, but they've got a nation's first for us. Yesterday, the CDMA service provider launched Sprint Movies, America's first "pay-per-view" movie service for mobile phones. Granted, mobile TV is a big hit in Korea, but it really hasn't caught on all that much on our side of the pond. [read more]
CUNY's Baruch College Using Cell Phones To Educate Its Students
The New York Sun - September 6, 2006
Can you hear me now? Do your homework! Professors at the City University of New York are encouraging students to use their cell phones. [read more]
Telephone telepathy -- I was just thinking about you
Reuters - September 6, 2006
Many people have experienced the phenomenon of receiving a telephone call from someone shortly after thinking about them -- now a scientist says he has proof of what he calls telephone telepathy. Rupert Sheldrake, whose research is funded by the respected Trinity College, Cambridge, said on Tuesday he had conducted experiments that proved that such precognition existed for telephone calls and even e-mails. Each person in the trials was asked to give researchers names and phone numbers of four relatives or friends. [read more]
Easy Listening on LG's Chocolate
Business Week Online - September 5, 2006
LG's Chocolate mobile phone was preceded by its reputation when it became available in the U.S. in July, exclusively from Verizon Wireless(NYSE:VZ - News). The music-playing handset was a hit in Asia (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/19/06, "LG Chocolate: Will This Cell Phone Hit The Sweet Spot?") But on this side of the Pacific, it left a bad taste in some reviewers' mouths. For instance, Chocolate "doesn't quite live up to the hype," quips ZDNet. [read more]
Used Cell Phones, PDAs Are Treasure Trove Of Confidential Data
InformationWeek.com - September 5, 2006
Most used cell phones and PDAs contain personal information that their former owners neglected to adequately delete, according to security company Trust Digital. Trust Digital examined a small sample of used phones and PDAs purchased from sellers on eBay and recovered data from nine out of 10 of the devices. "The file system on your cell phone or PDA is just like the one on your PC's hard drive," says Norm Laudermilch, the CTO at Trust Digital who restored the data. [read more]
Sierra Announces USB-Based Cellular Cards
PC Magazine - September 1, 2006
Sierra Wireless on Wednesday announced the latest addition to the company's AirCard product line, a USB-based EV-DO Revision A/HSDPA card for users lacking ExpressCard or PC Card slots. Although Sierra announced a version of the AirCard for ExpressCards earlier in the week, some notebooks either forego the expansion card slot or use older PC Cards. Virtually all notebooks include a USB port, however, now giving them access to the cellular technology. [read more]
Nokia's N80 Phone Adds Enhanced Internet Features
PC World.com - September 1, 2006
Nokia will release a new version of its N80 multimedia phone next month with beefed-up Internet capabilities. The N80 Internet Edition has integrated VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) into the user interface, and users can download third-party VoIP calling applications, Nokia said. Also included is a wireless LAN wizard to find and configure wireless Internet access. [read more]
Mobile ESPN offers live college football
Reuters - August 31, 2006
In a first for the U.S. market, the struggling Mobile ESPN network is offering live and complete football games for viewing on cell phones. The service, announced Wednesday, will offer subscribers up to 25 games per month from ESPN and ESPN2, starting with Florida State vs. Miami on September 4, and will run throughout the 2006 college football season. The games also will be shown on air and on the ESPN360 broadband channel. [read more]
The Trouble With Cell Towers
Business Week Online - August 31, 2006
Wireless service providers have long faced a dilemma when it comes to the towers that help transmit calls. Customers want seamless coverage -- except they don't want the coverage-boosting cellular towers in their backyards. [read more]
AP: Don't Keep Secrets on Cell Phone
Washington Post- August 30, 2006
Selling your old phone once you upgrade to a fancier model can be like handing over your diaries. All sorts of sensitive information pile up inside our cell phones, and deleting it may be more difficult than you think. A popular practice among sellers, resetting the phone, often means sensitive information appears to have been erased. [read more]
Samsung and Cingular roll out first HSDPA phone for the U.S.
CNN Money.com- August 29, 2006
Samsung and Cingular are partnering up to roll out the first High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) phone to the US. The Samsung SGH-zx20 is a Bluetooth-enabled cameraphone that can play videos, download ringtones, and acces webpages. Users will be able to surf Cingular's 3G network at up to 1 Mb/s.
[read more]
Hurl your cell phone, win a prize
CNN Money.com- August 29, 2006
Anyone wanting to throw away their mobile phone can do it in style and may even win a medal - at the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship, Finland's latest contribution to offbeat athleticism. Originally a local event in this small town close to the Russian border, the seventh annual contest Saturday drew some 100 throwers from as far as Canada, Russia and Belgium. Founder Christine Lund describes the event as a good source of light exercise with an environmentally friendly twist.
[read more]
HP hw6900 Smartphone Releasing This Weekend On Cingular/T-Mobile
Gizmodo.com- August 29, 2006
Mobility Today has information that the HP hw6900 PocketPC phone is going to be released this weekend on both T-Mobile and Cingular. T-Mobile rarely gets new phones, so their customers should be very happy. And since this information supposedly comes straight from a mouth of a HP internet chat associate, we'll give a little bit more weight to it than usual.
[read more]
Wireless carriers seek faster repairs during times of disaster
USA Today - August 28, 2006
year after Hurricane Katrina, a squabble has broken out among the utilities on the front lines of disasters over whether cellphone service should get priority for repairs. Power and landline phone companies are resisting wireless carriers' requests for preferred treatment. About 1,000 of the 7,000 cell sites along the Gulf Coast were knocked out by Katrina, and cellphones were virtually useless in New Orleans.
[read more]
Parents reject school cell phone bans in U.S.
Mobile Tech News- August 28, 2006
When it comes to controlling cell phones in the classroom, most American parents think forbidding children from bringing cell phones onto school property is an extreme measure. A recent survey by ACE*COMM Corporation reveals that, instead of having schools set the rules on cell phone behaviour, 95 percent of parents prefer to be the ones in control of their child's cell phone use. Scheduling and safety concerns are the main reasons why parents want their children to have access to cell phones during school hours.
[read more]
Addicted maybe, but users say BlackBerries improve life
Reuters- August 25, 2006
Cellular telephones and wireless BlackBerry email devices may be addictive, but most business executives insist mobile technology has improved the balance between their work and home, a study said on Thursday. The study, by executive recruitment firm Korn/Ferry International, found four out of five executives globally are always connected to work through mobile devices, such as cell phones, PDAs (personal digital assistant), laptops or pagers. More than one-third of 2,300 executives surveyed in 75 countries believed they spent too much time connected to communications devices.
[read more]
Watch out - cell phones taking over as timepieces
Reuters- August 25, 2006
Ask graphic designer Parker Weintz the time and he doesn't look to his wrist, he pulls a cell phone out of his pocket -- and he's not alone. The proliferation of cell phones, with their list of extra features, has had the knock-on effect of eliminating the need to wear a wristwatch unless it is to make a fashion statement. Weintz, 37, said he recently abandoned his trusty Swiss Army watch and now relies on his phone to tell time.
[read more]
2008 Beijing Olympics To Be Shown On Mobile Phone TV
All Headline News- August 24, 2006
China is set to conduct trial broadcasts of television programs for mobile phones
which will be used by organizers of the 2008 Beijing Olympics to show the games
live on cell phones. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television
was quoted by the China Daily, saying the system called digital media broadcasting,
or DBM, will be using locally-developed technology. The report said "a satellite
system will be activated in the first half of 2008 so that the Olympic Games
can be broadcast to mobile-phone users across the country.
[read more]
Motorola's new plan: Cheaper, thinner, faster
International Herald Tribune- August 24, 2006
The chief executive of Motorola, Ed Zander, is betting that a new generation
of super-thin, low-cost phones will help the company improve profitability and
break Nokia's dominance in the fast-growing markets of China and India. Motorola,
the world's second-largest maker of mobile phones after Nokia, will start shipping
the Motofone, its thinnest product yet at one-third of an inch, or 8.5 millimeters,
next month as it seeks to build on the success of the half-inch Razr. The first
of the Scpl - pronounced "scalpel" - line, the Motofone uses fewer parts, multiple-function
chips and more efficient software to cut manufacturing costs.
[read more]
Cell phones double as TV sets, wallets in Japan
Zee News - August 23, 2006
From watching digital TV to buying things at shops, the uses of mobile phones
in Japan are many and have fast become an item literally everyone, from teenagers
to senior citizens, cannot live without. Japanese cell phone users, which number
92 million, on average upgrade their cell phones every 18 months to two years
and are accustomed to using their phones for sending e-mails, surfing the Net
and increasingly to buy goods and services with electronic money, or e-money,
making them as important as wallets. "I use e-mail a lot. What`s good about
it is I can say things like 'I like you' without feeling embarrassed," said
Chitose Fujimaki, 19, a university student in Tokyo.
[read
more]
Verso, Shiron Tout Cell Phone-Over-Satellite Service
TechWeb.com - August 23, 2006
Verso Technologies and Shiron Satellite Communications announced Tuesday the
successful completion of satellite-cell phone interoperability tests and the
deployment of a GSM backhaul operation for a Columbia mobile phone service provider.
Greg Kustudia, Verso's vice president of global accounts, said the joint deployment
can cut costs by one-half for many cell phone service providers who wish to
deliver cell phone service in remote cities without elaborate communications
infrastructure. "The win in Columbia demonstrates the product acceptability
by tier one operators," he said in an interview.
[read more]
Youth Are Key To Mobile Growth, Report
TechWeb - August 22, 2006
The average 10-year-old will spend almost $30,000 on mobile services in a lifetime
and the youth market is shaping mobile technology markets, according to an annual
study recently released by Wireless World Forum. The 2006 Mobile Youth report
argues that the relationship between young people and mobile technology is critical
but often overlooked. Young consumers are driving innovations like text messaging,
mobile music and mobile radio, according to the study, which states that new
data services are the most important factor in reversing long-term declines
in mature mobile markets like North America and Northeast Asia.
[read more]
A Quantum Leap for Cell Phones
BusinessWeek Online - August 21, 2006
It's likely to evoke the children's song inquiring, "Where's the button?" On
Aug. 21, designer Pilotfish and sensor maker Synaptics are releasing a prototype
of a cell phone, and the funny thing is, it doesn't have any buttons. Instead,
the Onyx device understands signs and gestures, thanks to the sensitive touch
pad covering most of its surface.
[read
more]
Recycled cell phones help drive Third World wireless boom
Detriot (MI) Free Press - August 21, 2006
With the number of cell phones in use worldwide hitting 2 billion and rising,
recycled phones are playing a crucial role in the spread of wireless communications
across the developing world, where land lines can be costly or unavailable.
The odds are good that a refurbished cell phone in the pocket of a user in Bolivia,
Jamaica, Kenya, Ukraine or Yemen originated with ReCellular Inc. Based in small-town
Michigan, ReCellular gets 75,000 used phones a week -- most collected in charity
fundraisers -- and refurbishes them for sale around the world.
[read
more]
Dolan family drops out of wireless auction; bids over $11 billion
MarketWatch.com - August 18, 2006
A company owned by Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) founder Charles Dolan dropped
out of a major auction of wireless spectrum on Thursday as the bidding exceeded
$11 billion. Dolan Family Holdings LLC, based in Woodbury, N.Y., had made a
deposit of almost $150 million in its bid for some of the 1,122 licenses being
sold by the Federal Communications Commission. After initially placing big bids,
the Dolan family withdrew from the auction without winning any licenses. [read
more]
Cingular activates 38 new cell towers in Mississippi
Hattiesburg American- August 18, 2006
Cingular Wireless says it has activated 38 new towers in Mississippi as the
mobile company expands its cell phone network.
The new sites are part of a $90 million network investment, and company officials
say the upgrades will improve coverage in Tupelo, Oxford, Columbus, Jackson,
Meridian, Hattiesburg, Laurel, Natchez, Brookhaven, McComb, Gulfport and Biloxi.
Cingular, which is jointly owned by AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp., also announced
plans Thursday to erect more than 160 new cell towers in the state this year.
[read
more]
Cell phone-only households on rise
Monsters and Critics.com - August 17, 2006
For the first time Michigan has more cell phone lines than corded landlines.
The number of landlines in the state shrunk by about 1 million in 2005, to 5.7
million, while the number of cell phone subscribers grew by 2 million, to 6.6
million, the Detroit News reported. The number of wireless-only households grew
from 6 percent in 2004 to 8.4 percent in 2005, the Cellular Telecommunications
and Internet Association said. [read
more]
After Spinoff, Sprint Nextel Finds Still More Is Needed
The New York Times- August 17, 2006
Sprint Nextel spun off its division that offered old-fashioned local phone service
in May, with the idea of making itself more appealing to investors looking for
faster growth. Since then, a series of missteps has spoiled the makeover. The
company has lost ground to its two largest rivals, Cingular and Verizon Wireless,
as it struggles to absorb the 17.8 million customers it added when Sprint bought
Nextel a year ago, as well as millions of other subscribers from the affiliates
of both companies.
[read
more]
Cell phone services eye ads, report says
CNN Money.com - August 16, 2006
Some of the nation's largest wireless companies are starting to allow advertising
on their cell phone networks, according to a report published Wednesday. The
Wall Street Journal reports that Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless are running
trials of banner ads on their wireless information and entertainment services.
"We are testing out some different models," Jeffrey Nelson, a Verizon Wireless
spokesman, told the newspaper. "We're going to continue to assess them."
[read
more]
Motorola Turns to Linux for Mobile Phones
PC World - August 16, 2006
Motorola is developing all its advanced phone features on Linux first, leading
a charge that will accelerate with this week's LinuxWorld Conference and Expo.
Although it will continue to make phones with Microsoft Windows Mobile and Symbian
OS as demanded by particular markets, the world's second-largest mobile handset
maker looks to the open source platform for its future device direction, said
Mark VandenBrink, senior director and lead architect in Motorola's Mobile Devices
Software unit. Motorola started developing Linux-based phones in