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Two-thirds of all firms to have mobile data by 2007 Posted Oct 22, 2004 by info
According to research from the Meta Group, roughly two-thirds of all businesses and organizations will deploy a mobile data solution by 2007. Mobile email will top the application list, with half of organizations launching a wireless email solution within three years and 75 percent in four years. Mobile email will be the start for most businesses, but it will not be the end of their mobile strategies. The average mobile enterprise deployment, however, will remain small, limited to 100-200 users, and will cost roughly $250,000 to $500,000 to implement.

Siemens to launch 3.5G products next year Posted Oct 22, 2004 by info
Siemens said it plans to launch High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) -- the 3.5G data technology for GSM-track carriers -- next year, bringing\ network gear to market sometime in the first quarter. The company will likely run trials of HSDPA with carriers in Europe and Japan in the second quarter, though no trial deals have been announced. Carriers using HSDPA on their UMTS networks can offer wireless data speeds of up to 2Mbps to 3Mbps, with maximum speeds of up to 14Mbps.

Nokia, T-Mobile strike Series 60 deal Posted Oct 22, 2004 by info
Nokia and T-Mobile International today said they plan to work together to develop new mobile applications for Nokia's Series 60 smart phone platform. Under the terms of the deal, T-Mobile will design exclusive, branded applications on top of Series 60 Platform, allowing them to differentiate as a provider of mobile services to Series 60 devices. The two companies also said they plan to work together to further the Series 60 platform and to encourage more developers to create apps and tools for Series 60 smart phones. This deal will make T-Mobile a mover in the Series 60 and Symbian developer ecosystems. No financial details of the partnership were released. This deal is Nokia's second major Series 60 partnership announcement in several weeks. Earlier this month, Nokia and Symbian signed a deal with Intel, bringing Intel into the Nokia and Symbian ecosystems and splitting a wedge in Intel's mobile partnership with Microsoft.

Net2Phone launches wireless VoIP handset Posted Oct 22, 2004 by info
Net2Phone yesterday began selling a wireless VoIP phone, the VoiceLine XJ100 WiFi handset. The new handset takes advantage of Net2Phone's VoiceLine IP telephony service, allowing broadband service providers to offer enhanced VoIP service. The XJ100 allows users to roam onto corporate, public, and residential WiFi networks. The phone can receive incoming calls while users just dial a toll-free number in their area to make outgoing calls. Net2Phone also plans to add support for WiFi to future versions of its SIP software client. Net2Phone launched wireless VoIP support in April, targeting its expanded IP telephony offering at wireless ISPs and rural telecoms. Net2Phone currently sells its VoIP service through broadband service providers.

IBM pushes into wireless, VoIP Posted Oct 22, 2004 by info
IBM is aggressively expanding its presence in the wireless and VoIP markets, inking sales and marketing partnerships and pursuing new clients. The company has forged or expanded partnerships with a number of leading wireless and IT vendors, including Airespace, Avaya, Cisco Systems, Intel, Lucent, and Proxim. These deals cover everything from software and hardware to service bundles. IBM hopes to play a pivotal role in the evolution of a number of new telecom technologies, including WiMax and Internet telephony.

Samsung to launch handset with hard drive Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
Samsung today said it plans to launch a mobile phone with a built-in mini hard drive later this year. The handset, called the SPH-V5400, will sport a 1.5GB mini hard drive that is roughly the size of a stamp. The phone will also feature a 1 megapixel digital camera and video camera as well as a 2.2 inch LCD display and an MP3 player. The new phone will be available in South Korea later this month. There is no word yet if Samsung plans to export the device to the US.

Microsoft shows off mobile music service, handhelds Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
Microsoft displayed its new mobile media service, called MSN Music, designed to compete with Apple Computer's iTunes and iPod platform. The company also showed off compatible handhelds made by Creative Labs, Samsung, and others that play music, video, and TV. The new mobile media handhelds work with the MSN Music service and run on the latest version of Microsoft's Media Player software. Most of these devices sport 20GB of storage and are expected to sell for around $499 each. Music downloads on MSN Music are available for $0.99 per song. Microsoft and its partners plan to push the new service and devices later this fall. Creative Labs' handheld, the Zen, is available now.

Electronic Arts targets mobile gaming Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
Gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA) said it plans to develop and push products for the mobile gaming market. EA this year plans to release mobile versions of three of its popular sports games: Tiger Woods PGA Tour, FIFA Soccer, and Need for Speed. Next year, the company plans to release a mobile version of The Sims. The move marks EA's full-scale entry into the wireless industry. Mobile gaming has until now been dominated by a number of startups and mid-sized firms.

Cell phones and privacy come into conflict Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
While cell phone use continues to grow, demands for user privacy are also on the rise, causing a conflict between the demands for instant communication and a growing demand for protection from unwanted solicitation. Americans continue to opt out of public phone registries -- only 65 percent are now listed compared with 72 percent just three years ago. On the other hand, many consumers claim it is impossible to keep up with friends and family who move. To help combat this, five of the six major US carriers in October plan to launch a nationwide cell phone directory. The new directory, unlike the traditional white pages, will only publish the numbers of those who request it. Verizon Wireless, however, has opted out of the directory, causing many industry insiders to question the value of a proposed directory that will not feature subscribers from the largest US carrier. Some insiders predict that most privacy-concerned consumers will likely skip the directory for fear of telemarketers, rendering it useless to many potential users.

China Mobile offers mobile banking service Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
China Mobile and Minsheng Banking have partnered to launch a mobile banking service. The new service connects subscribers' bank accounts with their mobile phone numbers, letting China Mobile users pay bills and make purchases with their cell phones. This new mobile wallet can be used to pay China Mobile bills, buy lottery tickets, and for other transactions. China Mobile claims more than 170 million total subscribers. After flopping four years ago, mobile banking is making a comeback. Several handset makers are experimenting with secure, contactless payment systems that will let users make purchases with their cell phones. Earlier this week, Samsung licensed Philips' Near Field Communications (NFC) mobile payment technology for use in future handsets.

AT&T Wireless launches 3G in San Diego, Dallas Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
AT&T Wireless today launched 3G in San Diego and Dallas. The carrier's new 3G service uses a UMTS network and broadcasts average data at speeds between 220 kbps and 320 kbps with a maximum speed of 384 kbps. AT&T Wireless charges $25 per month for unlimited 3G mMode data access -- in addition to a voice plan -- and $80 per month for unlimited notebook-based use. The carrier in July launched 3G in Detroit, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Seattle. Unlike the launch in July, Ericsson provided the network equipment in San Diego and Dallas. Ericsson rival Nortel Networks supplied the equipment for AT&T Wireless' 3G launch in Detroit, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Seattle. AT&T Wireless described its 3G service as "metropolitan hotspots." Hotspot is a term usually reserved for a public WiFi network. By using the word "hotspot" to describe its new 3G service, AT&T Wireless may be trying to minimize the market impact from its lack of ubiquitous 3G network coverage. The carrier also seems to be trying to ride the hype surrounding public WLAN hotspots and hotzones.

Brasil Telecom to launch wireless service next month Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
Landline carrier Brasil Telecom said it will launch a wireless service in September but did not disclose which date. Brasil Telecom wireless head Ricardo Sacramento said the company plans to net 400,000 mobile users by the end of the year. Brasil Telecom plans to offer its landline subscribers a discount on its new wireless service. The carrier has lagged behind rivals in launching a mobile service. Brazil is quickly emerging as one of the hot wireless growth markets, along with China, India, and Russia.

Samsung inks mobile payment chip deal with Philips Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
Samsung yesterday signed a deal with Philips Electronics to embed Philips' contactless Near Field Communications chips in Samsung's handsets. Samsung did not to disclose which phones it plans to equip with the chips. Philips signed a similar deal with handset maker Nokia, which has said it would launch an NFC-equipped phone later this year. NFC chip technology was developed by Philips and Sony. NFC allows users to securely send information, such as a payment transactions, through a wireless, contactless system. No financial details of the deal were released.

Opera plans Windows Mobile browser Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
Opera Software today said it plans to launch a version of its mobile browser for smart phones and other devices using the Windows Mobile platform. The Windows version of Opera will include the company's Small-Screen Rendering, or SSR, technology that allows users to browse regular web pages more efficiently on smaller screens. SSR reduces the need for horizontal scrolling when viewing Web pages on handsets, making the mobile Web easier to use. Opera had previously said it did not plan to launch a version of its browser for Windows Mobile. The company cited increased market demand for its product as the main reason for changing its position. There is no word yet when Opera will launch its new Windows browser.

Ericsson to end development of Bluetooth Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2004 by info
Ericsson yesterday said it will stop the design and development of new Bluetooth technology. The company plans to support existing Bluetooth customers, including Koninklijke, Philips, and STMicroelectronics, but it will not seek new Bluetooth business. Ericsson said it is disbanding Ericsson Technology Licensing, its Bluetooth research and development unit. The company said it is abandoning Bluetooth due to a lack of sufficient long-term market prospects. Ericsson was one of the founders of Bluetooth and was a leading wireless industry evangelist for the technology. The news has sent anti-Bluetooth partisans into a fit of self-righteousness. Many industry insiders have long dismissed Bluetooth. Despite a recent uptake in the use of Bluetooth in smart phones and other handhelds, critics claim that Bluetooth's future was ruined by the growth of WiFi and the emergence of new technologies like Ultrawideband. There is no word yet how this news will impact the Bluetooth SIG.

Mforma buys second game developer this month Posted Thursday, August 26, 2004 by info
Mforma acquired UK-based mobile and console game developer Blue Beck for an undisclosed sum. Blue Beck has developed a number of titles for top publishers including Electronic Arts, THQ, Jamdat, and Mforma. Mforma plans to integrate Blue Beck into its product development and distribution cycles. Blue Beck was founded in 2001 by gaming industry veteran Peter Scott and marketing exec Eric Hobson. Mforma last week acquired game developer FingerTwitch. The company also recently closed $19 million in second round financing, which the company said it intended to use for more acquisitions.

Nokia, Vodafone push to unify mobile Java Posted Thursday, August 26, 2004 by info
Nokia and Vodafone have launched an initiative to simplify and help unify mobile Java standards and applications. The two companies hope to drive development of specifications for an open standards-based mobile Java services architecture. Nokia and Vodafone will try to streamline J2ME licensing with Java publisher Sun Microsystems. The initiative claims the support of carriers Orange and T-Mobile International, as well as phone makers Siemens and Sony Ericsson.

While the initiative doesn't plan to launch any new J2ME APIs (application programming interfaces), the companies hope to establish new component Java Specification Requests and clarifications for existing J2ME specifications. Nokia and Vodafone also hope to push security enhancements for mobile Java and newer systems for over-the-air (OTA) software updates.

Intel launches tri-mode Centrino Posted Thursday, August 26, 2004 by info
As expected, Intel today launched its new tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless module for the Centrino notebook chipset. The new chip, called the PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection, will begin shipping in September and will sell for $27 each in orders of 10,000 unit quantities. In addition to the new WiFi module, Intel also announced a number of security upgrades for Centrino. The company also launched a new WLAN networking software solution with Cisco unit Linksys designed to make it easier for consumers to set up and access WiFi networks.

Apple planning wireless iPod? Posted Wednesday, August 25, 2004 by info
Rumor:
Apple planning wireless iPod?

According to a new report from The Register, Apple Computer is looking for two hardware engineers for its iPod division with Bluetooth and WiFi knowledge. The report was prompted by job postings on Apple's corporate site. The report has kick started a series of rumors that Apple is planning to add some form of wireless connectivity to its popular iPod handheld, a move many wireless industry insiders have been predicting for some time. Last month Apple inked a deal with Motorola to launch a handset equipped with Apple's iTunes media player.

For more on the wireless iPod rumor

Motorola, DoCoMo to develop dual 3G/WiFi handset Posted Wednesday, August 25, 2004 by info
Motorola, DoCoMo to develop dual 3G/WiFi handset

Confirming scores of rumors, Motorola and NTT DoCoMo today said they will jointly develop a new handset for DoCoMo's 3G service, FOMA. The new 3G phone will be targeted at business users and will be available in early 2005. The new handset will sport built-in Bluetooth and WiFi and will also be compatible with GSM-track networks in Europe and Asia. No further details about the new phone were released. NTT DoCoMo currently claims 4.58 million 3G subscribers.

In separate announcement, DoCoMo said it plans to expand its international WiFi roaming service through a deal with iPass. The roaming agreement will go into effect on September 3. In addition to normal subscription rates, DoCoMo subscribers will have to pay an international roaming fee of 30 yen per minute. No financial details were released.

For more on the upcoming DoCoMo, Motorola

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