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Cellphone Spam : An Irritating Trend

2008-05-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Just when your computer filters became efficient enough to block spam, spammers are now targeting your mobile phone. Unwanted text messages may begin to hit your cellphone along with additional fees if you're not protected. Some carriers, like Sprint, regularly adjust their filters to block unwanted messages.

Spam Moves to Cellphones and Gets More Invasive

By: Laura M. Holson

New York Times

Published: May 10, 2008

If you thought spam on your computer was a bother, brace yourself: spammers want to find you on your cellphone.Cellphones have become consumers’ most personal technological devices. Some industry executives, along with consumer groups and security experts, are concerned that unwanted text messages on phones will be an even greater headache than unwanted computer messages. Cellphone spam is particularly annoying to its recipients because it is more invasive — announcing itself with a beep — and can be costly....

The fees that customers pay to receive messages are a source of profit for the phone companies. It is hard to estimate how much they make. Many consumers pay for a monthly plan that allows them to send and receive large numbers of messages. But for those without a plan, getting as few as 10 unsolicited text messages a month at 20 cents each would cost an extra $24 a year.
Communications companies say they are not interested in spam as a profit center. They want to one day exploit the power of customized advertising on mobile phones, and tawdry spam pitches threaten to make their customers hostile toward all commercial messages. The companies are trying to head off the problem before consumers revolt. The carriers regularly adjust spam filters to block offending messages. At Sprint, more than 65 percent of all text messages sent over its network are identified and blocked as spam before they reach customers....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/technology/10spam.html?ref=technology

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Making Movies & History on a Cellphone

2008-04-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

As technology advances,cellphones are morping into multi-media devices. Nokia is teaming up with the respected director, Spike Lee, to create an original film on a mobile phone. Combining user-generated content with the skill of an entertainment professional is a creative way for Nokia to boost their popularity.

Lights. Camera. Cellphone Action.
By: Laura M. Holson
New York Times
Published: April 24, 2008

Who says cellphones are good only for talking? Today they are bringing together two unlikely brand names: Nokia and Spike Lee. Mr. Lee, the director, is teaming up with Nokia, the cellphone maker, to direct a short film comprising YouTube-style videos created by teenagers and adults using their mobile phones.
By hiring Mr. Lee for the project, Nokia is seeking to combine the populist appeal of user-generated content with the power of a famous director’s pedigree. The film will have three acts, each three to five minutes long, with the theme loosely based on the concept of humanity.
“I’m interested because it’s a great collaborative effort,” Mr. Lee said. “Within five years, new movies will be made with devices like these”....
The project is an experiment for Mr. Lee, but it is also a way for Nokia to promote its wares. Cellphone companies are all trying to position their products not just as devices for talking, but as multimedia devices that can play music, search the Web and capture video....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/technology/24cell.html?ref=technology

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Micro-blogging from Mobile Phones

2008-04-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

In our busy world, cellphone users are growing more fond of mobile net devices and the commuication possibilities of texting. Increasing popularity of micro-blogging is prompting social networking sites to make things much easier and more useful.

Mobile devices stoke 'micro-blogging' fervor
By: Ian Sherr
AFP
April 12th, 2008

Mobile Internet devices and online communities are merging to a new kind of web diary: "micro-blogging," where people fire off terse missives about what they are doing or thinking at any given moment. The postings are bare-bones, on-the-go versions of online journals in which people share their lives and dreams -- hence the name micro-blogging. "Blogging has evolved and become more formalized," said Yahoo Design Pattern Library curator Christian Crumlish, author of social networking book "The Tower of Many."
"A beautiful blog entry is an art form, and it takes time. So, micro-blogging fits into your life where you take a minute or two to see what's going on and go back to work."
Hot website Twitter has attracted a large following since launching slightly more than two years ago as a way to share Haiku-like text message updates with unlimited numbers of friends instantly via mobile telephones.
The service entices users with its signature line, "What are you doing?"
Startup Utterz, publicly unveiled last year, goes a step further by allowing users to post text, video, photos or audio from mobile telephones to the Internet with a simple call.
"What are the four things you can do with a mobile phone? You can talk, you can send text, you can take pictures and send video," Utterz president Randy Corke told AFP.
"We want to use the technology that you have in your pocket," he said....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080413/tc_afp/lifestyleusitinternettelecommedia;_ylt=ApMuYhEMmf92XCUnTsd9EzQjtBAF

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Can Mobile Phones Improve the Global Economy?

2008-04-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

In an extensive article, Sara Corbett reports on the field experience of Jan Chipchase, a Nokia designer and researcher. His work illustrates both the increasing demand for mobile phones in developing countries and how this trend presents economic opportunity on a global scale.

Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?
By: Sara Corbett
New York Times
April 13, 2008

...In an increasingly transitory world, the cellphone is becoming the one fixed piece of our identity....On-the-ground intelligence-gathering is central to what’s known as human-centered design, a business-world niche that has become especially important to ultracompetitive high-tech companies trying to figure out how to write software, design laptops or build cellphones that people find useful and unintimidating and will thus spend money on. Several companies, including Intel, Motorola and Microsoft, employ trained anthropologists to study potential customers, while Nokia’s researchers, including Chipchase, more often have degrees in design.

The premise of the work [for a human-behavior-researcher] is simple — get to know your potential customers as well as possible before you make a product for them....The possibilities afforded by a proliferation of cellphones are potentially revolutionary. Today, there are more than 3.3 billion mobile-phone subscriptions worldwide, which means that there are at least three billion people who don’t own cellphones, the bulk of them to be found in Africa and Asia. Even the smallest improvements in efficiency, amplified across those additional three billion people, could reshape the global economy in ways that we are just beginning to understand.

To get a sense of how rapidly cellphones are penetrating the global marketplace, you need only to look at the sales figures. According to statistics from the market database Wireless Intelligence, it took about 20 years for the first billion mobile phones to sell worldwide. The second billion sold in four years, and the third billion sold in two. Eighty percent of the world’s population now lives within range of a cellular network, which is double the level in 2000. And figures from the International Telecommunications Union show that by the end of 2006, 68 percent of the world’s mobile subscriptions were in developing countries. As more and more countries abandon government-run telecom systems, offering cellular network licenses to the highest-bidding private investors and without the burden of navigating pre-established bureaucratic chains, new towers are going up at a furious pace. Unlike fixed-line phone networks, which are expensive to build and maintain and require customers to have both a permanent address and the ability to pay a monthly bill, or personal computers, which are not just costly but demand literacy as well, the cellphone is more egalitarian, at least to a point....

Some of the mobile phone’s biggest boosters are those who believe that pumping international aid money into poor countries is less effective than encouraging economic growth through commerce, also called “inclusive capitalism.” Even as sales continue to grow, it is yet to be seen whether the mobile phone will play a significant, sustained role in alleviating poverty in the developing world....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13anthropology-t.html?pagewanted=1&ref=technology

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The Future of Mobile Phones: much more than talk

2008-04-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

All the rage over the iPhone has industry leaders fired up to design and launch multi-media mobile devices on par with Apple's technology. Do not despair if you are not an AT&T subscriber, other carriers like Sprint-Nextel have excellent options up their sleeves.

Mobile Phone Industry Takes Aim at the iPhone
By: Laura M. Holson
New York Times
Published: April 4th, 2008

Last year, the wireless industry obsessed over the iPhone. This year, the industry is buzzing about how to beat it. Touch screens, the mobile Internet and devices packed with multimedia capabilities dominated the discussion here this week at CTIA Wireless 2008, the industry’s largest trade show....
Like many phones on display at the show, the N78 [by Nokia]is bursting with features. Not only does it have a 3.2-megapixel camera, but it runs on a high-speed network, includes a navigation function and eight gigabytes of memory, and has Internet radio and easy access to multimedia Web sites like YouTube and Flickr....
Meanwhile, at the booth for Samsung, the South Korean company, the Instinct was being introduced. The prototype displayed was not quite ready for the show floor, although the phone, Samsung’s answer to the iPhone, is expected to be shipped in a few months.
The Instinct has many features similar to the iPhone’s, like a voicemail management system, and the devices look remarkably similar. The Instinct, operating on a proprietary network developed by Samsung and Sprint, can be used to watch live TV and as a modem to connect a PC to the Internet. Industry analysts think it will sell for about $300....
Geesung Choi, chief executive of Samsung’s telecommunications network business, predicted that the trend toward multifunction mobile phones would shift over time. The market will fragment as consumers seek out mobile phones with functions that reflect their strongest needs, like browsing the Web or watching television and movies.
“There is a perception that the iPhone is a phone, but it is not,” he said. “It is a multimedia player. Maybe they should rename it.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/technology/04phone.html?ref=technology
Video footage of the Samsung Instinct can be viewed at: http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=7e7de740b3dd0c0fad2cccfb5eb5845ed799dd73

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No Telecom Immunity for Spying Networks

2008-03-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

While President Bush has threatened to veto any bill that does not include retro-active immunity for telecom companies that have given the government personal information (without warrants), the House of Representatives recently passed a bill without immunity. Supporters of this move say it protects privacy and promotes accountanibility.

Surveillance Bill Passed Without Retro Telecom Immunity
Grant Gross, IDG News Service
PC World
March 14, 2008

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would re-authorize U.S. government antiterrorist surveillance programs but would not grant immunity from lawsuits to telecom providers that have participated with surveillance programs in the past. An amended version of the House bill, called the Restore Act, would require prior court approval of surveillance of U.S. residents talking to overseas suspects. The House passed the bill by a margin of less than 20 votes on Friday. The House vote on Friday puts it at odds with the Senate, which passed a surveillance extension bill with telecom immunity last month. House and Senate negotiators will now have to iron out the differences between the bills. President George Bush has called on Congress to re-authorize the surveillance program and give telecom providers retroactive immunity to lawsuits for participating in a U.S. National Security Agency program that conducted surveillance without court warrants. AT&T and other providers are facing several lawsuits for their role in the NSA program, and Bush has said he'll veto any bill that doesn't include telecom immunity....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080314/tc_pcworld/143482;_ylt=AvjvYziKjhXpXaYlzO7zIOOs0NUE

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Mobile Industry Moves Toward Sustainable Technology

2008-03-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

Environmental concern is becoming a higher priority for consumers and businesses alike. The following article covers recent efforts being made by leading wireless companies to utilize alternative energy sources and become greener.

Greener Cell Power Creates Challenges
By: David Twiddy
Associated Press
March 8, 2008

When wireless industry technicians speak of "green" cell towers these days, they're not just talking about making them look more like trees. They're talking about towers powered by wind turbines or solar panels, antennas that get backup energy from hydrogen fuel cells and geothermal cooling for computer equipment. Cell phone companies are experimenting with these and other strategies to reduce their increasingly ubiquitous industry's environmental impact. To be sure, the "greening" of wireless communication is still in its infancy. The vast majority of the nation's more than 200,000 cell towers and antennas run off the same electric grid everybody else does. And even companies experimenting with alternative energy plan to limit its use to backup power....Sprint Nextel Corp began seriously investigating alternative energy in 2004 and has since deployed hydrogen fuel cells at several of its roughly 65,000 sites.
"It solves a lot of issues for us regarding the traditional use of diesel generators," said Bob Azzi, Sprint Nextel Corp.'s senior vice president of field engineering and operations.
The company has also installed a wind turbine at its headquarters, is experimenting with geothermal cooling as a replacement for conventionally-powered air conditioning in warmer climates and is testing mini turbines in California that are fueled with natural gas and used for backup power....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080308/ap_on_hi_te/cell_towers_green;_ylt=At7i66I1GiHcNuYHLXMEbSus0NUE

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Texting: Changing The Way Families Communicate

2008-03-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

Analysts say that children and teenagers are becoming more technologically savvy and fashion-conscious, when it comes to the latest mobile device, than their parents. Revenue from this burgeoning young market is expected to grow to a staggering $29 billion by 2010. Not only is this prospect a phenomenon to cellular providers, it an interesting trend to any parent. Virtual communication can potentially foster greater independence amongst youths while encouraging closer connections to home.

Text Generation Gap: U R 2 Old (JK)
By: Laura M. Holson
New York Times
Published: March 9, 2008

....Children increasingly rely on personal technological devices like cellphones to define themselves and create social circles apart from their families, changing the way they communicate with their parents....
Innovation, of course, has always spurred broad societal changes. As telephones became ubiquitous in the last century, users — adults and teenagers alike — found a form of privacy and easy communication unknown to Alexander Graham Bell or his daughters....
Business analysts and other researchers expect the popularity of the cellphone — along with the mobility and intimacy it affords — to further exploit and accelerate these trends. By 2010, 81 percent of Americans ages 5 to 24 will own a cellphone, up from 53 percent in 2005, according to IDC, a research company in Framingham, Mass., that tracks technology and consumer research....
Marketers and cellphone makers are only too happy to fill the newest generation gap. Last fall, Firefly Mobile introduced the glowPhone for the preschool set; it has a small keypad with two speed-dial buttons depicting an image of a mother and a father. AT&T promotes its wireless service with television commercials poking fun at a mom who doesn’t understand her daughter’s cellphone vernacular. Indeed, IDC says revenue from services and products sold to young consumers or their parents is expected to grow to $29 billion in 2010, up from $21 billion in 2005....
Cellphones, instant messaging, e-mail and the like have encouraged younger users to create their own inventive, quirky and very private written language. That has given them the opportunity to essentially hide in plain sight. They are more connected than ever, but also far more independent....
In a survey released 18 months ago, AT&T found that among 1,175 parents the company interviewed, nearly half learned how to text-message from their children. More than 60 percent of parents agreed that it helped them communicate, but that sometimes children didn’t want to hear their voice at all. When asked if their children wanted a call or a text message requesting that they be home by curfew, for instance, 58 percent of parents said their children preferred a text....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/business/09cell.html

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Hands On the Wheel & Off the Phone

2008-03-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

In 2006, nearly half of the phone-related crashes in New Jersey involved a hands-free devices or cellphones. 5 of those accidents were fatal. The danger of talking or texting while driving is gaining more national concern as thousands of people learn the hard way how dangerous it is to multi-task on the road. This weekend New Jersey joins four other states in making it an offense to text while driving.

No text messages or calls for NJ drivers

By: Brad Haynes

Associated Press Writer

March 1, 2008

For New Jersey drivers, the message is clear: Keep your thumbs on the wheel and off the keypad.
Beginning Saturday, police can slap drivers with a $100 fine for talking or sending a text message on hand-held devices.New Jersey joins four other states, including neighboring New York, where talking on a hand-held cell phone is reason enough to get pulled over. The Garden State is the first where text-messaging on the road is a primary offense, meaning police need no other reason to pull a driver over, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Pam Fischer, director of New Jersey's Division of Highway Traffic Safety, said officers will be on the lookout for telltale signs of distracted drivers — slow driving and the "cell-phone weave."
Drivers can still use their cell phones to contact police or emergency services, and can talk at any time with a hands-free device. But crash statistics suggest that those headsets and earpieces may not make conversations in the car any safer....
Driving while using a hand-held cell phone has been illegal in New Jersey since 2004, when the state became the second in the nation to pass a ban. However, it was considered a secondary offense — something drivers could be ticketed for if they were pulled over for another reason. Over the past year, state courts have recorded 16,000 tickets issued for the offense....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080301/ap_on_re_us/cell_phone_ban;_ylt=AqARcyW.J3wpPKZ2bbTKiiGs0NUE

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Staying Competive in the Wireless Industry

2008-03-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

Cellphone companies are constantly brainstorming on how to stay competitive and appeal to consumers. The speed of innovation is making it more difficult to stay in the game. A mere decade ago, there weren't many choices. Wireless carriers could thrive with the introduction of a few new phones every year. Those days are over. With hundreds of devices available to the majority of users, a phone's popularity (and company's success) can change in a blink. There are different strategies to understanding consumer tastes and cultural trends. Whatever the course, however, "if a new phone does not catch on quickly, it is not likely to catch on at all."

Hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip
By: Laura M. Holson
New York Times
Published: February 29, 2008

These days, designing a new mobile phone can seem like something out of an episode of “Dr. Phil.”
LG Electronics, the maker of the Chocolate and Voyager phones, begins by asking focus groups to keep a journal, jotting down feelings about features they like most. Participants can call a toll-free number to share their emotions about the phone they are testing. And sometimes they are asked to draw pictures that represent their mood when they hold the phone.
“Our job is to be behaviorists and psychologists,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, LG’s vice president for product strategy and marketing. “We constantly have to be reminding ourselves that we tend to be geek types and our customers are not.”
Executives and industry analysts say it has become more important than ever to understand the psyche of consumers and why they pick one phone over another. That’s because LG, Motorola, Nokia and others are in a fierce battle to please finicky customers as new entrants like Apple, with its popular iPhone, seek to upend the traditional mobile phone business.
At stake are millions of dollars in profits and the fortunes of entire companies. Like fashion or entertainment, the cellphone industry is increasingly hit-driven, and new models that do not fly off the shelves within weeks of their debut are considered duds. The most gadget-conscious shoppers buy new phones every nine months, twice as fast as they did a few years ago. And teenagers, one of the fastest-growing markets, are especially quick to dump a brand if it loses popular appeal....http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/business/29cell.html?ref=technology

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Is Unlimited Mobile Access Really A Better Deal?

2008-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

The latest competition strategy amongst cell phone providers is Unlimited Mobile Plans. Meant to give customers "all you can use" service at one convenient flat rate, these plans are not necessarily the best deal.

Cellphone Carriers Test All-You-Can-Talk Menus

By: Brad Stone
New York Times
Published: February 21, 2008

A PRICE war among cellphone carriers is giving users a chance to stop counting their minutes.
In recent days, three large cellphone companies in the United States have introduced unlimited calling plans for $99 a month, a departure from the industry’s longstanding approach of charging customers for each minute used over a monthly allotment.
The moves, by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, are meant to turn cellphone use into an activity covered by a single predictable fee, like watching cable television. Sprint, the nation’s third-largest carrier, says it is testing fixed-rate plans in four cities and evaluating its own nationwide flat-rate offering.
The industry’s sudden fixation with flat-rate pricing speaks to the toll wrought by furious competition. As the wireless carriers jockey for a stagnating pool of customers and focus on building broadband data networks to support e-mail and Web browsing, rates for voice calls are dropping and generating less revenue. The new plans also demonstrate how difficult it is for the carriers to distinguish themselves on price....
The new $99 plans are not necessarily a good deal. An average consumer spends $63 to $77 for cellphone service, depending on the addition of data services like e-mail, according to a study by J. D. Power & Associates.
Instead, the fixed-rate plans are aiming for the small yet valuable group of customers who make lots of daytime calls....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/business/21place.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin

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Bundled Plans: more complicated than they sound

2008-02-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Just because they make is sound like a the "best" deal, doesn't always mean your going to save money. In some cases, bundled communications end up costing you more than separate providers. Before you decide to combine everything, make sure you know exactly what you're getting in to.

All-in-One Telecom Packages: The Savings Don’t Come Simple
By: Alina Tugend
New York Times
Published: February 16, 2008

This month, my husband and I decided to make a major move in our lives. We combined our cable television, high-speed Internet and telephone service under one umbrella — or if you are up on the lingo, we bundled our services.
It sounds sweet, doesn’t it? Like swaddling a baby. But don’t let it fool you — the communications version of bundling is not such a simple pleasure....

What is behind the recent push for bundling, or “triple play” as it is often called? Regulatory and technological changes over the last decade mean that cable and phone companies can sell you all three services.“Bundle plans are being pushed a lot by carriers because they’re moneymakers,” said John Breyault, research director of the nonprofit Telecommunications Research and Action Center in Washington. Also, “customers who subscribe to multiple services are less likely to leave.” Consumers can also be the winners, if they are careful and question the sales representatives thoroughly. Let me impart my hard-earned knowledge and suggest that anyone considering a bundled plan ask these questions:
¶Are taxes included, or is there a flat rate?
¶Is there a one-time installation fee? Is there a fee to keep your phone number?
¶Is a contract required? For what duration? Can the fees rise over the contract period? What will they go up to after the contract expires? (For example, Cablevision’s bundled service rises to about $125 a month after the first year.)
¶If I change or drop one of the bundled services, will I be penalized? (Generally, the answer is yes.)
¶Is there a termination fee? (Verizon, for example, may charge a $200 fee if you cancel before the end of a two-year contract; Cablevision requires no contract and has no termination fee.)....

In the end, after flailing my way through what seemed to be the world’s most complex word problem (if Company A charges x, but adds on y, times 12, and Company B charges z, then deducts n, divided by 24), it seemed to be a toss-up....Consumer Reports, in its February issue, looked at the bundling issue. It found that there were good deals out there, but sometimes they involve buying more services than you want or need....[If] you want only basic TV, minimum Internet and little or no long-distance calling, buying a triple play service may end up costing more than what you already have....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/16/technology/16shortcuts.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=technology

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Phone Viruses: a threat that comes with convenience

2008-02-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

With all the excitement surounding the mobile web, it is important to be aware of technological threats that may come with modern convenience. This article focuses on potential mobile viruses that may find their way to your cell phone:

Phone viruses to spread as telecom, computer worlds merge, say experts
By: Adam Plowright
AFP
Feb 16, 2008

Viruses and hacking on mobile phones are still rare but attacks are a looming danger as increasing numbers of people access the Internet and download files with their handsets, experts say.A survey released this week at the industry's Mobile World Congress showed that only 2.1 percent of people had been struck by a virus themselves and only 11.6 percent knew someone who had been affected by one.
The poll by IT security specialist McAfee, based on 2,000 people in Britain, the United States and Japan, showed that 86.3 percent had had no experience of mobile phone viruses.
The survey did suggest however that the more developed the mobile market is, with high use of the Internet and downloads, the more likely people were to be hit by bugs....The website http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/afp/tc_afp/storytext/telecominternetvirus/26365862/SIG=1131q1c0n/*http://www.mobilephoneviruses.com, which tracks incidents of mobile virus infections, lists a handful of examples such as Skulls, Velasco and Commwarrior.
The latter infected about 110,000 phones in Spain last year, attacking phones running Nokia's Symbian operating system. It spread via MMS messages, text messages containing an audio, video or picture file.
"Viruses aren't a huge issue now but they have the potential to be so in the future when Internet use is more widespread," said a telecom analyst at the Forrester market research company, Pete Nuthall.
The industry is keen for phone owners to use their handsets for more than just calls and texting -- for which profits are declining in developed countries -- with Internet and video, games and mapping the basis of new product offerings.
"It's a risk that we should be aware of but one shouldn't make it dramatic and worry people," said Emmanuel Forgues from Russian IT security group Kaspersky. "But it's a risk that exists and is certainly going to develop...."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080216/tc_afp/telecominternetvirus;_ylt=AiYsSR3kDmrSfJcwMJH2cBIjtBAF

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Top Players Compete for Dominance of the Mobile Web

2008-02-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

As Wireless Broadband comes of age, rivalry is fueled between tech giants. The Mobile World Congress that takes place next week in Barcelona will be a competitive show of the latest and greatest possiblities for the forthcoming Mobile Internet. The winner will determine how billions of users experience the web on their cell phones.

Wireless Fair Set To Stage Mobile Web Battle By: Georgina Prodhan, European Technology Correspondent Reuters Feb. 8th, 2008

Cell phone makers, telecoms carriers and Internet groups are squaring up for a fight for dominance of the mobile Internet, finally ready for market after years of promises and hundreds of billions in investments. Wireless Broadband is coming of age, making rivals of companies such as Nokia Oyj, Google Inc, Microsoft Corp, and Apple Inc, who previously could afford to coexist relatively peacefully.
Mobile networks are now capable of delivering the Internet as smoothly to a mobile phone as to a PC, with the clunky handsets, stuttering downloads and network jams of the recent past almost forgotten in many developed markets.
And the scramble to capitalize on that opportunity will loom over all other business at next week's Mobile World Congress....The outcome of the struggle to win the mobile Web will not only be crucial for the combatants but will decide how the mobile Web is experienced by billions of people.
At the fair, visitors will be on alert for sightings of prototypes of the Gphone -- phones built on a Google open software platform that will help it loosen up the market and extend its online advertising power into mobile search ads....Google rival Yahoo's alternative strategy of refining its mobile search and teaming up with operators to make it more visible to consumers, will also come under scrutiny, especially as it mulls a $45 billion bid from Microsoft.
Nokia is expected to give more details of its own push into Internet services, including gaming and music and video sharing offerings that it started to roll out last week.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080208/tc_nm/mobile_fair_preview_dc;_ylt=AruHI270G5Gi.JgXFDm6_8Ks0NUE

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Modu Unveils Modernized Cell Phone

2008-02-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

Business Week reports the release of a tranformational cell phone. This remarkable device may revolutionize the way we use our mobile device. The sleek design is one of the first to explore the potential for "modular" cell phones made of detachable components that can be snapped on or off to suit specific needs and personal style.

Transforming the Cell Phone By: Olga Kharif Business Week Feb. 7th, 2008

It was back in 2002 that Dov Moran first began grumbling to friends about the modern cell phone. Why couldn't his phone suddenly sprout a keyboard and a large display on days when he needed to respond to a lot of e-mail? Why couldn't the phone shrink into a tiny little thing when he didn't? Why couldn't it…?
Well, now it can. On Feb. 7, Moran's new company, modu, unveiled a tiny new cell phone that can work on its own or be slipped into assorted "jackets" that transform it into different types of devices. Slide it into a jacket with a 3½-inch screen, and the device turns into a media player perfect for watching movies. Slip it into an iPod-like sleeve, and modu becomes a music player with dedicated buttons and a screen for album art.
From Personalization to Customization
modu is just one of several companies, including Sony Ericsson , that are exploring the market potential for "modular" cell phones made of detachable components that can be snapped on or off to suit specific needs. If they gain traction, this Lego-like approach would bring a sudden burst of customization to an industry where personalization has amounted to little more than detachable face plates to change a phone's color.
There would appear to be demand among cell phone users. A recent survey by CommScore (SCOR) found that 41% of the 18- to 24-year-olds and about a third of the 25- to 34-year-olds said personalization of cell phones was important. But for now, whether modular design will prove to be the next big thing in wireless is a big unknown. "We need to see how carriers respond," says Tim Luke, an analyst with Lehman Brothers (LEH).
The modu phone module, which weighs only 1.3 ounces and is smaller than a credit card, could conceivably serve as a sidekick to much more than handheld devices. It could, for example, be slipped into a bedstand alarm clock to display incoming text (SMS) messages. Inserted in a car's dashboard, modu could allow for hands-free calling over the stereo system or provide an address book for the car's GPS navigation system. Slipped into a laptop, modu could provide mobile Internet access. modu says Philips Electronics has shown interest in developing compatible products. Efforts to reach Philips for comment were not immediately successful. "This is the tip of the iceberg," says Moran. "This is a way to provide communications capability to any device."
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc2008025_771426.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_telecom

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All We Are Saying Is: Give Sprint A Chance

2008-02-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

Now's the Time to Go Sprint

As Sprint scrambles to regain market share in the wireless industry, you can take advantage of unbelievable deals on handsets and plans. If you haven’t tried Sprint, don’t knock it. Their customer service is excellent and the call quality is superb. Not only that, but Sprint has recently released some exciting new phones like: the Blackberry Pearl, the Treo 755P, the LG Rumor (which is really great for text messaging) and my personal favorite, the Katana DLX. The design of this phone is fantastic. It is very slim and the reception is unbelievable! I get reception with the Katana while others,using a variety of carriers, are dropping out.
Just in case you didn't know, Sprint is the also the only wireless provider that allows you to roam on any other available network at no additional cost to you.
Another thing to note about Sprint is that their data component, dubbed: POWER VISION or POWER PACK, is the least expensive add-on data plan of any carrier. And, Sprint still has the fastest data in most states.
I highly recommend that you try Sprint for yourself. There is a 14-day, unconditional cancellation period for Individuals and 30-days for Business plans.

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Canada Ministry Encourages Workers: Lay off the BlackBerry

2008-02-03T12:43:00.001-08:00

In an unprecidented effort to reduce stress and promote higher well-being amongst employees, the Canadian government ministry is encouraging workers to cut back on using their BlackBerry smartphones.

'BlackBerry blackouts' aim for life/work balance
By: Randall Palmer
Reuters
Feb. 2, 2008

It may be wishful thinking, but a Canadian government ministry has sent out a directive to its employees urging them to relax and not to use their BlackBerry smartphones at night or on weekends and holidays.
Trying to re-establish a proper balance between work and life, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is starting by trying to cut the chains to what some have called CrackBerries.
The department's deputy minister, Richard Fadden, sent out a memo asking employees to implement a BlackBerry "blackout" between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and on weekends and holidays.
"Work/life quality is a priority for me and this organization because achieving it benefits us both as individuals and as a department," Fadden wrote....BlackBerries, made by Canadian-based Research In Motion, are handheld communication devices that can be used to send e-mails and make phone calls -- thus allowing people to bring the office to their homes, vehicles or even the ski slopes.
They have become an essential workplace tool in politics, business and the professions.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080202/wr_nm/blackberry_dc;_ylt=AjF2AUrjRVyz7e0VUjH3gOCSxLEF

Sprint To Re-Vamp with iDen & Smarter Devices

2008-02-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Sprint Nextel is commited to their investment in the iDEN network. In effort to attract new customers and secure the loyalty of current subscribers, new phones and more features will be revealed this year.First will be the anticipated push-to-talk system for Sprint's CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) customers. It will work on new handsets and between all existing iDEN devices. Two of the latest phones are cited in this article.

Sprint Sticks with iDEN, Push-to-Talk Customers By: Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service PCWorld.com Feb. 2, 2008

Sprint Nextel will pour more money into the iDEN network it inherited from Nextel, coming out with new handsets and adding features to its popular push-to-talk system.The struggling mobile operator, whose subscriber base is third-largest in the U.S. but declining, has been operating two networks since the merger of Sprint and Nextel Communications in 2005. The new company then said it would cap off investment in iDEN after the end of 2007. But even though Sprint is losing subscribers faster on iDEN than on its CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network and average revenue per iDEN user is falling, the company last year said it would keep investing in the network until at least 2012....Direct Connect isn't standing still. The more immediate change, coming early this year, will be the introduction of a long-awaited push-to-talk system for Sprint's CDMA customers. It will work on a set of new CDMA handsets, and people will be able to use it between those new phones and all existing iDEN devices, she said.
Building on the combination of Direct Connect and Sprint Mobile Broadband services, Sprint is planning new features such as "push-to-x," which will let people send text messages, images and other data through a simpler process than current messaging systems, said spokeswoman Stephanie Greenwood....While restating its commitment to iDEN on Wednesday, Sprint highlighted two handsets recently introduced for the network. The Motorola i570, introduced this month, is designed for tough environments and offers voice-activated dialing and one-touch shortcuts to phone features. The Motorola i335, introduced last November, is built to military specifications for dust, shock and vibration. http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080202/tc_pcworld/142123;_ylt=AowxZKaqUyZpBtBRpS0pRwes0NUE

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Wave of the Future: Speech Recognition Technology

2008-01-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

This article focuses on the innovative products that are bringing speech recognition technology to the masses, both in cellular devices and automobiles. In the future, we may not have to dial numbers or press buttons. Finding a location or a specific song may only be a voice-command away.

The Coming Wave of Gadgets That Listen and Obey
By: Michael Fitzgerald
New York Times
Jan. 27, 2008

INNOVATION usually needs time to steep. Time to turn the idea into something tangible, time to get it to market, time for people to decide they accept it. Speech recognition technology has steeped for a long time: Mike Phillips remembers that in the 1980s, when he was a Carnegie Mellon graduate student trying to develop rudimentary speech recognition systems, “it seemed almost impossible.”
Now, devices that incorporate speech recognition are starting to hit the mass market, thanks to entrepreneurs like Mr. Phillips. He is the chief technology officer and a co-founder of the Vlingo Corporation, an 18-month-old start-up in Cambridge, Mass., that is selling services to cellular carriers and other software companies that want to give their customers the ability to let their mouths do the walking — and the searching....
Now, Mr. Phillips is in a race for market share. Another start-up, Yap Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., is running a beta test of its service, which is similar to Vlingo’s but already has text messaging. Igor and Victor Jablokov, Yap’s co-founders, decided to start the company because they saw their teenage sister text-messaging while in a car.
She wasn’t driving at the time, but Igor Jablokov says cellular companies tell him in meetings that two-thirds of their teenage customers have either sent or read a text message while behind the wheel....
Over all, speech recognition was a $1.6 billion market in 2007, according to Opus Research, which predicts an annual growth rate of 14.5 percent over the next three years. Dan Miller, an analyst at Opus, said that companies that have licensed speech recognition technology would probably see faster revenue growth, as more consumers used the technology. The cellphone market holds the most potential, given its billions of phones, but cellular providers are still working out the business model for such services.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/business/27proto.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin

BlackBerry Keeps Things Fresh

2008-01-27T11:29:00.000-08:00

Research In Motion [RIM], makers of the pink BlackBerry Pearl, has revitalized its efforts to make devices more lifestyle friendly, appeal to a broader consumer market, and compete with the iPhone. Even with anxiety about an economic recession in the U.S. , RIM is not worried. Analysts note that mobile phones are no longer seen as a luxury item. People may hold off on making large purchases; however, cellphones have become a necessity in our society. The latest RIM products are surprisingly desirable. Their future looks bright.

BlackBerry maker jazzes up goods for broader appeal

By Wojtek Dabrowski
Reuters
Jan. 27th, 2008

Research In Motion (RIM.TO) (RIMM.O) has leapt into the retail consumer market with products such as its pink BlackBerry Pearl, a candybar-shaped e-mail phone stuffed with multimedia goodies, exposing itself to shoppers' fickle tastes and competition from Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iPhone. Its devices now include more "lifestyle" features like television, music players, cameras and Facebook social-networking software for broad appeal.
"I think the whole social networking phenomenon is quite substantial," RIM's co-Chief Executive, Jim Balsillie, told Reuters in an interview.
His comment highlights a big shift for the Canadian company, which first made its name supplying blocky handsets that executives, lawyers and politicians used to send secure e-mails to their offices and clients.
The departure from that mainstay has produced strong early results, as RIM added BlackBerry subscribers at a rapid clip and posted profits that consistently beat analysts' expectations....The strategy has also put the company in head-on competition with the iPhone, launched in the United States at the end of June.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080127/tc_nm/rim_dc;_ylt=AvQTUIDwZH2pt71mOt6rwAsjtBAF

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FCC Auctions Wireless Airwaves

2008-01-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

The next generation of wireless broadband is about to be determined as the FCC opens airwaves to bidders. Some of the top contenders include: AT&T, Verizon, and Google. This article includes an informative link that graphs leading players and their bidding strategies. The outcome of this auction will shape both broadband accessibility and mobile web offerings.

Google could cause a stir in FCC's airwaves auction
By Paul Davidson
USA TODAY
Jan. 24th, 2008

A federal airwaves auction starting Thursday is expected to bring consumers improved wireless broadband services and will likely provide the last opportunity to create a nationwide challenger to the big cellphone companies. The Federal Communications Commission is auctioning off the last big swath of airwaves for the foreseeable future. While the bidding features such cellphone powerhouses as AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ), Google (GOOG) has emerged as a wild card that could win a chunk of spectrum and use it to provide a new national wireless service....
Some analysts are skeptical. Yet the online search giant has prodded the FCC to at least carve out conditions for certain airwaves that could help give consumers new choices in handsets and applications....Under FCC conditions, the winners of large regional licenses in the "C" block must open services that use those airwaves to any handset or software a subscriber wants to use....Separately, the winner of the "D" block of nationwide spectrum must share its network with police and fire agencies in an emergency.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20080124/tc_usatoday/googlecouldcauseastirinfccsairwavesauction;_ylt=An5MJTF7Wq6J606playvrFas0NUE

Mobile Phones and the Internet Change Retail

2008-01-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

In South Korea, customers order by mobile phone and receive a call when it's ready. In Japan, consumers can check the quality of their food with a barcode on their phone. China is expected to reach $1 trillion in mobile commerce by 2010. American retailers look to Asia in developing technological shopping trends.

Cell phones and virtual worlds morphing shopper ways
By Nicole Maestri and Martinne Geller
Reuters
Jan. 17, 2008

Virtual worlds, mobile coupons and bar-code readers on cell phones are the next technology wave that U.S. chain stores must ride if they hope to stay competitive in the fast-changing world of global retail.Retailers, gathered in New York this week for the National Retail Federation's (NRF) annual convention, were urged to go high-tech to stand out in the crowd and improve sales, especially amid a flagging U.S. economy....The Internet has also become more interactive, with consumers spending more time -- and money -- in virtual worlds like Second Life and Webkinz. "These technologies are going to change the way you interact with your customer, they're going to change the way people shop, they're going to change the way you manage your brands," said Giff Constable, general manager at Electric Sheep Co, which designs content for virtual worlds, like Second Life....
But a pervasive undercurrent at the convention was worry over the state of the U.S. economy, and what that will mean for profits. The NRF forecasts U.S. retail sales will rise 3.5 percent this year, the lowest rate of growth since 2002. So while new technologies are appealing, there is little room in the budget for them.....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080117/tc_nm/retail_nrf_technology_dc;_ylt=Al0liORO7KGgoFhk5fv7RuIRSLMF

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Sprint's Struggle Raises Doubt On Wireless Growth

2008-01-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

The vast decline in Sprint contracts and stock has led to company cutbacks and industry-wide anxiety. This article questions whether Sprint's setbacks are signalling an economic trend that effects other wireless companies.

Sprint’s Customer Erosion Prompts Cutbacks
By: Steve Lohr
New York Times
Jan. 19, 2008

Sprint Nextel’s announcement on Friday that it is losing customers more rapidly than expected is making investors nervous about a weak economy’s effect on other wireless companies.
Shares of Sprint fell $2.87, or 25 percent, to $8.70 after it said that it planned to lay off 4,000 workers and close stores to trim costs as its customer base shrinks.
The stock prices of AT&T and Verizon also slipped after the news. AT&T, the largest wireless carrier, was down more than 3 percent, and Verizon, which owns Verizon Wireless along with Vodafone, fell more than 4 percent.
Sprint has been struggling for more than a year, and installed a new chief executive only last month. But the sharp drop in the company’s customer count during the traditionally strong holiday quarter, analysts say, raises concerns that the problem extends beyond Sprint.
“The broader question here is whether this is the tip of the iceberg in a deceleration of the U.S. wireless market over all,” said Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company....It is unclear whether Sprint’s travails are solely its own or portend broader troubles for cellphone carriers.....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/technology/19sprint.html?em&ex=1200891600&en=968c02d651ba9073&ei=5087%0A

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Sustainable Technology

2008-01-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

For the environmentally conscious techie: PC World reports on a few innovative products that make popular electronics greener.

Power Your Gadgets by Sun and Water
By: Narasu Rebbapragada
PC WORLD.COM
Jan. 11th, 2007

While the Consumer Electronics Association announced that it would go green by purchasing 20,000 tons' worth of carbon offsets, a few companies at CES 2008's Sustainable Technologies TechZone introduced new products that use fewer nonrenewable resources from the get-go. They're still a little pricey for the average consumer, but they show that both sunlight and water are viable power sources for laptops, iPods, cell phones, and other gadgets. A lot of solar chargers work with small devices, but laptops generally have been left in the dark--until now. Voltaic Systems' Generator briefcase, scheduled for release this spring at a not-so-cheap $599, lets you plug your laptop into a rechargeable battery inside the case. A solar panel that covers one of the briefcase's sides provides the power. The battery inside is smart enough to know whether your laptop needs 12 or 20 volts, and Voltaic Systems bundles in a bunch of universal plugs that should fit many brands of products. The bag weighs 4 pounds with the battery, so it's not uber-light for a fabric bag. The fabric, by the way, is water-resistant and made of recycled PET plastic....
The HydroPak is the first water-powered, fuel-cell, hydrogen-generating charger that I've ever seen. Horizon Fuel Cell Technology, which makes the fuel cell, and Millennium Cell, which makes the hydrogen generator, have teamed up to create a line of products that can charge a laptop or a smaller gadget such as a phone or iPod. It's scheduled for release in the United States in the third quarter of 2008....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080111/tc_pcworld/141280;_ylt=AlkaUwIyOB2OU8dxom4M5wUOSLMF

Vying for a Spot on the Mobile Web

2008-01-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

The "mobile Web" - short for surfing the internet with a mobile device - is moving ahead. New smartphones, wireless devices, and flexible carriers are making interface, on the go, easier than ever. Some analysts predict that mobile Web will be bigger than desktop Internet in as little as 5 years. Wireless evolution is expected to give customers more options and better service. With so much opportunity, companies are competing for a strong position in the virtual, mobile market.

Race is on for Mobile Web's pot of gold
By Leslie Cauley
USA TODAY
Jan. 10th, 2008

AT&T and Verizon Wireless lately have embraced the idea of giving consumers greater control over the wireless devices and applications they use, such as e-mail, downloading and picture-sharing.Warming up to "consumer choice" is a new riff, to say the least. For years, both have pushed cheap, subsidized handsets to grow their wireless businesses; they penalized these same customers by imposing a raft of restrictions on devices and applications....Meanwhile, Google (GOOG) has been trying to tell cellphone carriers how to run their wireless businesses and treat customers. Who? While it's a monster in desktop Web searches, Google is just another widget on the handset in the mobile world - like Yahoo (YHOO) or e-mail. Google has no wireless experience or even a customer care unit.
Has the wireless world gone crazy?
The short answer: You bet....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20080110/tc_usatoday/raceisonformobilewebspotofgold;_ylt=AkewETiltOEbN1C_Y8ZmvkSs0NUE

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