- Week summary
- General wireless data market related news
- Carriers news
- Terminal development for mobile data
- Mobile application related news
- Application outsourcing and hosting news
- News about financing for wireless data businesses
| * - Star sign marks especially important (from the editor's point of view) news items and is also a link to the next important news item. |
Week summary |
- CeBIT is virtually dead - from mobile applications point of view at least.
- Opera is turning more and more into mobile portal company.
- Microsoft has bought into voice-enabled mobile applications.
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This section lists all breaking wireless data related news that do not belong to any particular section (or should belong to multiple) as well as to general reviews of interest.
| Strategy Analytics: Yahoo! Offers Best Mobile Web Experience Original news source |
| The newly launched Strategy Analytics Wireless Media Lab service has released, "Yahoo! Offers Best Mobile Web Experience as Interest in Web 2.0 Outstrips Media Industry Content," which concludes that Yahoo! has the leading mobile web experience, based on evaluation of leading mobile web offerings by a Strategy Analytics Wireless User Panel.
Yahoo! beat Google, Napster, YouTube and MySpace, after participants carried out a set number of tasks specific to each provider on both a laptop PC and a wireless device. |
| Berg Insight says 66 million machines will be connected to North American cellular networks by 2011 Original news source |
| According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of machines connected to cellular networks in North America will reach 66 million by 2011. At the end of 2006 there were about 9 million active cellular and satellite wireless M2M connections in the US and Canada. Private vehicles constitute the largest vertical market segment in terms of units, followed by commercial vehicles, security alarms and POS-terminals. |
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This section lists news about innovative and competitive usage of wireless data by network carriers.
| Globalstar Completes Installation of Global Packet Data Satellite Network Original news source |
| Globalstar, Inc., provider of mobile satellite voice and data services to businesses, government and individuals, announced that it has completed the hardware installation needed to finalize the company’s satellite packet data network. With the implementation of the hardware and software now complete, all corporate and independent Globalstar ground stations are capable of providing packet data satellite services to the more than 250,000 Globalstar customers around the world. |
| 3 launches ad-funded mobile content offering Original news source |
| 3, the mobile media company, announces the launch of a new range of free-to-access content for customers on its Planet 3 portal. Working in partnership with Rhythm New Media, the new service will be supported by personalised advertising from major brands, meaning content that was previously paid for can now be viewed for free by customers. |
| Nokia, Sprint Nextel to Roll Out Mobile WiMAX Services in Texas Original news source |
| Nokia will deploy WiMAX infrastructure, including the Nokia Flexi WiMAX Base Station, at sites throughout the four Texas markets, enabling Sprint Nextel to deliver wireless Internet broadband access to consumers, businesses and governments. Service is expected to commence in the Texas markets during the first half of 2008. Sprint Nextel's mobile WiMAX network intends to cover 100 million people nationwide by the end of 2008. |
| Vodafone introduces internet and Web 2.0 for mobile phones Original news source |
| Vodafone is introducing popular internet services for mobile phones. One of the highlights is a video community that enables customers to upload videos they have made themselves. Vodafone Sitebuilder is an easy tool for creating personal websites on mobile phones and putting them on the internet. Vodafone has also signed up exclusive partners so that its customers can use internet portals or the messaging services on their mobiles and PCs. |
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This section lists breaking news from companies which manufacture actual end user wireless devices (phones, pagers, PDAs etc.), as well as other information relevant to such companies.
| Sony Ericsson announces
W660 Original news source |
| Sony Ericsson announces
the W660 – a Walkman phone which places an emphasis on style and feel. With a tactile finish that just begs to be touched, it’s a classic-design 3G phone available in two distinctive colours, Record Black and Rose Red. Also introduced is a compact new music accessory, the Snap-on Speakers MPS-75, which let you play the tracks stored on your Walkman phone out loud. |
| Tranzda Selects u-blox GPS Module for Revolutionary Smartphone Original news source |
| u-blox AG,
Swiss provider of GPS receiver technology, announced a deal that sees
its LEA-4S GPS module included in a revolutionary smartphone produced by
innovative design house Tranzda Technologies Co. Ltd. The PM328 is a
NEWPLUS Linux-Core smartphone that integrates phone, PDA, GPS and other
multimedia entertainment functions in a product that is 16 mm thin. |
| The embedded DUALphone 3088 for Skype becomes a PBX-like system with multiple handsets Original news source |
| RTX announced that its DUALphone 3088, a standalone cordless Internet phone with Skype, will become a PBX-like system for the SoHo and home markets with four-handset capability and simple PBX functions. The additional DUALphone 3088 handsets will be sold separately. |
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This section lists news that describe innovative and competitive implementation of wireless data applications.
| uLocate Announces WHERE, Platform for Mobile GPS Widgets Original news source |
| uLocate Communications, Inc., publisher of location enabled mobile applications, announced WHERE, the first mobile GPS widget platform for rapid development and publishing of location enabled wireless content and applications.
Currently available on select Sprint phones, WHERE Widgets allow consumers to quickly launch a personalized mobile experience that uses GPS location to put the people, places and things they look for at their fingertips. Consumers can add WHERE Widgets to their WHERE handset application by choosing from menus on the handset, or by dragging and dropping them from the Where.com website instantly to their phone. |
| Free Calls from Nokia Phones to USA landline and mobiles for barablu users Original news source |
| Nokia phone owners can make free calls to USA landlines and mobiles until March 31 though free calls provider barablu.
barablu already offers free calls on a mobile, PC or PDA between barablu users, who have downloaded the barablu application.
Now barablu is extending free calls to anyone calling a USA landline or mobile in a special promotion. |
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This section lists news about outsourcing/hosting of mobile corporate/enterprise applications by e.g. software developers, network carriers, and consulting companies. News about mobile access to portals are also included here.
| GotZapp Revolutionizes Mobile Social Networking Original news source |
| Trivantis Corporation, developer of publishing software for the FORTUNE 1000, unveiled GotZapp, a new mobile social networking platform that empowers users to create and send a dynamic combination of text, photos and music to Web-enabled mobile phones in a single transmission called a "Zapp." GotZapp, which utilizes Zirada mobile content creator, will take mobile communications to the next level by bringing genuine self-expression, robust social networking and a rich multi-media experience to the mobile handset. |
| * T-Mobile brings the My Opera Community to its web'n'walk users Original news source |
| Opera Software announced that T-Mobile is bringing a customized version of the My Opera Community to its web'n'walk users. By integrating the community into their product offering, T-Mobile allows its customers to take advantage of popular My Opera features such as photoblogging, photo albums and more, all from the convenience of their web'n'walk powered phones. |
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This section lists news about new financing opportunities for and in the wireless data industry.
| Mobifusion nets $3.1M Original news source |
| Mobile media company Mobifusion Inc. said it picked up $3.1 million in its first round of venture funding.
Mobifusion targets carriers and publishers with a content-delivery platform designed to increase customer acquisition and loyalty. Backers in the initial round included Emergic Ventures, Ingram Digital Group, Global Asia Partners and an undisclosed “major telecom company” in India. |
| Ericsson acquires Mobeon and strengthens multimedia strategy Original news source |
| Ericssonhas announced it will acquire business and assets of Mobeon AB, specialist in IP-messaging components for mobile and fixed networks. This deal represents yet another step in Ericsson's strategy to become the leader in multimedia. 21 percent of Mobeon is already owned by Ericsson, which is also the primary partner and original developer of Mobeon's CompEdge series of carrier-class messaging. |
| * Microsoft to Acquire Tellme Networks Original news source |
| Microsoft Corp. announced it will acquire Tellme Networks, Inc., a provider of voice services for everyday life, including nationwide directory assistance, enterprise customer service and voice-enabled mobile search. Microsoft and Tellme share a vision around the potential of speech as a way to enable access to information, locate other people and enhance business processes, any time and from any device. Combining Tellme's talented people and expertise in high-volume voice services with Microsoft's platform, resources and worldwide customer reach will inspire new and innovative solutions. |
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A recommended introductory reading that may be helpful in understanding the scope of this publication is the Wireless Data Forum's Wireless Data Primer.
A glossary of wireless industry terms and acronyms can be found at the Wireless Week site.
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