Friday, August 31, 2007 12:19 PM
NEW YORK (AFP) - Specialized blogs are abuzz this week with rumors that Internet giant Google will soon launch the "Google Phone" or "GPhone," a cheap mobile phone equipped with Google's operating system.
High-tech product specialist Engadget said a Google announcement would come next week, adding that a Google operating system would be tailor-made for the new cell phone.
According to another blog, CrunchGear, "Google is currently assessing over twenty (of Taiwan's) HTC models" and plans to launch its cell phone between January amd March of 2008.
Photographs of Google's touch-screen handset are already on the Internet, and according to Rizzn.com, it will cost a mere 100 dollars.
CrunchGear said the HTC/Google phone would have Google Talk enabled, allowing users to make free Internet phone calls.
The blog said the Google phone will not only be able to surf the net but also will include "a special version of Google Maps, compatible with built-in GPS, and compatibility with Gmail," Google's email service.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Google has already shown its prototype to US companies AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, making it seem clear the Google Phone's launch will definitely take place in the United States.
Indian blog Rediff said the GPhone will be launched in two weeks simultaneously in the United States and Europe, adding that Google was talking with Indian telephone operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, and that Bharat Sanchar Nigam could be one of the manufacturers.
Google has refused to make any comment on the rumors.
The company, at any rate, is interested in telecommunications. It recently announced it would participate in an "open" frequencies auction next January in the United States that could cost it billions of dollars.
The owner of open frequencies could create a mobile phone network across the country accessible to any cell phone, and not restricted to models chosen by US operators, as is now the case.
The Wall Street Journal quoted sources familiar with the dealings who said Google has invested several hundred million dollars in the project and that a phone will be launched in early 2008.
Google also intends to develop special applications for mobile phones, such as a search engine for ringtones, and offer free telephone subscriptions that would be financed through advertising.
The persistent rumors about a GPhone reflect gadget fans' enormous interest for the iPhone Apple launched in late June, which has since generated a lot of buzz on the internet.
The idea of a cheap, touch-screen, internet-adaptible GPhone promoted by a company that advocates "open" frequencies seems to be in direct competition with Apple's iPhone.
Greatly valued for its design, the iPhone has its high price (500-600 dollars) going against it, as well as its exclusive contract with AT&T.
Several hackers have recently boasted of having found the way to "unblock" the iPhone and make it work with other telephone operators, and some have promised to put their unblocking software up for sale on the internet soon.
Source: http://www.philstar.com
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Teen Who Cracked iPhone Trades it For Car and Job, As Potential Lawsuit Looms
When a 17-year-old cracked the iPhone so it would work on more than just AT&T's network, tech junkies talked about it as though he had cured cancer. Hotz has now traded his hacked iPhone for a new car and a job, but some now say a legal battle is looming.
Digital Journal — Starting college as a mini celebrity is not a bad thing. Especially if you are George Hotz, the teen who cracked Apple's iPhone along with four friends so it would work on other wireless networks.
When Apple launched the iPhone, they locked it to AT&T's network, forcing consumers to sign a deal with the telco if they wanted Apple's uber-cool mobile. When the phone was launched, tech insiders knew it would only be a matter of time until someone cracked it.
Little did Apple and AT&T know they would get pwned by a teenager. The New Jersey teen unlocked the device to work on T-Mobile's network and he posted instructions showing others how to do it on his blog. He also listed tools needed, including a soldering gun, fine pitch wire, a case opener and an unlock switch.
And that is when the media frenzy hit.
He already has his own Wikipedia entry, he is getting TV interviews with big networks, and he caught the attention of Terry Daidone, the founder of CertiCell, a company that sells cell phone parts and reconditioned used cell phone batteries.
Spotting Hotz's talent (as well as the wonderful marketing opportunity to ride on his coat tails through media coverage), Daidone contacted Hotz and offered him a trade: In exchange for his unlocked iPhone, he would give the teen three brand new iPhones and a new car.
"I traded it for a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones," Hotz said in one of his blog posts.
"I wish I had time right now to unlock iPhones for people, but even with this method it'll take me two hours per phone, and I'm leaving [for college] so soon," Hotz wrote in a postmortem on his blog. "I will continue to post to this blog, and I will continue to work with the iPhone, but not on a software unlock."
In addition to the car and three new iPhones, Hotz said he will be doing consulting work for CertiCell and another company called Puremobile.
"My project for now is a GPS for the iPhone that uses triangluation from the cell phone towers," he said in a blog post. "I believe the towers are public record and you can use an AT command to get signal strength."
Now, the only thing that remains to be seen is how the industry will react to Hotz's iPhone hack. Ecommercetimes.com is already suggesting that lawsuits could be looming.
While it's not yet clear if any laws have been broken, some say the iPhone is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
"It is not surprising that yet another techie has deciphered the codes, keyed the locks and otherwise unleashed the mysteries within the latest bottle," Raymond Van Dyke, a technology attorney in Washington, told MacNewsWorld. "It is inevitable, but that does not, however, make it right. The DMCA and other statutes against decryption could have been violated by these actions, which although seemingly innocent could have serious economic consequences."
The unclear issue still, is whether the DMCA covers cellphone hacking.
"The copyright office ruled that if you want to unlock a phone, you can do it without violating copyright," Jonathan Kramer, principal attorney at the Kramer Telecom Law Firm, told MacNewsWorld.
The legal blade that is being swung throughout the industry now, however, is the fact that unlocking a phone for personal use is different than posting instructions on how to do it on the Internet. Kramer says that could be the legal problem for Hotz.
"I think he is ripe to be sued, because there's a principle in law that if you don't protect your rights, you may effectively waive them," Kramer explained. "I think Apple and AT&T will want to make sure people don't play around with their software. The one thing that may help Hotz is that he is not a publicly appealing bad guy."
Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com
Digital Journal — Starting college as a mini celebrity is not a bad thing. Especially if you are George Hotz, the teen who cracked Apple's iPhone along with four friends so it would work on other wireless networks.
When Apple launched the iPhone, they locked it to AT&T's network, forcing consumers to sign a deal with the telco if they wanted Apple's uber-cool mobile. When the phone was launched, tech insiders knew it would only be a matter of time until someone cracked it.
Little did Apple and AT&T know they would get pwned by a teenager. The New Jersey teen unlocked the device to work on T-Mobile's network and he posted instructions showing others how to do it on his blog. He also listed tools needed, including a soldering gun, fine pitch wire, a case opener and an unlock switch.
And that is when the media frenzy hit.
He already has his own Wikipedia entry, he is getting TV interviews with big networks, and he caught the attention of Terry Daidone, the founder of CertiCell, a company that sells cell phone parts and reconditioned used cell phone batteries.
Spotting Hotz's talent (as well as the wonderful marketing opportunity to ride on his coat tails through media coverage), Daidone contacted Hotz and offered him a trade: In exchange for his unlocked iPhone, he would give the teen three brand new iPhones and a new car.
"I traded it for a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones," Hotz said in one of his blog posts.
"I wish I had time right now to unlock iPhones for people, but even with this method it'll take me two hours per phone, and I'm leaving [for college] so soon," Hotz wrote in a postmortem on his blog. "I will continue to post to this blog, and I will continue to work with the iPhone, but not on a software unlock."
In addition to the car and three new iPhones, Hotz said he will be doing consulting work for CertiCell and another company called Puremobile.
"My project for now is a GPS for the iPhone that uses triangluation from the cell phone towers," he said in a blog post. "I believe the towers are public record and you can use an AT command to get signal strength."
Now, the only thing that remains to be seen is how the industry will react to Hotz's iPhone hack. Ecommercetimes.com is already suggesting that lawsuits could be looming.
While it's not yet clear if any laws have been broken, some say the iPhone is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
"It is not surprising that yet another techie has deciphered the codes, keyed the locks and otherwise unleashed the mysteries within the latest bottle," Raymond Van Dyke, a technology attorney in Washington, told MacNewsWorld. "It is inevitable, but that does not, however, make it right. The DMCA and other statutes against decryption could have been violated by these actions, which although seemingly innocent could have serious economic consequences."
The unclear issue still, is whether the DMCA covers cellphone hacking.
"The copyright office ruled that if you want to unlock a phone, you can do it without violating copyright," Jonathan Kramer, principal attorney at the Kramer Telecom Law Firm, told MacNewsWorld.
The legal blade that is being swung throughout the industry now, however, is the fact that unlocking a phone for personal use is different than posting instructions on how to do it on the Internet. Kramer says that could be the legal problem for Hotz.
"I think he is ripe to be sued, because there's a principle in law that if you don't protect your rights, you may effectively waive them," Kramer explained. "I think Apple and AT&T will want to make sure people don't play around with their software. The one thing that may help Hotz is that he is not a publicly appealing bad guy."
Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Wherify Wireless, Siemens AG and Cellfind Team up to Provide Voice and GPS Location for South Africa Security Needs
SAN MATEO, CA -- 08/28/07 -- Wherify Wireless, Inc. (OTCBB: WFYW), a leading developer of patented wireless location solutions and services for family safety and communications, today announced it has shipped Wherifone GSM/GPS locator phones to its partner, Siemens Corporation, SA in South Africa for a commercial application.
Siemens SA is acting as a systems integrator in conjunction with Wherify's South African partner, Cellfind (Pty) Ltd., in support of an innovative personal and business service tracking application provided by South Africa's largest wireless telecommunications service provider, Vodacom Group. Vodacom Group currently provides wireless communications services for more than 30 million customers in Southern Africa.
Commenting on the initial shipments, Vince Sheeran, CEO of Wherify Wireless, commented, "We are excited to announce we have begun initial shipments into South Africa to support an important GPS-based safety and security service application. We believe the Wherifone is the perfect type of device on which to base such safety and security applications. Later this year, we expect to participate in additional service offerings in South Africa via our partner, Cellfind (Pty) Ltd, and to make the Wherifone available in Vodacom's many retail outlets by the end of 2007."
"We are committed to bringing our customers the latest technologies and services. Our new Wherify-enabled services aim to offer enhanced peace of mind, cost savings, and increased quality of life for our customers," said Christian Steyn, a managing director, at Siemens SA.
"Wherify's technology and the Wherifone provide us with a real time GPS location capability and allow us to expand our successful offerings through Vodacom. This important offering will allow specialized professionals to take appropriate action in case of a security alert," said Alan Knott Craig, CEO and Founder, of Cellfind.
The Wherifone is an innovative GSM-based GPS locator phone that determines the location of loved ones or employees via built-in GPS technology. With a simple click of a mouse button the location of a Wherifone user can be found in about one minute via an easy-to-use Internet application with the location displayed on a street map or street-level accurate aerial map. The location of a Wherifone user can also determined through the use of almost any cell phone by simply texting Wherify's Internet-based location application. The Wherifone also makes use of a dedicated "SOS" button that allows the user to instantly request an emergency response or to be connected to emergency services via the pushing of a single button. Additional information about the Wherifone can be seen at www.wherify.com
About Siemens
Siemens AG is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $91.5 billion in fiscal 2004. Founded more than 150 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas of Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $16.6 billion and employs 70,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 430,000 people in 192 countries. For more information on Siemens in the United States: www.usa.siemens.com
About Cellfind
Cellfind (Pty) Ltd. was formed in September 2003 and successfully launched the first GSM passive location-based service in Africa in the southern hemisphere during February 2004. Since launch, the company has enjoyed considerable commercial success through a variety of self manage products and partners for whom it provides mobile enablement. Cellfind is the market leader in location-based services in South Africa, offering a wide range of active and passive products such as Look4Me, Look4Help and ifind 34600. In addition to its core business, Cellfind is a founding member of WASP for Vodacom, MTN and Cell C.
About Wherify Wireless, Inc.
Wherify Wireless, Inc. (OTCBB: WFYW) is a pioneering developer of personal location products and services, as recognized by the Smithsonian Institution Museum's adoption of Wherify Wireless' groundbreaking first product, the Child Locator, into permanent display as the world's first commercial personal GPS tracking device. With three U.S. patents granted in the areas of personal location and position tracking and four more patents pending in the area of GPS locator phones, Wherify Wireless continues to be a leader in location technology development by integrating Aided-GPS location into a GSM cellular platform that has been demonstrated on over 100 GSM networks world-wide. Wherify Wireless' expertise in GPS technology for wireless devices and its patented back-end location service engine enable customers to obtain real-time location information on individuals and property directly through the Internet or any phone. Wherify Wireless was founded in 1998, and is located in San Mateo, California.
Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions) should be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including general conditions in the relevant industries and markets, the impact of competitive products, intellectual property issues and the other factors described in Wherify Wireless' periodic filings with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.
Wherify, Wherify Wireless and FACES are registered trademarks of Wherify Wireless, Inc. Wherifone is a trademark of Wherify Wireless, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Source: http://www.earthtimes.org
Siemens SA is acting as a systems integrator in conjunction with Wherify's South African partner, Cellfind (Pty) Ltd., in support of an innovative personal and business service tracking application provided by South Africa's largest wireless telecommunications service provider, Vodacom Group. Vodacom Group currently provides wireless communications services for more than 30 million customers in Southern Africa.
Commenting on the initial shipments, Vince Sheeran, CEO of Wherify Wireless, commented, "We are excited to announce we have begun initial shipments into South Africa to support an important GPS-based safety and security service application. We believe the Wherifone is the perfect type of device on which to base such safety and security applications. Later this year, we expect to participate in additional service offerings in South Africa via our partner, Cellfind (Pty) Ltd, and to make the Wherifone available in Vodacom's many retail outlets by the end of 2007."
"We are committed to bringing our customers the latest technologies and services. Our new Wherify-enabled services aim to offer enhanced peace of mind, cost savings, and increased quality of life for our customers," said Christian Steyn, a managing director, at Siemens SA.
"Wherify's technology and the Wherifone provide us with a real time GPS location capability and allow us to expand our successful offerings through Vodacom. This important offering will allow specialized professionals to take appropriate action in case of a security alert," said Alan Knott Craig, CEO and Founder, of Cellfind.
The Wherifone is an innovative GSM-based GPS locator phone that determines the location of loved ones or employees via built-in GPS technology. With a simple click of a mouse button the location of a Wherifone user can be found in about one minute via an easy-to-use Internet application with the location displayed on a street map or street-level accurate aerial map. The location of a Wherifone user can also determined through the use of almost any cell phone by simply texting Wherify's Internet-based location application. The Wherifone also makes use of a dedicated "SOS" button that allows the user to instantly request an emergency response or to be connected to emergency services via the pushing of a single button. Additional information about the Wherifone can be seen at www.wherify.com
About Siemens
Siemens AG is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $91.5 billion in fiscal 2004. Founded more than 150 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas of Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $16.6 billion and employs 70,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 430,000 people in 192 countries. For more information on Siemens in the United States: www.usa.siemens.com
About Cellfind
Cellfind (Pty) Ltd. was formed in September 2003 and successfully launched the first GSM passive location-based service in Africa in the southern hemisphere during February 2004. Since launch, the company has enjoyed considerable commercial success through a variety of self manage products and partners for whom it provides mobile enablement. Cellfind is the market leader in location-based services in South Africa, offering a wide range of active and passive products such as Look4Me, Look4Help and ifind 34600. In addition to its core business, Cellfind is a founding member of WASP for Vodacom, MTN and Cell C.
About Wherify Wireless, Inc.
Wherify Wireless, Inc. (OTCBB: WFYW) is a pioneering developer of personal location products and services, as recognized by the Smithsonian Institution Museum's adoption of Wherify Wireless' groundbreaking first product, the Child Locator, into permanent display as the world's first commercial personal GPS tracking device. With three U.S. patents granted in the areas of personal location and position tracking and four more patents pending in the area of GPS locator phones, Wherify Wireless continues to be a leader in location technology development by integrating Aided-GPS location into a GSM cellular platform that has been demonstrated on over 100 GSM networks world-wide. Wherify Wireless' expertise in GPS technology for wireless devices and its patented back-end location service engine enable customers to obtain real-time location information on individuals and property directly through the Internet or any phone. Wherify Wireless was founded in 1998, and is located in San Mateo, California.
Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions) should be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including general conditions in the relevant industries and markets, the impact of competitive products, intellectual property issues and the other factors described in Wherify Wireless' periodic filings with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.
Wherify, Wherify Wireless and FACES are registered trademarks of Wherify Wireless, Inc. Wherifone is a trademark of Wherify Wireless, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Source: http://www.earthtimes.org
Sending the Kid to College? Cell Phone Bills Nothing to Fear
August 28th, 2007 @ 6:19am
by Diane Brennan/KTAR
You are a parent. Your kid is soon off to college. You shiver at the thought of those cell phone bills. Well, you don't have to if you do a little research.
What kind of cell phone should your college bound student have? "Think about what they need, not what they want. But what they need."
Yahoo! tech adviser Robin Raskin tells ABC News the first thing to think about is whether their phone will work on campus. "What carrier do you use, what's the best coverage."
You should also take advantage of wireless signals many colleges have. "They can talk to you on campus through the wireless networks that are already there and free."
Or you can chat with voice over IP -- basically talking over the internet. "They can contact the kids via text messaging, via voice mail, via the internet."
Cell phones can also help to keep your kids safe on campus. "Many schools have put in cell phone alert campus wide systems now."
Most of all, keep an eye on the minutes they're burning through.
Source: http://ktar.com
by Diane Brennan/KTAR
You are a parent. Your kid is soon off to college. You shiver at the thought of those cell phone bills. Well, you don't have to if you do a little research.
What kind of cell phone should your college bound student have? "Think about what they need, not what they want. But what they need."
Yahoo! tech adviser Robin Raskin tells ABC News the first thing to think about is whether their phone will work on campus. "What carrier do you use, what's the best coverage."
You should also take advantage of wireless signals many colleges have. "They can talk to you on campus through the wireless networks that are already there and free."
Or you can chat with voice over IP -- basically talking over the internet. "They can contact the kids via text messaging, via voice mail, via the internet."
Cell phones can also help to keep your kids safe on campus. "Many schools have put in cell phone alert campus wide systems now."
Most of all, keep an eye on the minutes they're burning through.
Source: http://ktar.com
Friday, August 24, 2007
Nokia Remains Top Cell Phone Vendor
By Karen D. Schwartz
August 23, 2007
Nokia retains the top spot in the latest Gartner mobile phone market survey.
A new report from Gartner confirms Nokia's position as the top mobile phone vendor, although Motorola continues to make a strong second-place showing.
For the second quarter in a row, Nokia has sold more than 100 million units into the channel worldwide, and accounted for nearly 37 percent of worldwide sales during the second quarter of 2007.
Nokia's strong showing is evidence that it is doing a lot right, including a heavy push into emerging markets as well as maintaining a strong showing in mature markets. Nokia's dominance is likely to continue through the rest of the year, the report notes.
"Nokia has done a good job of remaining fresh. It has the broadest product line of any cell phone manufacturer, with hundreds of models, and there is literally something in the product line for everyone. I think they will stay number one for the foreseeable future," said Craig Mathias, principal of Farpoint Group, an Ashland, Mass., mobile consultancy.
What's more, Nokia's focus on building its brand in emerging markets, combined with strong distribution networks and an ability to produce low-cost devices, has created a force to be reckoned with, said Hugues De La Vergne, lead mobile phone analyst for North America at Gartner.
Motorola maintained its second position with a 14.6 percent despite the fact that its product portfolio is somewhat dated, the report said. But by aggressively pricing its phones, the company was able to rid itself of outdated inventory. However, if the company is to maintain its second-place market share, it would do well to radically update the portfolio, the Gartner report noted.
It's unlikely, though, that Motorola will maintain its number two standing, De La Vergne said, mainly because the Razr, its premier phone, has outlived its usefulness.
"They weren't able to follow up the Razr with another iconic product and have become too reliant on that form factor," he said. "It takes more than 12 months to get a new product to market, so these changes they are implementing won't be felt overnight."
"They got a really good run out of the Razr, but there is only so far you can go with it," Matthias said. "To keep going in the right direction, they have to do the style and market research to find out what consumers really want, and then get cost out of the product as it goes into mass manufacturing."
Samsung, in third place with a 13.4 percent market share, continued strong sales and is gaining rapidly on Motorola. That's due in large part to its Ultra II family of products, which focus on cutting-edge features like music and video, but to move ahead, the company should create more design differentiation.
Sony Ericsson, with a 9 percent market share, sold 24.3 million units, with several products aimed at the high-end and midrange market. To grow moving forward, Gartner recommends that the company do whatever it takes to ensure that sales of mid- and higher tier phones stay strong.LG was the fifth-place finisher, with a 6.8 percent market share. The company has been very aggressive with new models of its Chocolate phone, as well as other phones in other areas of the world, but it will fight an uphill battle to increase market share against its competitors, the report said.
As for future standings, Matthias believes the next frontier—the ability to support a higher end web experience, thanks to the influence of the iPhone and user demand—will be the deciding factor.
"A lot of it will depend on how well they can map the desktop onto devices, and that means figuring out how much functionality should actually go on the phone," he said.
Source: http://www.eweek.com
August 23, 2007
Nokia retains the top spot in the latest Gartner mobile phone market survey.
A new report from Gartner confirms Nokia's position as the top mobile phone vendor, although Motorola continues to make a strong second-place showing.
For the second quarter in a row, Nokia has sold more than 100 million units into the channel worldwide, and accounted for nearly 37 percent of worldwide sales during the second quarter of 2007.
Nokia's strong showing is evidence that it is doing a lot right, including a heavy push into emerging markets as well as maintaining a strong showing in mature markets. Nokia's dominance is likely to continue through the rest of the year, the report notes.
"Nokia has done a good job of remaining fresh. It has the broadest product line of any cell phone manufacturer, with hundreds of models, and there is literally something in the product line for everyone. I think they will stay number one for the foreseeable future," said Craig Mathias, principal of Farpoint Group, an Ashland, Mass., mobile consultancy.
What's more, Nokia's focus on building its brand in emerging markets, combined with strong distribution networks and an ability to produce low-cost devices, has created a force to be reckoned with, said Hugues De La Vergne, lead mobile phone analyst for North America at Gartner.
Motorola maintained its second position with a 14.6 percent despite the fact that its product portfolio is somewhat dated, the report said. But by aggressively pricing its phones, the company was able to rid itself of outdated inventory. However, if the company is to maintain its second-place market share, it would do well to radically update the portfolio, the Gartner report noted.
It's unlikely, though, that Motorola will maintain its number two standing, De La Vergne said, mainly because the Razr, its premier phone, has outlived its usefulness.
"They weren't able to follow up the Razr with another iconic product and have become too reliant on that form factor," he said. "It takes more than 12 months to get a new product to market, so these changes they are implementing won't be felt overnight."
"They got a really good run out of the Razr, but there is only so far you can go with it," Matthias said. "To keep going in the right direction, they have to do the style and market research to find out what consumers really want, and then get cost out of the product as it goes into mass manufacturing."
Samsung, in third place with a 13.4 percent market share, continued strong sales and is gaining rapidly on Motorola. That's due in large part to its Ultra II family of products, which focus on cutting-edge features like music and video, but to move ahead, the company should create more design differentiation.
Sony Ericsson, with a 9 percent market share, sold 24.3 million units, with several products aimed at the high-end and midrange market. To grow moving forward, Gartner recommends that the company do whatever it takes to ensure that sales of mid- and higher tier phones stay strong.LG was the fifth-place finisher, with a 6.8 percent market share. The company has been very aggressive with new models of its Chocolate phone, as well as other phones in other areas of the world, but it will fight an uphill battle to increase market share against its competitors, the report said.
As for future standings, Matthias believes the next frontier—the ability to support a higher end web experience, thanks to the influence of the iPhone and user demand—will be the deciding factor.
"A lot of it will depend on how well they can map the desktop onto devices, and that means figuring out how much functionality should actually go on the phone," he said.
Source: http://www.eweek.com
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Windows Live suite debuts on cell phones
Posted by Mary Jo Foley @ 4:23 pm
Categories: Windows Live, Corporate strategy, Windows Mobile, Web 2.0
Tags: Phone, Nokia Corp., Microsoft Windows Live, Cell Phone, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Corp., Mary Jo Foley
Microsoft has been promising for a couple of months now that it’s going to bundle a bunch of its core Windows Live offerings into a suite. Yet Microsoft still hasn’t made that kind of an announcement.
But if you dig into Microsoft’s newly minted Live Services deal with “the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer” Nokia, which the pair unveiled on August 22, it’s basically a deal to preload the Live suite on Nokia phones.
From Microsoft’s press release:
“Starting today, Nokia customers in 11 countries with compatible (Nokia) S60 devices can download the new suite enabling access to Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Spaces. Starting next year, customers who purchase compatible Nokia Series 40 handsets will also have access to these popular Windows Live services.”
Starting immediately, S60 phone users can download the Live suite; early next year, the S40 users will get it preinstalled on new phones. Users in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, U.K., Sweden, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are in the first round of those supported. More countries will come online over time, according to Microsoft.
The fine print: “Initially the service will be available as a free trial, and then customers in select markets wanting to continue using the service may be asked to pay a monthly fee.”
Those “sneaky geniuses” over at the independent LiveSide.Net blog think this is a pretty big deal, too.
“This new Windows Live suite for Nokia mobile devices is an important development for Microsoft,” said Chris Overd, one of the principals with LiveSide.Net, “as it brings the core Windows Live services to the largest handset manufacturer in the world. This has the potential to significantly increase user engagement across the platform, transforming Windows Live away from the PC into a true set of Internet services available from multiple devices.”
“The PC, Internet and mobile phones are going to merge over time, even in Western markets,” said Phil Holden, director of Microsoft’s Online Services Group Mobile Services. That’s why “we are teaming with the Number 1 device maker.”
Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com
Categories: Windows Live, Corporate strategy, Windows Mobile, Web 2.0
Tags: Phone, Nokia Corp., Microsoft Windows Live, Cell Phone, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Corp., Mary Jo Foley
Microsoft has been promising for a couple of months now that it’s going to bundle a bunch of its core Windows Live offerings into a suite. Yet Microsoft still hasn’t made that kind of an announcement.
But if you dig into Microsoft’s newly minted Live Services deal with “the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer” Nokia, which the pair unveiled on August 22, it’s basically a deal to preload the Live suite on Nokia phones.
From Microsoft’s press release:
“Starting today, Nokia customers in 11 countries with compatible (Nokia) S60 devices can download the new suite enabling access to Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Spaces. Starting next year, customers who purchase compatible Nokia Series 40 handsets will also have access to these popular Windows Live services.”
Starting immediately, S60 phone users can download the Live suite; early next year, the S40 users will get it preinstalled on new phones. Users in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, U.K., Sweden, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are in the first round of those supported. More countries will come online over time, according to Microsoft.
The fine print: “Initially the service will be available as a free trial, and then customers in select markets wanting to continue using the service may be asked to pay a monthly fee.”
Those “sneaky geniuses” over at the independent LiveSide.Net blog think this is a pretty big deal, too.
“This new Windows Live suite for Nokia mobile devices is an important development for Microsoft,” said Chris Overd, one of the principals with LiveSide.Net, “as it brings the core Windows Live services to the largest handset manufacturer in the world. This has the potential to significantly increase user engagement across the platform, transforming Windows Live away from the PC into a true set of Internet services available from multiple devices.”
“The PC, Internet and mobile phones are going to merge over time, even in Western markets,” said Phil Holden, director of Microsoft’s Online Services Group Mobile Services. That’s why “we are teaming with the Number 1 device maker.”
Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com
Vlingo: Voice Recognition for Cell Phones
Vlingo CEO Dave Grannan told me the thing that's holding back the growth of mobile applications is the hassle of using that little keypad on your device. Agreed. Grannan's company announced its answer to that problem yesterday, a new mobile voice recognition software that enables mobile devices to understand your verbal commands.
So here's how it works. Vlingo isn't just a piece of software that lives inside cell phone, its brain is located at a bank of servers in Massachusetts. When a mobile user speaks a request into the phone, the sound is sent to Vlingo's servers where it is recognized and turned into text, then sent back to the mobile device.
I tried using Vlingo to search for music at Sprint's Music Store, then did some voice-triggered local search using Vlingo Find. For both services, when the search box comes up, you hold down the Talk button on your phone then begin speaking your search terms.
When you let up on the Talk button, Vlingo displays what it heard you say. If the servers get it wrong--if you say Sanjaya and Vlingo hears Sangria, for instance--the user then corrects the erroneous letters or words using the keys on the phone.
Grannan says Vlingo then notes its error, and learns to make the correct association between the sound "Sanjaya" and the word "Sanjaya" in the future. If some other user says "Sanjaya" to Vlingo, it will get it right. So, in theory, the more mobile users talk to Vlingo, the better it gets at understanding.
At Sprint's Music Store, Vlingo easily recognized and found results for "My Chemical Romance," "The Rolling Stones," and "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds," but when I said "David Hasselhoff" it heard "David Hassle of," then "David Hassle Hoff." I keyed in the correction twice, then said "David Hasselhoff" once again, but the system still hadn't "learned" the name. I wouldn't want to know David Hasselhoff's name either.
Vlingo Find is supposed to return local search results based on your verbal commands. To test this, I went outside where a good amount of street noise was present. Vlingo had no trouble understanding and returning relevant search results for commands like "McDonalds restaraunts in San Francisco". Once you pick out the search result you want, you can tell Vlongo to plot it on a local map for you.
Things went a little rougher when my search terms were less specific, however. When I spoke "San Francisco, First and Market, record stores" into the phone, Vlingo understood my command almost perfectly (only one letter was wrong), but the search results came up empty. Same thing happened when I told it "San Francisco, 501 Second Street, pizza." That, however, might be a problem with the local directory listings Vlingo Find uses, not the voice recognition system.
All in all, I was impressed with Vlingo's ability to recognize my words. When it got a couple of letters wrong, it wasn't too painful keying in the corrections. I'm still not convinced, however, that Vlingo wouldn't repeat those same errors.
Vlingo intends to sell its voice recognition service to wireless web applications developers and to wireless service providers. So far, Grannan says, his company has an agreement only with Sprint, but a deal with AT&T is in the works.
Source: http://blogs.pcworld.com
So here's how it works. Vlingo isn't just a piece of software that lives inside cell phone, its brain is located at a bank of servers in Massachusetts. When a mobile user speaks a request into the phone, the sound is sent to Vlingo's servers where it is recognized and turned into text, then sent back to the mobile device.
I tried using Vlingo to search for music at Sprint's Music Store, then did some voice-triggered local search using Vlingo Find. For both services, when the search box comes up, you hold down the Talk button on your phone then begin speaking your search terms.
When you let up on the Talk button, Vlingo displays what it heard you say. If the servers get it wrong--if you say Sanjaya and Vlingo hears Sangria, for instance--the user then corrects the erroneous letters or words using the keys on the phone.
Grannan says Vlingo then notes its error, and learns to make the correct association between the sound "Sanjaya" and the word "Sanjaya" in the future. If some other user says "Sanjaya" to Vlingo, it will get it right. So, in theory, the more mobile users talk to Vlingo, the better it gets at understanding.
At Sprint's Music Store, Vlingo easily recognized and found results for "My Chemical Romance," "The Rolling Stones," and "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds," but when I said "David Hasselhoff" it heard "David Hassle of," then "David Hassle Hoff." I keyed in the correction twice, then said "David Hasselhoff" once again, but the system still hadn't "learned" the name. I wouldn't want to know David Hasselhoff's name either.
Vlingo Find is supposed to return local search results based on your verbal commands. To test this, I went outside where a good amount of street noise was present. Vlingo had no trouble understanding and returning relevant search results for commands like "McDonalds restaraunts in San Francisco". Once you pick out the search result you want, you can tell Vlongo to plot it on a local map for you.
Things went a little rougher when my search terms were less specific, however. When I spoke "San Francisco, First and Market, record stores" into the phone, Vlingo understood my command almost perfectly (only one letter was wrong), but the search results came up empty. Same thing happened when I told it "San Francisco, 501 Second Street, pizza." That, however, might be a problem with the local directory listings Vlingo Find uses, not the voice recognition system.
All in all, I was impressed with Vlingo's ability to recognize my words. When it got a couple of letters wrong, it wasn't too painful keying in the corrections. I'm still not convinced, however, that Vlingo wouldn't repeat those same errors.
Vlingo intends to sell its voice recognition service to wireless web applications developers and to wireless service providers. So far, Grannan says, his company has an agreement only with Sprint, but a deal with AT&T is in the works.
Source: http://blogs.pcworld.com
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