3G Networks Carry 72% of Android Mobile Video Traffic
By Jason Ankeny
Mobile operators' 3G networks carry 72 percent of video content viewed by Android smartphone users in the U.S. according to new data issued by mobile video ad network Rhythm NewMedia. By comparison, iPhone users rely on 3G for 56 percent of their mobile video consumption, turning to WiFi support for the remaining 44 percent. The split is even closer across the U.S. mobile market as a whole, with 3G responsible for 53 percent of mobile video traffic and WiFi accounting for 47 percent. Rhythm NewMedia reports that mobile video viewing habits remain spread throughout the day, unlike mobile TV, which spikes during primetime hours--in the evenings, subscribers turn to WiFi in greater numbers.
Rhythm NewMedia's average monthly content views grew 30 percent in the second quarter over Q1 totals; average monthly video minutes per unique visitor increased 20 percent quarter-over-quarter, edging past the 30-minute mark. Among viewers who access full-length video episodes, 26.5 percent of consumers view the program in its entirety (about 45 minutes), and 41 percent stick around for at least half. Rhythm NewMedia adds that completion rates for interactive pre-roll video ads reached 88 percent, surpassing both online video and television. [FierceMobileContent]
The Birth of The World’s First Super Mobile Carrier?
It’s been talked about and some have even tried, but at present, there are no truly global carriers in the mobile space, something that Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao wants to change.
While there are mobile operators with networks across multiple markets, such as Hutchison’s Three, and obviously Vodafone itself, and companies with assets in multiple countries such as SingTel Group, none can claime coverage worldwide.
In an interview with the UK’s Financial Times, Colao suggests that acombination of Vodafone, Verizon Wireless and China Mobile could create such a super carrier that would be “unbeatable.”
“If you think of three players, China Mobile is very strong in China; it’s a big country. Vodafone is very strong in Europe, Africa, India. Verizon is very strong in the US. If these three companies could work more closely... in the management of customers, procurement and service creation, we could be unbeatable, quite frankly,” he said.
While the notion might seem farfetched, there is some potential behind Colao’s words. Vodafone already owns 45% of Verizon Wireless and 3.2% of China Mobile. The three companies also announced last year that they would cooperate on the development of LTE.
Colao only has to convince the two partners to work a little closer together. Perhaps the only glitch in such a plan is China Mobile’s 3G license in China, which is based strictly on the home-grown TD-SCDMA platform. [Tony Chan-CommsDay]
China's Leaders Cite Global Financial Crisis as Reason for Moving on 3G Licenses
By Lynnette Luna
Could China become the savior for the mobile infrastructure industry? Spending among operators is down, and the financials of major infrastructure players like Alcatel Lucent and Nortel are terrible. But new reports indicated the Chinese government is expected to issue long-awaited licenses for 3G services by the beginning of 2009 with the expectation that it will generate $29.1 billion in investments from the three operators.
Industry players, no doubt, have kept their fingers crossed as rumors that the licenses would be awarded continually surfaced with no action over the years. Now Li Yizhong, minister for industry and information technology, said the licensing decision was a "very significant" response to the global financial crisis.
Market leader China Mobile will be granted a licenses for China's homegrown standard, TD-SCDMA, while China Unicom will receive a license for W-CDMA technology. China Telecom, which doesn't operate a network, will be granted a license for CDMA2000 technology. [FierceBroadbandWireless]
Next-Gen Applications in the 4G World
By Jim Barthold
When it comes to 4G and the applications that will ride on it, speed sells. "It's just about broadband access to whatever you want. It's not an application but it's more of a business model that we're going to get people access to the real Internet," said Peter Jarich, research director of Current Analysis. Of course the one immediate application that will take obvious advantage of a broader pipe is video. You can do video with 3G, and you can do a pretty good job with some of the more advanced HSPA systems, but 4G promises speeds that can make it a game-changing app that subscribers will pay more to get.
"The real benefit is for real-time streaming video," said Stuart Little, director of corporate marketing for Harris Stratex. "That's the whole YouTube phenomenon; watching online videos through news feeds or sports."
The big key for any successful application is "finding a product that catches the imagination of the folks who don't mind spending their money on something new," said Jim Orr, principal network architect at Fujitsu, suggesting a further take on the video application. "Within a few years a DVR networked to the outside world with various wireless technologies will be available" making it possible to receive information in moving vehicles.
"It is highly likely that each owner will be able to request video content either from a public or home service so their content will move with them. "Moving content at high speeds is a killer ap because "there is no one application that will drive monetization of the 4G world," said Chris Pearson, president/senior operating officer of 3G Americas. Instead, by providing broadband speeds to mobile devices 4G will drive "hyper-connectivity" for multiple applications, including, of course, interactive gaming.
"They're going to have such tremendous download speeds with 4G it doesn't make much sense to be developing all these standards and these massive download speeds just to do email and talk," concluded Little. [FierceBroadbandWireless]
Japan's SoftBank to Launch 3G Femtocells in January
By Peggy Albright
The wireless industry, expecting femtocells to usher in another market for products and services and eager to get that ball rolling, now knows where to look for the next femtocell deployment: Japan.
Japanese operator SoftBank Mobile announced it is on track to commercially deploy a 3G femtocell service in January 2009. The deployment will be of particular interest not only because it will be early to market but because the SoftBank product will connect to an IP Multimedia Subsystem core network.
SoftBank will introduce the service with Ubiquisys ZoneGate femtocells. NEC will supply the overall femtocell system, which includes the IMS core and Femto Gateways. The femtocells will be targeted to the residential market for use in the home, and will typically connect to the consumer's fixed Internet connection.
Sprint, in the U.S., does get to claim first-mover status in the femtocell service business. The operator introduced the Airave femtocell program in two markets in September 2007 and took the product nationwide this past summer. However, that service is promoted primarily as a voice product; it does not support Sprint's EVDO data speeds.
Vendor NEC, in addition to the SoftBank deal, announced it has made a strategic investment in the U.S. FMC solutions company, Kineto Wireless. Kineto, which helped pioneer UMA-based dual-mode devices and other innovations, is naturally pursuing femtocells as well. Kineto indicated the funding will be applied to femtocell development.[FierceBroadbandWireless]
Will July 11 be a Nightmare for 3G iPhone Buyers?
By Sue Marek
Remember last June when long lines of people snaked around Apple and AT&T company-owned stores waiting to purchase the iPhone? Well some are predicting that the wait for the 3G iPhone could be even worse. Last year, buyers could take the iPhone home to activate it. This year, the 3G iPhone will have to be activated before consumers leave the store--a potential retail wrinkle that could make lines longer and move slower.
The reason for the in-store activation is to stop the flow of inactivated iPhones to the black market. Of course, AT&T has said that it will offer an unlocked version of the 3G iPhone "in the future," but it will be costly. An 8-gigabyte unit will cost $599, and a 16-gig model will cost $699--or $400 more than the subsidized version.
To help speed the process, AT&T is urging buyers to be ready with all the necessary paperwork-- or better yet, visit the store ahead of time to get an advance credit check. For more tips, watch this AT&T video on how to get 'iReady. [FierceWireless]
India Could See 3G, More WiMAX by 2009
India, which is expected to become a hotbed for wireless broadband services, could see 3G and more WiMAX deployments by 2009. The Indian government is expected to issue guidelines on the auction of both 3G and WiMAX network licenses next month.
According to telecom minister Andimuthu Raja, the license conditions would allow foreign participation. According to Indian law, up to 74 percent of an Indian company can be held by a foreign company. With the recent M&A activity and rumors surrounding the country's existing mobile operators, these licenses should attract a plethora of foreign operators.
The Indian government expects to see WiMAX and 3G networks begin rolling out in January 2009. The initial WiMAX plans laid out by the Indian government include the auction of three 2.5 GHz WiMAX licenses with a 10-megahertz allocation each for the winners. State-owned BSNL has already been handed 20 megahertz of spectrum in the 2.5GHz band for mobile WiMAX rollout. [FierceBroadbandWireless]
3G iPhone Rumor Round-up
The past week has brought a flurry of 3G iPhone rumors and reports that cover launch dates, applications, functionalities and improved form factor. Here's a run-down of the rumors that floated to the top:
- Apple plans to offer an 8GB and a 16GB version of the 3G iPhone and will maintain the same pricing options. The phone will launch at the Worldwide Developers' Conference in early June, which just so happens to nearly coincide the iPhone's launch date last year.
- The iPhone will be 2.5 millimeters thinner than the previous version of the handset and have a less "plasticky" exterior. OS and UI are set to stay the same.
- Hackers have uncovered more proof that Infineon and InterDigital will make up the heart of the 3G iPhone.
- Nike+, the feature-rich pedometer from the sneaker company will also be available for 3G iPhone users.
- Code sleuths also saw support for GPS and Bluetooth stereo headphones in the upcoming 3G iPhone.
- The 3G iPhone will come pre-loaded with more software to battle unlocking programs. [FierceWireless]
AT&T: 95% of iPhone Owners Surf the Mobile Web
During his keynote appearance Thursday at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, AT&T Mobility president and CEO Ralph de la Vega championed consumer choice, beneficial partnerships and technology integration as the essential components for digital content success, stating "Customers must be able to get content when they want it and how they want it."
De la Vega also called Apple's iPhone "a game-changer," noting that since AT&T exclusively launched the device in mid-2007, mobile data consumption has grown dramatically. According to de la Vega, 95 percent of iPhone owners regularly surf the web, even though 30 percent had never done so prior to iPhone ownership. In addition, 51 percent have viewed videos via YouTube, and nine out of 10 rated the device better than their previous handset.
"There isn't a device that's easier to use," de la Vega said. "[The iPhone] proves that price resistance is only as strong as the user experience is weak."
Enhanced devices and improved user experiences are driving AT&T mobile data across the board. De la Vega said that 13 percent of all AT&T customers now own a 3G device, with another 12 percent owning integrated devices--subscribers on 3G devices yield ARPU 20 percent higher than 2G users, with owners of integrated devices generating ARPU that's 120 percent higher. At the same time, AT&T's decision to tie together its various music services under a single, one-touch access point increased mobile music revenues 400 percent in 12 months.
De la Vega repeatedly stressed the importance of AT&T's partnerships with manufacturers and content providers, listing off five principles vital to all of its deals: Companies and customers must benefit, both firms' interests must align, the agreement must play to each party's strengths, the deal must reflect market realities and the value proposition must resonate with consumers. "We need to structure deals in creative ways so everyone benefits," de la Vega said. [FierceMobileContent]
Skype: Where are all the WiMAX devices?
For Gareth O'Loughlin, Skype's general manager of mobile and hardware devices, this year's Mobile World Congress show has looked to meet the challenge of bringing the Internet experience to the mobile handset. While this tired premise has garnered little fanfare, the solutions for porting the Internet experience to the mobile phone have not yet fully coalesced.
The prevailing mindset of most carriers, however, has shifted in favor of a more open wireless network that discriminates less when it comes to handsets and applications. That said, O'Loughlin lamented the lack of WiMAX devices at the show.
Late last year Skype launched a Skypephone with Hutchison Whampoa's 3G carrier 3, which led to similar launches across Hutchison's carriers worldwide. "What we have shown with 3 is that Skype can partner effectively with an operator," O'Loughlin said. There is no need to maintain the mindset that Skype is a threat to mobile carriers, he added.
O'Loughlin said he is "very optimistic" about the promises of open access that major carriers in the U.S. have pledged in recent months, but he noted that no two carriers are the same. - [Brian/FierceWireless]
FDD Version of Mobile WiMAX Coming Soon
It's always been in the works but we just didn't know when. A WiMAX vendor says that a profile for mobile WiMAX that uses paired Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) signaling with separate channels for the uplink and downlink will be available within about six months.
The technology's inability to operate in the FDD mode limited its global prospects as much of the spectrum for 3G and 4G networks calls for FDD signaling. WiMAX only uses TDD, or time division duplex, signaling, which assigns time slots for both the uplink and downlink signals.
"The WiMAX forum will have an FDD profile for mobile WiMAX inside six months. We've been working on it for the last 12 months," Paul Senior, chief technology officer of WiMAX vendor Airspan told telecoms.com.
Last year, the International Telecommunication Union declared mobile WiMAX a 3G standard, amid a number of objections. The technology's deployment, however, was expected to be limited to a smaller portion of spectrum designated for TDD technologies.
TDD technologies have traditionally been the poor relation in telecoms, with small amounts of spectrum allocated to it, but even these have not been well used, since TDD versions of 3G networking have never taken off. By approving WiMax, the ITU thought it was only allowing it into these TDD ghettos, but now the FDD profile may allow it into wider swathes of spectrum.
Although the WiMax industry has kept a lid on FDD WiMax, "that cat is now truly out of the bag and is now frolicking amongst the pigeons," said Dean Bubley of Disruptive Analysis. "I'd had some hints about this before, but I'd thought the main aim was to get WiMax working in paired-spectrum 700MHz bands in the upcoming US auction."
FDD WiMax could well be pitched head-on against HSPA, EVDO, LTE and other 3G technologies in the 2.5Ghz band, according to Bubley. I wonder if that means that Ofcom and other regulators need to go back to the drawing boards and re-work their interference assumptions for a possible cellular/WiMax mix across the whole band." [FierceBroadbandWireles/TechWorld]
Sony's Next-Gen Mylo PDA, Not Only New Design
Next-Gen Sony Mylo (Mylo 2), a PDA of sorts with a slide-out keyboard and is designed primarily as a portable instant messenger device. So, for anyone who lives their life online with multiple social circles and struggles to get enough time on their home computer, Sony’s mylo 2 communicator supports the popular web entertainment applications of a PC, in a pocketable broadband device.
Available in black or white, with a back-lit, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, this wireless broadband device connects to open Wi-Fi networks using 802.11/b and /g standards. But Mylo 2 wasn't just a Sidekick knockoff. Namely, it wasn't a phone at all. Mylo 2 used Wi-Fi to access the internet instead of the cell phone network, though Skype was available if you really needed to make a call
For starters, the web browser is impressive. With support for Flash, you can use the Mylo 2 to watch YouTube and other web videos, something few other handhelds can do. We're talking the full YouTube site, not the iPhone's stripped-down version. A camera adds a 1.3-megapixel lens to the mix, complete with editing software. And, of course, AOL Instant Messenger is now supported. Flash-based game downloads are also on tap.
With Adobe Flash Lite 3 software, the mylo communicator gives you full access to many of the odd and outrageous videos posted on YouTube and other popular Flash-based Web sites. The device can also upload and download content to and from the Web using the touch screen interface on its 3.5-inch high-resolution display.
“With the rise of social networking, people are making more friends and staying closer to the ones they have,” said John Kodera, director of marketing for personal communication devices at Sony Electronics. “And while they’re chatting and posting to their personal web pages, they’re listening to music, playing games or surfing the Web. The new mylo communicator combines these fun parts of your PC in a portable device so you can stay connected when you’re away from your home computer.”
You can also keep Facebook photos fresh with the communicator’s 1.3 mega pixel camera and photo editing software. You can resize, write captions or draw on photos and post them from the device directly to most social networking pages or blogs whenever you are connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot.
With the mylo communicator you can also log into existing AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger and Skype accounts to access contact lists, while sending and receiving multiple messages at the same time.
When there is just too much news to type, you can make free Skype-to-Skype voice calls to more than 246 million other people who use Skype. You can use SkypeOut to make inexpensive calls to landlines and mobile phone numbers anywhere in the world.
The new communicator comes with 1GB of internal memory, with the option of adding up to 8GB of additional storage with Memory Stick Duo media. You can use this memory to store additional flash games, digital music files, video files, image files or news summaries downloaded from the Internet, or imported from your computer or digital camera.
The device supports Windows Media DRM 10, so users can store and play music that has been downloaded or purchased from compatible online stores and subscription music services. It plays MP3, AAC, ATRAC or WMA (secure and unsecured) files. You can watch MPEG4 simple profile and MPEG4/AVC baseline profile video transferred to the mylo communicator via USB from a PC or downloaded from the Web.
Regarding the available widgets, Mylo 2 users can also register to become developers with access to the information they need to create their own widgets. Developer registration will be available at the end of the month at http://www.sony.com/mylo. Personalized widgets created for the device can be shared on this same site. /pr
CES Round-up: MotoE8 & Z10, Nokia N95, Samsung Armani & Serenata dan Sony Ericsson Z555
Motorola, Nokia, SonyEricsson, Samsung and Neonode are among the handset vendors that have already launched phones at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 7-10, 2007.
Motorola has so far released a new ROKR device, Moto E8, which makes use of Motorola's ModeShift touch technology. From talk to music in one touch, ROKR E8 features cutting-edge, easy-to-use controls that allow a smooth transition from phone to MP3 player to imaging device.
"ROKR E8 is a no compromises device -- it's both an MP3 player that makes great phone calls and a mobile phone with tremendous audio capabilities. With our unique ModeShift technology, we're dispelling the myth that mobile phones with music features are inferior to stand-alone audio devices," stated Stu Reed, president, Motorola Mobile Devices. "Rounding out our ROKR portfolio, our new music accessories provide consumers with a number of ways to enjoy their music."
Motorola also debuted a phone aimed at the novice filmmaker, Moto Z10. The "kick slider" allows users to capture video, edit clips, create transitions between scenes as well as add title slides and a soundtrack. MOTO Z10 is a complete, pocket-sized, mobile filmstudio packed with next-generation 3G technology into a unique ergonomic kickslider design.
"With MOTO Z10, we are turning movie making and spontaneous creativity into social activities. Now, anyone can capture and share life's moments from almost anywhere in the world and make their unique perspective a part of popular culture," said Stu Reed, president, Motorola Mobile Devices.
In addition to creating videos, MOTO Z10 features great media playback capabilities. With a crystal-clear 2.2" QVGA screen that displays video at 30 frames per second in millions of colors, consumers can watch their own films or downloaded content. The external storage slot will support an external memory card with up to 32GB of capacity, when available.
Nokia has unveiled a 8GB version of its N95 that runs on HSDPA for the U.S. market. The phone also features a 2.8 inch QVGA screen with support for up to 16 million colors, eight gigabytes of built-in memory, A-GPS positioning for improved location access and enhanced battery life.
Combining speed, technology and content -- the new Nokia N95 8GB bridges the gap between traditional fixed entertainment centers and portable wireless devices with its stunning 2.8 inch QVGA screen with support for up to 16 million colors, eight gigabytes of built-in memory, A-GPS positioning for improved location access and enhanced battery life.
Based on powerful Symbian S60 3rd Edition software, consumers can personalize their Nokia N95 8GB by choosing from a wide selection of advanced mobile applications, including games, navigation, entertainment, productivity and creativity.
The Nokia N95 8GB comes out of the box ready to create, connect, consume and interact with some of the Internet's most popular services including Yahoo! Search, Amazon's MobiPocket Reader or Flickr. The device also features widget support which enables users to customize the online content they can receive quickly on their Nokia N95 8GB.
Samsung is showing off a number of luxury phones at CES this week, too. First up: The Giorgio Armani-Samsung phone, which the handset maker characterizes as the "size of a credit card" and a mere 10.5 mm thick. The Giorgio Armani-Samsung phone meets the needs of those who aspire to own technologically advanced device with which to communicate, as well as complete their lifestyle.
Samsung and Bang & Olufsen's Serenata is also on display in Vegas. It features a context-sensitive touch screen and a large aluminum wheel for navigation. Serenata is a luxury phone created between the home theatre designer Bang & Olufsen and Samsung.
Finally, Samsung is showing off its B'Phone (B for Beyonce), an update to the Upstage available exclusively through Sprint. To complement the style and glamour of the Grammy-winning artist Beyonce, the B'Phone is coated in rich burgundy and gold colors and comes complete with a preloaded special Beyonce-styled start-up screen.
Swedish handset maker Neonode is making its Neonode N2 handset available to the U.S. market at CES this week. The phone utilizes the exclusive neno user interface and zForce optical touch screen technology. Neonode executives suspect that some of the gestures that Apple built into the iPhone were lifted from their N1 device.
At CES, Sony Ericsson launched the Z555, a diamond-shaped handset that uses a gesture control application running off of the phone's camera. The phone lets users ignore a call or an alarm just by waving their hand.
A fashion flip phone that you shake in a way that could remind one of a Polaroid picture. The big draw here is Gesture Control, which lets to flip back and forth between call and mute and you can even sweep your hand over the phone to turn off the alarm.
As Sony says, it’s magic!It comes in Diamond Black and Dusted Rose — Dusted went to high school with Matt and is now in porn — and has an outer display that disappears into the front design.
“The Z555 is designed to reflect your look and attract attention,” said Sven Totte, Head of Style Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “We’ve created it for people who are looking for a beautifully designed phone that reflects their personal style and does not compromise on features or performance.” [FierceWireless]
O2 Active Content Portal Gets a Makeover
British operator O2 announced an update of its O2 Active mobile content portal, promising its look and feel will now be the same regardless of whether the service is accessed via 2G or 3G handset. According to O2, the revised portal also reduces the number of clicks required to access content, with search links now featured on every page.
Additional O2 Active improvements include personalization options adding a subscriber's most-visited sites to the top of their homepage, as well as content recommendations based on their browsing habits. For example someone who regularly views 'Sport' content to check football results, headlines and transfers will see this information as soon as they enter the sports area of the portal.
"The refresh demonstrates that O2 is at the forefront of delivering compelling mobile internet services," said Grahame Riddell, Head of Content, O2 UK. "O2's focus has always been on offering the best internet content alongside a high quality and consistent user experience. The O2 Active refresh is an important evolutionary step that will embrace the best of the internet that will lead to further advances in the look and feel of the mobile portal." [FierceMobileContent/CellularNews]
AT&T and Samsung Unveil More Video Share Handsets
AT&T and Samsung have launched two new handsets, which will be the first to support the carrier's first IMS-based application, Video Share. The SGH-a717 is a clamshell-style phone that will become available on June 4 and the SGH-a727 is a candy bar-style phone that will hit store shelves in a few weeks. The devices are 12.9 mm and 8.9 mm thick, respectively--making them the slimmest 3G phones available to AT&T subscribers.
Video Share will be available in 50 markets by the end of the summer, according to a keynote AT&T CTO Randall Stephenson made at CTIA a few months ago. According to the carrier's website, the application requires the sender and receiver to have compatible phones and be in a 3G coverage area. Both sender and receiver will be charged for any airtime usage and call minutes, but only the sender will be charged for Video Share minutes.
Industry analyst Ken Rehbehn recently wrote a column for FierceWireless that highlighted the budding prospects for video sharing as an IMS application: "Video sharing and gaming stand out as two possible applications benefiting from the new era of digital communications. Making such peer-to-peer services--as well as client/server applications--work as part of a service offering is the job of IMS, with extensive building blocks for session control, AAA, security and legacy interconnection." [FierceWireless]
Nokia Unleashes Nokia E90 Communicator – The Second Wave of Nokia E-Series Business Devices
Nokia has introduced the second wave of the Nokia E-Series portfolio with a trio of feature-packed, design-rich devices - the all-inclusive Nokia E90 Communicator. Indonesia is said to be the first country in Asia to launch Nokia E90 Communicator scheduled on June 2007.
The Nokia E90 Communicator features a combination of advanced technologies that will enhance the way people experience work in a mobile world, by allowing faster and better quality access to important information for greater collaboration and productivity. Nokia E90 support the most popular email and business voice and other productivity and leisure time solutions, operate across different continents using the quadband GSM and 3G network frequencies, provide fast broadband data connectivity with 3G WCDMA and WLAN.
In addition, Nokia E90 Communicator is now High Speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA) enabled and can reach data transfer speeds comparable to those traditionally achieved only in the office. The speed, processing power, and superb screens of the devices coupled with the flexibility of the S60 software open up opportunities for completely new mobile experiences in and out of the office.
"The tipping point for widespread adoption of business mobility is upon us, and it will take new levels of performance, greater functionality and interoperability, and broad access to mobility solutions beyond the executive suite for customers and operators to realize the benefits of anytime, anywhere productivity and collaboration," said Antti Vasara, senior vice president, Mobile Devices Unit, Enterprise Solutions, Nokia.
"We're making it easy for business professionals to get mobilized. Feedback from our customers shows that we are changing the way business is conducted in a mobile world. Building on the success of our first generation of Nokia E-Series (E90, E65, E61i), we are responding to the growing requirements of business customers with a new generation devices that will exceed their expectations and deliver an uncompromised experience," Vasara continued."
Further, the new Nokia E-Series devices, combined with the Nokia Intellisync Mobile Suite 8.0 platform, also announced today, significantly enhance the potential for businesses to achieve new levels of productivity and competitive advantage. These Nokia solutions also provide operators and carriers opportunities to grow their businesses with competitive new solutions for their business customers, which comprise one-third of operators' revenues today.
By offering Nokia E-Series devices that can handle current and future services such as hosted email, security, device management and other productivity applications, operators and carriers can gain competitive advantage and increased customer loyalty.
Nokia E90 Communicator - the legend evolves into an all-inclusive Nokia E-Series business device.
The Nokia E90 Communicator sets the standard for an uncompromised "mobile office" experience. The latest technologies at the core of the device bring business necessities and personal amenities to the hands of people independent of time and place. Fast and inexpensive connections over WLAN and HSDPA-enhanced 3G accelerate the mobile use of data- and transmission-rich applications. The interface to business and leisure applications and the Internet, the stunning Nokia S60 browser, with 16 million colors, is capable of displaying the full width of a web page at once.
The Nokia E90 Communicator is now based on the S60 platform, making a wealth of additional mobile applications available for its users. The Nokia E90 Communicator also has an integrated GPS and Nokia Maps application to provide help in finding routes and locating services. For increased personal convenience, the Nokia E90 Communicator is equipped with an FM radio, a music player, a video player and two cameras -- a 3.2Mpix auto focus camera with flash and a second camera for videoconferencing.
Apple iPhone: Kontroversi Yang Membuat Penasaran
Ini dia ponsel musik yang mengundang kontroversi, Apple iPhone. Meski digugat sebuah vendor terkait dengan penggunaan nama merek produknya, iPhone toh tetap melenggang mulus di depan publik awal tahun ini. Terlepas dari kontroversi masalah merek, ponsel musik ini memang membuat pencinta gadget penasaran dan sulit mengabaikannya begitu saja.
Sebagai perangkat pemutar audio digital misalnya, iPhone memiliki gen iPod, minus scrooling wheel yang menjadi ikon iPod. Sebagai gantinya, iPhone mengusung layar warna 3,5 inci widescreen dengan kontrol sentuh untuk memudahkan navigasi daftar lagu, artis, album dan playlist. Apalagi iPhone menyediakan fitur Cover Flow, yang memungkinkan pengguna menjelajahi koleks album musik berdasarkan cover artwork albumnya.
Sebagai perangkat komunikasi, kapabilitas iPhone juga menjanjikan. Semua kontrol diakses dengan mudah melalui layar sentuhnya. Pilihan konektifitasnya juga lengkap. Minus 3G, iPhone menyediakan GSM quad-band, EDGE, Wi-Fi dan Bluetooth 2.0.
Adanya Wi-Fi dan EDGE menyiratkan iPhone siap menjadi peranti komunikasi berbasis Internet. iPhone mendukung hampir sebagian besar layanan email standar industri berbasis IMAP dan POP, seperti Microsoft Exchange, Apple .Mac Mail, AOL Mail, Google Gmail, Yahoo!Mail serta sebagian besar layanan email dari ISP. Untuk urusan berselancar Internet, iPhone menyertakan web browser canggih dan fun-to-use khusus untuk peranti portable, Safari. Seakan belum cukup, Apple juga mengemas iPhone dengan layanan peta Google Maps yang intuitif.
Rencananya, iPhone tersedia dalam kapasitas 4GB dan 8GB, dan akan mulai dipasarkan di pasar AS Juni mendatang. Pengguna dari Asia agaknya harus lebih bersabar karena Apple baru akan memasarkannya di wilayah ini tahun 2008. /aa
2012: USB Cellular Modem Shipments to Exceed 22 Million
Since the end of 2006, several modem vendors have launched, or announced development of, USB cellular modems. A new study from ABI Research reveals a growing and increasingly competitive market and forecasts shipments of these modems in excess of 22 million by 2012.
According to principal analyst Dan Shey, "Proliferation of 3G networks is the primary driver of growth of cellular modems regardless of form factor. However, new companies are jumping into the USB modem market because the installed base of devices for USB modems includes not only laptops but also desktops. Desktop PCs are ubiquitous around the world and will continue shipping in large volumes, exceeding 140 million units per year through 2011."
In a market characterized by increasing competition, cellular modem shipments, including PC Cards and ExpressCards, USB modems, internal modems and 3G/Wi-Fi routers, will grow to over 68 million units by 2012, representing a compound annual growth rate of 53%.
The market dynamics affecting USB modem growth will be very different from those that affect the other modem form factors. This will create opportunities and challenges for all value chain players.
Says Shey, "There are two factors to watch which will affect the USB modem market. First, the newer companies entering this market are in the Asia-Pacific region, a territory with notoriously price-competitive companies. Second, since the USB modem attaches externally to the computer, the device has no space or shape limitations. This fact will allow modem vendors to differentiate their products based on body design and functional features, providing for interesting marketing opportunities." [Wireless IQ]
Symbian OS v9.5 Will Stronger Drive Smartphones
Symbian launched an updated version of its mobile OS today, called Symbian OS v9.5, which continues to build on the company's "prosumer" platform. Symbian OS v9.5, which is backward compatible with the v9 versions of the OS, boasts richer mobile entertainment support and features advanced services for the enterprise, reductions in memory requirements as well as processor and battery requirements.
Symbian OS v9.5 also brings as well as significant savings to phone build costs and time-to-market, delivering a truly scalable mobile operating system for the global market.
Symbian OS v9.5 is the result of continued deep collaboration with Symbian OS licensees, the world’s leading handset vendors, and its user interface platform partners MOAP, S60 and UIQ. With over 110 million Symbian smartphones shipped, high smartphone growth in developing markets and increasing mass market requirements, Symbian’s addressable market is broadening across segments and regions.
For consumer, Symbian OS v9.5 builds out the cameraphone's functionality to a point where it rivals standalone digital cameras. The new version of the OS enables 35 camera features, including tilt sensor, preset image enhancements, digital/optical zoom, auto focus spots, panorama stitch and image distortion correction like red-eye reduction. v9.5 also supports both DVB-H and ISDB-T for mobile TV as well as standardized LBS.
While for enterprise, Symbian OS v9.5 also enables WiFi-3G roaming, HSPA compatibility and more languages. The OS also ensures real-time networking so that VoIP calls are not interrupted when web browsing or push email makes a connection. Also, the introduction of Brahmic script to the OS extends its language support to cover 99 percent of the world's countries.
“Symbian is driving the market by anticipating consumers’ mobile lifestyle changes – this means enabling even richer experiences and seamless multi-tasking to make the most of tomorrow’s technology”, said Jørgen Behrens, executive vice president, marketing, Symbian. “Further, by lowering phone development cost and shortening time to market, Symbian OS v9.5 delivers on the promise of bringing the smartphone lifestyle to the mass market.”
“By reducing hardware requirements which enables cost reductions of devices, many Symbian smartphones will become even more affordable and Symbian's addressable global market will expand,” said Todd Kort, principal analyst, Gartner.
At the same time, as Todd Kort, principal analyst, Gartner said that Symbian will also help handset vendors deliver much richer multimedia capabilities driving growth in the higher-end of the mobile market.
With more than 70 % market share, the launch of Symbian OS v9.5 and the burgeoning smartphone market, Symbian is well positioned to continue to drive the smartphone into the mass market." Gartner forecasts that worldwide smartphone shipments will reach 159 million units in 2008, up from 73.6 million in 2006.
First Orchestration of SIP/IMS, IPTV Over Live GSM Network
Convergin announced today that it will be showcasing a live demonstration of its Accolade WCS SCIM, a network node that allows service providers to orchestrate the delivery of services from SIP/IMS application servers, intelligent network service platforms (SCPs), and now, for the first time, IPTV headend servers. The demo is delivered over a live GSM network and can be viewed during the 3GSM World Congress, 12-15 February in Barcelona Spain.
During this industry leading event, Convergin will demonstrate the recently announced IPTV capabilities of the Accolade WCS SCIM, as deployed in a live GSM core network, showing how fixed and mobile operators can expand their service offerings with user controlled interaction between IPTV and advanced call management services.
Convergin’s Accolade WCS will demonstrate the delivery of advanced SIP services, based on BEA’s WebLogic SIP Server (WLSS) to GSM mobile phones, and Video On Demand (VoD) services from an RTSP based IPTV headend server. Using the WCS SCIM, users with both GSM and VoD service will be able to control the way these services interact and affect each other.
As part of its partnership and joint solution offerings with BEA, Convergin will showcase its SCIM in the BEA booth in Hall 1, stand B22, together with BEA’s leading WebLogic SIP Server (WLSS). In addition, Convergin will showcase SCIM capabilities in its hospitality suite in Hall 4, Level 1, 4.1HS01 in the Israeli industry arena. [ABI Research]
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