Tom Keating : VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Tom Keating
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Mobile Phones

Mobile Phones, cell phones

Google vs. Yahoo! Search Engines Going Wireless

January 6, 2006

The Deal's Tech Confidential today nicely sums up Google and Yahoo's plays into the mobile phone space.�  Search on a cell phone would be� a good thing -- as long as you can do it easily and the service is fast.�  Would be nice to know the next good hotel when you're tooling down I-95 and you need to find a place to rest.

Seems Yahoo! has�  a better model that Google with its ability to search the web without opening a browser; Google will just have its click-able icon on a phone.�  That may change with implementation.

Can't wait to try both of these.�  Now we need GPS built in so we can just mount the phone on the dashboard for anything we need, including music downloads ...

Panasonic integrates Bluetooth cellular and home phone line

January 6, 2006

Panasonic released at CES a new line up of devices developed by DSP Group. The HCS (Home communication system) provides the end user with voice, data and video conferencing connectivity in the residence while the KX-T111S and KX-T112S combine the best of both worlds by letting consumers still have the benefits of wireless calling, while still using their regular home phone line. The new models let you "link" up to five BlueTooth-enabled cellular devices with your home phone service. According to a DSP Group representative, "Result: the ability to take advantage of cost-saving "Free Nights and Weekends" rates offered by your wireless calling plan, while enjoying the drift-free reception offered by a standard phone line."

"Wireless calling lets you stay in touch anytime, anywhere, while a standard phone line
may afford the user better reception," says Frank Lasorsa, merchandising vice president
for Panasonic's Communications/Home Office Products Division.



Chitter Chatter GPS tracking phone for kids

January 5, 2006

Hop-on, Inc. today launched a GPS tracking phone for children that kids wear like a wristwatch. Called the Chitter Chatter phone, they claim it is the world’s smallest GSM / Enhanced Location-Based-Services(LBS) Locator Phone. The Chitter Chatter phone will cost less than $50 and it will simply use the Internet or any phone with SMS capabilities to quickly identify the location of the device within 300+ feet, in approximately 1 minute.

The ChitterChatter Phone allows kids to stay in touch with close family and friends, or send their location by pressing the one-touch star button, while letting parents manage costs.

GPS for Nokia Symbian phones

January 4, 2006

Destinator Technologies, a provider of personalized navigation software, announced today at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, the general availability of Destinator SP (Smart Phone), GPS-based navigation software for Nokia Symbian Smartphones, such as the popular Nokia 6600 series phones, in North America. It is compatible with Nokia models 3260, 6260, 6600, 6630, 6670, 6680 and 6681.

The Nokia LD-3W Wireless GPS Module is a good add-on GPS for Nokia phones.

I should point out that Destinator SP has already been available for Windows Mobile phones and that they did already have a version of Destinator SP running on Nokia phones - but only with European maps. I've used Destinator's GPS software before. In fact, Destinator 3.0 was my primary GPS running on an iPaq PocketPC until the serial connector on the iPaq started getting flaky.



Motorola Residential Seamless Mobility Gateway (RSG) enables VoIP-to-mobile roaming

January 3, 2006

Motorola, claims that it "broke down the barrier between traditional home and wireless phone service." They are speaking of their new innovative Motorola Residential Seamless Mobility Gateway (RSG) lets consumers use the same mobile device -- and the same number -- as they roam in and out of their homes. The real takeway from this announcement is that this product takes WiFi-to-cellular handover control out of the hands of the carrier and into the hands of the consumer. TMCnet writer Robert Liu has some interesting insights on this news as well. One tidbit is he writes, "The announcement could breathe new life to dual-mode handsets market, which has been greatly hampered by the control that cellular network operators have exerted over the handover exchange process."

Here's the release Motorola put out today.

Creating an Innovative Home Communications Experience

The Motorola RSG family of products packs powerful communication features for your home.





Slingbox works with Mobile Devices

January 3, 2006

Slingbox plans on adding a software client to complement their popular Slingbox streaming video content hardware device. According to IP Democracy:

Place-shifting pioneer SlingBox is slated to announce
at CES this week a new software client that allows any Windows Media-capable device to serve as a viewing platform for a customers' multichannel video or PVR service. This is a phenomenal development given that SlingBox is cutting across the top-line business priorities of motion picture studios, TV program producers, cable operators, wireless phone providers and even Apple Computer, which hopes to build a business on mobile video.

IP Democracy hits the nail on the head when it states, "So far, not a peep from the litigious studios, or even a threatened lawsuit from cable or satellite operators. I suspect that it's difficult to come up with a legal rationale against what Sling is doing -- this is not unauthorized copying or transmission of content.

Symbol MC9094 & MC9097 takes on Blackberry

January 3, 2006

BREAKING! Symbol has two new ruggedized mobile devices coming out called the MC9094 and the MC9097, running Windows Mobile 5.0 with cellular/mobile phone access, a touch-screen, and a full-sized keyboard + dialpad that aims to dethrone the Blackberry. (Update: See my updated thoughts on the MC9097/MC9094 analogy with the Blackberry below) The difference between the two mobile devices is that the MC9094 supports the GSM cellular standard and the MC9097 supports OFDM and the IDEN two-way paging cellular standard created by Motorola. Both devices will support SMS and Bluetooth.

2006 VoIP Predictions

December 30, 2005


I promised predictions for 2006 and so here they are. Nothing like waiting till the last minute, eh? Let me first start my analyzing my 2005 VoIP predictions. Some I have abbreviated for brevity sake, so if you wish to read my full thoughts on a particular 2005 prediction, go check out the original article. Within my analysis of my 2005 predictions I couldn't help myself but to intertwine some predictions for 2006 -- as opposed to just separating them all out.

Navizon Transforms Cell Phones, Wi-Fi Devices into A GPS Device

December 21, 2005

Navizon Transforms Cell Phones, Wi-Fi Devices into a GPS device and leverages P2P for locating your buddies. What I'd really like for this technology to do is use my idea of P2P GPScasting to transmit your GPS coordinates to others in your GPS network (opt-in) for more accurate traffic monitoring. I also wrote about GPScasting here in my GPScasting/roadcasting entry.

In any event, Cyril Houri, founder and CEO of Mexens Technology, announced the hard launch of Navizon, "the world's first software based, peer produced, wireless positioning network." Navizon is a software system which can be loaded onto a mobile device to provide its users with geographical positioning information plus many more advanced customized features. Navizon's innovation arises from the fact that its map is both created, and constantly enhanced, by the users themselves.

DualCor Technologies cPC

December 16, 2005


DualCor Technologies in January will unveil the cPC, a full-fledged handheld Windows XP Tablet computer that also runs Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system for its smart phone functionality. The cPC is 6.5 inches long, 3.3 inches wide, 1.2 inches thick and has a 5-inch diagonal screen. It will be aimed at sales representatives and executives who travel extensively, said CEO Steven Hanley according to a CNet article. The cPc jams two devices into one package, Hanley said.

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