Mae : Wireless Mobility Blog
Mae
| News and views on everything wireless and mobile, from WiFi and WiMAX to 3G and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC).

cellular

Rumor Mill: Google 'Gphone' Software Release a Fortnight Away

October 30, 2007

Rumors are flying that the do-no-evilers over at Google are getting ready to launch the much-speculated-upon ‘Gphone’—or at least the software and services needed for such a phone to function. The rumor-mill flames were fanned by a Wall Street Journal article this morning, which quoted “people familiar with the matter” as saying that a Gphone software unveiling will be coming soon.   According to the Wall Street Journal’s report, Google’s goal with its allegedly upcoming release is to “make applications and services as accessible on cellphones as they are on the Internet.” Rich Tehrani predicted in a blog post earlier today that it’s unlikely Gphone can be any more wow-worthy than Apple’s iPhone.   “Somehow I have trouble believing Google will have a device anywhere near as useful as Apple’s iPhone,” Tehrani wrote.

Report: 85 Percent of Next Billion Mobile Subscriptions Will Come from Emerging Markets

October 16, 2007

If you live in the U.S. and Europe and feel as if every person you know (including yourself) owns and uses a cellphone, you’re right on. A new report out this month from Pyramid Research confirms the suspicion that the mobile phone markets in “First World” economies are pretty saturated.   According to Pyramid Research, at the end of 2006 there were almost 2.8 billion subscribers to mobile services around the world, translating to an overall penetration rate of 44 percent.

Woman Sues Apple for $1 Million Over iPhone Price Cut

October 2, 2007

One of the bigger stories in the mobile space this week is the case of a New York woman who’s suing Apple for $1 million because of the way the company handled recent price cuts and changes to its iPhone and iPod product lines.   Dongmei Li, the woman who filed the suite, is p-oed because she bought a 4GB model of iPhone in July, and now her phone is obsolete; 68 days after iPhone’s launch in the U.S., Apple cut the price of the 8 GB iPhone from $599 to $399 and phased out the 4GB model.   Li claims that Apple’s actions represent “price discrimination, underselling, discrimination in rebates, deceptive action and other wrongdoings,” Times Online said in a Tuesday report. Li also thinks that Apple was wrong to lower the price because market conditions didn’t make the change necessary.

Intel’s WiMAX Ambitions: Fantastic or Foolhardy? You Be the Judge

September 20, 2007

At its Developer Forum Wednesday, Intel officials outlined the company’s plans to combine WiMAX with Centrino Duo processors to develop what it claims will be a new category of mobile, broadband-connected computing devices. The initiative, which is slated to bear fruit next year, includes the use of High-k metal gate silicon technology to deliver better battery life.   CBR reporter Rhonda Ascierto pointed out in a Thursday report that Intel’s main focus remains on notebook computers, but the company is branching out into handheld, Internet-enabled devices and, even more of a reach, the WiMAX networks needed to support such products.   “Intel's WiMax ambitions may still be premature, at least in the US where cellular coverage is almost ubiquitous and WiFi is fast becoming available throughout major metropolitan areas,” Ascierto said in the report.

Appeasing Early iPhone Adopters with $100 Refund

September 6, 2007

If you happened to visit Apple’s Web site today, you may have noticed the “Open letter to iPhone owners from Steve Jobs,” posted Apple-style inside an image of the phone’s screen itself.   If you happened to be among the folks who stood in line to snap up one of the first iPhones in June, the letter probably came as a bit of a victory. You see, this week Apple revamped its line of iPods and iPhones, and lowered the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399. That means earlier adopters essentially paid $200 extra solely for the benefit of having an iPhones for a few weeks longer than everyone else.

Palm Foleo RIP

September 6, 2007

Less than six months after announcing the Foleo, “the first computer designed to be a companion to a smartphone,” Palm has discontinued the product, CEO Ed Colligan said in a Sept. 4 blog entry.   The Foleo was essentially a mini laptop designed to sync with a smartphone. It was one company’s attempt to fulfill the demands of users for portable computing and telephony. Apparently, there just wasn’t a market for the product—a criticism that some analysts expressed when Foleo was announced in May.   I say “announced” rather than “launched” because, as Colligan acknowledged in his blog entry, no Foleos were ever shipped.

Apple Reinvents iPod Lineup, Again

September 5, 2007

Well, it’s September and you know what that means—time for Apple to announce a whole new lineup of iPods! Today’s announcement about a new product lineup was a bit more exciting than usual because it included a new iPhone-like product as well.   The new “best iPods ever” lineup features the iPod shuffle (1GB, in five “remixed” colors, for $79); the iPod Nano now reshaped in a shorter and squatter form factor to accommodate a color screen for playing video (4GB model $149, 8GB model $199); the iPod Classic, which plays video and music and boasts 160GB of storage (price tag $249); the iPod Touch, which is essentially a iPhone without the phone, featuring the cool multi-touch interface found on iPhone, plus a 3.5 inch display and WiFi Web browsing (8GB model $299, 16GB model $399); and of course iPhone which will soon be even more of a value proposition, Apple claims, when the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store launches. Also coming soon: custom ringtones.   I must say, I do appreciate that the Nano is now video-enabled without losing its solid-state, Flash storage.

Wireless and Mobile Technology at ITEXPO West 2007

August 17, 2007

INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO West 2007 is less than a month away. (The event this year is being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California, Sept. 10-12, 2007.) If you haven’t registered yet, here’s a plug: this show is not just about IP communications. It’s about wireless, too.   Here are a few of the wireless-related companies that will be at the show.

Happy Birthday to Synchronoss, the iPhone Activator

July 20, 2007

I spent Thursday in the Big Apple at Nasdaq Studios, observing the festivities as Synchronoss Technologies—the company whose software is used by AT&T to handle behind-the-scenes nitty-gritty associated with activating an iPhone—celebrated its first anniversary as a public company. Synchronoss officials were also in a jovial mood over the company's recently signed multi-year deal with AT&T to provide ongoing operational support of the Apple iPhone and its Monday unveiling of a similar deal with broadband Internet service provider Clearwire.   The day dawned a misty, muggy one; waiting for my Metro North train into the city from Westchester, I observed to myself that while it wasn't raining the air was nonetheless positively wet. It was also a day when some people's commutes were disrupted somewhat; as we rolled into Grand Central Terminal, a conductor announced over the PA system that some subways might not be running.

Rumor Mill: iPhone Nano, Coming Soon?

July 11, 2007

iPhone is still in its infancy (not even a month old yet), and already rumors are flying that it could soon have a younger sibling. A Reuters report on Monday said that Taiwan-based JP Morgan analyst Kevin Chung has connections in the supply channel who claim an iPhone based on the iPod Nano is already in the works.   Chung apparently issued a report on July 8 in which he cited both his supply channel contacts, and a patent application filed July 5 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as evidence that the iPhone Nano is in utero.