Mae
| News and views on everything wireless and mobile, from WiFi and WiMAX to 3G and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC).
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Rumors: iPhone Won't be Launched at Macworld in January
December 11, 2006Ah, the rumor mill regarding the alleged Apple iPhone allegedly slated for release early in 2007… well, that rumor mill is in full swing again. This time, various reports have it that Apple will not be launching the iPhone at MacWorld Expo in January.
At least one report traces the rumor back to a Sydney Morning Herald article published today, in which reporter Asher Moses quoted CIBC World Markets analyst Ittai Kidron as having written last week that iPhone will be commercially launched late in the first quarter of 2007, or early in the second.
The Sydney Morning Herald report also noted that Wall Street analysts acknowledge even speculation about a delayed launch is affecting Apple’s share price.
Motorola Canada Intros Portable Cell Phone Charger
December 4, 2006In a way, its strange how grocery stores have turned into one-stop shops for running most of your errands. Some of the larger chains now incorporate pharmacies, banks, dry-cleaners, childcare rooms, and other non-food-related resources within their walls.
Recently I was meandering down the hardware aisle in a supermarket, and noticed that they were selling portable chargers for cell phones designed to give you a little bit more juice without having to plug the phone in.
Well, to me that proved that grocery stores now truly are “supermarkets.” I mean, if I can buy cell phone accessories there, the sky’s the limit.
More Than Half of Americans Still Using Dial-Up Internet Connections
November 22, 2006If you’re a person who recalls not-so-fondly the days of dial-up Internet connections—when you’d start a download or begin checking your mail and then go off to do something else while the process took place—count yourself lucky.
It turns out that as few as 28 percent of American households today have access to broadband Internet. That’s according to reporter Richard Hoffman in a Nov. 20, 2006 Information Week article, citing data from Government Accountability Office.
Hoffman notes that The Pew Internet & American Life Project puts the number of American adults using broadband at 42 percent.
In-Flight Phone Service Coming to Emirates Airline Next Year?
November 21, 2006If you’re planning to fly to Dubai next year on an Emirates Airline flight, keep your eyes and ears peeled for details about a new on-flight mobile phone service offered by AeroMobile (a joint venture between communications vendor Arinc and Norway-based telecom service providers Telenor).
A ComputerWorld.com report (http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1267221105;fp;4194304;fpid;1)earlier this month noted an announcement from Emirates Airline regarding plans to deploy the mobile phone service on one of its Boeing 777 planes early in 2007, assuming it can get necessary approval.
On-board phone service hasn’t been that successful to date. Boeing previously tried to get an Internet access service called Connexion off the ground, but phased it out in August after failing to find a buyer.
Apple iPhone Rumors Return With a Vengeance
November 17, 2006Well, the Apple iPhone rumors are back. This time, word has it that Taiwan-based manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry (also known as Foxconn Electronics) received an order from Apple for 12 million iPhones. That’s the same company, InfoWorld says, that builds Apple’s iPod.
According to AppleInsider, the new iPhone rumors started with a report published Thursday in China Times.
Boost Mobile and loopt Launch Mobile Location-Based Service
November 14, 2006Last week I wrote an article about a new location-based service from Helio that lets friends find out the location of their nearby friends using a mobile phone.
Apparently, this type of service is becoming more popular, especially for younger mobile phone users; today an announcement landed on my desk about a similar service being launched by Boost Mobile (a Sprint Nextel brand) and loopt (a social mapping service startup in Palo Alto, CA).
The service, Boost loopt (try saying that ten times fast), “leverages the only 100 percent GPS-enabled wireless network to automatically update the location of everyone in a private network of Boost customers and displays that information directly on a map on the phone,” the companies said in a press release.
In a statement, Boost Mobile’s Director of Value Added Services, said: “Fourteen to 25-year-olds are committed to their social circles and constantly want to know where their friends ‘are at.’ They also comprise the majority of Boost Mobile’s customer base.
The Skeptic Questions Interactive Mobile TV and Cell Phones as Mini Computers
November 13, 2006A couple of items caught my eye this morning, both of which relate to the ways in which mobile technology is changing the way we live, work, and play. One is a study commissioned by Nokia, the other is a news story citing Samsung’s predictions about the future of mobile phones.
I take these news items, by the way, with a grain of salt, since in both cases the info is being provided by companies that make the technology in question—and thus have an obvious stake in the matter.
First up is a study Nokia commissioned from London School of Economics, about the impact of mobile television, specifically on the broadcasting and advertising industries.
WiFi for Cheaper, Better, Easier International Calls?
November 9, 2006In a recent blog entry, I wrote about T-Mobile’s dual-mode (WiFi/Cellular) service being rolled out in Seattle. In the entry, I posed the question: “are consumers actually interested in dual-mode services?”
A definite “yes” answer came from a reader who asked to be identified as Levi from Nairobi, Kenya, who is attending graduate school in the U.S. and wants a cheaper way to communicate with friends and family back home.
Driving While Talking on a Cell Phone: A Contentious Issue
November 8, 2006Have you ever talked on your cell phone while driving? C’mon, be honest—we’ve all done it. And, at least some people are pretty opinionated about their right to talk and drive, as North Carolina-based Triangle Business Journal learned recently when it conducted a poll on this very topic.
The poll asked, “Do you think North Carolina motorists should be allowed to use their cell phones while driving?”
Samsung Promotes Mobile WiMAX with SPH-P9000 MIT Device
November 7, 2006It often seems to be the case that the latest and coolest wireless devices become available first in Asia, and eventually make their way to Europe and the U.S. Hopefully for us geeks, that will be the case with Samsung’s latest gadget, the WiMAX-enabled SPH-P9000 (or more affectionately referred to by Samsung as “MIT” for “Mobile Intelligent Terminal), which is a combination cell phone, MP3 player, and PDA with built-in QWERTY keyboard.
The device was unveiled today at Mobile WiMAX Summit in Seoul, South Korea.
