Mae
| News and views on everything wireless and mobile, from WiFi and WiMAX to 3G and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC).
ABI: Tiny MEMS Technology Will Become Big for Mobile Phones in 2008
January 4, 2007Warning: technical language ahead.
Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s proceed.
Ever hear of MEMS (short for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems)? Neither had I until reading a recent report from ABI Research claiming that, starting in 2008, this technology will be all the rage in mobile handsets.
Parks Associates: Adoption of Standards Will Drive Growth in Wireless, Multimedia Networking
January 3, 2007As is usually the case with technology, once the underlying specifications become standardized, adoption becomes widespread by both consumers and manufacturers/providers. That’s because standardization reassure people they knew what they’re getting, and that it will work the same way in a variety of applications.
Research company Parks Associates noted this fact in its recent report about the market for wireless, multimedia networking. The firm predicted that “industry adoption of next-generation specifications will provide a substantial boost to the market for wireless multimedia networking, prompting growth in excess of 50 million wireless network devices by 2010.”
Two of the specification poised to help spur the growth are next-gen WiFi and Ultra-wideband (UWB), Parks Associates said.
Sage/CMB Report: Here's Why FMC is Not Yet Mainstream in Corporate America
January 2, 2007In a recent Sage/CMB Market Pulse newsletter, Chadwick Martin Bailey (a marketing and analytics company) reported that fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) technology is not yet mainstream in corporate America—and offered some reasons why that is.
Among those reasons:
- Demand for FMC won’t really pick up until enterprises integrate mobile devices into their corporate telephony systems; most have not yet done this.
- It may be true that business use of mobile phones is prolific, but most of those devices are not connected in any way to the corporate PBX.
- FMC won’t become mainstream in corporate America until it becomes clear that adopting the technology offers clear return on investment (ROI).
ABI: Growth Ahead for In-building Wireless Systems
December 22, 2006It’s a problem most users of cell phones and other wireless devices have encountered at some point: spotty indoor network coverage. The signal that may be so strong while walking around outside or driving from Point A to Point B may be weak or nonexistent inside a house or other building.
Broadening and strengthening indoor coverage for wireless networks is the topic of a recent report from ABI Research, in which the firm notes the current and anticipated growth of the in-building wireless systems market.
Revenues from deployment of such systems, ABI says, likely will exceed $3.6 billion by 2011.
ABI: 32 Million Mainland Chinese Users of Mobile Video in 2008
December 21, 2006Today’s news about the mobile video market comes from... drum-roll please... the East. China, more specifically.
ABI Research today released a report predicting that 2008 will be the year when the mobile video market in China really takes off.
Samsung Intros V960 'Optical Joystick' Phone in Korea
December 20, 2006This seems to be the week of the phone. First, the long-awaited iPhone hit the market… but it turned out to be a VoIP phone from Linksys rather than a cell phone from Apple. Then, ASUSTeK Computer, Inc., launched a wireless music Skype phone in India.
Now comes news that, later this month, Samsung Electronics will be introducing in Korea what it describes as “the world's first mobile phone featuring a n optical joystick for a whole new mobile experience.”
ASUS Launches 'World's First Wireless Music Skype Phone' in India
December 19, 2006
Listen up, readers in India: ASUSTeK Computer, Inc. (ASUS), a provider of digital home solutions, on Monday launched what it calls “the world’s first wireless music Skype phone,” in the Indian market.
The AiGuru S1 provides free international calls via Skype, WiFi connectivity, wireless music player functions, and remote controller features.
“The goal of digital home technologies is to share computer resource with other electronic devices around the house and provide greater convenience,” said Joe Hsieh, director of ASUS’ digital home business, in a statement. “The AiGuru S1 packed several practical features for easy and wireless access of PC functions.
Alltel Launches GPS Service
December 18, 2006If you’re traveling by car this holiday season, you may be considering installing a GPS-based navigational device in your vehicle to reduce at least some of the hassles of the trip. A variety of such products are available, should you opt for an in-vehicle device.
But you may also be considering a navigational service delivered to your cell phone. One such service is TeleNav’s GPS Navigator, available now to Alltel Wireless customers using selected handsets.
UMTS/HSDPA Wireless Laptop from HP and Cingular
December 13, 2006It’s not too late to add another item to your Christmas wish list, is it? If you’re a power laptop user, an announcement yesterday from HP and Cingular may have you dropping some last-minute hints to Santa. The two companies announced availability of the first laptop in the U.S. market with built-in mobile broadband capability.
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.
