Recently in wireless Category

Aruba Networks Welcomes 100th PartnerEdge Program Participant

December 3, 2007 12:56 PM | 0 Comments
One hundred is a nice, round number. It also happens to be the number of companies now participating in Aruba Networks’ PartnerEdge program. Not too shabby for a program that was only launched this past September.
 
Aruba, a provider of network and secure mobility solutions, designed its PartnerEdge program to be compelling for companies interested in joining—thanks to sales and marketing resources, comprehensive training and cash rewards. Apparently, given the numbers, the proposition is a pretty appealing one. No doubt this is because the program affords participants the opportunity to generate new business and boost margins by offering differentiated solutions backed by a solid distribution program.
 
“This program has legs and it delivers results,” said Paul Black, President of Comm Solutions, a Malvern, Pennsylvania-based network integrator and platinum Aruba partner, in a statement. “Aruba has got it right – they provide meaningful incentives, mature program management, and a continuing rollout of innovative products and programs. By partnering with Aruba, Comm Solutions has successfully grown our wireless practice and overall business, to the benefit of both our clients and our bottom line.”
 
Aruba divided its PartnerEdge program into three tiers: Silver, Gold and Platinum. Partners can participate at whatever level appeals most to them, depending on how much sales and support resources they can devote and where they set their sales targets.
 
“Our program is tailored to highly motivated partners that want to stimulate sales growth by teaming with a global leader in secure mobility solutions,” said Julia McConaughy, Aruba’s Director of Global Channel Marketing, in a statement.
 
It appears that, thanks to careful planning and solid results, Aruba is well on its way to outstanding long-term success for its PartnerEdge program. Way to go!

Disney Plans Spring, 2008 Launch of Mobile Phone Service in Japan

November 12, 2007 4:48 PM | 1 Comment
In late September, TMCnet editor Stefania Viscusi reported on the possibility that Walt Disney Internet Group, after announcing the shutdown of its Disney Mobile phone service on Sept. 27, might be out of the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business for good.
 
The answer to that question is “Apparently not,” at least not for now. Wall Street Journal reported today that Walt Disney Co. and Softbank Corp. (a Japanese mobile operator) are teaming up to introduce a mobile phone service in Japan. The service will be called… drum-roll please… Disney Mobile.
 
Apparently the company is hoping that the Japanese market ends up being more lucrative than the U.S. Disney plans to use Softbank’s networks and sell phones at thousands of Softbank stores in Japan.
 
The U.S.-based Disney Mobile service was launched in April 2006 and lasted just about a year and a half before folding. (Existing customers will continue receiving support until Dec. 31, 2007; Verizon has stepped up to the plate with a special Chaperone Service deal for subscribers who want to transfer up to five phone numbers to another provider.) The service was geared toward families, providing kids with limited access to the Internet on phones configured to help parents track the whereabouts of their children.
 
The Disney Mobile service in Japan is slated for a spring, 2008 launch. No further details of the deal between Disney and Softbank were released.
 
When Disney announced the shutdown of its American MVNO operations, Walt Disney Internet Group president Steve Wadsworth said the company decided the wireless operator market in the U.S. was too competitive, and that more profitable opportunities for its content and services existed through other business models.
 
Only time will tell whether the sun will rise on Disney’s service in Japan for longer than it did in the U.S.
 
What do you think—is Japan a better market or is Disney making another mistake?

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

October 30, 2007 1:43 PM | 0 Comments
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. “In addition, I think the audience attracted to a Gphone are already iPhone users.”
 
The Wall Street Journal article hinted, however, that in developing its version of the mobile phone, Google is taking on a much bigger mission than simply wowing consumers with cool and useful features: the company’s “do no evil” focus on openness and universal information access means it is in for a tough fight against the established dynamic of the U.S. cellphone industry, in which service providers (carriers) have ‘considerable clout,’ controlling distribution of phones through retail stores.
 
“Google is trying to loosen the grip wireless carriers have over the software and services consumers can access on cellphones,” Wall Street Journal said in its report.
 
That’s quite a noble mission, and just the sort of gargantum task that Google would take on. I wish the company luck.
 
Wall Street Journal said that within a fortnight, Google will be releasing software and services designed to enable handset manufacturers to develop and release their own Google-powered phones by the middle of 2008. The company allegedly is in talks with various manufacturers, both in the U.S. and abroad, regarding the production of Gphone devices. Which companies? Speculation is that the list includes HTC and LG Electronics.
 
Partnerships with wireless carriers are also in the works, Wall Street Journal said. Which ones? Most likely are T-Mobile (the U.S. arm of Deutsche Telekom AG) in the U.S. and Orange SA and 3 U.K. in Europe.
 
Not too surprisingly, Wall Street Journal said Gphone will tie together a variety of Google applications and services, including Google Maps, a search engine, Gmail and YouTube. The company reportedly is aiming to have the phone software (including the OS) be completely open so independent software developers can build their own Gphone applications.
 
All I can say is, we live in exciting times. Stay tuned.

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

October 16, 2007 1:41 PM | 1 Comment
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. In rich economies like Western Europe, the penetration rate exceeded 100 percent. But in emerging markets like Africa and Southeast Asia, penetration averaged less than 20 percent.
 
Pyramid Research also said in its report, The Next Billion: How Emerging Markets are Shaping the Mobile Industry, that another billion mobile subscriptions are forecasted by year-end 2009. Since most people in the developed world already have at least one such subscription, about 85 percent of this projected growth will come from emerging markets.
 
The question is, what happens when everyone in the world (or at least, all except those literally starving) has a cellphone? How will service providers and vendors keep growing their revenues when the global market is saturated? Well, there’s Moore’s Law to ensure that new and better phones and services are needed to replace the ones already purchased.
 
And if that fails, there are the untapped markets of the moon and Mars.

Woman Sues Apple for $1 Million Over iPhone Price Cut

October 2, 2007 2:17 PM | 4 Comments
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.
 
I have two comments about this. First, I think the whole lawsuit is silly. Maybe the price-cuts and product line changes happened more quickly than expected, but come on! Technology changes at a breakneck speed, and anyone buying a gadget expecting it will still be cutting edge a few months or a year down the road is out of touch with market realities.
 
Sometimes the changes happen faster than anticipated, but they will occur and at that point the owner has to decide if the product purchased still has use or if it’s time for another upgrade. End of story.
 
Second, the amount Li is suing Apple for seems rather puny. I’m not a legal expert, so perhaps there are restrictions that I’m not aware of, but it seems to me that $1 million is just a drop in the bucket for Apple. I mean, the company finished last fiscal year (ended Sept. 30, 2006) with $10 billion in cash, and pulled in $818 million net profits during the third quarter of 2007 alone. I hardly see how a $1 million lawsuit will garner much real attention from anyone but bloggers like myself who jump to write about any “juicy” bit of wireless news.
 
What do you think—is Li justified in her lawsuit or just insignificant?

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

September 20, 2007 12:07 PM | 1 Comment
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.
 
Intel officials said its new WiMAX-enabled products, which fit into the new category of “Mobile Internet Devices” or MIDs, will use the company’s latest 45nm processors.
 
Hmm… now I wonder—does iPhone fit into the MID category?
 
In a Wednesday announcement about the WiMAX initiative, Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s ultra mobility group stressed consumer demand for the “full Internet” on mobile devices.
 
That seems like a pretty overt reference to the capabilities offered by Apple’s iPhone, if you ask me.
 
In fact, one could view this entire initiative as an effort to compete with iPhone specifically and maybe, in a broader sense, other smartphone/service offerings. That seems like a pretty big bite for Intel to get it mouth around.
 
“Not only does Intel want to create an entire new category of handheld computers called Mobile Internet Devices, it wants to set up a whole new network to service those devices,” CNet blogger Tom Krazit said in a Wednesday post.
 
Stay tuned—we could be in for an interesting ride.

Appeasing Early iPhone Adopters with $100 Refund

September 6, 2007 5:29 PM | 0 Comments
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.
 
In the letter, Jobs acknowledged the “hundreds of e-mails” he received from iPhone users upset that the value of their new toy dropped $200 only two months after they bought it.
 
To appease these irked customers, Apple is now offering a $100 “store credit toward the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store.” Further details a slated to be posted on Apple’s Web site next week.
 
Despite offering the store credit, Jobs stood by the decision to lower iPhone’s price: “I am sure we are making the right decision to lower the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, and that now is the right time to do it.” He hinted that the price cut has at least something to do with the pending holiday season—it’s a way to boost sales during what is usually the busiest part of the year for companies that sell consumer electronics.
 
Did you buy an iPhone early for $599? If so, is the $100 store credit enough to sooth your ruffled feathers, or do you still feel gypped?

Apple Reinvents iPod Lineup, Again

September 5, 2007 4:41 PM | 0 Comments
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. I’ve had a Nano for almost a year now, and love its big storage in a small and relatively indestructible nature thanks to solid state media. Look, Ma, no moving parts! I would consider upgrading to the new Nano just to get video capability. By the way, the iPod Touch also uses a Flash drive.
 
No Apple announcement would be complete without some words about iTunes, and this one was no exception Apple is now in the processing of rolling out iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, which as the name implies will let users download music wirelessly using the WiFi capability on the iPod Touch or the iPhone.
 
Apparently as a way to demonstrate how powerful Wi-Fi Music Store can be, Apple is partnering with Starbucks Coffee on a couple of value-added features. Basically here’s how it will work: a user walks into a Starbucks Store with an iPod Touch or iPhone and the device recognizes the Starbucks wireless network and auto logs into the iTunes Store (free access). The device then displays the song currently playing in the store, along with ten previously played songs. The user can then opt to purchase a copy of that song on the spot. Wi-Fi Music Store will be available at Starbucks stores Oct. 2 in New York and Seattle, Nov. 7 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Feb. 2008 in Los Angeles and March 2008 in Chicago.
 
The “Now Playing” feature IMHO does have significant potential, assuming (as I do) that it eventually will be freed from the confines of Starbucks by expanding the concept to other stores that play music. (Like, say, a store that sells music.) Talk about a way to market songs! For such on-demand access to purchasing music as it is heard, I’m sure lots of people will be willing to pay per track—assuming the service works quickly and seamlessly enough.
 
What’s perhaps most significant about today’s announcement from Apple, I think, is that after the company introduced a fully converged device earlier this year, it is now in a sense re-diversifying by introducing a product that appeals to people who want a little less convergence; people who don’t want to pay $600 for a phone, even if it is cool, but will pay $400 for a music player that lets you surf the Web and download songs wirelessly. But wait—there is also a $400 iPhone. Will people really pay $400 for what is essentially a dumbed-down product when they could pay the same amount for the whole package (albeit 8GB vs. 16GB)? Time will tell.

How Will EarthLinks’ Restructuring Affect Muni WiFi Projects?

August 29, 2007 11:42 AM | 2 Comments
Internet service provider EarthLink announced Tuesday a restructuring plan to cut costs. The plan includes cutting 900 jobs, and closing the company’s offices in Orlando, Florida; Knoxville, TN; Harrisburg, PA and San Francisco, CA. Further, the offices in Pasadena, CA and Atlanta, GA will be reduced in size.
 
So what does this have to do with wireless? In addition to its other operations, EarthLink has been involved in quite a few high-visibility municipal WiFi projects the past few years, including Philadelphia. The restructuring naturally raises the question: will EarthLink continue signing on to new muni WiFi projects?
 
In April, the company hinted that muni WiFi may not be a part of its future plans. At that time, EarthLink officials said they were evaluating muni WiFi projects it already was involved in (Philadelphia, New Orleans, two in California) to determine the profitability of such deals.
 
EarthLink’s CFO in April stressed that the company would see through the projects it had already sign on with, including the network in Houston, Texas. At the time the company was facing losses of $29.96 million for the first quarter of 2007. Since then second quarter 2007 results have been posted, showing net losses of $16.3 million.
 
I received an e-mail this morning from Craig Settles, a muni WiFi advocate and author of several books including Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless. Settles said EarthLink is slated to make another announcement today, and he won’t be surprised if it has to do with the company’s municipal WiFi business.
 
Settles said that, if EarthLink does bow out of the muni WiFi market, it will be in large part because most of these wireless networks have been built for consumer use—a potentially losing proposition since consumers are expensive to land as customer, and even more expensive to retain.
 
In his e-mail, Settles suggested that EarthLink could salvage its piece of the muni WiFi pie by repacking its wireless offering to target governments and businesses rather than consumers. This could help the company get a government, for example, to sign on as an anchor tenant, helping to guarantee the long-term financial viability of the network.
 
“Likewise they should develop an aggressive business-focused marketing campaign that capitalizes on a continually growing interest among small and medium sized businesses for mobile workforce applications,” Settles said in his e-mail.
 
Keep your eyes peeled today for more news from EarthLink—it just could be that the muni WiFi project in your city could hang in the balance.

Wireless and Mobile Technology at ITEXPO West 2007

August 17, 2007 5:39 PM | 1 Comment
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.
 
a la Mobile – makes Linux-based platforms for mobile handsets. Chief Technology Officer David Rivas will be speaking. (Session info here.)
 
Airwide Solutions – makes mobile messaging infrastructure products and applications. Chief Technology Officer Vincent Kadar will be speaking. (Session info here.)
 
EarthLink Wi-Fi Phone – a service that includes a Wi-Fi-enabled handset and connectivity. Director David Elgas will be speaking. (Session info here.)
 
Kineto Wireless – developer of unlicensed mobile access (UMA) technology for fixed-mobile convergence. Associate Vice President of Marketing Steve Shaw will be speaking. (Session info here.)
 
MobiTV – develops technology that lets users watch live TV on their cell phones, anywhere. Chief Technology Officer Kay Johansson will be speaking. (Session info here.)
 
MOBIVOX – provides cheap international calls from mobile phones, with or without Skype. CEO Stephane Marceau will be speaking. (Session info here.)
 
That whetted your appetite? Register for ITEXPO here. Then, while you're waiting for the show to start, check out this list of recommended sessions to attend.
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  • sex shop: he MS fanboys need to step back and realise that read more
  • Georg: Fantastic or Foolhardy - or both at the same time? read more
  • Mirko: As you already mentioned: some methods are more practical than read more
  • Anniversary gift: Based on your article, it seems that the only significant read more
  • oil portraits: I also noticed the same trend here in our place. read more
  • G. Aasen: Interesting indeed. Let's hope they are more successful in Japan read more
  • Bahamut: If earthlink is going into difficulty, it will certainly affect read more
  • Free Flash Clock: Earthlink restructuring will definitely affect the wifi market. But wifi read more
  • Polin Armsley: niceSecond, the amount Li is suing Apple for seems rather read more
  • www.r10.net küresel seo yarismasi: obviously still no iPhone nano around, but plenty of iPods. read more