Mae
| News and views on everything wireless and mobile, from WiFi and WiMAX to 3G and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC).
wireless
WiFi Network Helped Minneapolis Deal with Bridge Collapse
August 9, 2007
Craig Settles (author of Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless and other books on similar topics), who keeps me updated regularly regarding U.S. municipal WiFi projects, wrote the other day to highlight how an only partially-complete WiFi network helped Minneapolis emergency responders deal with the recent Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
As you probably know, during evening rush-hour on August 1, the eight-lane interstate bridge portion of I-35 over the Mississippi River collapsed, dropping vehicles about 60 feet into the water below.
Ironically, Settles in May completed a report about how municipal WiFi networks can help cities cope with disasters.
Firetide Brings Wireless Network to the Carnival
August 7, 2007
Running away to the circus no longer means running way from modern technology. Wireless mesh networks developer Firetide said Tuesday that its portable network solution is now being used by Ray Cammack Shows (RCS), a North American carnival midway company.
Carnivals put on by RCS get 9 million visitors annually. Maintaining the necessary business environment to serve all those people, while moving frequently from site to site, used to be a challenge. No longer.
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.
RingCentral Takes Fax Online, Makes it Mobile
July 6, 2007
If you’re like me—someone who’s used to the speed and ease of email—faxing documents can seem like an unbearable hassle. Create document. Print document. Look up phone number. Walk to fax machine.
iPhone, Firsthand
July 5, 2007
Yesterday, to celebrate Independence Day, I engaged in a very American activity: shopping. While I was at the mall, I stopped by the Apple Store to check out iPhone firsthand. Yes, I actually got a chance to play around with the new, cool phone that everyone is talking about.
Overall, my conclusion is wow—finally a consumer-grade rather than business-focused smartphone. iPhone was pretty comfortable to hold, and I found its features for the most part impressive.
At first, I admit I was a bit concerned about the usability of the touch-screen keyboard that pops up whenever you set out to complete a task requiring typing.
Transfer Video to iPhone with Innovative Solutions Software
July 3, 2007
iPhone isn’t even a week old yet, and already it’s apparent that accessory manufacturers and software developers have been busy for months gearing up for the release of Apple’s cell phone. One example is software company Innovative Solutions, which today announced a software package that helps users transport movies from DVDs to the iPhone.
The software, DVD to iPhone, makes it possible to “put full length DVDs, downloaded movies and other video on the iPhone.”
DVD to iPhone is a Windows program, for XP/Vista. According to Innovative Solutions, it can handle any DVD source including pre-recorded and recordable DVDs. Also transportable: video file formats including AVI and MPEG.
Innovative Solutions also said that the software enables very speedy transfers, “with a 90 minute DVD being transferred in an average 30 minutes.”
The software lets users select from a variety of settings for aspect ration, video and sound quality, and language/subtitle options.
Attempting to Track Down iPhone Sales Numbers
July 2, 2007
So, this morning I got curious: how well did iPhone sell over the weekend? I figured I might be able to get an idea by calling some of the larger Apple Stores around the country. I went to http://www.apple.com/retail and grabbed phone numbers for five stores: one each in Los Angeles, CA; Dallas, TX; New York City; Tampa, FL; and Lyndhurst, OH (near Cleveland).
Then, bracing for the time-consuming task of navigating phone menu systems, I hit the phone.
Want an iPhone? Get in Line
June 29, 2007
In what has to be one of the best-orchestrated marketing schemes in a while, Apple today will start selling its new iPhone, a device which combines the popular iPod MP3 player with smartphone and wireless Web capabilities. Stores open tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time in the U.S. (They’ll be closed from 2:00-6:00pm to prepare for the expected onslaught.) If you want an iPhone, better get in line now.
Actually, though, some people have already been in line… since Monday.
CallWave Visual Voicemail Follow-up
June 26, 2007
Last week I blogged about CallWave’s new Visual Voicemail service for use with mobile phones. I wrote that I really liked the service, but had two gripes:
1. Callers didn’t get my personal greeting, instead reached a generic CallWave message.
2. I couldn’t access my voicemail from my phone any longer—only using the online, visual mailbox.
I heard back from two reps at CallWave (you can read their notes in the comments section of this blog) who pointed out that, actually, the Visual Voicemail service has functionality built in that overcome both the problems I was encountering.
