NotePage SMS, Paging and Messaging Blogs
08/31/2005 ITunes Music
Phone Set to Launch |
A long-delayed cell phone from Apple Computer Inc.
and Motorola Inc. that can play iTunes music downloads
is finally set to debut through Cingular Wireless,
a research analyst said.
The new phone will be equipped with software that
would allow it to play songs purchased at Apple's
iTunes Web site, according to Roger Entner, an analyst
for research firm Ovum who said he learned of the
plans from an industry executive.
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08/30/2005 U.S. Cellular
Offers Downloads in Spanish |
U.S. Cellular and Univision Movil, an offshoot of
Univision Online, announced this week a partnership
to extend service to Hispanic cell phone users by
offering expanded multimedia content and wireless
services in Spanish.
The newly added Spanish content is available through
U.S. Cellular Corporation's easyedge suite of data
applications and can be downloaded directly to the
consumer's wireless device.
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08/30/2005 Cell Signal-jamming
Firm Seeks Relaxation of Jamming Laws |
A company that makes cell phone jamming equipment
is asking U.S. lawmakers to change federal laws to
allow broader use of jamming equipment by law enforcement
officials in the United States.
Howard Melamed, CEO of CellAntenna Corp., said the
change is needed to address the threat of cell phones
being used as detonation devices for improvised explosive
bombs in the U.S.
In a statement Monday, CellAntenna urged lawmakers
"to adopt measures that allow for the use of jamming
equipment by police and federal law enforcement officials.”
Also in the statement, Melamed further described the
legalization of cellular jamming is “the first step
in preventing an IED attack in the United States.”
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08/30/2005 Storm Hampers
Long-Distance, Cell Services in Gulf |
Cell phone service was spotty and long-distance callers
met busy signals on Monday as Hurricane Katrina knocked
out key telecommunications hubs along the Gulf Coast.
Most long-distance and cellular providers reported
trouble, while the dominant local phone provider for
the hurricane zone, BellSouth Corp., did not immediately
quantify the extent of storm-related service disruptions.
Sprint Nextel Corp.'s long-distance switch in New
Orleans failed soon after the storm hit, meaning no
long distance call could be placed into or out of
the area, said company spokesman Charles Fleckenstein.
Customers who tried got busy signals or recordings
informing them that all circuits are busy, he said.
He attributed troubles to flooding and power loss.
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08/30/2005 Sprint Nextel
may buy two affiliates |
Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE:S - news) is close to buying
two of its small wireless affiliates for a combined
price of about $700 million, the Wall Street Journal
reported on Tuesday.
Citing people familiar with the situation, the newspaper
said the third largest U.S. wireless company was near
to a purchase agreement with IWO Holdings Inc., an
Albany, New York wireless operator with 237,000 subscribers,
for about $400 million.
It also was close to a $288 million acquisition of
Gulf Coast Wireless, a closely held company based
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with some 93,000 subscribers,
the Journal said.
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08/29/2005 Cell Phone
Service Coming to New York Subways? |
New York this week started seeking bids to extend
cellular phone service to its subway system, the New
York Times reported Thursday.
The Times reported that all four national cellular
operators -- Cingular, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile
-- are among the vendors considering submitting bids
for a system that will provide service in 277 or New
York's 468 subway stations. The bids are due October
12.
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08/29/2005 Cell Phone
'Most Indispensable' Tool For Financial Execs |
A survey released Friday found that cell phones
remain the most indispensable tool for financial executives,
although a small minority found their music players
more important.
About 44 percent of the 1400 chief financial officers
(CFOs) participating in the survey said their cell
phones were the most important portable technology
they use. The survey was conducted by Robert Half
Management Resources, a specialized staffing firm.
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08/29/2005 Software Will
Play Podcasts On Cell Phones |
Dial-a-pod service gets something new to offer alongside
ring tones and wallpaper.
Mobile software vendor Melodeo said Friday it is developing
software that will locate and download podcasts to
cell phones.
The company said its Mobilcast software can be added
to cell phones, although it did not say which phones
would be supported.
"The mobile phone is the perfect tool for finding
and listening to Podcasts," Don Davidge, the company's
senior vice president of sales, said in a statement.
|
08/30/2005 Hampster Powered
Cell Phones |
Peter Ash, 16, from Somerset, realised that Elvis's
fave activity of playing on his wheel could be used
to create electricity to charge his mobile.
As part of his GCSE coursework, he created a device
where he gets 30 minutes of talk time for every two
minutes that Elvis goes for a spin.
Complete Article
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08/26/2005 LaundryView
Sends Dirty Clothes Status To Cell Phones |
In the old days, you put your dirty clothes in
a washer or dryer, then came back a while later to
see if they were done. That uncertainty is becoming
a thing of the past as a vendor announced Thursday
that its coin-operated washer and dryers installed
on college campuses are getting Internet connections.
Mac-Gray, which claims to be the biggest supplier
of coin and card-operated laundry facilities on college
campuses, said it has launched LaundryView, which
enables users of its facilities to check on the status
of their clothes via their cell phones, PDAs or Wi-Fi
enabled laptops.
In a statement, the company said LaundryView "provides
a way for college students to communicate with washers
and dryers in campus laundry rooms."
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08/26/2005 Cell Phones
Will Let Parents Monitor Kids |
Motorola Inc., the world's third-largest mobile
phone manufacturer, plans to make phones that would
let parents monitor their children's whereabouts and
censor obscene content, Chairman and CEO Edward Zander
said.
While parents need to adapt to the emerging youth
culture surrounding mobile phones, adults are right
to be concerned about what their kids are listening
to, watching and reading, he said.
To meet those concerns, the Schaumburg, Ill.-based
company is planning models that would inform parents
of their children's whereabouts and carry censorship
software, he said.
|
08/24/2005 Companies Offer
Cell-Phone Comics in Japan |
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. will almost triple
the number of comic books it formats for viewing on
cell phones in a move that will make it the No. 1
provider of popular Japanese "manga" comics for cell
phones, a company official said Monday.
The Sony Corp. unit will increase the number of titles
it offers to 300 over the next year.
|
08/23/2005 Cell Towers
Hit 'Not In My Back Yard' Syndrome |
After two years of boisterous meetings and litigation,
the 150-member Southampton Presbyterian Church surrounded
by closely-spaced red-brick homes is at odds with
its neighbors over an issue that has nothing to do
with theology.
T-Mobile plans to construct a cell phone antenna along
the chimney of the two-story, 89-year-old white-stone
building. In return, the company will pay rent to
the church.
|
08/23/2005 Indonesia launches
text message hotline to keep tabs on disease |
Indonesia's health ministry launched a hotline to
let the public report disease outbreaks and lodge
complaints about health care using mobile phone text
messages (SMS), a report said.
Health minister Siti Fadillah Supari admitted that
her ministry had been slow in tackling some outbreaks
of disease as it took time to get information about
them, according to the state Antara news agency.
Indonesia, where mobile phone usage is skyrocketing,
is in the midst of a struggle to halt outbreaks of
polio, bird flu and dengue fever.
"With this SMS service, we hope that the health ministry
will not be less informed than journalists," Supari
was quoted as saying.
Complete Article
|
08/22/2005 Debate Over
Cell Phone Towers Growing |
After two years of boisterous meetings and litigation,
the 150-member Southampton Presbyterian Church surrounded
by closely-spaced red-brick homes is at odds with
its neighbors over an issue that has nothing to do
with theology.
T-Mobile plans to construct a cell phone antenna along
the chimney of the two-story, 89-year-old white-stone
building. In return, the company will pay rent to
the church.
"That revenue is in exchange for our potential well-being,
our peace of mind and our property values," said David
O'Brien, 33, who lives two homes down and remains
unconvinced by studies downplaying the health threat
of low-level radio-frequency emissions.
|
08/22/2005 Nokia Says
No Deal With Apple on New Music Phone |
Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia said on Thursday
it had no agreement with Apple Computer Inc. for the
iTunes music service to be included on its upcoming
N91 multimedia phone.
But Nokia said that because of the design of the new
N-series phones, software developers could readily
produce programs to allow the gadgets to use services
like iTunes.
|
08/22/2005 Listen to Podcasts
on Cell Phones |
Mobile software vendor Melodeo said Friday it is
developing software that will locate and download
podcasts to cell phones.
The company said its Mobilcast software can be added
to cell phones, although it did not say which phones
would be supported.
"The mobile phone is the perfect tool for finding
and listening to Podcasts," Don Davidge, the company's
senior vice president of sales, said in a statement.
According to a demonstration on the company's Web
site, the software will connect to a server and look
for updated podcasts. The software will display all
available podcasts and the user can select the one
he or she wants. The company's Web site said the Mobilcast
software will be available in September.
Complete Article
|
08/17/2005 Sprint cell
phones to ring with NFL content |
What do football fans and cell phones have in common?
Lots, if you happen to be a Sprint (S) customer.
Starting this fall, Sprint subscribers can use their
cell phones to gain access to a range of exclusive
content from the National Football League.
Offerings will run the gamut, from instant game highlights
to customized statistics, live video feeds and archival
material from the NFL's video library.
|
08/17/2005 Cell Phone
ICE |
In case of emergency, put your cell on ICE!
A movement is underway to turn the ubiquitous cell
phone into a source of information for paramedics
and other emergency personnel responding to accidents,
crimes and disasters.
A British paramedic came up with the idea of asking
cell phone users to input an entry into their cellular
phonebook called ICE for "in case of emergency." Accompanying
that acronym would be the name and phone numbers of
the person who should be called if something has happened
to the owner of the phone.
|
08/15/2005 Music Phones
Competing with iPod |
Music Phones are said not to measure up to the iPod.
The first-generation of music phones lack the sound
quality and ease of use to take on Apple Computer
Inc.'s iPod, the market-leading digital music player,
a research firm said Thursday.
Strategy Analytics compared the four most advanced
music phones in the United Kingdom and Europe with
the iPod. High-speed wireless networks in the United
States lag behind Europe, and are not yet ready to
handle a mass market of music downloads. Therefore,
it made more sense to do the comparison first across
the Atlantic, the research firm said.
Complete Article
|
08/12/2005 Cell Phone
Bells Not Happy Sound for Many |
The complaints are familiar and frequent: People
on cell phones talk too loud, they use them at inappropriate
times, and they just don't seem to care if they are
bothering anyone.
The horror stories are famous too. Cell phones
at funerals. Cell phones at weddings. Cell phones
in class. And of course, cell phones in restaurants.
President Bush has a well-known low cell phone
tolerance. He gives a withering evil eye to those
whose cell phones ring during his public appearances.
Complete Article
|
08/11/2005 Opera Mobile
Browser |
Opera Software ASA on Wednesday announced a new version
of its Internet browser that allows Web surfing from
almost any mobile phone, even inexpensive ones with
little built-in memory.
Accessing the Internet has largely been restricted
to higher-end mobile phones with the memory capacity
to run a browser.
The Oslo-based company said its new Opera Mini browser
can allow surfing from 700 million low-to-medium cost
phones without space for a traditional browser.
|
08/11/2005 In-Flight Cell-Phone
Use Closer To Technical Feasibility |
As the debate about whether to allow cell-phone use
on airplanes rages on, technology providers continue
to make progress on systems that will enable in-air
conversations in the near future as airlines brace
for the eventuality of in-flight phone use.
Last week, Qualcomm Inc. and Connexion, the Boeing
Co. unit that sells a system for in-flight Internet
connectivity, successfully tested cell-phone standards
on a Boeing 737 by using a small in-cabin cellular
base station called a "pico cell" to connect the signal
to an air-to-ground satellite link.
|
08/11/2005 New Sprint
Nextel will focus on 3rd screen |
Sprint and Nextel have a game plan for the future,
and it's not what you might think. The playbook goes
like this: Merge the two companies to create a wireless
giant, then transform the combined company - yet again
- into a broadband Bigfoot that can compete head-on
with Verizon and SBC Communications.
No kidding.
"It's all about the third screen," says Sprint CEO
Gary Forsee, referring to the pint-sized video screens
on wireless phones that are fast becoming ubiquitous.
|
08/10/2005 Cisco Mulls
Acquiring Nokia |
Cisco Systems is said to be mulling buying Nokia,
the world's largest wireless handset maker, according
to a report in the U.K.-based Sunday Business newspaper
this weekend.
The newspaper reported that Cisco was interested in
merging with a wireless infrastructure company, and
that "Nokia has been identified as the most likely
target."
|
08/09/2005 Rogers Wireless's
new Firefly mobile phone aimed at pre-teen market |
Rogers Wireless said Monday it is introducing a cellular
phone aimed at the pre-teen market and at parents
concerned about keeping in touch and keeping a lid
on phone bills.
|
08/09/2005 Nokia Unveils
Search Software For Smartphones |
Nokia Monday unveiled free software to enable users
of its smartphones to search the Web using commercial
search services.
So far, the software works with Yahoo!, as well as
British and Scandinavian search engines such as Eniro
and Yell.com. The software will eventually be included
with a number of Nokia smartphones, including the
Nokia 6680, 6681 and 6630.
|
08/09/2005 Qualcomm, Boeing
Test In-Flight Cell Phone, Data Service |
Qualcomm and Connexion, the Boeing Company's in-flight
service provider, announced Monday that they have
successfully tested CDMA and GSM standards in Connexion
One, a Boeing 737 aircraft.
Voice calls were made over GSM and CDMA2000, the firms
said, adding that data tests were conducted over CDMA2000
1X and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. UTStarcom provided on-board
infrastructure and integration support.
|
08/08/2005 FCC Eases High-Speed
Internet Rules |
Federal regulators on Friday eased rules governing
high-speed Internet services offered by phone companies,
saying they hope it will speed Internet growth.
The Federal Communications Commission's 4-0 vote means
that phone companies delivering Internet access via
digital subscriber lines, or DSL, eventually will
no longer have to lease access to their networks to
competitors at deep discounts.
|
08/08/2005 Cisco mulls
buying Nokia-paper |
Cisco Systems Inc. is considering buying the world's
top mobile handset maker Nokia in a bid to gain its
wireless infrastructure technology, the Business newspaper
reported on Sunday.
The paper, which did not reveal the source of its
information, said U.S.-based Cisco had traditionally
concentrated on acquisitions of niche technology players,
but its Chief Executive John Chambers is believed
to be interested in merging with a wireless infrastructure
company.
|
08/05/2005 Cellular Connection
Problems Decreasing, Study Finds |
The number of problems getting connected while making
cellular phone calls has dropped in half compared
to last year, according to a study by J.D. Power and
Associates. The study also found the number and duration
of calls is increasing.
The study found that about three percent of all calls
have at least one problem making the initial connection,
the research firm said in a statement. That is down
from about six percent in last year's survey even
though the sheer quantity of calls has increased in
that time, the company said.
|
08/05/2005 Cell phones?
Over there, next to the nachos |
7-Eleven and other companies have started their own
mobile phone services, reflecting the ease of repackaging.
Jeanne Yanaro long associated 7-Eleven with Big Gulps
and last-minute groceries. But late last year she
turned to her local convenience store for a more substantial
purchase: a cell phone.
|
08/02/2005 RadioShack
Inks Long-Term Deal with Cingular |
RadioShack has inked a long-term agreement with wireless
carrier Cingular and will end its relationship with
Verizon Wireless has the electronics retailer seeks
to broaden its mobile-phone strategy.
In addition to creating the 10-year pact with Cingular,
RadioShack extended its partnership with Sprint for
another 11 years. Cingular and Sprint will support
RadioShack's efforts to expand retail distribution
outside of the company's stores.
|
08/02/2005 Use of mobile
helped police keep tabs on suspect |
The arrest of Hamdi Adus Issac, who goes by the name
of Hussain Osman, is the latest in a long line of
police investigations helped by the suspect's use
of a mobile telephone.
Italian police revealed yesterday that the initial
tip that allowed them to track Mr Issac's cell phone
came from their British counterparts.
On July 26, the UK authorities notified those in Italy
that a suspect going by the name of Hussain Osman
had left the UK.
The next day the cell telephone that British police
had linked to the suspect was switched to the Italian
telephone system. On July 28, police discovered the
destination of Mr Issac and his brother was put under
surveillance in Rome.
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08/02/2005 Nextel to seek
more time for locating 911 callers |
Nextel Communications Inc. plans to ask for a waiver
from a December deadline that 95 percent of its customers'
wireless phones be capable of identifying the location
of a caller to emergency personnel.
Nextel, being acquired by the No. 3 U.S. wireless
carrier Sprint Corp., said it will ask the Federal
Communications Commission for the waiver, according
to a July 26 letter made available on Monday.
The FCC set Dec. 31 as the deadline for 95 percent
of all wireless handsets to be able to pinpoint the
location of a caller to 911 emergency services. Nextel
said it could take up to an extra two years to reach
that goal.
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