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[Handsets/devices
|Multimedia products |Wireless Internet
technology | Messaging technology | Enterprise
systems | Miscellaneous ]
Handsets/devices
Nokia
Nokia introduced several
new handsets that feature multimedia messaging service (MMS) capability, Java
2 MicroEdition support and tri-band functionality. The Nokia 7210 features
a high-resolution color screen with 4,096 colors, MMS, support for downloading
Java applications and a stereo FM radio. The Nokia 6310i is a tri-band mobile
phone operating globally in GSM 900/1800/1900 networks with mobile Internet
access via Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) over General Packet Radio Service
(GPRS), fast data connections over High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD)
and integrated Bluetooth technology. The Nokia 6310i also enables downloading
personal Java applications. Nokia introduced two new phones for its expression
category-the Nokia 3510 for the European, African and Asia-Pacific markets and
the Nokia 3410 for European and African markets. The Nokia 3510 is the company’s
first expression category phone to have GPRS, polyphonic (MIDI) sounds and MMS.
The Nokia 3410, in turn, features J2ME support, and it is the company’s first
mass-market product open for independent software developers to offer Java applications
to consumers. Other new features include a three-dimensional (3D) graphics engine
enabling 3D animated screensavers and a picture editor for personal picture
message creation. Nokia revealed the new Nokia 9210i Communicator as well. The
new communicator has a full set of new applications and enlarged internal memory
capacity. It is the first Nokia device to feature a Web browser supporting JavaScripts,
a Flash Player for the playback of Macromedia flash animations and a RealOne
Player enabling real-time video and audio streaming in HSCSD networks. Five
of the six new products will be available during the second quarter, and the
Nokia 7210 will be out in early third quarter. www.nokia.com
Sony Ericsson
Hidden within the first cell-phone
announcements from Sony Ericsson was the fact that the joint venture’s P800
smart phone device will use the operating system (OS) developed by Symbian.
The P800, one of six new devices announced, includes a large color screen with
built-in camera and is scheduled to ship sometime in the third quarter. The
new smart phone is a mobile multimedia product integrating personal digital
assistant (PDA) and cellular-phone functions. It has a large touch screen, a
built-in camera, access to the Internet and runs on three different bands of
GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks. With a full range of specifications
as a multimedia product, the P800 can take digital pictures, display pictures
on its screen, store them in the photo album and send them as attachments to
e-mails. Having an integrated browser, it can access the Web, i-mode and Wireless
Application Protocol (WAP) sites. www.sonyericsson.com
Samsung
Samsung announced a mobile
phone with 40 polyphony melodies, which generate sounds close to those
in nature. The SCH-X290 with color LCD provides color images and includes an
externally mounted camera. Users can take still photos with the handset and
send them wirelessly. The LCD accommodates 12 lines of text. www.samsung.com
Multimedia
products
Not a Number
Not a Number (NaN) presented its
Blender 3D Media Platform, a technology and production platform
that allows wireless consumers to view and play 3D media applications,
including multimedia messaging system (MMS) messages and games on General Packet
Radio Service (GPRS) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile
devices. According to NaN, the platform enriches mobile media services with
3D graphics and movies, enables multimedia messaging with user-customizable
3D content and enables playback of Blender-created games and interactive presentation
through the Blender Java Client. NaN said the platform has been contracted to
leading European UMTS license holders. www.blender3d.com.
D-Link
Electronic company D-Link said it
has developed what it calls the first wireless Internet
camera known as the D-Link Air DCS-1000W, which does remote security
monitoring as well as live broadcasts. To view streaming video from the wireless
Internet camera, users need only type in the IP (Internet Protocol) address
of the camera, said the company in a statement. http://www.dlink.ca/
XciTel
Israeli company XciTel announced
a mobile multimedia service interoperability platform
called Cross Generation MultiMedia (CGMM), a new addition to the company’s value-added
services platform, FocalPoint. The new product provides current-generation multimedia
services and enables multimedia messaging service (MMS) between MMS- and non-MMS-capable
mobile devices. With the product, subscribers can compose and send hybrid messages
of video clips, text and audio in any format from any device and have them received
by any device. www.xcitel.com
Wireless
Internet technology
Mitsubishi Electric
Mitsubishi Electric said it has developed
a browser that will enable mobile phones, car navigation
systems and other mobile terminals to handle a multi-markup language known as
xHTML Basic*1/CSS 2.0 MP*2. It can work with the markup languages used
by NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode and J-Phone’s J-Sky Web wireless Internet services, said
Mitsubishi. This allows the browser to be embedded in mobile terminals with
limited memory, making it possible for users to access a wide range of Internet
content, said the company in a statement. www.mitsubishi.com
Palm
Palm unve
iled its HTML
Web Browser designed to provide users of Internet-enabled Palm personal
digital assistants (PDAs) the ability to access any URL on the Internet, bookmark
and categorize favorite sites, save information for offline viewing and cache
a history of visited sites. Palm currently uses a Web clipping solution for
its wireless Internet-enabled PDAs. “Our Web clipping approach is ideal
for quick hits for specific information,” noted Todd Bradley, executive
vice president and chief operating officer of Palm’s Solutions Group. “The
new browser affords the additional freedom to explore any Web site and save
important information.” www.palm.com
Maporama
Online location-centric application
provider Maporama launched its i-mode platform, which
allows Maporama customers to integrate i-mode-based location-centric solutions
into their Internet services. “Location-centric solutions are at
the strategic core of all 2.5G (2.5-generation) actors and can be found in a
number of applications ranging from localization services and geomarketing to
customer service applications,” said Laurent Vermot-Gauchy, Maporama’s
chief executive officer. “Maporama is proud to announce the availability
of the first non-Japanese i-mode location-centric solution that can be implemented
in these applications as easily as on any other platform.” www.maporama.com
AU-System
Swedish company AU-System launched
a software package for terminal manufacturers called Mobile
Suite. The software includes modules for managing Java applications,
multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, synchronization and a security
module for encryption and digital signatures. The suite will be continuously
developed to add new functions, including instant messaging and e-mail, the
company said. www.ausystem.com
Messaging
technology
SmartServ Online
SmartServ Online introduced its SmartServQ,
which the company said allows carrier customers to offer financial market information,
news and alerts to virtually any mobile device using short message service (SMS)
technology. The company said three Hong Kong wireless carriers are already
committed to the product. Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) announced
it launched the SmartServQ, and two more will launch the application during
the next few months. www.smartserv.com
Weblicon
Weblicon Technologies made available
MMS-Composer, which allows users to compose multimedia
messaging service (MMS) messages. The company’s Online Organizer is the
core of the application with a diary, addresses, to-dos and messaging capabilities.
The product allows users to send multimedia messages from PCs to all MMS-enabled
end devices. www.weblicon.net
Siemens
Siemens continues to reinforce its
wireless Internet offering, adding instant messaging features
and a proxy server. First, the company teamed with wireless messaging
company Ecrio to offer carriers a wireless instant-messaging service, which
Siemens said includes presence information and buddy lists. The service, dubbed
m.traction, works through short message service (SMS) and Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP) protocols. Separately, Siemens launched its new Mobile Smart
Proxy, which the company said allows carriers to offer differentiated services
based on service level, bearer type and device capabilities. Siemens said the
new product will give wireless users a personalized, targeted and accelerated
wireless Internet experience. www.siemens.com
Motorola
Following the massive interest in
cross-carrier text messaging in the United States, Motorola Inc. released its
own interoperability product. Motorola’s new Short Messaging
Service Gateway, which is an extension of the company’s SMS center product,
routes messages from one carrier to another, or from one network technology
to another inside a single carrier’s network. www.motorola.com
Enterprise
systems
Sofor
Finnish mobile application developer
Sofor announced the 2.0 version of its Waplane solution, which wirelessly enables
corporate applications. The new version is Java based and compatible with IBM
WebSphere and J2EE in addition to its earlier features, including Domino Mail
and calendar and Microsoft Exchange compatibility. Sofor also announced its
agreement with Integro Networks and Corebridge for the delivery of a Unified
Personal Communication solution. Integro will deliver the solution, for which
Sofor will provide the Waplane solution and Corebridge will supply the meta
directory, unified communications, unified access to databases and business
processes, and the unified contacts management of the UPC. www.sofor.com
Miscellaneous
BlueLinx
BlueLinx’s Q-Zone cell phone courtesy
system, a solution that promises to help public places
eliminate mobile-phone disturbances, will soon be available in a monthly
subscription plan. Q-Zone, which is based on Bluetooth technology, creates “quiet
zones” in hotels, theaters and meeting facilities by lowering ring volumes
while mobile-phone users are within the zones. “Venue operators are looking
for methods to control disruptions, but the initial costs can be an issue for
larger enterprises with multiple sites,” explained Mary Beth Griffin, executive
vice president of BlueLinx. “By adding a subscription-based service, Q-Zone
becomes an attractive solution for both large and small-scale enterprises.”
The service will use existing cellular networks and is administered by carriers,
which will be able to remotely activate or deactivate the system. BlueLinx said
it expects Q-Zone to be fully operational within six months of widespread Bluetooth
mobile-phone offerings, and prices will be based on the number of Q-Zone nodes
installed. www.bluelinx.co
m
NMS
NMS made available HearSay, which
offers voice-driven content and services. The product includes voice-acti
vated
dialing, personalized voice portals, short message service (SMS), unified messaging,
chat and conferencing. NMS has partnered with application providers to offer
voice-driven services, and the company offers customization, integration and
support for the offering. www.nmscommunications.com
Phone Candy
U.K. company phone candy announced
an international service that lets users personalize their cell phones over
the Internet. Phone Candy offers ring tones, animations, logos, picture messages
and screen savers to users who purchase credits and then download products.
Membership is free, with all new members receiving 10 free Phone Candy credits.
Users can buy 100 credits for US$14. The service supports short message service
(SMS) messaging and works on most new phone models. www.phonecandy.com
Upaid
French supplier Upaid announced version
4.0 of its software platform that includes applications and payment settlement
functionality and supports prepaid roaming across CAMEL-enabled intelligent
networks and traditional service node networks. The product allows operators
that have not yet implemented CAMEL more flexibility to launch prepaid voice
roaming services. www.upaid.net
SchlumbergerSema
SchlumbergerSema announced a new
system that safeguards access to handsets through voice
authentication. The product runs on a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)
card and requires no additional hardware, the company said. Authentication requires
users to speak phrases or words as the phone is switched on, which are compared
in real time with a reference voice print stored inside the SIM card’s memory.
The product includes technology from SchlumbergerSema, Domain Dynamics and Mitsubishi
Electric Telecom. www.schlumbergersema.com
ADC
ADC launched its Metrica Service
Manager, a service quality management solution that lets
operators monitor the quality of user experiences. ADC said Metrica Service
Manager has been deployed on the U.K.-based operator Orange’s network. “We
use ADC’s Metrica Service Manager to help us see things as a customer sees them,
thereby monitoring the quality of user experience and the level of service that
customers encounter,” explained Andy Chalmers, OSS consultant for Orange.
www.adc.com
IBM
IBM Corp. said it has unveiled what
it describes as the world’s fastest chip, based on silicon
germanium or SiGe, for wireless devices. It runs at 110 gigahertz per
second. “Many chipmakers are just starting to show they can build SiGe
transistors, while we’re into our fourth-generation of technology,” said
Bernard Meyerson, vice president of IBM communications research and development
center. www.ibm.com
