A look back at CTIA IT

Just about a week has gone by since the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2009 event in San Diego and I have just now been able to go through the notes I jotted down during the half dozen or so meetings I had while at the event. (You can check our on-the-scene coverage of the keynote addresses here, here and here, and on the scene events here, here and here.)
So, in no particular order, here is a summary of what I saw at the show.
Samsung: Samsung Telecommunications America took the prize for flashiest device launch at the show with its Andorid-powered Moment. The device sports all the typical hardware expected from devices nowadays, including a slideout keyboard and 3.2-inch touchscreen, but upped the ante with the first use of an 800 MHz processor in a device running Google Inc.’s operating system. Demo models of the device proved snappy and Samsung managed to fit both the large screen and keyboard into a tidy package. Sprint Nextel Corp. will be the exclusive launch partner for the device, which is set to hit the shelves on Nov. 1 with a $180 price tag after rebates. The Moment will give Sprint Nextel a pair of Android-powered devices following the recent launch of HTC Corp.’s Hero.
Sprint Nextel: Building on work done previously by Nextel Communications Inc., Sprint Nextel launched its Emerging Solutions Unit that will focus on delivering machine-to-machine devices and applications to the market. Nextel was considered a leader in the space as most of its iDEN devices included embedded GPS capabilities and the carrier targeted a business-centric customer base. Sprint Nextel has combined those efforts, as well as many of the people involved in the Nextel business, with the carrier’s CDMA network to power the new division.
Sprint Nextel said it will focus its efforts on the general consumer device space as well as specific M2M devices targeting remote monitoring, asset tracking, telematics and Smart Grid applications. Wayne Ward, who previously served as VP of enterprise data solutions at Nextel, was tapped to head the new division at Sprint Nextel.
Root Wireless: Succumbing to cries from consumers and the government, wireless carriers have over the years increased the amount of depth provided by their network coverage maps. Now, the validity of those maps will be put to the test as Bellevue, Wash.-based Root Wireless plans to make available coverage maps that use actual devices in the field to provide up-to-date coverage information for both voice and data services.
The company will use two tools customers are increasingly adopting and carriers are pushing to measure coverage: GPS and unlimited data plans. Root’s application will be embedded in its own devices as well as the devices of consenting consumers to occasionally ping a carrier’s cell towers to gauge both the quality of the connection as well as the data speeds available from that location. The information will then be overlaid on a map to provide consumers with where a particular carrier has coverage as well as the quality of the voice coverage and available network speeds for data services.
Root is targeting consumer-facing publications and retailers initially with the service and announced at CTIA IT an agreement with online technology site CNET to provide maps of carrier coverage. Initial testing will cover the nation’s four largest operators, with plans to involve smaller carriers as the service rolls out. Carriers, you have been warned.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: Who says mobile gaming is dead? No one? OK, well Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced a slew of new games it has lined up for next year, with most based on Sony Pictures-based properties.
The lineup includes updated versions of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” that are set to launch next February and March respectively; “The Three Stooges” for Apple Inc.’s iPhone set to launch in May 2010, that SPHE said was based on the original trio’s high jinks and not on the movie planned for next year; “The Karate Kid,” which is based on an upcoming movie and set to launch in June 2010; “Salt,” which is also based on a movie set to launch in July 2010; and “The Joker’s Wild,” which is based on the classic television game show set to launch in Sept. 2010.
Trimble Outdoors: Trimble Outdoors showed off its recently launched application for Apple’s iPhone that takes advantage of the device’s touchscreen display and embedded GPS capabilities to provide an easy-to-use interface for those looking to track their outdoor adventures. One highlight of the new app is the integration of Apple’s iTunes music service that allows users to directly control the music on their device from the Trimble application.
Virgin Mobile USA: Virgin Mobile USA Inc., which is in the process of being acquired by Sprint Nextel Corp., showed its self-branded GPS navigation service dubbed Virgin Mobile Navigator. The service, which is powered by Networks in Motion Ltd., provides a similar interface and functionality to Verizon Wireless’ NIM-powered VZNavigator service and is currently available on the recently launched Samsung Rumor2 for either $3 per day or $10 per month.
Seven: Push e-mail software provider Seven announced instant messaging capabilities were now available for its offering. The IM service supports all major clients and attempts to replicate the desktop experience of those clients in the mobile space. Seven representatives showed the service running on an Android-powered device and it indeed appeared to replicate the client’s desktop experience.
FLO TV: Qualcomm Inc. subsidiary FLO TV Inc. unveiled a dedicated consumer electronic device incorporating its live, streaming television service. The device, which follows the company’s previous announced plans to pursue the consumer space away from its traditional approach through wireless carriers, includes a 3.5-inch screen embedded in a compact form-factor with a built-in stand. The FLO TV Personal Television provides access to the company’s lineup of television channels when within its coverage area. FLO TV recently announced that its streaming television network was available in the nation’s top 100 markets with plans to expand as spectrum in the 700 MHz band is cleared. The device showed crisp and buffering-free coverage deep inside the San Diego Convention Center.
The company is marketing the device at both consumers looking for portable entertainment when running around town as well as the in-car entertainment market. FLO TV President Bill Stone acknowledged that the in-car market was more for the in-town commuters rather than the cross-country adventurers as the company’s current network does not expand much beyond well-populated areas. The device will sell for $250 and require a monthly service plan beginning at $9 per month with a 3-year contract.
Terrestar: Fresh off the announcement that AT&T Mobility would begin offering its device and service to c
ustomers beginning next year, Terrestar and its carrier partner pr
ovided more insight into their plans for the satellite/cellular hybrid device.
Terrestar said the satellite-based portion of the service was operational and that it was in the midst of completing a backup satellite to have ready to launch in case the current satellite fails. Initial coverage area will include the U.S. and Canada as well as up to 200 miles off the coast of both countries. Puerto Rico and Hawaii are also included in the coverage zone.
AT&T Mobility said pricing for the service will be an additional $25 per month on top of a customer’s current voice plan with calls prices at 65 cents per minute, data charged at $5 per megabyte and text messages at 40 cents per message. Definitely not a model that will attract the traditional cellphone customer, though Terrestar said it could hit certain consumer market segments like parents that want to make sure their kids have a working cellphone no matter where they travel.
The device itself, which will retail for $800, was surprisingly compact and lightweight. Just a smidge thicker than similar Microsoft Corp. Window Mobile-powered smartphones, the device includes virtually every wireless technology currently available and an easy-to-manipulate touchscreen and keyboard. The switch between AT&T Mobility’s cellular network and Terrestar’s satellite network has to be accomplished manually and calls or data sessions are not supported through the transition.