The Internet landscape was altered dra-matically last week when America Online Inc. announced it will acquire Netscape Communications Corp. in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at $4.2 billion.At the same time, AOL also announced it entered into a strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems Inc. to...
SEATTLE-Qualcomm Inc. and Microsoft Corp. made good on their promise to converge the computing and wireless industries when they announced the formation of WirelessKnowledge L.L.C. last week, a joint venture many say will revolutionize the wireless data industry.WirelessKnowledge aims to provide an airlink-independent end-to-end...
Chesapeake MicrowaveChesapeake Microwave Technologies Inc. introduced a 50-watt personal communications services Global System for Mobile communications amplifier and a 30-watt DCS GSM amplifier. The 50-watt PCS GSM amplifier is a Gallium Arsenide FED Class AB linear amplifier that provides 45 dB of gain and...
PALO ALTO, Calif.-The creators of the PalmPilot handheld computer announced they have secured funding to create a new company, Handspring Inc., which will develop products for the consumer side of handheld computing.The creators, Donna Dubinsky and Jeff Hawkins, also announced they received licensing for...
Is this it?Is the wireless data market sitting on the runway to (finally) take off, offering instant text applications anywhere on the planet?Like a child before Christmas, I anticipate the day when wireless data applications make my life easier, when I easily can use...
WASHINGTON-The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is adamant the wireless industry comply with rules requiring digital phones be compatible with text telephones (TTYs) used by the deaf community, especially when TTYs are used in conjunction with digital phones to make 911 calls. Nevertheless,...
ItalyTelecom Italia Mobile announced it will begin a market trial of Unwired Planet Inc.'s UP.Link Server and software planet for wireless Internet access to mobile phones. Equipped with Unwired Planet's UP.Browser microbrowser software, handheld phones can access Internet sites written in Wireless Markup Language...
SAN JOSE, Calif.-Spyglass Inc. announced its Device Mail 3.1 embedded e-mail and Device Mosaic 3.1 browser products are available.Device Mail is an embedded e-mail client that extends e-mail capabilities to mobile phones and handheld computers. The first announced customer of the product is Motorola...
SANTA CLARA, Calif.-iReady Corp. said Seiko Instruments Inc. licensed its Internet Tuner technology to enable a line of next-generation liquid crystal displays in consumer electronics devices that can cheaply link to the Web.Under the licensing agreement, SII and iReady engineers will work together to...
What began as an idea 11 years ago is a reality today as Iridium L.L.C. brought its constellation of 66 low-earth-orbit satellites online for commercial service Nov. 1, becoming the world's first global wireless phone service provider."This is a very exciting week for Iridium,"...
LOS ANGELES-Global Access Pagers Inc. said it plans to introduce a pager card for Windows CE powered handheld devices in CF card format.The card is designed to fit in the memory expansion slot of Windows CE compatible palmtop devices, extending e-mail, messaging and Internet...
MELBOURNE, Australia-The Australian communications industry has applauded Telstra Corp.'s decision to build its second national mobile phone network using CDMA technology.Industry groups, including the Australian Telecommunications Users Group and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, have openly welcomed Telstra's move, hailing it as progressive and...
After US$5 billion worth of effort, the Iridium L.L.C. global satellite phone and cellular roaming service became a reality 1 November when the company activated the system for commercial operation."After 11 years of hard work, we are proud to announce that we are open...
DETROIT-Cue Networks, Etak Inc. and Metro Networks announced they have teamed to deliver a real-time traffic information service, initially available in 10 metropolitan areas with plans to expand to 75 by 2000.The service combines Etak's digital map and traveler information technology with Metro Networks'...
LAS VEGAS-Microsoft Corp. announced last week at Wireless I.T. in Las Vegas plans to create a microbrowser designed specifically for handheld wireless devices to access Web content.According to Cameron Myhrvold, vice president of the company's Internet consumer unit, this microbrowser will support such Internet...
IBM Corp.'s Microelectronics Division last week introduced its first standard, high-volume chip based on the company's silicon germanium manufacturing process.The company said the new standard chips can be used in cellular phones, pagers and other wireless communications devices to provide extended battery life, support...
Microsoft Corp. introduced its third-generation software platform for handheld personal computer products, called the Windows CE Handheld PC Professional Edition, or H/PC Pro.The platform, based on Windows CE 2.11, improves remote access and connectivity to corporate data while retaining the familiar user interface of...
NEW YORK-Sierra Wireless Inc., a Canada-based maker of wireless data modems, will have commercially available in December its new AirCard CE Cellular Digital Packet Data modem for Windows CE 2.0 handheld personal computers.The modem will be sold through Sierra Wireless resellers and distributors for...
CHANTILLY, Va.-GTE Corp. created a national wireless stock-trading system, extending the reach of online investment programs from desktops to mobile phones.GTE Wireless Trader allows people to trade stock, receive alerts, obtain real-time stock quotes and manage portfolios from browser-equipped portable smart phones. GTE said...
UNITED KINGDOM-Ram Mobile Data U.K. announced it was awarded a three-year contract to provide all nationwide field service communications in the United Kingdom for Lonco Industrial Services Ltd., one of the country's largest retail equipment maintenance contractors.The in-vehicle equipment includes Psion Workabout handheld computers-connected...
HEWLETT PACKARDA complete test solution for installing and maintaining radio-frequency infrastructure systems for Cellular Digital Packet Data and mobile data base station equipment was introduced by Hewlett-Packard Co. at the Personal Communications Showcase '98 trade show last week in Orlando, Fla. The solution is...
AvantGo Inc. released a new solution designed to extend enterprise and Web-based applications to handheld computers, allowing companies to deploy corporate applications to mobile devices that are compatible with their existing network and technology infrastructures.The solution, called AvantGo 2.0, consists of the AvantGo Server,...
NORCROSS, Ga.-LXE Inc., a subsidiary of Electromagnetic Sciences Inc., introduced several product enhancements for its wireless data collection systems.The new products include additions to the 2330 handheld computer, a new 6224 Session Manager, a plenum-rated ceiling enclosure for access points and a remote DC...
Lucent Technologies Inc.'s Microelectronics Group said its new system-on-a-chip process could result in wireless phones that operate for a month without needing recharging.The company announced a .13 micron fabrication process that will offer communications chips with density and power at cost-effective levels. Using module...
