AT&T Wireless Services Inc. launched its VoiceDial voice-activated dialing service onto its GSM network allowing customers to store up to four numbers for up to 2,000 contacts, make multiple calls without redialing #121 and customize the service with personal greetings for $4 per month.John...
LONDON-Orange has formed a new alliance with Motorola Inc. for a range of devices tailored to the Orange brand that will be available in the second half of the year. The Motorola V500 and V600 handsets will include flip screens, Bluetooth, integrated cameras, full-color...
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-Location-based services have struggled to find their feet in Europe. Mobile data has taken a long time to deliver on the technology, applications and price points to meet customer expectations. The reality is that mobile data has a long way to go....
TOKYO-J-Phone Company Ltd. said yesterday that the number of users of its Sha-mail picture messaging handsets exceeded 10 million. The Japanese operator was the first in the country to launch a picture messaging service in November 2000 and has seen rapid uptake.The company has...
SAN FRANCISCO-It's a numbers game.Three million developers. Three million downloads of the J2ME software development kit last year. Five hundred fifty million desktops running Java. Fifty-three wireless carriers deploying Java services to 100 million subscribers. One hundred million Java-enabled handsets in the world. Three...
For those who serenade wideband CDMA as the authentic third-generation protocol, Qualcomm Inc.-inspired cdma2000 is no more than a counterfeit David dueling the shadow of the giant to come. When the giant comes, in all its messianic glories of data and voice, cdma2000 will...
WASHINGTON-Motorola Inc. is getting a slice of the $34 million contract held by WorldCom Inc. to provide mobile phone service to U.S. civilian and military officials in Baghdad, even as pressure builds to have the Bush administration dismiss the embattled long-distance giant as a...
VALHALLA, N.Y.-Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. and Summus Inc. announced Fujifilm's "Get the Picture" mobile photo service application, powered by Summus' BlueFuel, is now available through AT&T Wireless Service Inc.'s mMode service.With the service, consumers can view, store and share photos taken with traditional...
The GSM Association reported that Kuwait-based wireless operator MTC-Vodafone deployed a GSM-based network in southern Iraq designed to support the reconstruction efforts and non-governmental organizations delivering humanitarian aid. The network reportedly is currently providing coverage along supply routes in the southern Iraqi city of...
SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Pen&Internet L.L.C. and China's dopod Communication Corp. have signed an original equipment manufacturer agreement in which all dopod Pocket PC phones will include Pen&Internet's riteMail handwritten messaging technology. "With its high-quality electronic ink and easy user interface, riteMail clearly has a great mass...
LONDON-U.K. newcomer Hutchison 3G U.K. will slash prices for its third-generation services beginning Monday. The two new service packages offer up to a 50-percent savings compared with similar plans on the market.With VideoTalk 500, users get 500 voice minutes for $41.50 per month. For...
Keeping itself ahead of a rapidly approaching pack, Nextel Communications Inc. this week is set to launch the first phase of its much-hyped nationwide Direct Connect service, which will allow customers to contact each other across the country with the familiar chirp of the...
WASHINGTON-Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), a long-time champion in the fight against the unsolicited commercial e-mail that increasingly devours Internet capacity and threatens wireless data in its infancy, this week is expected to introduce anti-spam legislation that competes with a similar bill backed by chairmen...
LONDON-European operator MmO2 countered rival Vodafone Group plc's Live multimedia service with its own data service called O2 Active. The navigation service, available for prepaid and postpaid users, will launch in June.MmO2 said the service includes a branded, color icon menu that guides customers...
MUNICH, Germany-German vendor Siemens AG said it has signed two contracts, one for EDGE technology.Siemens announced a deal with Malaysian mobile operator DiGi Telecommunications to supply it with GSM, GPRS and EDGE equipment. The German equipment maker described the deal as the first EDGE...
MIAMI-Nearly $1 million worth of Nokia Corp. wireless handsets destined for Leap Wireless International Inc.'s Cricket service were recovered in Florida after having been reported stolen from an Advantage Wireless retail outlet in Colorado last weekend.The nearly 11,000 phones were recovered after two men...
Wireless browser company Access Co. Ltd. said it will include Macromedia's Flash technology in its NetFront browser."Macromedia Flash is the obvious choice for our NetFront browser because of its ability to effectively deliver rich content in a compact format," said Toru Arakawa, Access' president...
SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. said it has successfully demonstrated a push-to-talk initial call setup performance of less than two seconds over a cdma2000 network using handsets with its QChat technology."Compared to other server-based solutions, QChat performs extremely fast call set-ups while minimizing use of the...
OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Nearly 20 percent of new vehicles worldwide will be embedded with Bluetooth hardware by 2007, according to research firm Allied Business Intelligence Inc. ABI cites low cost and an increasing number of mobile handsets embedded with Bluetooth as key drivers of the...
LG Mobile Phones further outlined its major advertising campaign for the U.S. market, a move the company has discussed during the past few months as it looks to raise awareness of the LG brand.The company said the multimillion dollar advertising push, the biggest since...
TOKYO-Japanese wireless data giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it will launch a mobile-commerce service the carrier said will allow its subscribers to purchase accessories, perfumes and health care goods using their mobile phones.Mobile-phone users will be able to visit DoCoMo's new online store at...
Two small vendors have made some progress in the multimedia messaging service center arena this week with global wins announced by LogicaCMG and Comverse.LogicalCMG announced an agreement to supply Ireland's smallest mobile operator with its MMSC. The product includes transcoding and number portability capabilities....
Playboy Enterprises has signed its first major mobile carrier agreement through a deal with Hutchison's third-generation operations. The agreement covers rights to provide Playboy's print, online and broadcast libraries to wireless customers in markets where Hutchison has 3G companies.The Hong Kong-based operator has focused...
SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Royal Philips Electronics announced several new mobile-phone products, including three new handsets based on technology from Cellon International.Targeting the Asian and European market, the phones feature increased talk time, built-in games and color screens. The new models, which will be launched during...
