The Ringtone that Grown-Ups Can't Hear
A new cellphone ring tone has begun circulating as an offshoot of an invention called the "Mosquito," developed by a Welsh security company to annoy teenagers. Based on the biological feature of youth's ability to hear frequencies than adults (humans above the age of 40) cannot hear. The tone was originally marketed as an ultrasonic teenager repellent, the 17-kilohertz noise was designed to help malls and shop owners disperse teenagers - while leaving adults unaffected. Most human audible communication takes place in the frequency ranges between 200 and 8,000 hertz (or one cycle per second), and most adults' ability to hear frequencies higher than that deteriorates in early middle age.

If you want to know how old you (or your ears) are - Click here to play the "Mosquito" ringtone. High school students in the US have started circulating the ringtone and installing it on their cell phones, so as to detect incoming calls and text messages while still in class. Teachers who hearing is especially acute, or who are younger than 30(ish) can hear the incoming calls, and silence the students, while middle-aged teachers are blissfully unaware of the cacophony emanating from under the desks!

Verizon Customers get the new Motorola Q
Edging out the Blackberry, Motorola have launched the "Q", at first for Verizon users only, other carriers will get to it later this year. With up to 4 hours of voice and data time (with 212 hours of stnadby) the Q is a serious contender for the Blackberry's messaging feature set. It has adnavanced voice-recognition software and can view email and attachments (documents, spreadsheets, presentations and PDFs), manage personal information using Outlook Mobile (Inbox, Contacts, Calendar and Tasks), supports multiple email POP3/IMAP4, Microsoft Exchange and GoodLink, and handles SMS, Multi-media Messaging, Group SMS, and of course IM!

The Q has 52 MB of built in memory and can handle removable cards for extendable storage of documents, photos, music and video. The screen is larger than usual at 320 by 240 pixels, and with it's 1.3 Mega pixel camera photos are way better than the average cell phone image definition. The downside is the software. The Q comes with about 25 preinstalled programs: Tasks, Voice Notes, Internet Explorer, Solitaire, etc. accessible by pressing the "Start" button, as in the typical Windows environment. Only the applications are represented by icons and there is only room for 6 at a time, so finding what you need is laborious. Connecting via Verizon Wireless' 3G-rated EVDO network results in better Internet connectivity than Verizon and Sprint's older 2.5G-rated CDMA networks.

MIT makes cell phones RadioActive - intentionally!  
RadioActive, developed at MIT's Sociable Media Group, allows large-scale audio-based conversations on mobile phones. It functions as a mobile audio forum, where users leave posts by recording voice messages. Other users can navigate through, listen to, and respond to these messages using the audio or optional visual interface. RadioActive's chat space is persistent, allowing users to drop in and out of discussion as they wish. The combined interface is unique for persistent audio chat spaces, and provides an easy way to navigate at a global level. An automated playback mode also allows users to put the device in their pocket and listen passively.

RadioActive's prinicipal focus is to support public discussions within an urban context. By becoming the communications foundation to the eLens (another MIT) project, RadioActive chat rooms can be created for specific buildings or sites tied to visual markers, dynamically formed social groups, and disparate communities.

Nokia Threatens the future of the PC  05.14.06
While users in Japan are just starting to wave their cell phones at vending machines to make payments, and around the world amateur journalists are sending cell phone digital images of onsite happenings to the media, Nokia vows to integrate all possible digital services into the hand-set. With music and video being pushed into the cell phone screen, a multitide of applications being mimicked or hijacked into the cell space - Nokia is poised to threaten the very existence of the PC.

According to Nokia's press office: "Nokia is extremely pleased to see the start of commercial mobile TV roll outs that are based on open standards. Nokia strongly believes that mobile TV based on open standards prevents fragmentation of the DVB-H market and enables a healthy competitive open market," said Harri Männistö, director, Multimedia, Nokia. With multiplayer gaming in the near future, that pretty much wraps up the entire interactive space - the only aspect left untouched is - "Can it core an Apple?"

News and weather reports via cell phone  04.24.06
Weathernews announced the launch of the "WNI LiveLocal" mobile application at NAB 2006. Available through Sprint Nextel, LiveLocal is a video application that subscribers download onto their cell phones and subsequently use to access content from the WNI Network, including local video broadcasts of news, weather, sports, traffic, and other information. Weathernews Inc. claims to be the world's largest private weather service company headquartered in Japan, offer compatible cell phone users a Weathernews application (available to "Get It Now" customers) by selecting the "Get It Now" option from the main menu of their cell phones. Once users have downloaded the Weathernews application, the next time they select Get it Now option, the Weathernews logo appears on the Get It Now idle screen for use at anytime. Once users have selected a city to get weather information, they can save that city into their "My Weather". Multiple locations can be saved in My Weather. When the Weathernews apllication launches, those cities saved in My Weather will appear on the handset automatically. To scroll from one city to the other, users can navigate with the right and left arrow keys. Using the down key provides more information about a particular city.

Paypal payments becomes Cell Phone enabled   04.20.06
Paypal have launched a cell phone enabled version of their service called "Paypal Mobile" allows users to send payments, receive notifications of the receipt of payments, and access their account details. After users have activated their cell phone, they can send money in one of two new ways: by texting to 729725 (PAYPAL) with the amount and recipient’s phone number ( Example: send 5 to 4150001234O ), or, they can call 1-800-4PAYPAL (1-800-472-9725) and follow the instructions. In the United States PayPal Mobile works with the following wireless carriers: Alltel, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. In the UK Extreme Mobile, O2, Orange, Tesco, Three, T-Mobile, Virgin, and Vodafone are now capable of delivering Paypal payments. To use the service, you must have a Paypal account, a compatible carrier, and activate your cell phone by calling Paypal and creating a personal identification number ("PIN") which is used by Paypal to approve cell phone transactions. ( The mobile PIN does not replace the users PayPal password.) Users should not use PayPal mobile if they take their Cell Phone outside the United States or Canada because it may not be lawful to receive the information contained in SMS messages received as part of PayPal mobile in some jurisdictions. PayPal state that they will not be held liable for use of PayPal mobile outside the United States.

Sprint and Nextel Offers Family Locator Service  04.13.06
Sprint has launched a locator service for cell phone users, developed by WaveMarket Inc, based in Emeryville, California. Sprint Family Locator is available for download on 17 phone models and can be used to locate 30 GPS-enabled phone models on the Sprint PCS Network and the Nextel National Network. For $9.99/month, subscribers can register up to four phones to locate, get unlimited location requests and send 100 text messages to each child phone. The service is available at www.sprint.com/familylocator; on Sprint phones' homepage under downloads/applications/find it; and on Nextel phones' homepage under downloads and services/applications/browse/GPS.

To activate the service, parents or guardians can list up to four phone numbers they want to locate. Then the parent creates a safety (or "password") word that the parent and child both use only during the registration process to ensure permissions have been granted by both parties. Users can also give permission to others, such as an alternate relative or nanny, to locate a child.

When a parent or guardian requests the child's location, the Sprint Family Locator uses GPS technology to pinpoint the location and display it on an interactive map, along with the street address and surrounding landmarks, on the parent's or guardian's phone or PC. The child is notified by a text message each time his or her location is provided to the parent or guardian. Once the child is located, the parent or guardian can immediately call or send a text message to the child's phone. The parents or guardian can set alerts to notify them when the child arrives at a specified location, such as a school, home or a relative's house at a designated time. For example, a parent or guardian can be notified whether a child has arrived at school by 8:15 a.m. each day. Information on recent location requests is provided in text and map form.

"We encourage parents and guardians to maintain open and frequent communication with their children" said Nancy A. McBride, national safety director for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). "We also remind them to supervise their children and discuss safety tips with them for staying safer when traveling to and from school or after-school activities."

Biodegradable Cell Phone Parts  03.27.06
Researchers at the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group, in conjunction with PVAXX Research & Development Ltd, have devised a novel way to recycle discarded mobile telephones - bury them and watch them transform into the flower of your choice.

Cell phones are one of the most quickly discarded items of consumer electronics. Rapid changes in technology and taste means customers constantly upgrade their phones leaving behind more and more discarded phones. However there is increasing pressure on all manufacturers by policy makers to find ways of recycling discarded goods, and also pressure from some customers who want to feel they are making an environmentally sensitive purchase. This research by engineers in the Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick promises a novel way that a mobile telephone manufacturer can meet these demands.

The University of Warwick team, led by Dr Kerry Kirwan (photo right) , have worked with hi tech materials company PVAXX Research and Development Ltd and Motorola to create a mobile telephone case or cover that when discarded can simply be placed in compost in such a way that just weeks later the case will begin to disintegrate and turn into a flower.

Two of the researchers have made two key changes to the case or cover of the mobile to achieve this result: A special formulation of PVAXX Research and Development Ltd's biodegradable polymer range was developed in conjunction with materials researchers at Warwick, that produces a high quality finish but which also biodegrades easily in compost. Secondly the engineers at the University of Warwick have created a small transparent window in the case or cover in which they can embed a seed. The seed is visible to the environmentally aware mobile phone user but will not germinate until the phone cover or case is recycled. The researchers have drawn on the specialised seed expertise of researchers in the University of Warwick's horticultural research arm - Warwick HRI - to identify which types of seeds would perform best in this situation. For the first prototype telephones they have used dwarf sunflower seeds.

Broadcast pictures and VNR are available: A free broadcast quality VNR is available via APTN and research-TV see http://www.research-tv.com/stories/technology/mobilephones/

Wikipedia now Available via Cell Phone  03.17.06
Access http://www.3g.co.nz/wiki/ and you can search over a million articles in the Wikipedia via your cell phone. The cell screen version is very simple, allowing users to keep the data transfers to a minimum while showing text results. There's a radio-button check box for Encyclopedia or dictionary and a text entry field. The interface is graphics free, but the information is all there, including both internal and external links. Waht's missing is all the multimedia that you would normally be found alongside the text.

Apple likely to release a cell phone   03.16.06
Research and investment firm PiperJaffray have stoked the rumours that Apple will launch a cell phone. While speaking to clients on Wednesday, PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster said: "Additionally, we believe Apple will benefit from the new Intel-based Mac's, along with what we estimate to be a 75 per cent chance of a iPhone in the next 12 months."

Razr Recall  03.11.06
T-Mobile USA and Cingular Wireless have suspended sales of Motorola's Razr cell phone until a technical bug is ironed out that causes the cell phones to drop calls. "Motorola and its customers are addressing a quality issue affecting a very limited number of Razr handsets sold for GSM networks," said Motorola spokesman Alan Buddendeck. The defective Razr phones were sold between January 16th and February 28th of this year. The suspect phones have been removed from the market and sales of new ones will resume next week. Motorola have publicly declared that they believe there exists only a small number of cell phones with the problem.

Macs can SMS via bluetooth compatible Cell Phone  03.09.06
message2net a new Mac OS X utility from Nova Media enables users to create, send and receive Short Message Service (SMS) with their Apple Macintosh Computer and bypass the cell phone keyboard. Using message2net Macs can send, receive and manage SMS messages while connected to a Bluetooth-compatible cell phone. message2net supports Apple's Address Book, users can drag and drop to copy contacts from their Address Book to SIM-card and vice versa, and can deliver both multipart SMS messages, and group SMS. message2net supports a number of cell phones, including Siemens, Sony Ericsson and Motorola models. OS system requirements are Mac OS X v10.3 or later, and a compatible cell phone, and costs about $20.

Plane Talking Time  03.08.06
In May 2006, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission intends auctioning radio spectrum slots to providers to klet users cellphone and surf the Web while in flight. While the providers will be happy to supply and sell the technologies to enable cell phone "in flight" use - many people are already expressing their dissaproval of the plan - both from the safety perspective, and from the noise pollution from constant chatter viewpoint. Bill Strauss, an expert in aircraft electromagnetic compatibility at the Naval Air Warfare Center, recently completed a Ph.D. on the topic at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh. His research (in collaboration with other three authors, electrical engineers and professors at CMU, M. Granger Morgan and Daniel Stancil. And Jay Apt an active pilot and former NASA astronaut) showed that over the course of three months in 2003, the team tested the spectral environment on 37 different commercial flights over the northeast United States. They found passengers using cellphones (on average) at least once per flight, contrary to FCC and FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulations, and sometimes during critical flight phases of takeoff and landing. Their research also found that cell phones and other portable devices can interrupt the normal operation of key cockpit instruments, especially Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, which are often vital to safe landings.

Guitar Cell Phone   03.03.06
Motorola has filed a US Patent # 20060027080 for a device intended to be used as a Guitar/Cell Phone. Here's how the patent reads: "Within a mobile communication device, a method of specifying musical notes for substantially concurrent playback comprising: receiving an input specifying a root note, wherein the root note indicates a barred position on a neck of a stringed instrument; associating at least one column of input keys of the mobile communication device with a string of the stringed instrument, wherein input keys next to one another within a same column specify notes which vary by approximately a half-step; and detecting an activation of at least one of the input keys specifying at least one additional note to be played substantially concurrently with the root note, thereby specifying a musical chord. "

Don't expect Metallica to take these on tour with them in the near future!

Paint Blocks Cell Phone Signals   03.01.06
NaturalNano (a Rochester NY based company) using Nanotechnology has devised a paint that blocks cell phone signals. Particles of copper are inserted into microscopic tubes, which combined with a radio-filtering device collects phone signals from outside the shielded area, can block certain transmissions from passing through the paint coated walls. NaturalNano licensed U.S. Patent No. 6,885,845, called "Personal Communications Device Connectivity Arrangement" from AMBIT Corporation. This patent is said to complement the Company's research and development efforts in RF shielding. The license extends to all fixed, non-mobile applications of this technology. Robert J. Crowley, President and Co-founder of AMBIT Corporation, is quoted as saying "Until now, there has not been a practical, profit generating cellular shielding system that can be turned on or off. Unlike illegal jamming, our system monitors and controls the flow of radio, cellular and WIFI signals into a building and has a built-in billing function, too. The license to NaturalNano includes AMBIT Corporation's technologies to direct and route revenue-generating information streams in a shielded environment."

How long till movie theaters start painting their interiors with this new technology. Will restaurants advertise this on their menus? We can't wait to see the impact on communal architecture of this new development!

Accessing a live Human on a Corporate Telco Service Phone Number   02.26.06
Sick of trying to plough through automated phone services when trying to get answers from your Telco? Try using these techniques, for example for Motorola call 800-331-6456 then press 0 twice! Here's the present day list of phone techniques for accessing US Telco human representatives. >

Motorola's M-Wallet   02.08.06
Consumers using Motorola's new credit system will be able to sign up through their cellphone's wireless Internet connection, store bank-account and credit-card information, in encrypted form on credit-card companies and bank servers. Motorola claims the service will have four layers of security to store client information. The system will turn itself off after a period of disuse, providing some protection in case a user forgets to log out. The cost of the feature will be up to the wireless carriers, who may charge monthly subscription fees, or per-transaction fees. The M-Wallet service will be limited to banking transactions such as online bill payment and fund transfers, as well as purchases from participating retailers such as airlines and movie houses. But in six to nine months, when a special chip for the phones is available, eventually consumers will be able to pay for groceries and other things using cash register scanners. Cell phone users should also be able to use the service to wire money to each other.

The new Sony Erricson Cell Phone scans business cards!   02.06.06
The new Sony Ericsson P990 includes an astonishing array of features, including the ability to scan business cards, and (via OCR) record the data as contact information! It supports email from the following carriers: AlteXia, Ericsson Mobile Office, iAnywhere OneBridge, Intellisync, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, RIM - BlackBerry Connect, Seven, Visto, and Standard Email - IMAP IDLE working on all standards compliant servers. The embedded music player supports P3, AAC and AAC+ formats. Messaging and image capabilities include: 2 Mega pixel camera with AutoFocus, 2.5 x digital Zoom, Video Telephony application with dual cameras and MPEG4 support, Streaming video and playback of video (30 fps QVGA) Touch-based Picture editor, Large 2.8 inch QVGA (240 x 320) and a Touch screen with 262 k colours. Scheduled for Q@ 2006 release the manufacturer will ship two versions, one P990i Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) - GPRS 900/1800/1900 for Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, And the other P990c Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) - GPRS 900/1800/1900 for Mainland China.

Besides the ability to scan business cards, the P990 also has a thumb keyboard available in 4 hardware keyboard variants: QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY and Russian. And it includes: Smart typing (Word completion, next word prediction and handwriting character recognition). Word, excel and PowerPoint viewers/editors (text only). Adobe PDF viewer. Opera 8.0 web browser with landscape full screen support. RSS news feeds support. Flight mode (Activate WiFi ). Office hands free (speaker phone) External antenna connector. Calculator and Converter application

ITunes Phone for $199.99   02.02.06
While only 84,000 ROKRs were sold last year, compared to tens of millions of RAZRs. Chief among reviewer complaints was that the ROKR would hold at most 100 iTunes songs, and that data transfer took too long. The new Motorola SLVR L7 has the same storage limitation for iTunes files and uses the same USB technology to connect to the computer. However: the Motorola SLVR L7 feature set includes the following: iTunes Digital Jukebox - plays, sorts, stores and manages music. VGA Camera with 4x digital zoom, video capture and playback. Bluetooth wirelesss synchronization. Downloads games, MP3s, ringtones and streaming video. Mobile Instant Messaging uses AOL, Yahoo! and ICQ Instant Messaging. Multimedia (text, video and images) Messaging. Pre-installed 512 MB Micro SD card for extended memory. Stores up to 100 songs on removable Micro SD card. iTunes synchronization with your computer via included software. Shuffle music library or select songs by artist, album or playlist Mobile email and browser. Built-in stereo speakers. TFT color display with 262k colors Voice activated dialing and speakerphone. Customizable music and wallpaper. Music will pause for incoming calls then resumes playing.

Superbowl Sports Phone   01.31.06
Mobile ESPN will begin its national roll-out this coming Sunday with a 60-second Super Bowl ad announcing its new $199 mobile phone available at Best Buy. With video clips and sports columns from ESPN's sports shows, televised games and magazine, Mobile ESPN aims to exploit it's brand with the sports-oriented population. Specialized phone service resellers don't need to reach tens of millions of customers to succeed. "If Mobile ESPN has 3 million customers by the end of the decade paying $65 a month, they will be doing very well," says Ken Hyers, chief wireless industry analyst for ABI Research. The major telcomm providers make users pay for the number of minutes they use, then charge more for the data you use to watch video or to play games, but new specialized cell phone services companies are coming out with flat-pricing plans. For example Mobile ESPN charges users $34.99 a month for 100 minutes of talk time, and up to $224.99 for 4,000 minutes of talk time, but the data transfer is free. Virgin Mobile, Mobile ESPN, Helio, and Cbeyond are targeting users who want to pay for unique services.

74 million Skype* users will get access to Warners Music Catalog as Ringtones  01.30.06
Warner Music Group announced they would make its music available as ringtones the 74 million users of Skype's (Skype is owned by Ebay, inc.) Internet telephone service. According to the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI), ringtone sales accounted for around $400 million, or 36 percent, of total digital music revenues of $1.10 billion.

*Skype provides Internet telephony. Calls require a PC microphone and speakers, or a PC headset. Skype is set up with no server or workstation configuration, and works behind most firewalls and gateways without providing new security risks. Skype calls are claimed to be encrypted for security.

Opera Mini Browser for Cell Phones  01.26.06
Norway's Opera Software have announced the free distribution of a slimmed-down version of their Browser application for almost all cell phones (users must have a phone capable of running Java mobile applications and using an internet connection; most phones made since 2001 fulfill these requirements). The Opera Mini browser is designed to work on virtually any cell phone, including low-cost units, and can be downloaded for free (some service providers may charge for the data transfer time). The application, once downloaded, offers a Google start page and bookmark capabilities. This week's world launch of the browser comes after successful trials were run last fall in Scandinavia and Germany.

To get Opera Mini simply point your phone's WAP browser to http://mini.opera.com. The browser will usually be located in the phone's program list, then launch it. Find the browser's "Open URL/address" function and type in "mini.opera.com". Then select the download link using the navigation buttons, joystick, or stylus. Activate the link to start the download by pressing your phone's confirmation button while the link is selected. With most phones, pushing the joystick or center navigation key works for confirmation. Follow any instructions on your cell phone to complete the installation. Once Opera Mini is installed, you may be offered the option to open it. If not, you will need to locate Opera Mini and launch it using your phone's menu system. If their cell phone does not have either a WAP or Internet access point configured, users should contact their service provider for help.

Name that Tune  01.25.06
For 99 cents per song identified, or 6 songs for $5.49 (or 10 songs for $8.49!) Alltel customers now can use their cell phones to identify the title, album and artist of a song they hear being played with Song IDentity. Alltel is offering the application developed by Rocket Mobile, a software applications provider for mobile phones.
"Song IDentity allows customers to use their wireless phones to record a few seconds of any song and immediately see on their phones the name of the artist, title and album," said Wade McGill, vice president of wireless product management for Alltel. "Customers also have the option of purchasing a ringtone of the song if available." Customers can visit Alltel's Axcess Shop on their cell phones to download the application. Rocket Mobile have also created Rocket Mobile RocketForms which enables cell phones to become data collection terminals. With RocketForms, custom business forms can be created online using a Web-based tool and then distributed to mobile users. RocketForms include: Sales Orders, Inventory Tracking, Time Sheets, Work Orders, and Customer Surveys.

Cell Phone Tech News Predictions for 2006  01.23.06

Canon's Camera Cell Phone  01.20.06
The first cell phone capable camera from Canon will be the Digital Rebel XCP.Physically similar to Canon's already popular entry-level digital SLR, the Digital Rebel XT. However, the controls on the back have been changed to make room for a microphone, speaker and a dial pad.

The story from Canon quotes Alana Harford, Canon's Chief of Engineering saying: "I got the idea out on a photo safari in my local park when I needed a friend's advice, but when I wanted to call him, I realized that I had - once again - forgotten my cell phone at home. At first I thought about duct taping the phone to my camera - which I've always got on me. Then it occurred to me: 'Hey, why not combine the two?' "

Some photographers have already complained the that the new cell phone's ringing tone has chased away the wildlife they were trying to shoot!

Mood Phone Invention wins $10,000 for Biomed Student  01.18.06
John Finan, from Dublin, Ireland, and a Duke University graduate student entry to Motorola's first-ever MOTOFWRD competition, has won first place and a prize of $10,000. Finan's Mood Phone is intended to improve social interactions, especially for people who suffer from Asberger's Syndrome, would light up in a spectrum of color - from warm to cold glowing colors - based on the distinct speech patterns received via cell phone. Seen through the corner of the eye, the visual stimulus would help users interpret the mood and inflection communicated through the words and phrases they hear.

Second and third place runners who won $2,500 and some hardware included:

An iPod calling you soon  01.16.06
Apple filed four trademark applications for the term 'Mobile Me,' describing potential usages as digital music, cellular and telecommunications. In one specific trademark application, Apple's "Mobile Me" would apply to "mobile telephone communications services" and "telecommunication services for the dissemination of information by mobile telephone, namely the transmission of data to mobile telephones." Given that Apple has already licensed iTunes to the Motorola ROKR, they should already have a fairly extensive understanding of the user's experience in telecommunications. Users have criticised the Motorola unit's lack of storage space, so a new iPod model succesfully wired to telecommunications, or via VoIP would bridge that chasm.

Make a Call - Lose Your Shirt!  01.11.06
Poker for your cell phone is now under development by Glu Mobile, a cell phone game publisher with offices in San Mateo California, Hong Kong and the UK. The game will be published under exclusive license by Harrah's License Company, LLC, an affiliate of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.

"Harrah's and the World Series of Poker are two of the biggest brands in the entertainment industry," said Greg Ballard, president and chief executive officer, Glu Mobile. "The ever-increasing popularity of poker and the emerging consumer excitement of multiplayer mobile games combine to make this a timely and powerful alliance." Glu Mobile also make ringtones and screensavers for cell phones so there will undoubtedly be a suite of cell phone apps based on Poker and branded by Harrah's. Harrah's premiere poker event is the World Series of Poker with a winning pot of $1 million advancing to the final table. The next Series, is scheduled for this Summer at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is when we'd expect the cell phone poker applications to be ready for consumers.

BBC News on your Phones Cell Screens 01.10.06
In a new venture intended to supply US, and Canadian cell phone users with some of their original content, BBC News producers will be choosing about 40 portions of programming on World & U.K. news, and Entertainment, Business, and Technology news each day. This is a first in electronic syndication from the BBC, ABC has signed on as the exclusive distributor of the BBC's new on-demand footage for broadband and wireless in Canada and U.S. "ABC News and the BBC share a desire to reach consumers any time, on any device and anywhere across the globe," said Bernard Gershon, general manager for the ABC News Digital Media Group. The Associated Press is also launching an online video news network this year featuring about 50 stories per day, and will be available free to AP's 3,500 newspaper and broadcast members. The BBC and ABC have not yet announced specific pricing details, including whether clips will be sold bundled or separately, or whether they will be dirstibuted free to subscribers of its existing $40-a-year premium video package. Says ABC spokesperson Megan Mollman: "We are still in the process of considering our options".

Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone 01.09.06
Sony previewed their new W810 model at the CES (Consumer Electonics Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada last week. The model which will ship with a 512 MB Memory Stick PRO Duo card, and can be upgraded with cards ranging up to 2GB. The W810 is quad-band, and supports the two major U.S. frequencies (850/1900) and the two international bands (900/1800), aiming it at the U.S. carriers. It also supports EDGE, the medium-speed data network used by Cingular and T-Mobile to get download speeds around double that of dialup landline modems. The W810 is black, and has more intuitive music-control buttons than the previous model W800, with play/pause, fast forward and rewind buttons marked on the front of the phone. It can be cradled in a stereo speaker unit and used as a home or office music player.

Motorola launches Cell Phone with a dedicated "Google" Button 01.08.06
Motorola has announced that it will start selling cell phones with a dedicated button on the keypad that will allow users direct access to the Google search engine.

"Many of our customers have been asking for mobile devices integrated with their consumers' favorite online search services," Scott Durchslag, VP GM of Global xProducts for Motorola's mobile device business division, told the Associated Press. "Our relationship with Google provides an opportunity for us to offer a high quality mobile search experience - one familiar to and loved by millions of users across the globe." The new Motorola handsets with the Google icon are expected to be available to consumers starting in Q1 of 2006.

Turn your Cell Phone into a PDA. 01.04.06
Remoba Inc. have developed and release "RemoMail" a software application that accesses email, contact lists, and calendars on cell phones with synchronizing capabilities to your PC. RemoMail claims to be compatible with Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Lotus Notes, and Palm Desktop software. The email application accepts POP, POP3, and IMAP formats and (by providing a proxy mail server) can access internet based e-mail account such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and gMail. With RemoMail, regular mobile phones become high-end PDA/Smart Phones for a fraction of the cost.

Remo provides a proxy mail server for Hotmail and MSN. Others that use POP3 include Yahoo!, Earthlink, Netzero and PacBell. Yahoo! requires you to enable the "POP Access & Forwarding" feature. AOL does not use POP3 mail servers. Most businesses and organizations also use POP3 mail servers for Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Exchange. Ask your Management Information Systems (MIS) department if they use a POP3 mail server that can be accessed over the Internet and for the IP address. Remo 2.x claims to access corporate email securely and supports IMAP4. Once downloaded and installed (the setup process includes entering a login, password and account details), users can launch RemoMail on their cell phone. Select Email from the main menu. Select Account Setup from the Email main menu. Then select the "Add New" icon. The Select Server menu is displayed; then the user chooses an Email provider from the list presented. If the user's Pop-Mail Server is not listed, they can choose "Other" and enter the POP3 Mail Server or incoming Mail Server IP address. Once the Email account(s) are set up, subscribers can use the Get Mail, Send Mail menu options to read, respond, forward and compose new Email.

RemoMail applications are offered through the users wireless carrier for a monthly subscription fee. Each carrier has their unique pricing but it is expected to be around $7.99 per month.

Where is the nearest Pizza? - and what are my shares doing?12.28.05
Aimed at solving business traveller's needs, and useful to everyone else with a cell phone, Ask Me Now have developed a small downloadable application for the cell phone that will answer any questions (as best they can) for many cell phones and wireless handhelds. Automated answers asked through the call-in IVR or on the AskMeNow App are free. All AskMeAnything questions are answered for a fee of $.49, which will be automatically charged to the user's cell phone bill. Typical questions range from Stock Quotes, and Find a Restaurant, to horoscopes, however it is possible to answer more convoluted questions, like "Who was the better President - Lincoln or Washington?" and receive the reply: "Your request returned no exact results. The closest results are as follows." - followed by two brief biographies. AskMeNow can be accessed anywhere in the world users receive service on their cell phones or wireless handheld, provided they are using an account that was set up with a North American wireless carrier. This week, AskMeNow has introduced the free automated information for weather forecasts, stock prices and directions, available by calling a toll-free number, 1-888-EZ-ASK-ME. They will start advertising heavily so non-technical cell-phone users will hear about this offering soon.

Atlanta Thrashers Fans get Mobile Content - and test contactless payments at the Arena concession stands. 12.19.05
Contactless transactions at Philips Arena in Atlanta, are about to be tested - intending to enable faster payments at the concession stands - and get the fans out of the lines, and back to the game. At checkout, the phone is held next to a reader and a contactless payment transaction is automatically charged to the user via a Visa payment network. Users can purchase items by simply holding their Nokia 3220 mobile phones equipped with Philips' NFC semiconductor chips and ViVOtech software near a secure terminal. Approximately 150 contactless point of sale (POS) readers have been deployed by ViVOtech throughout Philips Arena. Thrashers fans will also be able to access and download mobile content such as ringtones, wallpapers, screensavers, and clips from their favorite players and artists by holding an NFC-enabled phone in front of posters embedded with an NFC tag.
This test-run is the first large-scale test of next-generation mobile phone applications in North America, and is the result of a collaboration between Chase (NYSE: JPM), Cingular Wireless, Nokia, Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI), Visa USA, and ViVOtech, along with Atlanta Spirit, LLC, parent company of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, NHL's Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena.

Just when you thought it was safe to go swimming . . . 12.15.05
LG Telecom, in Korea, have announced a waterproof mobile phone, the canU 502S, developed in partnership with Casio Computer. "If dropped in a pool, tub or sink, this phone will survive in roughly thirty minutes since we sealed its tiny crevices with rubber packing" said LG Telecom spokesman Kang Shin-koo. The model also incorporates urethane to enhance shockproofing. The speaker and camera holes have been specially treated to prevent water from soaking through. LG havestarted marketing the watertight phone, which also comes with an MP3 player and a mega-pixel camera, today with a price tag of around $540. LG's dedicated marketing website proclaims the "502S style is metro sexual and sporty" - a partially submerged cell phone is shown being attacked by hammerhead sharks - a must for divers you might say!

Vonage delivers combined VoIP and Wi-Fi Cell Phone, and promises their new model will disrupt the Telecom Marketplace 12.14.05
A combination VoIP and Wi-Fi phone has been released by Vonage, allowing users to make calls in areas covered by wireless hotspots. The F1000 Wi-Fi handset comes with the standard features: three-way calling, call waiting, re-dial, call forwarding, voice mail, and caller ID. It will include silent and vibrate ring as well as selectable ring tones. The phone's battery is promised to accommodate up to five hours of talk time, 50 hours to 100 hours of standby, and is said to be rechargeable in less than three hours. The F1000, offers mobility across 802.11b networks, and is now available at www.vonage.com for $129.99 with a $50 instant rebate for a total of $79.99.

Louis Holder, executive vice president of product development for Vonage Holdings Corp. is quoted as saying: "Recognizing the need for consumers and small businesses to have numerous options when communicating with family, friends and business associates, Vonage is excited to offer its subscribers the UTStarcom F1000 Wi-Fi handset, which will enable them to make unlimited local and long distance calls from any open access Wi-Fi hot spot." Bill Huang, chief technology officer and senior vice president of engineering at UTStarcom adds: "We believe the affordable price point and extensive features of the UTStarcom F1000 offered through Vonage will be a disruptive force in the telecommunications service marketplace. Consumers with Wi-Fi access in their home can replace their traditional home phone with the F1000 and start reaping the benefits of wireless VoIP phone service right away."

Send a Text Message to a Cell phone via your browser here! 12.13.05
The following are the Telecomm Carriers web portals to send a text message to cell phone users in their programs: AT&T/Cingular | Cellular One | Nextel | Skytel | Sprint PCS | T-Mobile | Verizon
Some are easier to implement than others of course, and you have to know your target's cell # to send a text message to them.

Verizon Deploys Navigation tools to Cell 12.6.05
On only one phone, the new Motorola V325, an $80 handset, with other phones to follow in 2006 Verizon has launched a cell phone screen navigation system, with step-by-step, and voice instructions. Users can enter an address using the keypad (2 for A, 222 for C, etc.) or enter the zip code instead of city and state. The new VZ Navigator service lets users see moving maps without entering a final destination. For moving maps, the clock is running on airtime minutes. The service will be available to Verizon customers at $10 per month, or for single-day sessions at $3 per 24 hour session.

Movie Phones Launched 12.1.05
Sony Pictures Digital have announced a partnerhsip with Actimagine to deliver full length movies on memory cards for mobile phones. Actimagine software video codec and DRM solutions can deliver full length movies on memory cards for mobile devices. This software allows storing a two hour movie on a 128MB memory card, bringing the higher quality imaging and sound to mobile phones. Compared to other technologies, Actimagine display software requires far less processing power and, in turn, less processing power extends battery lifetime. Actimagine can run a full screen TV like display for more than six and a half hours on most of the current available smart phones.

In the UK, Actimagine software video codec and DRM solutions are being used to deliver and protect select full length feature films that Sony Pictures Digital has released on memory cards for mobile phones. Spiderman 2, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail were launched in June of this year and new titles including Stuart Little, Ghostbusters and Hitch became available earlier this month. All mobile devices like mobile phones, PDA's, Portable Multimedia Players can run Actimagine software video codec and all flash memory card formats are supported. To date, Actimagine has made versions of it's technologies for Series 60, UIQ, Windows Mobile, and PocketPC.

Antimicrobial Cell Phone 11.25.05
In the middle of an Avian Flu media hype Motorola has announced the launch of the Motorola i870, a new mobile device that combines a multimedia cell phone with an antimicrobial coating. The i870has a 1.3 megapixel camera with a video recorder, MP3 player and two-way radio. Uniquely the i870 is the first mobile device to feature AgION® antimicrobial coating which is intended to inhibit the growth of microbes such as bacteria and mold on the handset's painted surfaces.

Says J. Ladd Greeno, president and CEO of AgION: "We are excited to work with Motorola to incorporate AgION's patented antimicrobial technology into the i870 handset, Silver has a centuries-long history of use as an antimicrobial and our compound has been incorporated into a variety of applications including apparel, pens and even medical devices. The built-in antimicrobial coating of the i870 will help to ensure effective and long- lasting protection of the handset from damaging microbes."

Children's Dedicated Cell Phone 11.18.05
Firefly have developed and released a dedicated model intended for children aged 12 years and under. The model sold by Cingular will be advertised in parent-friendly environments such as Parenting Magazine, Good Housekeeping, and People. The key factor in making it appropriate for children is that it allows parents to enter a list of approved numbers, and to restrict calls to and from numbers that aren't on the list.

For simplicity's sake it has just five keys, with Speed dial for each Parent, PIN-protected Phone Book with up to 20 numbers, and optionally rejects calls from numbers not in the Child's Phone Book directory. The package ships with a Firefly Phone, 30 Firefly Minutes, Travel Charger, Backpack Clip, and instructions. The new cell phone works on GSM 850/1900 MHz networks Internal antenna. It has a rechargeable, nonremovable lithium ion battery, 6 hours talk time, with up to 205 hours standby time. Size: 3.46" x 1.75" x 0.79", weighs 2.12 ounces and has dual-language capabilities: English and Spanish.

TracFone Wireless Offers Free Cell Phones to Eligible Katrina Evacuees 11.17.05
TracFone® Wireless, Inc., national provider of prepaid wireless communications, is offering a Free Package to qualified participants, which includes 300 minutes of airtime, one year of service, battery and charger. Customers who purchase additional airtime during their service year will receive twice the amount of minutes for each airtime card purchased or half-price minutes. To assist potential recipients, TracFone's toll-free access number provides an easy-to-follow recorded message with options to repeat the informational steps for clarification. TracFone's nationwide prepaid wireless service has no contracts, credit checks, monthly bills, activation or reactivation fees, deposits or minimum age requirements. Its prepaid wireless service incorporates a user-friendly, cost-control feature that displays the exact remaining airtime balance on the phone.

Projection-capable cell phones 11.15.05
The Finland based company Upstream Engineering, have announced a disruptive optical technology called Photon Vacuum. The technique invented channels the light from LEDs to a display in small beams. The new optical system promises to provide approximately the same level of illumination efficiency as larger systems. The prototype projector is the size of a matchbox, and an accompanying projector could be the size of a cell phone. "The idea is to collect every single ray and direct it to the display itself," the President of Upstream Mikko Alasaarela states: "We've been approached by about 150 companies" .. for further development and partnering opportunities.

Google Maps to Cell Phones 11.07.05
Users whose phones support Java software, starting today, will be able to download a Google Local application. Then, they can conduct searches in specific geographical locations, and view the search results plotted on a map, as with Google Maps, users will then be able to view satellite images of the location. They can request directions between locations, and have their cell phones automatically dial the number of a business that might turn up in the search results.
Driving the mission, Google executives say - is the fact that cell phone users outnumber PCs in many areas of the world, Deep Nishar, Director of Product Management for Google Mobile is quoted as saying: "more of our users - even where a PC connection to the Web is very prevalent - are using their cellphones more".
The service should initially work on more than 100 different models (Cingular Wireless LLC, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. customers with certain phones can download the application but Verizon Communications Inc., Alltel Corp. and U.S. Cellular customers won't be able to use it. BlackBerry and Palm devices are not supported). With plans to expand the number of models capable of using the service. The Google service is free, but still requires users to pay applicable data access fees.

VoIP for cell phones 11.01.05
Mobile Call Manager, from TalkPlus, Inc. (a Menlo Park, California based operation) offers many VoIP calling features over a cell phone. With one download, cell phone subscribers can test such features as outbound caller ID masking, multiple voicemail box integration, multiple phone numbers and caller identities on a single phone, 10-way conference calling, and lower-cost international dialing from the user's cell phone. TalkPlus goes beyond Wi-Fi, hybrid, and broadband phones and services to some of the capabilities of VoIP via cell phones. TalkPlus is network agnostic, it supports BREW, JAVA and WAP platforms, and supports landline phones via interactive voice-response (IVR) systems.

Cell Phone - Car Ignition 10.28.05
Guidepoint - a stolen vehicle recovery, driver safety telematics product supplier - sold through finance departments at new-car dealerships in the United States and Mexico, has launched a new service that lets drivers track and control their vehicles with a cell phone, BlackBerry or other Web-enabled wireless device. The Pontiac, Michigan-based Company said it has created a wireless access protocol (WAP) version of Guidepoint that allows subscribers to track their vehicle, unlock doors, start the engine and honk the horn with a wireless device or cell phone. Says Guidepoint CEO Rand Mueller: "We developed the WAP functionality to give our subscribers more choices, now, Guidepoint users can track and control their vehicles over the Web with a PC, laptop, cell phone, mobile device or by simply calling our 24/7/365 response center and speaking to a Guidepoint Personal Assistant."

Cell Phone Movie Comedy Series starts screening 10.24.05
Starting today "Head and Body" - a series of eight short mobisodes that follow the comedic adventures of a character whose head is detached from his body, will be distributed via through MTV Networks International's mobile distribution channels and via Motorola's web site. Originally filmed in Tijuana and Los Angeles, the live action series follows the characters, his detached head and his body, and how they struggle together and apart. In the United States, MTV Networks' Comedy Central is distributing the same content. You can preview some of the content at www.headandbody.com. Head and Body was produced for MTV Networks International and Motorola by Jeff Labbé and Mike Folino at @radical.media, the omusic was composed by Paul Westerberg (ex- The Replacements).

Shop for a House via cell phone! 10.21.05
Smarter Agent, have won the 2005 Navteq Global LBS Challenge for commerce/advertising. They provide an LBS (Location Based Services) application that once installed on a cell phone or PDA, enables users to access property information - without actually calling an agent. Users can review property sales prices from the same search area. At present their services operate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and South Florida, San Diego and San Francisco California.
Smarter Agent's GPS search capabilities pinpoints the user's location and sends them information (updated twice daily) about property nearby. So users don't have to keystroke in their location for the real estate information to be passed back to them. While several new cell phones made by Samsung, Kyocera, LG and Motorola already have GPS embedded in the phone, many Verizon and Sprint cell phones are also compatible with this service, which looks likely to grow around the country.

The 3 GB Cell Phone 10.17.05
Samsung has just announced a 3 Gigabyte Hard Drive Cell Phone, the SPH-V7900, a twist-flip phone that also houses two cameras (one with 2-megapixel resolution) for video conferencing via 3G/UMTS, a couple of LCD screens, a 2 megapixel camera, twin speakers, and an MP3 player. The cell phone will playback of MP3/AAC/AAC+/MPEG4 files. The camera offers a 2x optical zoom and TV output socket, with the main TFT LCD screen boasts QVGA (240x320 pixels) resolution. Samsung claims 4.5 hours of talk and 200 hours standby on the SPH-V7900. At present this model will be a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) model and only sold in South Korea, but Samsung is said to be preparing a hard-drive-based Smartphone for the European market with similar features.

Owner's Gait Protected Cell Phone 10.14.05
Users' unique "gait" or style of locomotion - could soon be used to protect cell phones against theft and subsequent unauthorised use. VTT Technical Research Centre researchers, in Finland, have developed a prototype of a cell phone that uses motion sensors to record a user's gait. The device then periodically checks by measuring the current stride and comparing see that it is still being carried by it's rightful owner, against the stored gait in its memory. If the phone suspects it has been stolen, it will ask the user for a password when they try to make a call. While VIT are actively looking for a manufacturer to deploy their new technology, they admit that that their service will prove unreliable if users dramatically change their carrying habits, e.g. a belt click versus carrying the device in a purse or handbag, and that users' gaits can change characteristics after drinking alcohol.

Tivo-ize your Cell Phone 10.12.05
Cell phone TV started when TU Media began to offer a service that transmits video and audio channels to mobile devices from a satellite. Cell phones from LG, Samsung Electronics, and Pantech are now available in Korea for the subscription service. LG have just demonstrated the TiVo behaviour of their new model which can pause and record when a call comes in. When the call is completed, the cell phone returns to displaying the recorded program from the pause moment, while continuing to record in the background. Given 80MB of internal memory the cell phone can record up to an hour of programming. The cell phone include QVGA resolution (240 by 320 pixels) 2.2-inch TFT (thin film transistor) screen, an MP3 player, and a TV output. It's designed for South Korea's CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks and versions won't be available outside of the country. Unit costs may be in the hundreds of dollars!

ESPN Announces cell phone product 10.10.05
ESPN announced plans for SANYO to produce the first wMobile ESPN cell phone, a multimedia phone with functionality built exclusively for ESPN. Targeted to sports fans, the SANYO MVP is designed to work on a high-speed "EVDO" (Evolution Data Optimized) wireless network. It features jet-black housing and ESPN's signature red accents. Initial limited online availability of Mobile ESPN and the SANYO MVP is scheduled in time for the coming holidays with a nationwide retail launch in February 2006.

The SANYO MVP will give Mobile ESPN users one-touch, real-time access to personalized sports content, including the ESPN BottomLine scores and headlines service; Gamecast: live, graphical representation of games; player and team statistics; ESPN video clips and game highlights; ESPN commentary and analysis; sports alerts and fantasy updates. Among its features, the multimedia SANYO MVP will also offer a high-resolution color display; external color picture caller ID; a built-in 1.3 megapixel digital camera with flash; video recording capabilities; MP3 music player; 16MB miniSD memory card and voice recorder.

Pricegrabber Launches Cell Phone Carrier Comparisons 10.05.05
This week Pricegrabber.com offers online shoppers copmarison cellular phone and plans from multiple carriers and resellers based on the user preferences for monthly minutes, monthly cost and available phones. Shoppers can search for potential carriers via their zip code, sort by their brand of cell phone, and sort by price ranges from under $30, to $31-$50, $51-$80, $81-$125, to over $125.

Cell Phone Parking Meter Payments 10.03.05
The City of West Hollywood announced the introduction of a new Pay Parking System allowing users to purchase parking time - or add to existing parking time at any machine, by using their cell phone. During the six month pilot program, all current single space parking meters on Sunset Boulevard at Sunset Plaza will be replaced with these (shown right) new high-tech machines. Drivers should note their space number at the curb and pay the nearest machine. They don't have to walk back to their car to display a ticket. Drivers can still pay with a credit card or coins at any machine. Drivers can purchase additional time at any parking meter using their cell phone and entering their space number. A one time registration with Digital Payment Technologies' Cell Phone Payment System is required. Nominal user fees apply. To sign up users can either call 1-866-415-7222 or go online.

Time can be added up to the maximum time limit only. For example, if you purchase one hour's worth of parking at a two hour time limit space, you will only be able to add up to one additional hour if desired. The City advises drivers to make note of the number painted on the curb at their parking space before approach the pay by space machine, and to refer to the space number on their receipt when purchasing additional time.

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