IP telephony equipment provider Avaya has unveiled the Avaya one-X Mobile Dual Mode to offer fixed-mobile convergence to the users of Nokia Eseries business devices. The device provides users with one number access and advanced enterprise telephony capabilities as they travel across private Wi-Fi and public mobile networks. With a single VoIP-enabled mobile device, workers can handoff phone calls using dual-mode communications, as they travel from inside a company building to the outside environment and vice versa. Calls made to a worker’s deskphone can be received on a Nokia Eseries business device, ensuring mobile workers remain accessible to customers and colleagues wherever they go. Enterprise telephony features available with the dual mode platform include conferencing, transfer and extension dialing. Security benefits include the ability to authenticate the Nokia Eseries device to a PBX, giving businesses control over mobile communications by allowing only authorised users to access company systems. The dual mode service is available for sampling.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
A well-known hacker claims to have overcome restrictions on Apple Inc.’s iPhone, allowing highly technical users to bypass AT&T Inc.’s network to use the phone’s Internet and music features.
In a post dated July 3 on his blog, Jon Johansen, 23, a prolific hacker of consumer electronics gadgets since he was a teenager in Norway, said “I’ve found a way to activate a brand new unactivated iPhone” without signing up for AT&T service.
“The iPhone does not have phone capability, but the iPod and Wi-Fi work. Stay tuned!” he wrote on his long-running blog, which is combatively named “So Sue Me.” The post was entitled “iPhone Independence Day,” a play on the July 4 U.S. holiday.
The site contained technical details for other hackers, as well as links to software necessary to complete the process.
One potential use would be for an iPhone user living or traveling outside the United States to access the iPhone’s music player and Internet service over Wi-Fi connections without using the phone.
AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said it was necessary to activate the iPhone on AT&T’s network to ensure optimum performance. Using the phone without AT&T’s two-year service contract was unauthorized under the phone carrier’s exclusive network service contract with Apple, Siegel added.
“Any other use of the device is not authorized and we can’t guarantee the device will perform as intended to. We’ll monitor situations like this and if necessary we will take appropriate action,” he said. “Our terms and conditions are very clear.”
He did not elaborate on potential action AT&T might take.
Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment on Johansen’s claims.
Apple has yet to reveal network operator deals in markets outside the United States. But the iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone and will work in many parts of Europe and Asia with international roaming deals arranged by AT&T, Kerris said.
Neither Apple nor AT&T have disclosed sales figures since the iPhone went on sale in the United States on June 29, but some analysts have estimated sales of up to 700,000 units for the costly coveted phone’s first weekend on the market.
Johansen became known as “DVD Jon” earlier this decade for helping to reverse engineer the code used to protect DVD movies against piracy, saying he did so in order to play them on his Linux computer.
The computer activist has engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with Apple to bypass copyright controls on various Apple products, including QuickTime, iTunes and Apple TV.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
Smartphone solutions GmbH from Germany, after releasing several programs for Symbian, is now releasing some of them also for Windows Mobile… like for example “smartControl” - an application with which you can view and control your Windows Mobile phone remotely on your PC - through Wi-Fi, USB cable or over Internet connection…
SmartControl is used to display a smartphone’s screen on a PC or video projector in realtime. It is also possible to control the phone using a PC keyboard or mouse. This is especially useful in presentations and demonstrations.
Apart from that smartControl also offers an easy way to create screenshots and even videos of the phone display. These are perfect for documentation purposes or to show people how to use or configure an application. Because the user interface on the PC side features a skin that looks and behaves like the remotely controlled phone, using it is as easy as operating the phone directly.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
France Télécom (FT) is taking Paris city hall to court over plans for what it calls an ‘unfair’ free Wi-Fi service in the city. The Paris authorities are looking to provide free Wi-Fi access in libraries, parks and museums in the capital from mid-July, but FT argues the plans violate rules barring local authorities from providing ‘unfair’ competition to private companies. The telco told Agence France-Presse it filed its complaint about the service on 28 March this year, basing its argument on a clause in the code governing regional authorities, which is aimed at preventing ‘unfair competition between (service) operators and local authorities.’ The incumbent claims city hall is forbidden from operating its own public telecoms network unless (a) it agrees to provide access for all operators to use the system or (b) if the actual tender for the provision of the service attracted no bids in the first place. However, in February 2007 French mobile operator SFR was awarded the contract to run the 400 hotspots being deployed, while Alcatel-Lucent won the equipment supply contract. FT, which has its own network of 2,250 commercial hotspots in Paris, now argues that the European Commission set a precedent when it prevented the Czech capital Prague from setting up a free Wi-Fi network in 2005 on competition grounds.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
A well-known hacker claims to have overcome restrictions on Apple’s iPhone, allowing highly technical users to bypass AT&T’s network to use the phone’s Internet and music features.
In a post dated on his blog, Jon Johansen, 23, a prolific hacker of consumer electronics gadgets since he was a teenager in Norway, said “I’ve found a way to activate a brand new unactivated iPhone” without signing up for AT&T service.
“The iPhone does not have phone capability, but the iPod and Wi-Fi work. Stay tuned!” he wrote on his long-running blog, which is combatively named “So Sue Me.” The post was entitled “iPhone Independence Day,” a play on the July 4 U.S. holiday.
The site contained technical details for other hackers, as well as links to software necessary to complete the process.
One potential use would be for an iPhone user living or travelling outside the United States to access the iPhone’s music player and Internet service over Wi-Fi connections without using the phone.
AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said it was necessary to activate the iPhone on AT&T’s network to ensure optimum performance. Using the phone without AT&T’s two-year service contract was unauthorized under the phone carrier’s exclusive network service contract with Apple, Siegel added.
“Any other use of the device is not authorised and we can’t guarantee the device will perform as intended to. We’ll monitor situations like this and if necessary we will take appropriate action,” he said. “Our terms and conditions are very clear.”
He did not elaborate on potential action AT&T might take.
Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment on Johansen’s claims.
Apple has yet to reveal network operator deals in markets outside the United States. But the iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone and will work in many parts of Europe and Asia with international roaming deals arranged by AT&T, Kerris said.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
Neither Apple nor AT&T have disclosed sales figures since the iPhone went on sale in the United States on June 29, but some analysts have estimated sales of up to 700,000 units for the costly coveted phone’s first weekend on the market.
Johansen became known as “DVD Jon” earlier this decade for helping to reverse engineer the code used to protect DVD movies against piracy, saying he did so in order to play them on his Linux computer.
The computer activist has engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with Apple to bypass copyright controls on various Apple products, including QuickTime, iTunes and Apple TV.
Marvell’s TopDog WLAN solutions are Wi-Fi CERTIFIED by the Wi-Fi Alliance for IEEE 802.11n draft 2.0. Wi-Fi 802.11n certification helps ensure product interoperability across vendors, adherence to Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2) security protocols, and backward compatibility with more than 3,500 CERTIFIED Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g products. The certification program also includes Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) quality of service, which helps deliver the best user experience with applications such as video, voice, and gaming.
“Wi-Fi certification helps assure end users that TopDog-based products provide complete 802.11 interoperability, including security, stability, and compatibility,” said Dr. Paramesh Gopi, Marvell’s Vice President and General Manager of the Embedded and Emerging Business Unit, Communications and Consumer Business Group. “This achievement demonstrates Marvell’s continual innovation of wireless technologies that deliver a high quality of service and cutting-edge features to high-volume consumer markets.”
Marvell’s TopDog products are part of the Wi-Fi 802.11n certification test bed, and are among the first products to achieve IEEE 802.11n draft 2.0 certification. TopDog station cards and access points provide exceptional bandwidth for video, voice, data, and multimedia streaming applications, as well as unprecedented levels of wireless connectivity with higher throughput and increased range compared to previous Wi-Fi 802.11-based solutions. A recognized leader in the 802.11 WLAN market, Marvell has been integral to the development and definition of the IEEE 802.11 standard and to the Wi-Fi certification process.
“We commend Marvell for achieving Wi-Fi certification for TopDog,” said Wi-Fi Alliance Managing Director Frank Hanzlik. “Having met the rigorous requirements for Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 is quite an accomplishment, and reflects Marvell’s commitment to interoperable, protected next-generation Wi-Fi technology.”
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
GO Networks, a subsidiary of NextWave Wireless Inc., (NASDAQ: WAVE - News) today announced that the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will pilot GO Networks’ Mobile Broadband Wireless Wi-Fi solution in the city of Paraty. The pilot will help local authorities determine the range, quality and price-performance requirements for municipal wireless broadband networks in cities throughout Brazil. The pilot will require the deployment of GO Networks’ MBW 2100 Micro and MBW 1100 Pico Cellular-Mesh Wi-Fi base stations which utilize the company’s advanced xRF(TM) adaptive beamforming smart-antenna technology to deliver superior network performance.
The proven flexibility, quality, and performance of GO Networks’ smart-antenna, wireless-mesh Wi-Fi technology is ideal to meet the needs of Brazil’s municipalities,” said Rafael Steinhauser, president of NextWave Wireless - Latin America. “We are excited by the opportunity to work on this very important pilot. GO Networks’ global knowledge and experience in implementing highly capable and cost-effective wireless broadband solutions will play a big part in the success of this trial and in future deployments in cities throughout Brazil.”
Overall coordination for the trial, called Paraty Digital, will be managed by PRODERJ, the information technology organization for the state of Rio de Janeiro. PRODERJ will be responsible for providing a public internet service through the Rio state data communications network (Infovia RJ), will establish a customer telecenter, and will develop tourist information kiosks that utilize the new wireless network. NextWave will build and configure the core network using GO Networks equipment for Wi-Fi gateways and base stations. The municipality of Paraty will be responsible for on-site equipment at government centers linked to the project, and provide logistical support for implementation of the new networks.
“Paraty Digital is an ambitious project, and is an important step toward realizing our goal of enabling the first Brazilian state to become 100 percent digital,” said Tereza Porto, president of PRODERJ. “Each of our partners brings exceptional skills to the project. NextWave’s global experience and range of leading-edge capabilities in wireless broadband technology will help make our goal achievable.”
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
AT&T Internet Services has introduced its first deployment of AT&T Metro Wi-Fi, a citywide Wi-Fi access service, across a 3-square-mile portion of Riverside that includes downtown Riverside, Hunter Technology Park and the Adams Auto Center. AT&T Metro Wi-Fi adds publicly accessible wireless broadband capabilities to the advanced AT&T communications network available in Riverside. The mesh, wireless broadband internet access network in Riverside includes both a consumer and business solution and a municipal public safety network for use by city agencies. AT&T Metro Wi-Fi offers users a subscription-based high speed Internet access service at USD 7.99 for a daily (24 hours) pass and $15.99 for a weekly pass. Also included is a free, ad-supported broadband service offered through an AT&T relationship with US provider of free wireless internet access MetroFi. In addition to other municipal applications, the city of Riverside is testing the service to run video to and from police department patrol cars. Officers also will use the public safety network for computer-aided dispatch, automated vehicle location and high-speed communications for queries to integrated justice databases to provide detailed information previously unavailable in the field.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
The FCC approved the first BlackBerry with Wi-Fi and cellular components together in one device..it is 802.11a/b/g compatible, had Bluetooth and a microSD slot,. RIM has previously said it would release a Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry by the end of this year. This comes close to iPhone’s release…iPhone has Wi-Fi receiver built in.
Meanwhile, the T-Mobile USA Wi-Fi phone we mentioned in some detail last week: David Pogue of NYT reviews it and likes it a lot, and recounts some of the more creative uses for the phone service, including using this phone abroad: When you’re in a hot spot overseas, all calls to United States numbers are free.
The the long term, advantage for the company: “T-Mobile’s cellular network is not on par with, say, Verizon’s. But improving its network means spending millions of dollars on new cell towers. It’s far less expensive just to hand out free home routers. Furthermore, every call you make via Wi-Fi is one less call clogging T-Mobile’s cellular network, further reducing the company’s need to spend on network upgrades.”
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
You have to admire Apple’s chutzpah as much as its creativity. Any other newcomer to the mobile-phone market would have allowed, indeed encouraged, potential customers—the Verizons, T-Mobiles, AT&Ts of the world—to have at least some say in what went into its fledgling device. Even Nokia, the biggest handset maker in the business, has always listened carefully to its clients.
Not Apple. Since its conception early last year, the company’s heavily hyped iPhone (which has finally gone on sale in America) has remained remarkably untainted by industry group-think. In exchange for exclusive rights to offer the phone in America for at least the next couple of years, AT&T has had to refrain from any form of meddling. And it shows—both for good and for bad.
The iPhone is all you would expect of Apple—thin and sleek, with the biggest screen ever seen on a mobile phone. It combines all the functions of a smart phone, internet appliance and multimedia player seamlessly in one handsome device.
Using a subset of Apple’s rock-solid OS X operating system means the iPhone’s 16 built-in applications—including phone, address book, calendar, alarm clock, organiser, camera, web browser, e-mail client, Wi-Fi terminal, video and audio iPod—work together in a clear, simple, intuitive way that has become Apple’s hallmark.
As with an iPod or iMac, it’s the user interface that impresses most. With the iPhone, Apple has taken its sense of minimalism a crucial step further. The phone has no clunky keyboard or rows of fiddly function keys, and no pop-up menus to plow through. Instead, everything is done by tapping, pinching or swiping a finger on the phone’s touch-sensitive screen. Get lost among its many different displays, and the gadget’s one solitary button takes you straight back to the home-page showing icons for the phone’s various functions.
A virtual QWERTY keyboard pops up on the screen when you need to write a text message or an e-mail. Tricky, yes, but the software is smart enough to guess what you meant to type and will correct most mis-keyed letters.
Another bit of out-of-the-box thinking is the iPhone’s web browser. Unlike the tiny cut-down, text-based Mobile Web offered by Verizon and the rest, Apple has implemented a rich set of browser features that lets the iPhone display pretty well the same web pages you get on a computer. You can scroll down by dragging a finger over the screen, and enlarge anything you can’t read by simply double tapping on it. Spread two fingers across the screen and the whole image gets magnified.
But just because Apple is clever enough to do all these things, and more, does not mean they will necessarily be appreciated beyond the Macaholics, fashionistas and other early adopters. Much has been made about the way Apple has bravely bucked the trend by building a “convergence” device—an appliance that melds many functions into one-instead of pouring its prodigious energies into a “divergence” product that does one thing brilliantly, as it did so successfully with the iPod. All the blockbusters of consumer electronics—video recorders, digital cameras, plasma TVs, Nintendo game consoles, MP3 players, as well as the vast majority of mobile phones—have been divergence devices. By contrast, convergence products, such as smart phones and media-centre PCs, have either flopped or finished up occupying niches.
The danger in developing a gadget that tries to be a phone, internet appliance and iPod all in one is that it can fail to accomplish each as well as it might. Unfortunately, the iPhone comes up short in a number of areas. For instance, it does not include voice dialing—essential now that hands-free is fast becoming the only way that mobile phones can be used legally in cars. Also, simply making a phone call is more cumbersome than it should be, requiring up to half a dozen different steps. And because the phone can’t take advantage of high-speed 3G cellular networks, surfing the web is more like wading through molasses.
As an iPod, the iPhone is also less than adequate-especially when trying to store videos and photographs as well as songs. The $500 model has only four gigabytes of storage, while the $600 version has eight gigabytes. These days, iPods come with 80-gigabyte hard-drives.
If the iPhone’s potential is to be fully realised, Apple will need to do two things in a hurry. As with the iPod Nano, it will need an entry-level model that’s much cheaper and more focused. And as with the iPod itself, it will need to make the mainstream model a good deal more polished. That means adding more storage, a modern broadband radio, a slot for an external memory card, a GPS receiver for real-time navigation and software which, among other things, allows the phone to capture video as well as send photos to others.
Insiders reckon that Apple could halve the current price of the iPhone and still make a profit. That leaves the company plenty of wiggle room to prove the naysayers wrong. Expect to see cheaper and better iPhones perhaps as early as January.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
Avaya unveils FMC service for Nokia Eseries
