BROWSING: IDC

Smart phones put squeeze on PDA market

STAMFORD, Conn.-Two new studies show the market for personal digital assistants continues to shrink as more and more users are enticed by smart phones."Through the end of 2004, smart phones will generally have a negative impact on the low end of the PDA market,...

Smart phones put squeeze on PDA market

STAMFORD, Conn.-Two new studies show the market for personal digital assistants continues to shrink as more and more users are enticed by smart phones."Through the end of 2004, smart phones will generally have a negative impact on the low end of the PDA market,...

Video-game makers jump (and roll and shoot) with wireless

"We don't think (wireless) is quite mass market enough, and the business model is not quite there yet," said Trudy Muller, spokeswoman for Electronic Arts, the nation's No. 1 video-game maker, in explaining why the company has not entered the wireless market.Although many have...

Chip sales set to grow with wireless home, office

In the eyes of market research firm IDC, wireless chips are on a roll. And semiconductor companies want to match this zeal with solutions and initiatives.In its report released last week, which was an optimistic revision of its earlier forecast, IDC said it expects...

Vindigo rallies around Java, BREW content

After almost four years of waiting, Jason Devitt believes the time is now.Packet-switched networks are online. Mobile phones feature color graphics. And-perhaps most importantly-carriers can bill for third-party applications."None of those things existed when we started the company," said Devitt, chief executive officer of...

Software gains prominence

In the search for killer applications and other services that rake in revenue, independent software vendors are the new brides of wireless.With software expanding, the value of the hardware space will continue to shrink in the wireless space. ISVs therefore are working with major...

Wireless to top fixed-line services in Iraq

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates-Wireless technologies are expected to dominate the voice, data and Internet service markets in Iraq, according to a new study from research firm IDC. According to IDC, GSM will substitute fixed-line services, and VSAT, wireless local area network, broadband fixed wireless,...

Sierra to sell smart phone using Microsoft OS

Longtime wireless modem maker Sierra Wireless announced a significant new business direction with the unveiling of its Voq phone-a device that marks the arrival of a new smart-phone player and another Microsoft Corp. backer.Investors seemed cheered by the bold move, sending Sierra's stock up...

Cingular launches MMS

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. launched its Multimedia Messaging service, allowing customers to attach photos, text, graphics, music, video and voice to traditional text messages, and according to the carrier, send them to virtually any e-mail address or multimedia messaging service-capable mobile phone."One of the beauties...

AirFlow system to simplify Voice over WLAN

Wireless local area network infrastructure company AirFlow Networks has developed a system intended to simplify the installation and administration of WLANs, a critical need for the technology to gain traction in the enterprise market.AirFlow's system, which includes its AirServer, AirSwitch and AirHub products, can...

AT&TW to sell Motorola-made phone using Microsoft platform

AT&T Wireless Services Inc. plans to sell a Motorola Inc.-manufactured smart phone that incorporates Microsoft Corp. technology.Motorola said it will launch a Microsoft Smartphone-powered handset next month, and that the two companies will collaborate on a series of smart phones and Pocket PC wireless...

IDC predicts phone sales will top 500M devices next year

Following months of raised forecasts and hopeful outlooks, research firm IDC presented perhaps the most optimistic wireless industry outlook to date, predicting that sales of mobile phones will break the 500-million mark next year. The firm said advanced phones, including camera, third-generation and smart...

Qualcomm announcement signals growing storage need for mobile phones

SAN DIEGO-CDMA giant Qualcomm Inc. announced it will add support for removable miniSD and SD cards in its line of Mobile Station Modem chipsets. The move is a nod to the growing power of mobile phones and the resulting need for additional storage capabilities.Such...

Qualcomm announcement signals growing storage need for mobile phones

CDMA giant Qualcomm Inc. announced it will add support for removable miniSD and SD cards in its line of Mobile Station Modem chipsets. The move is a nod to the growing power of mobile phones and the resulting need for additional storage capabilities.Such advances...

Smart phones to surpass PDAs

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-New research shows converged wireless overtaking the traditional personal digital assistant market as shipments of smart phones and other wireless devices are predicted to surpass sales of PDAs this year."As device aesthetics and functionality improve and end-user prices continue to decline, converged mobile...

IDC: PDA makers should prepare for market decline

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-New research shows wireless overtaking the traditional personal digital assistant market, and the research firm advises PDA players like Dell Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Palm Inc. to prepare for such a future.Research company IDC predicts the worldwide PDA market will continue to...

Harnessing youth market akin to chasing a storm

U.S. carriers must adopt new business models to zero in on the youth and young adult markets, especially as subscriber growth is expected to dwindle during the next five years, according to research from IDC. The research firm believes subscriber growth will decrease from...

IDC: Vertical markets offer IT bright spots

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-Although the sluggish economy has hurt a variety of information-technology companies-including those selling wireless wares-research firm IDC said verticals such as manufacturing, banking, health care and insurance represent bright opportunities."The worldwide economy ended 2002 much weaker," said Anne Lu, IDC's senior analyst for...

IDC reports positive news on handset front

The mobile-phone industry took a collective deep sigh of relief, as new research found phone shipments are growing at an impressive rate and sales of new smart phones have leapt during the past year.Research firm IDC said worldwide mobile-phone shipments grew 19 percent during...

Palm shows Tungsten T2, Handspring revenues drop, IDC says demand sluggish

MILPITAS, Calif.-Palm Inc. released its new Bluetooth-capable personal digital assistant, while fellow handheld maker Handspring Inc. reported declining revenues and losses. Further, research firm IDC released results showing sales of PDAs continue to decline.Palm said its new Tungsten T2 handheld features more memory and...

Palm releases Tungsten T2, Handspring reports 2Q earnings

Palm Inc. released its new Bluetooth-capable personal digital assistant, while fellow handheld maker Handspring Inc. reported declining revenues and losses. Further, research firm IDC released results showing sales of PDAs continue to decline.Palm said its new Tungsten T2 handheld features more memory and a...

Wireless portals start to live up to hype

Like '70s disco or roller skates, the wireless portal is now retro cool. Dude.In the heyday of the late 1990s, the wireless industry was awash with the wireless Internet and the possibilities therein. Wireless players from carriers on down to startups imagined opening Yahoo!-style...

Camera culture

Philippe Kahn foresees a global society transformed by mobile phones with integrated digital cameras.As industry analysts predict the vast majority all mobile phones will include cameras in the next few years, Kahn expects the ramifications of such a picture-capable culture to be extensive and...

WLAN semiconductor market to hit $1.1B

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-The wireless local area networks semiconductor market will increase at a13-percent compound annual rate from 2002 to 2007 to $1.1 billion, according to a report from IDC."The next several years are going to witness rapid development of a WLAN infrastructure, which in turn...