Mobile devices
Alcatel
Alcatel launched the One Touch 502 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) phone with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access. The phone offers GPRS monoslot technology, which is ideal for WAP transmission because the packets of data involved are small, Alcatel said. The phone also provides pay-as-you-go invoicing depending on service provider policy. The technology allows WAP service charges to be calculated on the number of kilobytes of data users send or receive and not on time. The phone can also store 10 WAP profiles and 10 WAP bookmarks. It features three integrated games and can store two melodies. www.alcatel.com
Ericsson
Ericsson released the CommuniCam, a GSM mobile camera that allows photos to be sent from a mobile phone to an e-mail address or stored in a virtual photo album. The camera allows users to send instant pictures and can be used with any Ericsson mobile phone equipped with a modem. Images can be edited online and can be downloaded from the EMI to a computer or laptop. Up to five images can be stored in the camera, which weighs 25 grams. It is controlled through dynamic menus in the phone’s display. The product will be available during the second quarter. www.ericsson.com
Nokia
Nokia released the Nokia 8310 fashion phone, featuring several overlapping colors and surfaces, and the Nokia 6310, which combines Internet connectivity with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Bluetooth and SyncML technologies. The 8310 is set to ship in the third quarter, with the 6310 to follow in the fourth quarter. The 6310 features the latest Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services, such as service message indicators where a WAP page alert is displayed with a link to a WAP site. This allows for push-based mobile services. Users can make phone calls from a WAP site, without terminating a WAP session.
The company also announced the Nokia 3330, a new WAP-enabled phone, and the Nokia Music Player, a mobile-phone accessory. The Music Player will allow users to listen to an integrated FM stereo radio and downloadable audio/music files, as well as use it as a handsfree kit for their phones. www.nokia.com
Pogo
Pogo Technology announced a plan to launch a handheld device offering Internet access, e-mail, a mobile phone, diary and networked address book. The company also signed an agreement with Maporama to deliver mapping and location-specific content to the device. The device enables people to view the entire Internet while on the move, the company said. The handset is targeted at a young consumer market. The phone is described as a hybrid of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone. Pogo plans to launch the handset to U.K. consumers by the fourth quarter of 2001. www.pogo-tech.com
Siemens
The manufacturer released the S45 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) phone designed for business users. The phone has an integrated handsfree facility and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) 1.2 software. It has flexible memory, allowing users to allocate storage space according to their personal needs. Users allocate memory for tasks. The phone is compatible with Microsoft Outlook and has synchronization software.
Siemens also released the SIMpad SL4, a mobile device with a contact-sensitive touch screen for navigation with a screen pen or fingertips. The unit can connect to the Internet through various methods. It is the size of an average book, Siemens said. It is targeted at business users who want to check e-mail accounts, read online papers or shop via the Internet. It will be available in the third quarter. www.siemens.com
Messaging technologies
ADC
ADC launched its new Unified Message Portal (UMP), allowing users to access messages over the Web using any e-mail client or a telephone. The product is currently available in English and Spanish, with additional languages to follow. The product allows users to listen to e-mail and send e-mail attachments to a fax number. From a PC, subscribers can record a message and send it back to the caller via an Internet connection. www.adc.com
Singapore Technologies Electronics
The company released JuzTalk, a unified messaging system that stores voice, fax and e-mail messages into one central mailbox. Users access the messages from a mobile phone, landline phone, personal digital assistant or PC. www.st.com.sg
Unimobile
Unimobile made available data and short message service (SMS) management features, including spam control. The Mobile Messaging Platform (MMP) offers spam control, an advanced filtering process to reduce unsolicited messages to text-enabled mobile devices. MMP blocks spam from reaching end users on three levels: carrier level, enterprise level and user level. www.unimobile.com
Wireless technology
Wipro Technologies
Indian software company Wipro Technologies developed BlueWave, a Bluetooth protocol stack software. The new product has been awarded Bluetooth qualification from the Bluetooth Qualification Body. BlueWave is a modular and portable implementation of the Bluetooth baseband software, link manager protocol, host controller interface (HCI) and upper layers. The host controller layer is available with UART, RS232 as well as with USB transport stream interfaces. The software is available as a hosted stack and an embedded stack, and has been validated with third-party Bluetooth hardware. The company says its BlueBase Baseband Controller and BlueWave stack together form a complete Bluetooth solution that can be easily deployed in a range of embedded applications. www.wipro.com
Lightbridge
Lightbridge announced Subscriber.com, a turnkey application service provider (ASP) service for real-time prepaid rating and billing. The service is targeted at large carriers for rapidly adding prepaid services and small to middle-sized carriers that do not want to deploy and maintain their own prepaid system. The services include 24-hour, seven-day-a-week customer call center support, new subscriber activation, phone card management and Web-based system administration reports on revenue and call volume.
The company also released PhoneFuel Open, a value-added service that enables carriers to provide their postpaid and prepaid subscribers with easy access to account information and self-service customer care. The product provides Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access to accurate account details, including account balance and call and payment records. The service also allows subscribers to make payments to their accounts whenever they choose, using major credit cards or electronic funds transfer. The products can be integrated. www.lightbridge.com
Mobile Internet technology
Niragongo
Niragongo Technologies released the Lava Platform, which provides users with mobile Internet capabilities with enhanced navigation and speed, the company said. Applications include Lava Search, Lava Channels, My Lava and Lava Portalizer. Third-party applications can be layered on top of the platform. The latest release includes push capabilities and smart error handling. Users can receive messages, alerts, advertisements and coupons during their data sessions without disruption. The Lava products are Java-based and compatible with most major handsets and network technologies. www.niragongo.com
NSC
Natural Speech Communications introduced version 2 of the NSCBoard Development Kit for its compact speech recognition engine. The product provides a scalable and cost-effective automatic speech recognition (ASR) solution for voice-driven services, the company said. The product targets command and control for voice-driven services such as voice portals, m-commerce, unified messaging and voice dialing. Applications developers can build services providing up to 64 concurrent ASR channels in one server using the technology, the company said. www.nsc.co.i
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Mobile device technology
Symbian
Symbian unveiled its 2.5-generation (2.5G) platform, Symbian platf
orm v6.1, a fully integrated operating system for General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)-enabled smart phones and communicators. The new platform also supports Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) 1.2 and advanced Bluetooth, which the company calls the necessary building blocks to create services and applications for wireless devices running off GPRS-enabled networks. www.symbian.com
Applications
Small Planet
Small Planet and Lumo Media announced a new product-a pet that can grow and change according to how its owner treats it and “lives” in a mobile phone. The pet lives in the virtual world and can be obtained through short message service (SMS) or the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). The owner works to take care of the pet’s physical and emotional needs. www.lumomedia.com
