Bits & Bytes: CTIA renames show, NSN to make LTE for 800, etc.

CTIA renamed its fall show in an effort to convey the growing use of mobile technology in the enterprise. The show is now called CTIA Enterprise & Applications. The show is scheduled to take place Oct. 6-8 in San Francisco.

 

Nokia Siemens Networks began production of LTE equipment for the 800 MHz spectrum band in an effort to prepare for spectrum that will become available during the switch from analog to digital television. “Recognizing the opportunity that this digital dividend presents for operators, we have stayed on top of this development and have now started producing base stations that operate in the 800 MHz band, with commercial deployments targeted for the second half of 2010,” said Thorsten Robrecht, head of LTE product management at Nokia Siemens Networks.

 

Saffron Digital, a video delivery platform company, said it has been chosen to create a promotional movie service for HTC and T-Mobile for the new Android-based HTC Desire handset. The new service is based on Saffron’s Video-on-Demand service and features Warner Bros. movies.

 

Telenor Denmark has chosen Ontology Systems’ OSS/CAD to unify data  across Telenor’s nine existing OSS and network systems.  The resulting integrated service view gives Telenor better control and understanding of the potential impact of network maintenance activities.

 

Garmin selected Navteq to provide its real-time traffic service in Germany for the Garmin nuvi 1690. The service will deliver real-time traffic information for the primary road network, which includes 25,000 kilometers of roads.

 

Camiant Inc., which provides policy control technology, said a major Brazilian mobile operator chose its Multimedia Policy Engine. The company also announced it opened its Caribbean and Latin American headquarters in Mexico City.

 

Mitek Systems Inc. said its Mobile Deposit application has been chosen by The Bancorp Bank to expand its remote-deposit-gathering capabilities by allowing customers to deposit personal and business checks via their smartphone cameras. The application works by asking customers to take a photo of the front and back of checks after keying in the deposit amount. The software captures the check image and prepares it for transmission. Mitek’s IMagePROVE technology corrects image distortions and then the image is transmitted to Bancorp Bank for processing.

 

Discovery Channel and Hands-On Mobile announced the availability of the Deadliest Catch App is available from the App Store on iPhone and iTouch devices for $4. The application is based on the Discovery Channel’s hit show and challenges users to survive harsh weather and freezing temperatures as they try to fill crab tanks.

 

The Vodafone Americas Foundation and MHealth Alliance announced the winners of the second annual Wireless Innovation Project and the first mHealth Alliance Award for innovation in mobile health. The first-place winner was 100 Million Stoves, which is a simple wireless stove use monitoring system that can be attached to new low-emission stoves being used in developing regions, with the goal of reducing exposure to smoke and fire from simple stoves. The solution is being developed by the University of California at Berkeley. The award for first prize was $300,000. The second-place winner, with a prize of $200,000, was Frontline SMS: Credit, which is an open source software that could open up financial services and micro-financing to people in the developing world. The third-place winner, and winner of the mHealth award, was Sana, which has developed an open source platform that allows mobile phones to capture and send data for an electronic medical record and links community health workers with physicians for real-time support.

 

Ford Motor Co. announced the SYNC AppLink software, which will allow hands-free voice control of popular smartphone applications. SYNC AppLink will be released for 2011 Ford Fiesta owners along with the SYNC communications and infotainment system later this year, allowing drivers hands-free control of their apps on their Android or Blackberry smartphones via voice commands and vehicle controls, said the company. Ford said it will introduce AppLink on most SYNC-equipped vehicles next year and will expand its support to other smartphone models.

 

Dialogic announced a mobile video-focused developer contest. The theme of the Second Annual Dialogic Innovator Challenge is to create the ultimate sports application based on video. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000, and cash prizes will also be awarded to the second- and third-place finishers. The contest began April 21 and will end Sept. 10th, said the company.  More information is available at www.dialogic.com/innovator.