Mobile Phones

SANTA CRUZ, California, United States—Software developers plan to expand investments in wireless application development, despite uncertainties in today’s economy and future technologies, according to a recent Evans Data study.“Even though the public has adopted wireless data devices more slowly than …

DETROIT—The recent and well-publicized crackdown on mobile-phone use and driver safety and the official launch of its “personal calling” service prompted OnStar to release last week what it claims is significant proof that using the OnStar system while driving a …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—Cell phone subscribers who make calls close to the borders of Spain or Italy could well find these calls being charged at international tariffs. Spanish or Italian cell phone operators have been accused of placing cell phone masts …

BEIJING—One of the major Chinese producers of mobile handsets, TCL, plans to enlarge its manufacturing plant from 5,000 square meters to 80,000 square meters to increase its annual capacity to 10 million handsets at the end of 2002. Construction of …

BEIJING—In July, China became the world’s biggest mobile-phone market. The country’s Ministry of Information Industry (MII) announced the country had 120.6 million mobile phone subscribers at the end of July, about half a million more than in the United States.China …

In the short lifespan of the still nascent wireless Internet, the owners of the operating systems have already learned that best is not always enough. Palm, Windows CE and Symbian are the three OSs trying to slug it out with …

With several customers in Europe already under its belt, Netonomy Inc. is honing in on U.S. wireless carriers looking for a different way of providing customer service. Instead of customer relationship management tools, Netonomy touts itself as a provider of …

BRUSSELS, Belgium-The European Commission has published new safety standards on electromagnetic fields for mobile-phone manufacturers. The limits, which “will not expose users to excessive electromagnetic waves,” will apply to mobile phones marketed within the European Union, an EC statement said. …

Advertisers, like everyone else, want the biggest bang for their buck. They want to reach as many people as possible without a lot of expense, and they want to get those people to see and understand their ad. Advertisers want …

LONDON-The huge popularity of mobile phones in Europe has had an adverse effect on the once-necessary prepaid disposable (PD) calling cards, which are used instead of coins in public payphones throughout Europe, according to a recent Frost & Sullivan analysis. …

Just like the beginnings of the wired Internet, content on the wireless Internet is growing by leaps and bounds. Wireless Internet users now can schedule a flight out of Denver, challenge a stranger to a game of chess, check their …

LONDON—Saudi Business Machines (SBM), the general marketing and services representative for IBM WTC in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced it has completed the installation of the largest-ever computer project in the Middle East.The completed project has been designed to …

BRUSSELS, Belgium—The European Commission (EC) has published new safety standards on electromagnetic fields for mobile-phone manufacturers. The limits, which “will not expose users to excessive electromagnetic waves,” will apply to mobile phones market within the European Union, an EC statement …

LONDON—The huge popularity of mobile phones in Europe has had an adverse effect on the once-necessary prepaid disposable (PD) calling cards, which are used instead of coins in public payphones throughout Europe, according to a recent Frost & Sullivan analysis. …

BEIJING—The Shanghai municipal government has issued the Construction Law of Shanghai Mobile Communications’ Base Station, which came into force on 1 August. The law aims to streamline administrative procedures for base station construction. Six municipal bureaus together drafted the law, …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, United States—The WAP Forum officially launched the specifications for Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) version 2.0, an upgrade that includes added functionality and a new developer language.“The new specification is a significant milestone towards the WAP Forum’s goal …

ZURICH, Switzerland-L.M. Ericsson has signed a Bluetooth agreement to integrate its radio and baseband Internet protocol products into personal digital assistants, handsets and mobile phones manufactured by Arima, Taiwanese original design manufacturer. “Our goal is to integrate our Bluetooth solutions …

Popularity is not without problems. Approximately 3.5 million of the cellular phones manufactured every year end up in landfills across the country, according to industry estimates. The Environmental Protection Agency believes that only a federal law will stop cell-phone users …

As a counterfoil to a slackening economy, chip makers are striking up alliances, shrinking their product sizes and paring down prices to differentiate themselves in the face of layoffs, reduced spending and plant shutdowns. Some of the alliances are between …

WASHINGTON-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week told lawmakers no decision has been reached on future military spectrum requirements, a response starkly at odds with top brass and one that comes as Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) moves closer to introducing legislation …

WASHINGTON-House and Senate lawmakers plan to introduce legislation after the August recess that would provide federal funding for mobile-phone health research and repeal a 1996 law prohibiting local officials from considering health as a factor in reviewing tower-siting applications, a …

For several years, it seems there has been little good news to report about the mobile satellite industry. It is one that has been marked by marginal peaks and inconceivable valleys. Losses in this industry are talked about in terms …

WASHINGTON-The Bush administration came under pressure from key Senate Democrats last week to require the Department of Defense to surrender spectrum sought by mobile-phone firms for third-generation wireless systems, a development with heavy political overtones and a sense of urgency …

WASHINGTON-China, the world’s largest potential wireless export market, is on the verge of entering the World Trade Organization as officials wrap up negotiations to culminate a process that has been 15 years in the making. WTO officials last week said …

ESPOO, Finland-Mobile phone giants L.M. Ericsson, Motorola Inc., Nokia Corp. and Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group today announced yet another standards initiative, this time aimed at the mobile gaming market. The companies’ Mobile Games Interoperability Forum “evolved” out of …