Drivers return to using mobile phones at the wheel

Motorists are now more likely to illegally use their mobile phones while driving than they were before tougher penalties were introduced to curb the practice, according to research published today.

A study by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) indicated that new penalties including a £60 fine and three points on driving licenses have failed to have a long-term impact on drivers’ behaviour.

The number of drivers using hand-held mobiles had risen sharply between 2008 and 2009 for car, taxi and van drivers.

The figures, involving more than 14,000 drivers observed in London, were also higher than for 2006, the last year before tougher penalties for using mobiles at the wheel were introduced in February 2007.

Edmund King, the AA president, said the figures were dispiriting.

“I am shocked by these figures and the concern is that, generally, the level of enforcement of the law is low,” he said.

“The worry concerning these survey figures is that you are four times more likely to have an accident if you are talking on a hand-held mobile while at the wheel.”

In TRL's 2006 survey, 2.6 per cent of car drivers used hand-held mobiles while at the wheel. This figure dropped to 1.4 per cent in 2007 after the introduction of tougher penalties but rose to 1.9 per cent in 2008. The latest result found 2.8 per cent of drivers breaking the law.

The survey, commissioned by Transport for London, encompassed of 11,851 cars and taxis and 2,410 vans at 33 sites in the capital. Vehicles were observed as they passed and details noted, including the sex of the driver and their approximate age.

The results that men aged between 30-59 were most likely to break the law, while women aged 60 or more were least likely to do so.

Sarah Fatica, from road safety charity Brake, said: “It is incredibly worrying that people still don’t take seriously the dangers that talking on your phone while driving pose.

“It is clear that people are persistently using hand-held mobiles despite all the warnings. People have to ask themselves if making a phone call is really worth risking their life for.

“We would certainly support more enforcement of the mobile law. Quite clearly, people think they won’t get caught. Perhaps the fines should rise from the current level of £60 to something like £500 to £1,000.”

Keep Your Mobile Number and Get Google Voice

US consumers can now use Google Voice without having to change their mobile number.

On October 26 Google announced that new and existing Google Voice users could opt to keep their original phone number.

Users that keep their existing phone number will be able to use Google Voice Mail, Google's free automated voicemail transcription, individually assigned custom designed voicemail greetings, SMS text and email notifications, and have access to their voicemail messages online.

"Up until now, if you wanted to use Google Voice, you needed to choose a new number (a "Google number")," wrote Craig Walker, Vincent Paquet and Pierre Lebeau, product managers for Google Voice, on the Official Google Blog.

"Taking calls through your Google number allows us to offer features like call recording, call screening and getting text messages via email. But we know not everyone wants to switch to a new phone number, so it made sense for us to create a lighter version of Google Voice for people who are willing to trade some features for the ability to use their existing numbers."

Consumers who opt to use their own number with the service will miss out on Google Voice features such as call screening, conference calls, call blocking and call recording but will still have the ability to make cheap international calls.

To sign up for the service (US residents only), head tohttps://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/

The end of mobile network carriers and ISPs

Adobe’s recent news about the Flash Player 10.1 ( FP101 ) being optimized for mobile phones got me to thinking about the mobile space. It seems to me that the thing that sucks the most about mobile devices are the networks. Their service plans are almost extortion. No, it is exactly extortion and we put up with it.

Right now we are caught in a suck-cycle of all these incompatible networks constantly upgrading to the latest and greatest coverage/speed they can manage. And we are paying huge amounts of money each month to support this massive amount of infrastructure that is continually being upgraded. It’s sort a never ending project like painting the Golden Gate Bridge.

And it just keeps getting worse because the demand for bandwidth/services and the advances in hardware are both growing exponentially. But the networks are physically so big and expansive that upgrading is becoming ever more challenging. There is a term used to describe systems that grow so large that they cannot evolve rapidly enough to keep pace with changes in the environment: extinction.

You may be thinking that’s all well and good but the networks are essential to keep our devices connected. But what if the devices themselves became the networks? As WiMax rolls out there will be more and more phones that are capable of broadcasting and receiving WiMax signals. Of course these phones will also have access to a cellular network where the owner has a subscription. Something like many phones today have with WiFi.

But at some point when the density of these devices reaches a critical level it seems like they would be capable of transmitting signals through each other to the end destination instead of using some central network. It would be a mashup of peer-2-peer with WiMax where each device performs the role of DNS server and router. And it’s not just cellphones that would be contributing to the network. Every device equipped with a WiMax receiver/transmitter could become a small network tower: cars, home networks, traffic cams, networked appliances, etc.

Note: I’m assuming that as technology evolves WiMax chips will become cheap enough to embed in anything from a toaster to a treadmill and that power consumptions will drop off while miniature batteries improve. Actually, that isn’t an assumption. It’s a given. It’s only a matter of how much and how fast.

This leads me back to the FP101 which has all of the components in place to make this happen. FP101 can write data to the local device and it has P2P capabilities that have already been used to create an edge network. ( read ars technica: CNN P2P video streaming tech raises questions. ) The Octoshape Grid Delivery – using the Flash Player – that CNN is using has put a big crunch on ISPs because it drastically increases the average users amount of uploaded data. But this same approach could be used for a network of devices communicating via a WiMax network with no physical infrastructure other than the devices themselves.

This could be similar to the Flash Player adding video playback capabilities in version 6 back in 2002. Nothing much was made of it for about 3 years. Then this site called youTube.com came along and all the sudden video playback in the Flash Player became a game changer. Could it happen again with P2P?

(South Korea) $2.6 Billion in 5 Key Segments TO BE Invested By SKT

SK Telecom, South Korea's top mobile carrier, plans to invest 3 trillion won (some $2.6 billion) over the next five years in its next "cash-cows."

The company said it plans to funnel the cash into areas such as fixed-line and wireless-based technology, user interface and smart grid technology.

To find breakthroughs in its stalled overseas businesses, the local carrier has also decided to apply smart-related technologies to its key products amid the convergence trend being seen in the global telecom industry, CEO Jung Man-won said Monday.

"We are aiming to invest 3 trillion won in five categorized segments such as e-paper and voice recognizing tech by 2014. Smart technology is the strong necessity to strengthen sustainability in South Korea's telecommunication capability," the executive said.

SK Telecom is near to commercializing its own mobile telemetric technology in China. It aims to develop original technologies for the promising e-paper market, according to company officials.

Jung's comments came on the sidelines of his participation in this year's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World Trade Show in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a strategy designed to create appeal to SK Telecom's plans, Jung held a series of meetings with Cisco Systems (CSCO) Chairman John Chambers and China Mobile CEO Wang Jianzhou to discuss the convergence trend in the global telecommunication industry, SK Telecom said.

Industry officials, however, say the meetings were mainly targeted to find "new room" for SK Telecom to revive its stalled growth in overseas businesses.

They say SK Telecom has some edges in next-generation telecom technologies and add the one-time events can be a springboard for the South Korean player to join the international competition again.

Its overseas direct investment as a mobile network operator is likely to be altered after it has announced retrenched business plans in China, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan.

SK Telecom sold all its China Unicom shares, froze the financial investment in its mobile service joint venture in Vietnam and decided not to go to the Kazakhstan mobile market.

Rather, it plans to tap into new revenue streams by implementing the next growth strategy program, dubbed "5nGINE."

"With changed corporate strategy and confidence in smart-related technologies, our CEO is raising our international profile," an official said.

ZTE To Deliver WiMAX Mobile Network In Jamaica

Digicel Jamaica, which appointed ZTP Corp to help deliver "easy-to-access wireless broadband internet services at never before seen speeds to users across the country," has now signed a deal to buy ZTE's turn-key WiMAX solution for the first phase deployment of a 2.5GHz mobile WiMAX network, set to launch in 2010.

Under the agreement, ZTE "will install a nationwide, high-speed, high capacity 4G network across all 14 Parishes of Jamaica, covering 60 per cent of the population at launch."

ZTE will deploy the network rollout plan "which includes the WiMAX network planning and design; equipment supply; customer premise devices such as modems, USBs; engineering installation services; and WiMAX network optimization," according to a Digicel statement.

“We are delighted to be building the country’s first nationwide WiMAX network in partnership with ZTE. Its leading product solutions and world-class technology experts will help us ensure that Digicel Broadband provides the best coverage, the best value and the best service in the wireless broadband market in Jamaica,” said Mark Linehan, Digicel Jamaica CEO.

COMPUTER GRADE PEFORMANCE IN A HANDSET:- NOKIA N900

Nokia Corporation recently announced the Nokia N900 Which packs a powerful ARM Cortex-A8 processor, up to 1 GB of application memory and Open GL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration, Large 111 x 59.7 x 18.2 mm and weighing 180 grams, resulting in PC like multi tasking and allowing many applications to run simultaneously.  taking its cues from the world of desktop computing, the open source, Linux base Maemo software delivers a PC-like experiance on a handset-0sized device.  The Nokia N900 has involved from Nokia's previous generation of internet tablets, broadening the choice of technology enthuesists who apprciate the ability to multitask and brows the internet like they do on theier desktop computers.  Running on the new Maemo 5 softwares, the Nokia N900 empowers users to have dozens of application windows open and running simultaneously while taking full advantage of the cellular features, touch screen the QWERTY keyboard.  Designed for computer grade performance in a compact size, Maemo compliments Nokia's other software platforms Such as Symbian, Which power Nokia's smartphones.  The Nokia N900 will be available in select markets starting October.

UK Mobile Networks At The Mercy Of Apple In iPhone Talks? Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/article/2009/9/29/uk-mobile-networks-mercy-apple-iphone-talks/#ixzz0SrtYL2JA

Observers largely agree that Apple releasing the iPhone on several mobile phone networks will spark a massive price war across the nation early next year, something that we reckon might not be as easy as you'd think.

Although the iPhone is a huge crowd puller, it comes with a number of strings attached. Apple doesn't want it to be branded in anyway (notice the absence of O2 on all iPhones), it wants absolute control on the platform (note the absence of O2 applications loaded by default) and, shock horror, wants to get a cut of the monthly contract PLUS the revenues generated by the App store.
Take it or leave it. Vodafone left it first but then after losing 160,000 customers now has to wait till next year to be the third network to get the iPhone in the UK - talk about being humiliated!
The iPhone could be compared to a supermarket's loss leader products; networks might make money on it, but not as much as on other smartphones. Ironically, they could be using Apple's smartphone as a tool to negotiate better deals with the likes of HTC, Nokia or Samsung.

China Mobile, Ufone warned against misleading ads

ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on Wednesday accepted the assurances given by China Mobile and Ufone for their misleading advertisements and decided not to impose any penalty on them.



According to CCP, both Ufone and China Mobile have assured through an undertaking in writing that they will comply with the provisions of the regulations.
Earlier, the CCP had issued show-cause notices to both the companies for misleading advertisements.
However, the companies have been warned that in future CCP will take a very strict view of non-compliance or contravention of the Competition Ordinance, 2007.
The CCP had observed that Zong’s advertisement ‘8 Anay per call’ advert was false and misleading and in violation of Section 10 of the Competition Ordinance, 2007.
The CCP noted that the said advertisement lacked reasonable basis regarding the price, call rates, or inclusiveness of government taxes being not specified and its character and the duration of call at which the rates were applicable was not stipulated clearly.
The CCP observed that the televised advertisement of Ufone’s Uwon Package did not mention that the advertised rates, to call other networks, are applicable on per minute calls.
As per the submissions of Ufone the advertisement contains a disclaimer. However, the same is in English and was neither visible nor readable.
The order further states that, such information must be clearly conveyed to customers as the advertised call rates increase, when 21 per cent FED are included in the advertised call rates.

FCC Chief Julius Genachowski Says Mobile Networks Face a 'Spectrum Crisis'

11-10-2009:-   A "looming spectrum crisis" threatens the future of mobile networks in the U.S., Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski told a CTIA meeting Wednesday in San Diego, Calif. He said that while the short-term outlook for 4G networks is "adequate, the longer-term picture is very different."
Mobile data usage, the FCC chief said, is growing fast. He cited estimates that by 2013, mobile traffic will grow to 400 petabytes (one million gigabytes) per month from six petabytes today.
Handling that traffic, Genachowski said, will require reallocating spectrum now used for other purposes to 4G networks. He cited the recent change in 700-MHz spectrum from analog television to mobile networks as an example of what needs to be done.
The FCC is ready to cut red tape and help operators overcome obstacles to robust 4G networks, Genachowski told the industry group that has opposed his network-neutrality stand. He promised the operators that the FCC will work to obtain the best sites for cellular towers and process 4G paperwork.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to an open broadband network and promised that the FCC's hearing later this month will seek clear rules. "There shouldn't be any confusion," Genachowski said. "I believe firmly in the need for the FCC to preserve Internet openness, whether a person accesses the Internet from a desktop computer or a wireless laptop or netbook. I also believe the question of how we accomplish that goal, particularly in the wireless context, poses some difficult questions."
Consumer transparency is also a key FCC goal, the chairman said. He said the goal is to ensure that consumers have the information they need, and he added, "The same day we launched our competition and innovation and investment inquiries, we also launched an inquiry on consumer information and disclosure ... the timing was not coincidental."
Genachowski told the industry leaders, "I am committed to running an expert agency that works for all Americans -- that pursues high principles while recognizing the danger of dogma and the power of pragmatism. I look forward to working with CTIA and each of you to capitalize on the potential of mobile broadband."

Windows Mobile 6.5 Alive Brought By HTC's HD2 Mobile Phone

11-10-2009 News:-  Since the mobile phone is the one gadget you are pretty much guaranteed to take with you when you are abroad on business, you need one that works well.

Windows Mobile has always seemed, on the face of it, the operating system of choice.

It has the same programs so familiar from regular computer use such as Word and Excel, and comes in a range of handsets from different manufacturers.

But the truth is Windows Mobile has always been difficult to use. It was slow, tricky, cumbersome and awkward, with touchscreen interfaces that needed a stylus to get anything done. Even the new version, Windows Mobile 6.5, launched last Tuesday and called Windows Phone to sound more friendly, wasn't perfect. It didn't support the better-looking, easier to use capacitive type of touchscreens, like the one on the iPhone. Capacitive screens are more responsive because they don't require pressure and offer sharp, richly-coloured displays.

Everything changes with the HTC HD2 out later this month. The Taiwanese smartphone maker has added layers on top of the vanilla Windows Mobile interface and has improved it out of all recognition. It has also added support for the multi-touch capacitive screens everyone craves.

So there's a great-looking home screen with weather details that update to show you what's going on outside that windowless conference centre. And it picks up emails, texts and voicemails.

The main screen shows a carousel of shortcuts, making it as easy to get to your calendar and contacts as to Facebook and Twitter, if you must. Programmes of your choice are displayed so at just one touch of the huge 4.2-inch screen you can connect your laptop to the internet using the phone's 3G connection – handy when there's no wi-fi.

It's sleek and light, powerful and very fast. Windows Mobile 6.5 is the best version of Microsoft phone software yet, but it's the HTC hardware that makes this potentially the most efficient, accessible and certainly the best looking business phone yet.

There's even an optional hardware accessory: a windscreen mount which automatically launches CoPilot satnav software. The perfect overseas companion.

The New iPhone 3.1.2 Firmware Free Download

Apple has released the new iPhone OS Firmware 3.1.2 for the original iPhone (Edge), iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch via an iTunes update. This update includes the following fixes and enhancements:

• Resolves sporadic issue that may cause iPhone to not wake from sleep.
• Resolves intermittent issue that may interrupt cellular network services until restart.
• Fixes bug that could cause occasional crash during video streaming.

Products compatible with this software update:

• iPhone
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3GS

To update to iPhone OS Firmware 3.1.2, all you will have to do is to connect your iPhonewith your computer via usb and start iTunes. You should now see a message as shown below. Simply click on “Download and Install” button to get on to the new iPhone OS 3.1.2 firmware.

Also included is a new carrier update (.IPCC) file for AT&T customers which brings the carrier version number to 5.6.
Note: Do not update your iPhone to OS 3.1.2 yet if it is jailbroken or unlocked on firmware 3.1. Wait for the new jailbreaking and unlocking tools before updating your device or you may loose the capability to jailbreak or unlock your device in the future. You have beenwarned!

You can follow me on twitter or join our facebook fanpage to keep yourself updated on all the latest iPhone related releases.
Download links for iPhone OS Firmware 3.1.2 are as follows:
Download iPhone OS 3.1.2 for iPhone 2G
Download iPhone OS 3.1.2 for iPhone 3G
Download iPhone OS 3.1.2 for iPhone 3GS

New Names For ACER Smart Phones Before Launching

In the beginning of this year Acer announced its intentions to enter the smartphones arena. In fact, it had also announced quite a few models back then.
Fast forward a few months and on the eve of the arrival of Windows Mobile 6.5, the company decides to rename its phones - just to highlight its "touch" moniker. The newly named phones are the neoTouch, beTouch E100, beTouch E101 and beTouch E200.
Each of these device had a different name at the time of their announcement. The neoTouch was the F1, beTouch was the C1, beTouch E101 was the E1 and the beTouch E200 was the L1. All these phones are expected to be released in the UK later this week for prices between 200 (approx. Rupees Fourteen Thousand) and 370 (approx. Rupees Twenty thousand). The most interesting device obviously is the Snapdragon powered neoTouch which, at least on paper, looks to be a powerhouse.
Acer's renaming strategy is in line with other manufacturers' who have adopted the "touch" moniker for their line of phones too. The best examples would be Samsung's TouchWiz and HTC's TouchFLO. As of now, the renaming seems limited only to Acer's Windows Mobile powered devices. Later this year, with the company expected to bring its Android powered device it would be interesting to see if the neoTouch branding is extended there as well.

3 Reasons Why iPhone Won’t Get Adobe Flash

1. Apple is Betting on a Different Standard
Although Adobe Flash powers most of the interactive Web applications for full-featured computers, Apple has set its eyes on HTML 5 with the introduction of the iPhone 3.0 OS. HTML 5 makes obsolete plug-in-based technologies such as Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight, because it’s open source and has similar multimedia capabilities to Adobe’s and Microsoft’s solutions.

Apple is quite involved in the development of the HTML 5 standard as well, and the technology is already being implemented into browsers before the standard is final. Oh, and the editors of the HTML 5 standard are David Hyatt of Apple and Ian Hickinson of Google. As a side note, Flash is not supported on standard Google Android installations, but only custom ones, such as on the HTC Hero.

But there is hope: Apple could change its mind at any time regarding Adobe Flash support. As far as no one knows, Apple might be working on a solution right now, but as usual, the Cupertino Company is keeping mum on details. Just don’t bet your money on Adobe Flash on the iPhone yet.
2. The iPhone is Created so it Won’t Support Flash
The virtual limitations imposed by the iPhone software, as in only one application open at all times (except for a couple of Apple’s own apps), means that an environment like Adobe Flash won’t be able to install or launch other executable code by any means, including the use of a plug-in architecture (iPhone SDK EULA clause 3.3.2).

For you and me, this translates that the ways Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight were designed to work are forbidden from running on the iPhone — unless Apple decides to make an exception (which sends us to point No. 1). In relation, this means that third-party browsers such as Firefox or Opera (besides being banned from the App Store because of duplicate functionality) won’t be able to use Safari’s built-in Java engine either.
3. Apple Doesn’t Want Flash on the iPhone
Let’s face it: when Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan said in February that Adobe Flash on the iPhone is “a hard technical challenge, and that’s part of the reason Apple and Adobe are collaborating,” we all thought that the iPhone’s hardware wasn’t powerful enough to support this technology.

Eight months later though, the iPhone 3GS doubled the processing power and RAM memory over its predecessor, the iPhone 3G, and the hardware barriers are gone. But still no Adobe Flash. Meanwhile, HTC managed to graciously support fully Adobe Flash on the similarly-spec’d HTC Hero, so Apple is running out of reasons to dismiss Flash.

Network Gets Clogged A Wi-Fi Alternative

In the last year, millions of people have snapped up new smartphones, filled them with apps and promptly found out that they couldn’t actually use them.

The problem? Either the much-hyped 3G pipeline was clogged with other users, or the cell connection wasn’t even good enough to ring the 3G bell in the first place. AT&T users have had it the worst, thanks to the network’s iPhone data hogs.

Carriers are quickly adding high-speed network capacity, but in the meantime, AT&T and T-Mobile are throwing another lifeline to customers in the form of Wi-Fi. Both are making it easier to connect to wireless hot spots with their phones, in an effort to deliver fast data and clear calls in areas where neither might be possible.

In this respect, AT&T has been the most aggressive of any carrier. The company said this month that customers with a Windows Mobile phone could now connect freely at any of the company’s roughly 20,000 hot spots.

AT&T claims to sell more Windows Mobile phones than any other carrier, and with the introduction of Windows Mobile version 6.5 next month and new Windows phones like the HTC Touch Pro2, it stands to sell more. Now all Windows Mobile users can duck into a Starbucks, among the many other locations with AT&T Wi-Fi, and the phone will automatically route data and calls over a high-speed Internet connection.

Many people with iPhones and AT&T BlackBerrys don’t know it, but this perk has been available to them for months. The difficulty, of course, is finding a free hot spot when you need it.

Rather than roaming around and hoping to stumble into a Starbucks or an unlocked Wi-Fi signal, you can download one of the many hot-spot locating apps.

I found JiWire’s free Wi-Fi Finder iPhone app particularly useful. The software sniffs out your location and offers a list of nearby hot spots, free and paid. If you’re a customer of one of the big Wi-Fi networks, like iPass, Boingo or AT&T, the app will tell you where to find those.

Unfortunately, no comparable app exists for BlackBerrys or Windows Mobile phones. Users of those devices can download apps that help find free hot spots (like Free Wi-Fi Cafe Spots, for $3 on BlackBerry’s App World). Otherwise, you need to get online before leaving home, and make a list of hot spots you can use while on the road.

AT&T says its free Wi-Fi initiative isn’t a response to a recent avalanche of complaints from iPhone users that they cannot connect via 3G. Still, Jeff Bradley, the company’s senior vice president of devices, said that if more AT&T users shifted to Wi-Fi, the performance of the 3G network should improve.

T-Mobile, too, has put significant emphasis on Wi-Fi, which is good for users, because T-Mobile’s coverage quality trails that of its competitors in most regions.

T-Mobile’s HotSpot Network has more than 10,000 locations in the United States, thanks to roaming agreements with Boingo and AT&T, so the network covers Starbucks, many major airports and FedEx Kinko’s stores, among others. As with AT&T, the connection costs are included in a subscriber’s monthly data plan.

Some T-Mobile phones, like the MyTouch 3G or the G1, have available applications that will help users find a hot spot. These so-called Google phones, which operate on Google’s Android software platform, are fairly well served, in this respect, with T-Mobile’s HotSpot Locator app (free, in the Android Market).

The app garnered some harsh early reviews for frequent crashes, but T-Mobile recently said the problems had been fixed. In recent tests I experienced no problems.

Connecting to a hot spot is generally as easy as it is on AT&T. If you have an Android phone, like the MyTouch 3G or the G1, T-Mobile’s affiliated Wi-Fi networks will recognize your phone and automatically log you on. Other smartphones require users to log in with their phone number, at least initially. If you tweak the phone’s settings, it will log in automatically thereafter.

For an additional $10 a month, T-Mobile subscribers can make unlimited calls from any hot spot without racking up cellphone charges. On my tests, calls showed good voice quality, with no noticeable difference from the cellular calls on T-Mobile’s network.

Just 18 of T-Mobile’s 30 Wi-Fi capable phones can make calls this way, though, and the Android phones are not on that list. So check T-Mobile’s Web site to see if your phone qualifies.

Verizon, the nation’s biggest wireless carrier, has no similar Wi-Fi initiative, which is perhaps understandable since it has few Wi-Fi-enabled phones. And Sprint has no nationwide Wi-Fi initiative to speak of, either.

Sprint does have a horse in the wireless race, however. The company has invested in Clearwire Communications, a company that is rolling out WiMax, a technology that covers entire cities in a wireless Internet cloud.

This year, Clearwire began introducing its WiMax service in Baltimore and Las Vegas, and last month added Boise, Idaho; Bellingham, Wash.; and Portland, Ore., among other cities. By the end of next year, WiMax coverage will be available in New York, San Francisco and most of Texas, among other places.

Existing Sprint subscribers receive no discounts when they use the network. You can subscribe to the Mobile broadband service for $60 a month, and connect in any city where Sprint’s WiMax service is available, or users can pay $10 to connect for 24 hours.

As an alternative, Sprint and Verizon Wireless also sell Novatel’s MiFi 2200 ($100 with a two-year contract), a pocket-size device that converts a cellular signal into a Wi-Fi signal, which you can share with up to five devices nearby.

You need to be in an area with good cellular coverage for it to be of much use, so there’s little logic in owning one just to connect your phone to Wi-Fi. But if your circle of friends includes data-hogging iPhone users who can never seem to get on AT&T’s 3G network, you could probably extort a cup of coffee or two from them in exchange for a Wi-Fi fix.

AT&T Wireless to get new Windows Mobile 3G Terrestar Satellite Phone

This week more information on the hybrid mobile/satellite phone, the Terrestar Genus was announced by AT&T and Terrestar reports an article over on pc world. Both companied intend to release the Windows Mobile 3G Terrestar Genus and target business users.
The Terrestar genus will use Terrestar’s satellite phone service when out of range of a mobile phone signal and when in range will use the AT&T network.
Spec wise the Terrestar genus sports a 2.6 inch touch screen, 3 megapixel camera, Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional operating system, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, VoIP app, Microsoft Office Mobile, Outlook Mobile, quad-band GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA, and microSD expansion.

Taiwan unveils hydrogen-powered mobile phone chargers

TAIPEI (AFP) -

Taiwanese researchers said Friday they have developed hydrogen-powered mobile phone chargers, in a development that could boost the island's efforts to become a player in green technologies.

The device can recharge a mobile phone battery in two hours without being plugged, according to scientists at the Industrial Technology Research Institute in north Taiwan's Hsinchu city.

"Hydrogen is a recyclable material. The device is energy-efficient and will help protect the environment," said Tsau Fanghei, a researcher at the institute.

"We will continue to improve the invention. We hope the hydrogen-powered device can replace current cell phone recharge systems in 2012."

Ma Hwong-wen, an environmental scientist at the National Taiwan University, said the invention appeared to be breaking new ground.

"It is new," Ma said. "Hydrogen, in theory, will produce no hazard to the environment."

The charger will be key to the Taiwan government's endeavour of carving out a space for itself in future energy generation, according to Yeh Hui-ching, director of the economics ministry's Bureau of Energy.

"The government hopes to acquire a slot in the global green energy industry's production chain with the hydrogen fuel cell technologies," Yeh said, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.

Taiwan is under pressure to develop new energy sources, as it imports about 98 percent of its energy.

T-Mobile Rolls Out 'Donut' Android Update

T-Mobile confirmed Thursday that the company began to roll out Android 1.6, also known as "Donut," to owners of the two T-Mobile Google Android phones, the G1 and MyTouch 3G. "The over-the-air update will be delivered to all G1 and myTouch customers in the coming days," a T-Mobile spokeswoman says.
According to Google, Android 1.6 brings several new features. There's a new integrated camera/camcorder UI that lets you quickly switch between camera and video modes. Launching the camera is now 39 percent faster. The system now tells you which applications are using the most battery. It supports VPNs. And the Android Market is easier to browse, with screenshots and top paid and free apps lists.
For now, neither PCMag.com's T-Mobile G1 nor our MyTouch 3G are reporting any available updates.

Apple flexes iPhone muscle with mobile networks

Apple imposed such secrecy on mobile networks negotiating access to the iPhone that one was forced to keep the deal secret for a year, while another hired entirely new staff to avoid news of the deal leaking out, the Telegraph has learned.

Orange and Vodafone announced this week that they would soon start selling the iPhone, bringing an end to O2’s exclusive deal. However, Apple holds such power over the operators that both deals had to be negotiated in strict secrecy.

Tom Alexander, chief executive of Orange, which won the first deal to break into O2’s previously exclusive contract, said getting the iPhone was “top of my to-do list” since he joined the company in October 2007.

Mr Alexander revealed this week that Orange signed the deal more than a year ago, but the company was banned from mentioning any detail of the agreement until Monday morning.

“We’ve really been dying to tell people, but we just couldn’t do it. It’s been really frustrating.” Mr Alexander told the Daily Telegraph. “There’s been a lot of secrecy surrounding it.”

Apple was desperate to keep news of the agreement with Orange secret because it was simultaneously negotiating with Britain’s other mobile operators, and any hint that it had already signed up with Orange would have reduced its bargaining position.

Vittorio Colao, chief executive of Vodafone, was as desperate as Mr Alexander to secure the right to sell the iPhone in the UK as he has conceded that not having the phone is a key reason why the company lost 159,000 customers in its latest quarter.

While Orange had its deal sewn up last year, Vodafone’s agreement was a far more last minute affair. On Wednesday last week, when questioned by the Daily Telegraph, Vodafone refused to comment on talks with Apple but said no deal had been signed.

Fearing that if it asked its own staff their excitability might cause a leak, Vodafone drafted in a team of temporary staff and ordered them to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent them from telling even their nearest and dearest what they were really doing every day.

Carolina Milanesi, lead Apple analyst at Gartner, the technology research house, said: “Apple calls all the shots. Apple is an iconic brand and the iPhone is an iconic device which has transformed the mobile phone market. Apple can do what it likes and the mobile phone operators just have to lump it.”

Windows Mobile Gets Fall Fashion Update

Microsoft is edging closer to the consumer-friendly look RIM and Apple are known for with the latest updates to its mobile operating system for smartphones. Redmond still has some distance to close before it can match the popular appeal of those brands, however, suggested Jeff Bradley, AT&T's senior vice president for devices.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)  is giving its operating system for smartphones a new look in time for the holiday shopping season.

The world's largest software maker said Tuesday that phones running the next version of Windows Mobile will hit store shelves worldwide on Oct. 6.
"Windows Mobile 6.5," as the new system is called, has an updated look that brings Microsoft's offering more in line with competitors such as Research In Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM)  BlackBerry and Apple' (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone.

Windows Marketplace

Windows Mobile 6.5 includes a new version of its Internet Explorer browser for phones, along with changes that make it easier to use on touchscreen devices.
Microsoft also has developed a free service called "My Phone" that lets people synchronize text messages, contacts, photos and other phone data on the Internet, where it can be edited or transferred to a new phone.
Microsoft is also launching a mobile application store akin to Apple's store for iPhone apps on iTunes.
The company would not say how many developers have submitted applications for the Windows Marketplace for Mobile so far.

Roping In Consumers

AT&T (NYSE: T) Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S)  and Verizon Wireless will all market new Windows Mobile phones, Microsoft said.
AT&T will give people who use Windows Mobile 6.5 phones with certain data plans access to its network of WiFi hot spots without additional charge, a perk already enjoyed by iPhone and BlackBerry owners.
Microsoft is betting the updated smartphone system will lure more consumers while still appealing to the corporate technology gurus who like the way it works with company email servers.

Still Lagging

AT&T's senior vice president for devices, Jeff Bradley, said in an interview that the new system is a good step for Microsoft but certainly not its last.
"I don't think it catches them up to what is setting the bar today," Bradley said. "I think they've got a definite plan to introduce an even more consumer-friendly and competitive interface and set of services."
Microsoft would not comment on plans for the next version of the mobile operating system. 

Review of Camera-Equipped Apple iPod nano 5G

The outward appearance of the fifth-generation iPod nano remains largely unchanged from the fourth-generation nano that preceded it. You still get the shiny aluminum casing, the elongated body, and the white click wheel, but there are some obvious changes as well. The display is just slightly bigger and, more notably, there’s that new camera poking out the rear.

Dan Nosowitz of Gizmodo couldn’t help himself after the It’s Only Rock and Roll Event hosted by Apple earlier this week. During that event, Steve Jobs officially unveiled the iPod nano 5G, saying that the new MP3 player is on sale right away.

Going through Dan’s review, we learn that the screen goes from the 2.0-inches on the 4G nano to the 2.2-inches on the 5G nano. The resolution, as a result, gets a bump from 240×320 to 240×375. That’s not quite a 16:9 wide aspect ratio, but it is a widescreen nonetheless. The screen is also noticeably brighter and sharper than its predecessor. To make room for the bigger screen, the click wheel had to get a little smaller.

The embedded VGA camera will only do video (no stills), but it does come with a series of built-in effects and filters, including heat vision, tunnel vision, and security cam vision. The video quality is actually quite good, comparable to some of the standard-def pocket camcorders out there. It doesn’t do HD, but it does VGA at 30fps quite well. Just make sure your finger isn’t blocking the lens.

Other highlights include the new FM radio, a built-in speaker, pedometer, and a microphone with voice recorder. All in all, Dan says that the iPod nano 5G is a seriously good player and the inclusion of the “surprisingly good” camera is a huge bonus. That said, you have to realize that a 16GB nano is the same price as an 8GB iPod touch, so would you prefer to have a smaller form factor and a camera or would you want a touchscreen and the App Store?

Apple Homes In on the iPod's Next Conquests

It's safe to say Apple's iPod line has soundly conquered the media player market, so now it's looking for new arenas in which to do battle. Judging by the show Apple put on this week, portable gaming and pocket camcorders top its to-do list. Meanwhile, Sprint made new plans, Toshiba made peace with Blu-ray, and Rhapsody made it into the App Store.



As for the iPods, it looks like Apple is throwing some punches at other device makers in general -- not necessarily other MP3 players. The iPod nano now has a video camera, and Apple made a point of comparing it to a much less compact pocket camcorder from Flip that sells at a similar price.
The iPod touch did not get a camera, but it will now go all the way up to 64 GB of storage if you're willing to pay top dollar. The big theme for the touch, though, was gaming. Top-shelf game makers like Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS)  got some stage time to show off their new stuff. Apple wasn't shy about shoving around its gaming rivals, either: It called out the PlayStation Portable and the Nintendo  DS, the two big names in portable systems. Neither of those guys has nearly the same game selection that can be found in the App Store, Apple said. Plus, their games are more expensive -- and you have to actually get off your duff and go to a store in order to buy them.

Sprint Shakes It Up with $69.99 Everything Plan

Are you tired of paying far too much on your monthly cell phone bill? You want to have those minutes, those text messages, and that wireless data, but you don’t want to break the bank to do it? We’ve seen other “everything” plans in the past, but I don’t think any of them are anywhere near as cheap as the new $69.99 plan from Sprint. Yes, you get everything for under seventy bucks (before tax).

The new “Any Mobile, Anytime” plan from Sprint will run you just $69.99 per month and this will afford you with unlimited minutes to any US-based mobile phone. You also get as much data as you can ingest, as many SMS and MMS messages as you’d like, all-you-can-view Sprint TV, and as much GPS navigation as you can possibly use.

But what about phone calls to non-mobile numbers? Well, that’s the catch. It’s not a true “everything” plan, since you “only” get 450 minutes to use with landlines. To me, that still sounds like a lot, but you can bump up to a completely unlimited plan for $30 more. The $99.99 Simply Everything plan is the fully unlimited option.

I don’t know about you, but I think $70 for unlimited (almost) everything is one killer deal, considering that you can easily spend that much money on a lot less through other carriers. It also helps that Sprint currently has the exclusive on the Palm Pre (and the upcoming Palm Pixi).

Will T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T come forward with a competing (almost) everything plan? I think so.

Motorola Cliq Google Phone Unveiled for T-Mobile

Struggling handset maker Motorola today unveiled the Cliq -- its first handset using Google software with easier access to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The Schaumburg, Ill.-based company said the Cliq features a touch screen display, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 5.0-megapixel camera and software that aggregates contact information from various social networks and email accounts.

When Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha took the helm of the troubled company in August last year, he reorganized its handset unit around Google's Android software, hoping the partnership with the Internet search giant would help it win back shoppers.

The Cliq is the first phone to emerge from the alliance and seen by many as the handset maker's last chance to regain lost market share from rivals Apple's iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices in the fast-growing smartphone market.

The centerpiece of Motorola's Android strategy is its "MotoBlur" software -- an interface that pushes updates from contacts, emails and text messages along with postings and photos from Facebook and Twitter into the device's home screen.

In addition, contacts, messages and log-in information are backed up on a MotoBlur secure server, so that when users can retrieve lost information with the entry of a username and password.

Consumers will also be able to erase data from a lost or stolen handset remotely and locate the device through an online Web site.

Motorola said the Cliq will be available from T-Mobile in time for the holiday season. Pricing information has not yet been released.

The company said it plans to unveil a second handset, for Verizon, in the coming weeks.

Nokia Twist Glows to Alert Users, to Launch for Verizon

Verizon plans to launch the Nokia Twist -- a unique swivel phone with a "light ring" that glows to alert users of incoming calls and messages -- on September 21. 

The Basking Ridge, N.J.-based carrier said the Twist has a compact, minimulist design and opens to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Its large 2.4-inch display shows nature-inspired themes that change throughout the day, while external keys provide a slight vibrating response when a selection is made.

Additional features include a 3.0-megapixel auto-focus camera, access to Verizon's VCAST Video, Music and Navigator services, stereo Bluetooth and a microSD expansion card slot.

On Wednesday, Nokia unveiled the N97 Mini, X6 and X3, new music phones that integrate Facebook's social-networking service, and the Mural for AT&T, a clamshell that lights up in blue, red, green, orange, purple and pink colors to alert users of incoming events.

Although Nokia has weathered the global recession better than some handset makers, it is having to work harder to maintain its market lead amid increasing competition from Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry.

Last week, the company announced its own high-end smartphone, the N900, running Linux software.

Verizon said the Nokia Twist will hit store shelves on September 21 for $150 with a two-year contract.

Sprint Offers Unlimited Calling to Any Phone in U.S.

Sprint is offering a service plan for unlimited calls made between mobile phones as aggressive competition in pricing continues to intensify. 

The Overland Park, Kan.-based company said its "Any Mobile, Anytime" plan starts at $70 a month and allow customers to make unlimited calls to any mobile device in the U.S., regardless of the carrier, including unlimited text messaging and data services.

Customers also get 450 monthly minutes for calls made to landline phones. For $90 a month, they get 900 minutes.

A family plan covering four people is also available for $170.

"We don't think our customers want to have to keep track of or only talk to friends, colleagues or family members who make the same choices they do," said Sprint CEO Dan Hesse.

AT&T recently launched its "A-List" plan, which mimics T-Mobile's MyFaves and Verizon Wireless's Friends and Family offering.

As Sprint continues to suffer heavy subscriber losses, it has pushed hard to undercut rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

Samsung Rogue, Intensity Released for Verizonro

Verizon Wireless, largest U.S. wireless provider, today released the Samsung Rogue and Intensity -- two new messaging phones with access to Facebook and Twitter. 

The Basking Ridge, N.J.-based carrier said the Rogue has a touch display and slide-out QWERTY keyboard for optimized text messaging.

The handset comes with threaded messaging and access to popular social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Photobucket.

The Intensity features threaded text, picture and voice messaging, instant messaging and mobile email.

Verizon also introduced two new data plans -- 25MB for $10 a month and 75MB for $20 a month.

The Samsung Rogue and Intensity costs $100 and $30, respectively, with a new two-year contract.