Mobile IM

RIM: Qwerty keyboards all the rage

Paul Mah — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:21:03 -0400

Speaking with a reporter sometime during the WES 2008 event last week, RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis shared some of his views pertaining to the increasing ubiquitous smartphone. When it comes to the touchscreen, which received a shot in the arm from Apple's implementation on the iPhone, Lazaridis noted that he has used numerous touchscreen devices since the mid-90s--including the very first ones found on devices from Sharp, NEC and Palm.

He was unanimous that a full Qwerty keyboard is still "the most exciting mobile trend" to date. More than email alone, the Facebook and instant messaging generation are likely to walk away from a shop with a BlackBerry as a direct result of its superior keyboard interface. Lazaridis said, "What I watched was the whole industry eventually had to license our keyboard technology."

For more on what Lazaridis has to say:
- check out this ZDNet article

JetBlue's high-altitude WiFi

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

It hasn't been very long since the FCC first said "yes" to the idea of in-flight WiFi (at the same time they were saying "no" to in-flight cell-phone calls). Now, JetBlue is set to begin testing WiFi on a plane, albeit in a very limited way: on a single Airbus airplane on a single route across the country, JetBlue will allow Yahoo email and instant messaging, and activity from certain Blackberry devices. Limited bandwidth (with some market testing thrown in) is the reason for the limits--will this be the first in a long series of WiFi implementations in the air or as far as the WiFi experiment goes? Stay tuned.

For more on the JetBlue WiFi experiment:
- Read the news story at DailyTechRag

Springtime for wireless

Sun, 20 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Ah, it's Spring and new products are ready to burst upon the market. The iPhone is the most talked-about new phone in years, but there are plenty of other new handsets from vendors like Nokia and Motorola as well--enough to keep you busy trying to figure out which features your users might need. Just to make things more complicated, it looks like the Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC) might be starting to pick up a little steam. It's a great concept; a very small package holds all of the computing power you need for your work. You can carry it around and use it for phone calls and instant messaging, or plug in a monitor, mouse, and keyboard to have a fully functional personal computer at your disposal. You might want to start working now on those capability grids that will let you show your users why you are--or aren't--buying that hot portable wireless device they simply must have.

IT-Wireless usually hits your inbox on Monday morning but since next Monday is a holiday, look for IT-Wireless on Tuesday. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. -Curtis

Mobile instant messaging

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 20:01:36 -0400

The kids are all instant messaging one another when they aren't shooting cryptic SMS messages from their cell phones. Good thing there's not a real business case for mobile instant messaging--or is there? If you've dismissed mobile instant messaging just because teenagers can't live without it, you may be missing an important tool for business communications. That's not to say that there aren't legitimate concerns: security and management for many systems are set up for consumers rather than businesses. However, the technology is now worth a serious evaluation, and not just a cursory glance.

For a new look at enterprise mobile instant messaging:
- Read the analysis at Network Computing

IM to iAnywhere

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 19:01:37 -0500

iAnywhere Solutions has announced the latest addition to its Information Anywhere Suite. The suite, which has offered email synchronization with the major enterprise platforms including Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, now includes instant message transfers with corporate private instant messaging servers. Compatibility is also provided with a number of public instant messaging servers, including Google, but not AOL Instant Messenger.

For more on the new capabilities:
- read the article at TechWorld

A device for putting your work life online

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 20:01:37 -0400

If your users are hankering for a tool that keeps them connected online, but also provides instant messaging features as well as text messaging and email, the new Mylo personal communicator from Sony could be the answer. Called Mylo, which is short for "my life online," the handheld also lets users view photos and listen to music simultaneously. It boasts a JiWire hotspot directory for connectivity to the over 20,000 WiFi networks nationwide, and features a 2.4-inch color LCD screen and slide out Qwerty-style keyboard. The big drawback, according to one review, is that it can't jump on a cellular network when WiFi isn't available or out of reach. But as one analyst notes, that won't be an issue for long given the continuing deployment of municipal networking coming into play. Article

Sidekick 3 long on messaging, short on phone

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 20:01:37 -0400

As today's "how to" item explains, choosing the right PDA for your user base involves investigating a lot of issues and features to make the right choice. If your mobile workforce needs to communicate via text, instant messaging and email and needs photo capabilities for field work, you might want to take a good look at the latest Sidekick 3, which boasts great email and text and Web capabilities as well as image functionality. The latest device from Danger does fall a bit short, though, if device use is primarily phone driven. And the biggest drawback is with third-party application integration as it's extremely limited compared to other PDA offerings such as Palm and Windows mobile OS-supported devices. Yet as one reviewer notes, if messaging capability is your road warrior's top need, this is a device worth considering. Article

QUICKLINKS: Yahoo pushes wireless calling into IM app; Business spend on wireless services now one-third of telco costs; Much m

Sun, 26 Mar 2006 19:00:50 -0500

Yahoo pushes wireless calling into its instant messaging application. Article

Business spend on wireless services now one-third of telco costs. Article

Wireless network providers spending more to shore up backhaul. Article

PayPal extends a text message payment option to the mobile phone user. Article

China not jumping to get new VoIP providers in place. Article

User base of 3G mobile phones growing steadily. Article

More and better security needed for WiFi equipment. Article

China hits 400 million mark in mobile subscriptions. Article

QUICKLINKS: Linux a serious competitor to Symbian's market share; The quest to make IM a global mobile application; Much more..

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 19:00:50 -0500

Linux a serious competitor to Symbian's market share dominance. Article

The quest to make instant messaging a global mobile application. Article

McAfee rolls out all-in-one mobile security package. Article

How to boost your WiFi security in XP environments. Article

Phone that goes from VoIP to cellular without missing a beat. Article

Understanding what dual-core can bring to mobile and wireless computing. Article