mobile tech

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

Mobile phone payments next

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

The days of the mobile phone acting primarily as a tool for voice communications are taking another step into the past with the promise of the phone as an e-commerce tool moves closer. Using technology already being trialled in Japan, and similar to that used in point-of-sale terminals at which you wave your RFID-enabled credit card, your cell phone becomes the medium of payment for purchases made at a wide variety of merchants. Cool, huh? Well, it could certainly be convenient, and teenagers would almost certainly jump immediately to embrace the method, but some experts are still waiting to be convinced that the cell phone can be as secure as more traditional payment methods.

For more on cell phones as electronic wallets:
- Read the new technology article at Mobile-Tech-Today

Bango for mobile content

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

"Content is king" has been the cry of the Internet since the beginning of the World Wide Web. The problem has been getting rich content from applications to mobile platforms. Now, application developer Bango has introduced a new platform for sharing rich content on tiny, mobile screens. The "Bango Button" which can be embedded on a website or within an application, links to rich content served through the Bango service and formatted for the small screen and narrow bandwidth. Content can be of any sort--commercial or private--and linked to from any site, page, or application that can support HTML.

For more on Bango mobile content:
- Read the new product story at CIO-Today

Motorola moves past the Razr

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:57 -0400

It's one thing to decide that it's best to be a rather boring but successful company. It's quite another to realize that a rival, say, Apple, has taken your place as the "cool phone" maker for most of the market. Now, Motorola is getting ready to follow the winning designs of the StarTAC, Razr, and Razr2 with new phones using WiMAX, GSM LTE (Long Term Evolution), and Zigbee along with standard 3G cell technologies. Only the market will decide whether the new phones will be seen as the coolest yet, but Motorola is getting the phones ready.

For more on the next generation of Motorola phones:
- read the technology preview at WirelessWeek

SMS for all

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

It's like the old, old joke: "Two years ago I couldn't spell SMS -- now I can't live without it." Short Message Service (SMS) has progressed rapidly from option to must-have for many cell phone users. ABI Research says that 500 million handsets with touchscreens will ship by 2010, and on those half-billion handsets will ride much of the continuing SMS boom. The conclusion seems clear: customers want easy-to-use text-based applications like SMS and mobile group software. The applications that give users new ways to keep in touch will win new customers to new services. It's a win-win future.

For more on the continuing rise of SMS:
- read the whole story at WirelessWeek

Mobile Firefox frees handsets

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

It was easy to get the feeling of freedom when wireless devices started accessing the Web, but users still tend to be locked into the browser that came pre-loaded on their smartphone. Oh, sure, some pioneers loaded Opera Mini to take the load off of their hand-held device, but most remained faithful to their phone's browser. The folks at Mozilla, however, want to bring browser freedom to the masses, and they've announced Firefox Mobile to accompany all the on-device portals and applications now being delivered. Look for downloads starting later this year.

For more on Mobile Firefox:
- read the complete news story at NetworkWorld

Mobile AJAX app building

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

It's easy to say that you're going to put applications on a mobile platform: actually developing the applications, however, can be far more challenging. Last week, The OpenAjax Alliance and the W3C met together to discuss why it's been so hard to develop applications for mobile devices, and whether AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is the answer to the problem of mobile development. The consortia have many members, and a wide variety of papers were approved for presentation at the conference--for the results, we'll have to wait for a development cycle to unfold.

For more on the AJAX conference:
- read the complete report at eWeek

Enterprise iPhone email

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 06:59:57 -0400

It's shocking to consider, but not everyone loves the iPhone. Some corporations have even gone so far as to completely ban the Apple smartphone from the enterprise network. Now, though, a growing number of companies are implementing IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) email servers so that users with iPhones can access corporate email. IMAP may be the first step the iPhone takes through the corporate door but it's not likely to be the last: iPhone proponents look forward to the day when they'll be able to carry just the sleek new phone, and leave the BlackBerry at home.

For more on the corporate iPhone:
- read the application news at Mobile-Tech-Today

Google debuts automated local 411 service

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:01:36 -0400

Google wants more than your browser search business; the search giant has begun testing a local speech-recognition 411 service, a first attempt to earn a piece of the $9.4 billion dollar 411 market. The service, which customers can reach now by 1-800-GOOG-411, eliminates human operators by maximizing the use of advanced voice-recognition engine that lets you ask a question of the computer and have it guess what you really want to know. Search engines and directories are growing services as users continue to wander farther from telephone directories and closer to everything they want for their business and personal lives. But how accurate is it? Based off of a few tests conducted here in the Business VoIP Report labs, I wouldn't advise ditching traditional 411 services anytime soon.

For more on the new Google service:
- Read the complete article at Mobile Tech Today

Vaio UX: beauty at a price

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:01:37 -0400

Sony's Vaio is a lovely piece of hardware, with features that keep up with its appearance--but you'll pay for the privilege of walking into a meeting with a gorgeous piece of computing power under your arm. At 1.2 pounds, the UX fits in with other ultra-mobile PCs, but some reviewers have found that the total package isn't as fully polished as you might like, especially in a computer with a starting price of nearly $2,000. The good news starts with a highly-viewable screen and great control layout. The bad news begins with a keyboard that's far less than a pleasure to use. It's a pretty package to take on the road, but be aware of the limitations before you reach for your credit card.

For more on the Vaio UX:
- Read the complete review at Mobile Tech Today