Wireless News Handset Sales on the Rise, Smart Phones Soar
Handset manufacturers enjoyed healthy sales during the first quarter of
2003, according to a report from IDC. Sales of converged voice and data
devices were particularly strong. According to IDC, global handset
shipments grew by 16.6 percent compared with the year-ago period, reaching
107.6 million units. Sales of converged, or "smartphone," devices, a
relatively new category, were up 438 percent over the first quarter of
2002, totaling 1.7 million units. The addition of color screens, digital
cameras and a plethora of new applications and functions are driving the
market. "Virtually all of the major handset manufacturers introduced new
models during the quarter, and consumers are being drawn to upgrade their
phones," said IDC research analyst Ross Sealfon.
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Wireless
NewsFactor
Tapwave Prepares Mobile Gaming Handheld
Tapwave came out of stealth mode last week, revealing some details of its
forthcoming mobile gaming handheld device that will be released for sale
in the United States by the end of the year. Made up of former Palm
executives, Tapwave will release a handheld device thats designed
primarily for gaming, but also features personal information management
tools, audio and video players, and even a word processor. The device is
known only by its code name, Helix, and features a backlit 3.8-inch screen
in a package that weighs less than six ounces (168 grams). Bluetooth will
be included with the product to enable 8 players to engage in multiplayer
games wirelessly. Users will be able to plug in Wi-Fi cards, digital
cameras, or memory cards through SD (secure digital) slots.
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GamePro.com
Verizon to Offer Wireless Web Link Via Pay Phones
Verizon Communications plans to announce this week that it will equip some
of its more than 300,000 public telephones with the ability to offer
wireless access to the Internet. Sources familiar with Verizons efforts
said the wireless Internet connections, commonly known as WiFi hotspots,
will be added to public telephones in high-traffic areas such as hotel
lobbies and airports. Verizon officials declined to comment on their
wireless Internet strategy, or to say how much the new service would cost.
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TechNews.com
More Bravado from Vivato Wireless Bridge-Router
Wireless switch vendor Vivato unveiled what it calls a wireless
bridge/router thats designed to extend the reach of its beam-shaping
switches. The recently announced Vivato switches combine the features of a
switch and a wireless 802.11b access point in one yard-wide panel, usually
mounted near the top of a ceiling or on a roof. The products use
phased-array antennas to create three narrow radio beams, which play over
all of the wireless LAN clients in a particular area. Vivato said that one
such device can play these beams over much longer distances than rival
access points, because of the antenna technology.
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Network World Fusion
Cell Phones Still Pose Flight Risks
Airlines
should continue their ban on the use of mobile phones on board aircraft
because of possible interference with navigation and communication
equipment, according to a study published Friday by the U.K. Civil
Aviation Authority. A series of tests exposing a set of aircraft avionic
systems to simulated cell phone transmissions revealed various adverse
effects on the equipments performance, CAA said in a statement. Although
the equipment allowed a margin above the "original certification criteria
for interference susceptibility," the margin wasnt sufficient to protect
against potential cell phone interference under worst-case conditions, the
authority said. From March 1996 to December 2002, CAA recorded 35 aircraft
safety-related incidents that were linked to cell phones, the authority
said.
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PCWorld.com
Enterprise Mobility News & Reviews 
