Verizon to Roll Out Push-To-Talk
Verizon Wireless last week said it will a turn up a nationwide “push-to-talk” service on Monday. Push-to-talk allows customers to connect directly with other push-to-talk users on the same network by pressing a button on their handset. Business customers can set up and manage group calling lists on Verizon Wireless Contact Management Web site without going through customer service or a Verizon Wireless retail store, the carrier said. Verizon Wireless will become only the second mobile operator to offer the walkie-talkie-type service. Up to now, Nextel differentiated itself on its push-to-talk service, which observers attribute to the wireless operators industry-low customer churn rate.
Read the full story on: InfoWorld
Gillette Shrugs Off RFID-Tracking Fears
Gillette has dismissed assertions by privacy groups that the company plans to use smart tags in its products to track and photograph shoppers. The Boston-based consumer products company is one of the first to start trials of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in its Mach 3 razor blade packets. U.K. supermarket chain Tesco has been testing the tagged products in a store in Cambridge, England. But privacy groups started protesting outside the Tesco store when it emerged that the supermarket was automatically taking photographs of shoppers when they picked the blades off the shelf and when they left the shop with any tagged product. But Gillette has hit back at the “misleading” claims, saying it only wants to use the RFID tags to improve the efficiency of its supply chain.
Read the full story on: CNET News.com
Airgo Chipset Boost Wi-Fi Performance
Airgo Networks Monday will offer a new WLAN chipset and smart antenna technology that it promises will provide increased Wi-Fi performance and reduced costs. Airgos AGN100 is an integrated chipset that includes a Baseband/MAC chip and a radio frequency (RF) chip that incorporate smart antenna technology dubbed MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output). The technology allows for the simultaneous processing of radio signals on multiple antennas, which increases coverage, range and speed. The chipset will be used as the basis of WLAN products that support 802.11a/g/b, operate in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and incorporate IEEE 802.11 security and quality-of-service features.
Read the full story on: CRN
Watch Out for Bluetooth Sniffers
A new software tool could allow confidential information to be stolen from mobile communication devices over the air, according to science magazine New Scientist. The tool, Red Fang, was created by Ollie Whitehouse, a UK-based researcher with computer security firm @Stake to stress the dangers of running badly configured Bluetooth devices. The program allows an intruder to identify neighboring Bluetooth-enabled devices. If the device is unprotected by default security settings, information can be easily stolen, the report said.
Read the full story on: silicon.com
CECT to Sell CDMA Wrist Phone Next Month
China-based handset vendor Chinese Electronics Corporation Telecom (CECT) will begin selling a 1xRTT CDMA wrist phone in early September, according to a number of Chinese news websites. The handset features a 256-color SCTN panel, 16 ringtones, a plug-in VGA camera, an external ring-style microphone and wired and IrDA headsets. The price tag in China is 8,888 yuan (about US$1,070).
Read the full story on: DigiTimes