Shipments of Handhelds Continue to Fall
IDC announced late Tuesday that worldwide handheld shipments for the second quarter were down 10.7 percent, to 2.27 million units, compared with the same period a year ago. The firm attributed the decline to sluggish demand from business buyers and consumers. Analysts have attributed the steady decline to a lack of innovation, which is limiting the reach of the devices and restricting growth beyond the enthusiast crowd that handhelds currently cater to. Personal information management is a killer application for 30 million individuals worldwide, but handheld devices lack an application that will further expand their appeal and differentiate them from technologies targeting similar market segments,” IDC analyst Ross Sealfon said in a statement.
Read the full story on: CNET News.com
Broadcom Unveils 802.11g Processor
Broadcom this week announced an 802.11g wireless network processor, the AirForce BCM4712. The system-on-a-chip integrates a 200MHz MIPS32 processor, a 54g MAC/baseband, 10/100 Ethernet and USB interfaces and the BCM2050 2.4 GHz radio. The chip enables secure 802.11g access points (APs), routers and gateways to be produced in smaller form factors and at lower costs than previously possible. The BCM4712 handles AP, routing and gateway functions at full 802.11g 54Mbps speeds while also providing backwards compatibility to 802.11b devices.
Read the full press release on: DigiTimes
AT&T Wireless Promises All-IP Real 3G
AT&T Wireless on Wednesday repeated its commitment to launch a scaled-back 3G network Stateside by the end of next year, alongside its upgraded “2.75G” EDGE network. The carrier began the migration from its TDMA network to GSM/GPRS two years ago, and its CTO Rod Nelson remains bullish about the decision. The 3G launch will use equipment from Nortel and Ericsson, and is all-IP based. NTT DoCoMo invested almost $10 billion for a minority stake in AT&T in November 2000, with the soon to be spun-off Wireless division receiving $6.2 billion. The agreement gave the US carrier rights to use DoCoMos iMode technology and originally stated that AT&T Wireless must launch thirteen 3G markets by June next year. That has since been scaled back to four by the end of 2004.
Read the full story on: The Register
AT&T Offers Shared Landline, Cell Plans
Long-distance carrier AT&T said on Monday that its calling plans now include unlimited night and weekend minutes that can be used by either a landline or a cell phone. In all, AT&T introduced eight new “AT&T One” dialing plans on Monday, which for now will be available only in Tampa Bay, Fla., and San Diego, Calif. AT&T One plans cost between $37 and $100 a month.
Read the full story on: CNET News.com