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Ericsson Sees WLAN Boosting Demand for Cell Phones
Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson believes wireless local-area networks (WLAN) will help change consumer behavior and spur demand for fast data access everywhere, boosting 3G mobile phone demand.” WLAN should create more competitive service packages for businesses and make customers ask for more fast data service outside the local area,” Per Nordlof, head of Ericssons WLAN program, told a seminar last week. Ericsson argues that because of WLANs limited range it cannot replace 3G as it would take 10,000 WLAN base stations to cover the same area as one 3G base station.
Read the full story on: Yahoo! News
Radiation of Wi-Fi
Somerset County Council (SCC) advised its employees not to install wireless networks in the countys schools and offices until its carried out a full investigation into the safety of the technology. The British Educational Technological and Communications Agency (BECTa) published an information sheet about wireless networks in schools. The group said: “There has been a lot of discussion about the health and safety implications of using wireless networks. Given the current focus on the use of mobile phones, this worry is understandable. The latest information seems to indicate that levels of radiation used in wireless networking technologies are significantly lower than levels found in mobile telephones. They also fall within the agreed safety limits suggested by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB)”
Read the full story on: The Register
Samsung Phone Adds TV Reception
Samsung Electronics has built a TV reception function into its latest handset. The SCH-X820 includes a TV tuner that allows reception of local VHF and UHF channels via the same broadcast signals that are picked up by television sets. The TV images are displayed on the phones thin film transistor LCD screen and can be viewed with the screen either horizontally or vertically, the Seoul-based company said in a statement. In addition to watching television, the phone is also capable of capturing and recording a snippet of video from the broadcast. Its capture function will record up to 50 frames of video from the television signal and save it in the handset memory for use as a screen saver or background image on the phone.
Read the full story on: Yahoo! News
UK Chipmaker Ships 10-Millionth Bluetooth Chip
Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) said it has shipped its 10-millionth Bluetooth chip. UK-based CSR said its BlueCore chips, which integrate a Bluetooth system into a single piece of silicon, are found in about 60 percent of all officially recognized products using the Bluetooth v1.1 specification. “This landmark is important because it demonstrates both that CSR is delivering in high volume and Bluetooth is an established production technology already shipping in higher volumes than 802.11b Wi-Fi,” said CSR chief executive John Hodgson in a statement.
Read the full story on: ZDNet UK
The China Syndrome
Is the SARS outbreak in China a serious problem for the technology industry? SARS is probably having some impact on sales of cell phones in China, according to Paul R. La Monica, CNN/Money Senior Writer. There are plenty of anecdotes about the Chinese retail industry grinding to a halt due to SARS fears. But while the disease is probably exacerbating the problem, the real issue is a glut of phones in China. In its Tech Radar research report, investment bank SG Cowen said Wednesday that the buildup in China would be more than a one quarter phenomenon unless companies started taking charges to write-off inventory.
Read the full story on: CNN Money