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Archive Category: Smart mobile

WCITIES provides downloadable mobile pocket guides for over 100 cities

Pocket CityGuides for more than 100 cities are now available for download onto PDA or SmartPhone from WCITIES. The CityGuides have all the Points of Interest including restaurants, events, hotels, attractions, theaters, bars, nightclubs and shopping.

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Hertz courtesy bus drivers get handheld computers

REDMOND, Wash. -- More than 600 Hertz airport courtesy bus drivers have been equipped with Intermec handheld computers. Bus drivers can now alert staff at the #1 Club Gold booth that the customer is en route, instantly transmitting customer arrival data over the AT&T Wireless high-speed data network. The system was developed by the RFID unit of IBM Global Services, AT&T Wireless and Intermec.

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Navman launches Pocket PC navigation device

LONDON -- Navman-Europe is launching its Navman PiN Pocket PC, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device with integrated Pocket PC capabilities. This Personal Interactive Navigation device was described by the company as "where personal organisation meets state-of-the-art navigation, delivering everything you will ever need to coordinate your life and get from A to B without any hassle." The cable-free PiN comes with PAN European mapping, navigating the user throughout Europe whether driving in a car or walking city streets.

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Intel shows new processors for wireless broadband

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Intel Corporation introduced a new family of processors based on Intel XScale technology designed to handle multiple forms of wireless broadband access with enough computing power to provide cell phones with full motion video conferencing capabilities and PDAs with DVD-quality video playback.

At the Intel Developer Forum here this week, Sean Maloney, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the company's communications group, described the processors as including a set of new technologies designed to meet the multimedia, low power and security requirements of advanced cell phones and wireless PDAs.

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Siemens announces mobile phone with video

HANOVER, Germany -- Just about the time you have finally justified the expense for a mobile picture phone as yet another electronic toy (no, make that "tool") along comes Siemens Mobile with a portable phone that has a built-in video camera.

At the large trade show CeBIT 2004 this week, Siemens Information and Communication Mobile (Siemens mobile) is launching the high performance S65 business class mobile phone. This triband S65 is the first Siemens handset with a 1.3 MegaPix integrated video camera, and offers a suite of business software, a 65k high-resolution color display and 32MB of memory.

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Xybernaut expands mobile/wearable computing

FAIRFAX, Virginia -- Xybernaut Corporation has signed an agreement that will have Cap Gemini Ernst & Young serve as a primary integrator of mobile/wearable computing solutions for existing and potential Cap Gemini Ernst & Young clients. Xybernaut's Mobile Assistant V (MA V) and the Mobile Assistant TC (MA TC) are used in a variety of customer service and self-help applications in the travel and leisure industry.

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Motorola, Microsoft jointly market smart phone

Motorola and Microsoft have jointly introduced the new Motorola MPx200 mobile phone with Microsoft Windows Mobile software, the first in a series of smart phone and Pocket PC wireless devices designed to create a virtual "remote control" for the Web-centric, work-centric, mobile professional. The alliance of the two companies will also include cooperation on joint marketing and wireless developer programs.

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Show tickets sold on mobile phone in Singapore

TEL AVIV -- Worldwide, there are 300 million people use the Internet, but some 500 million pack a mobile phone. With these numbers in mind, the Israeli company RegiSoft has been developing ticket sales on mobile devices, and now the first such wireless transaction system is up and running in Singapore. RegiSoft announces the successful completion of the first show offering ticket sales using mobile devices at Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts center, selling all the tickets allocated to using this revolutionary method.

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Windows Mobile is new brand for Pocket PC OS

REDMOND, Washington -- Microsoft Windows Mobile is the new global brand for Microsoft software for mobile devices such as Pocket PCs and Smartphones. The launch of Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PCs kicks off the new Windows Mobile brand, which Microsoft is marketing as extending Windows to the full range of mobile devices.

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Opera browser on Portuguese mobile phones

LISBON -- Optimus, Portuguese mobile operator, and Opera Software have agreed to include Opera's Web browser on Optimus Zone, the new multimedia Optimus’ offer, supported on Nokia 3650 and Nokia 7650 and other smartphones. Optimus is the first mobile operator to choose Opera as the default browser for its smartphones. 

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Davos participants get special iPaq Pocket PC

DAVOS, Switzerland -- Compared to the enthusiasm and optimism of last year's annual World Economic Forum, the global gathering this past week of 1,000 top business leaders together with several hundred political leaders, journalists, and academics and artists was quiet and somber. But there was one bright spot, almost a bit of fun, with a gift from Hewlett-Packard of the new Wi-Fi enabled HP iPaq Pocket PC to all conference participants.

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Wireless navigation, mapping product launched

GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- Wayfinder Systems, a global provider of wireless navigation, mapping and traffic information services and technologies, launched its new Wayfinder wireless navigation product at Comdex Scandinavia this week. Itinerary Systems changed the company name to Wayfinder Systems last week.

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UK Roadwatch on combo wireless phone, PDA

LONDON -- mmO2, using the browserless Mobile Web Services Platform from US-based Action Engine, has launched the AA Roadwatch and Route Planner services in the UK as part of its myO2 services on the XDA Pocket PC Phone. With this combo handheld, users can key in details of their journey and quickly receive up-to-the-minute traffic updates and route and mapping information downloaded that is easy to read and interact with.

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Harden's London Restaurant Guide goes mobile

LONDON -- The best-selling Harden's London Restaurant Guide is going mobile. Finding a great restaurant in a specific price range is often a challenge, particularly for travelers. Now visitors and residents alike can take advantage of an insider's knowledge to find London's best places to eat with their Palm or Pocket PC handheld devices, and internet-enabled mobile phones including BREW handsets.

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'Unwire the consumer,' says Intel CEO Barrett

LAS VEGAS -- "Unwiring the consumer is the next logical advance in consumer electronics," said Intel CEO Craig Barrett in a keynote address at the 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show. Barrett said that technology innovation will unwire consumers, giving them more freedom to connect to people, information and entertainment at any time from any place on any device.

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Six Continents expands Web, wireless services

ATLANTA -- Wireless in the travel industry made a sluggish start, but some companies are convinced that it will be important in the future and are making small, but important, steps forward. Six Continents Hotels launched its first wireless service almost two years ago, but still has only 6,000 guests using wireless.

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Mobeon delivers e-mail on SonyEricsson phone

STOCKHOLM -- SonyEricsson is launching a new mobile phone with the marketing claim that it "will completely eliminate the need for both a palmtop and a mobile phone." With Mobeon's product, mPIM providing access to company e-mail and calendar, the phone will be promoted as the first to "truly live up to the name of smart phone."

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Boingo offers free Wi-Fi software for PDAs

SANTA MONICA, California -- Along with a series of announcements this week regarding new partnerships and marketing agreements, Boingo Wireless has introduced Pocket Boingo Software, described as "the first full-featured Wi-Fi application for Pocket PC 2002." Pocket Boingo gives travelers point-and-click access to Wi-Fi networks in more than 800 Boingo hot spot locations, as well as Wi-Fi signal sniffing and network profile management for personal networks at home or the office.

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Wireless Knowledge launches desktop edition

SAN DIEGO -- Wireless Knowledge, a Qualcomm company, has released a new mobile groupware offering, Workstyle Desktop Edition. The new product allows individual business professionals to access their e-mail, calendar and contact information through the convenience of a mobile device. 

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Ford, Qualcomm shut down telematics venture

SAN DIEGO -- Wingcast, the two-year-old telematics joint venture between Ford Motor and Qualcomm closed its doors today. Somewhat conflicting reasons for the closure include changing technology and new customer desires, but also poor sales by Ford and a hint that Bluetooth may be preferable to cell phone technology.

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Trimble introduces first GIS using Windows CE

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Trimble has introduced its GeoExplorer CE, the world's first Windows CE device with an integrated global positioning system (GPS). The company is describing the new device as a "breakthrough," saying it sets a new standard for field mapping and mobile Geographic Information System (GIS) applications.

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iPAQ Pocket PC widely used in travel industry

HOUSTON -- Since its introduction two years ago this month, the iPAQ Pocket PC has reached to the two million unit sales mark faster than any mobile personal technology product in the history of Compaq Computer, extending its reach into the enterprise, eliminating the boundaries of business, and enabling anywhere, anytime access. And, it is arguably the most widely used mobile device in the travel and hospitality industries.

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Carlson picks Ubiquio to manage mobile devices

MINNEAPOLIS -- Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, a $31 billion travel and hospitality company, has chosen Ubiquio Corp., a 15-employee mobile computing services provider, to outsource the ongoing management of a fleet of Compaq PocketPC devices. 

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Synchrologic offers small business mobile services

ATLANTA -- Analysts predict that by 2006 over half of the global workforce will be mobile and that more than 60% of these mobile workers will be employed by small or midsize businesses (SMBs). To meet the special needs of the SMB market, Synchrologic has introduced its Mid-Market Program to deliver services for mobile and wireless access to e-mail, calendar and other PIM information on Pocket PC, Windows CE or Palm OS devices. 

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Telia and HP promote wireless for air travelers

STOCKHOLM -- Telia Mobile and Hewlett Packard are running a promotional campaign to convince business travelers that wireless is the only way to go. For the next six weeks, all passengers passing through Stockholm's Bromma Airport can participate in the "Fly & Try" project and borrow a wireless PDA or a W-LAN card. They will also get a free 24-hour subscription to HomeRun, Telia's mobile service.

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SchlumbergerSema launches smart card contest

SAN FRANCISCO -- SchlumbergerSema launched its e-gate Open 2002 developers' contest at the JavaOne Conference this week. The contest is an international event that challenges students and software developers across the globe to create innovative e-business security applications using SchlumbergerSema e-gate technology, which allows smart cards to be plugged directly into the USB port of any computer, without the need for a traditional reader.

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Microsoft and VoiceStream plan for wireless data

ORLANDO, Florida -- Microsoft and VoiceStream Wireless have announced plans to bring Microsoft Windows Powered Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition-based devices to customers later this year for use over VoiceStream's high-speed GSM/GPRS (Global System for Mobile/General Packet Radio Service) wireless voice and data network. The announcement was made at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association's annual trade show, CTIA Wireless 2002.

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Handspring and mm02 bring Treo to Europe

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Handspring and mm02, a provider of mobile communications services in Europe, have jointly announced that mm02 will distribute and market Handspring's Treo family of compact communicators in Europe. The companies will work together during the first quarter of this year to launch Treo via mmO2 networks in the UK (Cellnet), the Netherlands (Telfort), Germany (Viag) and Ireland (Digifone).

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Windows XP stakes claim on mobile computing

REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft will announce the worldwide availability of Windows XP on Thursday, but the software giant is already claiming that XP "leads the industry as the first platform to include native support for Wi-Fi networks and IEEE 802.1x wireless security standards."

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European patent awarded for wearable computer

MUNICH -- Xybernaut Corporation has been granted patents by the European Patent Organization (EPO) in nine additional countries that corresponds directly with one of Xybernaut's basic U.S. patents. This European patent together with others issued earlier ensures protection for Xybernaut wearable and related mobile computing technologies on four continents, the company said.

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Sony Ericsson launch wearable Bluetooth

STOCKHOLM -- Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, the new joint venture of two global giants, has unveiled its first product with the launch of the Ericsson Bluetooth Handsfree HBH-20, described as "an appealing and wearable new approach to Bluetooth technology." The small Bluetooth Handsfree (68 x 35 x 22 mm, or 2.7 x 1.4 x 0.9 inches) can be clipped onto clothing. The handsfree device will reach the market early next month, the company said. 

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Passport Corp. launches Java wireless alliance

PARAMUS, N.J. -- Passport Corporation, a provider of software to major corporate clients, has formed an alliance with SavaJe Technologies to offer Java-based wireless solutions. Passport's customers include American Airlines.

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Siemens fits BMW with new 3-D navigation system

FRANKFURT, Germany — Siemens VDO Automotive's iDrive driver information cluster is being installed in the new BMW 7 Series with such features as three-dimensional navigation and Internet connection. Siemens is describing the package as a "new focus on the human-machine interface" with driver-oriented ergonomics. More than 700 possible system operating functions have been structured into three intuitive levels, prioritized on importance and frequency of use. 

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NTT DoCoMo to participate in PCIA exhibition

TOKYO -- NTT DoCoMo, Inc. has announced that it will participate in PCIA GlobalXChange2001, a next generation telecommunication and Internet technology exhibition to be held at Los Angeles Convention Center from 11-13 September. This is the first time for DoCoMo to participate in such an event in the United States.

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PacketVideo, DoCoMo test wireless video streaming

TOKYO -- PacketVideo and NTT DoCoMo have successfully tested one-to-many live video streaming to NTT DoCoMo's FOMA video-enabled mobile phones. NTT DoCoMo will conduct field trials of new live video streaming applications, based on PacketVideo's technology, in cooperation with enterprise users.

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Travel industry targeted for Palm PDA card reader

SAN DIEGO -- Targeting industries such as travel, law enforcement, restaurants and healthcare, Semtek Innovative Solutions has released the PDA Swipe, a three-track magnetic stripe card reader for Palm powered devices. Expected buyers of the device include companies requiring m-commerce, age and personal identification verification, mobile point of sale (POS), or lead retrieval.

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Qualcomm, Nortel report first 3G mobile test

SAN DIEGO -- Qualcomm and Nortel Networks have announced that they had successfully conduct the first successful end-to-end live third-generation (3G) CDMA2000 1X Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) call. Mobile IP is a solution that allows data to be transferred across 3G packet networks. CDMA technology enables users to access a wide range of new services, including caller identification, short messaging services and Internet connections. Simultaneous voice and data calls are also possible using CDMA technology. 

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