New products, services introduced at CTIA Wireless Show
By Philip Baker- 4/2/2007
San Diego Daily Transcript
We all know Orlando as the destination spot for Disney World and other kids' attractions, but this past week it attracted lots of grown-ups flocking to see the latest cellular toys -- I mean phones.
The crowd of 40,000 came to see the latest offerings at the CTIA Wireless Show, the world's largest event dedicated exclusively to wireless, broadband and mobile-computing technologies.
It covered everything from mobile phones to the network infrastructure to microprocessors, content and accessories. It's a huge business amounting to $500 billion and 2.3 billion subscribers worldwide.
The industry's focus is all about transforming the simple cell phone for voice calls into an advanced communication and computing device that can generate revenue for the phone and chip manufacturers, the content developers and the cellular providers, by providing us with a wealth of new services we will want.
We're really just at the beginning of this wireless revolution with only a small fraction of phones enabled for high-speed data. But it's growing quickly, with wireless data service revenue at $15.2 billion for 2006, nearly double 2005. That's the income for services other than voice, and it accounts for 13 percent of all wireless service revenues.
With this in mind, here are some of the latest developments I saw at the show, particularly those that focused on more powerful phones and new applications.
EVDO Rev B:
Qualcomm announced it has developed a new chipset that will allow cellular networks to deliver data 10 to 20 times faster than today's 3G. Expect it to roll out over the next couple of years, opening up the opportunity for services we can barely imagine today.
Sprint: Sprint introduced the UpStage phone from Samsung. It's a wafer-thin candy bar-shaped phone with two personalities: a phone on one side and a music player on the other, each usable independently. Included is a case that provides an additional battery to keep the music playing throughout the day ($150 with a new plan). Sprint also announced a cut in the cost of downloading songs from $2.49 to 99 cents with a $15per-month subscription.
Dock-N-Talk: This is designed for those wanting to eliminate or reduce their home-phone service and use cellular instead. The device plugs into your phone jack and lets you use the corded and cordless phones in your home to receive and make calls using your cellular service. ($170 including a cable to attach your cell phone. www.phonelabs.com.)
HTC: HTC showed Advantage and Shift, computers the size of paperback books, each with wireless capability. Advantage runs Windows Mobile 6, making it more like an oversized smart phone than a small computer, and Shift runs Windows Vista, making it like a small notebook computer. Advantage is due this summer and Shift late this year. Pricing was not disclosed. They also showed Vox, the smallest smart phone yet with a slide-out Qwerty keyboard. Availability and price not were disclosed.
Motorola: I used Motorola's vastly improved model Q9 phone running Mobile 6. Compared to the current Q, it has a much improved backlit keyboard, a better form factor, brighter screen and the Opera browser. It will be available from Cingular within a few months, but no price has been announced.
Helio and Pantech: Helio introduced its unique messaging phone with two sliding keyboards for dialing and texting ($295). It's made by Pantech, a Korean manufacturer that also showed its tiny Bluetooth phone Model C3b, slightly bigger than a matchbox. It's due out in a few weeks from Cingular for $149.
GPS and traffic: AAA, in a partnership with Networks in Motion of Aliso Viejo, announced AAA Mobile that adds navigation and travel information to handsets. Subscribers can use their mobile phone to receive visual and audible directions and find local AAA-rated spots. When you call for emergency service, your location is transmitted directly to AAA. The carrier is yet to be announced. (www.networksinmotion.com)
Along with GPS information, a number of companies are working to collect traffic data for delivery to our cell phones using a variety of means, including loops planted in the highways, tracking cellular usage patterns and cameras along the side of the road.
TV on the phone: Built-in TV continues to advance, with Verizon showing off its new Qualcomm-developed V Cast service, which is now active in 20 markets (but not yet in San Diego). Sling Media announced its public beta software that will let you watch your Slingbox-equipped TV on your Treo 700p ($30).
V-Enable: San Diego based V-Enable announced its free 411 service for mobile phones. How does it work? You can speak into the phone saying "Pizza in San Diego" and up comes a list with directions, phone numbers and maps. It's supported by ads displayed on the page. It will be available in the summer through yet unnamed carriers. There's a demo at www.v-enable.com/411 and a free download for Windows Mobile users.
Vringo: If audio is good, is video better? Vringo, an Israeli startup, hopes to capitalize on the popularity of ring tones by letting mobile callers send short video clips as visual ring tones each time they make a phone call. www.vringo.com.
Entriq: You might have guessed this was coming! Carslbad-based Entriq announced an agreement with New York-based McPhap for distributing advertising on mobile phones.
WorldMate is an application and service to organize your travels. It manages your full travel itinerary -- flights, hotels, meetings -- using your phone and alerts you to flight changes and notifies you of meetings. It is available in Q2 at www.mobimate.com.
IncTrax: IncTrax is an application for BlackBerries that lets users capture their billable hours and mobile-call duration, and then go on the Web to generate invoices. It will be available in April. Free download, $9.95 per month. (www.inctrax.com / www.handago.com.)
And last, here's some clothing for your phone:
Skinit: San Diego-based Skinit Inc. announced the launch of three new product lines -- Metallic Skins, Fabric Skins and Bling accents to customize your phone. That's in addition to a huge assortment of currently available skins, from sports teams to personal photos. www.skinit.com.
Fun Friends: Fun Friends provides covers to turn your phone into plush animals. www.funfriends.com. It's the perfect product to display at a show located near Disneyland!
Source:blog.philipbaker.com