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  • 10 Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2010 and 2011

    Gartner has identified 10 mobile technologies that will evolve significantly through 2011 in ways that will impact short-term mobile strategies and policies.

    According to the research company, investments in mobile applications and technologies will increase through 2011 as organizations emerge from the recession and ramp up both business-to-employee and business-to-consumer mobile spending.

    The 10 mobile technologies to watch in 2010 and 2011 include:

    Bluetooth (3 and 4)
    Two new Bluetooth versions will emerge by 2011: Bluetooth 3 will introduce 802.11 as a bearer for faster data transmission, and Bluetooth 4 will introduce a new low-energy (LE) mode that will enable communication with external peripherals and sensors. Both versions will include other technical improvements to improve battery life and security.

    The Mobile Web
    By 2011, over 85 percent of handsets shipped globally will include some form of browser. In mature markets, such as Western Europe and Japan, approximately 60 percent of handsets shipped will be smartphones with sophisticated browsing capability and the ability to render conventional HTML sites in some manner. The mobile Web, along with associated Web adaptation tools, will be a leading technology for B2C mobile applications through 2012, and should be part of every organization’s B2C technology portfolio.

    Mobile Widgets
    Because widgets exploit well-understood tools and technologies, they have lower entry barriers than complex native applications, and thus can be a good first step to assess the demand for an application on a specific platform before undertaking expensive native development.

    Platform-Independent Mobile AD Tools
    Mobile platforms will become more diverse through 2012 although consolidation will not have started, and, in some markets, five or more platforms may have a significant presence. Therefore, tools that can reduce the burden of delivering installable applications to several platforms will be very attractive. Platform-independent application development (AD) tools cannot deliver a "write once, run anywhere" equivalent to native code; however, they can significantly reduce the cost of delivering and supporting multiplatform applications that provide a more sophisticated experience than the mobile Web and operate outside signal coverage.

    App Stores
    App stores provide a range of business support functions, such as payment processing, that assist smaller organizations. Gartner believes that app stores will play many roles in an organization’s B2C and B2E strategies. They will be a distribution channel for mobile applications and a commercial channel to sell applications and content (especially in international markets), and they will provide new options for application sourcing. Many applications will exploit ecosystem cloud services.

    Enhanced Location Awareness
    By the end of 2011, over 75 percent of devices shipped in mature markets will include a GPS. Wi-Fi and cell ID systems will remain important in situations where GPS is unavailable or unreliable. The popularity of location-aware handsets will enable a wide range of B2E and B2C location-aware applications, and will serve as a foundation for more-sophisticated contextual applications in the future.

    Cellular Broadband
    During 2010 and 2011, the availability of multimegabit wireless broadband performance will continue to grow as mobile networks enhance their broadband performance. Embedded cellular networking will become a standard feature of many corporate laptops, and will enable new types of network-connected devices and business models, such as e-books and media players.

    Touchscreens
    Touchscreens are emerging as the dominant user interface for large-screen handsets, and will be included in over 60 percent of mobile devices shipped in Western Europe and North America in 2011. Touch-enabled devices will also make increasing use of techniques such as haptics to enhance user experience. Organizations developing native handset applications may need to exploit single and multitouch interfaces and haptics to give their applications a compelling and competitive user experience.

    M2M
    Although the machine to machine market is very fragmented, it’s growing at over 30 percent per year. Low-cost M2M modules will enable a wide range of new networked devices and business models. Key applications include smart grid, meter reading, security/surveillance, automotive systems, vending and point of sale, remote monitoring, and track and trace.

    Device-Independent Security
    This isn’t strictly a single technology, but refers to a collection of security technologies, application technologies and sourcing options that enable the provisioning of applications that are secure, but less tightly tied to specific devices and platforms, and that, in many cases, do not require security tools to be installed on the client.
    It includes thin-client architectures, applications as a service, platform-independent forms of network access control (NAC), portable personality, virtualization, and hosted security services, such as "in the cloud" virus scanning. Device-independent tools cannot provide the rigor of fully installed security, but a blend of several of these tools can enable CIOs to deliver applications that can run on a wider range of devices while reducing security risks.

  • 8×8 Awarded Virtual Telephone Extension Patent

    8×8 has been granted United States Patent entitled "Virtual Telephone Extension." The patent relates to methods of routing communications to users and associated equipment by utilizing a user identifier that serves as a virtual extension number.

    By utilizing the invention described by the patent, users can remotely direct their calls to communication devices at various geographic, voicemail and email destinations.

    Claim 14 of the new patent reads, "A method for routing telephone calls to communication devices using telephone networks, each communication device having a unique device identifier, the method comprising: assigning identifier data to each of a plurality of users, the identifier data for each user including at least two unique telephone numbers and at least one unique device identifier; and in response to receiving a call through one of the telephone networks, matching a telephone number in the call with one of the at least two telephone numbers assigned to a particular user, and switching the call to a destination communication device designated by the device identifier in the identifier data for the particular user."

    The issued patent contains twenty claims and was filed in 2002.

    According to 8×8, since its establishment in 1987, the company has been awarded seventy-six United States patents covering a variety of voice and video communications, signaling, processing and storage technologies.

  • Sprint Announces First 4G Handset in the U.S. – the HTC EVO 4G

    Sprint and HTC announced summer availability of the world’s first 3G/4G Android handset, HTC EVO 4G.

    It runs Android OS 2.1 with Sense UI and features 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 4.3 inches 480 x 800 TFT display, 8.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with HD-capable video camcorder (720p), forward-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, HDMI out and GPS.

    It also comes with 1GB of built-in memory (8GB microSD card in the box!) and 512MB of RAM as well as with built-in mobile hotspot functionality, allowing up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to share the 4G experience.

    According to Sprint, the custom Web browser is optimized for HTC EVO 4G’s large display. It supports Adobe Flash and features automatic text reflowing.

    The new HTC device features the newest version of theHTC Sense user experience. Along with all of the HTC Sense features it adds a number of new features, including Friend Stream, which aggregates multiple social communication channels including Facebook and Twitter into one organized flow of updates; a "Leap" thumbnail view to easily switch between home screen "panels"; the ability to download new, interactive widgets; and a "polite" ringer, which quiets the ringing phone once lifted up.

    Sprint said that in addition to today’s Android apps, the performance of which will be enhanced by 4G speed, application developers will be introducing new apps that take advantage of 4G power in new ways – games and communications tools and other apps that bring together video, presence and location simultaneously.

    “For example, an application developer might create an app that allows a customer to simultaneously watch a streaming sporting event while pulling down stats and conducting a video chat with a friend,” says Sprint.

    "The Android platform was developed to give people unmatched mobile connectivity to the Internet. By combining this vision with the promise of Sprint’s first-to-market 4G technology, HTC EVO 4G makes accessing thousands of applications from Android Market, using Google) services like Google Goggles, Google Earthand the all-new Gesture Search, or simply browsing the Web faster, easier and more enjoyable than ever before," said Andy Rubin, vice president, mobile platforms at Google.

    Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO, said, "Not only is this feature-rich device incredible on our Sprint 3G network, but Sprint 4G speeds will take mobile multimedia, including live video streaming, gaming and picture downloads, to a whole new level."

    Pre-registration started yesterday. The company informed that pricing will be announced at a later date.

    Today, Sprint offers wireless 4G service in 27 markets covering more than 30 million people. They expect to have up to 120 million people covered by the end of 2010. Sprint says their 4G network is up to 10 times faster than any 3G network.

  • MWC 2010: Interview with Mate Prgin, President & CEO of Avvasi

    Avvasi, a startup focused on enabling mobile carriers to measure, improve and monetize mobile video was present at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We spoke to Mate Prgin, the company’s President & CEO.

    At the Congress they were demonstrating Q-VUE, a solution that enables wireless carriers to measure video based Quality of Experience (QoE).

    It gives operators complete and comprehensive insight into their ability to deliver on QoE expectations for video. The solution identifies mobile video traffic patterns and subscriber QoE without the need for drive testing.

  • MWC 2010: Interview with Garnet Rich, President of Opal Manufacturing

    Opal specializes in the automation of accepting payments for prepaid and postpaid products. Their Kiosks can top-up prepaid handsets in real time, vend PINs for a myriad of prepaid products (long distance, mobile,WiFi) and vend products such as handsets and SIM cards/chips.

    Kiosks are typically on-line and accessible in real-time from any PC/Server. At the Mobile World Congress they featured an EP100 Top Up Kiosk with a SIM card dispenser and a cell phone dispenser and an EP50-12 Pin Printing Kiosk.

    The EP100 kiosk utilizes a touch screen as the customer interface. This interface allows for a myriad of products to be sold and provides an intuitive interface for consumers to interact with. It is ideally suited for real time direct flexible prepaid top up, for selling PIN products.


  • MWC 2010: Interview with Clark Qui of Enet Times

    At the Mobile World Congress we talked to Clark Qui, Sales Manager at Enet Times, a Shenzhen-based mobile phones OEM/ODM service provider that also specializes in the design, R&D, manufacturing and marketing.

    They are more than just a manufacturer – they provide a full suite of value-added services that include ID/MD, solution design and EMS.

    Their strategic collaborative partners include TI, QUALCOMM, Broadcom, NXP and Infineon.

    They ensure that every single unit of Enet’s mobile phone integrates well-selected material and delciate workmanship and thoroughly checked&tested before launching into market.

  • Grandstream Now Skype for SIP Interoperable

    Grandstream, a manufacturer of IP voice/video telephony and video surveillance solutions and Skype announced that Skype for SIP interoperability testing and certification of Grandstream’s IP PBX and gateway has been completed successfully.

    Grandstream says that “with this interoperability, the thousands of SMBs using Grandstream’s GXE502x series IP PBX and related gateways can start to reap significant cost savings by directing their outbound calls to mobile phones and landlines worldwide via Skype at very competitive rates.”

    SMBs can also allow their customers and remote employees to make FREE inbound calls to their corporate PBX system using Skype from anywhere in the world.

    According to Grandstream, businesses can leverage the investment in their corporate website even further by enabling Skype users to click on a global click-to-call button on the website to place immediate calls to sales or support via Skype.

    Skype calls received through the Grandstream IP PBX are handled by the PBX in the same way as other inbound calls.

    David Gurle, VP and General Manager of Skype for Business said, "By certifying its PBX and gateway equipment as interoperable with Skype for SIP, Grandstream is enabling its thousands of business customers to easily connect their existing PBXs and gateways to Skype and to receive the same financial and productivity benefits that businesses already get when using Skype software on their desktops.”

  • MWC 2010: One-Stop Service from Yuhua

    At the Mobile World Congress we spoke to Jimmy Wu, Account Manager at Yuhua, a company that focuses on developing ODM products in wireless industry.

    They now specialize in Linux OS and Android smartphones. The company distinguishes itself by supplying innovative products and design solution with one-stop service. They are able to offer its customers one stop service from anything between cell phones to multimedia players.

    They have already established strategic relationships with retailers, operators, manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers both at home (Chinese) and in the international market.

  • Gemfor: From Smart Cards Applets to Multi-Server Systems

    VIDEO INTERVIEW.
    Gemfor is a software provider for mobile operators. Its solutions include PC and Mac OS mobile internet dialer for 2G, 3G, and CDMA/TD-CDMA, unified messaging client-server software with automated processing and point of sale SIM/USIM card management. Their products are currently used by tier-one operators in Europe and Asia.

    The main product they were presenting at the Mobile World Congress was Mobile Internet Dialer – a mobile connection manager which automates all steps required for successful setup of internet connection via a mobile phone including detecting the connected mobile device, installing modem drivers and creating the connection.

    Watch the interview with Filip Streibl, Managing Director at Gemfor to find out more about this interesting product.

  • MWC 2010: Interview with Jitender Jain, CEO of Gizmosupport

    Gizmosupport is a mobile data services support company and is one of the leading solution providers in the industry. They build customer experience management frameworks through innovative technology and gives solutions to over 100,000 mobile users a day.

    They offer services to Telco’s, mobile application providers, retail chains, VAS vendors and handset manufacturers along with enterprise application providers. Their line of products is focused to unlock revenue potential from mobile data services for their partners.

    At the Mobile World Congress we talked to Jitender Jain, the company’s CEO.