News from CTIA Wireless 2003, New Orleans, LA

CTIA has announced the fall show scheduled to take place Oct. 21-23 in Las Vegas will be renamed Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2003

CTIA WIRELESS 2003 brings together all the industries touched by wireless, in one place for three intense days. The following are some of the news announcements that WDN believes to be of interest to our global audience of wireless developers and industry professionals. If your company is making news this week in New Orleans or you have some news to share from the show, please send details to editor@wirelessdevnet.com



WirelessDevNet & Motorola host the Wireless Developer's Pavilion at Wireless 2003 - Once again, developers are invited to visit the developer pavilion where some of the biggest names in the industry are showing their stuff!


The Developer's Pavilion

March 20

Bill Gates Outlines Vital Role of Developers - "Piggy-backing" Wireless 2003, Microsoft Announces Worldwide Launch of .NET Compact Framework, Delivers Windows Powered Smartphone Software Developer Kit, and Highlights MapPoint Web Service.

March 19

RAND McNALLY LAUNCHES NEXT-GENERATION MAPPING SOLUTION FOR WIRELESS PHONES - Rand McNally Mobile Travel Tools is a productivity application that gives wireless subscribers consumer-friendly mapping and directions - anytime with anywhere access to coast-to-coast navigation information. Rand McNally Mobile Travel Tools is designed to meet wireless carriers' top goals: increasing customer retention, driving additional revenue from the existing subscriber base, and attracting new subscribers through compelling offerings.

Comverse & Microsoft enable providers to offer instant voicemail notification - Comverse will integrate the .NET Alerts service and Microsoft SQL Server(TM) Notification Services to enable voicemail users to receive notifications when they have new voice messages.

NEC America and Dwango announced a partnership to offer pre-loaded games on a high-definition mobile handset - This agreement enables NEC to offer customers appealing, downloadable Java(TM) apps. Dwango Star Diversion (demo version) will come pre-loaded on NEC 515 mobile phones.

Sun Microsystems was making headlines this week with an announcement that they have joined with Sorrent to bring mobile entertainment to wireless subscribers around the Globe. Under the deal, Sun will highlight Sorrent in future marketing initiatives targeting wireless and entertainment industries.

RealNetworks and Openwave announced the integration of RealOne Mobile Player for OpenWave Phone Tools V7 - Under the deal, handset makers and carrriers will be able to easily integrate a full media client software solution into their phone and service platforms.

Autodesk Location Services Teams Up with Leading Telecom Supplier to Develop Joint Location Based Services Solution - The joint effort includes demonstrating the feasibility of the Autodesk LocationLogic location-based services middleware solution and Ericsson's core next-generation service platform-the Ericsson Application Server - as a viable long-term business model for the development and implementation of cost-effective integrated applications and services.

Intrado® Introduces Outsourced Location Based Services - IntelliVectorSM Location Based Services (LBS) is designed to simplify the capability for wireless carriers to offer applications and content to their subscribers while minimizing operational costs. Intrado's mobile platform consists of network software and systems that enable wireless 911 and commercial location-based services. The platform leverages Mobilaris' middleware to securely and seamlessly perform vital back-end functions such as authentication, provisioning, billing, positioning, and access to multiple protocols such as Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Message Service (MMS), and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

Mobile@Connector - First "Mass Market" Development Product for Wireless Custom Enterprise database applications - Mobile@Connector is a compelling application for wireless carriers looking to expand their enterprise data traffic. With Mobile@Connector, users can quickly create mobile applications to access their own enterprise databases. The WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) development system allows users to create and deploy mobile database applications in as little as 30 minutes without the need for program coding.

Silicon Wave Offers UltimateBlue Embedded Software For Wide-Range of Bluetooth Applications - UltimateBlue(TM) Embedded Software allowing designers to easily integrate Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology into a wide range of products including keyboards, mouse, mobile phones, headsets and automotive hands-free devices.

MontaVista Linux to Power Advanced Motorola Mobile Phones - MontaVista(TM) Linux(R) is the chosen operating system for the recently announced Motorola A760 mobile phone, the world's first handset based on Linux and Java technology.

PacketVideo and EarthCam Deliver L Camera Video Services For Mobile Users - he services are currently viewable on the Sony Ericsson P800 multimedia smartphone and will become available on other GPRS and CDMA phones in the near future.

March 18

T-Mobile and Boingo Partner to Deliver Improved User Experience for T-Mobile Hotspot Customers - John Stanton, chairman of T-Mobile USA; and Sky Dayton, CEO and chairman of Boingo Wireless announced today's news during keynote sessions at the CTIA Wireless 2003 conference. The partnership announcement represents the two companies' commitment to drive wireless Internet access to the masses by making it more convenient and easy to use for consumers. See www.t-mobile.com & www.boingo.com

Webraska Showcases Product Portfolio at CTIA on Partner Stands - Webraska SmartZone Location-Based Services have been launched commercially in North America by Bell-Mobility, and in Europe by Orange, Vodafone Live!, 02, Telecom Italia Mobile and E-Plus. The Webraska SmartZone Geospatial Platform is also powering web-based yellow pages, mapping and tracking solutions in Australia, Brazil and Russia.

Five technology firms were honored with the Outlook 4Mobility 2003 Innovation awards at the 13th annual Wireless Dinner last night at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel. The invitation-only event, held in conjunction with CTIA's Wireless 2003 Conference and Exposition, again drew a full house of 300 people, affirming that it has become one of the signal venues for networking, socializing and deal-making within the wireless community. The Innovation Award recipients included: -- Apple Computer: for showing the industry that Wi-Fi is cost-effective for mass adoption and for leading 802.11g implementation. -- Digital Orchid: for leading innovation with affinity group marketing. -- Monet Mobile Networks: for implementing the first commercial CDMA2000 1xEV-DO wireless network in the U.S. -- Nextel Communications: for innovation in wide area voice push-to-talk services and its nationwide launch of Direct Connect. -- Research In Motion: for the first complete wireless email solution

First Film Festival for Mobile Phones Attracts Wireless Industry Luminaries - osted by the Cellular Telecommunication & Internet Association (CTIA) at the world's largest wireless tradeshow, BigDigit's film festival brings top film innovators together with leaders in wireless mobile technology, multimedia software developers, content providers, and end users to discuss the full potential of streaming multimedia content for the mobile world. Judges evaluate film entries using several criteria, such as how well creative content works in the context of small-screened mobile devices. MasterCard and MapInfo Offer First Wireless ATM Locator Service - Now available to TELUS Mobility PCS and Mike clients across Canada, the MapInfo-powered ATM Locator enables users to locate more than 35,000 MasterCard, Maestro or Cirrus ATMs using their mobile phones.

GDT and TrafficCast to Deliver Real-Time Traffic Information - The integrated map and traffic information will help drivers make better routing decisions and enhance the effectiveness of dispatch services. rafficCast provides traffic information collected from numerous sources including Departments of Transportation, emergency service agencies, law enforcement, government call centers, and private data sources. Traffic information will be combined with GDT's map data and delivered to navigation and telematics systems through a wireless signal to allow better informed routing decisions.

March 17

OPENWAVE FORTIFIES ALLIANCES IN MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT - Cellmania and FunMail Join Mobile Connections. Openwave Mobile Connections was launched in October 2002 as the newest leg to the Openwave Developer Network, and with this announcement has garnered a total of seven Java™ and multimedia content partners. The program aggregates and assists in the delivery of leading content and services, such as Java J2ME™ applications, games, ring tones, images and more, to wireless operators, allowing them to offer compelling, differentiated services. "Core to Openwave Mobile Connections is the aim to deliver exciting content to end-users, creating a win-win situation for the whole mobile ecosystem," said Gina Centoni, vice president of developer marketing, Openwave.

Danger Announces Availability of Software Development Kit for hiptop Development Platform - Beginning March 17, Danger is offering the beta version of its Software Development Kit (SDK) for the hiptop Development Platform. The hiptop SDK can be used by software developers to create applications for hiptop-enabled devices including the popular T-Mobile Sidekick, which is the first such device marketed in the United States.

QUALCOMM Announces Java Technology Support for Mobile Station Modem Chipsets - QUALCOMM to Develop and Distribute J2ME Virtual Machine Products, Compatible With BREWapi, Based on Sun Microsystems J2ME Technology. These J2ME technologies will be compatible with select QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies (QCT) Mobile Station Modem (MSM(TM)) chipsets, the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless(TM) (BREW(TM)) Application Programming Interface (BREWapi(TM)) and system software for wireless devices. Support for J2ME will allow preexisting Java applications to run on select QCT MSM chipsets, beginning with members of the 6xxx family of chipset solutions, and will have optimized performance through the use of the MSM's Launchpad(TM) suite of multimedia and other advanced technologies. Support for the Java runtime environment will also make QCT's chipsets compatible with other Java technology-compliant devices.

QUALCOMM Announces Fully Integrated Video Solution for Feature-Rich Wireless Devices - The Qtv player is a fully integrated software solution for adding high-quality multimedia streaming and playback capabilities to mobile devices. Qtv supports both "download and play" batch operation and streaming applications of MPEG-4-compliant multimedia content and enables applications such as viewing video clips previously downloaded, viewing real-time streaming weather, movie and music clips, and sending and receiving video mail with other phone users or desktop clients when using a MSM6100-based handset.

Siemens continues its product drive in the North American market - At the US CTIA Wireless 2003 trade fair in New Orleans, Siemens Information and Communication Mobile (Siemens mobile) today presented three new mobile phones (SL56, M56 and SX1) for the US market featuring color displays and camera functionality. By taking this step, Siemens mobile is further reinforcing its product and marketing drive in the USA. With the introduction of a total of eight models since October 2002 developed specially for the USA, Siemens mobile has managed to double its market share for GSM mobiles in the USA within about a year. All GSM carriers - AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, and T-Mobile (Voicestream) - are now customers of Siemens mobile. Furthermore, AT&T Wireless today announced it would be marketing two more Siemens mobiles: the S56 and C56.

Mforma Group Inc., a leading global provider of mobile data solutions for wireless operators, today announced that it is providing advanced wireless entertainment content to leading network operators AT&T Wireless and Cingular. Mforma is providing Java delivery technology and a large number of titles to both carriers and is now the single largest provider of Java content to both carriers. AT&T Wireless and Cingular are launching advanced services, including the latest in entertainment content, to the new generation of mobile users in conjunction with the availability of the new generation of handsets.

Wavecom and Multi-Tech Partner to Develop Wireless Modems - Wavecom today announced, in conjunction with CTIA Wireless in New Orleans, a partnership with Multi-Tech, an ISO 9001 certified global manufacturer of award-winning Internet, remote access and telephony products. The partnership combines Wavecom's WISMO-based modules with Multi-Tech's embedded and external data communications products the companies will create a new line of embedded and external wireless modems. The WISMO-based products from Multi-Tech include both GSM/GPRS and CDMA implementations of an embedded modem suitable for integration into OEM devices, as well as external GSM/GPRS and CDMA offerings geared towards applications requiring a standalone unit.

RADCOM's New Multi-Technology Cellular Test Solution Now Offers Advanced GPRS Analysis for Mobile Network Operators - The GPRS Consultant suite is a family of advanced analysis applications that run on the company's new Gear Accelerated(TM) testing platform, to provide real-time session analysis and QoS monitoring of GPRS radio access and core networks.

Ztango and MobileSpring Announce Merger - Together, the two companies' wireless messaging and multimedia solutions are utilized by carriers that represent over 70% of the U.S. wireless marketplace -- creating an unprecedented reach across the leading wireless carriers. The solutions include Mobile Image, the leading wireless multimedia delivery service in the U.S., and the Metcalf(TM) Global Messaging system, which handles nearly 5 million inter-carrier messages per day.

TTPCom Demonstrates B'ngo - Wireless Game Player Design and EDGE on Real Silicon at CTIA 2003 - B’ngo - TTPCom’s console-style games terminal as well as a fully featured mobile phone with built in digital camera and MMS capabilities. The complete design is available for immediate license and at its recent launch at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes in February, the B’ngo design generated huge interest from leading manufacturers. B’ngo has been designed with the needs of the mobile gamer foremost in mind. The product is equipped with both Bluetooth™ and GPRS for multi-player gaming, enabling respectively interactive multi-player games in close proximity or large gaming communities spread across the entire network. B’ngo has a high quality color screen and dedicated games keys.

Mobile Data Zooms with New Bytemobile 2.0 Optimization Service Node - New Platform Delivers Pure, Optimized Access At DSL-like Speeds for Data Services Take Off . Bytemobile, Inc., the company dedicated to enabling pure, optimized access that vastly improves the mobile data user experience and operator efficiency, today introduced its 2.0 Optimization Service Node (OSN). The new carrier-grade platform offers significant gains over data performance on existing, unoptimized wireless networks and other access types—such as dial-up and ISDN—making web browsing and email data services truly usable and desirable. Additionally, Bytemobile's 2.0 Optimization Client will be available as part of this solution, offering expanded functionality to enterprise subscribers for dynamic optimization of Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes. WDN Symbian DevZone

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