Many different companies, from PC and white goods manufacturers to telecom
and consumer electronics firms, have started to develop and market products
for the home automation market. A report on connected home services, by
Cahners In-Stat Group, estimates the U.S. market will multiply by over 27
times the 1999 figures by 2004. Technologies within the home, such as
broadband, Bluetooth, Wireless LAN, and HomeRF, will help fuel this growth.
Orange is already exploring technologies and working with a number of
different companies to turn ideas into reality. But in this newly emerging
market, it will be interesting to see which way the trends will go.
As an example of what such a connected home might be like and to trial the
effects of the technologies involved, Orange decided to take an ordinary
family home in Hertfordshire, UK, and turn it into a blueprint for life in ... (more)
3, the UK's 3G leader, has recently introduced a new member to the 3G-handset
family the Motorola A920. It's depicted as combining a videophone, games
machine, MP3 player, and PDA-style organizer into one unit.
Since 3 launched, the 3G operator has acquired about 155,000 subscribers.
Recent studies have shown that many people may have resisted signing up
because of the limited choice of handsets available. The hopes are that the
multifunctional A920 will aid in highlighting the difference between 3 and
its competitors in the world of 2.5G.
So, if this A920 is to become the benc... (more)
The future of the burgeoning wireless industry is far from clear. A crystal
ball is about as close as you'll come right now. The mobile community
struggles alongside other consumer industries in these conservative times.
Short-term, the lack of new investment may be the biggest challenge for
operators facing uncertain seas ahead.
MNOs who are usually viewed as highly successful executors of new service
launches are currently suffering from funding shortages, which curtail new
services. In Q3 2002, NTT DoCoMo reported a 95% profit reduction due to
losses on overseas investments: ... (more)
Just as SMS was spawned, there's a new craze that's spreading across parts of
Europe. Reportedly, it's more prominent in the UK, but popular elsewhere too.
Bluejacking, as you may have guessed, involves the Bluetooth standard to send
anonymous messages to other Bluetooth-capable handsets with security
disabled. This is as close to hand-to-hand mobile combat as you're going to
get.
Bluetooth's range on average is 10 meters, and handsets with Bluetooth on
board can be made to search for other handsets in this proximity that will
accept messages sent to them.
Early adopters have be... (more)
The gold rush for mobile content is far from over. Ten percent of Europe's
SMS traffic now comes from value-added services and content such as
ringtones, quizzes, and mobile chat. The opportunities are there, the
infrastructure is in place, and mobile users are willing to pay for content.
The European market for ringtones alone is estimated to be worth over 1
billion euros per year. So what does it take to make money from SMS? Craig
Barrack, UK country manager for Netsize explains some of the dos and don'ts
of launching a successful SMS service.
1. Define your market: There are... (more)
Tom Dibble , a wireless entrepreneur, is a cofounder of
David Lucas
Shaul Efraim
Terence Martin Breslin
Cory Marchand
David Hughes
James Carlini
John Iffert
Dan Stolts
Joe Zeto
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