Wireless Muse: Reiter's Wireless Internet Weblog

Full Tilt Mobile launches comic strips for Nokia phones

From Chris Pirillo's weblog I learned that Full Tilt Mobile has launched a comic strip application for Nokia Series 60 cellular phones that enables you to purchase "books" of strips you like. 

Categories include animals, reality, family and, a favorite of mine, geeks (such as the comic strip below).

One reason for posting this article is I wanted to post that particular cartoon strip ("UnEmployed" by Matt Steem).  The cost of the cartoons ranges from about $2 to $12, depending upon the number included in the package.

The company is working with comic book artists in several countries -- at least 16 artists in three countries.  The comic application will be available for other cellular phones, iPods and Play Station Portable, according to the company's Web sie.

Avoid XTVWorld

I found articles about Full Tilt Mobile on on two sites:  SymbianOne and XTVWorld.  I'm not linking to XTVWorld because it is the most annoying Web site I've had the misfortune to view. 

The information seens good, but the site launches pop-up ads at an alarming rate and, more fulsome, the Web page continues to pop up over other Web pages.

It's not just the ads, it's the entire XTVWorld page that pops up every few seconds.  I'm viewing it on an IBM ThinkPad with Windows XP and Firefox.  Perhaps it's my configuration, but if you don't want to be driven to distraction, avoid this site  (yes, I know there are pop-up blockers.)

Technology Review likes GPS in cellular phones

Many, many years when GPS (Global Positioning System) systems cost $25,000, I remember speaking with executives in the positioning industry, such as those at Trimble Navigation, predicting that GPS hardware eventually would decrease in price and size -- to $5,000 to be within the range of some businesses -- and, eventually, to the size of handheld systems.

Years ago that seemed like a long ways away.  And it was!

But we're finally at the point where GPS has become a consumer-priced (and sized) device, and cellular phones are going to be a big part of the GPS ecosystem....eventually.

Good news, but...

The good news is the cellular industry has begun to incorporate GPS into many handsets.  The bad news is the industry has been spending years wrestling with technical issues and -- at least as important -- financial issues -- about how to offer profitable location-based services.

The cellular operators have been ordered by the Federal Communications Commission to implement E911 service and there have been a lot of legal wrangling where the operators have been able to delay implementation.

Also, part of the blame for the delay needs to be placed upon the public safety organizations, some of which haven't sufficiently upgraded their equipment to work with E911.  And, some states have taken funds allocated for E991 and used them for non-location purchases; that seems almost criminal to me.

Still, slowly, slowly...

Despite the years of delays we're finally at the point where GPS is ready for prime time consumer use.  But we're still waiting for lots of location-based services and that's taking much longer than I had hoped.

Location and "presence" are big buzzwords in the Internet community and perhaps that will help spark additional wireless GPS services.

Wade Roush, a senior editor of Technology Review, wrote an article about taking two GPS-enabled cellular phones from Nextel for a test "drive" -- and test "walk" -- (see below) and compared them to his Garmin handheld GPS transceiver.

Good enough for consumers

His conclusion:  The Garmin beats the Nextel Motorola phones for accuracy, the screen and functionality.  "But for people who don't need to know their positions down to a thousandth of a minute, they're [the Nextel phones] just fine," he writes.

Roush picked Nextel because it's the only cellular operator in the United States that enables third party developers to access its GPS data.  Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless do not, he says.  That's not surprising because operators want to make as much money as they can and all too often that means not allowing other content providers access to customers with having first struck a deal with the operator.

The integration of location data with applications makes so much sense.  It has been taking much too long for all of us in the U.S. to get location-enabled services.

Suggestions for interference-free VoIP phone?

I'm looking for a corded/cordless phone that can be used with my home VoIP system and 802.11g WiFi router.

I use AT&T CallVantage VoIP service (that I like) that includes a D-Link telephone Adapter (from CallVantage)  and a Linksyn 802.11g router. 

I want a good phone system that combines (1) a corded phone “base station” that includes (a) a phone attached with a cord (duh!), (b) a speakerphone, (c) a headphone jack, (d) a nice-to-have-feature:  an answering machine that can record long conversations -- for when I'm conducting interviews -- and (e) operation on 5.8GHz so it doesn't interfere with the 2.4GHz WiFi system.

Interference problems

AT&T CallVantage tells me that a digital phone won't work well when used in combination with its VoIP Telephone Adapter and a WiFi router.  AT&T says I need an analog phone.

I have been on conversations with several people who use cordless phones with their home VoIP/WiFi network and the voice quality is often poor.  My old analog corded phone works just fine but I want a corded/cordless systems.

I'd consider two 5.8 GHz cordless phones if the quality was superb and at least one phone included a headphone jack and speakerphone.

Not easy to find

Most of the phones I've seen are (1) digital and/or (2) operate at 2.4GHz and/or (3) don't have the features I want.

AT&T doesn't have an acceptable system.  I assume lots of VoIP users with WiFi -- especially home office users -- would love to get a full featured corded + cordless phone system that would work well.

Anyone have any suggestions for such a system?  Are there any phone systems, even business phones from Nortel or other companies, that would work on my simple (non-PBX) home system?

News organization seeks "questionable" camera phone photos, videos

A major news organization is looking for camera phone photos and videos that walk a thin line between what is ethical to shoot and what is not in preparation a story about the effects of camera phones.

One example pointed out to me by a producer at the news organization is a 20-year-old man who took a camera phone video of himself commiting suicide by jumping from a bridge in the U.K. and transmitting the video to his fiancee as he was falling to his death, according to a report in Sky News.

The producer is looking for images from camera phones that could help illustrate ethical considerations involved when taking a still photo or shooting a video.

Contact me

If anyone has any examples or knows of examples -- in the United States or abroad -- please contact me and I'll relay your information to the producer.

Qualcomm to purchase Flarion Technologies for $600 million

Qualcomm intends to purchase Flarion Technologies, according to Qualcomm's press release today.  It will be interesting to see what Qualcomm does with Flarion's high speed wireless data technology.

Flarion, as many of you known, has been a pioneer in developing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex Access (OFDMA) technology and is the developer of its FLASH-OFDM technology for wireless data services.

Qualcomm's release says the company will pay about $600 million for Flarion "net of Flarion's projected cash at closing, in Qualcomm stock and cash, including the assumption of options and warrants at fair value.  Upon the satisfaction of certain milestones over the next few years, Qualcomm may also pay an additional $205 million in the form of cash and Qualcomm stock."

Offering a choice

Dr. Paul Jacobs, the CEO of Qualcomm, says in the release, "With this acquisition, Qualcomm will be in a stronger position to support advanced development in both CDMA and OFDMA technologies.  The combination of Flarion and Qualcomm engineering resources greatly strengthens our position as a continued technology innovator and leader in the wireless industry.

"We believe CDMA will provide the most advanced, spectrally efficient wide area wireless networks for the foreseeable future, but with Flarion we can now more effectively support operators who prefer an OFDMA or hybrid OFDM/CDMA track for differentiating their services.”

Why buy Flarion?

Flarion has had a pretty tough time trying to get into the mainstream with its technology and it hasn't, unfortunately, succeeded.  It's very, very difficult to buck the standards of GSM and CDMA, no matter how well integrated a new technology could be.

But many operators are looking at ways to provide much higher data rates for wireless data applications and are willing to at least test new technologies.  Overseas, cellular operators and wireless entrepreneurs in certain countries might be more open to using OFDMA either as a differentiating technology in a startup venture or in conjunction with CDMA or GSM.

Purchasing Flarion gives Qualcomm access to another high speed wireless data technology -- that typically has been well reviewed in testing -- and offers Qualcomm opportunities for making new sales.

Wait for IBM ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC could be long

If you recently ordered the new IBM/Lenovo X41 Tablet PC you've probably got a fairly long wait ahead of you.  I recently spoke to a customer support representative and Lenovo/IBM is almost beginning to ship X41 Tablets that were ordered in mid-July.

If you ordered an X41 in mid-July, your computer isn't likely to be shipped -- not arrive -- for another two weeks.  And that, unfortunately, could be a best-case scenario.

Delayed shipments aren't unusual for just-introduced computer -- and other new electronic products -- but that's not very comforting if you're champing at the bit to receive your X41.

The "two to four weeks" estimate for shipping is more likely six to eight weeks.

Is Palm getting more involved in wireless computing

Jeff Hawkins, chief technology officer at Palm, is dropping hints and playing coy about a new business the company is exploring, according to an interview in the San Jose Business Journal that's excerpted in engadget. 

Hawkins says Palm is working on three businesses and one of them is mobile computing.  The business is in the early stages and Hawkins doesn't want to say much.  But he says this in the article:

"I’ll give you a couple clues.  I always think of mobile computing as personal computing.  This long-term vision has led us through everything — first the organizers and now through the smart phone space.

"It’s like everything a personal computer is.  Continue down that path.  What are the implications of a world where everyone has a super high-speed Internet connection in their pocket and many gigabytes of storage, super-fast processors, audio, visual and multimedia?

"What are the consequences of that?  How will that change computing when you have all that stuff available to you all the time? I try to think into the future.  That’s how we come up with new products.

"So I’m not going to tell you what it is, but it’s following the consequences of mobile computing."

Speculation

I haven't any inside information about that Palm is planning but I certainly would like to know!

Sprint PCS interested in exploring cellular podcast services

A senior executive at Sprint PCS today says he is interested in speaking to companies that could offer podcast services to subscribers, according to an answer to a question I e-mailed during an online chat.

Dale Knoop, general manager for multimedia products at Sprint PCS, participated in one-hour “BigTalk” online chat sponsored by Wireless Week.  I said in my e-mail to Knoop, “Podcasting seems like a natural for cellular operators to increase voice revenues in two ways:  User-created podcasts via a cellular phone (such as how Audioblog.com enables it) and offering short podcasts for listening over a phone.  Does it make sense for Sprint to offer one or both services in the near future?”

Knoop replied, “If there's a content provider interested in bringing us this kind of content we are very open to reviewing it with them.”

Good idea

I’ve previously written that I believe podcast services make sense for the cellular industry.  I also posted a podcast (on another weblog) about how podcasts could help the wireless industry to generate revenues and provide a useful servicde to subscribers.

Taken literally, Knoop wants “content,” but I think it also makes sense for companies offering podcast creation tools to speak with Sprint — and other operators, too.

Okay Audioblog, Odeo andand others involved in developing podcast services — perhaps oyu should consider speaking to Sprint.

Marc Orchant discusses great software on his Treo 650

Marc Orchant, a great technology blogger for mobile office and Tablet PC subjects, a podcaster and a "storyteller" at VanDyke Software, has posted a very informative article about the software he especially likes on his Treo 650.

Here's what he write about the software:

"KeySuite (Chapura): The best Outlook companion for the Palm OS platform IMO.   Even with the enhancements in the built-in Palm information manager apps, syncing to Outlook is critical to having everything on the Treo displayed just as it is on my Tablet PC and KeySuite does a great job of mapping to every   Outlook filed and form I use on a daily basis.

"Splash Wallet (SplashData): Although I own the entire suite, the two   applications I use on a daily basis are SplashID and SplashPhoto. SplashID is a password and personal information   vault that encrypts all of my passwords, web accounts, bank information, etc. It has a great PC companion program so   my personal data is always in sync between the Treo and the Tablet PC. SplashPhoto is a great image manager - there   are many choices in this category but SplashPhoto meets my modest needs well.

"SplashBlog (SplashData): A great photo blogging app that includes in its   license price a hosted photo blog. I can snap a picture, add a comment, and upload it to my photo blog in a matter of   seconds.

"SnapperMail (Snapperfish, Ltd.): A great e-mail client with excellent   usability and support for IMAP mail accounts. I particularly appreciate the “fat finger” mode that enlarges the text   and provides a very wide scroll bar when I don’t feel like using the stylus.

"Resco Explorer (Resco): A “Swiss Army knife” for the Palm - file manager,   zip manager, SD card manager, you name it - if it’s related to working with files on the Palm, Explorer can handle it.

"Note Studio (DogMelon Studios): A wiki on your Palm. I’ve noodled around   with countless outliners, note takers, and other information capture tools but as I continue to become more   “wikified” over time, the free-form linking I can do with a Palm-based wiki adds incredible value to my information   capture while on the go. Note Studio has a great PC companion application that makes it quite easy to grab wiki   content and transfer it to a mind map or other PC environment.

"Documents to Go Professional (DataViz): I use Office (duh). I need access to   Word and Excel files (in particular) while on the go. Docs to Go does it right. One of the very first things I did   after setting up the Treo was to upgrade to the Pro version. A small but very appreciated touch in this excellent   suite is a utility that transfers the DTG applications to my SD card, freeing up precious internal memory for   data.

"Bejeweled (Astraware): Simply the most addicting game of all time and a   great way to amuse myself when standing in line at the bank or post office, airport, or anywhere else I need a   diversion. Great game play and brilliant hi-res graphics.

"Card Backup (jkWare): Simple but vital - Card Backup lets me backup the   contents of my Treo’s internal memory to an SD card. Great insurance."

Treo bugs

I'm a big fan of full featured cellular phones with rich operating systems, hundreds or, preferably, thousands of programs that may be downloaded, a good QWERTY keyboard and a camera.  I've tested both the Treo 600 and the Treo 650.

Iike them both and the Treo 650 is significantly better than its predecessor.  However, I find both models to be less reliable than other, less sophisticated cellular phones.  Maybe it's things I've done, but the Treos lock up and crash more than other cellular phones I've used.

It doesn't keep me from recommending the Treos to people who need a jack-of-all-trades cellular phone.  The 650 is a favorite of mine.  But I do caution people to be aware of possible problems.

For more wireless software

If you like reading about software on cellular phones (or wireless and mobile computers in general), you've got to read Russell Beattie's weblog.  Check out, for example, the software he has on his Nokia 6680.