http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=30686
http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=30686
2009.10.28 in Infrastructure, Mobile and Wireless | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=30653
2009.10.26 in Mobile and Wireless | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Every mobile phone user will benefit from the new Universal Charging Solution (UCS), which enables the same charger to be used for all future handsets, regardless of make and model. In addition to dramatically cutting the number of chargers produced, shipped and subsequently discarded as new models become available, the new standard will mean users worldwide will be able to charge their mobiles anywhere from any available charger, while also reducing the energy consumed while charging.
The new UCS standard was based on input from the GSMA, which predicts a 50 per cent reduction in standby energy consumption, elimination of 51,000 tonnes of redundant chargers, and a subsequent reduction of 13.6 million tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), Malcolm Johnson said: "This is a significant step in reducing the environmental impact of mobile charging, which also has the benefit of making mobile phone use more straightforward. Universal chargers are a commonsense solution that I look forward to seeing in other areas."
Standardization of the solution within ITU was completed by Study Group 5 - Environment and Climate Change, and will hasten broad adoption by industry. Based on the Micro-USB interface, UCS chargers will also include a 4-star or higher efficiency rating - up to three times more energy-efficient than an unrated charger.
2009.10.23 in Mobile and Wireless | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-10-20-social-network-smartphone_N.htm
2009.10.22 in Mobile and Wireless, Social Media | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Compatible with the Apple iPhone, RadioWeave combines social networking with personalized Internet radio in a move that’s designed to deliver an easy-to-use Web and mobile service that “weaves” customized public and private radio stations into a single audio steam. RadioWeave lets users create public or private micro-channels and audio libraries. YiqYaq says that its goal with RadioWeave is to give users a primary audio source for timely and relevant information, entertainment, communication and social interaction.
"RadioWeave will drive the reinvention of radio," claims Brent Noorda, YiqYaq’s co-founder and CEO. "Today, consumers expect and demand the ability to filter and tailor everything they see, read and listen to online, where we spend a majority of our time.” Noorda suggests that traditional broadcast radio has yet to fully confront this fundamental cultural shift, and that RadioWeave provides a solution that gives users total control over their listening experience, blending multiple types of audio content into a single personalized streaming experience.
After registering for the free service, RadioWeave users can immediately begin listening to their content libraries and micro-channels, including everything from national and local news, sports, weather and traffic reports to music, podcasts and other professional content. These libraries and micro-channels are then blended together into a single, personalized audio stream that can be controlled by a virtual tuner.
RadioWeave also allows users to produce and upload their own content, as well as comment and react to professional content by sharing their own audio and podcasts. Users can also listen to their social media updates by using RadioWeave's text to speech engine to read their Twitter tweets and, in the future, Facebook status updates and e-mail messages as well.
RadioWeave not only fulfills listeners' demand for customized radio, but also offers a potential valuable medium for advertisers,” Noorda says. “[RadioWeave] will provide accurate numbers of listeners in real-time, comprehensive user demographics and the ability for content providers to micro-target their messaging to select groups of relevant and receptive listeners."
While RadioWeave is the first service to focus on matching social networking with personalized Internet radio, the product is entering an increasingly crowded market. Current players include stitcher, live365, One Llama, BlogTalkRadio, imeem, Lexy, Pandora, audioBoo, Rhapsody, Mediafly, trottr, Siriius/XM, ipadio, last.fm, TweetMic, Simplify Music and Podcaster.
2009.10.21 in Mobile and Wireless, Social Media | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=30565
2009.10.21 in Infrastructure, Mobile and Wireless | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
2009.10.20 in E-Strategies/Policy , Infrastructure, Mobile and Wireless | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
In Germany, Alcatel-Lucent has set up an end-to-end LTE test centre in the city of Stuttgart, intending to use it for demonstrating LTE solutions to European operators. In the meantime, the vendor—among five of its competitors—has been selected by Telefónica to run live LTE trials with one or more of its six units. Since it possibly the hardest-pressed of the leading players of the crowded network equipment market, securing LTE contracts would be crucial for Alcatel-Lucent if it wants to continue without being merged with or acquired by one of its rivals.
2009.10.12 in Mobile and Wireless, Technology/R&D | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
GENEVA (AFP) -
Once just a simple telecommunications tool, the mobile telephone has in recent years become a driver of economic growth in emerging countries, experts said at one of the industry's biggest fairs.
"The handyman who is offering services could not be reached before, but ... now they have a mobile phone and they are on call," said Khaled Ismail, who heads the development division at the Egyptian group Orascom Telecom.
"These entrepreneurs could not open a shop, it is too expensive. Now they are on call. Mobile phones are proving to become very vital for SMEs," Ismail told AFP at the ITU Telecom World exhibition this week.
Anecdotal evidence from Pakistan to Rwanda to Malaysia demonstrates how the mobile telephone has helped spur businesses in the developing world, altering the daily lives of rural and often poor populations dramatically.
Research has found that every 10 percent growth in mobile phone penetration brings about an increase of 0.6 percent in economic growth, said Philippe Dongier, who heads the information and communications technologies division at the World Bank.
The equivalent growth in high-speed Internet penetration, meanwhile, boosts growth by 1.3 percent, said Dongier.
Thanks to mobile telephones and instant messaging, fishermen, farmers, handicraft workers have been able to hawk their wares in a more efficient way or even find new clients, he noted.
In India, fishermen out at sea can now learn about the demand on shore, and therefore channel their catch to the right port.
The mobile technology has therefore "had a direct effect on the revenues of the fishermen," said the World Bank specialist.
In Rwanda, hospitals have been able to optimise the management of their stocks of medicines through instant messenging, added Dongier.
Orascom's Ismail notes that in Bangladesh, the telephone allows farmers to gain access to the Internet for information that is vital to their livelihoods.
"They cannot afford a laptop... The phone is a much simpler device. They receive very dedicated information which helps them to optimise the crops, sell at the right time, at the right price," he explained.
In Malaysia, the mobile phone has also brought new convenience, said Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, who heads the country's telecommunications and multimedia commission.
"Previously, people walk half a day to get to a clinic or to get to a centre to make a phonecall," he said, but now, most of the country's population can obtain information they need via SMS.
The number of mobile telephone users is expected to reach 4.6 billion this year, a more than four-fold increase from a billion in 2003, according to the UN's International Telecommunications Union. And much of recent year's growth has stemmed from emerging countries.
These huge markets have also led to new opportunities for home-grown telecommunications players, according to industry watchers.
Orascom, for instance, is now operating in 14 countries, including Bangladesh, North Korea and Namibia.
China Mobile's chief executive Wang Jianzhou, whose company signs up some five million subscribers per month, told AFP that penetration rates in rural China now stand only at 20 to 30 percent.
"The growth in penetration is slowing in cities but the growth potential in rural areas is huge," he said.
The Chinese telecommunications giant is also looking to other emerging markets for growth.
"We would like to expand internationally in emerging markets," said Wang, adding that Asia would be its main target, given its proximity and cultural similarities.
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/afp/20091007/tc_afp/telecomitemergeeconomyun
2009.10.10 in E-Strategies/Policy , Mobile and Wireless | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/05/mobile-phone-applications
2009.10.09 in Media, Mobile and Wireless | Permalink | TrackBack (0)