The Wireless World - NEWS & VIEWS

Crystal Clear Protection That's Unbelievably Tough and Leaves Your PDA On Display.
Proporta – It’s all become Crystal clear!

Proporta is proud to announce its newest collection of protective cases for a number of popular PDAs. Each case has been carefully designed to provide unbeatable protection whilst complementing the PDA’s stylish good-looks.

The Proporta Crystal Case is made from a plastic known as polycarbonate. This material makes the case extremely durable and scratch resistant and is also used to produce such products as protective eyewear and bullet resistant glass.



Other than being extremely protective, another major advantage the Crystal case has is that is allows the user to view their PDA whether the case is open or closed…as the case is clear the screen is always visible. The double hinge allows the case to be folded through 360 degrees, making the case comfortable to hold and suitable for both left- and right-handed users.

Individual cutouts provide the user with easy access to all the PDA’s features without sacrificing protection or usability.


The Proporta Crystal Case is made from the type of durable and scratch resistant polycarbonate plastic that's used to make protective eyewear.

- shatterproof
- shock absorbent
- completely clear (ideal for use with GPS systems)
- cutouts give access to stylus, ports and controls
- secure closure catch prevents accidental opening
- double hinge allows case to be folded through 360 degrees

These cases are all priced at just $23.95 and are protected by PROPORTA's “never-argue” money-back guarantee. If for any reason or no reason at all, you are not completely happy, Proporta will refund you in full. And do not forget their low worldwide shipping pricing!!

Currently available for the Palm ZIRE 71, IPAQ 19xx Series, IPAQ 22xx Series and soon to be released IPAQ 41xx Series.

Also to be released, is a NEW RETRACTABLE EARBUD/HEADPHONE SET. I do NOT need to tell you the advantages of a retractable Earbud set. NO MORE TANGLES. Now here is an idea that the market has been waiting for. I ordered mine already and will be reviewing it soon for everyone. To be announced on 04-04-04 !! and we will have pictures!!


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

I am real impressed with the lineup as announced. I have sent in a PressRequest for Pictures

Press Releases 03-16-2004

JABRA Introduces Three New Innovative Bluetooth Headsets
Announcing three new Bluetooth headsets, JABRA further strengthens its position as the market leader of hands-free communication. JABRA now meets every need in the field of wireless headsets.

CeBIT, Hannover (March 18, 2004), JABRA, the world's leading provider of hands?free communication solutions for the mobile consumer market, today announces three new Bluetooth headsets to be launched in early Q3 this year. The three headsets include: JABRA BT500, the next generation of the world's best selling Bluetooth headsets (JABRA BT200 and BT250); JABRA BT800, the full featured high-end headset and JABRA BT110, the entry-level headset with an unrivalled talk and standby time.

According to the ARC Group, the global Bluetooth handset market is expected to rise from 7% in 2003 to 15% of the total handset market in 2004. This means that the potential number of Bluetooth handset users will increase from just over 30 million to more than 70 million globally.

Commenting on these statistics, Morten Steen-Jørgensen, Executive VP, Mobile Division, GN Netcom, said:

"To manage the growing market demand, we are pleased to announce three new and innovative Bluetooth headsets that will not only underline our position as the market leader in hands-free communication, but also ensure we meet the various needs and preferences of the growing number of potential customers."

The three new Bluetooth headsets underline JABRA's position as the foremost brand and innovative developer of hands-free communication solutions dedicated to deliver quality, reliability and performance.

JABRA BT500 - The next generation of JABRA BT200 and BT250
Thirty per cent slimmer than earlier products, the next generation of the world's best selling Bluetooth headsets promises to be the choice of the business professional who requires high performance and superior comfort. Weighing only 20 grams, JABRA BT500 gives state-of-the-art wearing comfort and a sleek contemporary look. It offers up to 8 hours of talk time and 240 hours of standby time. Additional features such as a LED indicator to inform charging and battery level, and a dedicated pairing button are designed to offer greater convenience and ease of use to consumers. Next generation also implies improvements such as increased range, faster connection to the phone and improved audio quality. Last, but not least, an additional power charging option is provided - charging from the desktop/laptop via USB cable. Launch date: Early Q3 2004.

JABRA BT800 - The full featured headset
This extremely stylish high-end headset is the ultimate gadget for early adopters, who love to own the latest technology. JABRA BT800 features a blue backlit LED display for caller ID and an intuitive and easy to use jog wheel to access menu options. Users can select favourite ringing tones in the headset, or use the built-in call-vibrate feature. JABRA BT800 also features DSP (Digital Signal Processing) that improves audio clarity in noisy and windy environments. It automatically adjusts volume level in response to background noise and mutes the headset with a finger tip. It weighs only 25 grams. JABRA BT800 complies with Bluetooth version 1.2 and offers 6 hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby time. Launch date: Early Q3 2004.

JABRA BT110 - The entry-level headset
Keeping it simple - JABRA BT110 is suitable for everyone who wants to enjoy the basic benefits of a wireless headset. It provides 15 hours of talk time on a single AAA battery and its automatic power-down feature allows the user never to worry about standby time. JABRA BT110 also features both the headset and hands-free profile, making the headset compatible with all Bluetooth phones. Sound quality is optimised through JABRA Minigel™*, and JABRA BT110 supports voice dialling and accepting/rejecting in-coming calls. A very secure, behind-the-ear fit and a total weight of only 26 grams (including battery) make JABRA BT110 a very comfortable and attractive headset to wear. Launch date: Early Q3 2004.


[Edited by Wireless]

Visit Wireless World

I found a nice Member Forum for our sister site, Palm Place and thought we would give it a try. We will cover Wireless Phones. Bluetooth etc, not just Palm PDA's. Yes, there is plenty of these "forums"surrounding the Palm and Wireless community, but I think we can do it better. And we are at least going to try. So, pop on over and register, remember once your favorite online name is gone, it's gone, so do not delay. Please send me suggestions for topics, what you would like to see and remeber THE SKY'S THE LIMIT!!

ADDED: Bonus I have a few "gifts" that I have been given in the way of Palm Cases and Synch\Charging cords, so I think I will be giving away those at random to those who register, so you never know!! Also, we well NEVER sell your name or abuse your info. It is strictly for the Forums use.
See ya soon at http://kickme.to/wirelessworld, Palm Place Users Forum-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World





-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission said it had received 5,852 informal complaints regarding the ability of customers to switch telecom providers and keep their telephone number including customers wishing to cut the cord.

“Most of the complaints concern alleged delays in porting numbers from one wireless carrier to another. A much smaller number of complaints, just under 10 percent of the total, involve alleged delays in porting numbers from wireline carriers to wireless carriers,” said the FCC. “At the close of the third 30-day period following wireless local number portability implementation, the total number of complaints had increased to 5,852, about 1,188 additional complaints. This information clearly reflects a downward trend in the number of WLNP complaints being submitted to the commission.”

As of the Jan. 23, the FCC said that 5 percent of the complaints involved customers wishing to replace their wireline service with mobile-phone service.

AT&T Wireless Services Inc., which recently agreed to be acquired by Cingular Wireless L.L.C., is still atop the complaint board with 2,787 total complaints. Cingular is in fifth place with 849. Nextel Communications Inc. had the fewest complaints with 420.

Since each carrier in a porting transaction is noted with each phone call to the FCC’s call center and a disgruntled customer may call numerous times, the actual problems with porting may be much lower.

“The existence of a complaint does not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing by the carrier or carriers named, nor do the complaint numbers reflect the relative number of a carrier’s subscribers attempting to port a number,” said the FCC.

WLNP was implemented in the largest 100 metropolitan service areas on Nov. 24. All carriers are required to be capable of porting as of May 24. Small rural wireline carriers are fighting this requirement claiming that although wireline LNP has been in place for years, they have not received a request to port and so they are not now prepared to begin porting. A lawsuit challenging the requirement is pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

March 01, 2004 1:28 PM EST

DENVER—Qwest Communications International Inc. launched its nationwide wireless voice service for residential and small business customers as part of its network sharing agreement announced last year with Sprint PCS.

Qwest said its nationwide plans start at $25 per month for 200 anytime calling minutes when customers combine wireless service with any of the company’s other services on a single bill. In addition to the bundle discounts, Qwest customers signing up for its nationwide wireless offering will receive free evening and weekend long distance on their wireline service, one number service enabling calls to be routed to both landline and wireless phones and a Voice Mail Link that directs unanswered wireless calls to a home or office voice mail box and sends a notification to both the wireline and wireless phone.

The telecommunications provider said it would begin notifying current wireless customers of the pending transition to new rate plans noting most would have the option to transfer to a comparable plan with new national coverage. Qwest customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming will remain on existing Qwest wireless plans until later this year.

Qwest added that it will continue to offer two-way text messaging services and plans to include picture phone capabilities and downloadable content early next month.

Despite great interest and hopeful anticipation among owners of Sony Ericsson's first WAN handheld, the P800, the manufacturer today confirmed it will not bring forward an Internet-based software upgrade service - similar to that available to owners of the company's P900 model - for the P800. According to Per Alksten, the company does not prioritize further development of software for the P800, but is instead considering introducing upgrade functionality similar to that found in the P900 for models in its mobile phone portfolio, however a final decision has not yet been reached.

Nokia has given the first official indication that sales of the N-Gage game deck are not living up to expectations, but says that the platform must be given until November 2005 to prove itself.
"The sales are in the lower quartile of the bracket we had as our goal," Nokia chairman and CEO Jorma Ollila, told the Financial Times - the first time that the company has admitted that sales of the device have been lower than expected.
However, Ollila says that the N-Gage has to be given until November 2005 - two years after its launch in autumn 2003 - before the success or failure of the platform can be properly judged.
It's expected that at least one new version of the N-Gage hardware will be introduced before that date - possibly as early as next Autumn - although the platform will remain backwards compatible throughout.
The announcement comes after months of speculation over the N-Gage's actual retail performance. Nokia has refused to give sales figures for the device - only shipment figures of 600,000 units have been announced. And, since most video game market research firms target game stores only, not mobile phone retailers, accurate sales figures have been impossible to estimate.

palmOne has announced a $30 price drop on the Palm Tungsten T2 making it now only $299. Save $30.00! Plus Free Overnight Shipping!
And just to make things exciting, palmOne has announced a $50 REBATE on the ZIRE 71, making the Palm Zire 71 now only $199 after $50 mail-in rebate. Save $50! Plus Free Shipping!

So, if you haven't been lucky enough to win one of the excellent PALM ADDICT contest's, here is two great new opportunities to get yourself a new palmOne T2 or ZIRE 71.
Ron P.

On Monday 2-26-2004, Motorola announced the Motorola MPx — a part of the Motorola MOTOPro series of handsets featuring Microsoft Windows Mobile software. The dual-hinge device opens both lengthways as a clamshell phone and in landscape mode as an email device with a wide screen and full QWERTY keyboard.
The Motorola MPx aims to replace use of multiple devices by blending the essentials of a mobile phone, personal data assistant (PDA) and email messenger in one device. By opening the device in landscape mode, Internet browsing, streaming video and access to corporate applications are all supposed to be within easy reach using the Motorola MPx.
The tri-band GSM/GRPS Motorola MPx is a business tool, with advanced features such as built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and Infrared support for data exchange. The MPx also sports a 2.8 inch, 16-bit color display providing a resolution of 320x240 pixels.
The device is built on the MOTOPro Innovation Platform, a feature rich software and hardware platform that leverages Motorola’s design and technologies, as well as the Microsoft Windows Mobile software. The Motorola MPx boasts up to 1GB of expandable memory through a SD/MMC slot, an integrated 1.3 mega pixel camera with flash, and Java technology.
The Motorola MPx will be shipped with Windows Media Player for playback of video clips. Video clips and pictures taken by the integrated camera can be sent via e-mail, MMS, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
The Motorola MPx is expected to be available in the second half of 2004, while pricing will depend on operator.



-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

CANNES, France (AP)—Seven of the world's biggest mobile phone makers have agreed to make changes to handset designs to combat soaring rates of wireless-related crime, an industry group announced Tuesday.

Nokia, Motorola, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, NEC, Panasonic and Sagem have signed on to an initiative to hardwire codes called IMEIs—or International Mobile Equipment Identities—into the circuitry of their handsets, the GSM Associated said.
Codes belonging to stolen cell phones could then be posted on an international database. Wireless service providers who join the initiative could then use the blacklist to block any stolen phone connecting to their networks.

So far, 24 mobile operators have signed on, Rob Conway, chief executive of the GSM Association, told a keynote session at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, southeastern France.

Mobile phones already carry IMEIs, but the codes can often be reprogrammed by thieves before being resold.

Crime rates linked to mobile phones have risen sharply across Europe, Asia and North America in recent years.

In Britain, where a special police unit was recently set up to deal with the problem, official figures show one in every two street crimes involves a mobile phone.

And GSM Association spokesman Ian Volans said there were increasing signs that mobile phone theft was becoming a major activity for international organized crime.

The trade group said it was encouraging more of its service provider members to join the initiative.

"As soon as you have all the operators in one country running it, it a major disincentive for the casual thief," Volans said. "Taking it global would be a serious deterrent to organized crime."

According to researcher In-Stat/MDR, nearly one third of all U.S. wireless subscribers will not have residential landline phone service by 2008. The study claims the advent of wireless number portability will drive the trend to "cut to the cord" as consumers look for ways to increase their mobility and cut their phone costs. The study also predicts that increased wireless network quality will drive subscribers to end their landline phone service. The trend will be most prominent among young people, who have less attachment to landline phones.

For more on the In-Stat/MDR study:
- see this story from CNET

Spring time is approaching, so it must be time for the rumors of upcoming palmOne handhelds to come in earnest, as palmOne, previously Palm, has traditionally announced new devices in the Spring and Fall. Why last year, the handheld company, released the Tungsten C and the Zire 71, two devices that helped complete a successful product turnaround for the company, which had seen its PDA line-up eclipsed by the likes of Sony and HP for excitement and the latest features.
The most recent rumor, as reported by Palm Addict, places a sequel to the Zire 71, which was palmOne's first PDA with an integrated digital camera, as appearing this spring. This device, the Zire 72, may look like the Tungsten E, palmOne's popular mid-level business PDA released last fall, and include 64MB of RAM with 56 MB available to the user, and like the Zire 71, a digital camera.

The Zire 71 only has 16 MB of memory and the camera on the Zire 72 is purported to be a far superior at 1.3 megapixels. The handheld would run Palm OS 5.2.1, now called Garnet. It may bring Bluetooth to the Zire line also.

Other rumored new handhelds from palmOne include a successor to the Treo 600. This would be the first Treo to come to light after PalmOne's merger with Handspring, the original designer

I use X-10 Home Automation all over my house. In fact, I have actually had X-10 since I was 12 years old. I have the original walnut grained control panal from Radio Shack and the Brown modules from them as well. The stuff does last. I don't wanna telll you how long ago that was, but it is long enough. I have X-10 software/modules turn my lights on automatically, make tea in the morning and automatically turn my lights on and off when I am away. It is worth a look, and it is inexpensive, very inexpensive. So if you have not looked at X-10 check 'em out, they have neat stuff.
Note: I just added a tabletop controller on my Mom's nitestand and gave her a PalmTop Controller for the Living Room/Rest of House. She wakes up, Hits "3 On" and the Tea Pot Starts" I am a hero, she still is not over it! She comes upstairs and forgets to turn the lights off in hallway or downstairs, "4 Off" and she is done. And thank God, No Clapping!! LOL. You can do much more if you use the software, but in her case just the standard controllers was all that was needed. If anyone has questions about X-10 stuff, drop me a line be glad to help you with it.

Wireless carriers are working hard on next-generation networks that will send data to phones much faster, making it possible to deliver something resembling true full-motion TV, while new smart devices that tap those networks could have screens larger than the teabag-size LCDs on today's handsets.

Of course, we don't live in the future. Today's wireless networks and phones are much better than a few years ago, but don't quite have the horsepower required for TV.

MobiTV (www.mobitv.com), launched in November by a Berkeley company named Idetic, is available for an additional $9.99 a month to Sprint PCS customers who already have the PCS Vision data plan.

What you get is unlimited viewing of 14 live cable television channels, including ABC News Live, CNBC, the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel and MSNBC. Unlimited, that is, until your battery runs out -- after about three hours for most phones compatible with MobiTV.

What you don't get is smooth motion. Regular television runs at 30 frames a second, fast enough for the human eye and the human brain to see fluid action.

MobiTV claims to broadcast at one to two frames a second; in my tests with a Sanyo SCP 8100 flip phone borrowed from Idetic, the picture instead seemed to change every one to two seconds. The result was more like a fast-paced slide show than video, but the pictures did give me at least a sense of what was happening. The audio, meanwhile, almost always came through in a steady if somewhat tinny stream. You listen either on a speakerphone function or through a headset.

FULL STORY FROM SYNCHROLOGIC

Nokia today launched their enterprise mobility solution for corporate customers. The new Nokia 9500 Communicator is one of the first cellular devices on the market designed to meet the demands of corporate IT departments for customization, manageability and security. The tri-band device supporting E-GPRS (EDGE) and Wi-Fi 802.11b is expected to be available in volume during the fourth quarter of 2004. The price (unsubsidized) of the Nokia 9500 Communicator is expected to be around €800 in Europe or $1000 in the United States.

With the announcement of the new enterprise-class communicator series, Nokia's recently formed Enterprise Solutions business group evolves the company's portfolio of business-optimised devices to include a full range of differentiated devices.

"Nokia understands mobility better than anyone," said Mary McDowell, Nokia Enterprise Solutions' newly appointed senior vice president and general manager. "The Nokia 9500 Communicator combines our knowledge of enterprise customer needs and critical usability issues with our expertise in mobile connectivity and security, resulting in the first mobile device that enables fast and universal access to corporate services, and is backed by proven application and software support from leading IT vendors."

Like its predecessors from the first Communicator family, the Nokia 9500 Communicator takes the most popular office solutions mobile by bringing e-mail, personal information management, with PC synchronization, browsing, vertical enterprise applications and even document, spreadsheet and presentation creation into the pockets of mobile professionals, allowing them to effectively utilize their time while on the road. Other features of the sleek 222-gram (7.83 oz.) device include:

- Tri-band GSM capability (two variants: 900/1800/1900 MHz and 850/1800/1900 MHz)
- GPRS/EGPRS (EDGE)
- Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11b
- Symbian Operating System 7.0S Platform with J2ME Personal - Profile environment
- In-built VGA camera & Multimedia messaging
- Bluetooth audio and data support
- USB connectivity (Nokia Connectivity Cable DKU-2)
- 80 MB of free user memory
- Two color (up to 65k colors) displays with
- 640x200 pixels, Series 80 User Interface
- 128x128 pixels, Series 40 User Interface
- E-mail support: POP3, IMAP,
- Email: IMAP4, POP3, SMTP, SyncML
- Security: SSL/TLS, Ipsec VPN
- Browsing: HTML/XHTML, HTML 4.01, JavaScript 1.3
- Office tool support: documents, spreadsheet, presentations

Also unveiled were the Connectivity desk stand for convenient charging and synchronization with a compatible PC, the Mobile Holder, which firmly holds the Nokia 9500 communicator in place in the car, and the Antenna Coupler, which provides a connection to an external antenna. For personalization, optional color covers are expected to be available.

COMPLETE NOKIA COMMUNICATOR 9500 SITE

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WAP WEBSITE. GO TO WWW.WAPTERROR.DE FOR ALL THE LATEST ON WAP AND GASM PHONES

CANNES, France—More than 1 billion people are now using GSM-based mobile phones, the GSM Association announced this week in accordance with the 3GSM Wold Congress being held in Cannes, France.

According to the GSM Association, that milestone means the technology is used by one in six of the world’s population, in more than 200 countries and territories, and is chosen by 80 percent of all new mobile customers.

“GSM was born out of the revolutionary vision that mobile phones should keep customers connected anytime, anywhere, even when crossing borders,” said Rob Conway, chief executive of the GSM Association. “That revolution has gained currency and support faster than even the most optimistic dreams of its founders.”

3G Americas added to the GSM Association’s findings, reporting 100-percent annual growth for GSM technology in the Americas in 2003, including an increase in subscriber base of nearly 150 percent in Latin America, and 77-percent growth in the North American market.

Speaking monetarily, global revenues attributable to GSM technology totaled $277 billion in 2003, according to a new report from Deutsche Bank. The report further forecasts GSM revenues will grow to $500 billion in 2005.

Separately, 3G Americas recently announced Chris Pearson will now serve as president of the organization. Pearson has served as the group’s executive vice president and senior operating officer since it was created in 2002.

Pre-Order the Nikon D70 today!

Cingular, the second-largest US mobile phone company, has won the bid war for AT&T Wireless, after outbidding Vodafone Group with a $15-per-share bid, CNBC reported. Such a bid would value AT&T Wireless at about $40.7 billion (EUR 32.2 billion).
Yesterday Cingular Wireless increased its bid for AT&T Wireless to $38 billion, immediately followed by Vodafone Group. The bids represented $14 per share. AT&T Wireless had asked Cingular and Vodafone to make sweetened bids after both companies were offering $35 billion.

By Bill Machrone, PC Magazine
How many megapixels do you really need? At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, I ran into my friend George Margolin, who handed me a pair of rather amazing pictures. Both were 12- by 18-inch prints of digital photographs. One was a head shot of fellow columnist John C. Dvorak, the other a picture of John and me standing side by side. The resolution of these images is startling. You can count every hair on John's head (although that task is getting a little easier these days), and you can see the subtly colored fibers in his jacket. In the picture of the two of us, you can even read the small print on my name tag.

He shot both with a 2-megapixel camera. Most people these days don't even consider 2 megapixels sufficient for a 4-by-6 print, but George loves flouting convention. As further evidence, he shot both pictures handheld, through a longish zoom lens, in a large ballroom, at 1/30 of a second, without a flash. He also likes saving a buck: He had both images printed at Costco for less than $3 apiece. His miraculous camera? An Olympus C-2100 Ultra Zoom with a 10X zoom lens.

The discontinued C-2100 is a bit of a secret weapon—it has optical image stabilization. You've seen this feature in camcorders: The camera senses your motion and moves an internal lens in the opposite direction to eliminate or minimize shake and blur. Some do this by shifting the sensor itself, so that it follows your motion. We'll come back to this point as we explore George's rules for getting the most out of a digicam, even one with limited resolution.

COMPLETE STORY FROM PC MAGAZINE

New MP3 Phones Tune Into Consumer Demand

(16/02/2004, BWCS Staff)

South Korean mobile vendors Samsung and LG Electronics have announced that their latest generation of mobile handsets will incorporate MP3 digital music players. The addition of an MP3 player will not generate extra service revenue for mobile operators because the technology is designed to download music from a personal computer. However operators and vendors are quickly realising that digital music players, like digital cameras form a vital role in positioning the mobile handset as the personal multimedia communications device of choice.

The first Samsung devices with in-built MP3 players will be shipped to operators in Korea later this month. The Anycall SPH-V4200 phones will include a 96Mb memory for storing digital tunes and pictures as well as digital rights management software to prevent the download and exchange of pirated music files. The new LG handsets will enable mobile users to download up to 16 music files to their mobile phones and then to store and play them back via an on-screen interface. Alongside the MP3 player the LG phones also incorporate a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, the ability to record up to 80 minutes of digital video and GPS positioning technology.

Get new EXCLUSIVE specials on Best Selling Palm accessories at the Official Palm Store!

A serious Bluetooth security vulnerability allows mobile phone users' contact books to be stolen. You've heard of bluejacking - now meet 'bluesnarfing'
A security flaw has been discovered in Bluetooth that lets an attacker download all contact details along with other information from a vulnerable phone, while leaving no trace of the attack.
Unlike bluejacking, which is where users can send a message to Bluetooth phones without authorisation, this latest discovery for the wireless-data standard allows data, such as telephone numbers and diary entries, stored in a vulnerable device to be stolen by the attacker. The new exploit is called bluesnarfing.
Bluesnarfing is said to affect a number of Sony Ericsson, Ericsson and Nokia handsets, but some models are at greater risk because they invite attack even when in 'invisible mode' -- in which the handset is not supposed to broadcast its identity and should refuse connections from other Bluetooth devices.
Adam Laurie, chief security officer at UK networking and security firm AL Digital, told ZDNet UK that the Nokia 6310, 6310i, 8910 and 8910i models were at greatest risk. "On some models of phone, you are only vulnerable to attack if you are on visible mode; however, there are other models of phones where you are vulnerable even in non-visible mode," he said.
Laurie said he discovered the problem when he was asked to test how safe Bluetooth devices actually were. "Before we deploy any new technology for clients or our own staff, one of my duties is to investigate that technology and ensure it is secure. Actually rolling your sleeves up and looking at it, not just taking the manufacturers' claims at face value. When I did that, I found that it is not secure," he said.
According to Laurie, he can initiate a bluesnarfing attack from his laptop after making a modification to its Bluetooth settings: "It is a standard Bluetooth-enabled laptop and the only special bit is the software I am using in the Bluetooth stack. I have a modified the Bluetooth stack and that enables me to perform this attack," he said.
Bluesnarfing has huge potential for abuse because it leave no trace and victims will be unaware that their details have been stolen: "If your phone is in your pocket, you will be completely unaware," he said.
Laurie said he has had trouble getting the major handset manufacturers to admit the problem exists: "I have had experts telling me that it can't possibly exist because they have been trying to do this and failing."
Although the problem may affect other Bluetooth devices, such as laptops, Laurie said they are more difficult to target because the systems are more complex: "Mobiles are liable to be more vulnerable simply because the resources for menus and configuration are limited. Manufacturers try and make Bluetooth simple to use on phones, so you don't have much granularity in setting options. On a lot of phones, Bluetooth is either on or off," he said.
Laurie said that for now, there is no fix available. He said that the only way to be completely safe is to switch off the Bluetooth functionality.
AL Digital has developed several proof-of-concept utilities, but has not released them into the wild, said Laurie. They include: Bluestumbler, to monitor and log all visible Bluetooth devices (name, MAC address, signal strength, capabilities), and identify the manufacturer from MAC address lookup; and Bluesnarf, which can copy data from a target device.
According to the AL Digital's bluestumbler Web site, vulnerable phones include: Ericsson T68; Sony Ericsson R520m, T68i, T610 and Z1010; and Nokia 6310, 6310i, 7650, 8910 and 8910i.

Nokia and Sony Ericsson were not immediately available for comment.

The Palm operating system is moving forward in two directions, with the announcement of two next-generation versions of the Palm OS that will appear on devices later this year.

The two upcoming releases, mainstream Palm OS Garnet and enterprise-oriented Palm OS Cobalt, are being previewed at the PalmSource Developers Conference in San Jose, California, this week.

Both new versions of the Palm OS are intended to make the popular handheld operating system more powerful than ever, and able to support an even wider range of hardware than the current array of Palm-based personal digital assistants and wireless communicators.

Cobalt's Shine
Palm OS Garnet corresponds to version 5.4 of the Palm OS, while Palm OS Cobalt is the equivalent of version 6. PalmSource hopes that by not using version numbers it will keep prospective Garnet customers from thinking they're getting an old or outdated product, but the bulk of the innovation is clearly going into Palm OS Cobalt
New features in Cobalt include improved graphics and multimedia support. Its customizable status bar will look familiar to owners of recent Tungsten PDAs, and the OS has a more robust contact manager with room for more data and a tabbed layout. PalmSource has also improved its support for various types of connectivity, including simultaneous voice and data sessions.

Under the hood, Cobalt will also have support for much more memory--up to 256MB each in RAM and ROM. PalmSource hopes the memory boost plus better security features will make the OS more suitable for heavy-duty enterprise applications.


Garnet Builds on OS 5
Palm OS Garnet, meanwhile, will basically improve on the most recent Palm 5 release. Among its features are support for higher screen resolutions (including 240 by 320) and a software-based Graffiti input area that can vanish as required (and which will look familiar to Tungsten T3 owners), plus enhanced tools for finding and using Bluetooth networks. Garnet stays within the current memory limits of 128MB in RAM and 16MB in ROM.

PalmSource expects that Cobalt's features will encourage development of new Palm-based devices such as tablets, electronic book readers, game players, and other types of hardware.

Meanwhile, to attract new Palm customers who may not care about the OS's core calendar and datebook features, PalmSource is seeking greater visibility for the 20,000 or so applications for Palms.

To that end, PalmSource's Web site now features a series of expert guides to Palm applications in categories ranging from knitting and religion to law and medicine.

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Nokia buys majority stake in Symbian for $252.25M

Nokia today agreed to acquire Psion's 31.1 percent stake in smartphone OS developer Symbian for $252.25 million. The move will give Nokia a 63 percent stake in the company, making it the majority owner. This move puts Nokia firmly at the lead of Symbian. Analysts, however, are mixed on the deal. Some claim the deal will give Nokia a strategic advantage as it fights to dominate the mobile phone market, letting it steer Symbian's tactics and partnerships. Others claim it could backfire on Nokia, alienating Symbian's partners, like Sony Ericsson, and tempting some of these companies to look at rival mobile operating systems, like Microsoft's Smartphone or Palm. This is the second large deal involving Symbian in the last six months. Psion in October inked a deal to acquire Motorola's stake in the venture. Symbian's remaining shareholders include Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Panasonic, and Siemens.

For more on Nokia's acquisition of Psion's stake in Symbian:
- read this article from Reuters



-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

As smartphones and enhanced mobile phones gain popularity, PDA shipments are slipping, Gartner Inc. reported today.

Shipments totaled 11.5 million units in 2003, a 5.3 percent dip from 2002, according to the research firm.

"Through the end of 2004, smartphones will generally have a negative impact on the low end of the PDA market, as many individual users will find the personal information management (PIM) and e-mail capabilities of smartphones acceptable," said Todd Kort, a principal analyst at Gartner, in a statement. "These users will tend to become less interested in low-end PDAs that have provided these capabilities.

"This will primarily impact the Palm OS because a relatively high percentage of Palm OS users rely on these devices solely for their PIM capabilities. Smartphones will become more important in the enterprise market in 2005, at which point we expect to see increasing erosion of the Microsoft side of the market," said Kort.

BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) thrived in Q4 2003, as shipments totaled 259,000 units, nearly equaling the total it shipped in all of 2002. RIM posted the strongest growth rate among top-tier vendors in 2003, as shipments increased 121 percent from 2002. Approximately 35 percent to 40 percent of the company's recent shipments were upgrades of older RIM devices, according to Gartner, which puts RIM's subscriber base at close to a million users.

Hewlett-Packard was the most aggressive vendor in the second half of 2003, as it released seven new PDA models that hit price points ranging from $199 to $599, Gartner analysts said. PalmOne did well with the Tungsten T3 in the midrange PDA market, but palmOne, Sony, Dell and Toshiba found the majority of demand for their products in the December quarter was for sub-$250 models, the firm noted.

In the U.S. PDA market, palmOne held the No. 1 position based on shipments in 2003; however, it suffered a double-digit decline, slipping to 43.3 percent, Gartner said.

"The U.S. market continues to consume just over half of all PDA shipments, and the U.S. PDA market is the key segment for overall growth," Kort said. "However, a weakening U.S. dollar is forcing U.S. PDA prices up because most PDAs and their components are manufactured in Asian markets, particularly Taiwan. Therefore, we expect good results in Europe, but mediocre sales in North America in 2004."


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Security company AL Digital has issued a warning over some Bluetooth mobile phones that could enable a hacker to obtain access to the devices.

The company claims that a hacker could use a phone's Bluetooth connectivity to obtain a wide range of information such as a user's identity, bank account details, sales leads, business contacts and other confidential information. All this could reportedly be downloaded to the hacker's mobile phone using a wireless Bluetooth connection without the victim being aware of the theft.

AL Digital also said that the safety of vulnerable lone children or women could be compromised if their mobile number got into the wrong hands.


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Q4 2003 may have been a boom time for the European PDA market, but it was an even bigger period for smartphones. According to new figures from market researcher Canalys, 2.24 million smartphones shipped in Europe, the Middle East and Africa during the quarter, compared to 1.23 million PDAs.

Like IDC before it, Canalys' numbers put Palm in second place behind HP in the PDA market, and ranks them three and two in the overall handheld device market, respectively. Ahead of them both sits Nokia, which shipped 1.74 million devices last quarter to HP's 406,420 and Palm's 307,100.

The three companies achieved market shares of 50.2 per cent, 11.7 per cent and 8.8 per cent, respectively. Compared to Q4 2002, those shares represent a big gain for Nokia, a small rise for HP but a disappointing dip - unit shipments were down 19 per cent year on year - for Palm. Canalys' Q4 2002 numbers give Nokia on 42.4 per cent of the market, Palm 23.8 per cent and HP 9.5 per cent.

Palm's decline comes despite a 56 per cent increase in the number of units shipped in Q4 2003 over the same period the year before.

HP and Palm were the only PDA-specialists to make Canalys' top five device makers' table: they were followed by smartphone vendors Sony Ericsson (216,990 units shipped for a 6.2 per cent share) and Motorola (142,200, 4.1 per cent). All the others took 18.9 per cent of the 3.47 million devices shipped during the quarter.

Canalys agrees with IDC's conclusion that bundle deals, particularly of GPS kit, helped boost the sales of PDAs during the Christmas quarter. Indeed, navigation solutions are becoming de rigueur: "Vendors without navigation bundles will find it harder to get shelf space - Palm and Sony have some catching up to do in this area," warned Canalys senior analyst and director Chris Jones.

"In some countries - Germany being a prime example - major retailers are now insisting on navigation solutions in preference to standalone handhelds," he added. "It will become more and more difficult to sell such devices purely on the basis of personal information management."

Canalys also pointed to renewed enterprise spending - which has favoured HP, in particular - but reckons it won't be long before smartphone vendors start winning corporate business over PDAs. Nokia certainly has its eye on the market, as its 6600 handset shows, as does Sony Ericsson with the much-improved P900. Nokia dominates the smartphone sector, with a 77.9 per cent market share.

Both handsets are based on the Symbian OS, which accounted for over two million of the smartphones shipped in the region last quarter, Canalys' numbers show - pretty much all of them, in other words.

"The Symbian OS is now reaching the shipment levels needed to make it a contender in the enterprise," said analyst Rachel Lashford. ®


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Get new EXCLUSIVE specials on Best Selling Palm accessories at the Official Palm Store!

The total number of WAP page impressions viewed in the UK during December 2003 topped 1 billion for the first time, according to figures announced today by the Mobile Data Association (MDA). This shows an increase of 50 million on November's total and provides the highest monthly total since the MDA began collating figures in September 2002. The total, from GSM Network operators O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone, takes the daily average to 33 million, compared to 13.5 million per day in December 2002.

December's figure provides a year end total for 2003 of 9.2 billion, compared to the MDA prediction in January 2003 of 8 billion. For the year ahead the MDA forecasts continued growth with WAP page impressions expected to reach 13 billion for 2004. The MDA will monitor the situation with a monthly statistics review - every month the MDA will post the numbers along with a reconsidered forecast for the 2003 figures on its website www.text.it.

In releasing today's figures, Mike Short, Chairman of the MDA commented: "Mobile access to Broadcast and Internet Content continues to astonish us in both its variety and in volume growth. Mobile Content is becoming more inclusive and accessible to all. Partnerships are key to the next phase of innovation, solutions development and growth to meet these diverse customer needs."

Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association commented: "Globally, the GSM world will be marking One Billion connected GSM customers during first quarter 2004. Against this backdrop, the GSMA is pleased to see competitive mobile data services continue to evolve, innovate and grow. Exceeding one billion WAP page impressions in one month for the first time in the UK is a very encouraging and positive sign - and we congratulate the UK operators on this milestone."

The MDA's WAP initiative is supported by a web site, www.text.it which includes information on other forms of messaging. WAP information currently available on the site allows new users to learn more about services available to them including how and where they can configure their phones. The site will also provide users with regularly updated top ten mobile URL's and additional mobile services; and for those developing WAP services, there is a tips and style guide section.


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Complete with a digital camera and built-in flash with auto sensor, the new CDM-8910 mobile handset from Audiovox was unveiled at CES 2004.

The handset will give users the option to send and receive photos right from their wireless phone. Weighing just 3.2 ounces and measuring 3.5 x 1.9 x .9 in the tri-mode (800 MHz mps/CDMA, 1900 MHz PCS), CDMA2000 1X Capable (system dependent) features the MSM6100 Chipset and is GPSOne Capable (E911 Phase2 Supported), also system dependent.

The full color handset has dual LCD displays with a main 260K TFT 1.8" LCD display (128x 60) and sub 260K TFT 1" LCD Display (96x 64) as well as a built-in two-way speakerphone, a built-in CMOS 1.3M Pixel with Macro Function, voice activated dialing and 32 polyphonic ringers. The phone is Java/BREW capable, data capable with USB interface (up to 144 kbps), TTY capable, ERI capable and has 2-way short message service, all system dependent.

"The CDM-8910 will be a great addition to the growing line of camera phones that ACC offers," said ACC President and CEO, Philip Christopher. "With a built-in flash and lightweight design, the CDM-8910 is perfect for people who want more features in a smaller handset."



-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

NEC Corporation today announced that it has succeeded in creating a card-shaped, camera-equipped mobile phone, which it will launch on the China market, one of the world's largest and most competitive mobile markets, in February, 2004.

NEC's own cutting-edge technology has enabled an ultra-compact, attractively packaged mobile phone boasting measurements of 85mm (width) X 54mm (height) X 8.6mm (depth), and a light weight of 70g. This mobile-internet product supports GSM/GPRS, and is equipped with a 1.8 inch (120 X 160 dot) TFT color display and a digital camera (300,000 pixels). Loaded with 40-polyphonic ring tones, and installed with camera functions including a mobile light, and consecutive shooting ability etc, this phone is used in conjunction with an earphone and a mike.

"This world's smallest and slimmest mobile phone is a symbolic flag-ship product representing NEC's leading position in mobile terminal technology," said Yoshiharu Tamura, General Manager of Mobile Terminals Division, NEC Corp. "NEC will continue to offer new, innovative mobile terminal solutions, which offer compact shape, and the latest product technologies, allowing users use of a variety of mobile phones for different situations."

"By combining NEC's competence in mobile and basic R&D technology, we can realize completely new-concept mobile phones" said Hisatsune Watanabe, Associate Senior Vice President and Executive General Manager of Central Research Laboratories, NEC Corp. "Ultra-slim mounting technology is an important and constant R&D theme for NEC."

Together with NEC in Japan, the Mobile Terminals Development Center based in Beijing, China, has significantly contributed to product planning and in enabling this competitive product to be brought to the market.

This product has been realized through the following:
- Multi-layered slim structure.
- Slim and highly stiff case structure.
- Thin printed circuit board.

Along with a slim case, this product also boasts a slim structure that was realized through optimized space layout of stackable function modules (circuit board, display, key-sheet, battery, and embedded antenna). High stiffness was enabled by a compound structure of metal and resin. NEC also developed new thin printed circuit board by decreasing thickness by approximately 40%. In addition, equipment reliability is heightened through stress reduction realized by our original process technology. The core LSI employs very small CSP (Chip Size Package), and the most advanced high-density surface mounting technology.

NEC intends to further advance this technology toward broader application use in areas such as mobile terminals, PDAs and micro PCs etc.



-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

MIAMI—Prepaid wireless provider TracFone Wireless Inc. said it added 374,000 net additions during the fourth quarter of 2003 and passed the 3-million-customer mark less than one year after surpassing the 2-million-customer milestone.

“Achieving 3 million active subscribers clearly reflects the significance customers place on our prepaid wireless service and our continuing commitment to improve our price and value proposition,” explained F.J. Pollak, TracFone chief executive officer and president.

As part of those price improvements, TracFone also announced lower airtime rates and added a $150 Double Minute Prepaid Plan card that includes 300 minutes, one year of wireless service and double minutes on future airtime card redemptions for one year. The company is also expanding its handset lineup for this year with the addition of the Nokia Corp.’s 1221P TDMA handset, 2285P CDMA handset and 1100P GSM handset as well as Motorola Inc.’s v60 TDMA and CDMA handsets.

TracFone’s parent company, America Movil, also reported TracFone’s fourth-quarter revenues increased from $91 million in 2002 to $166 million last year, while full-year revenues increased more than 45 percent year-over-year to $547 million



-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

Owners of the popular Pocketop infrared keyboard beware: upgrade your device, and you could find yourself facing $20 USD to download new drivers compatible with your unit.
As the maker of the first widely popular infrared keyboard moves to a new web site, owners of the Pocketop keyboard have suddenly found downloads of new drivers come at a price. Stepping away from the company's previous policy, drivers for numerous devices based on the Palm OS and Pocket PC platforms which were previously available as free downloads now sell for up to $20 USD each.

In an open letter to its customers, Pocketop explains why the company has found it necessary to reconsider its policy of making drivers available for free. Apologizing for delays in processing users' requests for drivers for new devices, Pocketop says the very rapid pace of development in the hand-held market, including portable keyboards, has forced the manufacturer to change its policy on issuing drivers.

Part of the company's letter reads: "Unlike Windows devices, where typically only three or four drivers are sufficient to service every PC on the market, there is a huge and growing variety of hand-held devices. We have now developed in excess of 100 drivers that enable our keyboard to be used with hundreds of different PDA/Pocket PC/and cellphone devices. This trend is escalating with the need to provide drivers for devices using the Symbian operating system. The cost to develop drivers is very high."

Additionally, the company's letter also says it has been brought to its attention that users of portable keyboards purchased from its competitors download and use Pocketop's free drivers, a further incentive for the company to introduce a registration and payment policy for drivers.

Owners of Pocketop keyboards must now register with the manufacturer and pay from $10 to $20 USD for each set of drivers, a price Pocketop said it believes is modest compared with its costs. Lastly, the company also claimed its new policy would aid the company in providing new drivers in a timely fashion to meet customers' needs as new devices enter the market.


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

The following are some companies/WEB Sites that can provide you with an EMAIL address or a method of notifying you that you have a message , on your EasySpeak phone. TMOBILE has removed the feature that gave their PrePaid phones an email address which was xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net ( x's were the phones mobile number) I have spent some serious time with my buddy Google looking for alternatives, hoping TMOBILE will figure something out eventually. The first is BigFoot. They have a FREE SMS notification feature available on their FREE Basic acct. While limited (it only notifies you that you have an EMAIL from SENDER SENDER being whatever the sending party puts in their EMAIL programs FROM: section) I have included a link for BigFoot.

Next is IPIPI, a good service, while not free, it is full featured and as cheap as any. Basically you will spend +/- .10 USD to send/or recive a SMS from your phone, or the desktop application (included) They also give you an email address (you pick) that will send up to 160 Characters to your phone.

I will continue to look for alternatives. One of the biggest problems is that most FREE services used TMOBILES EMAIL2SMS gateway to issue a email address to a TMOBILE phone (or their features) Since TMOBILE has removed that feature on the PrepAids, you cant use any system that utilizes the phones email address to get the message to the phone. Biggest problem to most is MSN and/or YAHOO for starters. If anyone knows of a FREE alternative to get an EMAIL address to send to a PrePaid SMS number, let me know PLEASE. salesdept@comcast.net is best email for me.

Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

The worldwide market for handheld devices grew slightly in the fourth quarter of 2003. While this is the second quarter in a row to see growth, the latter part of the year couldn't make up for earlier weakness, so the handheld market overall decreased once again.

According to a new IDC report, handheld device shipments rose 3.2% year-on-year in the fourth quarter compared to the same period in 2002, while the number of handhelds shipped grew by 52.7% to 3.4 million units. For the full year, however, the handheld market decreased to 10.4 million units; a drop of 17.9% from the previous year's shipments of 12.6 million units.

IDC does not include handhelds with telephony (smartphones) in its statistics. Smartphones are seen by many as a major growth area in the mobile device market.


"With a growing number of vendors and products that combine both personal information management (PIM) capability and telephony, consumers are moving away from devices that offer only PIM capability. HP and palmOne enjoyed particular success during the holiday buying season by offering handheld devices with features beyond PIM that cannot be found in a mobile phone," said David Linsalata, analyst in IDC's Mobile Devices program. "Going forward, handheld device vendors must continue to differentiate and expand into hot product categories, such as media players and digital cameras, to renew growth in their market."

Top Five Handheld Vendors

On the strength of the newly released Zire 21, Tungsten E, and Tungsten T3 handhelds, palmOne posted sequential growth of 56.7% and a corresponding increase in market share from 37.5% to 38.5%.

Although HP's market share declined from 25.9% in the previous quarter to 25.1% in the fourth quarter due to a significantly larger handheld market, HP continued its momentum from the previous quarter and grew its shipments by 101.5% from 2002. By building upon a range of products introduced during the summer that covers all price points, HP found itself well-positioned to continue its growth through the end of the calendar year.

As for Sony, holiday sales in the U.S. helped Sony to sequential growth of 99.8% for the quarter. But Sony was caught between product cycles and experienced weak growth in other regions, bringing its year-over-year shipments down by 2.8% to 13.9%.

Dell's introduction of the new Axim X3 line helped up its sales by 21% over the previous quarter and 167.4% from 2002. With both products being pushed in tandem throughout the world, IDC thinks Dell will get back on the growth track it experienced with the introduction of its Axim X5 devices last year.

Medion, which doesn't even have a product in the United States, entered the top 5 vendor list for the first time, displacing Toshiba for the number 5 position in the fourth quarter with shipments of almost 100,000 devices, representing sequential growth of 104.2%. With sales coming largely from Europe, Medion has grown on the strength of its low-cost handhelds.

So here is how the worldwide handheld market stands at the beginning of 2004. You've got palmOne still in the top spot with 38.1% of the market, not as much as it had in the past but still strong. HP maintained its number two position with 22%, while Sony lands in third with 13.4%, Dell in fourth with 5.9% and Toshiba in fifth with 3.0%. All other handheld vendors, including Medion, took up the remaining 17.6% of the 2003 market.


-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World

PDA Portal Links Content Formatted for Handhelds with Users
PDAPortal is a directory of PDA-friendly web sites that can be accessed from the browser of any mobile device. It is kind of a mini Yahoo! for the mobile set.

Since its inception during the spring of last year, PDAPortal.us has added close to 300 PDA-friendly sites in 10 languages, bringing its total up to 480 from an original count of around 200.

According to PDAPortal, the PDA-friendly sites can be accessed by category, popularity, alphabetical order, language, or via a keyword search.

In addition, users can search the Web, check stock prices and check the weather for any U.S. ZIP code.

-Ron Pendleton WebMaster, Palm Place and Wireless World