Men Hold Wireless Talk Title for Fourth Year
ATLANTA – For the fourth year in a row, men have proven to be the more talkative sex in the wireless world, according to a survey recently released by Cingular Wireless. Men talk 16 percent more on their wireless phones than do women, using the appliances an average of 455 minutes a month, compared to an average of 391 minutes a month for women.
Both sexes are talking more on their wireless phones this year, but the gender gap remains the same. Regardless of who talks more, when talk time is averaged out, both sexes are spending just over seven hours a month on their wireless phones.
While women traditionally have been the big talkers on home phones, men are now catching up. While women talked on home phones 75 percent more than men in 2003, that gap has narrowed to 62 percent, with women talking 547 minutes each month and men talking 337 minutes each month in 2004.
There is little difference between men and women using gaming and camera features. Approximately 12 percent of both men and women use the gaming feature frequently or occasionally on their wireless phones. While the majority of both men and women do not yet have the camera feature on their wireless phones, about half of both men and women who do have camera-ready phones use them to snap photos.
"After four years of tracking this trend, men are clearly the top talkers," said Marc Lefar, chief marketing officer for Cingular Wireless. "And this has remained the case as we've seen the number of wireless customers increase as well as their usage."
Other differences between the sexes:
Convenience remains the top reason for wireless phone usage, with 62 percent of wireless users indicating they use their wireless phones primarily for convenience purposes. Safety is next in line, at 21 percent.
Women use their wireless phones to talk to friends and family more than men do, as 81 percent of conversations by females are for friendly chat versus 68 percent for men.
Men use their wireless phones more for business. Men say 30 percent of their conversations are for business, compared to 16 percent for women.
The national survey of 1,035 qualified wireless user respondents (499 male and 536 female) was conducted for Cingular Wireless by International Communications Research in May 2004. Last year's study was conducted in June using the same methodology and sampling demographics.
Nokia, Orange Looking for a Few Good Coders
SAN FRANCISCO – Cellular phone manufacturer Nokia and mobile operator Orange have thrown down a challenge to Java and Symbian OS & Series 60 developers worldwide to cook up cool mobile applications, mainly for WCDMA 3G but also for GPRS enabled terminals. At the JavaOne developers conference in San Francisco June 28 through July 1, the two mobile communications stalwarts launched the Orange-Nokia Developer Challenge, a two-phase competition for mobile application coders.
The Challenge gives coders the chance to develop rich and innovative applications at Orange Code Camp, which takes place Sept. 13-16 at the Futuroscope science park near Poitiers, France. As many as 250 developers are expected to descend on Orange Code Camp for real development and coding work with key experts from Orange and its major partners, including Nokia, the lead sponsor of the event. Qualified, innovative coders with a track record in commercial applications and knowledge of application development will be able to participate, and the lucky selected finalists will have an option for commercial agreement with Orange to support and market their application.
The Java Challenge – the first of the competitions – started at JavaOne. Developers are asked to submit their best and most innovative application ideas by the end of July. The best proposals for Java applications will be selected in mid-August. The chosen developers will get prioritized support and developer tools, both before and during Orange Code Camp, in order for their applications to be Java Verified by the end of October.
The Symbian Challenge will commence at Orange Code Camp, where participants can discuss their ideas for Symbian OS & Series 60 applications face-to-face with leading Series 60 experts. This challenge will target especially the WCDMA 3G space. The developers with the most creative application ideas can take advantage of a competence transfer program and access to Series 60 software development kit and tools by the end of October. As a result of the second challenge, the best applications will be finalized for Symbian Signed verification by February 2005.
"We at Orange are proud of the innovative application offering we have for our customers," said Richard Hanscott, vice president of Orange Group Business Developments and Partnerships. "Our firm target is to increase our application portfolio and offer services that are the most enticing in the market. Mobile devices based on Series 60, the open smart phone software by Nokia, provide an excellent platform for developers to create and deploy exciting new applications."
Nokia, as a platinum sponsor of Orange Code Camp, is a key partner in providing developer support throughout the event as part of the joint developer challenges. Nokia will provide terminals, access to its Series 60 and Series 40 SDKs and tools, as well as technical support from Forum Nokia. Nokia also will help during the auditing and certification process, in addition to supporting the development of applications.
Beat the Holiday Traffic With Your Cell Phone
BEDMINSTER, N.J. – Verizon Wireless announced on June 30 that its customers planning to hit the road over July 4th weekend can sign up to receive free TXT alerts about traffic conditions on their TXT messaging-capable phones. The alerts will be provided by Autodesk Location Services, a division of Autodesk, Inc.
Travelers using the new Verizon Wireless TXT Traffic Alert Service can choose their preferred routes and designate which times of day they would like to receive traffic update alerts. With Verizon Wireless TXT Traffic Alert Service, customers can save time, gas costs, and frustration over the holiday weekend by staying informed about changing traffic patterns, slowdowns, tie-ups, and road construction.
To register, Verizon Wireless customers simply login to Verizon Wireless' TXT Messaging companion Website and select which traffic alerts they wish to receive. The service is offered at no cost from July 2-6. Beginning July 7, Verizon Wireless customers can pay as they go for TXT Traffic Alerts at two cents for each message received, or select from several bundled plans, including $2.99 per month for 100 messages, $4.99 per month for 250 messages and $9.99 per month for 1,000 messages sent or received.
"Traffic alerts are a much-anticipated addition to our popular lineup of TXT Alerts, which include weather, sports scores, news, and stock information," said Jim Straight, vice president of wireless Internet and multimedia services for Verizon Wireless. "Our own research, as well as industry analyst reports – such as IDC's analysis published this March – has repeatedly found traffic information to be among the most highly desired by wireless subscribers."
"This is the first in a series of value-added services Autodesk Location Services is powering for Verizon Wireless," said Joe Astroth, executive vice president of Autodesk Location Services. "The new Verizon Wireless TXT Traffic Alert Service will help Verizon Wireless customers make alternative plans by letting them know about difficult traffic conditions in advance, giving them more time for fun over the long weekend."
New PDA is World's Smallest Aid for the Blind
CONCORD, Calif. – Pulse Data International this week introduced the world's smallest handheld Braille device for the blind. The BrailleNote PK weighs less than a pound and has dimensions of 6.8 inches by 3.6 inches by 1.3 inches. It is the first Braille personal digital assistant (PDA) in the marketplace that can fit into a pocket.
"The BrailleNote PK provides blind business professionals with the same kind of personal digital assistance functionalities that sighted business professionals have available to them," said Peter Standish, chief executive officer for Pulse Data HumanWare, Pulse Data International's North American subsidiary. "With BrailleNote PK, the blind business professional is able to connect when they are on the go. This includes connecting to a WiFi hotspot at a cafe or airport and surfing the Net at high speed to catch up on e-mail. With Bluetooth wireless technology built in, a user can also exchange information with their personal computer or connect to another larger BrailleNote device."
Adding Bluetooth technology to Pulse Data International's BrailleNote product line provides new options for the blind user. For example, the BrailleNote PK can connect with any other Bluetooth-enabled device without extra software or programming. This includes a wide range of wireless devices such as mobile phones, personal computers, headsets, and keyboards.
"This opens up many more choices for the mobile blind business professional," Standish said. "Not only does the BrailleNote PK offer all of the critical personal productivity tools expected in a traditional personal digital assistant, it has an intuitive and efficient environment specifically designed for a blind user."
Pulse Data International expects to ship the BrailleNote PK early in the fourth quarter of 2004.
Nokia, Sun Collaborate to Drive Mobile Gaming
SAN FRANCISCO – At the JavaOne Developer Conference this week, Nokia and Sun Microsystems Inc. extended their cooperation to simplify the development and delivery of mobile multiplayer Java technology-based games for developers, service providers, and operators. Under the extended collaboration, the Nokia SNAP Mobile solution will be integrated with Sun's award-winning Java 2 Platform Micro Edition Wireless Toolkit, Sun Java System Content Delivery Server, and Sun Java Enterprise System running on the Solaris Operating System to deliver a carrier-grade solution.
The end-to-end, integrated offering will provide mobile operators and game distributors with a scalable platform for downloading Java games and multiplayer Java game connectivity. The companies posit this will foster community development amongst game players and ultimately expand the market for multiplayer games on mobile Java devices.
As the first game developer to adopt the SNAP Mobile solution, Sega Mobile launched and demonstrated the world's first SNAP Mobile based Java games at JavaOne this week.
"We are excited that SNAP Mobile will be an integral part of the world's leading development toolkit for Java terminals," said Ilkka Raiskinen, senior vice president for Nokia's Games Business Unit. "We want to help build a holistic Java multiplayer community solution for operators and service providers. Working with Sun to create a healthy game development ecosystem makes great sense for us. We are delighted to see Sega Mobile's rich Java multiplayer games that support the usability and utility of SNAP Mobile."
"The integration of SNAP Mobile technology into the Sun Java Wireless Toolkit will result in a robust and reliable mobile multiplayer gaming solution that will streamline the development and deployment of Java-based multiplayer games," said Chris Melissinos, chief gaming officer at Sun. "Until now, the growth of this exciting sector has been slowed by technical barriers and network connectivity. With the announced cooperation, we are addressing these issues by removing technological uncertainty while allowing operators, service providers, and game developers to concentrate on their core competencies rather than the underlying technologies."
Among the games demonstrated at the conference were Sega Mobile's Reversi and Blackjack, the first casual Java multiplayer, community-enabled games based on the SNAP Mobile solution.
"Mobile multiplayer games represent an interesting and profitable business opportunity for SEGA," said Yuki Kobayashi, director of SEGA Mobile, Sega of America. "The commitment made by Sun to integrate mobile multiplayer features by supporting SNAP Mobile technology underscores the superiority of the Nokia SNAP Mobile solution. Nokia and Sun are solid players in an otherwise fragmented, immature market; we are pleased to have participated in this effort from the outset."
The terminal libraries to enable the SNAP Mobile community and multiplayer features for Java devices are expected to be integrated in the J2ME Wireless Toolkit in early 2005.
Game developers, operators, and service providers interested in SNAP Mobile can visit the technology's Website or contact [email protected].
The Laptop of Luxury
MIAMI –Beginning this summer, the ultra-luxury, all-suite cruise ships Seabourn Pride, Spirit, and Legend will be upgraded to create one continuously accessible Wi-Fi "hot zone" throughout each ship, allowing guests to connect to the internet on their Wi-Fi-equipped laptops and PDAs without plugging in. Cruising guests with suitable devices can send and receive web-based email, surf the net, check on their investments or Google the answers to trivia quizzes while they relax in their suites or in most public areas of Seabourn's three intimate, yacht-like ships.
According to Richard D. Meadows, Seabourn's senior vice president of sales and marketing, "More and more of our guests use Wi-Fi devices not just to conduct business, but also to communicate with their friends and families. So even while they are vacationing with us, their Blackberries and laptops are a part of their lifestyle that they'd rather not leave behind."
Wi-Fi is shorthand for wireless fidelity. It's a system that utilizes radio signals from a transmitter/receiver located in a laptop computer or personal digital assistant to connect to networks and the Internet. For Wi-Fi users, the challenge is locating an active access point within range of a network, colloquially called a "hot spot." Seabourn has conquered that challenge for guests on board by installing an active access network manufactured by Wi-Fi Zone. The network blankets most of the ship, with few "dead zones" or areas where the system is not accessible.
For those without Wi-Fi wanderlust, the Internet Center on board each yacht has been refreshed with new PCs, software, printers, and other accessories.
Internet connection, which previously cost 95 cents a minute, will now be 50 cents per minute. Discounts for purchasing bulk packages of online time can further reduce the internet cost to as little as 25 cents per minute.
