Sony Halting U.S. Handhelds
CYBERSPACE – Sales of handheld devices have hit a slump as sales of high-powered cellular phones surge in the U.S., prompting electronics giant Sony Corp. to announce earlier this week that it has halted production of all Cliés in the country for the remainder of the year. The company will use the time to reevaluate the mobile device market, it said.
"Sony continues to view mobile devices as a key pillar to our core business strategy,” a prepared statement read. “Presently, Sony is reassessing the direction of the conventional PDA market, and will not introduce any new Clié handheld models in the U.S. this fall. Product development and sales continue for the Japanese market only. Sony is taking this time to examine the conventional PDA business and how it will transition into the future."
Sony will continue to support existing warranties and sell in-stock handhelds at least through the end of the year.
PalmSource, developer of the Palm OS that powers the Clié, is likely to be hard-hit by the development. Analysts predict the company’s revenue will drop substantially, as PalmOne PDAs will be the only remaining significant user of the operating system in the Western Hemisphere.
PDA sales plunged nearly 25 percent from the market’s peak in 2001 to last year, according to research firm IDC. And IDC analyst blames the slippage in part on an industry that hasn’t offered a new killer app to a consuming public accustomed to almost daily advances in the cell phone industry. So-called “smartphones” that offer most PDA functions plus cameras and other perks upset sales of other handheld devices for the first time in 2003 by more than two million units. IDC estimates the number of smartphone sales may double this year.
Survey: Cellular “Flash” Beats Data Services
CYBERSPACE – A new report from market research firm Strategy Analytics indicates U.S. consumers are more concerned with flashy mobile perks and accessories than they are with adopting next-gen data services.
SA’s survey of 1,000 cell phone users revealed that 54 percent want cordless headsets, and 50 percent want push-to-talk capabilities. One-third of respondents said they’d like simpler personal information management features.
Only 22 percent of U.S. cell phone users surveyed expressed interest in Bluetooth technology and other wireless data services, which currently compose only three percent of overall revenue for U.S. carriers.
Wireless Security Recommendations
CYBERSPACE – Wireless LANs are fast, easy to install, and becoming less expensive all the time. They’re also inherently insecure in default installations. Here are a few things to keep in mind when setting up a wireless network:
1. Change all system default settings: admin and SNMP passwords, IP network range, Server Set ID, etc.
2. Don’t broadcast the SSID.
3. Enable Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) or another wireless security mode.
4. Enable Shared Key Authentication.
5. Change the default SNMP Community String to one resembling a strong password – and guard it with your life.
6. Enable MAC address codes (which forces the network to recognize only authorized machines)
7. Set wireless LAN cards to infrastructure mode.
8. Install secondary firewalls on each computer in the network, just in case someone gets through the basic one at the router level.
Wireless Bullet Reports Back
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A “smart bullet” developed by researchers at the University of Florida here can transmit useful information about its flight and its target back to the shooter across a distance of about 230 feet.
Fired from an ordinary paint-ball gun – and therefore propelled by compressed gas – the bullet contains a sensor, a wireless transmitter, and a battery. Its tip is coated with an adhesive polymer that sticks to the target, and as long as the bullet doesn’t bury itself in the target, it can be reused.
Lockheed Martin funded the project in hopes of developing a sensor capable of detecting traces of explosives and other harmful materials without putting human lives at risk. The smallest explosives vapor detectors currently available are handheld.
Ordinance experts warn that firing projectiles at potential explosives violates most bomb-disposal guidelines.
Mobile Goodies to be Offered in PA kiosks
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – SmartServ Online Inc., a provider of wireless services and content, and APS Wireless, a mobile phone retailer, have signed an agreement making APS Wireless the first independent cell phone chain in the United States to install SmartServ mobile content kiosks. Beginning in June, kiosks will be placed in APS Wireless stores located in shopping malls throughout eastern Pennsylvania.
SmartServ mobile content kiosks represent a new channel of wireless content distribution and introduce an innovative “digital vending” option for retailers seeking ways to attract customers and build revenue.
APS Wireless stores will be among the first to feature the SmartServ mobile content kiosks, which offer more than 2,000 popular ringtones, images, and games for personalizing mobile phones and handheld devices. Prices will range from $2 for ringtones and images to $6 for games
“The SmartServ kiosk fundamentally changes how mobile content is delivered and marks the dawn of digital vending,” said SmartServ CEO Robert Pons. “The kiosks give customers immediate self-serve access to premium mobile phone content at the point of sale.”
“With SmartServ kiosks in store, we can now tap the expanding marketplace for mobile content and better serve our customers,” said Tod Pongia, President, APS Wireless. “In addition to purchasing phones and plans, our customers can customize their phones with a broad selection of content based on the music, images, and games they love, before they even leave the store.”
SmartServ kiosks feature an easy-to-use 15-inch touch-screen. Users simply touch the kiosk screen, indicate a carrier and handset model, and then pick and purchase from among 2,000 popular graphics, games and ringtones in monophonic, polyphonic and true-tone formats, depending on the phone model and carrier. Content is downloaded instantly to the user’s mobile phone.
SmartServ has announced plans to install SmartServ kiosks in malls, airports, consumer electronics retailers and wireless stores across the U.S.
Party Like a Virgin
WARREN, NJ– On June 10, prepaid cellular carrier Virgin Mobile USA will turn movie theaters in 15 U.S. cities into MTV Movie Awards party zones. The theaters in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus (Ohio), Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City (Mo.), Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington will host competitions and voting in addition to a complete simulcast of the awards proceedings on theater screens. Complimentary food and beverages will be served.
Virgin Mobile customers can pre-register online for free admission on a first-come, first-served basis.
The events are part of Virgin Mobile’s sponsorship of the 2004 MTV Movie Awards.
