DOT Bans Texting by Truckers, Bus Drivers

By: Roy Mark

The U.S. Department of Transportation banned texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses Jan. 26, effective immediately. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data shows that drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road.

"Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab," FMSCA Administrator Anne Ferro said in a statement. "We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit."

According to the FMCSA, drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers. Because of the safety risks associated with the use of electronic devices while driving, the FMCSA is also working on additional regulatory measures that will be announced in the coming months.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the months ahead DOT will propose additional legal remedies and develop tools that will allow federal authorities to coordinate with the law enforcement community, safety advocates, researchers and others to find new ways to raise awareness and bring an end to the dangers posed by distracted driving.

"This guidance is effective immediately. It applies to interstate truck drivers. It also applies generally to commercial bus or van drivers who carry more than eight passengers," LaHood said. "To put this dangerous behavior in perspective, researchers at Virginia Tech found that truck drivers who send text messages on a cell phone are about 23 times more likely to get into some type of crash or near-miss than drivers who keep their eyes on the road."

Google' s Brave New Approach to China

by Dan Costa

Lines have been drawn, lines have been crossed, and now there is no way Google can ethically continue to operate Google.cn under the "laws" set down by the Chinese government. For that matter, Microsoft and Yahoo had better start doing some soul-searching of their own, or prepare to yield much more than just the moral high-ground.

For Google.cn to succeed, either Google needed to accept the Chinese government's control of its core business, or that government had to allow Google to deliver the world's knowledge to its citizens. Google played along for a while, but recent events show that even the tempting lure of a billion new consumers isn't worth playing the role of the Chinese government's toady.

This isn't something that I take joy in. I was hopeful that as international technology companies began to operate inside China, there would be an exchange of ideas and a growing tolerance on the part of the government. Instead, an army of government censors—by some estimates 30,000 of them—continue to redact the Web with the forced cooperation of Microsoft, Yahoo, and until this week, Google.

It is important to look at what exactly prompted Google's public withdrawal. It wasn't just the standard censorship that all companies must accept to operate in country. Google was used to that. No, it was the discovery of a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack on [its] corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property." Since Google's announcement, representatives from Adobe said their company was attacked in a similar fashion, most likely through a zero-day attack that exploited an Internet Explorer vulnerability.

No one will say this was a government-sponsored or condoned attack, but the hackers were after more than just intellectual property. They wanted to spy on Chinese dissidents. David Drummond, Google's SVP, corporate development and chief legal officer, wrote in a post, "We have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists."

After a little more digging, Google found that dozens of human rights advocates across the world have had their accounts accessed by third parties. Now, who would want to spy on human rights activists that frequently criticize the Chinese government?

The Chinese government's priority here is to control its population at any cost. As Wang Chen, China's director of the State Council Information Office, said in a question-and-answer session with reporters, after Google's announcement, "Effective guidance of public opinion on the Internet is an important way of protecting the security of online information."

If Apple Ends AT&T's iPhone Exclusivity, Everyone Wins

by Brian Heater

Amid the flurry of speculation surrounding the rumored Apple tablet, it's hard to imagine the company spending much time on anything else during this coming Wednesday's press conference in San Francisco. But customarily, Apple CEO Steve Jobs makes a slew of announcements at such events.

While nothing that the company reveals tomorrow is likely to come close to the impact of the new gadget, whatever it is, that's set to take center stage, one possible piece of news could produce some industry shockwaves of its own: Rumors are starting to fly that Jobs will also use the event as occasion to announce the end of AT&T's two-and-a-half year stranglehold on the iPhone. These conjectures, it seems, are at least tangentially related to speculation that Apple has partnered with Verizon to provide data for the new tablet. Should that in fact materialize, it seems only logical that the company would extend the partnership to its most prized property.

After all, the weakest link in the iPhone chain has long been AT&T. The company's infrastructure is just not set up to handle the sort of data that iPhone owners require. For all of the phone's successes, it has largely crippled the carrier in major cities. In New York City, the dropped-call rate is reportedly somewhere in the neighborhood of 33 percent.

Opening up the phone to the nation's other largest carrier would ultimately benefit everyone involved. Verizon gets the most popular phone around, and Apple sells units to consumers who have always wanted an iPhone but had been scared off by the AT&T horror stories. And AT&T itself relieves a bit of the congestion that comes with being the only carrier in the country to offer the iPhone—and hopefully gains back some of the good faith lost by irritated subscribers.

Verizon, for its part, seems ready to support the iPhone. According to a number of reports that cropped up around the time of the first's iPhone's release, the carrier turned down the opportunity to offer the handset. Verizon has experienced something of a smartphone renaissance as of late, however: The once infamously crippled carrier now offers two Droids and two webOS devices. The iPhone would round out Verizon's selection nicely, really cementing the company's position as a premier smartphone provider.

Apple set a precedent for this possibility when it opened up the handset in the U.K., breaking O2's exclusivity on the device in that country. First Orange and then Vodafone were confirmed as carriers in September of last year. An exec at Orange, interestingly, reportedly "confirmed" the existence of an Apple tablet during an interview with the French press earlier this month—a charge that Orange was quick to rebuke. Perhaps Apple has been offering the iPhone as part of a package deal, in its attempts to recruit carriers for its latest device.

Whatever actually happens on Wednesday, one thing seems for sure: AT&T's lock on the iPhone can't last forever. The carrier has already had the sole rights to the device in the States for more than two years. The sooner the iPhone is allowed to spread its wings, the better.

FCC Asks Carriers for Details on ETFs

By Mark Hachman

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday sent letters to the four major carriers, plus Google, asking for more details on early termination fees (ETFs).

The letters, authored by Federal Communications Commission Consumer Bureau Chief Joel Gurin and Wireless Bureau Chief Ruth Milkman, were sent to AT&T, Google, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. In it were a list of a dozen questions asking for more details on the ETFs, how they were communicated to consumers, and how the fees themselves were calculated.

"We recognize that wireless carriers may have various rationales for ETFs," the letters read. "At the same time, these fees are substantial (and in some cases are increasing) and have an important impact on consumers' ability to switch carriers. We therefore believe it is essential that consumers fully understand what they are signing up for—both in the short term and over the life of the contract—when they accept a service plan with an early termination fee."

Although ETFs are a facet of almost all cell-phone contracts, the rise of subsidized smartphones and the subsequent fees for canceling service have brought them under the FCC's scrutiny. Verizon, for example, recently raised its advanced-smartphone ETF fee to $350, defending its action as one that would benefit customers. It later dropped older phones from the plan.

Google, meanwhile, tacked on an "equipment recovery fee" of $550 for its Nexus One that it will market, along with T-Mobile. The $550 is more than the unlocked version of the phone.

"The purpose of this letter is to gather information about whether customers are adequately informed about Google's Equipment Recovery Fee in connection with its offering of the Nexus One to customers who agree to a two-year contract with T-Mobile," the FCC said in its letter to Google. "Because consumers are required to pay this Fee if they terminate their contracts early (within 120 days of purchase in this case), we regard the Fee as an Early Termination Fee ("ETF").

The FCC asked for responses to be sent no later than Feb. 23.

The questions the FCC asked are:

1. Do your ETFs apply to all service plans or only some? If so, which ones?
2. What is the amount of the ETF for each service plan where ETFs apply? If there are different ETFs for different plans, what is the rationale for those differences?
3. How much of a discount on handset purchase is given in return for a consumer accepting an ETF? Does the amount of the discount differ by device, and if so, how?
4. Does the ETF itself vary by device (e.g., higher ETFs for advanced devices)? If higher ETFs apply to a certain class of devices, exactly how is that class defined?
5. Is it possible for consumers to buy a handset from you at full price to avoid an ETF? If this is possible, can consumers buy unsubsidized handsets online, as well as at brick-and-mortar stores?
6. Do monthly service rates and terms differ: (1) between customers who assume a term commitment and accept an ETF, and those who don't, and (2) between customers who purchase an unsubsidized device (either from your company or a third party), and those who purchase a subsidized device? If so, how do they differ, and what is the rationale for the difference? Can customers easily determine the impacts of their decisions and their rates and terms?
7. Are ETFs prorated so that the customer's liability decreases over time? If so, what is the exact schedule by which they are prorated?
8. If a customer renews his or her contract without buying a new handset, does his or her monthly service fee change in any way?
9. How long is the trial period during which consumers can cancel their service without an ETF penalty? If they cancel, can they return the handset? If they return it, will they receive a full refund, no refund, or a refund minus a restocking and/or refurbishing fee?
10. When do consumers receive their first bill under your service plans? How does the trial period relate, if at all, to receipt of the first bill?
11. Are there consumer fees or charges in addition to ETFs if consumers buy handsets and/or service plans from online phone dealers, such as Amazon, LetsTalk, and Simplexity (d/b/a Wirefly), or from a service provider, if a customer does not complete the contract term? If so, what are they, and what are their levels, terms, and conditions? Do the fees or charges affect the ETFs and if so, how?
12. Press reports and public statements from wireless companies have attributed ETFs to several different factors. What is the rationale for your ETF(s), and how specifically do the structure and level of those ETF(s) relate to that rationale?

Kill Your Phone Remotely

Many of today's most popular smartphones can be erased remotely if they are lost or stolen. Here's how to do it.

by Jamie Lendino

A handset may be valuable, but it's easily replaced. The data on it, however, is often much more important. Cell phones carry all kinds of personal and business information these days, and preventing it from getting into the wrong hands is key.

While a stray personal address book won't matter much to an unsavory type who finds a lost iPhone—they'd much rather just sell the phone—cached online banking passwords, corporate documents and VPN access are better off kept secure. That's why many of today's smartphones support a mobile kill switch, also called "remote wipe" capability. Remote wipe lets a device owner or IT support engineer remotely erase the handheld's data in case it's lost or stolen.

All of the major smartphone platforms have some kind of remote erase capability. There are several ways of doing it, such as installing apps on the handset, using a management console on the IT side, or signing up for a cloud-based service. Here's a rundown of what's out there for each platform. No matter which smartphone OS you or your employees use, you're bound to find something that can help put your mind at rest.

Though it varies by kill switch and platform, remote wipes aren't fail safe. If someone finds the phone before the remote wipe occurs—which could happen if the battery dies, or there's no signal to receive the command—a thief or corporate spy could disable the network connections and then hack into the device (the procedures would depend on the particular phone). Your best insurance is to flip the kill switch quickly, the same way you would call your credit card company the moment you noticed the card was missing.

Note: By "kill switch" we mean remote wipe capability; this is not to be confused with the "kill switch" found in iPhone OS and Android 1.5 that lets Apple and Google delete mobile apps they no longer approve of on existing handsets.

Apple iPhone
Apple's $99-per-year MobileMe service offers Mac users the ability to push e-mail, contacts, and calendar entries to the iPhone (among other things). But one key feature, first announced in March and later introduced with iPhone OS 3.0, lets MobileMe users perform a remote wipe on a lost or stolen iPhone. It's found under Account -> Find My iPhone -> Remote Wipe. It can also display a message on the phone's screen, like "please call Jamie at 718-555-1212 if found."

Palm Pre
All Palm Pre owners set up a Palm Profile when first activating their new devices. The Palm Profile lets users back up settings, receive over-the-air updates, or—ta da—remotely erase a lost or stolen handset. To begin, head to palm.com/palmprofile, enter your profile e-mail address and password, and click Erase Device (for more information on this, read Palm's detailed instructions). In addition, Palm's Exchange ActiveSync implementation in webOS 1.1 now supports Remote Wipe, which lets IT administrations do the same thing for centrally managed Pres.

BlackBerry OS
Any BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) handset can be erased remotely via the Erase Data and Disable Handheld IT administration command over the wireless network. IT admins can also specify if the handset should revert to factory default settings or retain the IT policy it had before. Individual users with BIS can install Roblock for BlackBerry 2.0, a $9.95 app that remote locks or wipes devices, offers GPS tracking, and recovers lost contacts.

Android OS
SMobile Anti-Theft for Android is a $19.95 app that features GPS locate and remote wipe functions for the T-Mobile G1, T-Mobile myTouch 3G, or any other Android-powered smartphone. The app can erase both the handset and any SD card data. The $29.95 Security Shield for Android also protects against viruses and other malware, but that's not much of a concern in the U.S. (at least at the time of this writing).

Windows Mobile
Microsoft's new My Phone Windows Mobile service, currently in beta, lets users locate lost handhelds via GPS and erase their data remotely. It also backs up contacts, photos, text messages, and calendar entries to Microsoft's storage cloud. My Phone (Beta) works with any Windows Mobile 6.0 handheld.

Microsoft Exchange Server can handle the same task for enterprise devices, along with Absolute Software's Computrace Mobile, which can manage enterprise devices running Windows Mobile or BlackBerry and issue remote wipe commands.

source: www.pcmag.com

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MobilityPass announces New Internet Locator

MobilityPass has launched the internet access locater that can help you connect to a Wi-Fi connection, anytime, anywhere. This is the age of internet. No matter if you are a big industrialist or a high school student, imagining a life without internet is very hard to imagine. When computer was first introduced in offices, it created a big change in the way people communicated. But at that time, the internet speed was abysmal and it used to take several minutes to just connect to the internet via dial up connections which used to hang up our telephone lines and had a mind of their own about staying connected.

Needless to say, a change was in the offing. People needed a more reliable and faster internet and thus, broadband and Wi-Fi connections were introduced. The availability of cheaper and faster internet brought it out of the office and helped it become a part of our daily life; both personal and professionals.

Today, we can access internet where and whenever we want. The Wi-Fi connectors have ended the need to connect the computer with the any device as we can now surf wirelessly. Needless to say, the technologically conscious people are looking for faster and newer devices to get connected.

MobilityPass have introduced this new product in the market to tap in the ever growing demand for Wi-Fi finders. The representative of the company claims that the device can find internet connection in more than 9,000,000 locations around the world. The device not only searches Wi-Fi hotspots but can also lookout for Dial up connections, ISDN, Toll Free and wireless broadband connections quickly.

And that's not all. You can also search according to the country and city you are in. A list of nearest access points will pop up on your screen along with a details and map of the location. Thus, no matter whether you are in your own country or in some foreign land, you wont have any difficulty in finding your nearest internet hot spot.

The company has made sure that only safe and verified connections are provided on the list of access points. This is extremely important for the safety of the users. After all, you don't want to become a victim of identity theft in a foreign land due to a viral internet connection.

This locator is perfect for business and frequent travelers as it can also locate Dial up or free connections. Since not every country has 3G or Wi-Fi networks, this option can prove to be very helpful.

MobilityPass provides instant access to all those access point with only one worldwide account and login. This means that you don't have to go on and run from pillar to post to get internet connection on your computer started.

MobilityPass has come up with a very useful device. Travelers or people who love to use internet outdoors can really use this device.

For more info: Wifi Finder

Advantages for Businesses

There are many advantages to using SIM cards, and when you are working overseas, you are going to quickly find that communication is your biggest concern, and your biggest worry. When you are working overseas, on any business, you want to be sure that you have your mobile and cellular communication up and running, and that it is easy to make sure that you can communicate. Therefore, what you want to be sure you are doing is finding a SIM network that is going to help you with your global, international, and corporate life.

With the Mobilitypass SIM system, you will be able to have a pay as you go, easy to use network that is going to give you a chance to get all of your mobile communication done easily and quickly. With the right SIM system, you aren't going to have to worry about making sure that you have a monthly bill that is going to work, or making sure that you have the right funds to make it happen. When you are looking at the SIM cards, you'll find that they are much easier to use, and that you are going to be much happier using them as well.

The Mobilitypass has been around since 1999, and is serving more than 160 countries, currently. When you have opened yourself to the possibility of using the MobilityPass to make sure that you have global internet and cell phone access, you join hundreds of thousands of people who use the SIM card system to make sure that they are happy with the cellular advantages that they have found. For you, this can be only the beginning.

When you use the SIM card, you are going to have free incoming roaming calls in more than 75 countries, and you will be able to have low rates on outgoing calls to more than 223 countries. This means that you are going to be able save more than 50-80% on your cell phone bill while you are abroad, an amazing savings that you'll be proud of for many years to come.

There are so many other advantages to having and using a SIM Mobilitypass as well. You are going to be able to take advantage of a chance to really get calls and make calls at low rates, and no matter where you are or what you are doing, you'll be able to find ways to make calls and get them back, very cheaply. You are also going to be able to take advantage of the fact that it is a pay as you go system, which means that you can pay as you go, and that you don't have to commit to anything long term. There are no monthly fees, no set up fees, and nothing else that will distract you from getting the lowest and best rate possible for yourself when it comes to the phone calls that you are making. The SIM MobilityPass is one of the best choices you can make.

New technology speeds donations for Haiti relief efforts

By Susan Kinzie

New and easier ways to contribute have helped propel donations for Haiti earthquake relief efforts despite a weak economy, according to officials at a number of aid organizations, some of whom marveled at the volume of donations tweeted and texted from cellphones.

On Thursday, the American Red Cross had received more than $35 million since Tuesday night's earthquake, a record for the organization in a 48-hour period, an official said. That included more than $5 million through text messages, an amount that eclipsed the previous total for a campaign using that technology.

"I think it's an incredible story," said Rachel Wolff of World Vision, which had raised several million dollars. "It's unprecedented giving in a recession."

Other aid agencies said that they were not expecting to match the outpouring of contributions that followed large-scale disasters such as the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but that they were pleased with the volume so far. Some said that the number of gifts was higher but that the amounts were smaller, perhaps because of the economy or because charities have made it easy to give small donations of $5 or $10.

Although it's too early to do more than estimate the dollar amounts, aid officials agreed that for a variety of reasons -- including the extent of the devastation, the depth of poverty in Haiti before the earthquake, the proximity of the country to the United States and the large number of Haitians with family members who live here -- Americans have responded with swift generosity.

"You would not have any idea that we're in this economy," said Stephanie Kurzina, a vice president at Oxfam America.

The totals do not include the $100 million committed by the World Bank and another $100 million pledged by the United States.

In the first five days after Katrina and the tsunami, more than $200 million was donated to victims of each disaster, said Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Within a year, a total of nearly $2 billion was donated to tsunami victims, and $6.5 billion was given for Gulf Coast hurricane victims.

Gifts have come in a variety of forms -- huge checks, micro-donations, new ideas and old shoes. A 12-year-old Alexandria girl pooled the $19 that she, her younger brother and a neighbor had saved from raking leaves and donated it to earthquake relief. Ted Turner gave $1 million through his foundation. The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation is giving $500,000 to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

In the past two days, 11,0000 people have joined Oxfam America, an organization that fights poverty and famine worldwide.

New technology has made giving easier than ever. Hundreds of thousands of people have donated by text-messaging. By texting a code word such as "Haiti" to a designated number, people can donate $5 or $10 that will be added to their phone bills.

A big chunk of GlobalGiving's donations came though Twitter. Oxfam America officials were surprised by the volume of money it received through Facebook.

Celebrities including Ashton Kutcher, Lenny Kravitz, Oprah Winfrey and Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin, urged people to give, with messages that spread through social networking sites.

The viral pace of donations via text showed no signs of slowing Thursday, said Jim Manis, chief executive of Mobile Giving Foundation, which announced that more than $4.5 million had been raised by that means alone as of Thursday evening.

Haitian American musician Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation, for example, was receiving 10,000 texts an hour. Large organizations such as the William J. Clinton Foundation were launching text campaigns late in the day.

The more traditional ways of helping continued, too. People wrote checks, boxed up rations in basements and passed collection baskets at churches. American Eagle flew the first of several 30,000-pound shipments of supplies including water, food, soap and diapers, and its parent company, AMR Corp., encouraged customers to give to the American Red Cross by offering frequent-flier miles. A hip-hop event at a P Street lounge turned into a Haiti benefit.

The FBI and some watchdog groups warned donors to be careful of potential scams. Web sites popped up overnight, and false text-messaging codes proliferated. Web sites such as Charity Navigator offered lists of organizations with low overhead costs and a proven commitment to Haiti.

Officials at several relief agencies expressed concern that, despite the short-term blitz of texts and tweets, once the immediate crisis has passed, the state of the U.S. economy will prevent donors from continuing to give.

"Haiti, even in the best of times, is in really dire shape. The needs, both short-term and long-term, are huge," said Jeremy Barnicle of Mercy Corps. "Will there be the will, long term, to rebuild?"

Torn Between 2 Phones: Nexus One vs. iPhone

By NICK BILTON

To switch or not to switch, that is the question. Google’s announcement of its Nexus One smartphone happened over a week ago and I’m still receiving lots of Tweets and e-mail from readers asking the same question: Should they give up their iPhone for the Nexus One?

Some people with iPhones, frustrated by AT&T’s inadequate service and the high monthly cost, are wondering if an alternative has finally arrived. Does the Nexus One offer the feature list that Apple has led them to expect?

I’m on the fence myself, even though I never thought I’d be interested in anything but the iPhone. From my experience using the Nexus One, and from talking to people who have made the shift, it’s not necessarily about the differences between the iPhone and the Nexus One. The phones are extremely similar in design and general feel. Instead, the decision can be made based on the software services you use on your desktop or in the browser.

Chad Dickerson, chief technology officer of Etsy, received a pre-launch Nexus One from Google three weeks ago. He says Google’s phone feels connected to certain services on the Web in a way the iPhone doesn’t. “Compared to the iPhone, the Google phone feels like it’s part of the Internet to me,” he said. “If you live in a Google world, you have that world in your pocket in a way that’s cleaner and more connected than the iPhone.”

The same thing applies to the iPhone. If you’re a MobileMe, iPhoto, iTunes or Safari user, the iPhone connects effortlessly to your pictures, contacts, bookmarks and music. But if you use other services, you sometimes need to find software workarounds to get access to your content.

In comparison, with the Nexus One, if you use GMail, Google Calendar or Picasa, Google’s online photo storage software, the phone connects effortlessly to these services and automatically syncs with a single log-in on the phone.

The phones work perfectly with their respective software, but both of them don’t make an effort to play nice with other services.

Tim O’Reilly, founder and chief executive of O’Reilly Media, also took the leap to the Nexus One and discussed his thinking in a recent blog post on O’Reilly Radar. Mr. O’Reilly wrote: “Gmail is so good on the phone that I can, for the first time, imagine being totally without my laptop.” But he also added that trying to get music onto the phone had been extremely frustrating.

Mr. O’Reilly said in an interview that there was a clear divide between these two phones that felt like a war taking place between Apple and Google. He said it reminded him of the early battles with Microsoft and desktop operating systems. “If you’re a primary user of these platforms you get a great experience,” he said. “If you’re a heavy Google user on the Nexus One it’s great, but if not you’re on another device, you become a second-class citizen.”

Ultimately, Mr. O’Reilly said he made the switch because he found the wireless service to be less expensive. And he liked that Google’s Android platform was more open to developers than Apple’s iPhone ecosystem.

Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, also has a crush on the Nexus One, as he explained on an NBC show this week. Mr. Wozniak said the Nexus One was his “latest” favorite gadget. (It should be noted that Mr. Wozniak later pointed out that he still has “two iPhones.”)

So those who are still wondering about the Nexus One should think about the software services they rely on, and explore how easily they integrate with their current phone. Then decide from there. Of course, there’s also the customer service factor to consider.

Top 5 Smartphone development of 2009

As smartphones further paved their place in the enterprises, Apple, RIM Blackberry, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola and Google Android are eying for the spotlight. In the last quarter, Gartner said that Smartphone sales had surpassed 41 million units, a 12.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Today, Smartphones have become a compulsory gadget for corporate users. They are not only revolutionizing the mobile handset market, but also changing the way we use PCs. The reason behind the success of the Smartphones is increased interest in social networking with Facebook and Twitter, which demand high speed internet and connectivity features.

In 2009, all the major mobile vendors update its range to increase their revenue and market share. Here, the feature discusses the biggest stories in the Smartphone industry.

1. Google Android platform and Google Phone

Google Android is an open source mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel launched back in 2007. The platform targets mobile devices in large, but now it seems that various PC vendors are working on Android based netbooks and tablets. Recently, it is reported that the Android OS claimed 27% share in the market, whereas iPhone OS reported 55% share in the Smartphone market in US for November month.

Various Smartphones based on the platform is already available in the market like HTC G1, HTC Droid Eris, Motorola Droid, Samsung Galaxy, GW620 Eve, etc. Meanwhile, Google has been working on Android based Smartphone, called “Nexus One”, which will be available in January and will pose challenge Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s Blackberry.

2. Apple updates its iPhone

In June, Apple launched the iPhone 3GS, with a boosted processor, better camera, more storage space, and a digital compass. The new Smartphone is more evolutionary up gradation than the revolutionary improvement to the hardware. The new iPhone 3GS has a number of new features which will certainly impress the corporate world like hardware encryption and support for ActiveSync policies. The new device fixed various anomalies of its predecessors and incorporated features like copy and paste, universal search, voice memos, and remote wiping.

3. Microsoft Windows mobile 6.5 OS

Microsoft launched a minor upgrade of its Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system in October for next generation of Smartphones, called Windows Mobile 6.5. The new software features a new UI and a richer browsing experience having new services like My Phone, which allows to synchronization of text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web; and Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Meanwhile, the company has been working on its new platform called Windows Mobile 7, codenamed “Photon”, which is a major upgrade planned for release in June 2010.

4. PC vendors join the Smartphone race

After the recent success of Smartphones and the take part in the pie, major PC vendors like Dell, Acer, HP, etc join the race with their handsets. In November, HP had announced its new iPAQ Glisten, a feature-rich 3G world Smartphone that meets the increasing demands of modern mobile professionals. In the same month, Dell Computers launched its Android-based Dell Mini 3 smartphone. Acer had introduced neoTouch, which is a new addition to its growing line of Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets, based on 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU.

5. Mobile App Market

According to latest research, mobile applications market will reach $9 billion by 2011. Apple has dominated the space with over 2 billion download and therefore other vendors are also entering in the field. However, the new apps will pose increased difficulty for developers.

source: http://journalismenterprise.com

INTERNET 'POUBAND INFLUENCE' BEHIND NEW ITINERANTS

The annual mobile attention confab in Barcelona – a Mobile World Congress – portrayed a extraordinary design of a mobile attention in paradox.

While a world's manage to buy stumbles as well as investors direct mobile operators cut behind investment in brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new networks as well as subsequent era network technologies, a large expansion of a mobile internet is gripping a grin upon everyone's face.

So whilst a customarily extreme selling budgets lavished upon this Barcelona eventuality were noticeably curtailed as well as there was no longer a need to quarrel one's approach by a throng to get to a doughnut stand, a attention came by with an sparkling call of defining announcements, as well as of march cold brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new devices.

The significance of a internet as a pushing force for inclination as well as services in mobile was tough to miss.

Microsoft as well as Nokia both voiced focus stores which will be accessible upon handsets after this year, permitting people to buy content, games as well as applications.

The moves replicate Apple's hugely successful App Store upon a iPhone.

In a space of a small over a year-and-a-half Apple has shown a significance as well as event of a internet upon handheld devices, as well as right away a attention is scrambling to daub in to this brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new manage to buy where focus developers around a universe can sell their calm as well as things to people by their phones.

Nokia's app store, called Ovi Store, will suggest a little musty amicable networking facilities for pity applications as well as content, as well as promises to benefaction services applicable to place as well as what people have been essentially we do with their device during a time.

Waiting for a train? Something contextually applicable competence cocktail up to entertain you.

So right away Google, Microsoft, Apple, Nokia as well as Sony Ericsson all have transparent services platforms rolling out.

RIM, a makers of BlackBerry, have been expected to follow a direction soon.

2009 is a year handsets incited in to focus stores, as well as a conflict front of a attention incited from who has a most appropriate hardware to who has a most appropriate software.

The stroke Apple as well as Google have been carrying upon a attention could be felt, with a iPhone still a market-leading device as well as Google's skeleton for a Android handling complement as well as mobile services display clever signs of embracing a cause by a industry.

While program was a title story, there were a little brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new inclination to stare flirtatiously over.

Google as well as Vodafone astounded with a Vodafone disdainful HTC device formed upon Android called a Magic, finish with WiFi, GPS, a works.

Nokia voiced a E55 as well as E75 as plain smartphone devices.

While a throng didn't crop up wowed with their sex appeal, Nokia seems to reason reduction is an vicious charge business will appreciate.

Sony Ericsson previewed their much-rumoured Idou device due for recover after this year as well as which aims to locate up with Apple.

All of these inclination have been important for their WiFi as well as 3G capabilities, reason displays as well as multi-media capabilities – a brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new standards for either a device is starting to have it or not.

There was a noted deficiency of large speak about subsequent era networks rolling out.

A long-running conflict in between LTE as well as WiMax over which record will turn a "4G" after 3G continues, though with a roadmap which appears to be relocating serve out in Europe as mercantile woes put a mobile attention underneath vigour to have some-more out of a networks they have as well as put skeleton for large brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new glossy ones upon hold.

WiFi was all around, with all a brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new smartphone inclination incorporating it.

The vendors of interpretation dongle USB modems were articulate about how they could have "always most appropriate connected" practice work.

This co-existence of WiFi as well as 3G can safeguard business have been means to get onto a fastest tie accessible wherever they competence be, as well as is branch out to be a vicious success cause for a focus stores if they goal to sell multimedia practice by handsets as well as mobile devices.

Barcelona 2009 threw a spotlight upon a actuality which a destiny of mobile is in truth a internet upon your mobile device.

source: wi-ficars.com

High speed Internet on the Move

Are you Abroad? In a Business Trip? get "High speed Internet on the Move," the new 3G international high speed mobile Internet service from MobilityPass (http://3g.MobilityPass.com), provides travelers and business Internet users a way to instantly and safely connect wirelessly everywhere in 66 countries.

MobilityPass' new 3G UMTS Mobile Broadband service is a perfect solution for international business travelers and road warriors frequently on the move and in constant need of mobile broadband Internet to access in order to manage their email and mission critical information. Operating at incredibly fast connection speeds of up to 7.2 MB,

High speed Internet on the Move
Ready to use with any unlocked Mobile Internet phone and any laptop, MobilityPass Mobile Broadband offers a plug and play solution that includes an International 3G / UMTS / GPRS / HSPDA / EDGE USB modem and the MobilityPass Sim data card to connect users from continent to continent while matching any standard.

MobilityPass makes use of dial-up, toll free, and WiFi to offer users the most comprehensive global Internet service that expands to over 160 countries (http://wififinder.MobilityPass.com). In order to significantly optimize mobile broadband usage, MobilityPass gives Mobile Broadband users access to worldwide high speed WiFi when at any of the 130,000 hotspots around the globe in major Hotels, Airports, Bars, Trains, Restaurants, Petrol Stations, etc.. making roaming Internet connections very "efficient."

Wouldn't it be great if you could stay in touch and manage your current e-mails securely wherever you are? Maintaining security online is especially imperative when using wireless Internet access. For this reason, MobilityPass insure your privacy and confidentiality with an extra layer of data encryption to secure the unified communication suite that include, SMS, push e-mail, fax, Internet telephony, files and emails backup and all other online and remote communications.

With MobilityPass Anytime, Anywhere internet access, travelers experience the ultimate freedom to roam the Internet. Not only does the 3G Mobile Internet access connect internationally, there is no contract, monthly fee, setup fee, or maintenance fee, and there is absolutely no billing for service not used, which means that users are able to truly pay as they go. MobilityPass also allows users to control costs by paying as they go and managing credit available on their data Sim cards.

From the United States to United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, and multiple other locations, MobilityPass is the ideal choice for conveniently and securely checking email, surfing the web, using instant messenger, video conferencing, and more, from anyplace in the world.

source: 3wan.net

New Global Voice SIM Card from MobilityPass Saves Money, Eliminates Need for Local SIM Card When Traveling Abroad

Hunting for local SIM cards, registering a new mobile phone number and informing all your contacts, paying exorbitant fees for overseas calls…until now, using a mobile phone whilst overseas was a time consuming and expensive process. MobilityPass recently introduced their newest product the Global Voice SIM card, which allows users to stay connected from country to country and save money at the same time.
Ideal for overseas travelers, MobilityPass' Global Voice SIM card eliminates the need to hunt for local SIM cards. Users do not sign a contract with any mobile service provider or pay connection or monthly plan charges, which means that the pay-as-you-go card can be used whenever users find themselves overseas. Expats, exchange students, business travelers, and others are then automatically connected from and to more than 223 countries worldwide.
In addition to free incoming calls from more than 50 countries - France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Australia, UK, Japan… - , MobilityPass users pay incredibly low rates for outgoing calls to more than 200 countries without accruing roaming fees. With all of these savings, including EUR 6.00 of airtime, of the cost of the EURO25 MobilityPass Global Voice SIM card is easily recouped.
Business travelers
For business people working overseas, communication is a major concern. Finding a SIM network that will integrate international, corporate and personal life is essential. The MobilityPass Global Voice SIM card saves users 50 to 80 percent on overseas mobile services while ensuring that cellular communication is up and running at all times.
Children and students abroad
Parents with children studying overseas can use MobilityPass as a precise cost control system for managing mobile costs and maintaining communication. Adding funds to and verifying a Global Voice SIM card account is easy via the user-friendly website. Parents and students alike can check balances and details on the go. And for additional peace of mind, MobilityPass provides 24 hour telephony service in English, French, German and Spanish for whatever problem may arise.
Expats
Like all international travelers, expats experience unique communication issues; however, living abroad doesn't have to produce costly mobile bills and expenditures. MobilityPass' Global Voice SIM card charges users only for the time they use and travelers can securely deposit money to their accounts no matter which country they are in. Users conveniently receive a +44 (UK) number with their SIM card but are able to retain their old numbers by simply forwarding it to the MobilityPass SIM card.
With MobilityPass' new Global Voice SIM card, the cost of staying in touch is easy to control. Significant savings on mobile costs in addition to the convenience of a global SIM card make MobilityPass a perfect solution to the dilemma of overseas cellular service.
MobilityPass
Since 1977, the company chairman has been granted patents in Europe, the United States and the Far East for his work on data exchange interfaces for mobile devices secure communication and payment and ID verification.
Constant endeavor bore fruit with the creation and launch of the MobilityPass Secured Office in 2000 - ensuring the security if business organization, governments and individuals as they use new technologies and communication tools.
For the past nine years, the MobilityPass international engineering team has been developing a proprietary management and integration suit of key business communication services and tools completely secured and encrypted.
For more information on the newly released MobilityPass Global Voice SIM card, please visit the website at www.mobilitypass.com

(via PrWeb.com)

MobilityPass Offering Pay-As-You-Go International Wireless Data Modem

by Chip chick

When it comes to traveling internationally, getting data access is a royal pain in the a$$. Basically you have two options:

• 1) Get a super expensive international data plan and mobile card from the likes of AT&T, which is likely to run you up hundreds, if not 1000s of dollars when traveling.

• 2) Or you can sign up for prepaid wireless data in each country, which is almost as costly and also happens to be very inconvenient.

This is why so many people end up using wifi hotspots to connect to the internet while traveling around the world. But that can add up to be pricey as well, and also inconvenient since not every place you’ll go to will necessarily have wifi, and you’ll have to pay for each new hotspot that you connect too. Granted, there are international wifi plans offered from Boingo, but they still don’t cover a good majority of the hotspots that you’ll use while traveling internationally.

So along comes MobilityPass who is selling a PC and Mac compatible highspeed USB modem for $99 USD. If you don't use the modem, no worries, as there are no monthly fees. Data access isn’t that cheap, and you pay on average .0149 per 100kb, but it’s actually relatively affordable in comparison to the other options out there, and it involves a lot less hassle than the other options. Also, if you’re looking for an international SIM card to use while globe trotting, MobilityPass offers an affordable pay as you go Global Voice Sim card that works in 223 countries with relatively reasonable calling rates and free incoming calls.