Unwired Tap – April 2008

OK. So many of today’s operators are in their early stages of rolling out their current
network infrastructure. Generally those rollouts will be based on 3G technology. It will take years to get that technology implemented, and there will be challenges along the way. Why then should
we look beyond 3G technology at this time?

We know that it is good business to look beyond where you are so you have a vision for the future. Let’s take a look at that future and some key components.

I wrote about the impact of the iPhone in a recent column. The iPhone user interface changed the way the consumer expects user interfaces to operate in the future. It has set a new
“bar” for future interface environments.

A recent article in FierceMobileContent reviewed the iPhone user
interface, its impact on the industry and gave us a peek at some of the not so futuristic competing user interfaces. According to the article, AT&T Mobility President and CEO Ralph de la Vega
indicated that “95 percent of iPhone owners regularly surf the web, even though 30 percent had never done so prior to iPhone ownership. In addition, 51 percent have viewed videos via YouTube,
and nine out of 10 rated the device better than their previous handset. ‘There isn’t a device that’s easier to use,’ de la Vega said. ‘[The iPhone] proves that price resistance
is only as strong as the user experience is weak.’”

The article goes on to review five mobile user interfaces that are molding the future for a better mobile user experience. Those five user interfaces to watch are (hint, click on the links to see
YouTube demos and additional information for the interfaces):

“Modu’s modular, multi-function handset was one of the most talked-about innovations to surface at Mobile World Congress. The Modu system comprises a tiny, 1.3-ounce core module that integrates with a series of “jackets,” effectively enabling
users to transform their phones into different kinds of mobile devices depending on individual or contextual needs. The core module’s domino-like UI is extremely simple and user-friendly,
with a micro-USB interface and a proprietary port on the bottom.”

“Skyfire is a free, downloadable Windows Mobile smartphone browser touted as a “better than iPhone” experience. In addition to enabling full audio and video, Flash content, QuickTime,
advanced Ajax and Java, Skyfire displays web pages in miniaturized form, a la iPhone, with a SmartFit feature
that resizes each article’s text to fit within each individual handset’s display. No less impressive, the web pages load within seconds.”

“Motorola’s ModeShift technology
combines mechanical engineering expertise with ergonomic principles to optimize the user experience, emphasizing hand placement, keypad spacing and thumb movement to create an organic, intuitive
UI. ModeShift relies on tactile responses to simulate key clicks, transforming the device into one of multiple modes – voice, music or camera, for example – with the press of a button.
ModeShift will debut in March via Motorola’s forthcoming ROKR E8 music device.”

“Zeemote’s patented Zeemote JS1 is a handheld, Bluetooth-based controller promising near-console
gameplay for mobile devices. Measuring 3.7×1.4x.08 inches and weighing less than 2 ounces, the ergonomically designed Zeemote controller features a thumbstick and four assignable trigger buttons,
offering real analog control over mobile games and related applications and services. Eliminating the keypad from the equation results in more natural and fluid gameplay, but the question is
whether even hardcore gamers will consent to carrying an additional accessory, even one so small and light.”

“HTC’s Touch was the first handset to offer a user experience comparable to the iPhone, largely by
emphasizing the kind of intuitive touchscreen navigation that made Apple’s brainchild so popular. Based on HTC’s animated, three-dimensional TouchFLO interface technology, the Touch recognizes
and responds to the sweep of a finger across the screen, complete with the intelligence to distinguish between finger and stylus input. A new 2.0 version of the TouchFLO UI, codenamed Manila, is
scheduled to debut sometime later this year.”

OK. So there are some neat user interfaces in our immediate future. Let’s look a bit farther out and see where our old friend “convergence” might be taking us on our journey into
the future of user interfaces. A February 29, 2008. WirelessWeek Emerging Technology article – The Future Phone by author Brad Smith – gives us another decade forward peek at The Morph.
The converged cell phone and user interface of the future.

“Any technology lover had to be fascinated by the announcement this week by Nokia and the University of Cambridge in the U.K. that they had come up with a mobile device concept using
nanotechnology. It boggles the mind that a cell phone could be as thin as paper, no larger than a human hand, capable of being folded so it could be worn around the wrist. And, oh yeah, it also can
make a phone call.”

“The concept is appropriately called the Morph and you can see for yourself what it looks like because it is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York until May 12. Might be worth a
special trip, I’m thinking.”

“I’ve seen some fascinating technologies under development for cell phones but this one takes the cake. Not only is it flexible and makes calls, it also has self-cleaning surfaces using
nanotechnology. Nano-surfaces, called nanoflowers, repel water, dirt and even fingerprints. It also can include solar energy for charging and can include integrated sensors to sense the nearby
environment, doing things like analyzing pollution in the air around you and picking up traces of biochemicals. A video shows it checking an apple and suggesting the apple should be washed before
eating.”

“Don’t expect to be able to buy a Morph any time soon. Nokia says it may be seven years before there are commercial products. But that’s what is so great about technology – there’s
always something on the horizon.”

Nanotechnology. Did Brad talk about cell phones, user interfaces and nanotechnology? Now that is really cool! OK, let me calm down a bit and let’s move on. So the user interface is going to
get more and more “user friendly” and will be real slick in the future. How about the infrastructure that will support the new cell phones and their user interface?

According to another article in WirelessWeek, of the 3.4 billion mobile subscribers globally, only 10%
or so use a 3G network. Why is the industry starting to talk so much about 4G? The article reviews some comments made at the February 2008 Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. 4G technologies
like Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX were among the topics for discussion.

“… all of the major infrastructure vendors and even some carriers were talking about 4G, and especially LTE. Verizon Wireless announced last fall that it would abandon the CDMA
evolutionary path and target LTE for the future. Four more of the world’s largest carriers, Vodafone, China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo and AT&T Mobility, also have said LTE is in their future as
well.”

WiMAX and LTE could be fighting for supremacy in the future. Then again, there is our old friend “convergence” hanging around. “During the recent Mobile World Congress event,
Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin said WiMAX might somehow find a future in the LTE standards. The two are not compatible now, although Danny Locklear, director of wireless product marketing at Nortel, says
there are many similarities, especially in the use of OFDM and MIMO.”

We’ll discuss WiMAX, LTE, UMB and other technologies that are battling for many carriers and operator’s vision of the future in an upcoming column. All of these standards are a part of
your future, either by inclusion or exclusion, because all of today’s operators are looking for that technology road map that will take them, you guessed it, “To Infinity and
Beyond.”

Forecast: Video Surveillance: A Market Poised for $46 Billion of Explosive Growth

According to an article in Wireless Design Development, March 28, 2008:

ABI Research believes that the video surveillance market is poised for explosive growth, which the firm forecasts to expand from revenue of about $13.5 billion in 2006 to a remarkable $46 billion
in 2013. Those figures include cameras, computers and storage, professional services, and hardware infrastructure – everything that goes into an end-to-end security system.

According to ABI Research vice president and research director Stan Schatt, “We’re at a key inflection point in the diverse video surveillance market, because we’re moving from an
analog-based industry to a digital one. A rising tide lifts all boats: the result is a multitude of opportunities for vendors.”

“Security” is the word on everyone’s lips these days, but there is more to this dramatic market growth than that. Video surveillance finds uses in a variety of vertical markets such as
retail, education, banking, transportation and corporate business. And it’s not always about security. New facial recognition software can analyze shoppers’ behavior within stores, for
example, tracking eyeball movements as shoppers view product displays.

European video surveillance markets are more mature than those in North America (some say the UK, with its 4.1 million surveillance cameras, is the most monitored society on earth), but massive
deployments are also now taking place in North America and, in connection with the upcoming Olympics, in China.

But while digital technology offers advantages – higher resolution, easier searching and retrieval, and more efficient storage – many of the traditional security resellers of analog
equipment are not yet comfortable with digital, and a massive retraining effort is going to be required.

Forecast: Messaging to grow to $212B by 2013

According to an article in FierceMobileContent, March 24, 2008:

Increasing SMS adoption in the Americas, mobile e-mail growth in developed regions, accelerating subscriber numbers in Asia-Pacific and worldwide interest in social networking are all contributing
to a booming mobile messaging market according to ABI Research, which forecasts messaging revenues will grow to $212 billion by 2013. A new ABI study says that despite the presence of different,
region-specific drivers, messaging is driven across the board by its ability to provide timely, cost-effective, customer-specific communication and information services, further buoyed by future
upgrades including new input and access capabilities as well as integration across mobile and fixed-line platforms.

“Innovation in messaging input, including touch screens, voice-to-text, and advanced keyboard designs, makes initiating a mobile message very easy,” said ABI principal analyst Dan Shey in a
prepared statement. “By combining input options with greater ease of communicating across mobile and fixed platforms regardless of messaging service, messaging providers serve customers’ needs
very well in both the consumer and business domains.”

Factoid: Study: Mobile video image quality, speed vex users

According to an article in FierceMobileContent, March 27, 2008:

“More than half of consumers anticipate mobile video subscriptions will be too expensive to justify adoption, according to a new study conducted by mobile content solutions provider Bamboo
MediaCasting and market research firm Synovate. The survey, conducted in early March, found that 51 percent of respondents expect mobile video services will be priced out of their range; among
consumers who did not cite cost as a barrier, 45.5 percent anticipate poor image quality, 27 percent expect download speeds will be an issue, 17 percent fear the process will be overly complex, and
10 percent believe their content selection will be limited.”

“The study also reports that 48 percent of women have concerns with mobile video image quality, compared to 43 percent of men. Twenty-nine percent of women also expressed doubts about
download speeds, a reservation lodged by 25 percent of men. Conversely, 13 percent of men cite concerns about poor content choices, compared to 7 percent of women. Only 21 percent of youths ages 14
to 18 expressed doubts about image quality, less than any other age group – however, 45 percent of teens cited download speed as their greatest frustration with mobile video.”

Factoid: Thumbplay’s Top Five

Ringtones	Games	Graphics
Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow – Paula Abdul	Bad Girls Club	3D UNC Basketball Spinburst 3
Lollipop – Lil Wayne	Let Go of My Banana	Vote Button 2
Feels Like Tonight – Daughtry	Big Range Hunting	Hillary ’08
No Air Duet with Christ Brown – Jordan Sparks	God of War – Betrayal	McCain ’08
Stop and Stare – OneRepublic	Godzilla – Monster Mayhem	Obama ’08

March 27, 2008: Paula Abdul tops chart with “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.” Randy Jackson is back with a new compilation album featuring some very well known artists. Many people do not
know that Randy Jackson is a Grammy winning producer. Paula Abdul sprinkles her touch on the album with a song called “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.”

Courtesy of Thumbplay http://www.thumbplay.com/charts/home.do?action=main

If you have a question pertaining to a wireless topic or digital living that you would like to ask or share with our readers send me an email and I will update everyone in a future column.

Wireless Nuggets of Knowledge

Following are a few interesting articles and discussions on wireless and digital living:

CIO – March 21, 2008
Install and Use Six Free Killer BlackBerry Apps

Sometimes the best things in life are free. Like the following six BlackBerry smartphone applications: the Viigo mobile RSS reader, Beyond411 local search, the smartphone-based
travel companion WorldMate Live, a mobile version of Google Maps and two social networking apps: Facebook for BlackBerry and TwitterBerry.

Watch the video on how to install these six applications.

More BlackBerry applications can be found here.
America’s Network – March 27, 2008
Tech giants in talks to fund nationwide WiMax plan

Major US-based cable, telecom and Internet companies are in preliminary, but serious, talks to create a national wireless network that would link devices such as computers, televisions and cell
phones, according to a source quoted by an Associated Press report.
Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Google, Intel, Sprint Nextel and Clearwire are considering investing a total of 1.91 billion euros (US$3 billion) to 2.55 billion euros (US$4
billion) in the joint venture, said the person, who asked not to be named because the person was not authorized to discuss the talks.

Sprint and Clearwire, a startup founded by cellular pioneer Craig McCaw, have already announced their plans to build out a network using WiMax technology, but had been looking for outside
funding.

WiMax promises faster wireless connection speeds for laptops and phones than the latest networks run by cell-phone operators, and it is even seen as a potential competitor to fixed-line
broadband like DSL.

To read more, click here.
eWeek Wireless & Mobile Update – March 27, 2008
The nation’s No. 2 wireless carrier spends freely to capture prime airwaves

Verizon Wireless walked off with the top prizes in the FCC’s recently concluded 700MHz auction, capturing prime swaths of spectrum for the nation’s No. 2 carrier’s next-generation wireless
broadband service.

The FCC concluded the auction March 18 with winning bids of nearly $20 billion.

Verizon Wireless paid more than $6.5 billion for six large regional licenses that are the equivalent of a national license. In addition, Verizon Wireless won 24 regional licenses located in
most of the country’s metropolitan areas and another 77 smaller licenses.

Satellite television provider EchoStar was the other big winner in the auction, grabbing enough regional licenses to establish a national footprint while AT&T won 266 small licenses.
Google, which pledged before the auction began to meet the minimum $4.6 billion bid for the prime spectrum won by Verizon Wireless, ultimately won no licenses in the auction.

“We were successful in achieving the spectrum depth we need to continue to grow our business and data revenues,” Verizon Wireless said in a statement.

Verizon Wireless’ new prime airwaves are considered particularly well-suited for broadband because the signal properties can travel great distances and penetrate mountains, buildings and
walls. The FCC placed conditions on the sale of the spectrum, requiring the winning bidder to build an open network to which users can connect any legal device and run the software of their
choice.

To read more, click here.
America’s Network – March 27, 2008
UK regulator allows mobile pone use aboard planes

Ofcom, a regulator based in the UK, has announced that it has granted approval for the use of mobile phones operating in European airspace.

The decision means that airlines will be able to offer passengers the ability to make calls on mobile phones whilst traveling on UK-registered aircraft, upon reaching an altitude of 3,000
meters, the regulator in a statement, said.

According to the BBC, the decision to offer the services will be down to individual airlines, although any hardware that is to be installed on aircraft must be approved by the European Aviation
Safety Agency.

Ofcom stated that, at first, airlines will only offer second generation networks, with the possibility of 3G services being introduced at a later date.

To read more, click here.
FierceMobileEnterprise – March 26, 2008
Microsoft to dev. Office apps for iPhone?

Microsoft and Apple might seem like strange bedfellows but they shouldn’t: after all, Microsoft has an entire Mac business unit and Apple develops a number of applications for Windows. So it
should come as no surprise that Microsoft might be looking to increase its presence on the iPhone by developing native versions of its Office applications for the device. “To the extent that
Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to understand that now,” head of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and
Applications Group, Tom Gibbons, told Fortune. While that’s not necessarily confirmation that Office for the iPhone is in development, it is a strong hint that the company is at least
considering the possibility. On the topic of TellMe–the mobile voice recognition software that the company acquired last year–however, Gibbons was crystal clear, telling Fortune that
Microsoft is “absolutely going to get a version out there as soon as we can.” A strange partner though they may be, Microsoft’s involvement as a developer will only make the iPhone a more
robust enterprise device.

To read more, click here.
FierceBroadbandWireless – March 27, 2008
Qualcomm CEO admits to slow pace of mobile TV

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said his company’s foray into the broadcast mobile TV space, through subsidiary MediaFlo USA, has moved slower than Qualcomm wants. Speaking during the Tech Policy
Summit in Los Angeles, the CEO said carriers “haven’t spent a lot of advertising on it to this point,” adding that they may be waiting for MediaFlo to increase its coverage.
MediaFlo USA has a deal with Verizon, which has launched the service and AT&T Mobility, which hasn’t rolled out service yet. “It’s not as nationwide as we would have liked,” Jacobs
said. “We’re really waiting for February 2009 to get the real digital transition done.”

To read more click here.
Wireless Design Development – March 28, 2008
Femtocells to Drive Wireless Subscriber Growth

AirWalk Communications, a developer of CDMA IP Radio Access Networks will introduce EdgePoint™, its advanced femtocell for home and small office use, at the CTIA Wireless
conference in Las Vegas, April 1 – 3.

EdgePoint is optimized for extending cellular service to homes, small businesses, and areas of poor cellular reception. The compact devices serve as low-power access points, operating in
licensed spectrum, to connect mobile devices to the mobile carrier’s network via the Internet.

By deploying the compact (7 by 7 by 2 inches) femtocells at customer sites, cellular carriers can reduce the customer churn typically associated with poor reception. EdgePoint’s improved
coverage encourages customers to migrate their landline home and office phones to cellular while supporting all macro network features. Also, carriers can reduce their operating costs by using
existing home IP backhaul technologies for the EdgePoint traffic, eliminating the pressure to build out their networks in fringe areas.

“Cell phone users make over 40 percent of their calls from home, and want the same level of service they get in high coverage areas,” said Serge Pequeux, president and CEO of AirWalk
Communications. “The most common reason for changing cellular carriers is dissatisfaction with coverage, and with EdgePoint femtocells, a carrier can deliver the coverage that consumers expect
while reducing churn.”

To read more, click here.
WirelessWeek – March 28, 2008
Verizon Offers Location-Based Networking with Loopt

And in more mobile content news, Verizon Wireless announced a partnership with social-mapping service Loopt, to offer Loopt’s service on select handsets beginning next
month.

With Loopt, Verizon Wireless customers will be able to use their phones’ location-based services capabilities to share location information, status messages and geo-tagged photos with
their community of friends. Loopt users can view where friends in their private network are located on a map displayed on their mobile phones and connect and share their locations with anyone
in their address books or AIM buddy lists.

“Loopt offers Verizon Wireless customers a fun, unique and powerful way to connect with friends and share information,” Ryan Hughes, vice president of digital media programming for
Verizon, said in a statement. “Loopt enhances the mobile experience by letting friends stay in touch with and informed of their friends’ lives – wherever they go.”

Verizon Wireless customers will be able to purchase Loopt beginning in April in the Tools on the Go and Featured Applications shopping aisle in the Get It Now virtual store. Loopt will be
available for $3.99 monthly access. Verizon Wireless customers will be able to access Loopt on more than 20 Get It Now-capable phones.

To read more, click here.
FierceDeveloper – March 25, 2008
Dell smartphone launch imminent?

Analysts are once again clamoring for Dell to launch a smartphone soon. Strategy Analytics’ director of wireless device strategies Neil Mawston told MacWorld the development of
smartphones would be a logical step for Dell to expand its presence in the mobile market. Mawston pointed out that Apple, HP and Toshiba are already in the business of smartphones and PDAs, so
the competitive threat and market itself are just too big to ignore. While the rumor that claimed Dell would launch a Google Android-powered smartphone at Mobile World Congress last month never
came to fruition, the company could still launch such a device or ink a deal with Microsoft for Windows Mobile. Mawston also noted that Dell needs to replace its Axim PDAs, which it killed off
last year.

According to a recent report from ABI Research, one in three phones sold in 2013 will be a smartphone. Smartphones will increase from the 10 percent market share they have now to 31 percent
market share in five years, according to the report.

To read more, click here.
FierceMobileContent – March 24, 2008
Dish Network mulling mobile TV launch?

Following its unexpected entrance and win in the Federal Communications Commission’s recent 700Mhz spectrum auction, direct broadcast satellite TV operator Dish Network may be mulling the
launch of a nationwide mobile TV service. Dish Network-owned Frontier Wireless successfully bid $712 million for licenses in the so-called “E” block, which spans 168 U.S. metropolitan
markets. Because the spectrum does not allow for two-way communication services, analysts argue the acquisition positions the firm to introduce a broadcast service like mobile video. “We
suspect Dish bid on E block spectrum to build a wireless video network, rather than a data or voice network,” writes Citigroup Global analyst Jason Bazinet in a note to investors. “We were
surprised Dish entered the auction and more surprised it emerged as a big winner.” According to Bazinet, rolling out a nationwide mobile TV network could cost Dish between $3 billion and $5
billion.

To read more, click here.
FierceBroadcastWireless – March 24, 2008
Verizon, AT&T big winners in 700 MHz auction

Verizon Wireless was the big winner for the 700 MHz auction after winning the Upper C Block of spectrum, which is laden with open access provisions. Google did not win any licenses. Satellite
television company EchoStar subsidiary Frontier won a significant amount of licenses in the E Block–enough to give the company a nationwide footprint. Verizon Wireless not only won the coveted
C Block, but also most of the A Block and 77 licenses in the B Block, which contained the smallest licenses in the auction. For its part, AT&T managed to scoop up 227 of the smaller slices
of spectrum.

Verizon Wireless ended up winning seven of the 11 pieces of the C Block, but the other four regional slices of the spectrum in that block went to other bidders. Triad 700 won the Alaska and
Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands regional C Block slices for $1.78 million and $3.12 million, respectively. Small Ventures USA won a piece of the C Block that covers a part of the Gulf of Mexico
for $1.05 million. Club 42 CM Limited won the C Block slice that covers Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and America Samoa with a $550,000 bid.

As part of the announcement, the FCC de-linked the D Block, which failed to meet its $1.3 billion reserve price, from the other four blocks. The D Block had special provisions for a
public-private network that would benefit public safety workers. While the FCC plans to make the spectrum available before the DTV transition in February of next year, it said it has no
immediate plans to re-auction the spectrum in Auction 76, which was the original contingent plan.

To access it, click here.
WirelessWeek – March 20, 2008
Emirates Air Launches In-Flight Telephony

In-flight connectivity solution provider AeroMobile announced that Emirates Airline has successfully completed its first flight offering in-air cellular service.

After receiving full approval from aviation authorities, passengers on flight EK751 from Dubai to Casablanca were able to place and receive calls from their own mobile phones.
AeroMobile’s in-flight solutions allow passengers to safely use their personal mobile phones during flights; according to AeroMobile, the solution has been rigorously tested during the
approvals process in the past year.

The Dubai-based international airline offered guidelines for the appropriate use of phones on board, including requesting passengers to have their phones switched to “silent” mode
during the flights. The system automatically came into operation as the Airbus A340-300 reached cruise altitude. Passengers wanting to use the service received a text message welcoming them to
the AeroMobile system when they first switched on their phones, and then were able to make and receive voice calls as well as use text messaging.

Emirates and AeroMobile say that will continue working to add features to the service offering, including the compatibility of BlackBerry e-mail and other GPRS data applications later in 2008
and also to integrate the AeroMobile aircraft system with Emirates’ in-flight entertainment system.

A second Emirates aircraft, a Boeing 777-300, has already been outfitted with the AeroMobile system and will be in operation shortly.

Australian airline Qantas also announced plans to roll out in-flight messaging service later this year, in a partnership with AeroMobile. The airline said passengers on domestic flights will be
able to send and receive e-mail and SMS messages on their mobile phones or other electronic devices before the end of the year. Although voice calls are possible with the technology, the
airline said it will not activate that feature at the launch of service.

To read more, click here.
FierceMobileContent – March 20, 2008
Carriers losing grip on mobile content

Subscribers are increasingly reliant on a mix of mobile content obtained via the web, their personal collections and wireless operators according to a new consumer study
conducted by market analysis firm ABI Research. According to ABI, mobile consumers are more likely to watch a YouTube clip than a video obtained from their carrier, but are more than twice as
likely to purchase a ringtone from the operator as from any other source. In all, 14 percent of respondents told ABI they use their phones to watch video content – 35 percent of them view
videos from the web, 31 percent from their carrier’s video catalog and 28 percent from videos sideloaded onto their device. Music was similarly mixed, with sideloads accounting for 48 percent
of mobile listening while 35 percent purchased tracks from their operator. Preloaded mobile games also proved popular: Six in 10 mobile gamers said they only play titles included on their
phones.

“Despite the strong control most carriers retain over the network, their control over the mobile content ecosystem remains limited. The consumer will see more and more options for obtaining
rich media in the future,” said ABI research director Michael Wolf in a prepared statement. “As the mobile phone grows from being a voice-centric device to a multidimensional communication
and entertainment device, content channels will continue to multiply. We expect to see increased content acquisition directly to the phone from the web. And despite a loosening of control over
content delivery to consumers, we believe the carriers will ultimately benefit as they open up their networks and handset platforms and look into taking advantage of increased
advertising-supported content delivery.”

To read more, click here.
FierceMobileContent – March 13, 2008
Mobile consumers defined by behavioral profiles

Mobile subscribers can be segmented into three distinct behavioral profiles–Mobile Pioneers, Mobile Wannabes and Mobile Traditionalists – that characterize the extremes of their consumer
behaviors, according to new report from digital marketing research firm InsightExpress. According to InsightExpress, Mobile Pioneers – who comprise 15 percent of the market – are
ahead of their peers in adopting advanced features like the mobile web, unique applications and/or video. Most are under 35, one third own smartphones, and most are male and single. Mobile
Wannabes (25 percent of the market) have dabbled with advanced features and would like to use them more – fewer than half are under 35, and only 5 percent own smartphones. Mobile
Traditionalists represent the remaining 60 percent of the market and limit their mobile behaviors to voice and texting–two thirds are over 35 years old.

Other results of the InsightExpress study:
- 62 percent of Mobile Pioneers have sent text messages to someone in the same room, compared to 39 percent of Wannabes and 26 percent of Traditionalists
- 57 percent of Pioneers have taken photos of a product using their phone and sent it to someone to get an opinion, compared to 30 percent of Wannabes and 16 percent of Traditionalists
- 79 percent of Pioneers have taught someone else how to use mobile phone features, compared to 65 percent of Wannabes
- Mobile Pioneers and Wannabes alike agree that most advertising is relevant to them, that products that are advertised are a lot better than ones that are not advertised at all, and that
  advertising keeps them up-to-date on products they would like to purchase
- Mobile Pioneers are most likely to have walked into something or someone while using their device, and most likely to have thrown their mobile phone at someone or something
  
  “Knowing which type of mobile consumer you are contacting, or want to contact, is a big piece of the mobile marketing puzzle,” said InsightExpress director of mobile research Joy Liuzzo
  in a prepared statement. “The Wannabes are especially fascinating since they are eager to learn about and use advanced features.”
  
  To read more, click here.
FierceWireless – March 12, 2008
Consumers comfortable banking on mobile

According to a recent report from Harris Interactive, consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable using their mobile phones to access their bank account information and make
payments while out and about. The report is based on a survey that found 16 percent of mobile phone users already use some form of mobile banking services with 60 percent of these people using
such services at least once a week. Of those not using mobile banking services, 35 percent said they were open to use such services and 33 percent said they would like to receive text message
alerts from the banks.

To read more, click here.
Wireless Design Development – February 29, 2008
Large Wireless LAN Deployment Successful at University of Arizona

NEC Unified Solutions, Inc., a global leader in enterprise business communications, announces it has completed two major phases of one of the nation’s largest wireless LAN
deployment for voice and data at the University of Arizona, which serves more than 32,000 students in Tucson, AZ.

“Access to cutting-edge technology is a key factor in attracting and retaining students at the university level,” said Michele Norin, CIO for the University of Arizona. “NEC’s ability to
manage our VoIP network turnkey, meet our aggressive deployment schedule, and install and service Cisco equipment were our deciding factors. We believe we now have a world-class secure and
scalable wireless LAN-based voice and data network for use by students, faculty, staff and visitors alike.”

The University of Arizona selected NEC and Cisco for its ambitious wireless voice and data network project in 2006. NEC managed the university’s wireless project turnkey, from site surveys to
cabling infrastructure, to vendor and budget management all the way through deployment of Cisco’s wireless solutions.

In addition, NEC is monitoring and managing the university’s Voice over IP network using its Remote Managed Services via its Network Operations Center in Irving, TX. To date the university’s
wireless network has had a failure rate of less than 1 percent.
Today, the University of Arizona’s wireless network – dubbed UAWiFi – spans more than 7 million square feet, 4,500 wireless access points and 22 buildings. Upon
completion, the deployment will comprise more than 6,000 access points and 12 million square feet on two campuses. The network has more than 19,000 WLAN devices connected at any given time and
has scaled to more than 53,000 during peak times.

To read more, click here.