RIM Ships Handsets to China
By Teresa von Fuchs

Research In Motion has shipped its first devices to China. The BlackBerry maker announced it signed a distribution deal with Alcatel-Lucent to sell smartphones in the Chinese market. The first handset that will be offered to Chinese enterprise customers will be the BlackBerry 8700; devices should be available soon.

"Following our launch of the BlackBerry service with China Mobile, we are very pleased to now enter this smartphone distribution agreement with Alcatel-Lucent and Alcatel Shanghai Bell. Our partnership with Alcatel-Lucent has been very productive in other regions and has been key in our progress to import smartphones into the Chinese market," said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO of RIM, in a statement. "We look forward to building on the early interest and momentum we are experiencing in China with both multinational and domestic corporations."

Alcatel-Lucent was certified to sell handsets in the Chinese market through a partnership with TCL Communications, a major mobile device manufacturer in China that holds the Alcatel brand for handsets.

RIM officially announced plans to enter the Chinese market in May of last year. Now that handsets are finally shipping, RIM's shares hit a record high yesterday, going up over $11 to close at $124.53 on the Nasdaq. Alcatel-Lucent shares also rose almost 5% percent, to close at $9.55 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Verizon Drops FCC Suit, CTIA Picks it Up
By Teresa von Fuchs

Verizon Wireless has dropped its suit against the FCC, regarding the commission's rules governing the upcoming spectrum auction. The company filed a notice with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that it was dropping its appeal.

The court previously rejected Verizon's request to have its appeal expedited, so that the case might be heard before the auction began. According to reports, Verizon said in its filing that it dropped the suit due to the court's rejection of its request.

The carrier also has been under some fire from possible competitors in the auction for improperly waging two campaigns simultaneously.  If Verizon Wireless was lobbying the FCC to change the rules regarding the auction, then it couldn't also pursue the issue legally.

Legal experts and industry analysts also said the company had little chance of winning its suit, which alleged the FCC did not have the authority impose open-access requirements on a swath of spectrum to be auctioned off. The courts typically defer to the FCC in rulemaking cases.

But where Verizon has stepped out, the CTIA has stepped in. Joe Farren, spokesperson for the association, confirmed reports that CTIA has filed a suit with the same court, challenging the open-access regulations.

CTIA said in its filing that it isn't looking to delay the spectrum auction, but that it "does, however, seek to overturn certain aspects of the order that are at odds with prior commission rulings and with the realities of the competitive marketplace for wireless services." 

That sticks pretty much to what Verizon Wireless and some of the other carriers have been saying – open-access requirements will somehow impede the industry's ability to offer "competitive" services.

The filing continues to challenge the open-access requirements imposed on the C block of spectrum, calling the reasoning behind the open-access requirements "irrational and inconsistent." CTIA has asked that the court overturn the commission's decision to impose open-access requirements on the block of spectrum, as the provisions are "arbitrary, capricious and otherwise contrary to law."

Verizon Wireless Settles False Advertising Suit
By Teresa von Fuchs

In more legal news from Verizon Wireless, the carrier has settled a suit brought against it by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, which charged the company with deceptive marketing.  Verizon Wireless agreed to pay $1 million to reimburse its customers.

Verizon Wireless had been marketing an unlimited data usage plan for its wireless Internet PC cards, but between 2004 and April 2007, the carrier dropped more than 13,000 customers for "excessive use" of the network. The "unlimited" package also prohibited customers from downloading movies or online videogames.

Under the terms of the settlement, Verizon Wireless also owes New York state $150,000 in penalties, and the carrier also agreed to change its advertising and not include "unlimited" in ads. The carrier stopped dropping customers for excessive use in April of this year.

"We are pleased to have cooperated with the New York Attorney General, and to have voluntarily reached this agreement," Verizon Wireless said Tuesday in a statement. "We are committed to providing clear advertising for our products and services."

Qualcomm Introduces Networking Chips for Notebooks
By Teresa von Fuchs

Qualcomm has introduced a new wireless chipset incorporating high-speed wireless cellular technology for notebook computers. The embedded solution is called Gobi global mobile Internet.

According to a company statement, the Gobi solution can "take advantage of the high-speed mobile Internet services offered by network operators in virtually all parts of the world."

Qualcomm said it expects Gobi-powered notebooks to be on the market in the second quarter of 2008.

"Gobi-enabled notebook computers with global mobile Internet unify the most important wireless carrier network technologies deployed around the world," said Sanjay K. Jha, COO of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, in a statement.

The Gobi solution includes Qualcomm's MDM1000 chipset, associated software and API and a reference design for a software-defined configurable data module supporting both EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA with full backward compatibility, as well as GPS radios.

Sprint Launches Laptop Security Service
By Wireless Week Staff

In a partnership with Alcatel-Lucent, Sprint Nextel has announced a laptop security service called SprintSecure Laptop Guardian. The service promises 24/7 security through remote monitoring, locating missing notebooks and locking  down data if a laptop is lost or stolen. Sprint hopes the solution will simplify security management  for IT personnel; the service is available nationwide over Sprint's Mobile Broadband network.

According to a Sprint statement, the service uses "a unique Mobile Broadband connection card that serves as a 2-factor authentication device." Users must insert the card into the laptop in order to use the computer, and the same card can be used by an IT administrator to access the notebook, possibly even to revoke authentication privileges from the card.

"The primary concern we hear from businesses as they consider the adoption of mobile broadband services is regarding security of laptops and the confidential information they contain," said Mike Coffey, vice president of converged services at Sprint, in a statement. "SprintSecure Laptop Guardian delivers mobile broadband service with a connection card featuring robust security capabilities that are always active, even when the laptop is turned off."

SprintSecure Laptop Guardian is powered by the Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess 3500 Nonstop Laptop Guardian, a laptop security and management system introduced earlier this year. SprintSecure Laptop Guardian is packaged with high-speed data access via Sprint Mobile Broadband, allowing enterprises to manage laptops nearly anywhere, anytime.

CTIA I.T. & Entertainment News...

700 MHz Not Microsoft's Cup of Tea
By Brad Smith

SAN FRANCISCO—Unlike some of its competitors, Microsoft has no interest in bidding in the upcoming FCC auction of 700 MHz spectrum, CEO Steve Ballmer said at the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment show.

Ballmer issued a flat "no" when asked on stage by CTIA president Steve Largent if the Redmond giant was going to bid in the auction, now scheduled for late January. He said Microsoft doesn't see building and managing a wireless network as part of its core competence.

"It takes real expertise to set up networks," he said, adding that "nobody knows what will happen with some of our competitors," a reference to the interest that Google has shown in a portion of the spectrum available for a nationwide network.

Ballmer also said Microsoft sees itself as an enabler in the wireless industry and prefers to work with handset manufacturers and operators.

"We grew up in a world where we partnered with the hardware ecosystem to enable an industry," he said. "That's our approach in the mobile industry. The best way to get into hundreds of millions of devices is to partner with OEMs and service providers."

Ballmer also said he believes mobile advertising "will be a great revenue source for all of us" and noted several acquisitions Microsoft has made to bolster its technology in that area.

I-mate Prepares for U.S. Market
By Brad Smith

SAN FRANCISCO—An up-and-coming Microsoft Windows Mobile device manufacturer, i-mate, has found a winning formula in one region of the world and now wants to bring it to North America.

I-mate is showing off four Windows Mobile 6 Professional (touchscreen) handsets at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show, two of which are expected to go on sale in the next few weeks. All are called "Ultimate" devices because of their capabilities. They are aimed at small to medium enterprises and will be sold through retail outlets such as Amazon.com and Best Buy, according to CEO Jim Morrison.

The first two devices are the Ultimate 6150 and 8150, which will be followed after the first of the year by the Ultimate 8502 and 9502. All four sport Wi-Fi, 520 MHz processors and high-speed data. The first two devices are tri-band HSDPA devices, while the second two will use the HSUPA air interface for uplink speeds of 500 kbps to 800 kbps. HSDPA has downlink speeds of up to 1 Mbps.

The devices also have the capability of providing XGA video resolution, which means they can be linked by cable to an external screen for 1024x768 video. They come with built-in GPS for use with Windows Live Search, a customizable interface for enterprises, plus the ability to set up and manage devices remotely on a PC. Morrison likened the latter feature to the Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008, announced Tuesday at CTIA, but for small enterprises.

All the devices will be sold without SIM cards, so enterprises will select which UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA carrier they want, Morrison said. The devices likely will retail for $600 to $800.

Mobile Navigation First, Now Other Location Services
By Brad Smith

SAN FRANCISCO—Mobile navigation has started to take off in the United States because wireless carriers are advertising it heavily and because personal navigation devices have become one of the hottest consumer items, making people aware of the possibilities.

That was one of the conclusions of a panel on location-based services (LBS) at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show Tuesday. All of the panelists agreed they have seen a lot more interest in location technology, although HP Jin, CEO of TeleNav, cautioned that the industry shouldn't get too carried away with the excitement.

The panelists also saw an LBS future that includes a number of other applications in addition to navigation. Darren Koenig, director of Wireless, Internet and Telecom for TeleAtlas, pointed to the ability to link location with local information. Koenig also said location also will be part of community services, providing the ability to interact with friends in a location-aware context.

Jin said location services become most attractive to consumers when they fill one of three needs helping people be more productive, help people control their stress, or help them have fun.

And Koenig said mobile LBS has matured to the point where the technology can provide what users want. What needs to be done now, he said, is to make LBS services as easy as possible to use. One example he mentioned was to provide 3-dimensional images to go with maps, giving users a photo of a statue or tall building instead of just a name.

When consumers buy a phone now, Koenig said, GPS capability is the most-asked-for feature after a camera.

SNAPin Steps In
By Monica Alleven

SAN FRANCISCO—A growing software company in a small booth at the CTIA Enterprise & Entertainment 2007 conference is trying to make some big changes in how people use their phones.

Similar to an ATM experience, where people can take care of their banking issues without direct human interaction, the self-service software accomplishes a similar goal. "We think this passes the same test," said Tom Trinneer, vice president of marketing and product management at SNAPin Software, noting that user studies often show people prefer to handle basic phone-related problems on their own.

Using the software on devices, users, for example, can be walked through simple tasks such as how to lock or unlock a smartphone keypad to prevent misdialing those unintended calls, or they can go through the steps to set up their own e-mail account - no customer service time required.
 
"We really try to arrange everything so you don't have to learn anything new or change behavior," Trinneer said.

The software, which is offered in various packages, also can show people things like how to turn off their Bluetooth or Wi-Fi on their device, thereby saving battery power. SNAPin offers three levels of software: SelfService Care, SelfService Configure and SelfService Campaign.

Nothing officially has been announced, but if you drop by SnapIn's booth, you might see how its software looks on a Windows Mobile 6 Dash over the T-Mobile USA network.

Note to job-seekers: The Bellevue, Wash., company says it's hiring for positions both in the United States and Europe.

Action Engine Launches Streaming Video 
By Monica Alleven

SAN FRANCISCO—Action Engine is building up the brand names with which it works and announced it will offer its partners even more: the Action Engine MediaPro, an integrated multimedia service that gives media companies a way to offer streaming video and audio content wirelessly.
 
With the launch of MediaPro, the company is integrating video, mobile advertising and on-device portal technology into a single platform.

Action Engine gradually has been racking up brand names as partners. AOL Mobile, for example, is a customer, but President and CEO Scott Silk says he can't reveal anything beyond that.

At its booth at the CTIA conference this week, AOL Mobile is showcasing various pieces of its strategy, including the AOL MyMobile beta that offers personalization, handset profiling and threaded applications. The latter is designed to make it easy to navigate between applications and use multiple apps at one time.

3Guppies Teams with Facebook
By Monica Alleven

3Guppies is making its application available on the Facebook platform so that social networkers can share their images instantly via mobile devices.

With the application, Facebook users can download photos posted on Facebook to any mobile phone for free, explains John Dearborn, CEO of 3Guppies. Unlike other apps, the recipient of a photo does not need to also have the application or even use Facebook in order to receive picture messages from 3Guppies.

3Guppies doesn't charge for the service, but standard data charges apply. To make sure the photos transmit smoothly from Facebook to the phone, 3Guppies tested compatibility with more than 1,000 different handsets on dozens of U.S. carriers.

End2End Buys Terraplay 
By Rhonda Wickham

SAN FRANCISCO—Managed service solutions provider End2End announced has acquired connected gaming player Terraplay. Terraplay specializes in connected mobile gaming and focuses on developing solutions for connecting mobile gaming communities.

Insisting there is "an untapped opportunity in mobile gaming," Bernadette Lyons, managing director at End2End, said many carriers benefit from having End2End "mind the gaming shop." In fact, she said the company took over the gaming portal for a carrier in the Vodafone Group and was able to "double its usage in a matter of months."

The mobile gaming market is expected to more than quintuple by the end of 2011: growing from last year's $3 billion to an estimated $17.5 billion.

Lyons said she expects connected gaming to be major factor in this dramatic uptick in mobile gaming growth and the acquisition helps strengthen the company's role in that success.

Lyons also points out that the price point on mobile gaming has held, while price points in other areas such as music and ringtones have slipped because of the variety of competitive locations that consumers can pick up content. Combined with the high quality of content, Lyons thinks that gaming is the next important-revenue generating area for wireless carriers to develop.

End2End's customers include Vodafone, T-Mobile, 3, Orange and O2. Moving forward, End2End plans to increase its focus in the U.S. and Asian markets, having already established itself in the European market.

News Briefs for October 24, 2007
Companies in today's briefs include: CinemaElectric, InfoGin, Nuance Communications, Emdigo, Ingrooves, Juniper Networks, NetMotion Wireless, Microsoft

• CinemaElectric, provider of mobile video programming, announced today a deal with Singa Home Entertainment to license its library of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan videos. The Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan footage will be seen on Smashbrain, CinemaElectric's men's lifestyle network. The content should be available later this year.

• InfoGin announced that more than 20 million mobile users are using its patented Web-to-mobile content adaptation technology, the Intelligent Mobile Platform (IMP), to browse the Web on their mobile devices.  InfoGin's IMP has been deployed commercially by top mobile operators operating CDMA and GSM networks, such as Virgin Mobile (UK), Mobilkom Austria Group (part of Vodafone), AIS (Thailand) and KPN (the Netherlands), as well as by content providers such as AOL, MapQuest and InfoSpace.

• Nuance Communications announced that a 30-day free trial of Nuance Voice Control, a mobile search and messaging service powered by speech technology, is pre-loaded on the Palm Centro smart device from Sprint. With the Nuance Voice Control service, Centro users can dictate and send e-mail or text messages, create calendar entries, dial a contact, and search the Web for business listings, movie times, sport scores and more. 

• Mobile software and technology company Emdigo announced that it has partnered with INgrooves to deliver top music artists in 3D animation, alongside favorite chart-topping tunes with the new INgrooves Music Screensaver mobile application. Available next month, on Verizon Wireless and Alltel Wireless networks, INgrooves Music Screensaver will allow consumers to browse through an entire catalog of artists by genre. The INgrooves Music Screensaver offers fifteen second audio clips of featured artists, including Tila Tequila, Too Short, B Legit and more, along with 3D animated screensavers of the artists.

• Juniper Networks reported high quarterly profits, as net income rose to $85.1 million during the third quarter. Net income for the same quarter last year was $58.3 million, or 10 cents per share. Revenue rose to $735 million from $573.6 million.

• NetMotion Wireless, a provider of mobile productivity and management software, has announced that its flagship product, Mobility XE, has been certified for use on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 devices.  The Mobility XE Mobile VPN promises to boost mobile productivity by securely maintaining and optimizing connections to applications as users move in and out of wireless coverage areas and across various networks. NetMotion Wireless also recently announced that it has crossed a new customer milestone and now has more than 200,000 licensed users for Mobility XE.