Technology | Fone Arena

Vodafone Trials 3G Service In Sydney

Vodafone has recently started external 3G trials in Sydney, Australia. They are giving 180 customers the ability to use and test drive the 3G network for three weeks. The testers will be given 3G enabled phones, and data cards for usage with their notebooks, and etc. In the last week, they�re gonna have to report to Vodafone stores to talk about their experiences, usage problems

Vodafone has recently started external 3G trials in Sydney, Australia. They are giving 180 customers the ability to use and test drive the 3G network for three weeks. The testers will be given 3G enabled phones, and data cards for usage with their notebooks, and etc. In the last week, they’re gonna have to report to Vodafone stores to talk about their experiences, usage problems, etc…

During this task, they’ll be assigned tasks such as downloading MP3 tracks, videos, and 3D games – why? To see how well the 3G network operates and stands up. These results in the stores are going to be used to properly train Vodafone staff for the full network launch later on.

Vodafone has assigned sets of tasks for users to complete during the trial. Mobile handset users will be asked to download specific Vodafone live! content, such as the latest music tracks, sports action and 3D games. Business customers will use the VMC with 3G data cards to test mobile email with attachments, internet access and wireless working using various enterprise applications.

“We want to evaluate the customer experience across all areas of content and delivery so we’ve deliberately set objectives for users, but beyond that it’s up to them to decide how and what they want to explore,” said John Casey, Chief Marketing Officer at Vodafone Australia. “We’ll use feedback from the trial to give future 3G customers an unbeatable mobile experience.”

“At Vodafone, an unbeatable experience means much more than how the technology performs; it’s about how successfully we meet and exceed customer expectations on service and support and how effectively our products and content fires imagination, “ added Casey.

The external trial follows a three-month internal test programme, which evaluated the functionality of the Vodafone 3G network, handset and data card provisioning and support systems. The internal trial involved more than 100 Vodafone employees in Sydney.

“Our Australian customers will benefit from everything that Vodafone has learned in rolling out new 3G networks in 14 other countries around the world,” said Casey.

source:Cellular-News

Bluetooth security flaw found

Cryptographers have found a security flaw in Bluetooth that allows unauthorized pairing between (among other things) mobile phones. Pairing is the process that Bluetooth devices go through to make sure the owner of each device is aware of the connection. During pairing, the same PIN has to be entered on both devices.

The new flaw allows a malicious user to pair without the other device alerting its owner. It masquerades as another device that’s currently paired with the target:

Avishai Wool and Yaniv Shaked [of Tel Aviv University in Israel] have managed to force pairing by pretending to be one of the two devices and sending a message to the other claiming to have forgotten the link key. This prompts the other device to discard the link key and the two then begin a new pairing session, which the hacker can then use

Source:MobileTracker

Nokia Makes Donation to GNOME Foundation

Donations of sales of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet in the Developer Device Program will go to the GNOME Foundation.Nokia, which recently launched the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, announced today a developer device program at the GNOME user and Developer European Conference (GUADEC). The developer device program will donate the proceeds from the sales of 500 Nokia 770 devices to the GNOME Foundation.

Donations of sales of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet in the Developer Device Program will go to the GNOME Foundation.

STUTTGART, Germany –May 31, 2005 – Nokia, which recently launched the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, announced today a developer device program at the GNOME user and Developer European Conference (GUADEC). The developer device program will donate the proceeds from the sales of 500 Nokia 770 devices to the GNOME Foundation.

The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is based on Linux and widely deployed Open Source technologies like GNOME. At the core of the Nokia 700 Internet Tablet is Hildon Application Framework, which is based on GNOME technology. This technology has been adapted with extensions and modifications to evolve a user interface framework that is better suited for handheld category devices.

“GNOME is a very powerful and user-friendly environment suitable for desktops,” said Ari Jaaksi, Director, Open Software Platform, Convergence Products, Multimedia, Nokia. “By harnessing the power of GNOME and adapting it for handhelds on the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, we are delivering an impressive product that will continue to grow with the help and input of GNOME and Open Source users and developers.”

The tablet, which was unveiled on the 25 of May at the LinuxWorld Summit in New York, will allow users to browse the web, check e-mail, read the latest news, listen to Internet radio or their own music, watch videos and store and view images.

“We’re very excited about the release of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet,” said Timothy Ney, executive director of the GNOME Foundation. “We are also really grateful to Nokia for donating the proceeds of the developer device program to the GNOME Foundation.”

The 770 Internet Tablet has a host of utilities, including a file manager, PDF reader, notes and sketch capabilities, as well as games. It has a high-resolution 4.13-inch touch screen, 800×480 resolution and 65,536 colors that will show off the truly impressive graphic environment. It also features an on-screen keyboard and handwriting capabilities, as well as zooming, panning and full-screen features.

Source:guadec

Nokia Sensor – New Social Software for Bluetooth Phones

Nokia Sensor is a social software application from Nokia that allows you to meet similarly Bluetooth enabled Nokia phone owners around you. You can setup your own “folio” on your phone and then scan nearby phones to see other folios around you. Send sensor messages back and forth and view the ‘popularity’ of those around you. Check the Nokia website to see if your Nokia phone is compatible with the software, select your language, and then download for free the software application.

Nokia Sensor is a social software application from Nokia that allows you to meet similarly Bluetooth enabled Nokia phone owners around you. You can setup your own "folio" on your phone and then scan nearby phones to see other folios around you. Send sensor messages back and forth and view the ‘popularity’ of those around you. Check the Nokia website to see if your Nokia phone is compatible with the software, select your language, and then download for free the software application.
NokiaSensor Nokia Demo
via textually.org and blueserker.com

Brains behind the Nokia 770 internet tablet

The Brains behind the Nokia 770 internet tablet seem to be Texas Instruments.This appears like a a rumor

The Brains behind the Nokia 770 internet tablet seem to be Texas Instruments.This appears like a a rumor.

But the layout of the OMAP1710 seems pretty much the layout of the Nokia 770

Bluetooth added to the New Oxford American Dictionary

Ever wondered what it takes to be added to the dictionary? Well, it seems 2000 words have what it takes to be added to the New Oxford American Dictionary.
Among the technology or computer words added: blogosphere, bluetooth, phishing, malware, infoholic, hacktivist, megapixel, code monkey, lurker, and RFID.

You can find more of the 2000 words at Yahoo

Car tires send alert to driver by bluetooth

Mobile|blog.it, which by the way is my latest favorite blog to find great cell phone news (and I don’t speak Italian- you don’t need to speak Italian to find great links here), reports on a new product manufactured by Pirelli, to launch on the market next October, which is a tire cap which could send alert messages to the driver’s cell phone via Bluetooth.

Mobile|blog.it, which by the way is my latest favorite blog to find great cell phone news (and I don’t speak Italian- you don’t need to speak Italian to find great links here), reports on a new product manufactured by Pirelli, to launch on the market next October, which is a tire cap which could send alert messages to the driver’s cell phone via Bluetooth.

But according to Marco Magnocavallo, over at Mobile|blog.it, the strange thing it’s that on the Pirelli Xpressure site there’s nothing about Cellphones, Bluetooth, etc. They only speak about an "Electronical device"…

And two Italian newspapers picked up on the bluetooth side of the story, Repubblica yesterday and the Corriere della Sera wrote about it today.

So Marco wonders who’s right? Pirelli Xpressure website or the newspapers?"

Source:textually

Bill Gates Holding a Samsung Cellular Phone

Bill Gates is holding two mobile devices using Windows operating
system before his opening speech at the “Microsoft Mobile and Embedded
DevCon 2005

Bill Gates is holding two mobile devices using Windows operating system before his opening speech at the “Microsoft Mobile and Embedded DevCon 2005” held in Las Vegas, reports The Dong-A Ilbo.

"The mobile device held on Gates’ left hand is the Samsung’s i300 cellular phone with an embedded hard disk drive.

The device held on his right hand is a cell phone from Taiwanese company HTC’s Universal model."

More on Windows Mobile 5.0 on Engadget and a related article from from Telecoms Korea about Korean carriers and handset makers adopting MS Windows Mobile 5.0.
Source:textually.org

Wind-Powered Cell Phones

Students at the Indian Institute of Technology have developed a pocket-sized turbine that attaches to your cellphone to charge it. Best suited for use in costal areas with near-constant wind flow or long talks with your mother, the device can also be used during travel as long as you set it up against the wind. The idea is to allow mobile users to charge and continue using their phone when they’re away from electricity, which is fine idea, but does the turbine give off a Pine-Fresh scent, or Cool Mountain Breeze? Because if not I can think of a way to overclock this thing.

Microsoft Launches Windows Mobile 5.0

New version of software provides partners with improved integration of technologies to deliver a more intuitive mobile device experience.

Microsoft today simultaneously launched new version of their Pocket PC and Smartphone operating systems. The new versions are more similar than ever featuring a new unified one-handed interface, but Pocket PC still maintains a touch screen interface and offers extra software like Office applications – now including a Powerpoint viewer. Windows Mobile 5 offers more options for fast data on handsets, adding support for newer 3G networks, and supporting Wi-Fi on both Pocket PC and Smartphone. It expands storage options, adding support for hard drives and speeding data transfer with USB 2.0. The new OS also offers greater carrier and manufacturer customization, allowing them to add features like Push-To-Talk, video calling and even additional media format playback like AAC. Read More
Source:Microsoft

Nokia N91 to beat iPod?

Digital audio players from brands such as Creative, iRiver, Dell, Samsung and even Sony can’t compete with Apple’s flagship, the iPod. Will Nokia be able to compete with the iPod with its upcoming Nokia N91 – despite the higher cost? The Nokia N91 will feature a 4GB internal hard drive, a 2 megapixel digital camera and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The phone also supports 3G services, including wireless downloading services. It is designed to play audio with music control buttons on a faceplate that slides down to reveal the phone’s keypad.

The Nokia N91 will feature a 4GB internal hard drive, a 2 megapixel digital camera and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The phone also supports 3G services, including wireless downloading services. It is designed to play audio with music control buttons on a faceplate that slides down to reveal the phone’s keypad.

The company also claims that users will be able to send music to others via e-mail, bluetooth and MMS. So this phone might actually introduce wireless p2p but there are also some problems:

While it may be easy to share a file between two phones of the same type that use the same carrier, it will be much more difficult between different phones on separate networks. Diverse file formats, lack of carrier interoperability and digital-rights-management concerns are all expected to limit the ability to share music wirelessly. “Forget it,” industry consultant Richard Siber says. “It’s just too problematic.”

Nokia’s N91 will be compatible with all popular audio formats, except iTunes. The only thing that will likely limit the market penetration of the Nokia N91 is it high cost. It is said that this phone will cost around 700EUR ($900), so with carrier subsidies it will likely still cost more than $500. Not really that competitive with a $199 iPod mini.

Source: Reuters

Google bolsters mobile search

On Tuesday, the search company plans to introduce two new search options for mobile phones, reports News.com

“One feature lets people with browser-enabled cell phones use Google Local,

On Tuesday, the search company plans to introduce two new search options for mobile phones, reports News.com

"One feature lets people with browser-enabled cell phones use Google Local, a Web directory of local businesses and sights, by typing in a name and ZIP code.

Using the second feature, people can text message Google SMS (Short Message Service) with the short code "46645" to receive driving directions to most locations"

Bluetooth SIG and UWB work together

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has tapped ultra-wideband (UWB) for high-speed communications inside of Bluetooth. Though nothing is final yet, the goal is to work towards an architecture that allows devices to take advantage of UWB data rates for scenarios that require high speed. Bluetooth will still be important to maintain backward compatibly with existing devices on the market and future products not requiring the higher data rate.

If ported to mobile phones, Bluetooth with UWB could see speeds of 100-200 mbps or about the same speed as WiFi. There is still much to be argued in the UWB spec, but this is a good first step to see UWB adopted into the mainstream.

Source: MobileTracker

Blogger launches mobile feature

Leading weblog publishing service Blogger has launched a new feature dubbed Blogger Mobile that allows users to post content from mobile phones. Both images and text can be posted to all Blogger powered sites (or by default a new moblog) via MMS or email.

Sending an MMS or email to go@blogger.com will automatically create a new blog. Your photo, along with any text you add, will be uploaded to that blog right away and then we’ll message you back with the address so you can visit your new blog on the web. It’s all free. When you feel like changing anything or you already have a Blogger account and you want the posts to go to your existing blog, you can log in to go.blogger.com and enter the token we sent to your phone.

Blogger is owned and operated by Google. As noted in the text above, this service like regular Blogger service, is free. Prior registration is not required to use Blogger Mobile.

Microsoft to announce Windows Mobile 2005

Microsoft is expected to announce the next version of its mobile phone operating system, Windows Mobile 2005, at the a developers conference next week. The Mobile and Embedded DevCon 2005 takes place May 9-12th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Windows Mobile 2005 is no secret thanks to leaked copies that sprouted up on the internet. Some of the new features include:

Increased support for QWERTY keyboards
Mobile version of PowerPoint
Updated versions of other Office applications

There is no word on when new devices running the software will begin shipping.

Source: mobile tracker