The Mobile entertainment summit – this event took place on Sunday (the day prior to the official CTIA show start). Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend as I arrived in town Sunday evening. I did, however, take in last year’s event in Atlanta and if this recent summit was anything like the previous event then it was a must attend day and well worth arriving a day early! Apparently conference organizer iHollywood Forum had to turn away more than 100 would-be attendees so obviously this event is catching on. The Mobile Entertainment Summit features a remarkable lineup of industry leaders sharing their knowledge and experiences about mobile games, entertainment, music,
The Wireless home – on display at the far end of the exhibition hall was a 7,000 square foot home, outfitted with all the gadgets and wireless devices one could dream of. There were plasma TVs, a GPS enabled Hummer in the driveway, RFID equipped bread maker, and even a wireless, computerized medicine cabinet designed to monitor and track the dispensing of medicine.
The wireless dream home!
AOL announced a suite of products and mobile services designed to enable users to wirelessly insert photographs into IM sessions sent over the air (OTA). Billed as the Mobile Picture Messaging Service, the next release will also provide users with the ability to initiate and reply to picture messages quickly and easily through a buddy list on the mobile handset – of course you’ll need to be an AOL mobile user. AOL also announced a new MapQuest(r) mobile service including MapQuest(r) Traffic(tm) and MapQuest(r) Find Me(tm). MapQuest’s new MapQuest Find Me service uses GPS-location-enabled phones to help consumers pinpoint their locations on their phones, share their location with others via text messaging, find nearby locations, and get maps and directions. MapQuest’s new MapQuest Traffic service gives users live traffic data for 90 metropolitan areas in the U.S. With MapQuest Traffic, drivers can easily access up-to-date traffic information through their mobile phones so that they can plan alternate routes based on real-time information.
Samsung was touting the new 2 mega pixel camera phone – the a800 EV-DO and if you can believe it they also had news of a 5 and 7 mega pixel device that will be available later in the year in Korea. The a800 features a camcorder, external memory card support, 3D gaming, MP3 player,
Retail printing kiosks were popular with Nokia and Samsung offers visitors a chance to have images snapped with their latest camera enabled devices and then print a hard copy using a kiosk. Fujifilm announced that they have doubled the number of kiosks available in the US. There are currently about 2600 Fujifilm kiosks in the US at this time and has relationships with Sprint and Nextel. The company has also announced their wireless postcard service with Cingular. The service enables users to snap a photo, select a postcard template, address it, and send via snail mail to the recipient. http://www.fujifilm.com
FoneShare is a new product from Newbay Software, developers of the popular Foneblog service. Users of Foneshare can locate, purchase, then recommend software to friends. This new twist on community building enables account holders to share their knowledge of apps and earn referral points for any subsequent sales that their referrals lead to. Foneshare can be used on a mobile device or home PC and users can join up with FonePals, other users who share similar interests. http://www.newbay.com
New device… Nokia’s 6155i clamshell phone with mega-pixel camera. The nifty device also comes with built in navigation system supporting turn-by-turn directions, 6x zoom on the digital camera, built in flash, voice activated features, support for video recording, and 3D graphics. This one should be a winner! In a related announcement, Nokia has announced that effective immediately the price of N-Gage has dropped to a measly $99 and games are now available for as little as $14.99 (US). Prices may vary depending on license terms. http://www.nokia.com. US-based enterprise users and those needing to stay in synch with their email and Office apps will be excited once the Nokia 9500 (Communicator) device is available here later this year… this device is amazing and a must have for mobile crews and those with power hungry apps.
checking out the Nokia 9500 Communicator
Bluetooth headsets…For as little as $59-$99 Jabra has some very cool options for you. These sporty and small headsets enable hands free talking and have some cool features like vibrator alert, USB charging, and stereo. http://www.jabra.com/
Cellboost battery charger is definitely a handy tool. This disposable charger enables users to add life to the battery on your cell phone, PDA, camcorder, or iPod. See http://www.cellboost.com/
LBS were given a pretty high profile this year at CTIA. Below is just a small sampling of some of the LBS related news announcements we picked up on at the show.
Route 66 was coming off the recent announcement of ROUTE 66 Mobile 2006 – Symbian UIQ. ROUTE 66 Mobile 2006 – Symbian UIQ” turns your Symbian UIQ mobile phone into a wireless navigation system. With “ROUTE 66 Mobile 2006 – Symbian UIQ” you can automatically download up-to-date traffic information from the ROUTE 66 web site via a GPRS connection onto your Symbian UIQ mobile phone even when you are on the road. See http://www.66.com.
TomTom USA announced TomTom Rider, a mobile navigation solution developed specifically for motorcycle and scooter drivers. The solution includes full featured maps and a weather-protected memory card. It provides turn-by-turn routing and is supported in 30 languages. The product comes with a docking kit and a power cable for connection to the cycle’s battery. The Bluetooth headset fits inside a rider’s helmet and provides wireless connectivity for safe, hads-free use. http://www.tomtom.com/
Track your Pooch with a GPS tracking solution from Syniverse. This Global pet finder solution comes with a GPS transmitter and GPS radio that can be mounted on a dog’s collar. The radio sends a message when Rover strays from the yard and leaves a predetermined fenced area. The user receives an SMS message on his mobile with a notification that the pooch has left the fenced area. http://www.syniverse.com/
Orion and CellPoint Agree to Market CellPoint’s Location Based Services in America. This product enables customers to send telephone calls initiated from an SMS message or a text string embedded in a Web page. Recipients will receive telephone calls containing written text converted to speech; speech messages could also be accompanied by music or an animated voice. The technology will also enable companies to extend their brands’ reach through mass marketing campaigns informing consumers of new products, services and special events. http://www.cellpoint.com/
Telcontar and Telcontar partners were on hand demonstrating location-based applications for navigation, tracking and mobile asset management. The applications can be delivered to multiple devices, including cell phones, computer workstations, web browsers, PDA’s, Pocket PC’s, and vehicle telematics units. Recall Telcontar powers the industry’s leading mapping and local search services, including Yahoo!, Google, Ask Jeeves, Rand McNally, Motorola VIAMOTO™ and Hutchison 3G wireless. They just announced this week that they will complement Lucent’s LBS services, based on the their Drill Down Server geo-spatial software platform. http://www.telcontar.com/
Telmap announced the opening of their US based office – Their LBS solution, Polaris, enables users to receive dynamic full color maps and clear and accurate turn-by-turn navigation instructions in voice, graphics and text formats. Features include a worldwide database of millions of Points of Interest (POIs) including restaurants, hotels, theaters, etc., the ability to direct dial to any POI from within the application and Text Messaging functionality enabling users to share locations, points of interest and maps. Polaris turns the everyday cellular phone into an indispensable driving, walking and travel tool. See http://www.telmap.com
Televigation, a leading provider of wireless location-based services launched TeleNavTrack 3.0 – TeleNavTrack 3.0 is a mobile phone-based tracking service with integrated mileage recording, global positioning system (GPS) navigation, electronic time sheet reporting and interactive dispatching. The solution is ideal for the transportation and field services markets. http://www.televigation.com/home.html
Wherify Wireless, Inc. will was on hand at cTIA whowing the Wherifone G550® GSM/Enhanced-GPS Locator Phone. Weighing only 2.5 ounces and about the size of a business card, the Wherifone is the world’s smallest GSM Locator Phone. The Wherifone combines GSM voice technology and precision on-demand Enhanced-Global Positioning Satellite (E-GPS) technology enabled by Wherify to provide emergency 911 and other location services that will bring added safety and peace-of-mind for families with children and persons of special needs, and seniors. According to the company, the Wherifone will be available in the United States starting in the Spring of this year via a combined service offering with MedicAlert. See http://www.wherify.com
MapInfo has announced a new version of MapX Mobile (v5.0), used for creating customized maps on handheld devices. MapX Mobile enables organizations in many different vertical markets to receive, view and analyze location data wherever critical decisions are made - in the field and across the enterprise. For example, an insurer would use MapX Mobile for on site risk assessment, and telecommunications service engineers would identify where underground equipment is located for “call before you dig” analysis. http://www.mapinfo.com
More Press announcements made at CTIA Wireless 2005 can be found HERE & Images from the floor available HERE
