September 4, 2007
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Editor’s note:
Handset war heating up

What's New:
• Cheaper femtocells coming
• Enterprise iPhone email

Executive Analysis:
• New Symbol enterprise phone
• Nokia N95 trumps the iPhone?

Also Noted:
Super-fast WiFi; Keep RFID safe;
And much more...

Hands-On Wireless:
• The Wireless Beachfront
• Linux coming to lots of cell phones

The response of competing vendors is my favorite thing about the iPhone. Oh, the iPhone is a fine device, but a single great device rarely moves the market forward in a significant way. It's when the rest of the vendors have to respond to a great device that we see markets taking great strides forward. Those strides are beginning to be taken with the crop of handsets now being released. Nokia, Motorola, LG, Symbol, HPC, and others are busy getting products out to the market--products that build on the ideas behind the iPhone's revolutionary user interface. It's not all about pretty pictures and touch-screens, though; the newest phones have great functionality built in, too. Enterprise-ready mobile operating systems, highly-usable GPS modules, push to talk functionality--the world is changing for smartphone users, and the changes are going to make the mobile life even better. -Curtis

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What’s New

1. Cheaper femtocells coming

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You've been hearing about femtocells for a while and you should have paid attention: They're getting closer to technology that will work in your enterprise with the introduction of new chips that allow for cheaper 3G base stations. The idea of femtocells is that the repeaters will allow 3G coverage everywhere a wireless application is needed--even in buildings that might have poor reception. Cambridge Consultants, the firm designing the new femtocell base station, says that the new technology should bring the cost down to the point where carriers might include them with the purchase of handsets.

For more on low-cost femtocells:
- read the complete article at NetworkWorld

For more about WiFi femtocell alternatives:
- read up on solutions from T-Mobile and Sprint

2. Enterprise iPhone email

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It's shocking to consider, but not everyone loves the iPhone. Some corporations have even gone so far as to completely ban the Apple smartphone from the enterprise network. Now, though, a growing number of companies are implementing IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) email servers so that users with iPhones can access corporate email. IMAP may be the first step the iPhone takes through the corporate door but it's not likely to be the last: iPhone proponents look forward to the day when they'll be able to carry just the sleek new phone, and leave the BlackBerry at home.

For more on the corporate iPhone:
- read the application news at Mobile-Tech-Today

Executive Analysis

1. New Symbol enterprise phone

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With Windows Mobile and push-to-talk, the Symbol MC35 builds from a platform that has a number of enterprise-ready features. When you add rugged construction, a small footprint ( 5 x 2.6-inches and just .6-inches thick), and a tracking-app ready GPS unit, you get a package designed for enterprise applications and handheld productivity.

For more on the Symbol MC35:
- read the product news at CIO-Today

2. Nokia N95 trumps the iPhone?

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OK, so you've thought about an iPhone but aren't quite ready to go the Apple route. Which smartphone gives you the best multi-media features along with a healthy dose of cool? Nokia's newest iteration of the N95 could be the device for you. Building on the basics of the first-generation N95, the newest phone adds more memory (enough for 20 hours of video) and a 2.8-inch screen. In addition to impressing the executive in the next office, the N95 promises to be a Nokia phone with great potential for multi-media enterprise applications.

For more on the Nokia N95:
- see this story from DailyTechRag
- and read the full report at CIO-Today

> Super-fast WiFi. Article

> LG iPhone competitor. Article

> EarthLink layoffs. Article

> Keep RFID safe. Article

Hands-On Wireless

1. The Wireless Beachfront

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The FCC is getting ready to auction off access to a pleasant little strip of radio-frequency spectrum--think of it as the beach-front property of the wireless communications world. Some have said that this will be the last great spectrum auction of this generation, and companies like Google have certainly been acting as though that's true. With all you've read about open versus closed and the dangers of interference, do you really have a firm handle on what the spectrum is and, more important, can or can't do? This article provides clear, concise descriptions (and visual aids!) that should help set you straight.

For more on the upcoming FCC auction:
- read the in-depth report at WirelessWeek

2. Linux coming to lots of cell phones

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How do you feel about penguins? If you're putting together long-term wireless strategies, you might want to make your peace with the flightless birds if a report by ABI Research is correct. They say that 331 million smartphones will be running Linux by 2012. To do this, manufacturers will have to do a bit of convincing where the FCC is concerned--the regulatory agency is worried that users will be able to make easy (and unauthorized) changes to radios controlled by open-source software. For most corporate users though, an open-source phone has the same promise as open-source server software: it means an easier path to mobile application development.

For more on Linux cell phones:
- read the full report at NetworkWorld

©2007 FierceMarkets, Inc. This email was sent to tayllorcriss@gmail.com as part of the IT-Wireless email list which is administered by FierceMarkets, 1319 F Street NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20004, (202) 628-8778.

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