Intel Launching Multi-Network Chips, Solid State Drives, Low-Power Chips for Mobile Devices

Intel is following hard on the heels of Qualcomm’s Gobi software defined radio (SDR) platform by unveiling a new test chip for mobile devices, according to a report in this week’s Wireless Watch. Intel is also promising an upgrade to its existing dual-core mobile chips plus other innovations, such as solid state drives (SSD), which will be geared to portable and mobile devices.

Intel’s test chip for SDR currently handles Wi-Fi, WiMAX and DVB-H mobile TV on one chip. Gobi, which Qualcomm previously launched, supports the mobile phone networks W-CDMA and EV-DO plus Wi-Fi, with the potential to add LTE, WiMAX and mobile TV in the future.

Intel’s solid state drive for handheld devices is the thumbnail-sized Z-P140, available in 2GB or 4GB models and weighing a mere 0.6 grams. Using an Intel controller, up to four of the devices can be linked for a maximum of 16GB. The drives can be used in any device that supports a PATA (parallel advanced technology attachment) interface.

Intel plans to release SSDs in mid-2008 that could be used as hard disk drive replacements in notebooks. The drives would be available in 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch models.

For the ultra mobile PC market, Intel said it is on track to deliver its first generation low power platform, codenamed Menlow, in the first half of next year. This will contain a microprocessor codenamed Silverthorne and a chipset called Poulsbo.

Intel still plans to ship next year an integrated Wi-Fi/WiMAX chipset that will be available as an option for its next-generation Centrino platform, codenamed Montevina.

266 Companies Apply to Bid on Wireless Spectrum

– AT&T, Google, Verizon Wireless Head the List
– 4 with Pay-TV Connections

Barron’s reports that the FCC has received applications from 266 potential bidders in the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction. Among the more prominent and recognizable are:

– Advance/Newhouse*, owner of the Florida-based Bright House cable TV service

– Alltel, privately owned by TPG and Goldman Sachs

– AT&T Mobility Spectrum

– Cablevision bidding as CSC Spectrum Holdings

– CenturyTel Broadband Wireless

– Chevron

– Cincinnati Bell Wireless

– Cox Wireless*

– EchoStar under the name Frontier Wireless

– Google Airwaves

– Iowa Telecommunications Services

– MetroPCS 700 MHz LLC

– National Datacast, 88.6% controlled by PBS Enterprises, a for-profit operation of the not-for-profit Public Broadcasting System and 10% owned by Gemstar-TV Guide

– Qualcomm, which operates the MediaFLO mobile TV service that Verizon Wireless sells as V CAST Mobile TV and which AT&T has said it will soon start selling.

– Towerstream, which sells WiMAX to businesses

– Verizon Wireless, bidding as Cellco Partnership, of which Verizon Communications owns 55% and Vodafone the other 45%

– Vulcan Spectrum, one of Paul Allen’s many Vulcan investment vehicles. Allen is also the majority shareholder in the US cableco Charter Communications.

Sprint Nextel previously said it would not bid.

* Cox and Advance/Newhouse are two of the four cablecos (the other two being Comcast and Time Warner Cable) that are involved in a joint venture with Sprint called Pivot, which is intended to let the cablecos sell mobile service in competition with AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and other US cellcos.

Two other pay TV services – Cablevision and EchoStar – also applied to bid. The cablecos need a mobile phone service to sell so they can more effectively compete with Verizon, which has promised to “blend” the Verizon Wireless service into its bundles, and AT&T. EchoStar needs desperately a broadband service, as does DirecTV, to compete with the cablecos and telcos.

The winning bid will be determined by who has the most money and the most to win or lose. On that count, Google, AT&T and Verizon would seem to be the favorites.

Bloove Brings Your Mobile to Your PC, a Phone Away from Phone

Bloove, which launched its public beta in October, has released the newest version of its self-titled software, a Web service that allows mobile phone users to access their phone’s services from a computer. This program can perform a variety of mobile functions including managing contacts and speed dials, SMS sending and placing phone calls.

The company looks to capitalize on a forgotten corner of mobile market, the corner that tends to forget its phone at home or the office. It works with a growing number of Nokia and Sony Ericsson mobiles, so all users need to do is sign up, download the application to their phones and then start dialing calls and sending text messages on their phone’s behalf. Text messages can be sent from a computer without the phone being present.

Currently, Bloove can only dial the phone for users, who then must then use their phones like normal. In the future, it plans to release an option for paid subscribers to place a VoIP call, which will not require the phone itself, but users will need headphones and a microphone for their PC.

Bloove connects to a phone wirelessly, so no cables or computer software are required, just the application on the phone. Users can even edit or create an address book if they currently don’t have one or their computer has a more complete one.

A nice feature of the newest version is that users are given access to their Inbox, Drafts, Sent and other folders on their mobile phone. They can browse these files normally and through a contact history. If a user has his phone with him, he can save messages to Bloove’s server and then remove them from his phone without losing them. All the information stored on a Bloove account can also be transferred to a new phone if the user’s is ever lost, stolen or the screen cracks and all he can see is black.

Service membership is free in the current version, and allows each user to attach one phone to the account and store 15 contacts and 100 messages. All other features available have no such limitations. Bloove currently has a little over 1,000 users and claims that these users have “saved their 100,000+ contacts.”

Hyatt Place: ‘Plug It In’

The hotel chain Hyatt Place will provide a device for its customers to plug their portable media devices into the room’s 42-inch HDTV in all its guest rooms by year-end. The Hyatt Plug Panel allows guests to connect laptop computers, MP3 players and DVD players. Forgot the cord? Hyatt Place will sell connector cables

Bluepulse Breathes New Life into Mobile Social Networks

Like a typical tech junkie, Ben Keighran has always wanted more out of his gadgets and gizmos than they were meant to provide. Unlike many, however, Keighran did something about it. In his native Australia, Keighran built his first online bulletin board (BBS) at age 13. Several years later, as a university student with one of the first Ericsson Bluetooth phones, he tried to turn the handset into a wireless modem for his PC. He also managed to hack into the phone and built his first mobile application so that when he walked into his apartment a list of the songs stored on his PC would show up on the phone’s screen and he just had to hit a button to start them playing.

That still wasn’t enough for the man with the engineering background; he wanted to be able to share his music. So Keighran started building a platform on which he could create Internet-style applications for mobile phones, apps that would work regardless of the phone model or network. Now, five years later, that platform is the basis for Bluepulse, a free, ad-based mobile social messenger service that combines aspects of social networking and instant messaging into a single platform.

The beta version of Bluepulse, launched in December 2006 by the company of the same name, was a downloadable Java application. The app was downloaded more than three million times in 10 months by users in more than 150 countries. And, according to Keighran, “it’s already bigger than MySpace and Facebook on mobile in the US – combined.” In late October, the company released a new, mobile Web-based version of Bluepulse that added a host of innovative features, including a “revolutionary” way to send and receive messages.

The new Bluepulse boasts a universal message box for both sending and receiving all types of messages from a single interface. With the universal sending box, users can send a message to multiple friends and groups, with any combination of e-mail addresses, phone numbers and IM screen names, all at once. On the receiving side, all incoming friends’ profile updates, text messages, e-mails, instant messages and the like can be viewed in the same place – a single screen with an IM-like feel. The new platform also introduces the concept of group friending. With other social networking services, to add new friends you browse their profiles. Keighran said Bluepulse didn’t want to incorporate that approach “because it doesn’t fit the mobile model.” Instead, when a user hits “reply all” to a message from a friend, he’s informed if any of the recipients aren’t already on his friends list. If they’re not, he can easily ask them if they’d like to be added.

According to the company, group friending makes it easier for users to expand their network. Other new features include SMS and e-mail alerts to let users know they have a message waiting for them on Bluepulse; address importing that lets users invite their Facebook, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Gtalk, MSN and MySpace friends join them on Bluepulse and public groups built around user interests. Typically, social networks fall into one of three categories, said Keighran, IRC-style chat rooms, anonymous profiles and user-generated content portals. Some are PC-based and built for browsing, while others are mobile versions that “provide a window into the PC service,” he said. Then there’s a new category, the mobile social network, which Bluepulse hopes to help define. Bluepulse is the first mobile-only trusted social network, according to Keighran.

The company, which now calls Silicon Valley home, decided to launch its first version on Java so it would work on around half a billion of the three billion or so mobile phones in use, Keighran said. The new browser-based application doubles the potential user base to a billion. The browser-based version works on any Internet-enabled phone. Bluepulse markets the service directly to consumers, so it doesn’t have partnerships with any carriers or handset manufacturers that might want to put limits on how members can use the service.

JupiterResearch: Better Browser Options Will Increase Mobile Net Adoption

According to a new JupiterResearch study titled “Mobile Internet: Leave the Browser at Home on the Desktop,”  although consumers are actively using e-mail on their cell phones, most mobile users are not taking advantage of other PC-based activities on their handheld devices.

The findings suggest that a browsing alternative may be needed in order to hasten the adoption of mobile Internet services. We’re not advocating the browser go away – just that there should be an alternative for ‘glanceable’ content – the content people need frequently.  Consumers are willing to pay for good experiences and products.  The industry should focus on this reality,” said Julie Ask, JupiterResearch VP and lead analyst on the report.  “In turn, they can double or triple current adoption levels and drive up usage by focusing efforts on those cell phone users who would be motivated by a better user interface ad more compelling experiences.” 

Details from the report include:

– 63% of cell phone owners don’t use their devices to access Internet services like search engines or read the news, two popular desktop computer activities.

– A better browser experience and lower pricing options are two improvements that would help to increase consumers’ adoption rates.

The market researcher suggests browser alternatives like widgets and applets because they offer quicker access to content. According to David Schatsky, president of JupiterResearch, “The goal should be to engage the user through ease of operation so that accessing information in this manner will eventually become second nature.”

Professional Programming More Popular than UGC Says ChoiceStream

 ChoiceStream has released a study comparing professionally produced Internet content to amateur, user-generated content.  The report found that 67% of viewers surveyed watched professionally made programming on their PC, mobile device or digital media player, while 39% watched user-generated content.  The survey also found that:

– It takes several minutes to find interesting mobile content, according to 62% of users.

– 55% are watching video on some type of device, whether it be their computer, mobile phone or digital media player.

– 66% watch at least one hour of content through these alternative means.

– 66% of younger viewers watch programming on devices other than a TV, as opposed to 36% of adults who do the same.

– 65% said they don’t use a DVR; 23% of those who do use a DVR still watch the advertisements recorded within their program rather than fast-forward through them.

“The survey shows that there is an inefficient video discovery process that over time will slow the pace of change in consumers’ viewing patterns.  Consumers, especially those in the younger demographic, have grown accustomed to watching TV programs, sports, news and video at their own convenience and do not want to spend time searching for meaningful content every time they turn on their TV, PC or mobile device,” said ChoiceStream executive VP of sales and marketing Toffer Winslow. “It’s imperative that companies and advertisers embrace this shift and implement personalization strategies that will put relevant TV programming and video content at the consumers’ fingertips wherever they choose to watch it.”

Europeans Want a Wii, iPod from St Nick

According to digital trends research outfit ComScore, Europeans are putting the Nintendo Wii and Apple iPod at the top of their Christmas and holiday lists. The firm studied the frequency of online searches done in France, Germany and the UK during the first three weeks of November. The top two devices searched for were the Wii, with an average of 4.9 million weekly searches, and the iPod at 3.5 million searches.

Average Number of Weekly Searches
Nintendo Wii 4,903,013
Apple iPod 3,506,858
Nintendo DS Lite 3,283,749
PlayStation PSP 1,928,463
Apple iPhone 1,706,504

“We know that music players, game consoles and mobile phones are very popular with consumers this year. The interesting aspect of this study is identifying which products are generating the most consumer searches, which can provide retailers and manufacturers with important insight into the underlying consumer demand for each specific product,” said Bob Ivins, ComScore executive VP of European markets.

 

Cartoon Network, Smashing Ideas Offer Mobile Content

Cartoon Network and independent digital media developer Smashing Ideas have joined forces to develop and distribute Cartoon Network-branded mobile content consisting of games, animated screensavers and wallpapers created with Adobe Flash Lite software. 

The games that are currently available include Flight of the Hamsters based on the show “Codename: Kids Next Door” and the “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends”-based Mac’s Match-Up.  Additional games from shows like “Ben 10” are expected to be added in the future.

“The mobile agreement with Cartoon Network is a huge boost in our efforts to provide engaging mobile experiences to consumers.  We look forward to expanding our relationship with Cartoon Network in the co-creation of new mobile content and additional games from their successful catalogue,” said Smashing Content’s managing director Brian Burke.

Nokia Continues to Snap up Partners and Acquisitions for Its Ovi Portal

– Producing Financial Results That’ll Underpin Its Internet Push– Finnish Giant Has 57% of the Profits of the Top Five Handset Makers, 40+% of the Market Share

Nokia is not to be underestimated in its bid to become the dominant provider of content and services on the mobile Internet because the size of its installed base of handsets is so large. Google, Yahoo, Apple, MSN and AOL may think that the battle will be fought among themselves but Nokia recognizes the size and importance of the mobile Internet market. It’s also making all the right moves in terms of acquisitions, partnerships and new launches. This is part of a longer article that appeared in Wireless Watch. To get the complete article, please e-mail paperboy@riderresearch.com.

At its annual capital markets day in Amsterdam last week, Nokia set out its key objectives for 2008, focusing on its mobile Internet strategies while also making bullish statements on margins, market share and intellectual property rights (IPR).

Sprint Nextel has demonstrated the high risk of embarking on an ambitious mobile Internet strategy without a solid current business to support it and reassure investors. At Nokia’s Capital Markets Day last week, it was showing how grand strategy shifts can work, when there is still growth in the core business; when the vendor is expanding from a position of strength; and when the new activities should, if well executed, also further stimulate the original revenue streams.

Nokia’ s executive team turned out to convince investors that, despite unforgiving market conditions and the doubts around the Nokia Siemens venture, it was in a strong position to capitalize on all the opportunities that do exist, and still generate sufficient margin to justify new adventures.

The erosion of its average sales price for handsets has been less dramatic than for many rivals and the share of the profits of the top five phone makers that it takes home is a huge 57%.

Nokia’s CEO and CFO were not only keen to stress that such performance mitigates the risk of moving into Internet services, but were also throwing down the gauntlet quite clearly to two major adversaries, Motorola and Qualcomm. Indirectly alluding to the former’s margins collapse following its over-enthusiastic pursuit of the ultra-low cost market, Nokia played up its increase in margin and said pointedly that low end did not mean low profit, “in Nokia’s case.” Turning tacitly to Qualcomm, the company boasted of its increasing stock of IPR in 3G and beyond, claiming it owns 30% of essential patents in W-CDMA.

Mobile Internet represents a huge challenge, even with this financial cushion, and Nokia is accelerating its sign-ups of partners and acquisitions, launching a music offering that provides a year of free downloads together with Universal Music, and adding file sharing start-up Avvenu to its empire, focusing on transfer of content between PCs and mobile devices.

The company rubbed salt in the wounds of two major antagonists – Qualcomm, with a heavy stress on Nokia’s growing patent portfolio; and Motorola, with many barbed comments on the US phone maker’s disastrous over-commitment to low margin markets.

On IPR, Nokia said it has 30% of essential W-CDMA patents, compared to Qualcomm’s 11%. That’s the heart of the Finnish giant’s argument of why the two companies’ cross-licensing deal, which expired in April, should be renegotiated in its favor.