Mobile World Congress, the Olympics of Telecom, begins next week in Barcelona. The GSM Association sponsors this party, the biggest wireless show on Earth, with an expected 47,000 attendees and 1,300 exhibits.

Hundreds of press releases are expected to be issued in the next few days. Android and LTE are expected to dominate the show.

Here are a few choice highlights

• Microsoft will introduce Windows Mobile 7 on Monday. The WSJ says Windows Phone 7 will have an entirely new user interface that closely resembles that of Zune. Steve Ballmer’s Windows Phone press conference, at 3pm local time, will have more.
• Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt will deliver a keynote during which he will discuss how business models continue to shift in the industry.
• Intel and Nokia will announce a “partnership to help shape and drive the future of mobile computing.” Perhaps some sort of tablet or handheld device using Intel’s Moorestown chipset.
• MWC inaugural App Planet. The GSMA expects between 3,000 and 5,000 mobile application developers to visit App Planet over the four days, with Research In Motion, Sony Ericsson, Vodafone and WIPJam each hosting full-day conferences for application developers.
• Skype and Verizon Wireless will hold a joint press ponference on Tuesday. What’s up? VoIP for iPhone Over 3G, speculate some.
• Garmin-Asus phone. The Garmin-Asus Nuvifone A50 is the company’s first Google Android device and features all the usual Google and Android services, along with the ability to download cityXplorer maps, which provide routing using public transit options and support for Microsoft Exchange e-mail, calendar, and contacts.
• Qualcomm, Marvell, Texas Instruments, along with other silicon vendors, will announce a range of chips architectures for faster, cheaper, better mobile devices.
• A ton of new handsets are expected from all the biggies, such as Samsung, LG, HTC and Sony Ericsson as well as many smaller firms. Lots of tablets, too.
• LTE vendors will be out in force. Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, Huawei and ZTE will demonstrate LTE “pre-commercial” gear with modems for LTE, prototype cellular handsets and infrastructure gear.
• HTC is expected to announce an Android smartphone for Clearwire/Sprint, called Supersonic while Comsys Mobile may show a reference platform for a WiMAX/EDGE handset running the Google OS.
• Motorola is introducing their WiMAX USBw 200 adapter that includes a docking station with it’s own power supply and 6db antenna. The USB dongle has all the drivers you need within its on-board flash memory.

Check out Light Reading, RCR Wireless, C/Net, Engadget, Gizmodo, ComputerWorld, Phone Scoop, Phone Arena, Network World, Unwired View and Google News for more.

Android, Applications, Cellular News, Chips, Conferences, Corporate News, EV-DO/HSDPA, Fiber Optics, Gadgets, GPS, LTE, Mobile TV, Society & Telecom, Wi-Fi News, WiMAX News | No Comments »

Meraki has launched a new free tool, the Meraki WiFi Stumbler. It provides detailed, real-time and continuously updated information about nearby wireless networks (even those with hidden SSIDs).

Information that it displays include the type of access point, MAC address, wireless channel, signal strength, encryption type and more. It also features built-in search, sorting and filtering capabilities to make it easy to quickly find the data that you need when in the field troubleshooting networks.

Because WiFi Stumbler lives in the browser, there is no need to download and install software. You can quickly have it up and running whenever you need it.

WiFi Stumbler will run in most browsers on either a PC or a Mac, and it can even be used when you are not connected to the Internet if your browser supports HTML5 offline mode (currently only Firefox 3.5, but Safari and Chrome support should follow soon as well). You can use WiFi Stumbler to optimize coverage and performance of existing networks, troubleshoot wireless performance issues, find rogue APs and perform basic site surveys when planning deployments.

Applications, Municipal Wireless, Spectrum News, Wi-Fi News | No Comments »

A new free iPhone App is available from the City of Portland. The City of Portland Citizen Reports program. It’s a new way to interact with the city concerning problems with the publically maintained infrastructure, says Rick Nixon (pdf), the project’s manager at the Bureau of Technology Services.

Users can snap a photo of just about any street-level problem, such as graffiti or traffic lights, and send the report to the appropriate bureau at the City of Portland.

A complete report consists of a photograph of the problem, a report type which categorizes the problem, location and comments. A GPS tag can give crews the exact location. Once completed, the Submit button sends the report to the City of Portland. Once submitted, citizens will receive updates directly to their iPhone regarding the status of their issue(s).

Portland Mayor Sam Adams (@MayorSamadams) says it will ensure “greater transparency, efficiency and accountability in government.” Currently only an iPhone app is available, because of its popularity, but Blackberry and Android apps could come later.

Rick Nixon told Dailywireless that the BTS Staff did most of the development work:

“The city was doing some preliminary R&D with the iPhone as a mobile mapping/GIS platform. The experience gained during that effort dovetailed nicely when the request came in from City Hall for a mobile application to facilitate public interaction with the city on repair and infrastructure issues. Our timeframe was very compressed, the project required burning the midnight oil a few times.

iPhone development to reach v1.0 and be accepted by Apple was just under 4 man weeks. Initial acceptance into the App Store took three attempts. Apple is pretty serious about developers following their patterns and guidelines.

The project received a productivity boost from the kissxml & asihttprequest open source projects.”

Nixon suggested these iPhone development resources for others looking to develop iPhone apps:

• Standford University’s CS193 (on iTunes)
• The Pragmatic Bookshelf (great iPhone screencasts)
• iCodeBlog
• Cocoa With Love
• Cocoa Dev Central
• When you run into problems, stackoverflow.com is your friend.

Portland is the home of Linux creator Linus Torvalds, wiki inventor Ward Cunningham, mobile development shops like Small Society (which built iPhone apps for Obama, Starbucks, ZipCar and others), Urban Airship (an iPhone push infrastructure), and our own Android guru, Don Park.

The City of Portland is working on an Open Data Initiative, together with regional data owners such as Metro, Multnomah County, TriMet, Portland Public Schools and others to coordinate the release of high value datasets to the public domain. The objective is to make various sets of public data freely available in electronic form to allow the community to develop innovative applications that utilize this data in interesting and informative ways.

Portland isn’t the first city to introduce a citizens-reports app, notes the Oregonian. In Pittsburgh, they have iBurgh. Since the launch of Boston’s Citizens Connect in November, the city has handled about 1,000 reports from iPhones. Their iPhone application was created in collaboration with the City of Boston and Connected Bits, a local engineering firm, for approximately $25,000.

Last August, the city of San Francisco launched an effort to build a publicly accessible database of machine-readable, API-accessible government data called DataSF.org. It can be used by developers to create new mashup apps applications, mixing sites like Google Maps and platforms like the iPhone, with public data.

EcoFinder (left), is an iPhone application that helps San Francisco residents recycle based on their location. It was built using recycling data released by the city’s Department of Energy.

DataSF.org currently includes more than 100 datasets, from a range of city departments, including the San Francisco Police Department, Department of Public Works, and the Municipal Transportation Agency. Users can search for datasets as well as add tags, ratings and comments to the available data. There’s also an option to request new or additional sets of data.

Mayor Gavin Newsom wrote in a blog post, “We hope DataSF.org will create a torrent of innovation similar to when the developer community was given access to the platforms behind popular technologies and devices like Facebook and Apple’s iPhone.”

Open source resource mapping projects like Oregon Explorer (www.oregonexplorer.info) and Willamette Basin Explorer (willametteexplorer.info) can make databases, created by government silos, available to everyone using the expertise of Oregon State’s Open Source Lab. OpenOceanMap (ohloh.net) is an ambitious project to break the ties of traditional geo-spatial data collection and develop a truly cross platform, Open Source, and transportable decision support tool. Their Gulf Project demo shows the utility of combining open source data bases.

Local governments that have made their 3D data available on Google Earth include Boston Redevelopment Authority, City of Amherst, Massachusetts, and Boise, Idaho.

The Washington State Department of Transportation, charged with monitoring more than 18,300 miles of state highways and 3,600 bridges, is creating a single, seamless repository of transportation information covering the entire state — from the small private road to the primary arterials. The system integrates disparate county data into a centralized database. The team chose Vancouver, BC-based Safe Software’s FME which enables GIS professionals to translate, transform, integrate and distribute spatial data from more than 225 formats.

Portland voluteers and OSU’s Open Source Lab rallied tech volunteers in Oregon recently, to help the relief and recovery efforts following Haiti’s earthquake. CrisisCampPDX is one of a dozen similar events organized by CrisisCommons (blog), which utilizes open source software for the public good. Volunteers gather in a BarCamp-style unconference to provide technical support to relief efforts on the ground in Haiti. Their Google Groups site has more.

The City of Portland Water Bureau, Office of Emergency Management, and Bureau of Technology Services are seeking proposals for an emergency notification and call-out solution that will meet current and future notification needs for the City of Portland.

Applications, Cellular News, GPS, iPhone, Location Services, Open Source, Public Service, Society & Telecom | No Comments »

Volvo and Ford are showcasing new infotainment systems this week at the Chicago Auto Show, but safety advocates may have the final word on whether they hit the streets.

Volvo’s new XC70 vehicle will make its entrance with a new rear-seat entertainment system. The RSEi-500 system will let backseat passengers surf the Web, check e-mail, listen to music, and watch TV and movies. It uses Windows XP, Wi-Fi, and a 500GB hard drive.

To view content, passengers can wirelessly connect to the in-car system from their personal PCs to transfer video, audio, and other files. While on the road, people can plug a Sprint 3G wireless card into the system to stay connected to the Internet all the time. To put the new system in the back seat, Volvo teamed with Azentek, a manufacturer of in-car computer systems, and Gracenote, which provides downloadable information for digital music. The infotainment system is scheduled to appear in various Volvo models in June of this year.

Meanwhile, Clear is showcasing WiMax inside an experimental Ford Flex. The concept car has four touch screen displays and can access various applications through the internet. Clear launched WiMAX in Chicago in December 2009. Clearwire, the parent company of Clear, plans to cover up to 120 million more people by the end of 2010, unwiring Houston, Washington D.C., New York, Boston and San Francisco.

Ford’s Sync is a factory-installed, in-car communications and entertainment system developed by Ford and Microsoft. It is based on the Microsoft Auto platform and is currently offered on 12 different Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. The successor to SYNC is dubbed MyFord Touch.

The Internet connection is provided by the a user-supplied broadband modem, which the new system will interface with via the USB slot, creating an in-car Wi-Fi hotspot. SD card navigation, supplied by TeleNav, will be available as an option. The SD card will contain the map database and voice data, 3D map graphics and enhanced point-of-interest (POI) information.

Smart phone applications can also interact with MyFord Touch and take advantage of its voice commands. This could eventually enable streaming voice-controlled streaming internet radio apps or restaurant finder apps with selection by voice, followed by directions.

A browser can use MyFord Touch only when parked, but the proprietary (Ford designed) browser forms the basis of Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari browsers. It will feature current versions of Adobe Flash and Microsoft’s Silverlight, says DailyTech.

NVIDIA will power the navigation and entertainment systems in all 2010 Audi vehicles worldwide. Their Vibrante multimedia engine allows Audi passengers to watch DVDs; listen to music from an iPod, CD, SD card or USB memory stick; and enjoy online video content. The built-in nav system uses Google Earth with a GPRS / EDGE modem.

Audi appears conflicted about regulation of in-car information systems. Their “Green Police” Superbowl commercial, a case in point.

Safety advocates say the companies behind these technologies are tone-deaf to mounting research showing the risks of distracted driving, reports the NY Times.

“This is irresponsible at best and pernicious at worst,” Nicholas A. Ashford, a professor of technology and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said of the new efforts to marry cars and computers.

Car control systems include Audi’s Multi Media Interface, Ford’s Sync, the Mercedes Command system, BMW’s iDrive and Toyota Telematics.

OnStar is free in GM vehicles for a year, then carries an annual subscription fee of $199 or $299. Ford’s Sync is an option with a onetime cost of under $400, but no subscription fees.

Fewer than 1 million consumers have web access in their cars today, but more than 62 million will have it by 2016, says iSuppli.

Related DailyWireless stories on transit connectivity include; Hands-free Vehicular Calling, Tracking Tools, Ford Sync Dials 911, In-Vehicle Infotainment: Death Race, CradlePoint: Mobile WiFi/WiMAX Hot Spots, Mercedes myCOMAND, BMW iDrive Gets Makeover, Handheld Intelligent Transportation, Chrysler Offers Internet Access , Chrysler Rolls Out U-connect , Ford Sync, Google Transit Maps + WiFi

Applications, Cellular News, Corporate News, EV-DO/HSDPA, Gadgets, GPS, iPhone, Location Services, LTE, Mobile TV, Society & Telecom, Transit Connectivity, Wi-Fi News, WiMAX News | No Comments »

The FCC is considering a plan to pay broadcasters to vacate airwaves, reports Business Week.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in October warned of a “looming spectrum crisis,” saying it poses a threat to U.S. mobile communications. The National Broadband Plan is due to be delivered to Congress in March. It will outline ways to make additional spectrum available.

The plan may propose using revenue from airwave auctions to pay existing users to exit airwaves, an FCC official says.

According to Business Week, regulators are weighing the compensation as part of a larger effort to improve access to high-speed Internet connections, says the official, who asked not to be identified because the plan is not yet public.

“The broadcasters that I talk to are excited about the future, and particularly the opportunities afforded by live and local mobile DTV. They have no interest in ‘cashing out’ based on a speculative promise from the FCC that we will be receiving money in exchange for spectrum,” said Dennis Wharton (right) a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters.

The FCC in December asked the public for comment on whether broadcasters should relinquish some airwaves. Blair Levin, the FCC official who is overseeing the drafting of the broadband plan, said in December he wanted to explore “the idea that some broadcasters might wish to sell their spectrum in a way that benefits them and the country.”

The FCC has delayed submitting its highly anticipated National Broadband Plan report to Congress until March, reports Reuters.

There’s no guarantee that Congress will approve the FCC’s recommendation or that broadcasters will accept payment in exchange for relinquishing airwaves they could use to expand in areas including mobile digital TV (DTV), says Dennis Wharton,

The Federal Communications Commission, has been reportedly mulling an auction on broadcast television frequencies for some time, reports Reuters.

One proposal (pdf) would be to keep VHF channels (2-13) for over-the-air broadcasting and make the UHF channels (14-35, 37-51) available for reallocation. According to the Brattle Group study, such a proposal would free up 216 MHz or 73% of the frequencies. The 10 million people who rely on over the air broadcasting may also get subsidized “lifeline” cable if their viewing is disrupted.

Broadcasting & Cable, Cellular News, FCC Actions, Mobile TV, Radio Policy News, Society & Telecom, Spectrum News | No Comments »

Research and Markets predicts that the USA will have 365.7 million mobile subscribers in 2014, increasing from 285.9 million in 2009. In spite of rapid growth of smaller operators, Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility will see their subscriber market shares increase over the next five years, says the market researcher.

Other predictions:

• Verizon Wireless’s market share will increase from 31.9% to 36.5% and AT&T Mobility’s market share will increase from 29.5% to 33.0% over the forecast period, 2009 – 2014.
• Sprint-Nextel’s subscriber market share will continue to decline dramatically over the next five years to reach 7.4% in 2014.
• AT&T Mobility will have 120.8 million subscribers and T-Mobile will have 36.1 million subscribers in 2014.
• Verizon Wireless will continue to be the largest mobile operator in the country, with their subscriber base increasing to 133.6 million in 2014.
• Industry average ARPU level in the United States will remain stable over the forecast period, 2009 – 2014, in the range of $50 – $51 over the next five years.
• Verizon Wireless will continue to enjoy the highest level of profitability in the US wireless market

Since Sprint has cornered about 75% of the 4G spectrum in the United States, it seems odd that Research and Markets is predicting their share will drop more than 50% in five years. But if you want to read why Sprint could shrink to one quarter the size of AT&T and Verizon, you’ll have to buy their report (EUR€ 366.00).

Cellular News, Market Metrics | No Comments »