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July NewsWeekly >>

AskCALEA NewsWeekly July 30, 2010

• FCC Concerned Over DefCon Mobile Hacking Talk
  Chris Paget wants to demonstrate how easy it is to snoop in on mobile-phone conversations. The question is: Will the federal authorities allow it?
• Google Apps rubber-stamped for use by US gov
  Google has introduced a version of Google Apps certified for use by the US government.
• AT&T Reports 6.7 Million Network Connected Devices
  AT&T has reported that nearly 3.4 million connected devices have been added to its network in the past three quarters, bringing the total connected devices to nearly 6.7 million.
• FCC's National Broadband Plan Comes Under Fire
  The Federal Communications Commission wants to bring broadband to everyone in the country, and both government and industry agree it is necessary. But like many grand plans, the devil is in the details.
• FCC Negotiations Intensify with Saturday Meeting Amid Push for a Deal
  The private negotiations between the FCC and telecom industry stakeholders intensified this week with talks held Tuesday through Thursday, and another round planned for Saturday.
• 48 Members Of Congress Tell FCC To Back Off Broadband Action
  Reps. Gene Green (D-Tex.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) have introduced a concurrent resolution asking the FCC to hold off on reclassifying broadband
• Kin and Android: A tale of two phones
  Why is it that Google thrives in the Internet-connected and mobile world, while Microsoft still can't find success?
• HTC EVO 4G to Get Android 2.2 Next Week
  Sprint will begin rolling out the Android 2.2 upgrade to EVO users on Tuesday, August 3, according to an announcement posted on the carrier's Web site Thursday night.
• 25 must-have Android apps, according to Jason Hiner
  Android now has over 70,000 apps to choose from. TechRepublic's Jason Hiner shows you the best of the best.
• You Gotta Try Vlingo! App Proves Speaking Is Faster than Typing
  When driving down the freeway are you tempted to peek at your messages? For safety's sake resist that temptation - you should always wait until you are safely out of the car.

AskCALEA NewsWeekly July 23, 2010

• VocalTec and YMAX/magicJack Announce Merger
  VocalTec and YMAX Corp., the creator of magicJack and other products and services have successfully merged and will be traded on the Nasdaq...
• Could the Droid X Replace Your Laptop?
  The Droid X appears to be an opening day hit. Motorola's new smartphone-Verizon Wireless' answer to the Apple iPhone 4 via AT&T and HTC EVO 4G via Sprint-has already sold out online and at various retail shops across the nation.
• Wi-Fi available on 1 in 3 U.S. planes
  Wi-Fi service is offered on more than one-third of the nation's passenger planes, so it's no longer rare to see travelers connecting to the Internet in midflight
• Thousands Call for FCC Broadband Reclassification
  More than 25,000 people and organizations have filed comments in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission inquiry into whether it should reclassify broadband as a regulated service, with the overwhelming majority appearing to favor such a move.
• Harbinger-Skyterra ink $7 billion deal with Nokia to build 4G LTE satellite mobile broadband network
  Harbinger Capital, a New York investment firm with extensive telecommunications holdings, announced Tuesday a eight-year, $7 billion deal with Nokia Siemens Networks to build and operate a satellite and mobile broadband network for wireless providers and other businesses.
• Five Androids to Watch
  The second half of 2010 and early 2011 will be a fast-moving and important phase in the development of Google 's Android open mobile operating system with phones becoming available that stretch from high-end smartphone to value-conscious handsets and new form factors like Internet tablets arriving.
• iPhone rules smartphone roost
  More consumers will be buying a smartphone in the next three months than ever before. And the big winner, by a big margin, is the super-achieving Apple iPhone.
• Windows Phone 7 in-depth preview
  It's been a long road, hasn't it? Well, in some respects, it hasn't in fact, it's only been about two years since development of Windows Phone 7 as we know it today kicked off -- but when you consider that this product will be replacing Windows Mobile 6.5, that puts things in proper perspective.
• GPS, Cell Phone Integration Escalating
  Global positioning system technology will be increasingly integrated into cell phones at an explosive rate in the coming years, according to research firm iSuppli
• RIM adds BlackBerry geolocation, minus GPS
  How do you zero in on a location without using GPS? You use cell phone towers.

AskCALEA NewsWeekly July 16, 2010

• Untangling Clearwire's Network
  When it comes to 4G wireless service, Clearwire Corp. was first to market. But its ties to struggling carrier Sprint Nextel and its reliance on an uncommon technology arguably have limited its investor appeal.
• Sprint CEO sees logic in merger with T-Mobile
  A future technology shift at Sprint Nextel could pave the way toward a merger between the third-and fourth-largest U.S. wireless companies, the Financial Times suggests in an article published Tuesday.
• Rural wireless companies tell FCC to unlock phones
  Japanese cellphone giant NTT Docomo said last week it will begin to offer unlocked phones to its customers next spring, a move that has rural U.S. wireless carriers asking the Federal Communications Commission to look to Japan and follow suit.
• AT&T Gifting MicroCells to Most Valuable Customers
  AT&T appears to be handing out free MicroCell connection devices to its most valuable customers in what an AT&T spokesman said was two trial markets.
• IBM:Tiered mobile data pricing here to stay
  While many may hate the tiered pricing models that AT&T rolled out last month, they're also likely the future of mobile data consumption according to analysis by IBM.
• netTALK Debuts the DUO PC-Free VoIP Adapter with USB Connectivity Thrown in for Kicks
  Step aside MagicJack, lookout Vonage…. netTALK today is introducing a dual-mode VoIP adapter that can work via an Ethernet connection directly to your home router (no PC required) or through your Internet connected PC via USB.
• VoIP provider emerges as alternative to Skype
  When it comes to inexpensive voice, Skype has some competition in the form of Nymgo.
• Reverse engineer extracts Skype crypto secret recipe
  Cryptoanalysts have published what they claim is the secret recipe behind a Skype encryption algorithm.
• BlackBerry offers users free security app
  BlackBerry maker RIM has shown a new free application that owners can use to track their much-loved smartphones in the event they are lost, stolen, or simply misplaced around the house.
• Android, Chrome and Linux to Dominate Mobile Devices by 2015
  Android, Chrome WebOS, MeeGo and other Linux-based operating systems will run on 62 percent of all non-smartphone mobile devices by 2015, ABI Research says.

AskCALEA NewsWeekly July 9, 2010

• M2M: Where WiMax Meets Lindsay Lohan
  The proliferation of machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies and services is shaping a future where people will carry three to five M2M devices each.
• Phone giants proposal to drop some 911 lines strongly backed by California lawmakers
  Bill would end a requirement to maintain home lines capable only of calling a 911 center even after service is cut. Backers call it a waste of resources. An opponent says his side is being outspent.
• Verizon: Utilities Warming to Telecom Aid
  The implementation of smart-grid technology will create an explosion of two-way data and new security challenges that telecom service providers are uniquely positioned to address, according to the head of Verizon Communications Inc global energy and utility practice.
• Google VoIP Desktop grass roots campaign starts
  Google had reportedly nixed their desktop Skype killer in favor of a browser-based version. Now, a petition has started for Google to release the desktop client.
• Hack into a smart phone? It's easy, security experts find
  Security researchers Nick DePetrillo and Don Bailey have discovered a seven-digit numerical code that can unlock all kinds of secrets about you.
• Is Someone Spying On Your Cell-Phone Calls?
  How suspicious spouses, protective parents, and concerned companies are turning to cheap and hard-to-detect commerical spyware apps to monitor your mobile communications.
• Self-destroying data for the web
  Given how hard it is to save data you want (see The Universe hates your data), losing data you don't want - like drunken party pictures - should be easy. It isn't, as the inventors of Vanish found. But there's still hope.
• Updated BlackBerry security features aimed at boosting corporate use
  Research in Motion (RIM) Wednesday padded the latest version of its BlackBerry Enterprise Server software with new security features designed to accommodate the growing use BlackBerry devices in corporate settings.

AskCALEA NewsWeekly July 2, 2010

• FCC Releases New Local Telephone Competition Data
  The Federal Communications Commission issued the following news release: The Federal Communications Commission for the first time has released comprehensive information about subscribership to interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.
• Google Voice: 10 Reasons to Check It Out
  Now that Google Voice is open to everybody in the U.S., small business owners, particularly those with less than 25 employees, should take a close look at Google's free phone management service. Here are ten good reasons why:
• Google Voice: Your Guide to Getting Started
  Google's invited all of America into Google Voice, its customizable phone management service. Here's a guide to get started
• Samsung Galaxy S: How Does It Measure Up to the Competition?
  This spring, Samsung introduced the Samsung Galaxy S, a super Android smartphone to rival the HTC EVO 4G, the various Droids (both Motorola's and HTC's) and of course, the iPhone 4.
• Mobile map use on the rise, smartphone apps drive growth
  In the month of April, 14 percent of all mobile users in the U.S. accessed maps on their mobile devices, according to a comScore report.
• Clearwire Expands 4G Wireless Service
  Richmond, Va., Salt Lake City, and St. Louis join the growing list to receive WiMax Internet coverage from Sprint/Clearwire.
• The Femto Mystique
  A couple of online publications recently quoted AT&T spokesperson Seth Bloom on the positioning of their residential femto (marketed as 3G MicroCell):
• Location-Tracking Services: Why You Should Think Twice
  Analysis: Apple, Google, Facebook and others all want to track your travels, but location privacy is an important consideration.