Mobile Handsets

SPOTLIGHT: Are you ready for a mobile workforce?

Judi Hasson — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:01:58 -0500

FierceCIO is sponsoring a webinar on Dec. 10 that is likely to fit right in with your plans for your workforce. It's called Managing your Mobile Workforce: Building your network for the business of the future. Check out this webinar link.

Here's a preview from one of our speakers, Cindy Auten, general manager of the Telework Exchange:

FierceCIO: How does a company make telework available to its staff?
CA: The first steps in establishing a telework program is to designate the organization's telework advisor, develop an organization-wide telework policy, determine telework eligibility, outline telework technology, and establish a rollout program including training for managers, teleworkers, and in-office workers on the new policies, technologies and procedures.

FierceCIO: Should it be a broad stroke or implemented in increments?
CA: It is a good idea to start with a pilot program, determine the strengths and weaknesses of your program and update as appropriate. This will help to develop a model program to expand throughout the organization.

FierceCIO: How do you protect security for the teleworker?
CA: Security should be a top priority of the organization's telework policy. Top-ranked security measures include providing teleworkers with secure technology as well as training on how to handle the organization's data. It is critical to provide training to all employees--regardless of their telework status.

FierceCIO: As telework has grown in the workplace, what are the biggest pluses, what are the biggest minuses?
CA: Telework supports continuity of operations planning, work/life balance for employees, recruitment and retention efforts, real estate cost saving, can alleviate high gas prices and traffic gridlock, as well as support the environment. Barriers to telework include management resistance, fear of loosing touch, lack of telework awareness, security misperceptions, and lack of training and technology to support telework.

For more on building a telework network, join us on Dec. 10 at 2 p.m.

Palm OS II devices to launch in 2009

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

We've been saying this for a while now but Palm just confirmed it with Brighthand: the company's new Linux-based OS (the ACCESS one) won't ship until 2009. The new OS--said to be codenamed "Nova"--will be finalized in late 2008, giving developers enough time to write and test applications before the OS's early 2009 release. So, what will we see in the meantime? More Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices, with the cheap, capable Centro to continue as the company's flagship consumer device. We've been hearing whispers of the Centro coming to other U.S. carriers for a while now, so it certainly wouldn't surprise us to see some moves on that front. That aside, however, will Palm last another year without a new OS? Let us know what you think in the comments.

For more on Palm:
- see this Brighthand article

ALSO NOTED: What happens to your cell phone after it gets recycled?; 4GB Eee PC finally gets a splash of color;

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> OLPC to launch U.S. branch. Article
> What happens to your cell phone after it gets recycled? Article
> 4GB Eee PC finally gets a splash of color. Article
> ZFS for OS X gets unofficial. Article
> LG Prada phone gets Silver, on-screen QWERTY. Article
> Android gets real on HTC Qtek 9090. Article

And Finally... Microsoft customer service responds to a call...10 years later. Article

ALSO NOTED: OLPC calls Intel a cheating spouse; Hands-on with Dell's new 30" LCD;

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> Hands-on with Dell's new 30", DisplayPort-sporting display. Article
> Nicholas Negroponte likens Intel to a cheating spouse. Article
> Video: Deep-frying a cell phone. Article
> MacHeist II offers big savings for Mac users. Article
> 8" Eee PC surfaces. Article
> FCC getting more consumer friendly in 2008? Article

And Finally... Mommy, where do servers come from? Article

Will Android live up to the hype?

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 06:59:53 -0500

Will Google's Android prove to be the wireless industry game changer that everyone seems to think it'll be? All signs point to "yes." After all, by this time next year, you'll likely be able to get an Android phone no matter what carrier you use. Both T-Mobile and Sprint will carry Android devices, Verizon will likely "certify" a few for use on its network and AT&T customers will be able to simply pop their SIM card into an unlocked unit. From everything that we've seen, Android's OS definitely has a lot of that attention-getting "wow" factor and that will force other developers to play catch-up with their mobile UI. The same goes for third party application support: with Android serving as an open alternative, everyone from Apple to Nokia will have to loosen restrictions on user-installable applications. It's not yet clear whether or not Android will be an unqualified success, but there's little doubt as to whether or not it will move the industry forward.

T-Mobile HotSpot@Home having issues?

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:59:53 -0500

There's little doubt that T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service is innovative, cool and mighty useful for those of us who live in cell phone dead zones. But none of that really matters if the service doesn't work, now does it? HotSpot@Home customers have been experiencing some major issues with the service ever since T-Mo's main data center in Bothell, WA flooded on the fourth of this month, frying the company's main hosting servers. T-Mo has since replaced the damaged hardware but customers across the country have been reporting dropped calls, poor voice quality and a complete inability to connect to the network ever since. T-Mobile's official stance is as follows: "Some T-Mobile customers may have experienced diminished levels of service at times this week due to extreme weather-related events. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused our customers. T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service is operating at normal service levels." Hmm. Regardless of what's actually going on, here's hoping that T-Mo sorts it out soon so that HotSpot@Home customers can get on with their lives.

For more on the HotSpot outage:
- see this Boy Genius Report report

Google Maps mobile gets faux GPS

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:59:54 -0500

If you've ever jealously eyed GPS-capable phones, this will certainly come as welcome news: Google has announced "My Location," a new feature in the mobile version of Google Maps that uses cellular triangulation to simulate GPS location capabilities. Sure, it's not quite as accurate as real GPS (Google claims that the service is accurate "within 1000 meters") but it'll certainly do in a pinch. Even if you do have a GPS-capable phone, you might want to look into this, as cellular triangulation is faster than GPS, uses up less of your battery and can work in situations where GPS doesn't (inside a building, for example). Google now has a beta up on its site, which is designed to run on "most smartphones, including all color BlackBerry devices, all Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition devices, most Windows Mobile devices, newer Sony Ericsson devices, and some Motorola devices."

For more on My Location:
- watch this video demo
- and see this post on Google's Mobile Blog

Videos: Google Android demos

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:28:21 -0500

Android introduction and demo Skypop Android demo

Video: 3 Skypephone unveiled!

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:47:08 -0400

Sun phasing out mobile Java

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Sun Microsystems has announced that it's phasing out mobile Java (Java Micro Edition)--the version of Java that's long been the standard for mobile devices and set-top boxes. Why? The company thinks that the aforementioned devices are quickly approaching a point where they'll have enough processing power to run the standard edition of Java that PCs run. This is good news for everyone, as it will allow non-PC devices to run desktop class Java applications and should also help ensure better compatibility. "We're trying to converge everything to the Java SE specification. Cell phones and TV set-top boxes are growing up," Sun VP James Gosling said at a Java media event. "That convergence is going to take years."

For more on the phase out:
- see this CNET article