#TBT: Smartphones squeeze out PDAs; Anticipating the battle for broadband; Sprint offers video mail ... this week in 2004 - RCR Wireless News

Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes each successful for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the apical headlines from the past. Fire up the clip machine, enactment connected those sepia-tinted shades, acceptable the day for #TBT and bask the memories!

Smartphones compression retired PDAs

STAMFORD, Conn.-Two caller studies amusement the marketplace for idiosyncratic integer assistants continues to shrink arsenic much and much users are enticed by astute phones. “Through the extremity of 2004, astute phones volition mostly person a antagonistic interaction connected the debased extremity of the PDA market, arsenic galore idiosyncratic users volition find the idiosyncratic accusation absorption and email capabilities of astute phones acceptable,” said Todd Kort, main expert successful Gartner’s Computing Platforms Worldwide group. “These users volition thin to go little funny successful low-end PDAs that person provided these capabilities.” According to Gartner’s caller PDA figures, the fig of instrumentality shipments worldwide decreased 5.3 percent successful 2003 to a full of 11.5 cardinal units. Gartner said PalmOne Inc. maintained the apical spot, followed intimately by Hewlett-Packard Co., Sony Corp. and Research In Motion Ltd. Similar numbers from rival probe steadfast IDC corroborate Gartner’s assessment. … Read more

Voice to thrust wireless usage successful 2004

NEW YORK-Deloitte Research expects wireless subscriber numbers to proceed to emergence during 2004, bolstered by the dependable usage of accepted dependable applications. Deloitte predicts mobile-subscriber penetration rates volition proceed to emergence successful 2004, with dependable applications continuing to predominate mobile revenues and profits. The probe steadfast besides expects colour and polyphony dependable to thrust revenues. Meanwhile, the radical expects mobile information maturation to dilatory owed to stagnant user text-messaging growth. Advances successful third-generation technologies volition continue, but 3G volition not yet beryllium adopted by the masses during the year. … Read more

Battle for broadband successful the home

CAMBRIDGE, U.K.-Wireless operators are expected to conflict fixed-line operators for a chunk of the broadband location market, which could beryllium worthy much than $100 cardinal by 2008, according to a study from Analysys. “While the large stock of the marketplace volition spell to user electronics companies, contented owners and packagers, broadband operators could make up to $12.5 cardinal by providing broadband location services specified arsenic communications, entertainment, IT and information services,” said Margaret Hopkins, writer of the report. “These services could beryllium delivered implicit the fixed-broadband Internet, but galore of them could arsenic good beryllium delivered implicit broadcast TV networks utilizing mobile phones to supply interactivity.” The Analysys study examines 2 scenarios. In one, broadband Internet work providers summation up to $38 per period successful gross per household, oregon a full of $12.5 cardinal successful 2008. In different scenario, mobile operators and broadcasters instrumentality astir of this revenue, with mobile operators adding up to $2.26 per period to user ARPUs, oregon a full of $5 cardinal successful 2008. … Read more

‘RIM’s biggest rival is ignorance’, says CEO

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. faces a scope of obstacles, some large and minor. But 1 situation overshadows the rest, according to Mike Lazaridis, the company’s president and co-chief enforcement officer. “RIM’s biggest rival is ignorance,” Lazaridis said. “Our situation continues to beryllium and has ever been getting idiosyncratic to effort it.” Because, Lazaridis asserts, erstwhile you effort BlackBerry, you can’t spell back. Indeed, the instrumentality has earned the nickname CrackBerry from enthusiasts arsenic legal, fiscal and telecommunications executives garbage to question without it. BlackBerrys (and caller color-screen versions dubbed BlueBerrys) are ubiquitous astatine high-tech conferences. They are a communal ornament connected the enactment of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, the wireless industry’s commercialized organization. Even the national authorities has admitted its addiction, with members of Congress utilizing BlackBerrys to enactment successful interaction during the violent attacks of Sept. 11. Dozens of companies vie successful the struggling wireless endeavor market. Business spending remains sluggish. Profit margins are slim. But the cardinal to sales, Lazaridis said, is arsenic elemental arsenic getting a BlackBerry successful a customer’s hand. RIM’s successes implicit the past fewer months marque Lazaridis’ appraisal hard to dismiss. The institution successful December reported a grounds 4th with revenues topping $150 million, nett income of much than $16 cardinal and an upgraded outlook for the year. And Wall Street roared. Following the merchandise of its quarterly report, the terms of RIM’s banal astir doubled. News of the leap made nationalist concern headlines. RIM’s banal present looks similar it could soon interruption the $100-per-share barrier. … Read more

Huawei invests successful free-space optics

HONGKONG-Huawei Technologies Inc. moved to fortify its U.S. concern and microwave offering by investing $2 cardinal successful LightPointe Communications Co., a free-space optics firm. Huawei joined different investors successful a $17 cardinal backing of the company. Last year, LightPointe had entered into an OEM woody with the Chinese steadfast to proviso FSO products to Huawei. … Read much

Sprint says it volition beryllium retired telecom merger mania

NEW YORK-Sprint Corp. told manufacture analysts astatine an capitalist league that the institution planned to beryllium retired the merger mania presently sweeping the wireless industry, noting the institution would alternatively absorption its wireless operations connected increasing relationships with wholesale partners and person integration with Sprint’s wireline operations. “We’re precise committed to moving this concern connected our own,” said Sprint President and Chief Operating Officer Len Lauer. Sprint’s main enforcement officer, Gary Forsee, added that the institution expects to spot benefits from lawsuit uncertainty surrounding its competitors and … Read more

Sprint offers Video Mail service

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint is offering a caller Video Mail telephone to its customers nationwide. The VM4050 telephone allows customers to instrumentality and nonstop video and audio straight connected their mobile telephone anyplace connected Sprint’s PCS network. The PCS Vision Video Phone is made by Toshiba and marketed by Audiovox Communications Corp. Sprint is offering the telephone for $180 with a two-year contract. … Read more

Cameraphones get their ain conference

MELVILLE, N.Y.-Pulver.com and Next Generation Ventures announced they volition motorboat their inaugural Cameraphone Summit: The Conference connected Cameraphones and Convergent Mobile Media April 27-30 successful Maui, Hawaii. Executives from Nokia Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. volition connection keynote speeches, and the acme volition screen issues from applications to privateness to hardware. “Cameraphones are decidedly the adjacent large happening for the planetary mobile-phone market,” said Moses Ma, the managing spouse of Next Generation Ventures. “Industry analysts are estimating that 125 cardinal handsets with imaging capabilities volition beryllium shipped globally successful 2005 … Read more

Check retired the RCR Wireless News Archives for much stories from the past.