CTIA

Yahoo expands Blueprint mobile platform

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:07:43 -0400

Yahoo announced a series of enhancements to its Blueprint mobile development platform, enabling developers to create standalone applications for Java, Windows Mobile and Symbian devices and build mobile websites accessible via virtually any HTML or xHTML browser. Speaking Wednesday at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment event in San Francisco, Marco Boerries, executive vice president of Yahoo's Connected Life unit, said the improved Blueprint platform will include a full SDK enabling developers to efficiently create mobile services that operate across thousands of devices--the web services giant is also employing Platform internally to develop applications for Apple's iPhone, and is in negotiations with Apple to release Blueprint for the iPhone to other developers as well.

"Blueprint is our way to help us and the industry develop mobile Internet services," Boerries said. "It's not another mobile OS, and it's not a platform to develop games." Boerries added that the Blueprint platform promises developers a truly open environment, enabling them to select their own distribution channels and partner with the advertising providers of their choice. ("We're confident publishers will pick us," Boerries said.)

Click here to see photos of this keynote...

Related articles:
AT&T adds Yahoo oneSearch
Yahoo's Panama ad platform going mobile

What's after the App Store?

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:27:02 -0400

Roughly a year ago, as the mobile industry prepared to descend on San Francisco for the annual CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment conference, Apple's iPhone was seemingly all anyone could talk about. As we now return to the Bay Area for CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008, the device's successor iPhone 3G is all the rage, but where the first iPhone innovated the mobile user experience, this latest incarnation is more notable for bringing with it Apple's App Store, a virtual retail storefront that in one broad stroke revolutionized the business of mobile application distribution and sales to the tune of 60 million downloads in the first month alone. By simplifying access to applications spanning from entertainment to productivity tools, the App Store crystallized for consumers the true scope and potential of the mobile experience, illustrating the possibilities inherent in carrying a pocket-sized computer everywhere you go.

The challenge now facing the mobile development sector: Capitalizing on the App Store's momentum. T-Mobile USA is reportedly at work on its own unified software store, one that would work with every T-Mobile wireless device. But the iPhone isn't the sole catalyst behind the continued evolution of mobile applications. Even as Apple vies for its share of the enterprise market, longtime enterprise kingpin Research In Motion is fighting back by extending its BlackBerry platform into the consumer space. Another rival to the iPhone's supremacy: The forthcoming HTC Dream, the first handset based on Google's Android mobile operating system--by all accounts, the device will run on 850/1700/1900 MHz spectrum bands and boast WiFi connectivity as well as an iPhone-like touchscreen and slide-out keyboard.

So the future looks bright--unless mobile application sales and subscriptions fall victim to the recession, of course. Expect the economy to emerge as a major point of discussion at CTIA Wireless I.T., along with Symbian's pending transformation into an open-source platform, Microsoft's Windows Mobile forecast and Verizon Wireless' ongoing Open Development Initiative. As always, mobile seems to live in a state of constant flux--like the subscribers it serves, the industry just doesn't know how to sit still. -Jason

Microsoft debuts Windows Mobile 6.1

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:59:59 -0400

Roughly six months after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer keynoted CTIA I.T. Wireless and Entertainment, the software giant's entertainment and devices division head Robbie Bach took the stage at CTIA Wireless 2008 to introduce Windows Mobile 6.1, the latest version of its mobile OS. While not the bold mobile platform statement some may have expected from a company facing growing competition from rivals like Apple, the new OS looks simple and intuitive.

New features include a sliding panel homescreen plug-in promising at-a-glance access to data notifications, email, appointments, music and Windows Live, threaded SMS (which allows users to view a series of text message threads in one view, complete with hyperlinks contact names and details), multiselect messaging functionality and text cut, copy and paste, a feature which earned murmurs of approval from the CTIA audience. Windows Mobile 6.1 also features improvements to Internet Explorer Mobile, promising enhanced mobile web navigation and support for both Adobe Flash and Microsoft's in-house Flash competitor Silverlight. According to Bach, new phones should start shipping with the new mobile IE by the end of the year, with devices available from all five of the major U.S. operators.

"We think the mobile marketplace is at an inflection point," Bach said. "This is just the beginning." -Jason

HTC's Android device named "Dream"?

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

HTC is developing a handset called "Dream" that runs Google's Android software, according to a report from InfoWorld. The handset is reportedly 5 inches long and 3 inches wide with a large touchscreen and a full QWERTY keypad that slides out from underneath the screen. It should hit store shelves by the end of this year. The handset makers and carriers involved in Google's Open Handset Alliance are probably going to start releasing launch dates and device specs for Android-powered phones at next week's CTIA Wireless conference. -Brian

For more on HTC's Dream:
-read this InfoWorld article

Related articles:
Google debuts updated Android SDK
Startup a la Mobile unveils first Android apps
Open Handset Alliance issues first Android SDK

AT&T hosting developer events at CTIA Wireless 2008

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

AT&T announced that for the third consecutive year it will host a series of developer events at the annual CTIA Wireless industry trade event, taking place next week in Las Vegas. According to AT&T, the three events--the Enterprise Developers Summit, Fast Pitch and Open Call, respectively--encourage the creation of new wireless applications and accelerate their time to market; a new website, http://www.att.com/choice, will also feature application and device development tools including the 2008 edition of the Wireless Reference Architecture guide, which spans from operating systems to application life-cycle management in addition to resources outlining the technical specs of all the wireless devices that AT&T offers.

Most promising is Fast Pitch, taking place April 1 and 2. Calling the event "like a high-tech version of American Idol," AT&T has already accepted 125 registrations, promising consumer applications developers their chance to pitch ideas to operator representatives as well as guests from an industrial design company, a venture capital firm and a wireless handset manufacturer. For the first time, Fast Pitch will also award $70,000 in cash and other prizes to the most promising applications--selected apps can also be made available for download in the AT&T MEdia Mall site. Developers who failed to register for Fast Pitch may also participate in Open Call, a first-come, first-served demo opportunity scheduled for April 3.

For more on AT&T's Fast Pitch and Open Call programs:
-read this release

Related article:
AT&T opens Universal Design methods to designers

Microsoft releasing smartphones for under $100?

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

Microsoft is reportedly at work on a series of Windows Mobile smartphones that will hit retail priced under $100.00. The devices, scheduled to go on sale sometime later this month, would follow on the heels of the budget-priced Windows Mobile 3125, just $50.00 after rebate--Microsoft already said another sub-$100.00 handset would appear in the next month, although specifics remain unknown.

For more on Microsoft's budget smartphones:
- read this CrunchGear article

Related articles:
Live from CTIA: Ballmer touts Microsoft's mobile future
Microsoft files patent for new mobile interface
Microsoft: "We want mass and scale" in mobile
Microsoft: "We're in the mobile business in a big way"
Microsoft releases Windows Mobile 6.0
Microsoft blogger leaks Windows Mobile 6.1

Microsoft releasing smartphones for under $100?

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

For more on Microsoft's budget smartphones:
- read this CrunchGear article

A developer's guide to pitching mobile apps to operators

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:59:59 -0400

One of the few highlights of last week's otherwise moribund CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment 2007 conference was the State of Mobile Content Mini-Conference, a panel discussion bringing together the data services heads of the five largest U.S. mobile operators. During the course of a lively and far-ranging session moderated by Douglas Garland, executive in residence with venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the subject turned to developers' best bets for successfully pitching their applications for inclusion on carrier decks. Here's what each data chief had to say.

John Burris, Sprint's vice president of wireless data programming: "Understand what kinds of services Sprint offers today. You'd be surprised by the number of partners who aren't aware of what's part of our portfolio today… Be flexible."
Wade McGill, Alltel's senior vice president of product management and development: "Have a business model and an elevator speech. If it takes an hour or two hours to get through what a product is, it's not going to sell. Show me the value in the first five minutes."
Lee Daniels, Verizon Wireless' staff vice president, consumer services: "You have to understand the network impact of your application. How often is it hitting the network? How much data is it sending? You can't crush the network with streaming audio and video."
Ian McKerlich, T-Mobile's director of mobile web and content services: "Know what else we have and how your application is different. Take time to know how our business is different from other operators. We all go to market differently. Tell me how it adds value to the consumer, how we can make money, and how you can make money."
Mark Collins, AT&T's vice president of consumer data services: "What's the customer experience and why should a customer be interested in what you have to offer? If the customer isn't going to have a good experience, neither of us is going to make money. We have limits to our resources--we've got to prioritize."

For more of our comprehensive coverage of the CTIA event, including exclusive photos of some of the newest mobile phones and devices, click here. -Jason

Keynote offers on-demand mobile testing

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

News from CTIA I.T. Wireless and Entertainment 2007 in San Francisco: Test and measurement firm Keynote Systems has created an affordable method for small developers and content creators to monitor their applications and improve the customer experience. Keynote is offering shared mobile infrastructure in 10 locations worldwide--initially, the monitoring services will be available in San Francisco, Dallas, New York, Chicago, London, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Paris, Nuremberg and Toronto. Testing services will be available in San Francisco and Nuremberg. Both services will be available through real and emulated devices. Monitoring services are available starting at $500 per measurement for a single device with one carrier. On the testing side, for $500 per day, developers can have access to four different emulated devices in a single location with one carrier.

In other news, Keynote also is debuting a weekly performance ranking of 10 popular mobile Internet sites compiled from measurements taken on multiple carriers from different locations. The company will use its shared mobile infrastructure to compile the data. -Sue

HTC announces CDMA smartphones

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:01:37 -0400

At CTIA, HTC announced two QWERTY smartphones: the S720 is the CDMA version of the S710 Vox, and the P4000 is the CDMA version of the TyTN (better known in the U.S. as the Cingular 8528). Both phones have EV-DO support, but only the P4000 has a touchscreen. Rumor is that both smartphones will be available on Verizon and Sprint, but HTC has only confirmed that Telus will be the Canadian carrier. Pictures