ArchiveNovember, 2007

Verizon dropped some big news on the industry today, when it announced plans to open up its cellular network to any and all wireless devices and applications – providing they meet some minimal technical standards. The company will make its technical standards available to developers early next year, and consumers can expect to see compatible devices by the end of 2008.

Most observers see the move as a logical counter to Google’s Android mobile operating system; however, Techcrunch also points out that the decision may help Verizon win some points in Washington with a critical FCC auction looming (which will require the winning bidder to provide open access to a segment of the wireless spectrum).

When viewed together, these three developments – the Verizon news, Android, and the spectrum auction – paint a picture of an open future, where cell phones work across networks and technical innovation is encouraged.

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The holidays are stressful enough; add in travel, weather delays and other travelers, and you might be tempted to stay home. But don’t despair, the Wirefly Blog team has assembled the Top Ten Mobile Travel Tips to keep your holidays bright.

Before you Go

1) Save all your contacts before you go; including cell phones and destination phone numbers. If you’ve made any travel arrangements, save those numbers as well. Include your travel agent if you’re using one – it’s easier than trying to find those papers in a crunch.

2) If you’re traveling overseas, know the local emergency number – in many countries it’s 112 rather than 911, but better to be sure before you need it.

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What’s your monthly cell phone bill? And what should you expect it to be, if you’re using services like text messaging, email, and downloadable music?

That’s the question at the center of a new JD Power & Associates report that details cell phone spending habits, broken down by services used. And the answer? Reported monthly spending is $14 higher among customers who use the more advanced features – $14 doesn’t seem bad at all, for the added value inherent in these features. Overall, the numbers are $77 per month for more intensive use versus $63 per month for basic use.

Also, those users who revel in multimedia/non-voice features tend to spend nearly twice as much on the handset itself, as compared to folks who buy a cell phone strictly for its utility as a telephone. This, too, is unsurprising.

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Alltel continued to position itself as a family friendly wireless carrier today, when it introduced its new Axcess Family Finder, a GPS service that allows parents to track the location of their children from a PC or cell phone.

The Family Finder program comes as an addendum to Alltel’s broader Parental Controls application, and adds increased functionality for concerned parents. The new service features interactive maps which help pinpoint the location of a child’s cell phone; it’s possible to preload specific areas where a child is expected to be (school, a friend’s house), and deliver scheduled location checks via text message or through the Alltel Axcess website.

Family Finder is available for $9.99 a month (per child), and that includes unlimited location checks.

Back in July, we reported on Sprint’s plans to provide national WiMax access by combining its own network with that of Clearwire – a deal that Wall Street called “a win-win transaction.�

Well, apparently someone lost. This morning, the two companies called off the budding partnership; according to a statement from Sprint, they “could not resolve complexities� necessary to finalize the agreement. The announcement does lead some in the industry to question Sprint’s commitment to its WiMax project – although the carrier says it still plans to spend up to $5 billion on deploying WiMax technology over the next three years.

Sprint’s WiMax network – known as XOHM – was expected to begin serving the Washington-Baltimore and Chicago markets by this fall, expanding to reach as many as 100 million customers by the end of 2008. Instead, the two companies’ networks will remain independent, with Clearwire continuing work on its regional services (limited to a handful of Western states) while Sprint “reviews its WiMax business plans and outlook.� The cell phone carrier does still plan on limited roll-out in the test markets mentioned above.

For now, it’s safe to consider Sprint’s nationwide WiMax efforts on hold – however, we’re expecting more definitive word from the carrier early next year.

Lost amidst the macro-level buzz surrounding Google’s looming entry into the cell phone world (and related discussions about how an open platform could change the industry) is the release of a new smartphone from Palm – one that introduces an alternative to the well-known Treo line.

The Palm Centro, currently the subject of a high-profile Sprint ad campaign, intends to bring the power of a smartphone to the wider consumer audience. It is, in that sense, similar to the Motorola Q or the Samsung BlackJack; the Centro, though, stays loyal to the Palm OS that so many users have developed an affinity for over the years.

The Wirefly blog team took some time to explore the Centro earlier this week, and we were impressed with its form and functionality. As a slim, stylish alternative to the business-like Treo, the Palm Centro hits the mark.

Usability: The first thing that jumps out when comparing the Centro to any Treo, is the layout of the D-pad. A large center button dominates the interface – a welcome change from the smallish “enter� button on many other smartphones. The directional input is also smooth and comfortable to use. In addition – and this may be a matter of taste – we found that the Centro’s soft, rubber keys lead to a more enjoyable keypad experience overall. This phone feels well-constructed and smartly designed.

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Update (Nov. 5): Google just confirmed the reports we’d heard last week concerning its role in creating a new - and open - cell phone platform. The Open Handset Alliance, a group including Sprint, T-Mobile, Motorola, Samsung, HTC and Google itself, among many others, is set to release the new platform, dubbed Android, sometime in 2008. Techcrunch has the details.

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Yesterday, a Wall Street Journal report revealed a series of specific details swirling around the potential release of the buzzed-about Google Phone. And today, several other news outlets – FOX News and The Washington Post among them – picked up the story, lending more weight to this round of “gPhone� rumors than we’d seen in the past.

The crux of the story is an interesting deviation from previous breathless reports of a sleek new Google phone right around the corner – in reality, what Google plans to release soon might not be a cell phone at all. Rather, it appears that Google has set its sights on providing an open operating system designed to run on a variety of handsets, regardless of carrier-affiliation.

As it stands now, most U.S. carriers restrict and control the software available to consumers, by licensing applications specific to certain networks and cell phones. Google would like to change that. The new mobile OS would allow anyone to create applications for it (the assumption is that it would be Linux-based), representing a drastic shift in the relationship between consumers, carriers and third parties in the cell phone world.

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