David Haskin

Phone.com has had two major wins this week in providing its Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology to telecommunications vendors who want to transmit data to Net devices. The company announced that Siemens and Mannesmann Mobilfunk will use its UP.Link technology to provide wireless Internet access to German smart phone users. UP.Link is a server-based suite […]

Nokia has announced an entirely new type of Net device. Dubbed MediaScreen, this is a wireless phone also enables interactive access to terrestrial digital television, the Internet and, in particular, Web pages and sites made available by broadcasting companies. The device also can be used for e-mail and to receive digital-quality radio. “This prototype is […]

Nokia has upgraded mobile operators who are trailing the company’s Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) infrastructure products and content to version 1.1 of the specification. The updated WAP spec was released by the WAP Forum on June 30 after vendors were reluctant to commit to version 1.0, complaining that it was difficult to work with. While […]

MyWeb, which has said it wants to be the AOL of China, has reached yet another agreement in that country that opens the way for its set-top boxes and Web portal. The company announced that it will work with a consortium of 500 primary and secondary schools in China to deliver its set-top boxes and […]

Mobile Planet of Hong Kong is entering the suddenly crowded mobile portal arena with a unique twist. The company’s new wireless portal, dubbed “WAPHead” will be the first to support both English and Chinese languages, the vendor claims. The portal will support Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-compliant mobile phones and handhelds. The company said that the […]

Ericsson and truck manufacturer Scania have announced they will co-develop wireless Internet products for the transport industry. Ericsson said it would develop the products using IP technology as well as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Bluetooth and global positioning systems. Scania’s newly formed IT subsidiary, Infotronics, will integrate the new products into vehicles. “The IT-based communications […]

The newly renamed CathayOnline has said that it wants to expand into the Chinese retail market for set-top boxes. The Chinese Internet Service provider, formerly known as Sichuan Torch Information Technologies Co. Ltd., said it was planning to sell its TopBox set-top box to provide Internet access. To that end, it is upgrading its technical […]

A new study indicates that handheld sales are starting to boom in Europe but smart phone sales have been slow to take off. According to the International Data Corp. (IDC), 1.4 million handhelds were sold in Western Europe in 1998 with a value of more than $1 billion. The company claims that devices based on […]

Sprint Wednesday unveiled wireless Internet services for its Sprint PCS wireless telephone customers. Dubbed Sprint PCS Wireless Web, the services will be available in late September and will have three parts, according to the company. The first is wireless Internet access using specific Sprint PCS phones. Users can either access the Internet directly with the […]

France Telecom has introduced what it claims is the first e-commerce service for cell phones. The company has launched trials of its “Iti Achat” service, which enables GSM using the Motorola StarTAC-D handset to make purchases from their mobile phones via the Internet. Security is provided by a smart bank card reader integrated in the […]

Although it’s been only three years since its founders have graduated from college, set-top vendor MyWeb claims it has put the pieces in place for it to become an Internet dynamo in China. “It is our objective to become the Yahoo! or America Online of Asia,” said T.S. Wong, president and CEO of MyWeb. “We […]

Finnish wireless player Nokia has become a major investor in an American company that will be releasing technology that enables users of Net device users to exchange funds. Confinity’s PayPal product will enable users to use their Net device as a credit card substitute. Nokia Ventures, the venture capital arm of the telecommunications company, is […]