Mobility Watch

Wireless extender will offer CDMA covering up to 5,000 square feet with support for up to three simultaneous calls.

It’ll be available in Verizon stores and online starting January 25 for $249.99 — not a bad deal for Verizon, considering you’re saving them the expense of erecting a tower.

Not to be outdone, AT&T seems to still have femtocells somewhere on the front burner with surveys going out to subscribers asking whether they’d be interested in a “small, security-enabled cellular base station” they can call their own (via engadget).

Fierce wireless has this to say: What remains to be seen is what Verizon will charge for the femtocell device and the service plan. Sprint charges around $50 for the product and $15 per month for service. Verizon’s commitment, broader than Sprint’s thus far and the only one by a U.S. telco that has both local wireline and wireless networks, may well bring femtocell deployment to its tipping point in the U.S. market.

Is this a wireless technology you would use? I would, if it would mean cheaper, faster internet connections, download times and page loads.

Via Engadget and Dustbowl on Wordpress, this unique idea using Lasers to define Biking lanes.

Other parts of the country may have a pleasant interaction between Cyclists and Motorists, each sharing the road, giving each other the right of way, smiling as they wave back and forth under rainbow colored skies.

Meanwhile, back in reality in Seattle, there is such a bone of contention between Cyclists and Motorists. Motorists believe Cyclists belong on the sidewalk (they don’t: law states they must use the road) and Cyclists believe Motorists are road hogs that go out of their way to ‘run over cyclists’ at any given moment and opportunity (they don’t: they’re just bigger and it looks that way).

Having these Lasers on the roadway itself would define the areas Bikes belong, thus solving all sorts of problems.

True, this post isn’t about PDAs, cell phones or smartphones, but it is about mobility and the cool use of Lasers. Light Lane’s company, Altitude, and developers Alex Tee and Evan Gant may be on to something. If they could figure out a way to lower the cost that is currently $5000 to 50,000 per mile, more ciites may be willing to adopt this unique strategy, although, i’m not sure if the lanes are beamed down from the bike or installed into the pavement. Either way, this idea is brilliant.

Sounds strange? Maybe. But it’s definitely not new.

Interested? Intrigued? Then you better check out the A1407PT model created by Japanese mobile phone provider KKDI. This handset is part of the company’s winter collection which is about to take center stage in a couple of weeks.

It looks like an ordinary mobile phone. It comes with 3G technology using CDMA 1X network. It has a 2.4-inch screen, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and weighs 120 grams. But ordinary as it may seem, this mobile phone would allow you to hear not through your ears but through your bones.

Here’s a very vivid description of how this happens from this site:

The principles behind bone conduction are nothing new - simply press the speaker to the head just behind or under the ear and you’ll hear whatever’s coming out of it via sound waves traversing the skull, rather than through the outer ear.

[Via Tech.co.uk]
[Image from dt.co.kr]

This piece of news caught my attention a while ago. I mean, I am used to learning about the tons of things that a mobile phone can do. But it never crossed my mind to think of my mobile phone as a home surveillance gadget.

Well, in Singapore, SingTel, a telephone company, has sent out word that they have developed a home surveillance camera which you can install in your home. Then, the images that the camera captures would be sent to your mobile phone. That way, anywhere you go, you can literally keep an eye on what is happening in your humble abode.

SingTel calls their new creation the Mobile LiveCam and this mobile phone comes with a 0.3 megapixel camera. Its package already includes a SIM card, a microphone built into the mobile phone, and a 512 MB memory card.

Don’t you worry. Even in the night, the surveillance camera operates with infrared so you still can check out what’s creeping in the dark at your home while you are away partying.

[Via C|Net News]
[Image from Ipiris.com]

Good news for regular air travelers! This announcement from the International Air Transport Association is going to make you jump for joy.

According to the IATA, a global standard is now in the works. In fact, the development of such a global standard is going to be a sure blessing for those who travel by plane. The project, when completed, would be put into use so much so that all who own mobile phones and who are traveling by plane can check-in via their handsets. Yes, all they need to have is the two-dimensional barcodes provided to them and voila! Check-in is that easy.

“This standard is an important step in getting rid of paper that bogs down processes and drives up costs,� relates Giovanni Bisignani who is the director general and CEO of IATA. He also said, “Passengers want the convenience of self-service options in a paperless environment.�

And I guess we passengers are going to get it soon.

[Via Airflights]
[Image from FotoSearch]

In the Philippines, I just learned that there is a new program from the country’s Department of Trade and Industry. This new one aims to help the country recycle all old, damaged, and unused mobile phone units, mobile phone batteries, and all other accessories.

The project already started last 14th of September this year although I believe the government still needs to spread the word a bit more. So far, only a few people I know are familiar with this new mobile phone recycling scheme. Or maybe we all just weren’t listening to the news. LOL.

On the poster, you would find that the recycling project does not only accept old mobile phone units and batteries but it also accepts mobile phone battery chargers. There are various bins spread around Metro Manila’s malls wherein people can simply drop in the unused and damaged items mentioned above.

If this project is advertised more, I think this would work out just fine.

I noticed that more and more of my friends are accessing the web via their mobile phones. And it seems like even in other countries, the trend is catching on as revealed in a survey done by the Kelsey Group. The survey also did disclose that users are also clamoring for an even speed-ier internet connection on their mobile phones.

“The combination of unlimited data plans and next-generation Internet-enabled mobile devices, like Apple’s iPhone, suggests mobile Web access will grow to become ubiquitous. Growing mobile Internet usage and increased satisfaction with mobile Internet applications are among the converging factors that we believe point to a breakthrough year ahead for mobile ad adoption,â€? proclaims Matt Booth, the senior vice president and program director for interactive local media over at The Kelsey group.

Other than that, the survey also revealed that because of the capacity to access the net easily via mobile phones, the respondents are also looking for better mobile phones that could allow them to do more online via their mobiles.

[Via Information Week]
[Image from Yahoo! Mobile]

This should be one of the first I’ve ever heard about although I know that paying your train ticket or your airplane ticket via your mobile phone is possible. But this one is kind of different.

Highway tolls in South Korea can now be paid via mobile phone and that is because of the service called PassON which was created by LG Telecom. According to statistics, when people use PassON, they get to reduce the time that they spend at the gates by 7%. And, they also get to help save the running expenses of a toll booth by 23%.

IntoMobile talks about the PassON system saying:

The system is linked to the “high pass� service of the Korea Expressway Corporation and when a car with OnBoard Unit passes toll gates, the toll is automatically subtracted from “high plus card.� To use PassON, Koreans should get the mentioned OnBoard Unit which is linked with the phone using the standard Bluetooth technology…

[Via IntoMobile]
[Image from Textually.org]

I got another forwarded email from a friend. I just could not help resist posting it here. I know it may sound foolish to you but what the heck. You can skip this post though if you think this is something not worth reading. Or you can continue reading and share your thought through a comment.

THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO !!!

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST Subject: Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other “remote” for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk). Editor’s Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!”

THIRD Subject: Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH Subject: How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally…. FIFTH Subject:

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don’t have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

[Image from iStockPhoto]

At Docobo, the experts have come up with a new kind of application for mobile phones which would actually help out doctors check the current condition of patients who suffer from long-term health conditions. Of course, this kind of application could help them check the status of health of the patient remotely.

At present, Docobo already has their doc@HOME which is a system that allows health workers to check up on them remotely. The patients can still own up to the kind of lifestyle they have. However, the difference with the new mobile application is that the new one is going to be more handy and more convenient for the patient.

“Some patients have less severe symptoms which allow them to live life in a more ordinary manner, and so do not want to be confined to answering systems through the HealthHUB portable home monitor. This is especially the case with young people, who lead busy lives, working and socialising and don’t want to be at home attached to a machine to send this vital set of information from. With the mobile phone application, patients have Telehealth at their convenience, able to answer a set of questions as and when they choose,� explains Adrian Flowerday, the managing director for Docobo.

[Via eHealth Insider Primary Care]
[Image from WiFiTrends]

So how do you take full advantage of your mobile phone so as to watch those online videos anywhere you may be? Yes, you may not own an iPhone but if you have a mobile phone that runs on Windows, you could stream your way to those videos you just can’t get enough of.

I was able to find some steps online on how to go about such. Let me share them with you.

Step 1: If you have The Core Pocket Media Player installed, uninstall it now. Once your phone is free from TCPMP, download this version of TCPMP. Choose the appropriate version, Smart Phone or Pocket PC, for your phone. Install it on your phone.

Step 2: Download the Flash Video Bundle from here. Install it on the same location (memory card or phone memory) as you did the Core Pocket Media Player.

Step 3: Restart your phone.

Step 4: Watch some videos!

Will this work? I guess have to try it out first.

[Via Tech.Blorge.com]
[Image from Hacked Gadgets]

It seems like it. After all, if you are in Japan, you would know that most people are now preferring to have mobile phone novels rather than the conventional ones.

One of the benefits of having such mobile novels is people are now focusing again on reading. Also, another one would be that those with mobile phones need not pack in those bulky books. Anywhere they go, as long as their mobile phone is with them, the novels go with them too.

On the other hand, mobile phone novels could also kill traditional novels. How? Well, if publishers get to print the usual amount that they make but with more readers opting to have their books right in their mobile phones, the sales would go way slower and that could affect the entire business.

If you do ask me, I’d still rather stick with the conventional novels. Call me traditional or whatever but I sincerely do enjoy the whole book reading experience (and not the mobile book experience).

[Via TechDigest]
[Image from Koru]

Love the World of Warcraft? Just can’t live without it?

Now you can bring the World of Warcraft with you anywhere you go. Yep, that’s so right. And that is according to a mobile phone portal made by GoWare in its DoMo HomePage.

According to the company behind this, if you are a WoW player, you actually can access the game through your mobile phone. You would be able to change stuff about your character as well as share to the rest of the WoW world who your character is. All these through your mobile phone.

Slashphone describes the whole set-up with these:

“Using DoMo Homepage mobile portal, players can automatically load their WoW character into their DoMo HomePage. Now when friends ask about their character, players have the answer right in the palm of their hands! And through the DoMo HomePage Snapshot feature, players can even send character content via text messaging.�

[Via Slashphone]
[Image from The Razor]

Because of an agreement between Gameloft and Paramouny Pictures, all mobile phone users could have Beowulf in their gadgets. You see, this is going to happen soon enough after Gameloft is able to create a mobile phone game that would get its base on the upcoming film Beowulf.

The film is about to be shown in theaters all around the globe come November this year. And just in time for the movie, Gameloft is planning to release the game by that period. Excited as you may be, you would still have to wait for some months before you can get your hands on that game.

I’m pretty sure mobile phones that come using Java, Symbian or Brew could make use of the Beowulf mobile phone game. After all, the mobile phone game creator is known for making games that are compatible with such technologies.

I wonder if the movie is going to be a hit though. Because if it is, then the mobile phone game could also benefit a lot from the movie.

[Via CNNMoney.com]
[Image from ign.com]

You always have your mobile phone in your hand, in your pocket, or somewhere just within your reach. So why not use it to actually control some appliances in your house? Think that would be impossible?

Think again.

There is a new robot cleaner that has been created and manufactured by SK Telecom. This company says that you can use your mobile phone to actually control where the robot goes and what it cleans. Interesting.

The robot is found and cleans its way - well, anywhere you want it to clean. Just push the buttons on your mobile phone and it does the dirty work for you. You would find a minute camera in the front of the robot and this would serve to be the channel wherein you can communicate with your robot cleaner.

So now it’s about the robot cleaner and your mobile phone. I wonder what else could your mobile phone control tomorrow.

[Via Mobile Magazine]
[Image from Mauro Cherubini’s moleskine]