Sprint To Host 10th Annual Open Developer Conference, Oct. 26 - 28 in Santa Clara, Calif. Tweet

Opportunity for developers to learn about 4G, M2M solutions and more.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. --Sprint (NYSE:S) announced that its 10th annual Open Developer Conference will be held Oct. 26 - 28 in Santa Clara, Calif. Developers can register for the conference at http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2010.

Mobile applications are the fastest growing wireless segment in the industry. According to a report by consulting firm Chetan Sharma Consulting, mobile application downloads across all handsets worldwide are expected to grow from 7 billion in 2009 to almost 50 billion in 2012 - a year-over-year growth rate of 92 percent. At the 10th Annual Open Developer Conference, Sprint will give developers the opportunity to learn how they can be a part of this growing industry and how they can use tools and resources provided by the Sprint Application Developer Program to create and bring to market innovative applications and user experiences.

Also, Sprint recently launched the HTC EVOTM 4G, America's first 3G/4G phone. The introduction of the HTC EVO 4G gives developers new opportunities to create applications and solutions that takes advantage of the speed of Sprint 4G, which delivers a faster wireless experience than any other U.S. wireless carrier with download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G1.

Throughout the three-day conference, developers will learn about the Sprint open enablement strategy, creating applications for 4G, enterprise machine-to-machine solutions, go-to-market strategies, approaches to make developers more profitable and current Sprint tools and capabilities across devices, networks and platforms.

"For more than 10 years, Sprint has provided to developers tools to create and bring to market useful applications and user experiencesfor business users and consumers," said Len Barlik, vice president of wireless and wireline services for Sprint. "We are excited to host this conference for application developers to learn about the latest innovations from Sprint including HTC EVO 4G and the robust resources available to them on the Sprint Application Developer Web site, and to deliver valuable insight and support from a strong cross-section of leading mobile platform enablers including Android(TM), RIM, Palm(R) webOS, Windows Mobile and BMP."

Key elements of the Open Developer Conference include hands-on coding sessions, breakout sessions, event sponsor exhibits, town hall meetings, keynote presentations from industry leaders and networking opportunities for developers. The conference will include 4G and M2M demonstration areas.

The registration cost is $250 for developers who register by Aug. 15. The cost increases to $300 from Aug. 15 through Oct. 1 and registration will be $350 after Oct. 1 Developers can register and find additional information about the Developer Conference at http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2010.

About Sprint Application Developer Program

Sprint offers customers access to thousands of apps and data services and a variety of award-winning smartphones that use Android, RIM, Palm webOS or Microsoft Windows platforms. Sprint views the developer community as the forum for creativity and invests in technology and processes that enable developers to have access to important capabilities unique to the Sprint network, with an always-evolving Application Developer Program established in 2001. Sprint offers access to more APIs than any other carrier to make their apps richer.

The Sprint open philosophy:

* Let consumers determine the application/content winners.
* Be easy to do business with.
* Create developer's sandboxes where new innovation happens.
* Use the proven Open Internet model as a guide.
* Open still requires management.
* Support is best performed by the creators of the content.

Visit www.sprint.com/developer to learn more about the Sprint Application Developer program and to take advantage of the resources and tools available to developers.

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Verizon Wireless Chooses CETECOM To Provide Testing Services For LTE Devices Tweet

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and ESSEN, GERMANY — Verizon Wireless announced it has selected CETECOM as a laboratory to test devices for operation on the nationwide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network that Verizon Wireless is building on the Upper 700 MHz C-Block spectrum. CETECOM will validate that the devices meet the minimal performance and conformance specifications necessary to operate on the Verizon Wireless LTE network.

Any organization considering offering devices on the upcoming Verizon Wireless LTE network will be able to work with CETECOM engineers. Additional details on when a device can be submitted for approval will be available at a later date.

Today’s announcement marks the first time the companies have worked together for device testing.

To learn more about CETECOM LTE testing services and test solutions, visit www.cetecom.com. Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE wireless network.

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Government Employees Mobilize with TotalMobile from AT&T Tweet

AT&T is the Only U.S.-based Carrier to Offer the TotalMobile Solution, Designed Specifically for the Needs of Federal, State and Local Government Agencies and Organizations.

AT&T* announced a new offer to provide mobile solutions designed to liberate government field employees from the office using TotalMobile software applications and the AT&T wireless network. With TotalMobile from AT&T, federal, state, and local government agencies throughout the United States can improve productivity, collaboration and flexibility of government field employees.

“TotalMobile from AT&T provides government agencies with mobile applications that allow them to take the office into the field, helping employees to complete their jobs more efficiently while reducing paperwork and administrative overhead,” said Michael Antieri, President, Advanced Enterprise Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions. “This solution ties into AT&T’s commitment to delivering innovative products and services to meet the unique needs of government agencies.”

TotalMobile from AT&T offers government agency employees the ability to bring the office into the field, on a single mobile device. The solution integrates with existing government systems and databases, enabling field employees to complete their work and share information in real-time, allowing for faster decision-making. TotalMobile from AT&T offers pre-bundled applications for areas such as Health and Human Services, Inspections and Public Works, as well as individual applications that can be combined together for a customized solution.

“This is the mobile decade,” said Colin Reid, CEO, TotalMobile. “Mobile must be the way forward for every Government department. We believe it’s going to underpin all the real business efficiencies and productivity gains they make. TotalMobile is working closely with AT&T to deliver this solution in the government space by leveraging the power of the AT&T network and our combined understanding of the needs and demands of U.S. Government organizations at all levels”.

TotalMobile from AT&T is available today. For more information visit www.att.com/wirelessgovernment or contact your AT&T sales representative.

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State of Nevada Signs $12 Million Contract with AT&T Lowering Overall Telecom Costs Tweet

Statewide Contract Allows Cities, Counties and Education to Opt-in for Service and Pricing Advantages Under AT&T Master Agreement.

AT&T* announced that the State of Nevada has signed a four-year, $12 million contract with AT&T for telecommunications services including network and security services, Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Managed Internet Services (MIS). The new contract will provide the northern part of the state with significant savings on their existing communications services and provide an opportunity for cities, counties and education entities within the state to benefit from those cost efficiencies.

Under the terms of the agreement, AT&T becomes the primary telecommunications provider to northern Nevada. Key to the contract is the availability of emerging technology products and solutions from AT&T for increased productivity and the streamlining of online applications, as well as addressing overall statewide budget pressures to do more with less. Cities, Counties, K-12 schools and higher education institutions will also have access to these advanced AT&T products and services through the state contract.

“We chose to award all existing and new business in Northern Nevada to AT&T because AT&T stepped up and answered the challenge to reduce costs. Once again AT&T continued to meet and exceed our expectations,” said Greg Smith, Administrator for the State of Nevada Purchasing Division. “AT&T’s technology leadership, local presence, and significant footprint outperformed all the providers that submitted for Northern Nevada. AT&T has continually demonstrated their commitment to the state of Nevada.”

AT&T will deliver greater bandwidth to support statewide infrastructure, collaboration tools to reduce costs, and provide managed security services to prevent internal and external online attacks.

“We are proud to have earned the state’s business through bringing the latest technology and delivering solutions to Nevada government entities from the state legislature to our school system,” said Stephanie Tyler-Jackson, President, AT&T Nevada. “We are also pleased to have the opportunity to meet Nevada’s growing technology needs and challenges by serving as a competitive provider to the state.”

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Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 preview: First look Tweet

Gsmarena have posted a preview of the Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3. Here are the phone's features and their final impression.

Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 at a glance:

* General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 3.6Mbps
* Form factor: Touchscreen bar
* Dimensions: 113.5 x 55 x 12.9 mm, 109.7g weight
* Display: 3.2" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of WQVGA resolution; multi-touch support
* Platform: Android OS 2.1 with Touch Wiz 3.0 UI
* Memory: 170MB internal memory, microSD card slot, 1GB card included
* Camera: 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera, geotagging, smile detection
* Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, digital compass, 3.5mm audio jack
* Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, DivX/XviD support, FM radio with RDS, Swype text input, social networking integration, Layar Augmented Reality browser
* Battery: Li-Ion battery, 1500mAh

There are quite a few impressive things about the Samsung I5800. For one, the re-skinned Android looks like Bada OS, but isn’t a half-baked mess. Instead, it promises comfort to both Android users and those coming from a Samsung handset with TouchWiz.

Swype too – it’s a fresh take on touchscreen QWERTY and could easily become the way to touch-type in the future. It’s faster and more accurate than handwriting recognition, and once you get used to it, it’s certainly faster than tapping the keys.

The Video Player that handled DVD quality DivX was impressive as well – DivX/XviD players for Android are hard to come by. There are other things as well, like the balanced selection of widgets and apps for business and fun.

The hardware, unlike the top-notch software, is average. That’s not to say bad, but it’s not ahead of the competition either.

Well, there you go. Android is a mature platform already and it brings excellent user experience – especially with a few tasty add-ons like Swype and DivX video. The Samsung I5800 is one of the finer examples of what the OS can do in the midrange. With the right price tag this phone can really push on value for money.

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Skype now available for Sony Ericsson Symbian smartphones Tweet

Runs on Symbian-based Satio™, Vivaz™ and Vivaz™ pro.

LUXEMBOURG — Skype announced the availability of Skype on three Sony Ericsson smartphones based on the Symbian platform, the world’s most popular smartphone platform. Users of Sony Ericsson’s flagship smartphones Satio™, Vivaz™ and Vivaz™ pro can now use Skype on the move, over either a WiFi or mobile data connection (3G, GPRS, EDGE). It can be downloaded now by visiting skype.com/m on a compatible handset, and will also be made available on the Sony Ericsson Play Now™ arena (www.playnow-arena.com) later this month.

Skype for Symbian enables users to:

* Make free Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world*
* Save money on calls and texts (SMS) to phones abroad.
* Send and receive instant messages to and from individuals or groups
* Share pictures, videos and other files.
* Receive calls to their existing online number
* See when Skype contacts are online and available to call or IM
* Easily import names and numbers from the phone’s address book

Skype for Symbian will run on any Sony Ericsson smartphone using Symbian ^1, the latest version of the Symbian platform.

“Applications for communication and social networking are incredibly popular with mobile users. The opportunity to use a world-class app like Skype, in combination with the excellent applications and capabilities we have already integrated into our Satio™, Vivaz™ and Vivaz™ pro devices, will make up a compelling package to our customers," said Kristian Tear, Executive Vice President and Head of Sales and Marketing at Sony Ericsson.

Russ Shaw, General Manager, Mobile at Skype said, “We see a huge demand for Skype on mobile. The users want to keep in contact with the people that are important to them without worrying about the cost, distance or whether they are away from a computer. It is our goal to meet this demand and make Skype available on a wide range of mobile devices by entering relationships with operators and handset manufacturers. Just a few weeks ago we have announced Skype for Symbian. Now, we are very pleased to bring it to Sony Ericsson smartphones and enable more people to take the Skype features they love with them on the move.”

Sony Ericsson is the exclusive provider of Symbian smartphones to Skype during CommunicAsia, 15th – 18th June.
About Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson is a 50/50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson established in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London and operations in major markets around the world. Sony Ericsson’s strategy is to become the industry leader in mobile Communication Entertainment, through new styles of interaction across the internet and social media. Sony Ericsson offers exciting consumer experiences through innovative and feature rich phones, accessories, content and applications. For more information visit www.sonyericsson.com.
About Skype

Skype is software that enables the world’s conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Everyday, people everywhere also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. Download Skype to your computer or mobile phone at skype.com.

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Full Speed Ahead for Automotive Eco-Assist Solutions Tweet

Systems and technologies headed for growth until the next decade.

The use of eco-assist solutions to improve automotive efficiency is projected to rise in 2010 and the years to come, according to iSuppli Corp., thanks to the growing focus of governments and markets alike to curb harmful emissions and improve fuel efficiency in cars.

While the deployment of eco-assist solutions depends on factors such as the availability of navigation as well as telematics systems, the market is primed for expansion well until the close of the next decade.

For navigation systems alone, worldwide sales are forecasted to reach more than 8.5 million units in 2010 and then grow to over 22 million by 2016, iSuppli figures show. Such an outlook means that upward of 4 million navigation systems will be sold every year in new American and European cars—each theoretically capable of supporting software like eco-routing—a type of eco-assist application that calculates the most efficient roadways.

The rise of eco-assist applications reflects the proliferating awareness of consumers for “greener” solutions, along with existing or emerging legislation around the world to protect the environment. Eco-assist will continue to gain in popularity because the potential now exists to improve vehicle performance using innovative and new technologies, iSuppli believes, and suppliers that embrace environmentally friendly solutions will have a head start in the race for consumer affection.

In practice, eco-assist relies on a network of sensors to monitor various vehicle systems. The solutions, which belong to the emerging category of vehicular and driver assistance systems, obtain the greatest effectiveness if they are embedded within the car or, in more advanced cases, assume self-regulating, autonomous control.

Eco-Assist Set for Double-Digit Growth in Near Future
Various categories exist within the overall eco-assist segment. The categories include eco-monitoring— which supplies more sophisticated analysis of vehicle resource and energy management; eco-advice—which offers recommendations to drivers on how to best realize benefits given an available set of information; and eco-powertrain—which provides autonomous control over a vehicle’s powertrain in order to optimize driving efficiency.

The vehicle attach rate for each of these categories is forecasted to rise—more slowly from 2010 to 2013, and then mostly by double-digit percentages from 2014 until the end of the forecast period in 2020. Both eco-monitoring and eco-advice will enjoy significant growth in the near term, iSuppli figures show, while eco-powertrain will experience slower deployment because of its complexity and the need for integration with other vehicle systems. By 2020, however, eco-powertrain applications in the United States and Western Europe will approach a 35 percent attach rate—near those of eco-monitoring and eco-advice systems.

The Role of Telematics
Aside from navigation systems, eco-assist technologies are expected to receive a boost from automotive telematics—the integrated system of computers and telecommunications to enhance functionality now found in cars, such as GPS navigation, hands-free telephony, and in-vehicle services and applications. For 2010, iSuppli expects approximately 31 million embedded (built-in) and 49 million non-embedded telematics systems to be in use around the world. The figures are then forecasted to surpass 100 million and 200 million, respectively, by 2016.

In particular, as car manufacturers begin to deploy electric vehicles, telematics platforms will likely grow in availability. This is because a telematics connection will be needed to support many electric vehicle functions—a development that, in turn, will allow manufacturers to furnish or expand eco-assist features, iSuppli believes. As electric vehicles are deployed, more sensory networks and eco-assist applications will be required in order to provide consumers with the information they need to efficiently operate the cars.

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