Operation Gadget

Category: Mobile Phones

  • Mobile Carriers Ready “Cells-On-Wheels” in Case of Outages or Network Overloads

    Reading Time: 2 minutesAll of the major mobile phone carriers have Cells On Wheels (COW) and Cells On Light Trucks (COLT). These are vehicles to restore mobile phone service or add additional call capacity in the event of cell tower failure or another emergency situation. In 2004, these vehicles were deployed to strategic locations in…

  • Verizon Offers Storm Preparedness Tips for Mobile Phone Users

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteEarlier today, Verizon Wireless offered some basic storm preparedness tips for mobile phone users as Hurricane Charley closes in on the Florida Gulf Coast. These tips are as valuable today as they will be during a snowstorm four months from now: Keep wireless phone batteries charged — in case local power…

  • Samsung SGH-E316 Released in Time for 2004 Summer Olympics

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteSamsung and AT&T Wireless, both official sponsors of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, have collaborated to release the Samsung E316 Mobile Phone as “the official Olympic-designed handset.” The E316 is decked out for the Olympics, with Olympic-themed ring tones and images. AT&T Wireless, another Olympic partner, will preconfigure this phone…

  • AT&T Wireless Reportedly Offering Flat Rate Annual Plans to Federal Government

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteinfoSync World reported that AT&T Wireless is offering the U.S. Federal Government annual flat-rate wireless service contracts for voice and data. Prices vary depending on the type of device and services provided. According to the article, most data-centric devices, including versions of the RIM BlackBerry 7280 and the palmOne Treo 600…

  • RIM BlackBerry Sales Growing Faster than H-P’s and palmOne’s

    Reading Time: 2 minutesEd Hardy of Brighthand published an editorial documenting the surprisingly rapid growth in Research in Motion BlackBerry shipments in recent quarters. I’ve been working with a RIM BlackBerry 7230 for the past few weeks, and I can see why people are buying them. One reason why is that the 7200 series handsets…

  • Carrier Application Locks Are Unacceptable for Smartphones

    Reading Time: 2 minutesI totally agree with the points that Larry Garfield made in his editorial on infoSync World called Picking the carrier lock. According to Garfield: A larger problem comes with phone lock-down, that is, application locking. Many carriers tightly regulate what applications a user can install on a phone. Their claim is that…

  • Siemens SK65 to Include Full Alphanumeric Keyboard and Blackberry Functionality

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteMartin O’Donnell pointed out that Wireless Week provided details of the features expected in the Siemens SK65. According to the article, the SK65 will include a full alphanumeric keyboard, called x2type or cross-to-type. It can be deployed by rotating the bottom half of the two piece handset to a position perpendicular…

  • Why is it So Difficult to Buy a Treo 600 That Runs on T-Mobile?

    Reading Time: 2 minutesMy wife may be in the market for a new smartphone. She’s a pediatric resident at a hospital in Central New Jersey where she uses: a late-model TDMA Nokia mobile phone, a Research in Motion 950 wireless handheld, and a Palm V Handheld. She runs an application called ePocrates on her Palm…

  • Got a RIM Blackberry 7230 for Long-Term Review Purposes

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteEarlier today, I received a RIM BlackBerry 7230 from T-Mobile for long-term review purposes. This is a very nice integrated communicator for the price. It’s also a Blackberry through and through– no application-oriented buttons and a thumbwheel that gets a lot of use. Blackberries are a little unique in that a…