Operation Gadget
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How the PDA Market Came Down to Two Big Players
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBrighthand published a very good retrospective of the PDA market describing everything from the early days of the Apple Newton to the recent announcement by Sony that it would withdraw its PDAs from the U.S. and European markets. This leaves the stand-alone PDA market with two major participants– palmOne and Hewlett-Packard.…
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North Korea Decides That Permitting Mobile Phones Was a Mistake
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn a development almost too bizarre to believe, the Government of North Korea has reportedly banned mobile phone use throughout the country after having rolled out the technology in November 2002. The country’s leaders apparently believe that mobile phones provide too much access to foreign culture and uncensored information. Although many…
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al Qaeda Operatives Continue to be Nabbed as a Result of Cell Phone Use
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe Christian Science Monitor reported that counter-terrorism agents have been using handset location technologies to locate terrorists, disrupting attacks and breaking up terrorist cells in the process. Commerically-available products that could aid in this effort include the Ericsson Mobile Positioning System which also has commercial and emergency services applications. This is…
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Security Consultants Urge Linksys WRT54G Owners to Change Configuration from Default
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWi-Fi Networking News reports that a consultant has discovered a “moderately critical” security vulnerability in the Linksys WRT54G router. According to the report, the Linksys WRT54G “allows remote, over-the-Internet administration login even when remote management is turned off.” This means that an automated attack could be mounted against WRT54G routers that…
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Nokia 6600 Available for Less Than $100 at Amazon.com
Reading Time: < 1 minuteI’ve been writing extensively about Nokia’s smartphone initiative this week. So, it’s appropriate to point out the dramatic price cut that has been made recently on their flagship model, the Nokia 6600. As recently as May 7, the Nokia 6600 cost $249 at Amazon.com after rebates. Today, I noticed that the…
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Canalysis Reports that Nokia Leads World Market for Smartphones
Reading Time: 2 minutesBritish market research firm Canalysis reports that Nokia is the world market leader in smartphones with a 28 percent share of shipments in the first quarter of 2004 and 41 percent shipment growth versus the same period last year. PalmOne came in second, with a 16.8 percent share. Over 5.9 million smartphones…
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Pace of Cingular 3G Test Criticized by Newsfactor Network
Reading Time: < 1 minuteLast week, I reported on the 3G technology test that Cingular Wireless will begin this summer in Atlanta. Although I had questions about Cingular’s choice of frequencies for the test (they will use 1900 mHz, but their network will run on 850 mHz in the future), I consider the test a…
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Sony to Stop Selling Handhelds in U.S. and Europe
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCNET News.com reports that Sony intends to stop selling PDAs in the United States and Europe later this year as it re-evaluates its participation in the market. This is a large blow to PalmSource, the manufacturer of the PalmOS operating system, because Sony is the second largest seller of PalmOS devices.…
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Nokia Sales Flat Because It Focused on Smartphones– Wall Street Journal
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Wall Street Journal reported that Nokia‘s focus on smartphones has hurt the company in terms of its market share and profit margins. The article attributes the decision to focus intently on smartphones to a concern that Microsoft might succeed in establishing itself as the technological platform for future high-end mobile phones…