New mobile-to-PC worm arrives.

"Security software firm F-Secure Corp. has discovered a mobile-to-PC worm... The 'Mobler' worm, the firm posts, moves between the Symbian and Windows operating systems and vice versa."

New specification to lock down mobile phones.

"Called the Mobile Security Specification, it is billed as the basis for a new generation of secure phones and mobile devices that will be harder to tamper with and more secure. The standards are backed by companies such as Nokia, Samsung Electronics, and France Telecom."

Nokia opens up firmware updates.

"Nokia has launched a new site helps users to update selected phones on their own. The Software Update center provides step by step instructions and software to update a number of recent S60 smartphones using a PC. The site also provides instructions on updating the 6131, a newer clamshell phone, over the air."

OMA intros FUMO.

"The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), an international specifications setting body, announces the public availability of its Firmware Update Management Object (FUMO) Version 1.0 as a Candidate Enabler Release."

Red Bend and Opera form partnership to upgrade mobile browsers OTA.

"Red Bend Software... and Opera Software ASA... today announced a joint marketing and business development agreement. Using Red Bend's new Embedded Feature Delivery (EFD) technology, Opera will be able to bring new browser features to market faster, as well as update the browsers regularly with the latest feature packs, optimizing the consumer's mobile Internet experience."

also see: Industry moves in favour of embedded feature delivery
"In Japan, DoCoMo is facing a major public relations blunder after savvy customers realised they could purchase highly subsidised OneSeg digital TV handsets, cancel their subscriptions a few days later and still enjoy access to the TV service. Rival operators Softbank (formerly Vodafone KK) and KDDI automatically lock-down this feature once the subscription is terminated, but DoCoMo has been unable to do so and is thought to be losing as much as USD 320 in subsidies from each handset."

Is open-standards-based e-mail the key to the SMB?

Read the complete article for analysis of and information about Synchronica, O3SIS, Funambol, Synthesis AG, and Bitfone. The table doesn't render very well, so I've included a snapshot below.

Sprint to slow Boost Mobile's growth.

"Sprint Nextel has planned to slow the growth of Boost Mobile (a wholly owned subsidiary) because the MVNO is outpacing growth of the more lucrative post paid business and will soon start straining the iDEN network. While MVNOs have gotten a bad rap lately, Boost Mobile has been on a tear and counted for most of Sprint's subscriber additions in the most recent quarter. So far this year Boost accounts for about half of Sprint's 2 million new subscribers."

Nokia delivers MDM solution to MegaFon in Russia.

"Nokia has delivered its device management solution, centered around the Nokia Terminal Management Server (NTMS), to the Russian operator MegaFon. The solution supports the easy and cost efficient service activation and over-the-air configuration of the subscribers' mobile devices and is part of the extensive Nokia multivendor service management application portfolio."

Mobile Java being open-sourced - just in the nick of time.

Dean Bubley writes: "Overall, I think this move has the potential to entrench Java more firmly in future handsets at a time when its future was looking shaky - especially as this is a critical time as the industry moves towards more sophisticated handset platforms employing IP/IMS connectivity, multi-tasking and web-type functions."

Roll your own Linux phone.

"Wouldn't mobile software development be a whole lot easier and more effective if you actually had the device in hand? Trolltech's Qtopia Greenphone initiative, launched at a press event in San Francisco last night, is designed to make that possible. Greenphone includes both hardware and a software development kit that is intended to enable developers to essentially roll their own Linux phones."

Linux groups team on mobile standards.

"Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and the Linux Phone Standards (LIPS) Forum will work together to create common requirements and specifications for Linux-based devices, they announced Monday. OSDL focuses on the Linux kernel and operating system, while LIPS works on services and APIs (application programming interfaces)... Linux is emerging as an alternative to Symbian's Symbian OS, Microsoft Windows Mobile and proprietary manufacturer OSes for mobile handsets. Motorola uses a version of Linux for the Ming, a phone it recently introduced in China."

Disney yanks UK MVNO plans.

"Disney has announced that it's cancelled its plans for Disney Mobile in the UK."

US MVNOs fail to capture market imagination; Disney likely to succeed where Helio will fail.

"Strategy Analytics, the global research and consulting company, has today released a damning report from its Wireless Network Strategies service on the state of the US Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) market which indicates that the majority of the virtual networks launched with such fanfare earlier over the past two years, will fail to make an impact on the marketplace."

Sicap acquires Swapcom.

"Sicap, a leading provider of products and solutions for mobile operators, today announced that it has acquired Swapcom. The acquisition will strengthen Sicap's position in the market as leader in the Mobile Device Management (MDM) space and extend the global offer to include solutions which facilitate business between operators and value-added service providers."

Amp'd Mobile to launch in Canada (with Telus).

"Interestingly for a MVNO carrier, the agreement Amp'd has with TELUS only has content responsibilities for Amp'd."

Orange offers "screaming" phones.

"Using software from Synchronica, when stolen it emits a loud wail not unlike a person screaming... If you lose your phone, you call the help desk, they issue the remote wipe-and-lock, and the cell phone emits a loud, annoying sound. And if that doesn't work, it also includes a 'remote wipe-and-lock feature', to delete potentially sensitive data over the air."

Mobile threats hit out of the blue.

"Ellen Daley, analyst at Forrester Research, says businesses must start taking measures to combat mobile security threats. ‘Companies need to get serious about this by about mid-2007,’ she said."

McAfee says mobile viruses happening now.

"Lastly, a concession: despite the mountain of FUD, it is true that the increased capabilities of Smartphones, and their open OSes does mean that they will eventually become a target of attacks. But there is no good reason to lie, and say it happened yesterday just because it may happen tomorrow. For now, the biggest problem with security is actually lost or misplaced devices, NOT hacked devices. That's why enterprise-grade service providers like RIM and Good have 'remote self-destruct' features."

Sprint Nextel’s weak MVNO plan.

"Sprint Nextel lowered its earnings guidance for the year... The news led the company’s stock down over 15% to $17.07... In addition to the merger costs, this could be an early negative sign of the company’s aggressive MVNO strategy. Sprint Nextel says it lost 31,000 wholesale subscribers in the quarter, which UBS attributes to weak business in Virgin Mobile. The company’s MVNO partners also includes ESPN Mobile, among others, which has not been doing so well. Year to date the total amount of Sprint Nextel’s wholesale subscribers is at 5.35 million, with less than 200,000 net adds this year."

Mobile enterprise security starts with policy.

A nice overview of "10 steps to mobile security -- broken down into specific areas -- as outlined by Jack Gold of J.Gold Associates."

MacBook wireless hack demonstrated.

"The pair have found ways to seize control of laptop computers by manipulating buggy code in wireless device drivers. In a videotaped demonstration at the conference, Manor showed how to use sophisticated hacking tools to add and remove files on a Wi-Fi enabled MacBook, manipulating the system from an adjacent laptop computer... Wireless devices are designed to be constantly sniffing for new networks, and this can lead to security problems, especially if their driver software is buggy... By exploiting bugs in four different wireless cards, the researchers found ways to seize control of laptops running Windows and Linux as well, they said."

Open sourcing mobile email.

"Funambol... sells an open-source application server for mobile operators, enabling them to run several applications on mobile devices without relying on proprietary technologies from companies like Research in Motion (of BlackBerry fame), Microsoft, Seven, or Visto... In February, Funambol snagged PLDT, the Philippines’ big telco (and biggest mobile carrier), as a customer. The Manila-based giant plans to deploy Funambol’s mobile open-source platform to deliver email, calendaring, address book, and other capabilities to its 22 million subscribers."