Red Bend's client suite tapped for SANYO mobile phones.

"Red Bend Software... today announced a licensing agreement with SANYO® Electric to use Red Bend's device management client software suite in [CDMA] mobile phones manufactured by SANYO."

iPass announces online service that unifies connection, protection, and management of devices.

"The iPass Device Protection Online service works to continually guard devices and their data from boot to shutdown through the following key features:

• Internet lockdown—at system boot, restricts Internet use to trusted applications and servers
• Pre-VPN assessment and remediation—performs a device health check upon Internet connection and updates the device, if necessary, to bring it into policy compliance, all without requiring user intervention
• Web-based policy management—lets IT implement policies via a web-based interface
• USB lockdown—at system boot, blocks output of data via USB ports, blocks the read, write and execute permissions on removable drives; and disables unapproved devices
• Application protection—blocks rogue applications while allowing authorized programs to run
• Policy enforcement—unlocks Internet and USB port access only upon confirmation of policy compliance
• Adaptive policies—allows for different policies to be implemented based on connection type and access location

... By integrating Symantec's best-of-breed device security software into our mobility platform, iPass has created a new solution that supports our customers' desire to execute an end-to-end mobility strategy."

Windows Mobile revenue increased by 21 percent.

"In 2006, Microsoft said Mobile and Embedded Devices saw revenue increases of 44 percent during all of last year, making it the fastest growing division at the company. The past quarter, the division increased revenue by $30 million, or about 21 percent. The unit says it expects unit sales to nearly double this fiscal year to more than 20 million software licenses."

Backup your mobile phone address book and SMS messages online at Zyb.

"A web based service called Zyb allows you to backup all your mobile phone numbers online for free. Zyb is an international mobile phone backup service and chances are fairly high that it supports your phone model and your phone operator."

State of mobile solutions for enterprise: MobileAware's Brian Kinane offers insight.

"Finally, we are increasingly seeing enterprises deploying both internal employee-oriented mobile applications and customer-facing mobile applications from a common set of business resources. Examples of this range from providing mobile check-in services for customers to providing mobile scheduling systems for employees in the travel and transport sector. Most recently, we are seeing a significant update in both mobile client/server and mobile browser-based banking."

AT&T Mobile Backup has your back(up).

"This week AT&T announced that users will be able to store, update and even access their contact information on their mobile handsets through a downloadable handset application... Subscribers can add new contacts to their account and edit existing data on the AT&T Mobile Backup Web site. Contacts can also be imported from Microsoft Outlook, AOL and Yahoo!, and these contacts then be sent to a handset over the mobile network. Automatic backup options are provided for daily and weekly updates. AT&T Mobile Backup is powered by Asurion, and will be available on compatible handsets later this year for $1.99 a month."

225.21 million mobile users in India.

"According to figures from market regulator TRAI, the number of subscribers to phone services in India reached 225.21 million at the end of June, up 3 percent from 218.05 million in May."

501.64 million mobile users in China.

"China ended June with 501.64 million mobile users, according to figures from the ministry of information industry.

No comment, except that it is already higher than the Western European figure (obviously a different story if you refer to arpu figures) and that if you discuss standard (DVB-H vs Flo vs whatever), you need to bear in mind China alone has now reached critical mass to impose its own standard."

HP and Motorola reaffirm deal on Bitfone client.

[the following information is from June 11 --
also see a related post from March that announced
Motorola replaces Bitfone with Red Bend client for FOTA]

"Motorola has not ditched the Bitfone mobile device management client from HP in favor of Red Bend’s and still uses it on some of its phones, just as it will continue to use the Bitfone server on the back end...

'Motorola has a strong relationship with both companies... While I cannot share the details of our business relationships, we plan to continue to use both companies' technology in our handset portfolio and continue to use HP/Bitfone as our FOTA server partner.'...

What some industry pundits suggest is that Motorola is retaining the Bitfone client for handsets running an RTOS, but will use Red Bend on its smart phones on Linux. If correct, that still leaves the question of which it will ship on the Windows Mobile smart phones it produces for the business market, not to mention the Symbian phone it unveiled at 3GSM earlier this year.

HP bought Bitfone to use the technology on its iPAQ range of handheld devices, which run the Windows Mobile OS, though it also positions it as a broader, heterogeneous offering to support whatever smart phone OSes corporate customers require."

iPhone flaw lets hackers take over, security firm says.

"'We’ve been hearing for a few years now that viruses and worms were going to be a problem on cellphones as they became a little more powerful, and we’re there,' he said. The iPhone is a full-fledged computer, he noted, 'and sure enough, it’s got computer-grade problems.'"

Synchronica licenses to SmartTrust.

"Synchronica, an international provider of mobile synchronization and device management solutions, today announces that it has licensed a core component of its Mobile Manager Suite to SmartTrust AB ('SmartTrust'), a leader in Mobile Device Management solutions, for a fee of EUR 800,000. Synchronica will further support SmartTrust with dedicated engineering resource providing additional revenues of up to EUR 200,000 per year."

Amp'd to join ESPN in MVNO graveyard.

"Bankrupt Amp'd Mobile is notifying customers that their service will be cut off at midnight, July 24 after failing to secure debtor-in-possession financing. The 3G MVNO, which resells CDMA 1xEV-DO service from Verizon Wireless, said in a court filing that it will continue to search for buyers, but is likely to auction off the company's assets July 30."

One-third of Americans want an iPhone.

"One-third of Americans say they intend to purchase Cupertino-based Apple's new iPhone, with 8% planning to buy one in the next three months and 22% saying they'll get one 'some time in the future,' according to an online survey of 39,000 Americans conducted by Lightspeed Research."

LogMeIn announces first web-based remote support tool for Smartphones.

"The support technician directs the device owner to a webpage, where a small applet is downloaded to the mobile device. The end user is provided a connection code that can be given before connecting to the Internet or while speaking on a land line. The technician then connects to the mobile device to gain complete control. At this point, the technician can make fixes, update software, conduct training sessions or configure settings - even view the display and use the keypad, as if the phone were in his hand."

8M cell phones will be lost in '07 -- how to back yours up.

"The need for backup and sync capabilities becomes clear when you consider the number of lost mobile phones. According to Bill Hughes, principal analyst at In-Stat, 'As it is, there will be 8 million phones lost in 2007, including 700,000 smart phones. Any of these, particularly the smart phones, is a corporate data security breach waiting to happen and make headlines.'"

Motorola to acquire Leapstone Systems.

"Motorola, Inc. has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire privately held Leapstone Systems, Inc. Leapstone is a leading communications software developer that provides a unified platform for rapidly creating, managing and delivering converged video, voice and data service bundles across multiple networks and devices."

And from the Leapstone website:
"Operators need a solution that allows them to deploy new services in a timely and cost-effective manner. CCE contentMANAGER presents a single point of integration between third-party content and both the business and network infrastructures of the operator...

CCE contentMANAGER is used by operators to acquire, package and price content. Content can be acquired from multiple sources, including third-party application repositories and vendor catalogs...

Data pertaining to the devices an operator supports (e.g. device manufacturer and model, display characteristics and KB of memory) is received and processed by CCE contentMANAGER. Each piece of content is mapped to the devices on which it operates, and each subscriber is associated with one or more devices. This ensures subscribers are only presented with content that will execute properly on their device be a mobile, personal computer or a set-top-box...

Content activation involves the association of a subscriber with one or more subscriber classes - which in turn activates any price-plan packages previously associated with the subscriber class during price plan packaging. Activation requests may be received from back-office systems or self-subscription portals. CCE contentMANAGER also manages the customer account hierarchy including child accounts for kids and other family members. It manages the subscriber's individual profile for preferences, opt-ins (Sci-Fi Fan, home building, ads, special promotions, etc.), pin resets, configuring spending limits, etc. "

Nokia embeds Skype for N800.

"Nokia announced that it would add eBay's VoIP application, Skype, to its upcoming smart phone, the N800, which will launch in Europe. Nokia says it's the first time it has made a Skype installation link available on a handset."

Start with the iPhone, work back to human nature.

"MIT Technology Review put a brief article up at the end of June describing some of the unrealized potential in the iPhone. Turns out that, in addition to having the interface to kill all portable interfaces, it is tricked out with a number of just slightly utilized sensors; specifically an accelerometer, an ambient light meter, and an IR motion sensor. While Apple has applied these to the admirable goal of rotating your screen and adjusting your brightness for you, some other smart people have already been busy using them for more creative ends. Like learning about human nature."

Red Bend Software Achieves 43% increase in FOTA shipments in Q2 2007.

"In the second quarter, Red Bend's vCurrent® Mobile software shipped on 45 million mobile phones, propelling Red Bend to 150 million total units shipped to date -- and exceeding its Q2 forecast by 10 million. This represents an increase of 43 percent over first quarter 2007, when there were 105 million phones shipped with vCurrent Mobile.

In addition, 19 mobile phone models were launched with vCurrent Mobile during the quarter, bringing the total number to 95 Red Bend-enabled handsets from manufacturers including Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, Sharp, NEC and others. Red Bend forecasts that its software will ship on 200 million mobile phones by end of Q3."

Jupiter Research on mobile payments.

"Mobile Payments to generate almost $22bn of transactions by 2011 and be adopted by 204m mobile phone users... Juniper Research predicts that P2P fund transfers and mobile payments in the developing world, together with the commercialisation in 2009 of NFC (Near Field Communications) based mPayments will generate transactions worth approximately $22bn."

The $300 Linux-powered 'iPhone Killer' arrives.

"The first version of the NEO 1973 mobile phone, which carries the Linux kernel inside and is not locked to a specific network, is available for purchase from OpenMoko.com. It's not as jaw-droppingly pretty as the iPhone, but it shares a design philosophy -- no buttons, just a screen -- and it's ready to be loaded with any number of open-source software applications. "

MDM report identifies InnoPath Software as best positioned in market.

"A newly released report by IDC identifies InnoPath Software as the strongest MDM vendor in its ability to gain market share and alignment with market opportunities. On IDC’s Leadership Grid of the top eleven MDM providers, InnoPath is more favorably positioned with its unsurpassed ability to leverage market trends, its growth potential, as well as its ability to gain market share based on financial strength, channels, customer perception, and partnerships."

Charger disarmer (patent application from Apple).

"We've had Digital Rights Management (DRM) preventing us from copying data for a while. Soon, we may also have to get used to the idea of digital charge management - technology that stop us using gadgets we don't own. Here's the idea: unless you are the rightful owner of a device, DCM will make sure you can't charge it up once the batteries run down."

iPhone battery plot thickens.

"'It is important to sync your iPhone with iTunes to back up your contacts, photos, e-mail account settings, text messages, and more,' Apple warns, saying it is, 'not responsible for the loss of information while servicing your iPhone and does not offer any data transfer service.'"