Year: <span>2004</span>
Year: 2004

Year: 2004

China Gearing Up for 3G Video

Alcatel Shanghai Bell (ASB), Alcatel’s joint venture in Shanghai, is close to wrapping up a deal with a domestic company to develop TD-SCDMA, the Chinese homegrown 3G standard, according to Monday’s China Daily. The company signed an agreement with Shanghai Media Group (SMG) last week in Shanghai to jointly develop video applications. “Multimedia services will be a key element for the success of 3G. The co-operation with SMG will strengthen our leading position in that particular area,” said Gerard Dega, president of ASB.

QUALCOMM Announces Extensive Adoption of its Integrated QTV Solutions

QUALCOMM Incorporated, pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, today announced strong customer demand for its single chip, fully integrated Qtv(TM), Qcamcorder(TM) and Qvideophone(TM) multimedia solutions. These enhanced video solutions are part of QUALCOMM’s suite of Launchpad(TM) technologies integrated into QUALCOMM’s chipset solutions; Qtv is a real-time decoder that enables the streaming and downloading of video content, Qcamcorder is a real-time encoder that records video, and Qvideophone is a two-way, video telephony solution that enables mobile videoconferencing. QUALCOMM’s mobile video solutions have been chosen as the multimedia implementation for more than 30 different handset designs from seven wireless device manufacturers, representing global markets including Europe, Japan, South Korea and North America.

Media Companies Take Wireless Route to Consumers

Time Warner Inc. and Walt Disney Co. already ply their wares in cinemas, on television and over the Internet. Now they’re reaching into the mobile phone in your pocket. Some phones can already display pictures and replay video clips, but as networks get faster, it will be possible to watch live newscasts or even a whole movie on wireless gadgets. “The opportunity would be based on an ability to provide a very targeted service to a very targeted customer base,” said Steve Wadsworth, president of Disney’s Internet Group. Disney’s Wadsworth said its wireless business is already profitable in markets where it is well established. Disney first started selling mobile content in 2000 via a partnership with Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc.

DoCoMo's New CEO Meets the Press

DoCoMo's New CEO Meets the PressOn Monday, 21 June, NTT DoCoMo’s newly minted President & CEO Masao Nakamura held his first press conference in Tokyo. Previously, Nakamura was an official of NTT Corp. in charge of personnel management. He was appointed as a managing director of NTT DoCoMo in 1998, and became the company’s senior executive vice president in 2002. He also held other prominent positions, such as executive manager of the Accounts and Finance Department, senior executive manager of the Mobile Multimedia Division and managing director of the Marketing Division. WWJ subscribers can view the entire 30-minute Q&A session and please note — in the spirit of these changing times — we have upgraded our video codecs in the hope of delivering an even better product to WWJ subscribers. Wow, all the recent mobile kaizen must be contagious! Full Program Run-time 34:16, also available in Real Player and Quick-Time formats.

The World's First Wireless IP Handset

Net-2Com Corporation and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. have jointly announced the development of the world’s first wireless IP mobile handset [image] capable of seamless switching between wireless LAN and public wireless networks. The prototype handset features built-in wireless LAN functions and enables free selection of public wireless networks through inserting various CompactFlash (CF) networking cards, allowing global use.

Toshiba's Mobile Methanol Fuel Cell

Toshiba Corporation has announced the prototype [image] of a highly compact direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) that can be integrated into devices as small as digital audio players and wireless headsets for mobile phones. The new cell measures in at a compact 22 x 56 x 4.5mm (maximum of 9.1mm, for the fuel tank), and and weighs only 8.5g. It can power small hand held devices for up to 20 hours on a single 2cc charge of highly concentrated methanol.