GPS
GPS

Xybernaut and Stargate Mobile Deliver Wireless Computing for Auto Industries

Xybernaut Corp. and Stargate Mobile LLC today announced a partnership relationship under which Xybernaut mobile/wireless computing technologies and Stargate integration and solution expertise will be combined into a single solution for a variety of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and after-market applications within the automotive industry. Under the relationship, Stargate has joined Team Xybernaut(TM) as a systems integrator and solution provider working with Xybernaut in the automotive sectors. Both companies have been working together for more than six months to develop and deploy the integrated computing platforms.

Fujitsu Develops Breakthrough Technology for Mobile Base Station Amplifiers

Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of a technology that enables low-cost production of gallium-nitride(GaN)(*1) highelectron mobility transistors(HEMT)(*2), a key technology in mobile base station amplifiers for 3G and beyond. This breakthrough technology reduces GaN HEMT production costs to less than one-third that of conventional levels, thereby contributing to the realization of lower-cost GaN HEMT-based amplifiers. The technology is designed to enable practical use of compact, more energy-efficient mobile base stations using GaN HEMT. Details of this technology were presented at the International Electron Device Meeting (IEDM) 2004 held in San Francisco last week.

GPS Phones: Disaster Data Source

The combination of terrestrial digital broadcasting and mobile phone technology is what the developers want to be used for sending evacuation orders and alarm information to people during large-scale disasters. KDDI Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. are jointly developing a terminal equipped with GPS, while various levels of government are paying keen attention to that possibility. KDDI and NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. are in the final stage of development to lead the industry, services to mobile phone are scheduled to begin during fiscal 2005.

Pricing for Secom GPS Backpacks

I4U carried a reference to a Nikkei report that Secom and bag maker Kyowa Corp. would release a line of backpacks for students that feature built-in terminals compatible with Secom’s locational information service, Koko Secom. In Koko Secom, GPS (Global Positioning System) technology is used to track the location of special terminals. (WWJ has prices for the backpacks and service.)

Survey: GPS Usage on Mobile

NEPRO Japan published a report [in Japanese] giving results of a study into mobile phone GPS usage. At the moment, KDDI/au has more than 15 GPS-enabled models (DoCoMo has 2; Vodafone has none). In December 2003, au introduced their NAVI-Walk personal navigation service with an aggressive TV campaign presenting the advantages of mobile-phone GPS.

QUALCOMM Expands Product Portfolio With New WCDMA 3G Solutions

QUALCOMM Incorporated, pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, today announced the Mobile Station Modem(TM) (MSM(TM)) MSM6255(TM) chipset and system software to enable cost-effective WCDMA (UMTS) and GSM/GPRS/EDGE solutions. QUALCOMM has extended the success of the commercially available MSM6250(TM) chipset to deliver the MSM6255 chipset, a highly integrated multimedia solution for WCDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks worldwide.