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The Wireless Outpost Newsletter Issue #14 Vol. 3
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
Another issue of the Wireless Outpost Newsletter. This newsletter
is for the soon to be educated cellular phone user community. If you know of
anyone else that may have an interest in our newsletter, make sure to forward
them a copy. Now we move forward at Mach II speed!
[Note: This newsletter is delivered Bi Weekly on Wednesday.]
A WARM THANK YOU FROM THE LION'S CLUB FOR THE CELL PHONE DONATIONS
The used cell phones that we donated to the Lion's Club have been put to good use. The phones went to women in need at a local YWCA. Those of you who sent in unwanted cellular phones to be included with our package should know that your actions have had a very positive impact on people who needed your help.
We also put in some extra accessory items for the phones into the package prior to sending it off. If you would like for us to sponsor another donation package, feel free to send us any unwanted cellular phones that you may have lying around. A message from the Lion's Club is listed below.
Hello,
I just wanted to let you know that the cell phones you and your company
provided to the Hazel Dell Lions have all been donated to women with
potential abuse risk in the Clark County area through our local YWCA. On
behalf of the Hazel Dell Lions, I wish to thank you for your support in this
project. God bless you and keep you.
Sincerely,
Donna Davis-Blevins,
Hazel Dell Lions Club
Vancouver WA
For the record, we did not take a write-off on the cell phones and accessories that we donated. It was strictly something that we believed to be a good cause and we felt a write-off would have tainted our intent. We hope that you would take minute to look around for any unused cell phones that you don't need or want. Every one of them will be donated. You would be surprised at how much of an impact your efforts can have on somebody you don't even know.
I was flipping through one of our trade magazines that covers the technical details of the components that make up the cellular phones. I see a new cell phone or find a cellular phone with a new feature, I might say "Wow!" Not this time. Here is what made me say "Wow!"
Looking at the different components used in making a cell phone work was like taking an adventure. It was enough to make my head spin and my imagination soar. Our cell phones will become smaller, lighter, and they will be able to do more than we ever dreamed possible.
In one diagram, they showed three components that were necessary for a cell phone. They were so small that when they were lined up next to a penny they looked like pinheads. In another diagram they showed a piece that was the size of a dime. Take out a dime and look at how small it is in size.
The pieces and parts used to build cell phones are not only becoming smaller but they are being designed to do more. Many of them are focusing on either the end user's experience with quality of service or on helping the carrier save expenses with network use. This translates into lower prices for us, the cell phone user.
I would personally love to have a voice activated cellular phone pen. Easy for me to say because I don't have to spend the money to make it. For some reason I keep getting stuck on the shoe phone that was Maxwell Smart's key form of communication with Chief. Anyhow, my point is that we will see significant changes in the future of wireless communications.
Maybe I will actually get to see a wireless phone pen and maybe not. It will depend on how fast our technology breakthroughs happen.
Scientists and engineers are always coming up with something new or a way to improve on an existing technology.
Who would have thought that we would have wireless security cameras? I had thought that we were years away from that and suddenly they were there. There is no way to predict what an entrepreneurial company will come up with next. I can only advise you to keep your eyes open to future issues of our newsletter.
By the way, our forums are kind of light with posters. Why not drop in and post a message on what you would like to see in the way of future wireless devices. We have wireless phone manufacturer employees subscribed to our newsletter. I am sure they would be interested in hearing what you would have to say.
AN INTERESTING POSSIBILITY FOR WAP PHONES AND WIRELESS SHOPPING
Anybody who has been subscribed to our newsletter for any length of time knows what I think about WAP phones in general. I have held fast to my bias and prejudice on WAP phones until today. This is the first time I have found a company that is actually thinking for once.
I am not saying that what has been proposed will work but I think they are on the right track. The general concept was to offer the Wireless Shopping service via prepaid cellular phones. Sounds crazy but it could work if it is done by starting small and doing some testing.
Here is how it would work in a hypothetical situation. To make a purchase of a product, a specific number of prepaid airtime units would be deducted from the account for that specific product. An interesting concept to say the least.
For example, teenagers could be targeted to purchase inexpensive items such as movie tickets or music CDs. Parents could give their children an allowance by adding to the prepaid cellular account. A study was conducted by the companies looking to offer this type of service and it was quite surprising.
The study showed that Seniors would be twice as likely as teenagers to purchase airfare and event tickets using a cellular phone. This was expanded upon by their stating that it was very likely that Seniors would purchase their prescriptions using a cell phone.
I would have to seriously doubt that anyone is going to purchase a few hundred dollars of prepaid airtime just to buy an airline ticket so I would have to assume they are referring to post paid cell phone users over the age of 55. We couldn't tell you how many people were surveyed so take these results with a grain of salt.
The impressive part for me was that they have obviously thought this through. They specifically stated that just because a teenager could purchase using a cellular phone did not mean that they would. They also stated that this is an unknown market and they didn't really know if it would work or not.
My respect-o-meter went up by ten points because of their conservative, honest, and logical conclusions to their entering this type of market. If more companies like these continue to enter the market then there may actually be hope for the online wireless shopping market.
ANOTHER M COMMERCE HARE LOSES THE RACE TO CONSUMER WALLETS
I am still in shock over the previous article. This one will be the remedy to my shock of actually admitting that a WAP service might actually be viable. You may or may not have heard of a company called SNAZ Commerce Solutions.
This was the company that created the WAP "virtual mall" and led to the statistics that I have been disputing as completely unrealistic. The prediction said that M Commerce would generate $21 Billion by 2004. I will add that SNAZ didn't make these statistics.
It was the service that Amazon was touting a couple of years back as being their future into the M Commerce business. Some of the other retailers that didn't want to miss out on the big rush into M Commerce were Barnes & Noble, The Gap, Office Depot, Godiva, and the list goes on.
SNAZ was on the way to the top and heralded as the next best thing in the wireless industry. Here it is a year later and they have filed for bankruptcy although they pulled contracts with AT&T, Nextel, and Alltel, to name a couple of carriers.
So what pulled them down? Consumer apathy and carrier networks were not adequate to offer WAP phone shopping on a large scale. It was a good idea but they just came out of the gates a little too fast and met the finish line before we, the
consumers, were ready to start the race.
The other obstacle that put the brakes on their recovery was the crash of all the dot com companies. Investors no longer found non profitable dot coms interesting, and SNAZ was unable to pull in the funding needed to survive.
By no means am I ribbing the folks at SNAZ. I applaud them for their efforts at trying to be pioneers and what they had to offer did have some substance. The fatal mistake that they made was they believed the hype and didn't do their homework first. The bane of the booming dot com surge.
Now I feel much better with reiterating my pessimistic view of the WAP phone's future. Besides, it is in the company policy handbook on page 23 that requires that we dispute all statistical projections or observations that cannot be supported with facts. I do a fine job at that, don't you think?
If you're curious about what is on page one of the handbook, it lists the top ten rules for working on any project within the company. The first rule is to do your homework, the second rule is to do you homework, the third rule is to do your homework, the fourth rule is..... I think you get the picture. Page 2 of the handbook has one simple sentence. Practice the top ten rules on page 1.
CASE aka Consumers Association of Singapore was looking to refuel the debate on cellular phones and cancer. Turns out they got a sound reprimand from the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) telling them that IDA was not going to reopen the issue.
Another agency called the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) joined in with the IDA in stating that evidence from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that radio frequency waves from cellular phones
were unlikely to induce or promote cancer.
CASE wanted to press the issue of having manufacturers provide certification of "safe" models and they wanted more stringent tests done on cell phones. CASE went on further with a rebuttal that there have been studies conducted that contradict the evidence provided by WHO. (I am getting tired of all of these acronyms.)
IDA came back to CASE stating that manufacturers already provide SAR values (absorption rate of the RF waves into the human body.) The max being 2.0 and stating that most phones on the market were between 0.5 and 1.0 with their SAR values.
The director of the HSA's center for radiation protection went on to support IDA in stating that WHO's studies were scientifically sound. He went on further to say that the value of many of the studies which claim to have suggested a link [of cellular phones and cancer] are doubtful as their results cannot be replicated.
** I wanted to point out that SAR values are really insignificant in and of themselves. For those of you who are new subscribers, do a search in our 2000 or maybe it is the 2001 newsletter archives and you will find more info on the subject of how SAR values are determined as acceptable. As they say, the truth will set you
free.
If you bought into the hype on SAR values, don't kick yourself over it. You didn't know and nobody in the industry is going to hold it against you. That is the reason we are here which is to educate you on the wireless industry and to guide you in your efforts to learn as much as you can.
I don't know about our readers here but I think this watchdog group was trying to get some publicity here or something. Isn't it kind of strange that we haven't heard of any new studies lately linking cellular phones and cancer? Have you noticed that the companies that were promoting "radiation shields" have suddenly disappeared?
As I have said before, the instant experts appeared in the hopes that you would fall for the hype and open your wallets. Now that you know the truth and they know there is no more money to be had, they have packed up and gone home. It is a shame that so many people may have been duped into buying worthless products.
IRIDIUM SATELLITE'S GLOBAL WIRELESS SERVICE IS BACK AGAIN
The availability of a truly global wireless service is pretty cool. It isn't the type of service that you or I would need unless we were planning on getting stranded on a desert island somewhere but it has
its place in the wireless industry. Every niche market has a gap that needs to be filled. Iridium is doing exactly that.
Iridium Satellite LLC is focusing on marketing the service to industrial clients and government agencies. The phones can allow an open line of communication by ocean faring vessels,
arctic circle exploration teams, oil field workers, and anyone else in a remote area of the world who needs to transmit data or get out a voice message. Park Rangers may find it to be of some use, I would think. It would also work well for emergency personnel working on a national disaster recovery.
The reason why they would not work for a general consumer applications is because they do require a "line of sight" with the satellite. In other words, they will not work very well if at all inside of a building. But if you are going on a cruise or to a foreign country then it might be something of value. Renting out satellite phones to tourists who like to visit remote areas could be a good business. Mountain climbers, ski
fanatics, trail hikers, etc. Instead of trying to sell Ice to an Eskimo, try selling them one of these phones. They may not look at you like you are crazy. Then again, maybe they will.
They can offer a global wireless service because they have 66 satellites in a low orbit over earth. Low orbit in this case is 485 miles from the earth's surface. Each satellite circles the earth every 100 minutes because they are traveling at an
unbelievable rate of 16,832 miles per hour. (That is not a roller coaster ride I would want to be trying out.)
Motorola has been manufacturing the wireless satellite devices for the new Iridium. Not only do they have phones but they even have pagers available. The devices currently available are the Motorola 9500 series satellite phones. It looks like Kyocera used to build them for the former Iridium LLC but no longer. However, the Kyocera satellite phones will still work with the service.
The service is being marketed all over the world. If you are interested in their service then you will have to contact one of their partners near you. You can find the list of their partners by visiting their website at the following:
The seem to have pulled it together as their website states they have virtually no debt and they have a fraction of the operating expenses that the former Iridium LLC had when offering this service. That is always a good thing when operating a business.
If you are a techno junkie or aspiring astronaut, take a look at their "our story" link. It gives a very brief yet comprehensive rundown of their service and equipment network. Even those of you who didn't major in Physics will be able to understand it. You can always impress your friends with how smart you are!
I was thinking about my writing the article on the Wow! factor and thought I would check around to see if I could find any examples. The article posted here has done exactly that. That is what I get for thinking. Somebody always seems to be a step ahead of me for some reason.
Competition for making up new and unusual cellular phones seems to be heating up. We have written articles before on wristwatch phones but it has been a while. As cell phones, they still have a ways to go but here is the latest update we have on them.
DoCoMo, the renowned Japanese wireless company, has been working on building a wristwatch cellular phone for quite a while now. Motorola has built them, Samsung just came out with
its own wristwatch phone, and Hewlett Packard is working with Swatch to build a WAP style wristwatch cellular phone. (WAP Again?!?)
Back to the wristwatch cell phone created by DoCoMo. The cellular phone that DoCoMo created is about the size of a match box and can be voice activated. Somehow they even managed to put in a miniature keypad for manual entry of telephone numbers. It also gives the user the option of using an earphone when you are trying to conduct a call in a noisy environment such as an airport.
Although this phone is very small, it still has a standby time of 100 hours. That alone is an impressive feat and can only be credited to the advancements in wireless technology. The miniature components used in the cellular phone is why it can work with such a small power source for so long.
There is still one problem that is still being worked out because the phone is so small. The problem is that when you are driving, the wristwatch cell phone has a tendency to lose the connection and drop the call. The small power source is the reason for the dropped calls. It takes more power to search and connect with a wireless tower if it is further away. For now it functions best when users are in a fixed location or walking.
There are two technological advancements that have allowed manufacturers to create these novelty phones. As we mentioned in the previous article, smaller and more efficient components, and the second is the improvement in voice recognition technology.
However, Samsung still holds the Guinness World Record for creating the worlds smallest cellular phone/TV hybrid and smallest wristwatch phone. Their hybrid TV cell phone (model SCH M22) offers 200 minutes of TV viewing or 180 minutes of cellular phone talk time. If
you're curious about Samsung's watch phone look it up under model SPH WP10.
By the way, I wouldn't recommend running to Japan or Korea to buy one of these phones yet. The chances are very high that nobody in the US, carriers included, would even have the faintest clue on how to activate it.
INTERESTING ARGUMENTS ON CELL PHONE DRIVING DISTRACTIONS AND LAWS
The media are taking a bit of a slam for reporting on the
"in vogue" topics such as cell phone use and driver distraction. We all know that the media
are either looking to be politically correct or to find a story that they can use to increase circulation. There is no such thing as unbiased and objective reporting, in my opinion.
I am not saying that every journalist or reporter out there isn't objective or unbiased. Sometimes it is their boss who tells them what to write about or not to write about. I have a little more leeway to write about what I want so I do. The more I learn about driver distraction, the more I waver on my position in regards to driver distraction laws. Here is the latest piece to the puzzle with an interesting argument.
The Chairman of the National Association of Governor's Highway Safety Representatives (NAGHSR) made a comment that I thought made a lot of sense. His comment was that the media focused on cell phone distraction but that actions such as changing a CD, eating, and reading while driving still contributed to crashes.
We published previously that a recent study indicated that cell phone distraction while driving was at the bottom of the list of reasons for contributing to crashes. The interesting argument that was presented was that people using cell phones while driving diverted a driver's attention from even more dangerous distractions.
It looks like the implementing of laws banning cellular phone use are going to become very unpopular and they make take their toll on the politicians who present or support them with the debates starting to really heat up. Cell phone users are starting to get some official support in their opposition to cell phone use bans.
Germany is one country where cell phones have been banned while driving unless you are using a hands free. It turns out that many people driving down the autobahn have largely ignored the law. The German government had thought to increase the fine for a violation but that is being opposed. Some say it is just another way for the German government to regulate and control everything. It is not surprising to find that the wireless carriers in Germany still scoff at the law.
A further setback for proponents of cell phone bans is that the US Legislators have declined to pass federal legislation requiring the use of a hands free kit while driving. They say that they will leave it to the state and local legislators to implement as they see fit. A political move to avoid cell phone user outrage as well as losing a vote in the next election?
The original legislation on banning cell phone use was introduced
by Rep. Gary Ackerman (D - NY) and Rep. Jon Corzine (D-NJ). The legislation proposed that if states didn't implement a law by a specific date then they would lose federal highway funding. A critical mistake for their re-election if you ask me. They have alienated cellular phone users and now the states too. If it is a close race, this could be the deciding factor for their losing their seats in Congress.
The most recent study on cell phone distractions and the fear of reprisals by voters is probably why more states haven't implemented laws on banning cell phone use (yet). They are going to wait and see how many of New York's politicians are voted out of office is my guess. What they don't know is that cell phone users are starting to revolt
against the bans worldwide.
To help out the politicians that supposedly represent our interests, we will invite every one of them at every level of government to subscribe to our newsletter. In fact, why not forward our newsletter to a politician of your choice that you think needs to read up on the information we offer. We will consider it our grassroots campaign.
I wanted to take a moment to clear some things up. If you have been with us for a while this won't be new to you but it will be for recent subscribers. We just want to make sure everyone knows where we stand. This will allow you to take what we say with a grain of salt or to heed our advice and/or observations.
Either way, the choice is entirely yours. First, we are not a politically correct newsletter. We tell it how we see it and we do not intend to hold back any punches. Sometimes we can be controversial and downright offensive. In these cases when we are considered
too controversial or offensive, it is because we disagree with a specific issue or subject.
But we do our best to write the truth but the truth is always subject to interpretation because you may see it differently than we do. We want our newsletter to be the best in the industry. We have a policy to write retractions if we are convinced that we are wrong and even if we are not convinced, we will publish a rebuttal of any responses sent to us by an opposing party. It has happened before we and have published rebuttals in the past.
This is done so that you, the reader can make your own decision on which perspective you feel is the most appropriate for you. It is not uncommon for us to disagree with our peers in the industry either. We do our own research and if what we find doesn't support our
peers' position then we dispute it and state our reason for our position.
The basis of our newsletter is not only to educate you on our industry but to give you the resources that will get you thinking. We are not trying to sway your to our perspective. If we were then we would be much more subtle in our presentation rather than being blatantly outspoken. Whether or not you agree with our perspective on various articles, if it gets you thinking then we have done our job.
In a sense, we found it necessary to take the role of devil's advocate. Some of what we publish is supposed to be taboo and never mentioned to the public. We are probably considered traitors in the wireless industry because we crack the door so you can have a peek inside. You gotta love those first amendment rights!
Then there are times when I want to jump up from my chair and scream, "I know what you did last week and last summer!" But I don't because I heard that straightjackets aren't all that comfortable nor fashionable. I will have to settle with telling you about what I have learned since the last newsletter was published.
Next thing you know, we will be called radicals or right wing extremists and then the witch hunts will begin. The fact remains that we have a job to do and we plan on doing it to the best of our ability. In parting, we hope that you enjoy our newsletter and will continue to remain subscribed for years to come.
P.S. Thanks to those of you who have written in support of our newsletter. We greatly appreciate your comments and feedback.
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when you aren't looking. If you want your name to vanish from our list because our newsletter is just too boring or someone else signed you up, let us know. We will reluctantly take you off of our newsletter list. And we still reserve the right to make faces at you when you aren't looking.
