ROW Short Takes

CWTA unveils new safe driving web siteThe Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) has introduced a new interactive web site for its responsible driver education program. The web site is designed to "raise awareness of the role of driver distraction in road safety." The new Focus on Driving web site features an interactive quiz aimed at, both experienced and novice, "identify the risks associated with driver distraction." The web site unveiling comes as a recent University of Illinois study revealed that using a cell phone while driving represents a major cause of driver distraction. Additionally, the study found that the use of hands-free devices didn’t reduce driver distraction. Financial executives can’t live without cell phones: surveyA new survey from Robert Half Management Resources says that approximately one-third of CFOs list the cell phone as their "most indispensable portable technology device." Laptop computers came in at second place as 29% of CFOs cited portable computers as their most indispensable device. Survey respondents were asked the following question: Which of the following portable technology devices do you consider most indispensable in your life? The answers were: • Cell phone – 32%• Laptop computer – 29%• Wireless handheld – 20%• Mini hard drive – 11%• iPod – 1%• Other – 3%• Don’t know/no answer – 4%Survey results reflect the needs of today’s business professionals to have devices that do more than one thing, says Paul McDonald, executive director for the company. "These multifunctional phones are fast becoming one device executives are expected to own and use." Fido offers back-to-school promotionsTargeting the back-to-school market, Fido has introduced the "Unlimited Everything" promotion along with SkinIt vinyl cell phone covers. Subscribers who want to personalize their handsets can now do so with by choosing from a large selection of vinyls ranging from animal prints to denim. Also the six months of unlimited calling, text and picture messaging should be a big hit with the back-to-school crowd. Telus Mobility breaking new ground in the marketTelus Mobility is pushing the limits of push-to-talk mobile communications by adding instant picture messaging capabilities to handsets operating on the company’s Mike network. The Motorola i860 allows subscribers to send pictures, contacts and other data to other subscribers with the click of a button. "he Motorola i860 extends the power of ‘Push To’ from Mike’s instant voice contact into instant multimedia messaging," reads a Telus Mobility news release. In other Telus Mobility news, the company was selected by the Winnipeg Airports Authority to deploy a wireless local area network (WLAN) at the Winnipeg International Airport offering public Wi-Fi access to travelers, the airport authority and the airport’s tenants. Bell Mobility adds MSN Messenger to its handsetsBell Mobility, Canada’s second-largest wireless operator, has introduced MSN Messenger on its handsets. The new service allows the company’s subscribers to "transmit messages they type on their mobile phone to people on their contact list in real-time over the Internet to other mobile phones or PCs." The mobile MSN Messenger service is powered by Montreal-based OZ Communications Inc.’s Mobile IM Gateway. It provides Bell Mobility customers with a seamless, always-on mobile messaging experience. In Motion leverages mobile gateway to secure more dealsIn Motion Technology is extending its reach in the mobile mission critical data market inking two more agreements in recent weeks. Following on the heels of an initial deal with American Medical Response (AMR), In Motion participated in the launch of AMR’s "Ambulance of the Future" which uses the company’s onBoard Mobile Gateway (RoW, Aug. 25/05). As well, In Motion entered into a partnership with ZOLL Data Systems to deliver mobile dispatch and patient data to end-user medical professionals. "Our vision for enabling the flow of mission critical data to and from the ambulance is further strengthened by the innovative products from In Motion Technology," ZOLL Data Systems president Vane Clayton said. "We are excited about the enhanced capabilities that In Motion Technology’s products bring to our solutions and to our customers." McAfee debuts product for home wireless networksMcAfee Inc. has introduced a new version of its network protection software, specifically designed for the home wireless network. McAfee Wireless Home Network Security 2006 provides consumers with automatic protection from data theft, unauthorized access and broadband "freeloading". The software is available for downloading at www.mcafee.com. Intrinsyc Software introduces four new productsVancouver-based Intrinsyc Software International Inc. has debuted four new products that allow mobile device manufacturers to begin development cycles earlier and to bring new devices to market faster. "Recent contracts awarded to Intrisync’s MES group totaling $1.9 million in the smartphone and related mobile and embedded market segments highlight the growing need for these types of discrete solution offerings," reads an Intrinsyc news release. WebTech raises more than $3.5 millionBurnaby BC-based WebTech Wireless Inc. has raised $3.7 million through the issue of more than 5.5 million common shares following an exercise of purchase warrants. The warrants originate from a 2004 private placement. The money will allow the company to further strength its working capital position and to proceed with a more aggressive growth plan. The $3.7 million "will provide the company with the financial stability to roll out large customer orders and establish service centres in growth markets worldwide," reads a WebTech news release. IDC reports lower earningsInternational Datacasting Corp. has reported slightly lower earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2005 compared to the same period last year. Revenue in Q2 2005 was $3,348,537 compared to $3,473,391 in Q2 2004. Net earnings for the quarter were up slightly – less than $10,000. IDC president and CEO Ron Clifton said, "We are quite pleased with our performance in the second quarter. We had good success with closing new orders, we produced another consecutive profitable quarter and we continue to maintain our strong cash and working capital position. While our year-to-date revenues are down slightly compared to last year, we are improving our gross margins through more value-added software and we’ve continued to invest in the development of new products for key target markets." Motorola initiates innovative sponsorship of TIFFMotorola Inc. is bringing innovative sponsorship to the Toronto International Film Festival by promoting mobile video technologies. "Video-capture technology is a popular feature on Motorola handsets and is an important part of our current and future mobile technology development," Motorola Canada director of marketing Colleen McClure said in a news release. SAMSys to support barcode printers in U.S. and EuropeSAMSys Technologies Inc. has announced that it will supply its new embedded MP9311 RFID UHF reader module for Monarch RFID printers and encoders, manufactured by Paxar Corp. "Effectively immediately, the SAMSys module will come standard in all Paxar Monarch 9855 RFID tabletop bar code printers sold in the U.S. and Europe," reads a news release. Paxar notes that SAMSys’ support for multiple tags allows the same printer to be used in organizations that have both legacy and next-generation systems.

ROW Short Takes

News | September 8, 2005

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