ROW Short Takes

VIA Rail inks Wi-Fi deployment deal with ParsonsVIA Rail has signed Parsons Corp. to a five-year deal that will see the engineering and program management firm deploy Wi-Fi in all VIA 1 and Comfort class cars, as well as 22 stations and all seven Panorama lounges in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor. The service is primarily targeted at business people and students, but opens the door for the implementation of other applications. "As the first commercial fleet deployment of on-train Wi-Fi in North America, this value-added service aimed at primarily business travelers and students will provide access to email and the Internet, and create opportunities for private applications like e-ticketing and could even provide operational information through electronic logbooks and engine telemetry," VIA Rail VP of marketing Steve Del Bosco said in a news release. Five trains and four lounges are already outfitted with Wi-Fi access. The remaining lounges and the 22 stations will be equipped with the service by March 2006, followed by all VIA 1 cars in April 2006, and all Comfort cars in November 2006. Ottawa’s PointShot Wireless will be one of the primary equipment suppliers for Parson, offering its RailPoint system which helps bridge connections for the various networks at play, including the 2.4 GHz licence-exempt band used in popular Wi-Fi access systems as well as the cellular and satellite networks. PointShot president and CEO Shawn Griffin, said, "This industry first provides validation of our solution for large-scale commercial broadband wireless access on passenger trains." This will be the first commercial deployment for PointShot and the company expects more in the coming year. Customers in North America and in Europe are expected to announce commercial deployments next year. The company’s RailPoint system is already deployed with three commercial rail operators. InMotion recognized by Frost & Sullivan for first-responders appBritish Columbia’s InMotion Technology has been awarded the 2005 Product Innovation of the Year for its onboard Mobile Gateway 1000 from Frost & Sullivan. The system provides a combined networking and applications appliance for vehicles that connects multiple devices within the vehicle and enables them to share a wide area network (WAN) connection. The company develops "innovative solutions for mobile local area networks (mLANs) that help enterprises and government agencies extend their IT infrastructure to critical mobile workgroups," reads a news release. Rogers Wireless debuts push email on RAZR V3 handsetRogers Wireless Inc. has announced the availability of MyMail push email service on the RAZR V3, made by Motorola. The companies note in a news release that business users and consumers "will now be able to take advantage of the first Java-based push email made available for a GSM handset." MyMail provides business customers with an environment similar to that of the BlackBerry where users can send, receive and delete messages and stay connected to desktop personal information management applications while on the go. Bell to offer Virgin phones, accessories at Bell World storesVirgin Mobile Canada’s phones, accessories and top-ups are now available in all of Bell Canada’s Bell World, Bell Mobility and Espace Bell stores across the country. As a result of the agreement Virgin Canada’s products will be available at more than 375 Bell retail outlets across the country, adding to the 2,500 other stores across Canada already selling Virgin Canada’s products. "By December 2005 distribution will more than double from 1,500 stores at launch to 3,300 stores, giving consumers more locations across Canada to shop for Virgin Mobile products and services," reads a news release. Bell customers can purchase the Virgin Mobile Hot Box which comes with The Flash Nokia 2125i handset, a phone mitten, stickers, a $10 starter credit, coupons for two free ringtone downloads and two image downloads, and details on a chance to win a trip for two to Necker Island. Other handsets available at Bell stores are the Nokia 6015i, the Audiovox 8615 and the Audiovox 8910 camera phone. Pressure heating up on RIMNokia is turning up the heat on Research in Motion Ltd. The cell phone giant announced earlier this month that it had reached an agreement to acquire Intellisync Corp. for approximately US$430 million. The acquisition falls in line with Nokia’s recently launched Nokia Business Center, a software solution that enables push email and other collaborative applications, and puts Nokia in a solid position in the enterprise mobility marketplace. Aliant introduces 10-4 walkie-talkie serviceAliant Telecom has introduced the 10-4 walkie-talkie service to Atlantic Canadians. The service is available on the Sanyo 2300 cell phone, which can be purchased for as low as $69.99 with a three-year service contract. The service can be added to existing cellular service plans for an additional $15 per month. Telus Mobility debuts UTStarcom Pocket PC 6700Telus Mobility, in conjunction with UTStarcom Personal Communications and Microsoft Canada Co. have introduced UTStarcom’s 6700 Pocket PC. It is the first device of its kind in Canada to operate on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, according to a news release. "A growing number of Canadians have an appetite for powerful and multifunctional devices that offer extremely fast mobile access to email and the Internet, and the UTStarcom Pocket PC 6700 is ideal to ensure clients remain connected and productive when they’re on the go," Robert Blumenthal, Telus Mobility’s VP of products and services, said in a news release. Product delays blamed for shortfall in subscriber additions for RIMResearch in Motion Ltd. has indicated that it added 8% fewer subscribers in the third quarter ended November 26 than it previously forecast in September. The company is blaming the late release of two new products, the 8700 Series and the 7130 Series, both of which were due out in early November. "While the delay in launch dates for these two highly anticipated products caused a timing shift in expected subscriber additions, the products are becoming available now and will help drive significant growth in the coming quarters," Jim Balsillie, chair and co-CEO of RIM, said in a news release. The Waterloo ON company also expects to add fewer fourth-quarter subscribers by about 3%. RIM also added fewer subscribers in the second quarter by about 5%. If the trend continues, it will make three consecutive quarters of missing subscriber addition targets. Some analysts speculate that the four-year patent battle with NTP Inc. is beginning to have a negative impact on RIM sales. "We are skeptical that this is the totality of the issue given that results were also unimpressive last and our belief that the uncertainty around the NTP litigation is causing some disruption in their underlying business," wrote Daryl Armstrong, an analyst with Citgroup Global Markets Inc. in a brief. Mobile gaming to take off in Q2 2006: visiongainNew data from visiongain, a European industry research company, indicates that mobile gaming could be posed to take off in the second quarter of 2006. The company estimates in Mobile Gambling: Identifying Winning Market Strategies that worldwide mobile gambling market will generate more than $4.2 billion in revenue by 2008. "As regulatory, technical and other challenges are gradually resolved, gambling operators are expected to begin actively marketing mobile gambling to their customers starting in the middle of 2006," report author Jean-Pierre Aubertin said in a news release. "Initial trials of mobile gambling sites have confirmed the channel as viable sources of income for gambling site operators such as William Hill and Ladbrokes." WINBC issues calls for applications in WIC 2006 contestThe Wireless Innovation Network of British Columbia (WINBC) has issued a call for applications for the third annual Wireless Innovation Contest 2006 (WIC ’06). The contest is open to Canadian and American wireless application developers and solution providers that have already deployed an application or solution in one of the following six categories: public sector, private sector, home and entertainment, sports and recreation, community and citizenship, and student submissions. Applicants are expected to "prove a return on investment for their deployment of wireless technologies" in the category under which they submit their entry. "WIC ’06 focuses on accelerating wireless adoption and new economic opportunities," WIC ’06 producer and WINBC president Sang Mah said in a news release. TenDigits wins award at Canadian Financing ForumVancouver-based TenDigits Software Inc. was recognized as the Best Company in the information technology category at the ninth annual Canadian Financing Forum. The company develops software based for Microsoft CRM. The forum features presentations from private technology companies in Canada, with 38 competing for attention from more than 80 investors in Canada and the United States. "This award speaks volumes about our success to date in the Microsoft CRM market to date and our future prospects surrounding the imminent MS CRM 3.0 launch," TenDigits president and CEO Sean Gocher said in a news release.

ROW Short Takes

News | December 1, 2005

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