CeBit pre-flash's: xtnd, WWWC, Fuji&Nokia; PKI security...
3Com Corporation Licenses Bluetooth Technology from Extended Systems
HANNOVER, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2000--Extended Systems (Nasdaq:XTND - news), a world leader in short-range wireless connectivity, announced today that it has licensed its Bluetooth software technology to 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS - news) for use in Palm, Inc. products.
Bluetooth technology is a global specification for small form factor, low-cost, wireless communication and networking between PCs, mobile phones and other portable devices. Endorsed by leading PC, PDA, and telecommunications manufacturers, Bluetooth uses an omni-directional radio signal to connect multiple devices up to 10 meters apart. It replaces proprietary cables, providing seamless voice and data transmission via wireless, short-range radio.
To implement Bluetooth wireless communications, Extended Systems' embedded protocol stack has been ported to run with the Palm operating system. The stack manages the sending and receiving of data according to the Bluetooth 1.0 specification, utilizing defined user application profiles, such as file transfer, synchronization, object push, dial-up networking, FAX and LAN access.
Extended Systems will present a Bluetooth technology demonstration at booth no. 1505 at the Wireless Symposium in San Jose, CA February 22-24. 3Com and Extended Systems will present Bluetooth technology demonstrations at their kiosks in the Bluetooth Pavilion, in Hall 1, Stand B4d, Booth 8 at CeBIT 2000, February 24-March 1, 2000.
February 21, 2000, Issue: 1101 Section: News
FUJI, NOKIA ALLY ON BLUETOOTH
Nokia and Fuji Photo Film will show off their jointly developed Bluetooth technology at the CeBit show this week in Hannover, Germany. Both companies will demonstrate transmission of still images between digital cameras and mobile communications terminals.
eetimes.com
FEATURE-Mobile Net players plug content at CeBIT
By Brett Young
HELSINKI, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Companies pitching for a slice of the much-hyped mobile commerce pie will try to bring the wonders of WAP one step closer at this week's CeBIT technology fair.
Public appetites are whetted by the promise of Internet services on mobile phones through the Wireless Application Protocol technology, but so far experts say there is just not enough stuff on them.
''We had Wireless Application Protocol at CeBIT last year, but there are still no real applications out yet,'' said Durlacher analyst Falk Muller-Veerse. ''There will be a rush to fill the void.''
That ''content gap'' could be filled by telecoms operators who dream up services for their subscribers or anyone with a service to offer, in collaboration with carriers or equipment makers.
....... E-BUSINESS PAYMENTS, SECURITY ALSO IN FOCUS
Analysts said that while there was big money to be made from getting content onto subscribers' mobile phones, other firms were ready to profit from behind the scenes work such as keeping transactions secure and processing payments.
''Security will be an underlying motif at CeBIT for the next few years,'' said analyst Ross Jobber at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell.
''Security applies to all the distribution channels, and it is a dynamic environment -- even when you have solved a security problem it is not solved forever,'' he said.
The Finnish telecom operator Sonera will show off its SmartTrust data encryption technology at the fair, which will also have booths from industry leaders like Baltimore Technologies (NasdaqNM:BALT - news) (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BLM.L) and Entrust (NasdaqNM:ENTU - news).
Firms offering payment systems for the mobile Internet stretch from German Brokat Infosystems AG (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BRJG.F) to the tiny Finnish firm More Magic Software Oy.
Some estimate that the value of goods and services to be traded over mobile networks will amount to $13 billion annually by 2003, and the players who process those payments will make a percentage of that in commissions.
X-traWeb to Unveil First True Web-Cam at CeBIT 2000
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2000--X-traWeb, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of World Wireless Communications, Inc. (OTC BB:WWWC), announced today that it will unveil its newly developed WebCam -- The X-Cam(TM) -- at CeBIT 2000, February 24th through March 1st, 9 AM - 6 PM, Hall 6, Stand F20, Booth A3, Hannover, Germany.
By integrating a miniature camera with its' own web server, the X-traWeb X-Cam effectively becomes the first 'true' web-cam eliminating the need for PC connections and drivers.
The X-traWeb X-Cam server offers a 160 x 120 pixel color image updated every 2 seconds. Connections between the X-Cam and the Internet gateway can be either wired or wireless, with World Wireless' award-winning frequency hopping spread spectrum radios providing the wireless links.
In addition to the X-Cam, the X-traWeb booth will feature working displays of the first total solution web-enabling product for the home. Visitors to the booth will control common household appliances with a click of a mouse.
Each appliance in the booth will be plugged into an outlet, with a miniature web server known as an X-Node(TM) positioned between the outlet and the appliance. X-traWeb's Internet gateway, called an X-Gate(TM), connects the X-Nodes to the Internet eliminating the need for a PC. Wireless communications between the X-Nodes and the X-Gate are conducted via the 900 SS MicroHopper, WWC's leading 900 MHz radio.
World Wireless Communications President and CEO David Singer, who will be available for interviews to discuss this groundbreaking technology, commented, ''CeBIT is the premiere international forum to debut the X-Cam. The X-traWeb booth will illustrate just a handful of the many important applications of this state-of-the-art product which has the capability of transforming the way people live and work.''
X-traWeb is a wholly owned subsidiary of World Wireless Communications, Inc. World Wireless has extensive experience in developing low-cost, reliable communications systems. Through key alliances with companies such as Panasonic, Motorola and Williams Telemetry services, World Wireless has created unique solutions to implement communications and telemetry services in applications that were previously cost-prohibitive. By leveraging this experience, World Wireless now offers the latest generation in web-enabling technology.
In addition to X-traWeb, World Wireless designs and markets a complimentary range of 900 MHz and 2.4 GHZ spread spectrum data radios for OEM and telemetry applications. These radios offer license-free wireless communications for a variety of applications. For more information, please visit the company's web site at worldwireles.com
Tuesday February 22, 11:30 am Eastern Time
TAKE A LOOK - Reuters at CeBiT 2000
From ''smell-trap'' Websites to snazzy Internet access devices, a barrage of top gizmos will make headlines this week as CeBiT 2000, the world's biggest information technology fair boots up in Hanover, Germany.
Underneath all this glitz is a potential $7.0 trillion market for worldwide business-to-business e-commerce in 2004.
Reuters correspondents will cover the event which kicked off witha news conference by Deutsche Telekom on Tuesday and the official trade fair starting from February 24 to March 1.
Helsinki correspondent Brett Young looks at which mobile operators and content providers to look out for at CeBiT.
Tue, 22 Feb 2000 11:11:34 GMT
Reuters
Partners will develop open standard for synching data across platforms - but Microsoft doesn't join the party
British handheld computer maker Psion said this morning it was linking up with major partners to develop an open, universal standard for synchronising data across different computer platforms.
Microsoft was noticeably absent from the list of founding SyncML members -- which includes IBM, Nokia, Lotus, Motorola, Palm and Starfish Software.
Psion shares have since shot up 14.8 percent to £56. The team-up aims to develop a way for computer users on the move to easily swap data, from address lists to chunky files, between operating systems -- such as Microsoft Windows and Psion's EPOC -- and devices, from cellphones to office networks.
The synchronisation system, or protocol, will be based on Extensible Markup Language or XML, an advanced computer language based on HTML.
"It SyncML Initiative is open for industry partners to join in developing the specification," Psion enthused.
"Companies interested in joining are encouraged to contact The SyncML Initiative today to become part of the team and deliver the SyncML specification available later this year."
Currently data synchronisation is based on multiple sets of different protocols, each one functioning with a limited number of data types, devices or systems.
Mobile goes global at CeBIT
Tue, 22 Feb 2000 15:54:18 GMT
PC Week
From Microsoft's portable version of Internet Explorer to Xybernaut's "eDress" collection of computer-based gowns, the resounding theme of this year's CeBIT Fair is that mobile computing is the future
This week, device makers, wireless service providers and software developers will display their latest wares to an estimated 700,000-plus visitors at the annual high-tech hoe-down in Hanover, Germany.
One of the leading mobile device providers, 3Com's Palm Computing division -- which is set to go public within the next two weeks -- will showcase its first colour handheld device, the Palm IIIc Connected Organizer. The device is similar to its monochrome counterpart but has a full-colour screen and a rechargeable battery.
Many developers reportedly have applications ready to go for the device. AvantGo, which offers Palm users scaled-down versions of content from more than 350 Web sites, will now supply that content in colour.
Microsoft will announce a new version of Internet Explorer for its Pocket PC platform, aka CE, for palm-size devices, which will support Secure Sockets Layer, JavaScript and Extensible Markup Language. Users will be able to access Internet data either with a wireless-modem Internet connection or by synchronising the device with the Internet connection on their PCs -- which means they can download Internet content to their handhelds without having to pay for a wireless connection.
Service from AvantGo also will be integrated into the new browser, which will include a "mobile favourites" feature that enables users to add icons for automatic access to favourite sites and even allows user specification on how many clicks deep they want to go into the site.
Casio Computers and Siemens AG's Communications Devices division are expected to give enthusiasts a glimpse of working prototypes of their jointly developed mobile devices at the show.
For its part, Symbian, the joint venture between LM Ericsson Telefon AB, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Motorola, Nokia and Psion, plans to demonstrate its first reference design platform and discuss details on two other devices it has on the drawing board.
First off, the group will preview Quartz, a tablet-like wireless communicator they unveiled last week. Officials will also discuss details of Crystal -- a forthcoming personal digital assistant-type communicator -- and Pearl, a reference design platform for a smart-phone. Nokia plans to use Pearl in a future phone that features both Symbian's Epoc operating environment and Palm OS.
Also on the wireless front, Compaq European executives will unveil a wireless and Global System for Mobile Communications solutions for its handheld products. Compaq's US counterparts will discuss strategic initiatives that build on its new iAppliances business.
Sharp Electronics will demonstrate several new products, including a handheld PC called the HC-7000, which lets users access e-mail, the Internet and data from a company's network using Microsoft's Windows CE Professional. A built-in digital camera allows users to attach "proof photos" with a 350,000-pixel resolution to e-mail, officials revealed.
And for the ultimate fashion victim, wearable computer maker Xybernaut will demonstrate the latest eDress outfits from designer Anna Niemann, which feature the company's Mobile Assistant IV wearable PC. In addition, the company will demonstrate a mobile simultaneous language-interpreting device.
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