Telecom's Hottest Tech, Coolest Gadgets
A nifty advanced handset, a GPS-wireless service, a SIMple fix to secure Net payments, and more -- all at Telecom World 2003
Sierra Wireless is taking a big leap into handsets aimed at businesspeople.
Its new Voq phone, which will ship in the first quarter of next year in the U.S. and Europe for an expected price of $250 to $350, will be the first to use a new 200-megahertz version of Intel's powerful, energy-efficient Xscale microprocessor and the 2003 version of Microsoft's Windows Mobile software. As such, it represents the latest bid by the twin titans of PC technology to stake out a place in the booming mobile-phone arena. Creating mobile phones from building blocks such as Intel processors and Microsoft software is a direct challenge to the mobile industry's traditional model -- and threatens to introduce PC-like commoditization to the business' high-end "smartphone" segment.
Sierra hasn't yet announced any resellers for the Voq phone, but it now sells its PC cards for GSM and CDMA networks through operators such as Vodafone (VOD ), T-Mobile, and Verizon (VZ ). The Voq features a color screen, rubberized sides, and an unusual fold-out QWERTY keyboard. It will be pitched to corporate customers who want mobile access to e-mail and other company information.
One interesting element is that businesses using the phone won't have to add separate servers to manage outgoing e-mail to mobile users. Using an "always-on" wireless connection and a secure VPN (virtual private network) tunnel, Voq users can get mail "pushed" out to them as if they were sitting at their own desks. |
