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Technology Stocks : InfoSpace (INSP): Where GNET went! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: levy who wrote (26913)	4/16/2002 1:42:12 PM
From: Roger Sherman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28311

INSP's "partner" AT&T Wireless in news yesterday... It's funny, but there is absolutely no mention of INSP in this Press Release of (4/15/2002) regarding the launch of a new wireless initiative, despite the fact that AWE is based in INSP's own back yard of Redmond, WA., and it was launched in the city where INSP's headquarters are located. I thought INSP's stated "goal" was to become the "default platform upon which wireless carriers deliver services over any network, device, or protocol." I guess that was just another of those infamous "forward-looking statements." The PR mentions some company called "Infowave" as being the "catalyst" helping make this project a reality. Monday April 15, 2:45 pm Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE: Compaq Computer Corporation; City of Bellevue Bellevue Kicks Off Wireless Initiative With Technology Leaders Compaq, Infowave, AT&T Wireless and Sierra Wireless City of Bellevue Sees Wireless Technology as Way to Improve Communications, Provide Exceptional Public Service BELLEVUE, Wash., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The City of Bellevue announced today that it is taking an enterprising step toward state-of-the art wireless technology designed to improve communications and the flow of critical information to its citizens and businesses. Working with technology leaders Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ - news), Infowave Software (Toronto: IW - news), AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE - news), and Sierra Wireless (Nasdaq: SWIR - news; Toronto: SW - news), the city is launching a wireless communications initiative that will allow city employees to connect to mission critical applications, the city intranet and email in order to complete previously paper-based office tasks from the field. "This new technology can help us provide a level of service to our citizens that only a few years ago was impossible," said Bellevue City Manager Steve Sarkozy. "This is a great opportunity for us to become one of the first cities in the U.S. to introduce this technology into our work force with a goal of improving both productivity and customer service," Sarkozy said. The initiative is believed to be one of the most comprehensive wireless deployments in any U.S. city today. The city has already begun rolling out the solution to some of its operations and has outfitted employees with the following technology: Compaq iPAQ(TM) Pocket PCs with Expansion Packs for wireless mobility and Compaq Evo notebooks with a built-in Multiport module that supports wireless technologies; wireless access provided by Sierra Wireless AirCard 300 wireless network cards and wireless services from AT&T Wireless. The solution enables end users to access email, the city intranet and select databases through Infowave's Wireless Business Engine and a suite of application connectors. "In Bellevue, as in cities nationwide, there is growing demand for access to information whenever and wherever people want it," said Jim Weynand, Compaq vice president of Government and Education Markets. "Bellevue has truly stepped out in front in its ability to provide online information and services. Compaq is eager to work with the city and technology leaders AT&T Wireless, Infowave and Sierra Wireless to create a wireless program that will radically change how Bellevue employees can access information while away from the office," Weynand said. "As a hometown company, AT&T Wireless is thrilled to help the City of Bellevue best equip its employees for today's opportunities and challenges," said Geoff Fishman, AT&T Wireless General Manager in Washington. "Wireless data services will help increase productivity and effectiveness by enabling workers to be mobile but remain connected with the information and people most important to them." The ability to communicate more effectively from the field will reduce the amount of time spent driving to city offices to enter reports into databases. In some cases, it will allow city staff to provide useful information to citizens more rapidly. Remote email also has proven to be a reliable form of communication in emergency situations and has functioned even when radio, wireline and wireless voice communications have been overwhelmed. At this time, city building and safety inspectors are being outfitted and trained to use the new wireless technology to obtain and send information about building permits and code compliance history from the field. When applicable, builders and developers will then be able to obtain same-day results of their inspections, saving them time and money. In a later phase of the project, transportation and parks crews working in the field will be able to report on completed tasks and obtain detailed instructions for new assignments without having to return to base. Such capabilities will allow them to work more efficiently and respond more quickly to problems. The wireless initiative represents the City of Bellevue's desire to improve public service through the use of technology and through what Infowave CEO Thomas Koll describes as "a totally connected organization." In addition to publicly showcasing the benefits and return on investment wireless technology delivers, the project demonstrates the possibilities that exist today across the wireless industry for collaboration between technology leaders to design and deliver seamless solutions to business and government. "Infowave is proud to be a catalyst to make this project a reality and commends the City of Bellevue for its forward-thinking and commitment to serving its constituents," Koll said. "Through our strong relationships with AT&T Wireless, Compaq and Sierra Wireless, we believe we've enabled the City of Bellevue to be confident in the success of its wireless initiative by delivering a proven technology mix from wireless experts." "Bellevue's Wireless Initiative is one example of how industry leaders work together to deliver complete and compelling wireless data solutions," said Jason Cohenour, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Sierra Wireless. "We look forward to working with our partners and the City of Bellevue to develop this solution and demonstrate the value of the wireless workplace to other city municipalities across the country." About Sierra Wireless Sierra Wireless, Inc. is a leading provider of wireless data communications products. Sierra Wireless delivers wireless PC Cards for portable computers, wireless adapters for PDA's, OEM modules for embedded applications and rugged vehicle-mounted wireless systems. Sierra Wireless is the founding member of the WirelessReady(TM) Alliance, an alliance of industry-leading hardware, software and service companies committed to the delivery of complete and compelling wireless data solutions. For more information on Sierra Wireless, visit its Web site at www.sierrawireless.com. "AirCard" and "WirelessReady" are trademarks of Sierra Wireless, Inc. All other trademarks or service marks in this news release are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Compaq Background Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation is a leading global provider of information technology products, services and solutions for enterprise customers. Compaq designs, develops, manufactures and markets information technology equipment, software, services and solutions, including industry- leading enterprise storage and computing solutions, fault-tolerant business- critical solutions, communication products, personal desktop and notebook computers, and personal entertainment and Internet access devices that are sold in more than 200 countries directly and through a network of authorized Compaq marketing partners. Information on Compaq and its products and services is available at www.compaq.com. About Infowave Software Infowave builds innovative wireless business solutions for individual mobile professionals and large organizations that connect people to the critical information they need to be more productive and competitive. The Infowave Wireless Business Engine and its suite of application connectors provide companies with a single wireless software computing standard for fast, secure and reliable wireless access to email and collaboration applications, Web-based applications, the Internet, corporate intranets and legacy and client/server applications from a centrally managed platform. Infowave Symmetry Pro provides individuals with a fast, convenient, easy to install solution for wireless corporate email on Palm- and Pocket PC-powered devices. Infowave's solutions are designed to work on most carrier networks today, including GPRS, GSM, CDPD, CDMA and across the full spectrum of wireless computing devices from laptop computers to web-enabled mobile phones and PDAs to the newest generation of integrated voice/data handheld devices. For more information, please visit www.infowave.com or www.symmetrypro.com. About AT&T Wireless AT&T Wireless is the largest independently traded wireless carrier in the United States, following its split from AT&T on July 9, 2001. AT&T Wireless operates one of the largest digital wireless networks in North America. With 18 million subscribers, and full-year 2001 revenues of $13.6 billion, AT&T Wireless is committed to being among the first to deliver the next generation of wireless products and services. Today, AT&T Wireless offers customers high-quality wireless voice and data communications services in the U.S. and internationally. AT&T Wireless Customer Advantage is the company's commitment to ensure that customers have the right equipment, the right calling plan, and the right customer services options -- today and tomorrow. For more information, please visit us at www.attwireless.com.

To: levy who wrote (26913)	4/16/2002 2:18:02 PM
From: Roger Sherman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28311

INSP's "partner" AT&T Wireless in news today... Apparently AWE is launching its new MMode wireless service today. Again, absolutely no mention of INSP. The article indicates they will initially have 150 "content sites," which I believe in a previous article they had said may grow to about 1000 by the end of the year. The article says that NTT DoCoMo invested $10 billion in AWE, and they already have something like 52,000 "content sites." It appears the "big boys" are really beginning to enter the wireless game, and a little bitty company like INSP is slowly being marginalized as very small minnow in a very big pond...but that's just my opinion. I believe INSP had some content services with AWE's previous wireless attempt called "PocketNet," which according the article it "suffered from incomplete coverage." It says that mMode "is a new business model." Someone told me that "mMode is like PocketNet on steroids." So much for Jain's purported 1999 quote, that I mentioned in an earlier post last week, "We've kicked our competitors. We've crushed them like gnats. Like Microsoft, there is not room for two players. If we enter a market, it is ours to own." seattletimes.nwsource.com Tuesday, April 16, 2002, 10:45 a.m. Pacific AT&T Wireless bets Japan's hit technology will score here By Sharon Pian Chan Seattle Times technology reporter Could we be turning Japanese? That's what AT&T Wireless is plotting. Today, the Redmond carrier is expected to launch mMode, its version of NTT DoCoMo's wildly successful Japanese i-mode Internet service. The hope is that Americans will evolve into phone-thumbing Japanese teenage girls -- exchanging text messages, downloading pictures, pulling up Internet content, buying personalized ring tones -- and paying for a whole new set of services on our wireless phones. But the last time wireless carriers tried to market a wireless Internet service to consumers, users shunned it like a Mariah Carey film. For mMode to succeed -- along with competing wireless-data services from VoiceStream in Bellevue and Verizon Wireless -- wireless carriers are going to have to tread carefully as they market this second generation of wireless-data services to consumers. With today's launch in more than a dozen markets, including Seattle, AT&T Wireless is dipping a big toe in the wireless-data waters as it spends $5 billion this year to upgrade its network infrastructure. mMode is the fruit of the $10 billion investment NTT DoCoMo has made in the Redmond-based spinoff of AT&T. The Japanese company has made investments worldwide to try to reproduce the success of i-mode in other countries. "It's the first step in a critical strategy of where the company is headed," says Andy Willett, vice president of data services in AT&T Wireless' mobile multimedia-services division. "The company is spending billions to deploy the network. This gives us the ability to develop consumer services to leverage the network." In some ways, AT&T Wireless' mMode product is PocketNet version 2.0. The company launched PocketNet, a wireless-data service, in 1996; it was widely viewed as a failure because the service attracted fewer than a million subscribers. Verizon Wireless and Sprint PCS launched similar wireless Web services, but none has attained the 30 million subscribers that i-mode has attracted since launching three years ago. Slow and limited Those earlier services delivered a few lines of text on a black-and-white 1-inch screen at speeds of 9.6 kilobits per second (compared with the 56-kilobit-per-second speed of most personal computer modems). Accessing content was awkward: Doing something as simple as checking the weather forecast could take several minutes. It was faster to pick up a newspaper and flip to the weather section. PocketNet also suffered from incomplete coverage. Only about half of AT&T Wireless' subscribers lived in areas where the services were available. To top it off, it was only available on a few second-tier phones. To fix the speed and coverage issue, AT&T Wireless and most of the other big wireless carriers are upgrading their networks to transfer data at higher speeds, commonly referred to as 2.5G for 2.5 generation. The technology also allows always-on data access, and users can receive voice calls while downloading data. AT&T Wireless expects to have networkwide 2.5G coverage by the end of the year. What mMode does have over PocketNet is a new business model and better devices. Content providers who developed PocketNet applications simply shared a branding relationship with AT&T Wireless. With mMode, content providers can charge for their applications, with about 10 percent going to AT&T Wireless and the other 90 percent or so going to content provider. For now, customers will be billed through their credit cards; later this year, customers are expected to have the option of paying for content on their AT&T Wireless monthly bill. A momentous change? Theoretically, this change could be as seminal as what happened to the PC when software evolved from free code to a product companies could sell. The number of software developers and applications proliferated, and the PC went from an aficionado's device to a high-end business-productivity tool and household appliance. That's what happened in Japan. Subscribers now think of DoCoMo's i-mode just as Americans think about the Internet on the PC: access to thousands of sites. "There's a dramatic inability of the user (in the U.S.) to reach exciting and engaging content. There's no content outside of news, weather, sports," says Reuven Carlyle, a wireless consultant. "What i-mode is about is messaging and communications and community and chat application and services that are brand driven. When you go to build a Web site in Japan, you say, 'Cool, now what are we doing for wireless?' " DoCoMo's i-mode service also offered pioneering devices that have taken years to reach the U.S. The new devices AT&T Wireless plans to start selling this week offer a glimpse of that. One of the devices, the Sony Ericsson T68, has a color screen, and wireless headsets, digital cameras and MP3 player attachments are expected soon. "From a content provider's perspective, it is a biblical difference that people get to make money from it," says George Lightbody, chief executive of Mforma, a wireless-content provider in Seattle. "It's the creation of a value chain." Still, mMode has a long way to go. The higher speeds aren't immediately apparent on the mMode service unless you're downloading color graphics, and the service has only about 150 content sites right now (DoCoMo has 52,000). U.S. subscribers also lead completely different lifestyles than Japanese users. In Japan, users commute by train, which gives users time to kill, so they play with their devices. The U.S. culture, on the other hand, revolves more around driving, which does not lend itself to typing and reading a tiny phone screen. "Consumer mobile Internet offerings have to compete with the large installed base of PCs that offer a rich, all-you-can eat Internet experience," says Nick Sears, vice president of marketing for new products at VoiceStream Wireless. "This makes the mobile Internet an extension for most people instead of the primary source. So adoption rates won't change dramatically unless we make the mobile 'extension' something that customers really want when they are mobile." The last time around the block, the overhyping of the "mobile Internet" burned many consumers. "The other companies that have gone out -- we've even been guilty -- say you're getting the mobile Internet, a slimmed-down version of the desktop," says AT&T Wireless' Willett. "That's not what it is. It's a phone plus. It's really about a new media." The company emphasizes that what comes out today is only the first building block. "It's still not the whole enchilada yet," says Jeff Kagan, a telecom-industry analyst, of the new services. "It's one step. But for a change, it's a big step." Sharon Pian Chan can be reached at 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com. AT&T Wireless, Cingular reportedly in merger talks NEW YORK Ð Merger speculation swirled anew in the U.S. wireless-telephone industry yesterday Ð this time focusing on AT&T Wireless Ð even as industry sources said any potential deal was likely to be months away. A news report, citing unidentified sources, said AT&T Wireless was in merger talks with larger rival Cingular Wireless. Word of a possible deal lent an air of hope to an industry that has been struggling under slowing growth rates. But while sources close to both companies said the two have broached the idea of a merger during the past year, the current regulatory and market environment makes a union unlikely any time soon. Cingular and AT&T Wireless spokesmen declined comment. Copyright © 2002 The Seattle Times Company