The international CTIA WIRELESS 2008 trade show announced that Virgin founder and chairman Sir Richard Branson will deliver a keynote address on the show’s opening day, April 1 at 9:oo a.m. Keynote speeches will take place in the Barron Room at the Los Vegas Hilton. CTIA WIRELESS will take place April 1-3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow very successful businesses in sectors ranging from mobile telephony to transportation, travel, financial services, leisure, music, holidays, publishing and retailing. Branson and Virgin have created more than 200 branded companies worldwide, employing approximately 50,000 people in 29 countries.

“From mega brand to emerging brand, wireless is a key component of building, running and growing any business; today all brands are wireless,” said Robert Mesirow, CTIA vice president and show director. “CTIA has aggregated leaders from all wireless industry segments to convey their visions to our global audience. This year’s keynotes should not be missed.”

Slated to speak on the first day of the show, Tuesday, April 1 at 9:00 a.m. are Lowell McAdam, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless and CTIA chairman; Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group; Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft; and Dan Hesse, president and CEO of Sprint Nextel.

On Wednesday, April 2 at 9:00 a.m., Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone Group and Marco Boerries, president of Yahoo! Mobile will deliver keynote speeches. An Infrastructure Roundtable will conclude the session, discussing real-world plans and technology developments hastening the availability of 4G services for mobile subscribers. Panelists will include Simon Beresford-Wylie, CEO of Nokia Siemens Networks; Patricia Russo, CEO of Alcatel Lucent; Carl-Henric Svanberg, president and CEO of Ericsson; and Mike Zafirovski, CEO of Nortel.

Additional information about the April 3 keynote session will be released shortly.
To register for the conference, or to get more information on keynotes, see links below.

Registration
Keynotes

T-Mobile USA reported good numbers for the fourth-quarter of 2007. The company added 951,000 new customers and generated $4.4 billion in revenue. These numbers are up from 2006’s fourth-quarter, when T-Mobil USA added 901,000 customers and had $3.81 billion in revenue. By the end of 2007, T-Mobile was the fourth largest cell phone service provider in the United States with 28.7 million customers.

“In 2007, we increased growth to more than 3.6 million net new customers,” said Robert Dotson, T-Mobile USA’s CEO and president, in a statement. “MyFaves was a major contributor with 5 million customers at year end using the service.”

T-Mobile has introduced some innovative features and services, including Talk Forever Home Phone, which is being tested in Dallas and Seattle. It has also launched HotSpot@Home, a service that allows users to make unlimited nationwide Wi-Fi calls in their homes.

Nortel Networks, a telecommunications equipment maker, lost $957 million last year and announced another reorganization. To stop the bleeding, the company will cut 2,100 jobs and move another 1,000 jobs from North America to low-wage countries.

News of the staff reduction sent shares down 13% to $9.93 a share in New York trading. Several analysts are questioning Nortel’s reliance on a fading cellphone network technology and its withdraw from a new technology that may be the future of telecommunications.

“The big question that looms over the company’s head is: when we look out over three or four years, is Nortel still relevant to their target markets?” said David Hodgson, an analyst with Genuity Capital Markets in Toronto. “Nortel continues to cover a lot of bases, and one questions whether the company has the money and the scale to continue its very broad-based approach.”

In a conference call, Mike S. Zafirovski, Nortel’s chief executive, acknowledged during the call that the company was not a market favorite.

“We’re not blind to the skepticism facing us,” he said

Gimme Credit, a debt analysis firm, said that Nortel’s revenue and profit come almost entirely from sales of wireless software and equipment based on an aging technology known as C.D.M.A. This technology is used in North America but isn’t used much in other parts of the world. Currently G.S.M. is the global standard, and Nortel is a relatively small supplier of this system.

Now both C.D.M.A. and G.S.M. are on the way out to be replaced by a faster, more data-friendly technology, U.M.T.S. Nortel has abandoned its efforts in U.M.T.S. Analysts are asking what Nortel is going to do to offset the inevitable decline for C.D.M.A.

Nortel is working on products for the next generation of wireless networks but it will face tuff competition from larger firms. It has been ten years since Nortel began promoting a unit that makes equipment for high-speed local, rather than nationwide or global, networks. Little has come of this initiative.

Nikos Theodosopoulos, an analyst with UBS Securities, isn’t sure what will work for Nortel, but he thinks Nortel should jettison most of its current businesses and focus on select precuts and services.

“I don’t know what the magic formula is,” he said. “But I know the magic formula is not ‘all of the above.’ ”

Ms. Noland agreed that Nortel was spread too thin. “Right now they’re muddling along,” she said. Though there is not a crisis, she added, there also “doesn’t seem to be a clear path for improvement.”

The speakers for this year’s International CTIA Wireless 2008 Educational Sessions, which takes place in Las Vegas April 1-3, have been chosen. Approximately 175 speakers will lead discussions on this year’s topics. These sessions will address the most important issues facing wireless carriers, mobile device and infrastructure manufactures, content developers, media companies and technology enablers. The conference will focus on the changing marketplace as the wire line and wireless industries converge, impacting nearly all aspects of life and business.

“The CTIA Educational Sessions are designed to explore the complex issues impacting the wireless industry,” said Robert Mesirow, show director and vice president of CTIA WIRELESS. “We have made some exciting additions to our program this year that reflect new developments in infrastructure, the emergence of new players in the industry, and the widespread adoption of wireless technology worldwide. Attendees can look forward to two days of insightful commentary and discussion from the leaders who are shaping a new generation of technology and enabling an even greater wireless lifestyle.”
This year’s educational sessions are broken into three categories:

Mobile Blueprint – Addressing the technical strategies for building wireless networks, devices and applications, this track will delve into issues surrounding open networks and the impact on devices, services and applications. Andrew Seybold will moderate the opening session on Open Networks along with Tony Mestres, GM of Mobile Communications at Microsoft, and former CTIA keynoter Atish Gude, senior vice president of Mobile Broadband for Sprint’s Xohm business unit. Other sessions in this track will address the emergence of mobile widgets; 4G technology; the outlook for handset features; cost concerns associated with cell site backhaul; mobile operating system technology; security trends and technologies; and the distribution of applications as software (rather than through service plans).

Mobile Lifestyles – This track, focusing on the content and usability of wireless devices, will feature two high-level carrier panels with representation from Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. On Tuesday, April 1, carrier executives who have P&L responsibility for mobile content will engage in a discussion about new products and services aimed at gaining subscriber revenue. On Wednesday, April 2, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) from leading carriers will discuss how they are adjusting their business models and strategies to compete in the future with open networks and fixed/mobile convergence. Other lifestyle sessions will address the rise of the “Pro-sumer”; issues associated with the use of one device in both personal and professional lives; mobile social networking; technologies to facilitate mobile shopping; mobile search solutions; and developments in wireless Internet access and content distribution.

Mobile “Customer-ization” – This track will explore the many ways in which customers are receiving and utilizing mobile content. Sessions include managing mobile content sales and strategies; mobile video adoption and monetization; cameraphone code scanning technologies; mobile brand advertising; new demographics of mobile users; and commercializing location based services.

For a list of speakers or to register, see the links below.

Speakers

Registration

Opera announced today that Google will become the default search engine in Opera’s mobile Web browsers on March 1 of this year. Anyone using Opera Mobile or Opera Mini can access Google directly from the browser start page.

Opera Mini targets mobile phones that posses limited browsing capabilities. Opera customers tend to use the mobile Web more frequently and actively than consumers with more static, less dynamic mobile Web browsers. Opera Mini users brows more than 1.7 billion pages a month, with much of that traffic generated through the search function in the browser.

Opera’s partnership with Google covers all global territories except Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and includes all of Opera’s standard mobile Web browsers.

“Google and Opera have established a valuable relationship over the years and we look forward to continued collaboration on mobile products,” said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. “With 2008 poised to be the year the mobile Web goes mainstream, Google and Opera are
extending this collaboration to give our users immediate access to the quality and convenience of Google’s search results. We’re excited to extend this productive relationship and we hope that the
nearly 100 million people using our mobile products will agree.”

If you are interested in one of the Operas, see the links provided below. Opera Mini is a free service and Opera Mobile is available free for a trial period on select platforms.

Opera Mini
Opera Mobile

In 2007, over one billion mobile phones were sold worldwide for the first time. With growth expected to grow in Asia and other developing markets, 2008 may surpass last year’s numbers. Industry watchers are asking if Nokia can expand in North America and if Motorola can stop its loss of market share.

According to figures from Gartner, sales of mobile phones surpassed 1.15 billion units in 2007. This number is a 16% increase from 2006’s numbers of 999 million units sold. Much of this growth is due to emerging markets like China and India where many people are buying their first handset.

Nokia is still the world’s alpha male of mobile phone manufacturers. It sold 435 million handsets last year. Throughout 2007, Nokia controlled 37.8% of global market share. For the first time, Nokia accounted for 40% of all sales in the fourth quarter.

Nokia is followed by Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and LG. Every company except Motorola increased its market share. In the fourth quarter of 2007 Samsung bumped Motorola out of second place. For the full year Motorola’s market share was 14.3%, down from 21.1%. Samsung increased its market share from 11.8% to 13.4%.

According to Gartner, this year will see even better sales. Nokia is expected to extend its market share by growing in North America.

“In most markets Nokia’s market share is larger than 40 percent, in North America it’s close to 10 percent,” said Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner.

Nokia has tried to expand its market share in North America in the past but hasn’t been able to make much progress. According to Carolina Milanesi, this year could be the breakout year for Nokia’s moves into North America.

“Verizon has said it plans to open its network, which might be more on paper than in reality. But North American carriers are starting to realize they need to be more flexible than in the past. For Nokia, and everyone else, it means not having to build Verizon-specific phones, and faster time to market,” she said.

Nokia isn’t the only company that has potential to improve in the North American market. “Sony Ericsson has a very interesting lineup. With the addition of Windows Mobile it has a chance to grow in North America,” said Milanesi.

One of the biggest questions of 2008 is how Motorola will deal with its declining handset sales. There has been speculation that Motorola will sell its mobile phone division. Analysts think if the phone division is sold, it will be bought by a Chinese company like ZTE.

Texas Instruments announced today that it will add new chip applications beyond the mobile phone market. The new chips will be used in everything from music players to medical equipment. The company, which faces stiff completion from Qualcomm in the wireless arena, will expand its OMAP product line. OMAP is currently used to support gaming and video in cell phones.

“We’re basically making this technology available to thousands of customers instead of tens of customers,” said Neil Anderskouv, vice president of TI’s digital systems business.

Texas Instrument’s OMAP 3500 line of chips will support features such as graphics displays in navigational equipment, medical imaging equipment or music players, Anderskouv said. Texas Instruments is working with up to 100 clients on making products using the new chips, he added. No client names were revealed.

Texas Instrument’s biggest customer is Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer. Texas Instruments generates about 40% of its revenue from the sale of wireless chips.

The company said its OMAP3503 chipset would ship within four weeks. It also said that OMAP3515, OMAP3525 and OMAP3530, would be available in the second half of the year.

Apple’s iTunes digital media store has beat out Best Buy and Target to become the second largest music retailer in the United States. Wal-Mart is still number one according to data released today from the tracking firm NPD Group.

Sales made in 2007 show that legal music downloads account for 10% of all music sales in United States. But an increase of download sales hasn’t been enough to offset a decline in physical CD sales, NPD said. Digital sales rose 6% but actual spending across the industry declined by 10% because of poor CD sales.

Around one million consumers stopped buying CDs in 2007, according to NPD.

Apple’s iTunes store has over 50 million customers and has sold more than 4 billion songs since its inception.

Daem Interactive has developed Skuair, new technology that it is calling the next generation of 2d code readers. Skuair isn’t limited to reading barcode lines and numbers but can read product logos or images. Skuair works with any mobile phone camera and is easy to operate. The user simply takes a picture of an advertisement or product logo and a low resolution image is sent to the recognition server and an associated URL is returned. The user can receive a variety of multimedia content from the company or person who owns the image.

User generated tags will be launched later this year. A short demo of how Skuair works can be linked to below.

Mobile phone bar code readers have been around for a few years but the technology hasn’t become popular. Maybe Skuair will help make this concept catch on. There is a large potential for advertisers and people who want more product information from applications like Skuair that is yet to be tapped.

Skuair Demo

Daem Interactive

Qwest Communications International announced today that it plans to deepen partnerships to offer better video, Internet and wireless services. The company plans on spending around $1.8 billion for capital improvements. Qwest forecast that revenue for 2008 will be flat or down slightly as improvements are made.

Recent quarterly profits have been up, thanks to a tax benefit and an increase in high-speed Internet subscriptions. But Qwest is vulnerable to growing competition from cable operators and declining sales of traditional phone services.

Qwest is working on a new wireless partnership as its current arrangement to resell Sprint Nextel services is inadequate. Shares of Qwest jumped 7% after the news was announced by Chief Executive Ed Mueller.
“We need a wireless partnership that is different than the one we have today,” Mueller said. “We have a hole in wireless.”

Mueller wasn’t clear on what partnership changes might be made. Some analysts have said Qwest may be negotiating changes with Sprint, while others say it may be looking at other tie-ups.

Qwest has a marketing partnership with satellite television service provider DirectTV Group Inc DTV.O, and has shied away from expensive investments in Internet-based video services of its own like those AT&T and Verizon.

Qwest shares were up 29 cents or 5.5 percent at $5.56 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, after hitting an earlier high of $5.68. The stock remains below its 12-month high of $10.45 on May 31, 2007.

Qwest Communications International

The community chat service that brings together phone callers and online chatters is now available on the iPhone. TalkShoe is designed for talk shows, podcasts or corporate events. Users are able to join events via a phone or computer, where they can listen or talk depending on how the host sets up the event. Participants can also join in using Skype or Voice over IP (VoIP) services as well. Users can record the event as a pod cast and listen to it later.

The iPhone version of TalkShoe Web allows users to participate in community calls. TalkShoe users can also use their iPhones to conduct and manage community calls. Up to 250 people can participate in live talk. The iPhone interface allows a one-click link to dial in and participate in favorite talk shows. So if you like to talk, or just listen to know-it-alls, fire up your iPhone and connect with people who have similar interests. Who knows, you might make some new friends.

TalkShoe

Each week MobileCrunchArcade compiles the biggest news from the world of mobile gaming.

Congratulations’ go out to Konami for winning both the Grand Prix and Operator’s Choice Awards at this year’s International Mobile Gaming Awards. Out of nearly 400 entries, Metal Gear Solid Mobile was golden. (That’s the type of solid metal anyone can appreciate.) The mobile game is based on the classic tactical espionage action game fans have come to expect from the Metal Gear Solid series. The 3D art displays and camera work are so great some of the judges passed out in a state of high excitement. The game allows players to use the camera on their phone to sample real world colors for an in-game camouflage system. So if you don’t mind having your gaming world blending into your reality, get a copy and try not to grind too many gears.

Vollee is bringing The Second Life to your mobile phone. The 3D virtual world platform, created by Linden Lab, will soon be available on 3G handsets via Vollee’s streaming mobile games service. The mobile version of The Second Life reformats the online world to fit on mobile phone screens while mapping the keys on the handsets to commands in-world. Existing residents can log-in and people new to Second Life can try out the online world for the first time. I don’t know if Second Life is really a game or not, I’ll let the experts debate that. But if you want to give the beta version a whirl, pre-register at www.vollee.com/secondlife. Try not to let a virtual mortgage foreclosure get you down.

Glu Mobile has revealed which games it is making available for Nokia’s new N-Gage platform. Two of the games are based on movies from Warner Bros. Pictures. The films are Speed Racer and The Dark Knight, and the games will probably have the word Mobile in the title so you don’t get confused. Glu is also offering Super Slam Ping Pong, a title that is in the same spirit as Glu’s hit game, Super K.O. Boxing!.

Nokia has a game that will have you yelling out, “Fish on, fish on,” at inappropriate moments. Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep is a game that will divide people into those who fish and those who cut bait. If you haven’t guessed by now, this title comes right out of an angler’s dream. But this is not a fishing simulator, it is more like a RPG. As you fish, your character gains experience points that can be spent to improve the character’s fish catching ability. Money is won in tournaments and by completing fishing quests, so that equipment can be upgraded. If you are tired of killing goblins and trolls, whip out your pocket fisherman and see if you can reel in a Great White.

If you enjoy dominoes, Digital Chocolate’s latest addition to its DChoc Café may be for you. Café Dominoes is just what it sounds like it is. You play classic dominoes with up to three opponents. In Career mode, match your skills against an assortment of computer controlled opponents of varying skill levels. As you beat these digital baddies, you gain points for your climb up the rankings ladder. You can earn unlocks that let you accessories your avatar and learn real-world hot drink recipes. Don’t you want to know what goes into a Corretto? If you do, get a copy of Café Dominoes and start laying some tile.

That is this week’s mobile gaming news roundup. Remember to exercise those thumbs, recharge the battery and never take your eyes off the screen.

The mobile phone company T-Mobile will experiment with providing landline services to customers. Starting today, it will offer wired service for $10 a month to its wireless subscribers in the Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth areas.

Unlimited local and long distance calls can be made with the service which is called, Talk Forever Home Phone. The service will be carried on customer’s high-speed Internet connection, in much the same way voice-over-Internet providers like Vontage Holdings sell phone service.

Customers who sign-up will have to buy a T-Mobile Internet router for $50. The router has two standard phone jacks where corded or cordless phones can be plugged in. An existing home number can be transferred to the new service. Subscribers will also need to be signed up for a wireless plan costing at least $39.99 a month.

Last year, T-Mobile launched the Hotspot AtHome program. This program, which is similar to the Talk Forever Home Phone, places calls over the Internet using special Wi-Fi-equipped phones. HotSpot also costs $10 a month for unlimited calls.

T-Mobile’s new plan is set up to ease the transition from traditional landline to cell phone communication. Both plans allow people to keep their familiar home phones as well as their home number.

T-Mobile isn’t saying how many people have subscribed to HotSpot AtHome, but David Beigie, T-Mobile’s vice president of marketing said it has, “blown away internal estimates.”

Research in Motion, the BlackBerry manufacturer, announced today that it underestimated last year’s fourth-quarter subscription additions by 15 to 20 percent. Last December the company said net subscriber account additions would total 1.82 million, but a more accurate count shows 2.09 million to 2.18 million new subscriptions.

Research in Motion credits the increase to the popularity of smartphones throughout the holiday selling season. BlackBerry is believed to have around 14 million subscribers.

“BlackBerry smartphones proved to be a big hit throughout the holiday selling season and we’re pleased to see RIM’s business momentum continuing in the new year,” said Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive. “The seasonal slowdown in net subscriber account additions that we expected in the new year did not occur and our focused execution with partners has continued to produce strong results within both enterprise and consumer segments.”

Research in Motion will report fourth-quarter figures on April 2. The company expects quarterly earnings per share of 66 cents to 70 cents on revenue of $1.80 billion to $1.87 billion. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect a profit of 69 cents per share on revenue on $1.85 billion.

Vivendi launched its new Internet music, ringtone and videogame provider Zaoza today. The service costs 3 euros a month and is expected to attract 500,000 subscribers by the end of the year. Vivendi owns the world’s largest record company, Universal Music. The company also controls France’s number two phone operator SFR and Macoc Telecom, and the pay-TV group Canal Plus.

“This is the only project Vivendi has started which is outside its traditional five areas of business,” Vivendi Chief Executive Jean-Bernard Levy told a news conference.

Games like World of Warcraft have helped Vivendi turn around its previously loss making games unit. There is speculation in the mobile gaming community that a mobile version of World of Warcraft is on the drawing board that allows players to switch between PC play and handset play in an integrated way.

Zaoza cost around 10 million euros to develop and launch. The site is expected to be available in Germany and other European countries but no date have been given.

MobileCrunch reported yesterday that Verizon’s new unlimited calling plan could start a price war in the U.S. mobile market. Hours after the announcement by Verizon Wireless, both AT&T and T-Mobile returned fire with unlimited calling plans of their own. Consumers should be happy but stock holders of the telecommunications companies may become a little gun shy.

Verizon’s $99.99 a month unlimited calling plan (which covers all of the United States not just selected areas) was only five hours old when AT&T announced its own unlimited plan. Three hours after AT&T’s announcement, T-Mobile joined the conflict, saying it would introduce a $99.99 plan today. Unlike the Verizon and AT&T plans, T-Mobile’s includes unlimited text and picture messaging, which costs $14.99 per month when added to other T-Mobile plans.

“This is a highly competitive market and we’re committed to moving fast to meet customer needs,” said Ralph de la Vega, chief executive of AT&T Mobility.

The number three provider in the United States, Sprint Nextel, currently has an unlimited calling plan of $119.99 a month, but it is limited to residents of Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Tampa and parts of Northern California and Western Nevada. Analysts expect Sprint to announce its own unlimited plan that covers the entire nation.

It is speculated that Sprint’s flat-rate calling plan could undercut the competition by as much as 40%, a move that would intensify the mobile war. Recently, Sprint has seen a defection of customers that has hurt the bottom line. Selling unlimited plans for as little as $60 could bring new recruits back to Sprint.

“Our bigger concern rests with Sprint’s plans and the potential for future additional competitive responses,” Robert W. Baird analyst Will Power wrote in a research note.

Share prices for all the combatants have been on the decline since Verizon fired the first salvo in the mobile pricing war. If Sprint tries to undercut the competition with $80 or $60 plans, the competition will be forced to respond with either lower prices or more services with their pricing packages. This will cut into profits, at least for awhile.

“Our bigger concern rests with Sprint’s plans and the potential for future additional competitive responses,” Robert W. Baird analyst Will Power wrote in a research note.

Vietnam Posts & Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and Adsale Exhibition Services (AES) will be holding the 12th International Exhibition in Vietnam on Telecommunications and Information Technology (Vietnam Telecomp 2008) in HoChiMinh City, SR Vietnam, November 26-29 of this year.

Vietnam Telecomp is the most influential ICT event in Vietnam with strong support from the Vietnam government authorities, industry influencers and players. The exhibition is sponsored by Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) and jointly organized by Vietnam’s largest operator VNPT and AES. The event is dedicated to be a gateway for top-notch ICT product and service providers to meet potential buyers and develop business networks in Vietnam.

Vietnam was ranked as the world’s second fastest growing telecom market. The country’s ICT growth rate was double that of the average in Asia and triple that of the world average in 2006. Total broadband Internet subscribers are likely to reach 1 million in 2007, and Vietnam is expecting 6 million new mobile phone subscribers this year.

Last year’s event showcased technology and equipment from global leading companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Huawei, Motorola, Nokia Siemens, NTT DoCoMo, Orange from France Telecom, Qualcomm, PCCW Global, SK Telecom, UTStarcom, ZTE as well as the Vietnamese telecom operators such as EVN, Mobifone, SPT, Viettel, Vinaphone, VNPT and many more.

For more information about Vietnam Telecomp 2008, please contact Ms. Helen Ho or Ms. Cathy Tsang at Tel: (852) 2516 3528 or 2516 3359, Fax: (852) 2516 5024, email: telecom@adsale.com.hk or visit our website: www.2456.com/vnc

Vietnam Telecomp 2008

Verizon Wireless fired the first shot of what may become an unlimited calling plan price war in the United States today. Verizon is offering a national unlimited calling plan with no roaming or long-distance fees for $99.99 a month. While other carriers have what they call “unlimited” plans, Verizon is the first major carrier to make the deal nationwide.

The plan is “likely to have repercussions for years to come,” Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett wrote in a research report, adding that in the short term, it will force Sprint Nextel Corp. to match the offer.

Sprint has an unlimited plan that costs $119.99 a month that includes unlimited Web use, e-mail and messaging, but is only available to residents of Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Tampa and parts of Northern California. Verizon’s plan doesn’t offer the extras. The small carrier Helio LLC, a company that rents time on Sprint’s network, is offering a $99 a month unlimited plan nationwide which includes unlimited Web use, e-mail and messaging.

Moffett thinks Verizon’s new unlimited plan will make pricing service much easier to understand for the average consumer. Moffett said it is similar to Sprint’s introduction of flat-rate long-distance prices for landline phones made in the 1990s. He said Sprint’s price structure in the 1990s made it easier to compare prices and hastened a rapid decline in prices.

Cell Phones compatible with Japan’s mobile digital TV service have reached the 20 million mark in less than two years since the launch of the service. The Telecommunications Carriers Association said that the 20 million mark was reached in December of 2007, thanks to the shipment of over 1 million handsets during the month.

OneSeg, the digital TV service launched on April 1, 2006, delivers a QVGA (320 pixels-by-240 pixels) resolution simulcast of Japan’s terrestrial TV networks at no cost to the viewer. Cell phone makers have been able to build recording functions into handsets because the broadcasts don’t carry any copy protection software. Mobile phones are able to pick a TV show from an electronic program guide sent with each channel and set the phone to record the show into memory for later viewing.

Cell phones are not the only devices to utilize this technology. Laptops, music and video players, electronic dictionaries and even car navigation systems are able to function as OneSeg receivers. OneSeg is favored in portable devices because the processing speed needed to handle the OneSeg signal is much lower than the speed needed for a conventional high-definition digital TV signal. Standard terrestrial HDTV needs a receiving device that can handle around 20M bps, whereas the maximum OneSeg data rate in about 416k bps.

One day your clothing could power or help to power your handset. Researchers have created a nano-fiber that catches energy from movement making it possible to route that energy for practical uses.

The fibers use the same mechanical principle as a self-winding watch but on a scale measured in billionths of a meter. Nano-generators are able to use energy from sound waves, vibrations and even the human heart to create useable electricity. The fibers are covered with pairs of zinc oxide nano-wires that produce tiny pulses of electricity in response to friction.

The fibers were developed by a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology, led by Zhong Lin Wang.

“The two fibers scrub together just like two bottle brushes with their bristles touching,” converting the mechanical motion into electrical energy, explained Wang.

“Many of the devices could be put together to produce a higher output,” he said.

The nano-fibers use the “piezoelectric effect”, which is the method of generating power from friction.

There is one slight problem with the nano-fibers. They are coated with zinc oxide, which is sensitive to water. Any clothes made from them couldn’t be washed. If you power your cell phone with a shirt made of this stuff you won’t be very popular in the office. But if your cell phone battery never ran down it might be worth the tradeoff.