Your boss wants to talk to you, and pulls out a cell phone to retrieve a map of your location. The idea of someone -- especially your boss -- knowing where you are at the push of a button sounds dreadful, right?
Not to a certain German company.
Gate5, a software developer in Berlin, is selling its "People Finder" program to wireless carriers, which lets users of handheld devices pull up maps with the location of other cell-phone users. People must opt into the program, which works on handsets and personal digital assistants with short messaging and e-mail capabilities, the company said.
Once a person is located, the two cell-phone users can chat on their phones in real-time -- an application the company expects to become popular.
However, what Gate5 doesn't mention in its latest news release is that it's gotten in trouble in the past with privacy advocates for promoting similar products. About six months ago, Gate5 demonstrated on its website software that deciphered whether mobile phones were switched on or off without informing the subscribers who were being monitored. Public response to the demo overwhelmed the company's servers, forcing the company to take it down.
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WAP founders get down to business: Openwave (OPWV), the pioneer of the maligned wireless application protocol (WAP) on mobile phones, expanded its wireless offerings by acquiring two companies.
For $2.26 per share in cash, the company snapped up software applications developer SignalSoft (SGSF) to offer mobile-phone operators the ability to sell services based on cell-phone users' location such as directions on their handset.
Openwave also purchased Ellipsus Systems for $17.5 million in stock and cash to help mobile-phone carriers deliver Java applications and other multimedia content on their customers' handheld devices.
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Vodafone's financial woes: Vodafone, Europe's largest cell-phone service provider, recently posted the largest loss ever in UK corporate history.
Shares in Vodafone (VOD) continued to spiral downwards after the company revealed a $12.6 billion loss –- equivalent to $34.6 million a day -– for its 2002 financial year. The losses were due to excessive buying of other companies and saturation of cell-phone users in certain markets.
Vodafone owns significant stakes in many cell-phone companies around the world, including the largest wireless carrier in the United States, Verizon Wireless.
Meanwhile, Japan Telecom, the country's third-largest phone company and a Vodafone subsidiary, reported a net loss of $531 million for the year due to its ailing fixed-line business. Japan Telecom plans to recoup some of its losses by selling a unit of its fixed-line business for $44 million.
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Another hurdle to 3G: The sale of one set of licenses that wireless carriers will use for next-generation (3G), high-speed mobile services will be delayed another year, U.S. telecommunications regulators said.
The sale of airwaves used by television broadcasters who occupy UHF channels 60 to 69 will not happen until Jan. 14, 2003, the Federal Communications Commission said. However, the auction of airwaves used by broadcasters on channels 52 to 59 will occur as planned on June 19, the FCC said.
While some members of the telecom industry said the delay was necessary to ensure that broadcasters have enough time to vacate the airwaves, other members of the industry, including Verizon Wireless, said it would not likely bid in any of the auctions because of the uncertainty of when the licenses would be available for use.
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Picture messaging: For $30, Pocket PC and Palm users can download software to send pictures with messages on them.
Applications developer Electric Pocket Limited just released a program called "Pixer" that lets handheld users send photographs and sketches along with text messages via e-mail. Those who aren't artistically inclined can select a Garfield, Cathy or Ziggy cartoon character off a template to send with their messages.
The application runs on any wirelessly enabled Windows CE or Palm-powered device.
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Phoning Britney: Cell-phone manufacturer Samsung agreed to sponsor bubble gum pop singer Britney Spears' "Dream Within A Dream" concert tour to promote its newly launched cell phones.
Samsung has bought radio airtime in each concert market to promote a contest in which winners get to view the concert from a VIP suite. Winners will be transported to and from the concert in a Samsung-wrapped luxury bus.
The cell-phone manufacturer also has the right to advertise its products on Spears' official website.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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