First there were car phones. Soon there will be entire car offices.
A number of wireless companies have banded together to build a prototype that enables passengers in the back seats to conduct a whole range of tasks, including live video conferences.
Daimler Chrysler (DAJ), Siemens (SI), Sun Microsystems (SUNW), T-Mobile, Jentro and MBDS/Nice University Sophia Antipolis have outfitted a Mercedes-Benz S-Class automobile with an advanced wireless (3G) cellular system.
The car, on display in Berlin, is equipped with two flip-up 15-inch monitors in the back of the seats and wireless keyboards.
Passengers could use the equipment to conduct live video conferences. There is also a video monitoring system to receive live traffic and news updates, to watch films and to play multiplayer video games.
There's an electronic office with broadband access to the Mercedes-Benz portal and the Internet, and a navigation system that gives detailed maps with video support and information on hot spots in the area. All content is transferred to the vehicle at speeds of up to 128 Kbps -– twice as fast as a typical dial-up modem.
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Ford drives away from wireless: Ford Motor has admitted that it rejected two purchase offers for a company that would have provided wireless services for its cars and trucks.
Wingcast, a joint venture between Qualcomm and Ford, folded last week after it lost its funding. That came after Ford had rejected offers from Delphi, Automotive News reported.
Ford Motor spokesman David Reuter confirmed that the automaker does not consider telematics, or wireless services to the car, a "core service."
Delphi is currently tinkering with MeshNetworks' mobile broadband service.
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North Korea talks mobile: The governments of North and South Korea plan to work together to build a mobile phone system in North Korea, the South Korean ministry of information and communication recently said.
The ministry said in a released statement that North Korea is currently "studying our proposal" and that both sides have agreed to meet again within a month, in either North Korea or China. The plan is to build a cellular network in the capital city of Pyongyang and the port of Nampo.
The next meeting will focus on the legal issues surrounding South Korea's aid to the North.
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Aussies speak clearly: In a move that needs to be mimicked everywhere, Australia's Telstra Mobile has implemented technology in its network infrastructure to substantially improve the sound quality of cell-phone calls.
The noise-suppression technology, developed in the United States, reduces up to 65 percent of background noise, the company says, making it easier for Telstra Mobile customers to hear and be heard when using their phones.
Telstra also installed sound-level control equipment that evens out voice volume, helping customers to be heard even when they speak softly.
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A break for Wi-Fi backers: The British government finally overturned regulations that banned companies from implementing wireless local area networks that give customers wireless Internet access.
The United States has seen a steady proliferation of wireless LANs –- particularly 802.11b, or Wi-Fi, networks that give users wireless Internet access at 11 Mbps –- in airports, hotels, college campuses, coffee shops and homes.
As of July 31 in Great Britain, commercial operators will be allowed to build such hubs for wireless Web access.
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A break from Palm: Customers who buy a Palm m500 ($299) handheld computer will get a Palm m105 handheld for free by mailing in a rebate coupon.
The m105, a basic handheld organizer with monochrome screen, normally costs $149. People can purchase the PDAs in any retail store or the online Palm store.
The sale lasts until July 8.
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NTT DoCoMo's fall from grace: For the first time in its history, NTT DoCoMo, Japan's No. 1 cell-phone service provider in terms of subscribers, came in third place in adding new subscribers last month.
In May, DoCoMo added 139,000 new customers, according to the Telecommunications Carriers Association in Japan. The country's No. 2 mobile phone operator, J-Phone, added 140,200 new subscribers, while KDDI, Japan's third-largest cell-phone service provider, added 150,200 new customers, the association said.
J-Phone recently surpassed KDDI in signing up customers, thanks to a popular service that lets customers send and receive photographs with text messages on their mobile phones. Following J-Phone's cue, DoCoMo began to offer the service last month.
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Palm's new OS: PalmSource, the software subsidiary of Palm, has begun shipping its newest operating system, the Palm OS 5.
PalmSource chief product officer Steve Sakoman said devices running on the new OS could appear on the market as early as the fall.
The new OS supports better full-color graphics and a higher level of security than the previous platform. Unlike its predecessor, the OS supports Wi-Fi radio.
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Dialing around: Strategis Group, a consulting and marketing research firm, closed its doors after 36 years in business.... Leap Wireless, which operates in the United States under the "Cricket" brand, has launched an unlimited text messaging service in 30 markets across the country for $5 a month.
Reuters contributed to this report.
