wireless devices

AT&T is joining Verizon Wireless in an effort to even out the costs of wireless and landline services. AT&T has requested that the Federal Communications Commission approve replacing legacy circuit-switched or public-switched telephone networks (PSTN) with broadband and IP-based connections.

AT&T's request comes after the FCC issued a public notice on Dec. 1 asking for input on what it would take to move from the legacy system to Internet protocols.

The days of being tied down and/or rushing back to desks to manage customer relationships are fast drawing to a close thanks to new and rapidly evolving mobile CRM tools, aided and abetted by powerful netbooks and smartphones operating on 3G and very soon 4G/LTE networks. Mobile CRM apps are delivering functionality that is quickly approaching that of CRM solutions used at fixed locations.

Here is a sample of the latest developments in mobile CRM from leading suppliers:

Maximizer (www.maximizer.com)

The disparity in usage between smartphone users and other subscribers -- and the stress it puts on the network -- is a problem that AT&T intends to deal with, according to Ralph de la Vega, head of the company's wireless unit. Speaking at the UBS 37th annual Global Media and Communications Conference this week, he reportedly addressed the issue of disproportionate traffic by iPhone users.

Averting PR Disaster

Motorola's Droid smartphones may have been dropping out of the sky like meteors in Verizon Wireless commercials, but they weren't selling with as much force on the first day of launch.

Verizon stores throughout the nation made the Droid available Friday after heavily marketing the Android 2.0-based device during the World Series. Motorola and Verizon are hoping the Droid will have as much success as the Motorola Razr during in its four-year run, when it sold 110 million units.

VoIP over 3G is coming to the iPhone. On Tuesday, AT&T announced that it had "taken the steps necessary" so Apple can enable Voice over Internet Protocol calls on the iPhone through the carrier's 3G network. Before this announcement, VoIP on the iPhone could only work with Wi-Fi.

AT&T has allowed VoIP apps to work on some of the other wireless devices it offers over 3G, 2G and Wi-Fi.

Evaluating Expectations

After moving to a new building on the corner of 11th Street and New York Avenue, Google's Washington office got a face lift that made it as hip and colorful as the company's Silicon Valley headquarters. But Google's top Washington lobbyist, Richard Whitt, won't be spending much time amid the bouncy balls, LEGO bricks, and foosball tables this autumn. Come October, Whitt expects three times the usual number of meetings with members of Congress and Obama Administration officials. "Google and the others on our side will step up our advocacy," he says.

Sprint Nextel Corp.'s chief executive said Thursday that consolidation in the wireless industry may be coming but it will be difficult.

Speaking to analysts in New York, CEO Dan Hesse said he doesn't comment on "media speculation" after U.K.'s Sunday Daily Telegraph reported that Deutsche Telekom AG, the parent of T-Mobile USA, was considering a bid to buy Sprint, the third-largest U.S. wireless provider.

The rumors have since cooled with reports saying a bid isn't imminent.

The inside of computers has been Intel's territory, as the world's biggest maker of microprocessors reminds consumers with its "Intel Inside" campaign.

The cell phone's guts have been the domain of Qualcomm. As the cell phone becomes more like a computer and the computer more like a cell phone, it was inevitable that the two chip makers would clash.

Intel wants to get inside smartphones, and Qualcomm, one of the largest suppliers of chips for wireless phones, wants to get into small notebook computers.

The people who investigate the nation's most high-profile transportation accidents must now practice what they preach: They will no longer be allowed to use cell phones while driving.

Debbie Hersman, the new chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said Tuesday that employees of the agency are barred from using any wireless device behind the wheel while on duty. The restriction applies whether the device is hands-free or not.

Some cell phones emit several times more radiation than others, the Environmental Working Group found in one of the most exhaustive studies of its kind.

The government watchdog group today releases a list ranking cell phones in terms of radiation. The free listing of more than 1,000 devices can be viewed at www.ewg.org.