Subject: [NEXTEL-1] One for all and all for one in the mobile world

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 18:55:00 -0500

From the February 7, 2003 print edition

One for all and all for one in the mobile world

So many facilities are incorporated into new mobile devices that being away from the
office is no problem

Lisa Tanner   Staff Writer

GREATER METROPLEX — New wireless gadgets are making it easier for business people on the
move to stay in touch and
work effectively.

The business person's tool kit can be cumbersome, often containing a cellular phone,
personal digital assistant, pager and laptop
computer, among other devices.

But evolving technology is rapidly increasing the functionality of these devices as well
as shrinking their size.

Nowadays, color photos can be taken, and transmitted using a cellphone. Other gizmos
combine the functions of a phone and
personal digital assistant in one tiny package, allowing the user to handle communications
by both voice and e-mail.

An "all-in-one, wireless office," is the way John Duty, public affairs manager for Nextel
Communications, describes the company's
BlackBerry 6510 device. It can be used to surf the Internet, send e-mail and make calls,
he said. It also has a two-way radio
function that will be accessible nationwide later this year.

Americans spend almost $100 billion a year on gadgets of all sorts, according to
Arlington, Va.-based industry group the
Consumer Electronics Association. The market is growing as new technology bears fruit, but
also because people are willing to
spend on the latest devices, it says.

For business people, functions that allow the user to work efficiently offsite are a
priority, turning downtime into productive work
time.

For business users, the top products continue to be cellphones and PDAs, with powerful
PDAs often taking the place of laptops,
said Sean Wargo, senior industry analyst with the CEA, which hosted its annual
international show Jan. 9 to 12 in Las Vegas. A
PDA can easily be linked to a projector so a laptop is no longer required for a
presentation, Wargo said.

Innovations are also making devices easier to use. Color displays, for example, make
viewing Internet information on a cellphone
much easier.

Technological advances have led to lower prices for most devices and this trend is likely
to continue, Wargo said, because the
innovations just keep coming, across all product lines.

Who but James Bond, for example, would have a wrist device that would link him to the rest
of the world? The answer? — just
about anyone. Richardson-based Fossil Inc. (Nasdaq: FOSL) soon will offer just such a
device.

The company, known for its watches and fashion accessories, has partnered with Microsoft
Corp. to develop a new watch
collection that uses new technology from the software giant. Called smart personal objects
technology, it will receive and display
Web content customized to watch owners' needs. Available in the fall, the watch will give
access to services such as news,
weather, sports, stock quotes and instant messaging.

"It provides wearable, instant access to the wireless information our customers want and
use in their daily lives," said Donald
Brewer, Fossil's vice president of technology. The watch is being billed as low-power,
low-cost — less than $200 — and easy to
use.

Text messaging is taking off hugely, said Rolando Rivero, associate director for data
sales for the Central Texas region of Verizon
Wireless. Some small businesses are using this technology as a dispatch tool, replacing a
two-way radio or other system.

"It's an instant way to communicate," Rivero, say.

Other hot cellphone trends include downloading games and ring tones, as well as tools for
business users, he said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2003/02/10/focus5.html

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