Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Pushing The Button On Push To Talk

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 15:22:09 -0400

Pushing The Button On Push To Talk 

Handset makers are scurrying
to make consumer-friendly
devices that incorporate PTT technology 

By Sue Marek
May 1, 2003

Several major U.S. operators have made it known that they plan to give Nextel
Communications a run for its money by offering competitive push-to-talk services over
their networks. Testing of PTT is expected to begin later this year, giving handset makers
little time to perfect devices that not only have PTT compatibility, but also provide the
consumer with an intuitive and easy way to access the application.

Nevertheless, phone manufacturers say they are working diligently on incorporating PTT
into their devices and most expect to have something available by 2004, if not sooner.
Motorola, which has the most experience with PTT through its iDEN handsets that it makes
for Nextel, has publicly announced that it will have PTT devices available later this
year. Meanwhile, Nokia and Samsung both say that they will have devices available by 2004.

But exactly what those early PTT handsets will look, feel and sound like is uncertain. A
dedicated PTT button, similar to what Nextel's iDEN phones have, is not necessary to make
the technology work. But many experts believe it will be a necessity from a user-interface
perspective. "Our research and the research of handset manufacturers concluded that
consumers don't need a button or a large button on the side like Nextel has," says Bob
Plaschke, chief financial officer and executive vice president of Sonim Technologies,
which makes PTT infrastructure technology. "But having a button there isn't a bad thing."

According to Mark Lowenstein, managing director of Mobile Ecosystem, there are two
strategies manufacturers are following when incorporating PTT into their handsets. One is
to retrofit existing devices with PTT technology and designate an existing soft key to be
the PTT button and the other is to develop a new device with special features, such as a
dedicated PTT button. "You can use a soft key to do the push to talk, but it's not ideal,"
Lowenstein says.

But a soft key designation for PTT may be exactly what some of the early PTT handsets
offer until the service grows in popularity. According to Plaschke, in the short term
several manufacturers are taking existing phone models and repurposing buttons on them for
push to talk. "There are enough models today with soft buttons that can be used to
initially deploy the technology and manufacturers don't have to make hardware
adjustments."

For example, according to Curtis Wick, director, testing and technical support for LG
Infocomm, LG handsets have side buttons tied to a voice memo function that could easily be
used for PTT capability. The company is currently working on PTT devices, but according to
Wick, it is waiting for carriers to fine-tune their plans. "Our customers are interested
in this, but their implementation on the network is not in place," Wick says. Wick says
that his biggest concern is the industry will overcomplicate the service. "The more you
over think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain," Wick says. "In reality,
push to talk is a very basic and simple service. My biggest fear is that we
over-complicate it. We need to keep it simple."

Aside from a dedicated PTT button, some handset makers also may be adding speakers to
their phones to mimic the walkie-talkie aspect of the service, such as what Nextel offers.
But Plaschke says that speakers, like the dedicated button, are optional. "Speaker phones
are driven by what the carrier sees has worked with Nextel. But our research has shown
that consumers will use PTT in different ways. You don't need a speaker phone."

Nevertheless, some manufacturers are intent upon developing dedicated PTT devices that
have both PTT buttons and speakers. According to Nokia spokesman Keith Nowak, just as
Nokia has dedicated phones for imaging, it also will have phones optimized for PTT. "If
PTT is the central feature we will design it to be a PTT product."

But whether or not all handsets on the market will eventually have PTT capability, similar
to test messaging capability, is questionable. Samsung says it is developing PTT devices,
but the number of Samsung devices with PTT functionality will depend on popularity of the
service. "We can go any way we want to, it's market driven," says Muzib Khan, vice
president of product management and engineering with Samsung. "If this feature is adopted
overwhelmingly, then this functionality will be available in more phones."

That's certainly the scenario that companies such as Sonim Technologies are envisioning.
"What makes push to talk powerful is the ability to connect to anyone," Plaschke says.
"Much of Nextel's success is that its PTT capability is in every handset. They started
from day one that way."
 
http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA295482&spacedesc=Departments&stt=000

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