Barney Robison Blog

LONDON — 3 is opening up internet access on the move to everyone, with a new ? flat-rate unlimited mobile internet package. The package is available on all recently launched 3 handsets, whatever the colour, shape or size.

This new package comes on the back of the success of 3′s X-Series, launched with the Nokia N73 in December last year. Complementing the ‘Silver’ and ‘Gold’ X-Series packages, which offer a range of mobile internet-based services from Skype calls to access to home TV via Slingbox from selected mobile phones, the new package is tailored to give 3 customers the freedom to choose the handset they want.

The new ? package has been created to give all 3 customers unlimited access to the internet wherever they are, freeing them from their laptop or PC. From checking out the best local restaurants to catching up on the latest online news, users can browse 24/7 for one monthly fee. 3 customers can also stay in touch with Read more

SEATTLE — Jott.com announced today the closing of its first equity financing, totaling $5.4M. The round was led by Bain Capital Ventures, which was joined by Draper Richards, Ackerley Partners and Atomico Investments (UK).

Jott solves everyday problems for people on the go: capturing spontaneous ideas and tasks, and messaging more safely. The service converts your voice to text, and delivers it to the web, email and phone. It works on nearly all cell phones.

“We see a lot of mobile startups that require complicated software downloads, work on a limited number of handsets, and provide marginal value to the consumer. What attracted us to Jott is that their service is simple, valuable, and accessible to hundreds of millions of people — today,” says Ajay Agarwal, Managing Director at Bain Capital Ventures.

“Jott is as simple as speed dialing a number,” says Jott Founder and CEO John Pollard. “We let you use your voice to Read more

NEWBURY PARK, Calif. — Nomadix, Inc.

(www.Nomadix.com), the leading supplier of intelligent network devices

and interconnect services for guest access, digital cities, and carrier

HotSpots, and ROC-net Services, a co-operation of local private

businesses providing Internet connectivity and other high-tech

solutions in Northern Illinois, launched a Wi-Fi canopy for an

8-square-mile area of downtown Rockford. The deployment is the first

step in a wider initiative to provide wireless broadband services to 10

counties in the region. ROC-net made the announcement at a press

conference on January 30th, featuring Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a

representative from Illinois Senator Barack Obama’s office, Illinois

Congressman Don Manzullo, and Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn. Rockford

is 60 miles west of Chicago.

To power the deployment, ROC-net Services has installed Read more

CAMBRIDGE, U.K. — Bango announced today the launch of a free mobile web service – Bango Starter – to remove the costs of selling digital content on the mobile web. While the cost and complexity of selling content direct to mobile using old Premium SMS services is rising, the mobile web model is simplifying access to mobile users and driving costs down.

For no cost, this lightweight version of the Bango Service gives businesses, brands and individuals the opportunity to use Bango to experience the benefits of the mobile web to sell their digital content. Anyone with small libraries of content can sell them to consumers world-wide on any network with a full choice of payment options: on phone bill; credit/debit card or PayPal.

The mobile web is the ideal environment for selling as consumers increasingly use mobile search to find the content they want. In addition, the roll-out of flat-rate data charges by operators during 2007 encourages people to Read more

ATLANTA — EarthLink (NASDAQ:ELNK), the nation’s next generation Internet service provider (ISP), today announced that it has signed a contract to build the City of Milpitas, California’s Wi-Fi broadband network.

The approximately 6.5-square-mile Wi-Fi mesh network will provide affordable, high-speed Internet access for the residents of and visitors to the City of Milpitas. It will also enable municipal employees to work in the field without having to return to an office and a traditional landline to complete their tasks.

“EarthLink’s wireless broadband network will help reinforce the City of Milpitas’ claim to be the ‘Crossroads of Silicon Valley,’” said Donald Berryman, executive vice president of EarthLink and president of the ISP’s municipal networks unit. “Our solution will give residents and visitors an affordable way to access the Internet at home or around the City’s recently renovated Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT – News) through Motorola Ventures, its strategic venture capital arm, today announced that it has made an equity investment in AMIMON, Inc., an emerging leader in semiconductor technology for wireless transmission of high-definition (HD) video. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

“We believe that AMIMON’s WHDI(TM) Technology is setting a new standard in wireless HDTV connectivity which nicely aligns with Motorola’s connected home strategy,” said Reese Schroeder, managing director, Motorola Ventures. “Our investment reflects our belief that AMIMON’s solution is well positioned to offer a high quality wireless uncompressed HDTV link between video sources such as a digital set-top and a high-definition TV.”

AMIMON’s wireless high-definition interface (WHDI) technology enables wireless transmission of uncompressed high-definition video Read more

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — iSkoot, a mobile Internet phone company, today introduced the iSkoot Mobile Network, a gateway that connects cellular voice and PC-to-PC networks. iSkoot Mobile Network allows consumers to place and receive Internet calls with their mobile phones without the need for PCs, special hardware, custom phones or Wi-Fi hot spots.

While the initial offering is for Cingular customers, and supports Skype Software only, iSkoot plans to expand the reach of Skype service to a wider selection of carriers and Internet phone services, such as Google Talk and other PC calling platforms. To take advantage of the iSkoot Mobile Network, Cingular users need only to download a small piece of software to their mobile phones. The Beta version of the iSkootMobile phone application for Skype Software is now available for free at http://www.iskoot.com and go.iskoot.com. Beta users who download the small client software will receive free unlimited use for the term of the Read more

SHANGHAI — HP (NYSE:HPQ – News) today announced new mobile software solutions that will help people use personalized video services to enliven their interactions with family, friends and social communities.

The HP OpenCall Mobile Video Solutions portfolio includes three flexible, standards-based offerings that can be deployed in high-speed 3G networks. They enable people to send and receive video messages as easily as voice messages, create animated call response messages, and enjoy a wide range of video services, such as video blogging.

Several mobile operators have already deployed the HP OpenCall Mobile Video Solutions, which allow them to deliver easy-to-use video services that can generate new revenue, reduce customer acquisition costs and increase customer loyalty.

“Mobile video is growing in importance, as more people are watching, recording and sharing video in group-based environments,” said Jean-Charles Doineau, service Read more

PORTLAND, Ore. — MetroFi, the leader in

designing, building and operating free citywide Wi-Fi networks, announced

today it has been selected by the City of Portland, the 28th largest city

in the United States, to deliver and operate a citywide Wi-Fi network that

will provide free wireless Internet access and substantially improved

public services to Portland residents. The announcement demonstrates

Portland’s cutting-edge vision for citywide smart parking meters, universal

wireless connectivity and affordable Internet access for its residents. The

MetroFi Portland system will be built at no cost to the city, and the City

of Portland expects to save millions of dollars in productivity and

wireless Internet service fees by using the network.

“We are proud to partner with MetroFi in this effort to blanket the

city of Portland with wireless Internet access,” said Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT)

announced today, at CTIA Wireless 2007, the commercial launch of its

Residential Seamless Mobility Gateway — the Motorola RSGu3502 — supporting

Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology. Qualified and selected for

deployment by Danish mobile operator TeliaSonera, the Motorola RSGu3502 is

the first available UMA-enabled gateway for fixed-mobile voice convergence

services.

For TeliaSonera’s customers in Denmark, the UMA-based service will offer

lower-cost calls with better coverage and higher capacity in the home where

WLAN access is present. In addition, users will have a seamless mobile

experience when moving in and out of the home using a single device, single

number, contacts book, voicemail, and bill. This builds upon TeliaSonera and

Motorola’s joint announcement announcing deployment of Motorola’s Read more