BlackBerry continues expansion by launching in Taiwan
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(InfoWorld) - One of Taiwan's largest mobile phone network operators launched the popular BlackBerry service Thursday, continuing Research In MotionÂ (RIM)'s expansion into Asia. Taiwan became the 17th country in Asia-Pacific to adopt the BlackBerry, but the service could face stiff opposition on an island full of companies loyal to Microsoft. The robust PC industry in Taiwan depends mainly on Microsoft for its Windows OS and other software. The largest handset maker backing the Microsoft Windows Mobile OS is also from Taiwan, High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) Still, Taiwan Mobile Co. launched BlackBerry with theÂ aim of attracting Taiwanese businessÂ and individual users to RIM's community of more than 5.5 million global BlackBerry users through push mail and other data delivery services, including BlackBerry Internet Service. The company is initially offering the BlackBerry 7290 and BlackBerry 8700g, and will expand to other products as the market develops. Taiwanese users can type in Chinese characters via the QWERTY keypads on both BlackBerry handsets, but the two input methods offered, Pinyin and Cangjie, are not as popular on the island as locally developed Zhuyin. The difference is important for simplicity and ease-of-use. Prior to the development of Chinese input methods, typical Chinese computers required several keyboards each with hundreds of keys, forcing users to switch keyboards several times while they worked. Taiwan Mobile said it already had over 160 companies interested in using the new service. The mobile network operator plans to work with them to enable their employees to access email and other corporate data with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. One company hoping to spoil the show for Taiwan Mobile and BlackBerry is Chunghwa Telecom Co., Taiwan's largest network operator. The companyÂ teamed up with HTCÂ to develop a smartphone that runs push e-mail via Windows Mobile 5.0 and Outlook Mobile, the CHT9000.
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Marketing hype surrounding the iPhone has hit Taiwan, despite the fact it won't be on sale there until next year.
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The mobile phone maker seeks to boost competition for Research In Motion's popular BlackBerry.
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Asustek Computer, a leading Taiwanese computer maker, will launch its much awaited low-price computer next month, becoming one of the first companies marketing an ultra-mobile laptop for the developing world.
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Research in Motion (RIM)&#160;is stepping up its game against Microsoft, Nokia, and other rivals with several enhancements to its BlackBerry software that it will showcase at Lotusphere this week.The updates, coming in new BlackBerry devices and device and server software versions in the first half of this year, will strengthen the platform&#39;s core e-mail capability while adding new messaging, manageability, and security features.RIM pioneered enterprise handheld connectivity with the BlackBerry&#39;s push e-mail system and BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server). Competitors have since muscled in on this territory, while RIM has invested in software and devices to expand its appeal to the consumer market. With the new features, the company is looking toward a future in which almost all communication capabilities on the desktop are available on the road through a set of capabilities often called unified communications.Among key new capabilities are features that merge voice with instant messaging. Users who run IBM Lotus Sametime or Microsoft Live Communications Server will be able to click on an IM contact on the BlackBerry phone in order to call them or convert an ongoing IM session into a voice call. They will also be able to check whether their colleagues are going to be available before they send out meeting requests.Enhanced e-mail handling will include several new features. Users will be able to search for and retrieve messages on their enterprise e-mail servers that are no longer stored on their BlackBerries. Also, the devices will be able to render HTML and rich text e-mail messages, including font colors and styles, images, hyperlinks, and other elements. After downloading Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files, users will now be able to edit them on the BlackBerry, thanks to Documents to Go software from DataViz that is being integrated into the mobile platform.Even within e-mail encrypted with PGP or S/MIME, BlackBerry users will be able to view attachments, according to the company.RIM also has some good news for enterprises that want to more easily manage and lock down their employees&#39; devices. They will be able to drill down and define which applications on a BlackBerry can access its GPS functionality as well as enable or shut down specific Bluetooth profiles and set how long the device is &quot;discoverable&quot; using Bluetooth. The less time a phone is discoverable by other Bluetooth devices, the less chance an intruder has to hack it, although this method of breaking into a phone hasn&#39;t been widely exploited.A Web-based device management console is also coming, allowing users to control settings and install software from any Web-connected computer. In addition, administrators will now be able to update users&#39; devices over the air.To help third parties develop their own applications for the BlackBerry, RIM also announced the availability of some additional Java Micro Edition APIs. They include ones to support developing mobile Web services clients, software that uses MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), and a single application that works for multiple languages and regions.RIM expects to ship its BES version 4.1.5 software for IBM Lotus Domino and for Microsoft Exchange by the end of February. They will be free upgrades for customers with BES version 4.1.0 or later, while others can buy the upgrade for $999 or purchase a Technical Support Services contract. The price of the BES for new customers will remain at $3,999 per server with 20 user licenses included.Version 4.5 of the BlackBerry device software will be required to use many of the end-user features; it will be available in the first half of the year, depending on carrier. It will be a free download from RIM and carrier Web sites. The ability to edit Word and PowerPoint documents will come with version 4.5, but Excel editing capability will be in a later release, expected in the latter part of this year.
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The Taiwan government will sign a memorandum of understanding next week to work on WiMax technology and product development with multinationals including Intel, NEC, Nortel Networks, and German WiMax tester Rohde &amp; Schwarz (R&amp;S).The initiative is part of Taiwan&#39;s plan to become one of the largest producers of&#160;WiMax equipment&#160;in the world. The island is already positioning itself to be one of the&#160;fastest adopters of WiMax wireless broadband&#160;Internet connectivity outside of North America. Officials see the technology as a good way to spread broadband Internet access throughout the island, which includes remote mountain villages and sparsely populated outlying islands.Taiwan often signs such agreements with multinationals to stimulate technology development on the island. Often, such deals offer incentives for companies to build R&amp;D centers on the island focused on a certain technology, such as tax-free status, research grants, rent-free space in science parks and more. Officials plan to release more details at the 2007 WiMax Forum Taipei Showcase and Conference next week.Earlier this week, officials pledged to spend $1.22 billion to build out Taiwan&#39;s WiMax network over the next five years, including $1 billion for a fiber optic backbone running down the length of the island and $220 million for WiMax base stations and other equipment.The island has been promoting its M Taiwan project, or Mobile Taiwan, to speed up Internet mobility and encourage companies on the island to invest more in building products for WiMax, 3G (third generation telecommunications) and other wireless technologies.NEC has already announced that its equipment will be used by Taiwanese WiMax license winner Tatung next week in an ambulance test. The companies will show how a patient&#39;s vital signs such as heartbeat and blood pressure can be sent ahead to a hospital before the ambulance arrives via WiMax, allowing hospital workers to better prepare for the incoming emergency. The trial will run Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, the companies said in a statement.Taiwan held a WiMax license auction earlier this year to six companies, three each for the north and south of Taiwan. The three winners of southern Taiwan licenses were&#160;Far EasTone Telecommunications, Vastar Cable TV System, and Tatung. For the north, the winners were Global On, First International Telecom, and a joint venture between Tecom and 3G network operator VIBO Telecom.&#160;
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Research In Motion Ltd. RIM.TO is  seeing rising demand for its BlackBerry wireless e-mail device  in Europe and expects Asia to be its next major market, the  company's chief financial officer said on Monday.
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Taiwan&#39;s High Tech Computer Corp., the world&#39;s largest developer of smartphones that use Microsoft software, plans to launch more than ten mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) armed with Qualcomm Inc. chips by the end of this year, the companies said Wednesday.
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Research In Motion Ltd  has shipped the first of its BlackBerry smartphones to China and aims to start selling them later this year, a major breakthrough for the company in penetrating the huge Asian market.
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The smart phone market will grow more crowded Wednesday with the debut of two devices directed at opposite ends of the customer spectrum: a BlackBerry for consumers with a newfangled
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(InfoWorld) - Taiwan's High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC), the largest maker of mobile handsets that run the Windows Mobile OS, plans to launch a smartphone that looks like a BlackBerry, complete with a QWERTY keypad, by the end of the year. The handset, code-named Excalibur, is designed to promote theÂ push e-mailÂ function of Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and compete with the popular BlackBerry service offered by Research In Motion. The device, and otherÂ BlackBerry-like offeringsÂ entering the market, raise the stakes for RIM as it facesÂ increased competition. HTC's new handset will support a host of wireless functions, including GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment), WLAN (wireless-LAN) and Bluetooth, according to a person close to the matter. HTC declined to officially comment on the device. The device will likely be launched first by mobile phone service provider O2Â in Germany, with a QWERTZ keypad for the local market instead of QWERTY. Excalibur will then be offered in other areas of Europe. Pricing information was not available. More information about the HTC Excalibur can be found at the U.S. Federal Communications CommissionÂ (FCC) Web site.
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InfoWorld - The Taiwanese government added several companies to aÂ growing list of WiMax wireless broadband technology partnersÂ on Monday, including Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Sprint Nextel.
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InfoWorld - Chinese businessmen will soon be able to get their hands on Research In Motion's BlackBerry handset, following long months of delays getting approval to bring the devices to China.
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Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's leading telecom operator, says it plans to invest 8-10 billion dollars (244-305 million US) in its third-generation (3G) mobile phone business over the next two to three years.
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InfoWorld - Taiwan&#39;s High Tech Computer (HTC), the world&#39;s largest developer of smartphones that use Microsoft software, plans to launch more than&#160;10 mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) armed with&#160;Qualcomm chips&#160;by the end of this year, the companies said Wednesday.
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TCL Corp  began sending BlackBerry handsets to partner China Mobile  in 2007's fourth quarter, suggesting the launch of the popular email device in China is just around the corner.
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The smart phone market will grow more crowded Wednesday with the debut of two devices directed at opposite ends of the customer spectrum: a BlackBerry for consumers with a newfangled keyboard and a Nokia phone-organizer for mobile business professionals.