BlackBerry to finally launch in Taiwan
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The popular BlackBerry service will finally launch in Taiwan this week after being delayed in order to gain regulatory approval, a company representative confirmed Monday.
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Chinese businessmen will soon be able to get their hands on Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry handset, following long months of delays getting approval to bring the devices to China.
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Next month, residents of a Farglory Land Development housing project in Taiwan will be invited to&#160;test a new mobile phone&#160;from BenQ, the T80, that uses NFC (near field communications) technology to access home security systems and pay for items including subway rides.Farglory has teamed up with the island&#39;s largest telecommunications provider, Chunghwa Telecom, on the trial, which starts early next month, a BenQ representative said. The T80 is one of BenQ&#39;s latest smartphones. It runs on Microsoft&#39;s Windows Mobile 6.0 OS and allows NFC from either the SIM card (subscriber identity module) or from a microSD card.The handset also works with Chunghwa Telecom&#39;s Combi SIM card, an e-wallet with enough memory to keep record of transactions as well as other service applications. The Farglory project will allow residents of certain apartment complexes to access home security systems in order to turn alarms on or off and receive status updates.The telecom provider plans to add functions continuously to the handsets as time goes on. BenQ&#39;s T80 handset can also be used as a remote control for home entertainment centers as long as a user&#39;s equipment supports DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) technology.The T80 boasts a 2.2-inch screen, a 3.0-megapixel camera and can time automatic wallpaper changes, in addition to smartphone computing functions similar to a PDA (personal digital assistant). The handset&#39;s appearance next month in Taiwan will be the first time it has been marketed anywhere in the world, according to BenQ.BenQ will release another NFC-enabled handset in June in tandem with Taiwan Mobile, another service provider on the island. The T60 is only 8.9-millimeters thick yet carries a 2.2-inch screen and a 2.0-megapixel camera and an audio player.BenQ declined to discuss further details of the Taiwan Mobile agreement.&#160;
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(InfoWorld) - BenQ Mobile plans to file for bankruptcy protection in Germany after its Taiwanese parent decided to stop investing in the money-losing operation, the mobile phone maker said Thursday. Taiwan's BenQ Corp., which will continue to develop and market BenQ-Siemens brand mobile phones, said it made the decision because it saw no end to the losses after already sinking over â¬600 million ($761.7 million) into the unit. "We made this painful decision after losses continued to pile up despite our best efforts," said K.Y. Lee, chairman of BenQ, at a news conference in Taipei. BenQ said the bankruptcy filing should not affect customers since the parent company will continue to develop, manufacture, and sell BenQ-Siemens handsets from Asia. The decision comes almost a year after BenQÂ took over the mobile phone businessÂ from Siemens, and leaves the fate of 3,000 German workers at BenQ Mobile in doubt. It also highlights the difficulty of turning around a sinking business. Under Siemens, the handset division had been losing market share. The German company even paid BenQ â¬250 million to take the ailing division off its hands. BenQ has posted losses for the three financial quarters that have passed since it acquired BenQ Mobile. Analysts have blamed stiff competition in the mobile phone industry for the troubles many handset makers have faced this year. Industry leaders Nokia and Motorola have both gained market share this year, mainly at the expense of smaller rivals, according to market researcher Gartner. BenQ's share of the handset market dropped to 3.2 percent in the second quarter, from 4.8 percent the same time last year, according to Gartner. Meanwhile, Nokia's share rose to 33.6 percent from 31.6 percent, and Motorola's increased to 21.9 percent from 17.7 percent. If BenQ Mobile can return to financial health as it restructures under the protection of the German government, it could return to the BenQ family of companies, BenQ said. BenQ Mobile's headquarters in Munich, as well as sites in Kamp-Lintfort and Bocholt in North-Rhine-Westphalia will be directly affected by the decision, while operations in Brazil will undergo a financial review. The Taiwanese company had already taken several steps to reduce costs and turn BenQ Mobile around, includingÂ laying offÂ over 500 workers earlier this year in Germany, and announcing a plan toÂ shut down mobile phone productionÂ in Taiwan. The company also announced several measures intended to streamline its operations, including a plan toÂ spin offÂ its non-handset manufacturing business.ADVERTISEMENTMAKE SOA REAL WITH IBM WEBSPHERE PODCASTStreamline processes and maximize efficiency within a proven service oriented architecture. Take back control of your business processes with IBM WebSphere.
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BlackBerry maker Research In Motion    will target multinational corporations in the  first phase of its new push into the huge Chinese market, its  co-chief executive said on Wednesday.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan  - A Taiwan government committee on  Monday gave the green light to the island's top two memory chip  makers, Powerchip  and ProMOS , to set up  plants in China, local media reported.
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NEW YORK, September 8 (New Ratings) - Nokia (NOK.NYS) reportedly announced yesterday that its Series 80-based handsets, which are scheduled to be launched in 1Q05, would integrate the BlackBerry software.
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Japan sees first Travel, Mobile Media Companions
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(InfoWorld) - BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) announced record high subscriber growth and strong device shipments in its first quarter, a sign that some users aren't putting off smartphone purchases ahead of Friday's iPhone launch. In fact, RIM says theÂ hype around Apple's iPhoneÂ has helped its business by focusing attention on multi-function handsets. "I think [Apple] did us a great favor because they drove attention to the converged appliance base...we think the attention given to [the iPhone] and its impact on the dynamic has been overwhelmingly positive for us," said Jim Balsillie, co-CEO at RIM, in a conference call on Thursday. RIM signed up 1.2 million new BlackBerry subscribers in the three month quarter ending June 2, pushing its total to over 9 million accounts. RIM executives cited strong growth in India, in particular. Sales and net profit at the company both hit all time highs, with sales at US$1.08 billion, up 76.5 percent year-over-year, and net profit up 73.2 percent to $223.2 million. The company expects to break more records in its second quarter. RIM forecast that it will add 1.325 million to 1.375 million new subscribers in the quarter with the potential for sales to reach almost $1.4 million. "The momentum we are seeing in terms of product launches, carrier support in terms of product launches of BlackBerries, and subscriber additions is exceptional, and we believe it will continue on into the second half of the year," said Balsillie. Device shipments will also continue to soar. RIM expects to ship 3 million units in the second quarter, up from 2.4 million in the first quarter, due mainly to new products such as the BlackBerry Curve, as well as continued strength in older models such as the BlackBerry Pearl and 8800, RIM executives said. Â
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(InfoWorld) - Japanese operator Willcom has launched a hosted e-mail and personal-information management service based on Microsoft's Exchange Server 2003. The new Access P-Berry service lets users access messages and other information from their Windows Mobile-based W-Zero3 ES smartphones. Introduced in July, the W-Zero3 ES is made by Sharp and is only the second Windows Mobile handset launched in Japan. It's predecessor, the W-Zero3 instantly became a hit when it was the first such handset launched in the market. Other smart phones sold in Japan run either Linux or the Symbian operating system. Intended for small and medium-sized businesses, Willcom's Access P-Berry lets users access e-mails, their calendar, and contacts from their handsets. Pricing for the service, which comes bundled with the handsets, was not available. Microsoft has recently been winning more business from Asian operators. In June, Shanghai Telecom Co.Â  introduced an Exchange-based messaging service for its business customers. The company also won a deal in July to provide the software for an advertising system developed by South Korea's Portal Tone.
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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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(InfoWorld) - Taiwan's High Tech Computer (HTC), the world's largest developer of smartphones that use Microsoft software, plans to launch more thanÂ 10 mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) armed withÂ Qualcomm chipsÂ by the end of this year, the companies said Wednesday. HTC is the first company to launch smartphones based on Qualcomm's latest chip sets, the dual-core Mobile Station Modem (MSM) MSM7500. The company will use another chip set in the family, the MSM7200, in several of the Qualcomm-based handsets it plans to release by the end of this year. HTC has been working with Qualcomm for years, and its technology is already inside the HTC Mogul and Titan II handsets, said Peter Chou, the CEO of HTC, at a news conference in Taipei. The company has aimed some of the handsets at the U.S. market, but it shouldn't run into any problems from anÂ import ban related to certain Qualcomm chips, said Paul Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm, at the news conference. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)Â banned the import of new models of phones and PDAsÂ that hit the market after June 7 and contain certain Qualcomm chips, as the result of aÂ patent infringement disputeÂ between Qualcomm and rival Broadcom. Some companies have foundÂ ways to work around the import banÂ through licenses with Broadcom. Verizon Wireless last month agreed to pay Broadcom $6 for every handset, PDA (personal digital assistant) or data card that uses the mobile broadband technology at the heart of the dispute, EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized). Jacobs also said his company remains in discussions with Broadcom over the issue and he expects to reach a deal at some point. "Broadcom wants to be in the chipset business, so they'll need some licenses from us," he said. Â
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Taipei plans to make wireless Internet  access available across the Taiwan capital by the end of 2005,  joining a small number of cities offering Wi-Fi networks.
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TCL Corp (000100.SZ) began sending  BlackBerry handsets to partner China Mobile (0941.HK) 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 device is part of the Taiwanese computer maker's ongoing attempt to re-establish itself in the U.S. market.
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Taiwan capital says network will reach 90% of population of 3M, will charge users for access. TAIPEI  - Taipei plans to make wireless Internet access available across the Taiwan capital by the end
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The Taiwanese government added several companies to a&#160;growing list of WiMax wireless broadband technology partners&#160;on Monday, including Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Sprint Nextel.Taipei has been putting together incentive packages for multinationals to entice them to build WiMax research and development centers in Taiwan, work on development projects with companies from the island, and to make the island a part of the standards-making process for the technology, which delivers high speed Internet service over the airwaves.Intel was an early champion of WiMax as a replacement for the Wi-Fi wireless networking standard uses for Internet access in coffee shops, airports and other places in much of the developed world. The chip giant has already signed a similar agreement with Taiwan, and is working with Taiwanese computer parts makers to ready the technology for inclusion in laptop PCs next year.&quot;We believe partnerships between Taiwan WiMax players and global leaders will speed up the development of WiMax technologies,&quot; said Steve Ruey-Long Chen, Taiwan&#39;s economics minister, in a speech at the 2007 WiMax Forum, which opened in Taipei on Monday.The agreements are memorandums of understanding, nonbinding pacts to work together to promote WiMax. Most signatories of such agreements have already pledged to invest in Taiwan or work with Taiwanese companies.&quot;Nokia Siemens Networks already has partnerships with Taiwanese companies. This memorandum of understanding provides the framework to extend those partnerships,&quot; said Marko Tiesmaki, head of business development in broadband wireless access at the company.Alcatel-Lucent has already pledged to establish a WiMax lab in Taiwan, said Patrick Plas, chief operating officer of the company&#39;s GSM/WiMax business. Its memorandum signifies its openness to working with Taiwan to promote WiMax technology, he said.The pacts are part of Taiwan&#39;s plan to become one of the largest producers of WiMax equipment in the world. The island is already positioning itself to be one of the fastest adopters of WiMax wireless broadband 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. Such deals can encourage companies to build technology-specific R&amp;D centers on the island through the use of incentives such as tax-free status, research grants, rent-free space in science parks and more.Other companies have also signed memorandums of understanding with Taiwan, including Starent Networks, NEC, Nortel Networks, and German WiMax tester Rohde &amp; Schwarz.Last week, Taipei 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 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) mobile telecommunications and other wireless technologies. The government has granted WiMax licenses to six operators, and some of them plan to start offering services as early as next year.