Analysts dubbed dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handsets as the “breakout market segment” in 2007. The devices are seen to grab 20 percent of the total chipset market in two years. Wi-Fi for voice, according to In-Stat analyst Gemma Tedesco, is also gaining momentum this year as a result of T-Mobile’s deployment of fixed-mobile convergence in the U.S. Another segment making waves is the portable media player market, with rising sales of Microsoft’s Zune and the scheduled market release of WiFi-enabled iPod from Apple in the second half of the year. The Wi-Fi chipset market, on the whole, is growing. In 2006, vendors shipped 213 million Wi-Fi chipsets, up by 32 percent from 2005.
Via [vnunet.com]
Tag Archive for 'Handsets'
EarthLink has a new Wi-Fi phone, which may be hitting the market this summer. Currently in beta tests, the phone will let you make calls over the Internet through wireless broadband connections. To push this initiative along, EarthLink has been working with a number of cities to establish municipal Wi-Fi networks. The EarthLink phone and the service was designed to be a less expensive alternative for traditional telephone services and, in Wi-Fi hotspots, it can replace your cell phone. EarthLink is investing heavily in the Internet telephony market but faces some stiff competition from other providers such as Vonage and Skype and, across the board acceptance may be more of a long-term goal.
Via [informationweek.com]