Streamezzo and Atos Worldline have recently announced a partnership to power an interactive Live TV application for the iPhone. The solution is designed to enable operators and broadcasters to offer iPhone subscribers great mobile TV experience, combining the power of Streamezzo’s technology and of Atos Worldline in-depth experience in the telecom market with large volume hosting capacity.

From the press release:

Streamezzo and Atos Worldline Mobile TV solution couples the most unique and intuitive Mobile TV application, with the additional features provided by the iPhone platform in terms of user experience and navigation. The ready-to-deploy service offers all the functionality of Mobile TV such as access to Live TV through the embedded video player, channel grid and interactive Electronic Program Guide (EPG) in the most intuitive way. The service can be easily and quickly customized to the specific requirements of both mobile operators and broadcasters in terms of customizing the look-and-feel, and including additional services such as fast channel switching, video-on-demand catalogue and personal video recording including live catch-up TV functionality.

The solution is developed and operated by Atos Worldine, using Streamezzo’s Rich Media technology. The same application can completely be re-used for other mobile platforms including Android, BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM), Java, Linux, Symbian and Windows Mobile. Thanks to this cross-platform technology, mobile operators and broadcasters can extend their reach in terms of subscribers and accelerate their return on investment.

Both parties seem satisfied with the arrangement, and Streamezzo’s CEO Olivier Avaro said: “Mobile Operators and Broadcasters are looking for a fast and effective way to deliver interactive Mobile TV to the iPhone. Thanks to Streamezzo’s technology, they can now offer a complete and competitive Mobile TV service to their customers in less than six weeks.”

He really needs a beer, cellphone and a home - in that order.

If there was ever a time and a place to be down on your luck, Colorado may soon be it. Pre-paid wireless carrier TracFone Wireless has proposed a plan that would make Colorado the 17th state in the US to offer free cellphones and cellular service to low income residents. The Public Utilities Commission is considering the plan, which would provide 83 minutes of wireless minutes and a low-end Motorola (NYSE: MOT) handset to those in need.

TracFone’s “Safelink Wireless” subsidy plan would be funded by the Universal Service Fund – a federal fund which subsidized $800 million worth of low-income phone service throughout the US last year. Colorado, for example, was given $3.2 million in subsidies to help low-income residents secure phone service last year. The Universal Service Fund is funded by taxes on telephone lines, so the money for the Safelink Wireless program is already in place.

In order to be eligible for a free mobile phone (a $50 Motorola handset) and wireless service, subscribers must be drawing aid from one of Colorado’s six welfare funds. That is, once the plan is approved.

Free cellphones for the poor might sound like an unfair deal, but in this day and age where a cellphone is as important for emergency communications as it is for finding a job, government money might be better spent on wireless subscriptions than wireline telephone service. That, and maybe a decent suit for a job interview. One step at a time.

[Via: MobileCrunch]

While the wide-world of cycling isn’t exactly included in our mobile-related beat, I figure HTC’s Tour de France cycling team is doing too well to ignore. Team Columbia-HTC has been seeing great success at the Tour de France, thanks to team rider Mark Cavendish. I won’t pretend to know too much about cycling (please tell me what a peloton is), but I do know a fast cyclist when I read about one. The Tour’s fastest cyclist this year seems to be Team Columbia-HTC’s very own Cavendish, who just managed to clinch his fourth stage win of the Tour. Cavendish’s Stage 11 win earned the rider the points lead and some sort of Green Jersey.

The HTC-backed Tour de France team saw its star rider claiming his eighth career Tour victory. Cavendish also managed to tie a British stage-record held by Barry Hoban. In fact, Cavendish’s win today was his second consecutive win of The Tour, despite predictions that had the rider finishing further back in the race.

Good luck to Team Columbia-HTC! When do we get our HTC Hero “Tour de France” Edition?

[Via: CyclingNews]

IntoMobile is now officially part of the Silicon Valley! To celebrate our arrival in the San Francisco Bay Area, we’ve teamed up with VentureBeat to give our readers discounted passes to the MobileBeat 2009 conference in San Francisco’s Parc 55 Hotel. MobileBeat 2009 is a one-day event where big-wigs from the mobile world converge to talk shop and ponder future mobile technologies and businesses. The MobileBeat 2009 Conference will take place on Thursday July 16, 2009 from 8AM to 7:45PM PST (Pacific Standard Time).

MobileBeat 2009 will kick off with chat between Tero Ojanpera of Nokia (NYSE: NOK), Michael Abbott of Palm (NSDQ: PALM) and Vic Gundotra of Google (NSDQ: GOOG). We’ll have three of the biggest names in mobile tech chatting it up about what makes a successful mobile platform, so it’s sure to be an interesting conversation. And, that’s just the start. There’s even more in store at MobileBeat 2009. Check out the entire MB2009 conference agenda here.

Now, for the good stuff. Use the code “IMMB2009″ during registration to get 30% of your MB09 conference passes. You’ll be saving at least a Benji and some Jacksons by using the code, so it’s kind of a no-brainer for those already thinking of attending the event. Come to MobileBeat 2009, chat with industry heavyweights and meet the IntoMobile team live and in person!

Again, enter code “IMMB2009″ at this registration page to get 30% off your MobileBeat 2009 passes.

It might not sound all that interesting or important to casual wireless consumer, but T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s newfound alliance with the Voice Over LTE via Generic Access (VoLGA) Forum is an important development in the move to 4G LTE adoption. While 4G LTE networks promise to deliver true wireless broadband data speeds, there’s still the issue of how to deal with carriers’ golden geese – voice calls and SMS text messages. As part of the VoLGA Forum, T-Mobile has published specifications for routing money-making voice and SMS services over the LTE data network, bringing the whole world one step closer to a unified spec for routing voice and text messages over future 4G LTE networks.

T-Mobile is planning to convert circuit-switched communications to data-packets that can be ferried across the international wireless operators’ LTE networks. This is known as circuit-switched-over-packet. T-Mobile and VoLGA are moving to have their CS-over-packet protocol approved by the global 3GPP (3rd Generation Partner Project) standards body. In fact, VoLGA is working hand-in-hand with the 3GPP to make the adoption of their protocol even easier on the world’s carriers.

That’s all good and well for all the major network infrastructure vendors – they’re all on board with the VoLGA approach. All vendors, that is, except Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Siemens Networks, who are working on their own proprietary voice-over-LTE protocol.

There’s also another problem. Voice and SMS services can be routed through LTE networks by way of an already approved 3GPP standard known as IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). But, as Unstrung notes, the IMS standard is still too rough around the edges to be a serious contender. And, there’s also the option for carriers to keep their 2G and 3G networks alive for the sole purpose of handling voice and text message communications – not an ideal solution, to say the least.

Plans for voice-over-LTE standards should become a little clearer in a little under a year’s time. We’ll be keeping a close eye this space, stay tuned.

[Unstrung via: EngadgetMobile]

Digital incentive and information management company, Zave Networks, and provider of mobile barcode solutions, Scanbuy, announced a partnership to offer consumers an easier way to access discounts and coupons while on the go.

As a result of this co-operation, a new solution will be developed, combining Scanbuy’s ScanLife mobile barcode technology with Zave Network’s incentive network Zavers, effectively making it easier for consumers to find coupons, save them to their Zavers account and redeem them at participating retailers.

Why this matters is the fact that Scanbuy’s software is available on an array of platforms — including Android, BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM), BREW, iPhone, Java, Symbian and Windows Mobile — meaning that the two companies together could reach more users than any other mobile coupons service out there. What we have to see is how well they can execute and start offering the service to the consumers…

The US Census Bureau is getting ready to conduct the most wireless, high-tech census in US history. And, they’ve tapped none other than No. 3 US wireless carrier Sprint (NYSE: S) as the exclusive wireless provider for all their “census-ing” needs. The wirelessly connected Decennial Census will kick off in 2010, and promises to be the most accurate account of the US population in the history of the US Census.

You might recall seeing the HTC Census passing through the FCC, on it’s way to some half million (500,000) Census enumerators. HTC created the HTC Census specifically for the US Census Bureau’s Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) project, which aims to collect and transmit census data back to a central database.

Armed with this EVDO data-only Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC, and integrated GPS, the enumerator’s job of collecting absentee census information will get nice and streamlined. As a high-tech plus, the built-in GPS unit also keeps the enumerator honest.

Makes me wish I had an HTC Census during my stint as a US Census enumerator back in 2000.

[Via: CN]

One more release from the Mobile Money Summit event in Barcelona…

Leader in global roaming and interoperability solutions, California-based Roamware, announced a strategic partnership with Grameen Solutions to develop mobile money applications and services for the unbanked.

So, on one side we have Grameen Solutions which is part of Grameen group that also includes Grameen Bank, the world’s leading micro-finance institution; and on the other, Roamware which ecosystem spans over 375 network operators in 138 countries, reaching more than 1.8 billion mobile users. You see where this goes, right?

The two companies could reach the poor and allow them to use financial services through their mobile phones and that’s a noble cause. Hopefully, we’ll hear some tangible results from either Roamware or Grameen in the near future…

Russia’s MTS and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) announced the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the direct delivery of Nokia devices to MTS’ retail network. The first joint project of the two companies will be the priority sales launch of the Nokia N97, which will start selling with pre-installed software from MTS.

Under the terms of agreement, Nokia will directly supply its products to MTS’ retail network, and will provide a special training program for the carrier’s retail employees. Moreover, the two companies will co-operate in marketing campaigns to promote Nokia’s handsets.

Commenting on the announcement, MTS’ CEO Mikhail Shamolin said: “This partnership agreement with Nokia is a milestone in our development of the MTS proprietary retail network. Teaming up with the world’s leading maker of mobile devices will allow us to further differentiate MTS’ retail network by matching cutting-edge products with tariff plans to enhance customer experience and spur the growth of data usage by our subscribers.

Back to the N97. It’s set to hit MTS stores in Moscow and the Nokia’s flagship store on June 17th, while rest of the population will have to wait for the end of the month…

The Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre is picking up steam as it fuels the media hype machine. As we near the June 6th launch of the Palm Pre on Sprint (NYSE: S), rival carriers are gunning for a chance at the hotly-anticipated smartphone. Not to be outdone by the wireless underdog, both AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless have gone public with their intention to offer the Palm Pre on their respective networks “in the next six months or so” – essentially taking some air out of Sprint’s sails.

Today, Sprint has confirmed that they have an exclusive on the Palm Pre through 2009. That means rival carriers will be looking to offer the Palm Pre a little more than six months from now. Unfortunately, Sprint’s Pre sales numbers could suffer as potential customers wait for the Pre to hit Verizon Wireless or for the GSM Palm Pre to go live on AT&T. The GSM Palm Pre will presumably be capable of simultaneous voice and data service, one-upping the CDMA variant in big way.

Of course, the real winner here is Palm. Palm needs the Pre to be a huge success, and that’s only going to happen with widespread carrier support. If AT&T and Verizon’s plans to carry the Pre are echoed around the world, limited carrier support is no longer an obstacle to the Pre’s success. But, there’s still the issue of manufacturing enough Palm Pre’s to keep up with demand.

Palm is no doubt going to make a good chunk of change with the Pre, but poor Sprint may be left out of the party. If AT&T brings both the Palm Pre and the Palm Eos to market next year, we’re in for some exciting times in the US GSM market.

[Via: SmartMoney]