Trucking Technology Alert - Aug. 31
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Both the online report and e-mail are sponsored by @Track Communications, a supplier of wireless communications and dispatch services.
Today's Technology Headlines:
- Handspring Giving Away VisorPhone
- FedEx Imaging Systems to Boost Access to Shipping Information
- Talk n' Toss Phones Filling Niche Market
- Old Mobile Phones Get--and Give--New Life
- Manufacturers, Distributors Disagree Over Internet Sales
Handspring Giving Away VisorPhone
It what appears to be an attempt to get rid of some inventory, Handspring recently started giving away its VisorPhone cell phone module with the purchase of a Visor handheld device. The VisorPhone is an add on module for the Visor, Handspring's line of handheld computers that normally cost between $129 and $299. In the meantime, according to letters sent to the FCC by Handspring engineer David Waitt, Handspring will shortly introduce two new handheld devices that incorporate cell phone capabilities.The first device, code-named Manhattan, includes a button that launches SMS messages, as well as a keyboard for text input. The other device, code-named Shea, comes equipped with Palm's Graffiti handwriting recognition program. According to documents displayed on the FCC Web site, the Shea device includes browser and phone capabilities similar to those of the VisorPhone module. ZDNet (08/29/01); Nobel, Carmen
FedEx Imaging Systems to Boost Access to Shipping Information
FedEx customers stand to gain greater shipment visibility and speedier customs clearance thanks to a new electronic imaging system that will capture data from paper documents, providing Web access to documentation on international shipments.The system uses customized Bell & Howell scanners from ProQuest, with VirtualReScan software and Adrenaline boards from Kofax Image Products. Customers will be able to access data from airbills for billing purposes within about eight hours, rather than the days it took prior to the installation of the electronic system. Computerworld Online (08/28/01); Rosencrance, Linda
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Talk n' Toss Phones Filling Niche Market
So-called talk n' toss phones are filling a niche. According to an analyst at Jupiter Research, consumers are purchasing less-expensive phones rather than buying high-end handsets that support next-generation services and come equipped with the latest features. The traditional handset manufacturers like Motorola and Nokia are not currently interested in selling less-expensive units, and this vacuum has created a niche for a number of companies catering to the talk-and-toss market.Dieceland Technologies, for example, which invented a $10 paper cell phone, recently announced that it had signed a distribution deal with GE Capital, the investment division of General Electric. Meanwhile, Hop-On-Wireless is scheduled to introduce a similar talk-and-toss phone in October in convenience stores and such retail stores as WalMart, 7-Eleven, and Kmart. Nevertheless, such toss-and-talk phones face a number of obstacles, most notably the fact that they cannot receive calls. In addition, such talk-and-toss phones by their nature cannot incur roaming calls, making them unattractive to nationwide carriers.
As a result, people will only be able to use the phones in a local calling area, so the talk-and-toss phones are being seen more as a promotional item right now, similar to the way long-distance phone cards covered with company logos once were. The wireless industry also see talk-and-toss phones as a way to bring in senior citizens, teenagers, and others into the wireless market. M-Commerce Times (08/31/01); Sutherland, Ed
Motorola collects the used cell phones, refurbishes them, and programs the phones to dial 9-1-1 and one other non-emergency number. This allows a woman to call for help by simply pushing a button. Earlier this year the Donate a Phone campaign announced that it had already recycled 200,000 cell phones for use of victims of violence throughout the country. Wireless Newsfactor (08/30/01); McDonough Jr., Dan
The chief disagreement is over providing information to retail customers; manufacturers are uncertain whether the Internet can replace distributors as the primary source of information about products, while distributors mostly do not think the Internet can be as good an information source as the distributors' sales and communication efforts.
The report also says that two-thirds of manufacturers expect the Internet to enable distributors to carry less inventory, and use more just-in-time drop shipments, by 2006. The main hindrance to expanding Internet use for supply-chain activities is comfort with existing manufacturer-distributor relationships. Copies of the report can be bought online at www.nawpubs.org. Refrigerated Transporter (08/01) Vol. 39, No. 3, P. 39
Old Mobile Phones Get--and Give--New Life
Motorola, the second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world, is sponsoring the Donate a Phone campaign, which collects used cell phones specifically for victims of domestic violence. The campaign was founded by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Motorola, and the Wireless Foundation in 1999. The mobile phones are given to women in danger of domestic violence, who are provided with free emergency airtime through the program. Manufacturers, Distributors Disagree Over Internet Sales
The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors has released a report indicating that distributors and their vendors disagree on the future of Internet sales channels--differences that may slow the adoption of e-business.
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