The CTIA and ESRB pulled back the curtains on their new mobile app rating system today, and it looks like with the help of their six founding partners, app ratings could soon grace a smartphone near you.

The new app rating system will be implemented first by AT&T, Microsoft, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless, and other storefronts are said to have expressed interest.

If that list appears to be missing a bit of star power, you’re right: Apple and Google aren’t participating in the program as they both already provide age and maturity level suggestions for each app listed in their app stores. Though the reasoning seems pragmatic, I’m sure neither company wanted to cede control over part of the app submission process to a third party.

I expressed some concern about the logistics of getting an app rated when the news first broke, and thankfully the CTIA and ESRB have worked out a fairly painless process for developers. When an app is completed and is being prepared for submission to a given app store, developers will fill out a quick online survey that determines their ESRB rating level.

Once the review is completed and the app earns a rating (think classic ESRB: E for Everyone, T for Teen, etc.), developers will be given a unique identifier code that allows them to submit that same app to other participating app stores without having to go through the review process again.

CTIA President Steve Largent made it clear that the app rating system would only apply to new app submissions — apps that are already available in their respective app stores won’t be rated unless developers choose to submit them for ratings. Developers can also appeal a rating for an app if they find it to be inaccurate with regard to their app’s content.

When the CTIA and the ESRB teased us with a heads-up press release last week, I took a quick look at the current state of in-store app ratings. Apple is doing just fine on their own: they have fairly descriptive ratings for their applications, and they already encompass some of the content descriptors that ESRB ratings are known for.

Google on the other hand doesn’t go into as much detail with their content ratings, which are usually hidden below the fold when viewed on Android devices anyway. The Android Market could stand to benefit from some more robust app descriptions, especially given that Android remains the most widely used smartphone OS in the country and that the Market is no stranger to funny business.

This of course begs a fairly weighty question: is there a point to an app ratings system that Apple and Google won’t use? More than a billion apps have been downloaded from the Android Market in the United States alone, and Apple has surely crossed a similar milestone. Will developers see the need to undergo an extra step in the submission process when the app stores that people flock to don’t require it? The jury’s still out on that one — for now we’ll just have to sit back and wait for those first apps to get their ESRB badges.

Here’s something I’m sure no one expected to see today: the CTIA Wireless Trade Association has just issued a release stating that they have struck a partnership with the Entertainment Software Rating Board in order to start rating mobile applications. Yes, really.

The ESRB, if you’ve managed to avoid picking up a video game in the last decade or so, are the folks that decide how appropriate a game is for certain age groups. This isn’t their first foray into the mobile space (that would be their game ratings app), but this new rating system is certainly going to make a splash when it debuts in Washington D.C. on November 29.

The release doesn’t go into any further specifics aside from noting that a few senators will be in attendance, but this strikes me as a potentially good idea. Whether or not an app is appropriate for a given age group should be a problem that’s best left to each platform’s app review board, and a universal set of guidelines could only help. One only needs to look at the state of our current app stores to see what could be improved.

Take Apple, for example: a peek inside their App Store shows that games like Bullet Time HD are rated for children 12 and up, citing “infrequent/mild realistic violence,” “frequent/intense cartoon or fantasy violence,” and “frequent/intense horror/fear themes.” Sounds pretty thorough, and that description appears both in iTunes and on the device in question before purchase.

The Android Market, on the other hand, doesn’t seem quite so exhaustive: developers can rank an app’s maturity level as low, medium, or high, and simply leave it at that. The Market app usually doesn’t even show that information upfront; rather, one has to click “more” to see it, unless an app’s description is so short as to be useless. Windows Phone doesn’t seem to include maturity information at all, though they do have a “family” games section where young ones should presumably stay.

So if all that is true, then why is a mobile app rating system only a potentially good idea? It all comes down to execution. Would developers have to re-submit apps for evaluation? Or would those with the responsibility of approving apps have to go back and re-rate all of them after the fact? Can some apps remain unrated? Too many hoops (whatever they may be) could stymie developers, and that’s the last thing that needs to happen. As it stands, the release raises more questions than answers, and I suppose we’ll have to see the CTIA and ESRB have come up with next week.

Obscenely high phone bills have a habit of coming from out of the blue, but that could all change in coming months. According to Reuters, the wireless trade association CTIA is expected to announce a new set of guidelines today under which all wireless carriers must notify their customers when they’re nearing overage territory.

Be it from unintentional roaming, talkative friends or text-crazy family members, nearly 1 in 6 wireless customers have experienced “bill shock,” and the FCC is none too pleased with the situation. They unveiled a similar effort to curb bill shock last year, but the regulatory commission is putting their plans on ice for now.

They’re not sitting out the game for good though — the FCC will reportedly be ready to step in once more if wireless carriers start to drag their feet.

The CTIA guidelines revolve around four types of alerts: voice, data, messaging, and roaming. Carriers will be required to send those alerts to their customers both before they hit their monthly limits, and right when they tiptoe over the line.

Unlike the FCC’s proposed rules, the CTIA’s guidelines puts these alerts into the field much sooner. Carriers will have 12 months to implement at least 2 of the 4 alert types, and another 6 months after that to get the rest of them working. It’s simple enough in theory, but the FCC has stated that the change would require some pretty substantial changes to carrier billing systems.

After having spent a few years on the retail side of the wireless industry, it’s refreshing to see some of the onus fall on carriers instead of customers. It won’t be a quick rollout, nor an especially easy one, but it’s one that will give consumers some much-needed information — after all, isn’t one heinous phone bill enough?

There’s been some controversy and problems of course, the CTIA says that the product is illegal, MagicJack says it’s not, and the FCC is still deciding what’s going to happen. Assuming the FCC says that the product is legal, MagicJack has itself well positioned through a recent merger with the company responsible for inventing VoIP in the first place. It’s definitely going to be interesting to see what happens, and if MagicJack wins, prepaid cell phones are going to get a whole lot more popular.

[via Business Insider]

This is really good news for anyone who has been following the ‘universal phone charger‘ story. The ITU joins the GSMA and the CTIA, which jumped on board earlier this month, in making a universal mobile phone charger that much closer to becoming a reality. Hooray for cooperation!

According to the ITU:

Every mobile phone user will benefit from the new Universal Charging Solution (UCS), which enables the same charger to be used for all future handsets, regardless of make and model. In addition to dramatically cutting the number of chargers produced, shipped and subsequently discarded as new models become available, the new standard will mean users worldwide will be able to charge their mobiles anywhere from any available charger, while also reducing the energy consumed while charging.

Not only will the new universal charger be more convenient and save consumers (some) cash, but they are also more environmentally friendly. Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), said: “This is a significant step in reducing the environmental impact of mobile charging, which also has the benefit of making mobile phone use more straightforward.” The new, universal chargers are based on the Micro-USB interface, and will include a 4-star or higher efficiency rating – up to three times more energy-efficient than an unrated charger.

[via CNET]

As anyone who follows the mobile space knows, the CTIA, aka the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry, is holding its annual conference this week in San Diego. Besides serving as a stage for new wireless products and services, the CTIA Board has convened to discuss a variety of issues that affect the industry as a whole.

Perhaps the most important news to come out of the conference this week is the Board’s decision to back universal standards to “[s]implify input/output features on mobile devices.”

In particular, the Board is looking to “streamline and enhance the customer experience” through this new initiative by promoting the universal adoption of the 3.5 mm audio plug for earbuds/headphones and the micro-USB format for connecting to peripheral devices, such as chargers, laptops, and netbooks. The primary goal is to reduce “the number of audio and data connectors for the majority of new wireless devices introduced to the market after January 2012.”

The governing body, which includes representatives of Nokia, Motorola and Samsung as well as the four biggest mobile operators in the U.S. and other companies around the world, voted unanimously in favor of using the interfaces in future handsets, said Michael Altschul, CTIA’s senior vice president and general counsel.

This is not much of a surprise considering that this past April the CTIA joined GSMA in supporting a universal charging solution for mobile phones and later in June, most of the top mobile phone companies in Europe agreed to adopt micro-USB across the board. However, it is still rather significant for the CTIA as a whole to come together to support industry wide standards, both for the sake of consumers and the environment.

“This initiative builds on the wireless industry’s earlier decision to support a universal charger solution and both initiatives will ultimately provide benefits for our consumers. By simplifying input and output features on mobile devices, economies of scale will reduce consumers’ costs,” said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association.

But, and this is a big BUT:

the decision isn’t binding on the member companies of the board nor of CTIA, Altschul said. It’s solely a statement of support for the use of those connector types on devices introduced after January 2012. CTIA believes handset makers will start to standardize on the technologies in response to consumer preferences as well as mobile operators’ specification lists for future devices, he said.

Not to mention the technological issues that still need to be worked out:

It’s not yet clear whether Micro-USB is fast enough for transferring high-definition video, so the CTIA board left aside the question of an interface for that application.

Ultimately, while this is more of a gesture than a firm commitment (come on guys, you can do this!), it is definitely a step in the right direction. The less proprietary charging / audio adapters, the better.

[via Y! Tech]

So CTIA does this little survey twice a year just to measure how well (or poor) the wireless industry is doing. The result of its latest survey just hit the wires, and what immediately jumped out at me was this stat: around 4.1 billion (yes, billion with a “b”) text messages per day (!) were sent in the first half of 2009. I wonder how many of those are the always useful “k” message.

That of course works out to some 740 billion text messages over the course of those six months.

Other things that may pique your interest:

• Some 1.1 trillion minutes were used in the first half of the year (or 6.9 million minutes per day)

• There’s 246 million mobile data capable devices out there. You know, phones, 3G cards for your laptop, etc.

• Carriers made $19.4 billion in gross revenue from data plans in the first half of the year. Again, that’s gross revenue, so you’d have to take into account how much it costs to keep everything working, salaries, etc.

That does seem to be about it. And really, all of that could have been summed up with one giant bullet point: the wireless industry is doing pretty well for itself.

CTIA joins the GSMA, which announced its endorsement of the Micro-USB-based universal mobile charger solution back in February.

According to the press release:

[T]he UCS aims to reduce energy consumption and enhance the customer experience through the adoption of a single “one-charger-fits-all” solution for new wireless devices by January 1, 2012. The UCS will use the Micro-USB format as the common universal charging interface, and use energy efficient chargers in compliance with U.S. “Energy Star” requirements for external power adapters that will provide an estimated 50% reduction in standby energy consumption.

“Earth Day serves as a great reminder that the wireless industry and all of us have a role to play when it comes to taking care of our planet. We recognize the need and the responsibility we have to help create a low-carbon economy, and the initiative to adopt a ‘Universal Charging Solution’ is an important step in the right direction,” said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association.

It’s too bad they didn’t go with with Mini-USB over Micro-USB, seeing as lots of people have dozens of the former cable laying around. However, in the end, it’s still rather refreshing to see initiatives like this gain momentum…manufacturers and industry giants working together to solve problems instead of trying to go it alone (read: Sony Betamax / ATRAC, Apple’s proprietary dock-connector, etc), especially as the world continues to shrink.

Even the auto industry has apparently learned to cooperate. What say you, other gadget makers? How about a universal charger for all things electronic?!

Today at CTIA Yahoo announced oneConnect for the Apple iPhone. The stand-alone app aims to aggregate all your social networks into one place. Naturally, all your favorites are included: Facebook, YouTube, Dopplr, Twitter, Flickr, even Friendster. Of course Yahoo being Yahoo, others are included too.

Read the rest over on MobileCrunch.

Today at CTIA Yahoo announced oneConnect for the Apple iPhone. The stand-alone app aims to aggregate all your social networks into one place. Naturally, all your favorites are included: Facebook, YouTube, Dopplr, Twitter, Flickr, even Friendster. Of course Yahoo being Yahoo, others are included too.

You can communicate with friends’ either via SMS or YIM with Messages, get real-time information about what your network is up to with Pulse, all while keeping your fave friends handy with Favorites. The information is presented in an at-a-glance view, so you can see pictures updated right alongside what your friend is doing.

Since the app is open, other IM’s can join, although right now, only YIM is supported. The app is available for free starting today in the App Store, or from Yahoo’s mobile site. Free. The hands-on ran pretty sweet, so it might be worth checking out.

Earlier this year at CES I got to spend some time with Microsoft’s Surface device, and I was impressed by what they’re doing. I’ll admit I went in with the attitude of “oh, touchscreen table, big deal”, but it’s far, far more than that.

Earlier today we brought you news that Surface was going to start appearing in AT&T stores, perhaps as customer service kiosks, and now we have a date: April 17. That’s rather soon.

If you haven’t had a chance to check Surface out yet, make a stop in to your local store. It’s worth it.

I have a friend who’s obsessed with Second Life. She doesn’t play it much, but she’s in love with the idea. And she’s in the market for a new cellphone. Perhaps I shouldn’t tell her about this new Second Life client Samsung is planning on making available for some of its handsets.

Is it a good idea? We don’t know. Is it a good idea my easily obsessed friends know about this? No.

Sprint’s Instinct is supposed to be one of the better iPhone pretenders. Biggs lauded its user interface while simultaneously panning other n’er do wells for their haphazard use of haptic or multitouch-for-multitouch’s sake. So you would think the phone, which is, nearest I can tell, one of the standouts at this year’s CTIA, would have more than a handful of column inches devoted to it.

Doesn’t appear to be the case, a Lexis Nexis (Academic) search reveals.

Compare it to the iPhone, which was officially unveiled January 9, 2007 at MacWorld. Within 24 hours, as the screenshot above shows, some 409 articles, press releases and the like mention “iPhone” in the Nexis database (under the US Newspapers and Wires category).

The Instinct, 24 hours after its April 1, 2008 debut, has a grand total of 16 articles. Twenty-five times fewer articles in the same time frame.

Hi-res version of ‘sprint instinct’ results

I’m no iPhone apologist—frequent readers know I’m far more interested in today’s Champions League results than whether or not the iPhone/Instinct outsells the Instinct/iPhone—and this idea came to me while sitting in class a few minutes ago, so it’s not like I’m out to “get” the Instinct or anything, just an observation more than anything else. (Run on sentences, ftw.) But if Sprint truly wants the Instinct to resurrect its shrinking business, as detailed in BusinessWeek today, it may want to do a better job of marketing it.

The iPhone was introduced while CES was still going on last year, and pretty much every one of my friends and co-workers at CES (the Giz guys, other bloggers, the magazine people I know, etc.) knew CES was finished then and there. Like, the iPhone debuted and destroyed CES’ reason for being. Consumer technology? That’s the consumer technology for the foreseeable future, way out in San Francisco while we’re shuffling around the Las Vegas convention center.

Instinct came out yesterday at a cellphone conference. If Sprint was so adamant (confident?) about the phone, it at least could have rented out some floor space in NY or SF a couple days before or after CTIA to say, “OK, this is was we have.” As it stands, the phone is just one of many. And no one’s writing about it.

Sprint launched a handful of new phones today at CTIA, and they were thoughtful enough to make a summary page including all of the phones and devices in one spot with specs, press releases, images, and fact sheets.

This isn’t hard work. This is Webmastering 101. This is what the Internet is for. And note that Sprint isn’t trying to make you buy the phones, jump through hoops, or use you as an ATM? Well done.

The other carriers should pay attention to how Sprint’s using their Website and CTIA together to get the word out. AT&T’s hasn’t been updated, neither has T-Mo’s or Verizon’s. They’re losing out on an opportunity to be first in people’s minds, and it’s a problem with the cellphone industry.

“Our mobile video show highlights and weather forecasts were a huge success at CTIA last October,” said Daniel Torras, VP Marketing & Product Strategy for Vantrix. “CTIA is an extremely important event in the wireless community and we are honored to help bring aspects of the show together, most especially by including show attendees as the future weather reporters of America.”

Who knows, you might have what it takes to take the weather world by storm. And even if you just make a fool of yourself on camera, it might be fun to clown around for a few minutes while you are hard at work at the convention.

The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., put an injunction on the rule as it considers an appeal by some in the wireless industry. The Cell companies claim the FCC’s backup power regulations were illegally drafted and would present a huge economic and bureaucratic burden. The United States has nearly 210,000 cell towers and roof-mounted cell sites across the country, many of which would require modifications. One industry estimate puts the per-site price tag at up to $15,000.

In a request for the FCC to delay implementing the change, Sprint Nextel Corp. wrote that the rules would lead to “staggering and irreparable harm” for the company. The cost couldn’t be recouped through legal action or passed on to consumers, it said.

Jackie McCarthy, director of governmental affairs for PCIA — The Wireless Infrastructure Association, said the government should allow the industry to decide how best to keep its networks running, pointing out that all the backup power in the world won’t help a cell tower destroyed by wind or wildfires.

“Our members’ position is that the ‘one size fits all’ approach to requiring eight hours of backup power at all cell sites really doesn’t accomplish the commission’s stated purpose of providing reliable wireless coverage,” McCarthy said.

Those fighting the regulation are also claiming that the FCC didn’t follow proper federal guidelines for creating new mandates and that it went far beyond its authority when it created the eight-hour requirement last summer. So far, the FCC is standing its ground and not backing down.

“We find that the benefits of ensuring sufficient emergency backup power, especially in times of crisis involving possible loss of life or injury, outweighs the fact that carriers may have to spend resources, perhaps even significant resources, to comply with the rule,” the agency said in a regulatory filing.

“The need for backup power in the event of emergencies has been made abundantly clear by recent events, and the cost of failing to have such power may be measured in lives lost,” it said

Wireless companies claim the FCC’s regulation will create problems in urban areas, where local zoning rules, existing leases and structural limitations could make it impossible to add batteries or backup generators to cell sites. It can take 1,500 pounds or more of batteries to provide eight hours of backup energy in areas with a lot of cell phone traffic. Many rooftop sites weren’t built to hold that much weight.

The FCC said it would exempt cell sites that can’t comply if companies can explain how they would provide backup service in those areas through other means, such as portable cellular transmitters.

CTIA-The Wireless Association and several carriers asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to intervene, saying the exemptions would still leave wireless companies scrambling to inspect and compile reports on thousands of towers.

Jackie McCarthy, director of governmental affairs for PCIA, (The Wireless Infrastructure Association) said, “I don’t think it’s hyperbole or exaggeration to say if it gets to that point with specific sites it could lead to sites being decommissioned,” she said. “If the ultimate endgame is a site being turned off because of noncompliance, the area immediately around that site is going to have an immediate negative impact. It’s going to hurt public safety from day one.”

Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow very successful businesses in sectors ranging from mobile telephony to transportation, travel, financial services, leisure, music, holidays, publishing and retailing. Branson and Virgin have created more than 200 branded companies worldwide, employing approximately 50,000 people in 29 countries.

“From mega brand to emerging brand, wireless is a key component of building, running and growing any business; today all brands are wireless,” said Robert Mesirow, CTIA vice president and show director. “CTIA has aggregated leaders from all wireless industry segments to convey their visions to our global audience. This year’s keynotes should not be missed.”

Slated to speak on the first day of the show, Tuesday, April 1 at 9:00 a.m. are Lowell McAdam, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless and CTIA chairman; Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group; Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft; and Dan Hesse, president and CEO of Sprint Nextel.

On Wednesday, April 2 at 9:00 a.m., Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone Group and Marco Boerries, president of Yahoo! Mobile will deliver keynote speeches. An Infrastructure Roundtable will conclude the session, discussing real-world plans and technology developments hastening the availability of 4G services for mobile subscribers. Panelists will include Simon Beresford-Wylie, CEO of Nokia Siemens Networks; Patricia Russo, CEO of Alcatel Lucent; Carl-Henric Svanberg, president and CEO of Ericsson; and Mike Zafirovski, CEO of Nortel.

Additional information about the April 3 keynote session will be released shortly.
To register for the conference, or to get more information on keynotes, see links below.

Registration
Keynotes

“The CTIA Educational Sessions are designed to explore the complex issues impacting the wireless industry,” said Robert Mesirow, show director and vice president of CTIA WIRELESS. “We have made some exciting additions to our program this year that reflect new developments in infrastructure, the emergence of new players in the industry, and the widespread adoption of wireless technology worldwide. Attendees can look forward to two days of insightful commentary and discussion from the leaders who are shaping a new generation of technology and enabling an even greater wireless lifestyle.”
This year’s educational sessions are broken into three categories:

Mobile Blueprint – Addressing the technical strategies for building wireless networks, devices and applications, this track will delve into issues surrounding open networks and the impact on devices, services and applications. Andrew Seybold will moderate the opening session on Open Networks along with Tony Mestres, GM of Mobile Communications at Microsoft, and former CTIA keynoter Atish Gude, senior vice president of Mobile Broadband for Sprint’s Xohm business unit. Other sessions in this track will address the emergence of mobile widgets; 4G technology; the outlook for handset features; cost concerns associated with cell site backhaul; mobile operating system technology; security trends and technologies; and the distribution of applications as software (rather than through service plans).

Mobile Lifestyles – This track, focusing on the content and usability of wireless devices, will feature two high-level carrier panels with representation from Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. On Tuesday, April 1, carrier executives who have P&L responsibility for mobile content will engage in a discussion about new products and services aimed at gaining subscriber revenue. On Wednesday, April 2, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) from leading carriers will discuss how they are adjusting their business models and strategies to compete in the future with open networks and fixed/mobile convergence. Other lifestyle sessions will address the rise of the “Pro-sumer”; issues associated with the use of one device in both personal and professional lives; mobile social networking; technologies to facilitate mobile shopping; mobile search solutions; and developments in wireless Internet access and content distribution.

Mobile “Customer-ization” – This track will explore the many ways in which customers are receiving and utilizing mobile content. Sessions include managing mobile content sales and strategies; mobile video adoption and monetization; cameraphone code scanning technologies; mobile brand advertising; new demographics of mobile users; and commercializing location based services.

For a list of speakers or to register, see the links below.

Speakers

Registration

tia complained to fcc about repeaters, said they were essentially jammers asked for them to be banned.
but repeater manufacturers have hired lobbyists/lawyers, and if my sources are accurate, things seem to be going their way. wilson electronics actually used a story about someone who had his leg cut off in an dirt biking accident in the desert and whose life was saved because he was able to use a repeater.
i imagine they might have some sort of further testing on repeaters to allow them, and to make sure they don’t oscillate
i mean, they might add a further certification beyond the normal fcc one

What does this mean? It means places like my dead zone house and Arrington’s pad will be completely off the cellular grid, reverting many of us to Stone Age. Well I, for one, refuse to eat uncooked mastodon meat. Watch this space for more info.

Available the first half of next year, Microsoft’s System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 will allow IT departments to remotely administer mobile phones, allowing them to do cool tricks like "turn off a phone’s camera and prevent the use of unauthorized messaging services."

For the end user, it’ll be similar to how you’re able to connect to your workplace PC from home over a VPN connection. You’ll be able to access certain files that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to grab over a regular connection, run "Web-based applications that reside on the corporate intranet," and fun stuff like that. Basically, you’ll be able to work all the time from wherever you can get a signal. Hooray!

Microsoft Unveils Remote Mobile Management Software [washingtonpost.com]