Dear Friends of Wireless Messaging,

I hope you all had a good Christmas holiday with friends and family. I certainly did. At the tender young age of 70, I am learning to be grateful for life as it is, and to not waste time wishing things were different.

Every year during December it seems like news about wireless messaging and related topics, dries up. Then in January when everyone goes back to work and finds their desk piled high with papers, the news starts to flow again. New products come out and new marketing projects are implemented.

I read an article about paging the other day that went on and on about how paging is buried in history, that no one uses pagers anymore, and that many young people don't even know what a pager is.

Well I am not going to re-publish the article because I (obviously) don't agree with the author's premise that paging is dead. Wireless text messaging, which began as alphanumeric paging, is alive and well. Granted, a lot of it goes over cell phones and tablets, but lots of people use still pagers because they are much more reliable than cell phones. I usually like to publish both sides of issues but this one would just contribute to the already negative bias against paging. (But . . . if you must read it, here it is.)

The sad fact is that these many "wonderful" gadgets that operate on cellular networks, won't work when there is any sort of major emergency — be it caused by nature, accident, or acts of violence.

Of course I have a cell phone. It is an Apple iPhone and it does many real cool things. Like my friend Alan Angus once told me, most of what I do with it has nothing related to it being a telephone.

We used to promote the advantage paging service because it had much better coverage than cell phones. That is no longer true. Cell phones, in my experience anyway, work flawlessly just about everywhere I go. That is part of the problem. We grow to trust them because they work so well, but woe is the day when we need them the most and they won't work at all.

(For new readers, I am referring to the fact that any time there is a major public safety event like 9/11, a hurricane, a tornado, or a plane crash, cell phone networks are so overloaded that most calls don't go through. All shared resource communications systems are designed, from their inception, to only process calls from a small fraction of the total number of users. When they all try to use a system at the same time it is utter chaos. A paging system can send a common message to an unlimited number of recipients at practically the same time. For more info on this, click on Pagerman on your right.)

Oh yes . . . we had a snow storm here, like many areas of the country. The following photo was taken on December 26^th. The house on the extreme right is the one my father had built during WWII and where we went to live after I left the hospital at three days old. It was a cool house. It looks like it is made of bricks, but they are cut-pieces of white Indiana limestone (now painted).

Over ten inches of snow fell, which is a lot for this area, and a winter weather advisory was just issued for tonight.

Now on to more news.

Wayne County, Illinois Weather

Wireless Messaging News
Emergency Radio Communications Wireless Messaging Critical Messaging Telemetry Paging WiMAX Wi-Fi	WIRELESS MESSAGING

A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account.

There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get readers' comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it.

Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association.

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Flurry: Santa crammed more tablets than smartphones into Christmas stockings

By Steve Dent posted Dec 28th, 2012 at 9:28 AM

Assuming you were a non-naughty-lister who didn't get the proverbial coal lump, it looks like that gift under the tree was more likely a tablet than a phone this Noël, according to Flurry. The analytics outfit said that just over half of December 25th activations were slates, and we can't imagine too many gift-getters letting their new devices seamlessly fester in a box over the big day. Overall activations more than doubled from last Christmas, and were up 332 percent on that single day from the first 20 days of December, combined. As might be expected , Apple came up big with iPad sales, but Flurry said that Amazon was also a winner with its 7-inch Kindle Fire HD tab, showing a "several thousand percent" increase over baseline activations. None of this likely comes as a huge shock to our readers, who rather overwhelmingly said that they'd rather have a Nexus 7 tablet than a pricier RAZR M as a gift if they toiled at Google.

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Apple & Intel Reportedly Working on Smart Watch for 2013

Apple and Intel are back at it again with the next innovation, smart watches. If you thought that having your iPhone was handy, well that’s only half good since it is in your pocket. Imagine being able to just look down at your wrist at any time and seeing text messages, e-mails, and more. Perhaps even a music video as your running, who knows.

They are working on developing a Bluetooth-enabled smart watch that will feature a 1.5-inch OLED display with indium tin oxide. ITP-coated glass, and much more. The Taiwanese panel manufacturer RiTdisplay that makes PMOLED panels is the one that worked with the iPhone and will be helping out with this new project.

Specialists in sales and service of equipment from these leading manufacturers, as well as other two-way radio and paging products:

	Motorola SOLUTIONS
	Motorola MOBILITY

Time is closing in on the FCC narrow banding mandate by the FCC.

Advanced RF are approved by the Licensee of the Glenayre products.

We can provide FCC-Approved modifications to any and all Glenayre Products using a DSP Exciter.

We also have a line of new transmitters that have been stringently tested and are very reliable that are also capable of narrow band operation.

Feel free to contact us at any time for quotes and assistance in paging.

We can provide any thing from TX additions to complete new build outs.

We also have the ability to tweak up simulcast systems and provide Coverage prediction/analysis.

Phone: 660-341-0304
E-mail: jneves@advancedrf.biz

Jim Neves
General Manager
Advanced RF Communications
3426 S. Glendale Drive
Quincy, IL. 62301

Easy Solutions provides cost effective computer and wireless solutions at affordable prices. We can help in most any situation with your communications systems. We have many years of experience and a vast network of resources to support the industry, your system and an ever changing completive landscape.

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Please see our web site for exciting solutions designed specifically for the Wireless Industry. We also maintain a diagnostic lab and provide important repair and replacement parts services for Motorola and Glenayre equipment. Call or e-mail us for more information.

Easy Solutions
3220 San Simeon Way
Plano, Texas 75023
Vaughan Bowden
Telephone: 972-898-1119
Website: www.EasySolutions4You.com
E-mail: vaughan@easysolutions4you.com

Why Should You Choose Specialty Answering Service?

Specialty Answering Service is one of the most trusted call center service-providers in the industry. We have combined an amazing business answering service with a passion for technology and customer service to develop an essential solution for any company looking to stay ahead in our “on demand” world. Your customers want information and answers now. Are you ready to help them? We are!

We are able to integrate with any paging or messaging service that our clients already subscribe to.

Phone: 888-532-4794
Fax: 888-644-4129
E-mail	Web	Support

Wireless and Cellular Repair — Pagers, Coasters, Handsets, Infrastructure and other Electronics

Product Support Services, Inc.

511 South Royal Lane
Coppell, Texas 75019
(972) 462-3970 Ext. 261
sales@pssirl.com
www.pssirl.com

PSSI is the industry leader in reverse logistics, our services include depot repair, product returns management, RMA and RTV management, product audit, test, refurbishment, re-kitting and value recovery.

PSSI Offers Customers —

• Centralized Returns and Repair Services at our 125,000 Sq. Ft. Facility, in a Triple Free Port Zone, 3 Miles North of DFW Airport.
• Experience, PSSI repairs 5,000 units a day and has capacity for more.
• ISO9001:2008 Certified Operation, with integrated Lean Manufacturing processes and systems for best-in class performance and turn-times.
• Authorized Service Center for Level I, II and III Repair by a wide variety of OEMs including LG, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia and others.
• State-of-the-art facility for multiple wireless test environments, including infrastructure and board-level test and repair capabilities.
• Serialized Tracking through PSSI’s proprietary Work-In-Process (WIP) and shop floor management system PSS.Net. This system allows PSSI to track each product received by employee, work center, lot, model, work order, serial number and location, tracking parts allocated, service, repair and refurbishment actions through each stage of the reverse logistics process. Access to order status and repair reports can be transmitted electronically in formats like FTP, EDI, API, XML or CSV.
• Expertise, PSSI’s executive team has 125+ years of industry experience.

Microsoft Wins U.K. Court Ruling Over Motorola Pager Patent

By Erik Larson — Dec 21, 2012 10:20 AM CT

Microsoft Corp., the world’s biggest software maker, won a U.K. ruling invalidating Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.’s patent protection for technology synchronizing message statuses across multiple devices.

The 2002 patent owned by Google Inc. (GOOG) 's Motorola Mobility unit shouldn't have been issued because the technology was obvious to experts in the field at the time, Judge Richard Arnold said in a decision in London today. A week-long trial ended earlier this month.

Microsoft claims all devices that run on Google’s Android operating system use its technology and is seeking royalties from Motorola Mobility, which Mountain View, California-based Google acquired in May. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

“The patent is invalid and should be revoked,” Arnold said during a 30-second hearing. Both companies had received the written judgment in advance.

The companies are locked in legal battles over patents for smartphone technology and Microsoft’s Xbox gaming software in the U.S. and Germany . Microsoft claims all devices that run on Google’s Android operating system use its technology and is seeking royalties from Motorola Mobility, which Mountain View, California-based Google acquired in May.

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington , filed the lawsuit against Motorola Mobility in London a year ago in a pre-emptive bid to invalidate the patent before it could be sued for infringement.

German Cases

The case is running parallel to Motorola’s lawsuit against Microsoft over the same patent in Germany, where the companies are awaiting a decision. Google has said it bought Motorola Mobility in part because of its patents and history of innovation in mobile phones.

“We’re pleased the court granted our request to invalidate Motorola’s patent and welcome yet another step toward clarifying the cases between our companies,” David Howard, Microsoft’s deputy general counsel, said in an e-mailed statement.

Motorola’s lawyer, Zoe Butler of Powell Gilbert in London , didn't respond to a call for comment. Motorola’s press office didn't immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

While the patent in the U.K. trial related to pager technology from the 1990s, the arguments centered on its application to newer mobile devices and computers that also rely on synchronizing messages statuses, such as whether an e-mail has been read by the user, or is unread.

If the patent were valid, Microsoft’s Live Messenger instant-messaging system and Exchange ActiveSync protocol, used by the company’s customers to synchronize e-mail statuses across devices, would have violated the intellectual property, according to the judgment.

The patent in the case had a so-called priority date of Aug. 31, 1995, when Motorola was creating technology for the first two-way pager system that would allow message recipients to respond to communications on the devices for the first time.

Some claims in the patent “add nothing inventive in my view,” Arnold said.

The case is Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) v. Motorola Mobility Inc., case no. HC11C04536, High Court of London, Chancery Division (London).

Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, Vic Jackson, and Ira Wiesenfeld are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects. Click here for a summary of their qualifications and experience. Each one has unique abilities. We would be happy to help you with a project, and maybe save you some time and money.

SEE WEB FOR COMPLETE LIST:

www.preferredwireless.com/equipment

Rick McMichael
Preferred Wireless, Inc.
10658 St. Charles Rock Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63074
888-429-4171 or 314-429-3000
rickm@preferredwireless.com

The 10 Biggest Microsoft Stories Of 2012

By Rick Whiting, CRN
10:00 AM EST Fri. Dec. 28, 2012

What A Year

Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Surface: Those three product introductions summed up Microsoft's triumphs and challenges in 2012. Windows is Microsoft's flagship product and cash cow, and the new release seeks to maintain the company's desktop dominance while supporting efforts to move into mobile computing. Windows Phone 8 and Surface represent the company's efforts to become a player in smartphones and tablet computers — two areas where the company badly lags competitors.

Those weren't the only Microsoft news stories in 2012, of course. Executives came and went, some voluntarily, some not so much. New products were launched, and the company accelerated its efforts to migrate channel partners to the cloud. Here's what we think were the top Microsoft news stories for the year. Next Slide

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Google and Motorola are working on a ‘X phone’ to take on the iPhone

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

December 21, 2012 12:28 PM
Devindra Hardawar

All of a sudden, Google’s expensive Motorola purchase is beginning to make sense. Google and Motorola are reportedly working on an advanced smartphone, currently codenamed the “X Phone,” which will serve as a direct competitor to the iPhone, the Wall Street Journal reports .

Google paid $12.5 billion for Motorola last year , and while it seemed obvious that Moto would serve as a key way for Google to build its very own smartphone, the only benefit from the deal so far has been plenty of new patents.

Sources tell the WSJ that Motorola will also continue to work on its our Droid lineup of Android phones, and that the company will also work on an “X tablet” once the X phone is completed sometime next year.

Google already works directly with device makers for its Nexus lineup of smartphone and tablets, but with X phone it would have direct control over the manufacturing and design process. Of course, this will raise hell for Google with other Android makers, in particular Samsung.

The news doesn't come as much of a surprise — even Microsoft is reportedly working on a “Surface” phone of its own . In the end, both Google and Microsoft can only go so far when dealing with other phone manufacturers. For them to truly rival the iPhone, they will need to build their own devices.

Google finally sold its Motorola Home division , which was responsible for cable set-top boxes, a few days ago to Arris for $2.35 billion.

The X phone team is being led by Lor Ron, a former Google product manager who focused on mapping. Motorola has reportedly been looking into implementing new technologies like bendable screens and ceramic material to make the phone stronger, though it’s had trouble with implementing both of those. The company was also aiming to include a better quality camera and the ability to take a panoramic picture, only to find that the iPhone (and plenty of other Android phones) have already implemented the latter feature.

Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside wouldn't discuss products under development with the WSJ, but he noted that the company is “investing in a team and a technology that will do something quite different than the current approaches.”

WIRELESS NETWORK PLANNERS LLC
WIRELESS SPECIALISTS

www.wirelessplanners.com
rmercer@wirelessplanners.com

R.H. (Ron) Mercer Consultant 217 First Street South East Northport, NY 11731
Cellphone: 631-786-9359

Intelligent Solutions for Paging & Wireless Data

WiPath manufactures a wide range of highly unique and innovative hardware and software solutions in paging and mobile data for:

• Emergency Mass Alert & Messaging
• Emergency Services Communications
• Utilities Job Management
• Telemetry and Remote Switching
• Fire House Automation
• Load Shedding and Electrical Services Control

PDT3000 Paging Data Terminal

• FLEX & POCSAG
• Built-in POCSAG encoder
• Huge capcode capacity
• Parallel, 2 serial ports, 4 relays
• Message & system monitoring

Paging Controlled Moving Message LED Displays

• Variety of sizes
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PDR3000/PSR3000 Paging Data Receivers

• Highly programmable, off-air decoders
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• Multiple I/O combinations and capabilities
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Specialized Paging Solutions

• Emergency Mass Alerting
• Remote telemetry switching & control
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• Paging software and customized solutions
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• Alarm interfaces, satellite linking, IP transmitters, on-site systems

Mobile Data Terminals & Two Way Wireless  Solutions

Contact
Postal Address:	WiPath Communications LLC 4845 Dumbbarton Court Cumming, GA 30040
Street Address:	4845 Dumbbarton Court Cumming, GA 30040
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E-mail:	info@wipath.com CLICK
Phone:	770-844-6218
Fax:	770-844-6574
WiPath Communications

Wireless Communication Solutions USB Paging Encoder

• Single channel up to eight zones
• Connects to Linux computer via USB
• Programmable timeouts and batch sizes
• Supports 2-tone, 5/6-tone, POCSAG 512/1200/2400, GOLAY
• Supports Tone Only, Voice, Numeric, and Alphanumeric
• PURC or direct connect
• Pictured version mounts in 5.25" drive bay
• Other mounting options available
• Available as a daughter board for our embedded Internet Paging Terminal (IPT)

Paging Data Receiver (PDR)

• Frequency agile—only one receiver to stock
• USB or RS-232 interface
• Two contact closures
• End-user programmable w/o requiring special hardware
• 16 capcodes
• POCSAG
• Eight contact closure version also available
• Product customization available

Other products

• Please see our web site for other products including Internet Messaging Gateways, Unified Messaging Servers, test equipment, and Paging Terminals.

Contact

Hark Technologies 717 Old Trolley Rd Ste 6 #163 Summerville, SC 29485

Tel: 843-821-6888

Fax: 843-821-6894

E-mail: sales@harktech.com CLICK

Web: http://www.harktech.com CLICK

HARK—EXHIBITS AT CONFERENCE

David George and Bill Noyes
of Hark Technologies.

Click on the logo above for more info.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The best way to start the new year is to start it without a hangover.

• 2 out of 3 people who die in alcohol-related crashes are drivers with blood alcohol levels of more than .08
• About 90 percent of drivers involved in fatal alcohol-related crashes are between ages 21 and 44
• In 2010, 10,228 people died in alcohol-related crashes, including 211 children
• In 2009, the most prevalent blood alcohol concentration level among drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes was .17

Sources: AAA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Health News

1-in-10 U.S. teens DUI on New Year's

Published: Dec. 27, 2012 at 10:09 PM

BOSTON, Dec. 27 (UPI) — More than 1-in-10 U.S. teen drivers report driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs on New Year's Eve, a survey indicates.

The survey sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions, found New Year's Eve was the most common nights of the year for teens to get behind the wheel after drinking or using other drugs.

However, the teens acknowledged this time of year was a hazardous time to be on the road: of the more than 1,700 teens surveyed, 49 percent consider driving on New Year's either very or extremely dangerous.

"There are approximately 3,000 teenage driving-related deaths a year, a third of which involve alcohol," Dave Melton, a driving safety expert with Liberty Mutual Insurance and managing director of global safety, said in a statement. "Talk to your kids before New Year's celebrating begins and make sure they understand the importance of making smart, and possibly life-saving, decisions."

This year's survey findings indicated parents have become more accepting of alcohol usage by their teenage children compared to similar surveys in 2010 and 2011.

Despite more than 150 cities or counties and 24 states adopting laws which hold social hosts liable for serving alcohol to minors, 47 percent of teens said they were allowed by their parents to go to parties where alcohol was served, 15 percent said they were allowed to host parties with alcohol, 37 percent said they were allowed to drink when their parents were present and 29 percent reported they were allowed to drink unsupervised.

Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD commissioned ORC International to conduct the survey. It was initiated with a series of four focus groups in Boston and Atlanta from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, followed by a survey of 1,708 U.S. eleventh and twelfth graders. The survey has a margin of error of 2.16 percentage points.

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