Dear Friends of Wireless Messaging,

I was watching the local PBS Television station the other day, and they were making an appeal for support. When it drags on too long it gets a little irritating — almost like begging.

I hope my appeals for support never look that way. Never-the-less, this newsletter is maintained by individual contributions, and paid advertising. Without that, there would be no newsletter.

So if you think that the newsletter keeps you informed with important news, and that it tries to provide a means of connecting together what is left of the Paging industry, then chip in.

The PayPal Donate button is located in the column to your right. It is not necessary to be a member of PayPal to use this service. It's a great convenience, and I received the funds immediately. (Most of the funds, that is.)

This is issue number 597 — one almost every week for over ten years. I rarely miss an issue. Some have been sent from motel rooms. Some from different houses and apartments where I have lived or visited (since WebLink Wireless went bankrupt and fired over 2,000 of us in 2001—that's a long time to go without a job). Some newsletter issues have even been sent from various ISPs that I happened to be passing on the highway.

One month I had to pawn my watch to pay the Internet bill. But I keep on going because I love what I do, and I believe it is important.

I have been cussed, discussed, and dismissed because I tell it like I see it. Someone has to. Several of my largest supporters have tried to put me out of business, but I am still here. People have threatened to burn down my house, and large companies have threatened legal action.

This all just strengthens my resolve to continue. When Steve Jobs died, I published a newspaper article about him where he had admitted, in an interview, to being an “a__hole.” I guess that word offended some readers, but it was his word, not mine. I have been called worse.

I live here in the great state of Illinois — The Land of Lincoln. Surely you remember his famous quotation: “You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.” [source]

The cost of producing the newsletter has increased considerably in the last year, and unfortunately, the support has decreased. “Nuff said?”

In the BloostonLaw report: Accessibility Report due April 1; Small Businesses No Longer Exempt, I have added a colored emphasis to “paging carriers” so that it won't be missed. This looks to be important.

My friend, former boss, and colleague, Jay Moskowitz has won a prestigious award from his alma mater, Cooper Union. Details follow below.

There is an important Press Release from e*Message Wireless Information Services GmbH (e*Message Europe) , following. These are really good folks and they are doing a lot of very innovative things through Wireless Messaging. Electrical Load Management is one of my favorite topics. I used to emphasize that application during my “Wheel of Fortune” presentations. Congratulations to Dr. Dietmar Gollnick and his team.

Rumor confirmed: DX Radio Systems closed it's doors the second week of February.

Now on to more news and views.

Wireless Messaging News
Emergency Radio Communications Wireless Messaging Critical Messaging Telemetry Paging 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.

I spend the whole week searching the Internet for news that I think may be of interest to you — so you won't have to. This newsletter is an aggregator — a service that aggregates news from other news sources. You can help our community by sharing any interesting news that you find.

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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e*Message Equips Power Utilities with Innovative Control Technology

Next-generation load management technology introduced in cooperation with Bosch Software Innovations and the grid operator Stromnetz Berlin

Berlin, March 2014 . The electrical power distribution network operator Stromnetz Berlin GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berlin's power utility Vattenfall GmbH, has commissioned e*Message to build and operate the new wireless load management technology e*Nergy to support load and generation management in Berlin. The service, which was designed in cooperation with Stromnetz Berlin GmbH and will be available to all network operators throughout Germany, will control some 30,000 loads on the Berlin power grid, gradually replacing the expensive and technically obsolete ripple control load management technology.

In Berlin this system will be able to switch grid-connected power producing and consuming equipment on and off, including photo-voltaic systems, heat pumps, storage heaters, micro-CHPs, electric vehicle charging stations, and even outdoor lighting on public buildings. The new load management technology will be able to gradually regulate services, grid-connected power generation and power consumption.

"The broadcast system will permit a significant reduction in risk of power outages in Berlin," said Dr. Helmar Rendez, CEO of Stromnetz Berlin GmbH: "Now we can also control individual systems or groups of systems in a street or borough. This is another contribution to operating an innovative network for our customers."

The new Berlin-Britz electrical substation, in which Stromnetz Berlin GmbH has invested some €28 million, will supply about 25,000 household and 1,400 commercial customers on its completion in September 2014. This is the first part of the network where the new e*Nergy service will replace the old load management technology. The new technology will then be expanded step by step to serve all of Berlin.

Reliable Transmission of Control Signals by e*Nergy

The control signals are carried over e*Nergy, the service provided by e*Message, reliably and with uniform high network coverage. e*Message uses its professional paging network, the same digital wireless network that is used by emergency services for alerting firefighters, by major energy suppliers and public utilities for fast mobile notification of emergency technicians, and for transmission of weather forecasts to radio weather stations in millions of households. The network is available throughout every state in Germany and every département in France, and uses frequency bands that have been assigned exclusively to e*Message for this purpose by the national regulating authorities, the Federal Network Agency in Germany and ARCEP in France.

Dr. Dietmar Gollnick, CEO of e*Message Deutschland GmbH, said about the communication protocol developed in cooperation with Stromnetz Berlin GmbH: "e*Nergy communication services are especially suitable for simultaneous, economical communication to multiple receivers, and are secure against manipulation. Important data privacy considerations are 'built in' so to speak thanks to the characteristics of the network technology. Consumer privacy is ensured in a similar way as in smart-meter technology. Furthermore, the service is unaffected by any faults or outages in the power grid itself. I am glad to say that e*Nergy, the newest product based on our network infrastructure, is available now throughout Germany and France."

The IT platform supplied by Bosch Software Innovations can not only turn off and on groups of systems controlled over e*Nergy, but also regulate individual elements or sub-groups. The new load management technology offers many advantages, such as remote configuration of receivers. It is IT-based and hence more economical, since the cost of microchips is much lower than the current upstream technology used in the substations. Michael Hahn, CEO of Bosch Software Innovations GmbH, said: "The Bosch group and Bosch Software Innovations in particular have been busy for years developing suitable solutions that will provide advanced and innovative energy management. With our client Stromnetz Berlin GmbH, we have been able to add an important solution that we will be offering to other energy suppliers and public utilities."

In conventional ripple control load management, control signals are fed into the power grid itself by means of large, high-powered and expensive systems installed at substations. The ripple control method is also increasingly unreliable because of the growing use of electronically controlled devices in households and businesses.

For further information and photos, please contact:

e*Message Wireless Information Services Deutschland GmbH
Schönhauser Allee 10–11
10119 Berlin
Phone: +49-(0)30-4171 1213
E-mail: presse@emessage.de
http://www.emessage.de

e*Message Wireless Information Services GmbH (e*Message Europe)

e*Message Europe, with subsidiaries in Germany and France, is the leader in the European continental paging market and owns and operates its own independent networks. The company provides the services e*BOS, e*Cityruf, Alphapage*, e*Warn and more over its own paging networks. These services are used by hundreds of thousands of individuals, government agencies, institutions and renowned companies. e*Message constantly transfers innovative ideas to existing and new services. e*Message Europe was founded and acquired the paging operations of Deutsche Telekom AG and France Télécom in 2000, and has been developing them continuously ever since. The group's head offices are in Berlin and Paris. Since 2005 e*Message has also been the operator of e*Dispatch, a powerful trunked radio network for voice and data in the Berlin–Brandenburg region.

For more information, see: http://www.emessage.de

Stromnetz Berlin GmbH

Stromnetz Berlin GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vattenfall GmbH. As a partial successor of the municipal utility BEWAG, the company has operated Berlin's power grid for almost 130 years. The company's distribution network safely and reliably supplies some 2.3 million households and commercial customers in Berlin. Stromnetz Berlin GmbH provides utility customers with a connection to the supply network, and provides network access to electrical power suppliers. About 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity flow through the Berlin grid every year.

For more information, see: http://www.stromnetz-berlin.de

BOSCH Software Innovations GmbH

Bosch Software Innovations GmbH, the software and systems supplier of the Bosch group, with operations in 150 countries, designs, develops and operates innovative software and systems worldwide, in particular in the mobility, energy, facility management, industry and financial services sectors. Bosch Software Innovations GmbH employs about 550 people with locations in Germany, Singapore, China, Australia, and the USA.

For more information, see: http://www.bosch.de

Copyright © e*Message 2014

Dr. Dietmar Gollnick Chief Executive Officer, Europe Since the founding of e*Message Europe in 1999, Dr. Dietmar Gollnick has been a shareholder as well as president of the German executive board. Through 1998, Dr. Gollnick was Director of Regiokom Deutschland GmbH. Under his management, the highly productive Regiokom company expanded its market share in professional two-way trunked radio from five to over ninety percent.

Norbert Sels President e*Message France Norbert Sels is President of e*Message France. Before coming to e*Message in 2000, Sels was Director of Dolphin Telecom. He previously held executive positions at Hewlett Packard and debis Systemhaus, a subsidiary of Daimler-Benz InterServices

Jay Moskowitz Wins Prestigious Award

February 20, 2014

FOUNDER'S DAY 2014: THE ALUMNI AWARDS
Each year, the Cooper Union Alumni Association selects the recipients of the prestigious Alumni Awards.

The Gano Dunn Award for professional achievement in engineering, industry, science or finance is presented annually to a graduate of The Albert Nerken School of Engineering. Established in 1955, the award is named for Gano Dunn, who devoted a quarter century of service to The Cooper Union as a Trustee and 15 years as President of the institution.

Jay Moskowitz PHY '70

Jay Moskowitz is an inventor and entrepreneur. He founded and led SPD Control Systems, RTS Wireless, RTS Electronics, Real Time Strategies, Peerless Wind Systems, On Networks, Wireless Marvels and Intersystems Software. He has more than 35 years of experience in the communications industry with a specialty in wireless communications. For the last 8 years he has focused on projects related to sustainable energy. Jay holds 10 patents in the US, Japan and Europe.

Prior to forming his own companies, Mr. Moskowitz was SVP of Engineering for a manufacturer of Radio Paging, Voice Mail, Telephone Answering and Cellular Telephone central office equipment. Earlier in his career, he was a system designer with NASA developing a simulator to train astronauts.

He was one of the first inventors to bring the Internet to wireless devices (e-mail, web messaging and browsing), initially to radio pagers and then to mobile telephones. As a teenager interested in entering nuclear chemistry, he won 3 New York City science fairs and summer research grants, but moved to telecom upon graduating from Cooper Union [B.S. Physics]. Among his many inventions were a Blackberry type of message communicator (listed in the Guinness Book of records as the world's smallest fax machine), a Siri-like system for sending text messages to wireless devices, transmission of movies over laser beams, a stock market ticker system for the home, nationwide wireless communications before it ever existed, a ship navigation systems using pre-GPS technology, a handprint security system, an FM radio built into a golf ball for the US Open, a garage door that tweets if left open, and is now working in the technology of electronically tintable windows to reduce or take advantage of solar heat and potentially save 30+% of energy used in buildings (currently offered in the Mercedes-Benz under the name Magic Sky Control), working in wind energy creating low cost Vertical Axis Wind Turbines and a patent-pending electric generator, as well as working with a team to develop a system to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere.

He is a senior member of the IEEE, a recognized leader in the radio paging industry chairing several committees and created many telecom protocols used to enable Wireless Instant Messaging and other capabilities for AOL, Motorola and the wireless community at large. Jay has mentored numerous engineers, software designers and software developers and assisted startup organizations wishing to introduce their own inventions into the marketplace.

More information is available at his company web site www.spdControlSystems.com

ABOUT THE COOPER UNION
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, established in 1859, is among the nation's oldest and most distinguished institutions of higher learning. The organization, the legacy of Peter Cooper, occupies a special place in the cultural fabric of American life.

Founded by industrialist, inventor and philanthropist Peter Cooper, Cooper Union houses schools of art, architecture and engineering, as well as a world-class faculty of humanities and social sciences.

The Cooper Union is located in New York City.

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BlackBerry's identity crisis continues

BY JOSEPH VOLPE @JRVOLPE MARCH 10TH, 2014 AT 7:40PM ET

To say that BlackBerry's had it tough these past few years would be putting it mildly, if not too delicately for a company emerging from a period of willful ignorance. The Waterloo-based outfit, formerly known as Research in Motion, played an embarrassing game of catch-up in the mobile space it once dominated. An uphill rehabilitation that saw it acquire QNX to build a new operating system, release a half-baked tablet, rebrand as BlackBerry in search of a new identity and, tellingly, hire Alicia Keys as a creative figurehead .

And none of it mattered — not even the forced infusion of Ms. Keys' questionable zeitgeist-y influence. The BlackBerry of today has so far failed to resurrect sufficient interest in its fledgling mobile platform and devices, leading to the ouster of former CEO Thorsten Heins , the very recent installation of John Chen and a redoubled focus on the enterprise set that once was core to the company's business. So why does the company still seem to be engaged in an internal tug-of-war over its identity? I had a chance to speak with Gary Klassen, longtime BlackBerry employee and principal architect, here at SXSW in the hopes he could shed some light on what the Blackberry of today stands for and where it's going.

In the aftermath of the company's most recent earnings report, Chen made it clear that prosumers are the company's key to recouping profitability . And yet, in practice, the strategy comes across as schizophrenic: BBM for the young consumer demo , BB10 for enterprise and the Foxconn-produced Z3 all-touch device for emerging markets. This fuzzy focus flies directly in the face of Chen's stated aim on the enterprise market.

Klassen, who moved to Sweden soon after the launch of BB10, currently works alongside the team responsible for foresight, design and UI framework — the concept work that'll fuel BlackBerry's future business. Yet, the driver of this innovation isn't the business customer — quite the opposite — it's the youth demo that Klassen looks to for clues on how to evolve the BlackBerry 10 platform. "I watch the next generation ... how they are using these technologies," he said. "They know them. They understand them. They leverage them in ways that we never could have imagined."

In the aftermath of the company's most recent earnings report, Chen made it clear that prosumers are the company's key to recouping profitability.

BBM is perhaps the best example of this. The messaging service, once BlackBerry's linchpin, has now been freed from the walled ecosystem it was withering under to court potential users on Android, iOS and, soon, Windows Phone . It's an effort Klassen personally framed as "the realization of a dream," though many see the move as coming too late to reverse BlackBerry's fortunes and stave off rivals like Google's Hangouts or Facebook's WhatsApp. And its rollout wasn't without significant stumbles. I asked Klassen to elaborate on just what went wrong there... to explain why the company seemed to be so caught off guard by the initial user load that it delayed the service even further . Klassen, predictably, placed much of the blame on "an early beta that got out and went viral," but wouldn't comment further on the server-side difficulties that plagued the experience.

And let's not forget about the Facebook Messenger-like "stickers" — those paid content packs of messaging icons users can share over BBM. That copycat move not only rings hollow among the fickle youth demo it's attempting to endear, but it also betrays a lack of focus for the company. As Klassen explained to me, "We realized the impact of mobile messaging has been quite stunning. So, we're looking for ways to expand that to better serve the customer." By that line of reasoning, then, the introduction of paid in-app purchases runs counter to the mass BBM adoption BlackBerry's hoping to spur across platforms. There's just no good reason for users to abandon free, rival services that offer the same perks at no additional cost. If anything, it's actually all the more reason to avoid BBM.

The concept work coming out of Sweden isn't all that more encouraging either. Klassen offered up BlackBerry Express as an example of the work his team's been doing to make users "more effective ... and better at communicating." Express, a feature that only works with BB10.2, is similar to Google's Quickoffice app for Android and iOS in that it lets users create presentations directly from a mobile device. It's a feature that has a strong whiff of prosumer all over it, not the young consumer demo supposedly informing the team's process. It's also a pride point for Klassen. "I love the story that this tells ... BlackBerry Express came from a pain point we've all experienced," he said. "The feedback from Express has been stunning."

There's just no good reason for users to abandon free, rival services that offer the same perks at no additional cost.

The other proof Klassen offered up for how BlackBerry's keeping it moving (that's the slogan it embraced for BB10's reveal) is Tilt . Originally unveiled as a concept by Klassen's team at a developer event in Asia last fall, the feature, which uses the phone's gyroscope to display notification previews, was then handed off to third-party developers. Why? Klassen explained, "It used to be that we delivered these concepts primarily on our own. But we're now able to leverage the third-party development community to be able to deliver those as well ... [Tilt] is something we realized that our third-party development community would be better able to act on than we could." Klassen also added that Indian developers were the first to run with the idea, owing to that nation's reputation as a "mobile-first community."

Fair enough, but it does seem like a missed internal opportunity on BlackBerry's part, especially if prosumers are so core to the company's current business plan. Tilt is a reimagined version of the Moto X's Active Display , a feature that's integral to that device's identity. Certainly, BlackBerry would benefit from baking this directly into a future update of the BB10 OS, giving power users a less involved means of natively keeping up with the constant barrage of emails and messages at a glance. But, according to Klassen, it doesn't seem to be in the cards. "It's not limited to either/or, but there's a real power to being able to deliver things to users via the applications-development platform," he said. One could also argue there's a real power to making your floundering mobile platform stand out from the pack with unique, native features.

Klassen is aware BlackBerry's made some grave missteps, but won't make any apologies for it. "Moving forward; it's a tricky thing," he conceded. "We're trying things that are new." If that's indeed the case, then BlackBerry's going to need more than apps for presentations, stickers for chat and notification previews.

[Image credit: Getty; AP]

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

USA Mobility Reports Fourth Quarter and 2013 Operating Results

Wireless Subscriber and Revenue Trends Continue to Improve; Software Revenue, Bookings and Backlog Remain Strong

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Mar 10, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) — USA Mobility, Inc . USMO -0.32%, a leading provider of wireless messaging, mobile voice and data and unified communications software solutions , today announced operating results for the fourth quarter and year-ended December 31, 2013.

For the fourth quarter, consolidated revenue was $54.7 million, compared to $51.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2012 and $49.7 million in the third quarter of 2013. Revenue from the Company's Wireless business was $35.8 million in the fourth quarter, compared to $39.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2012 and $37.1 million in the third quarter of 2013. Revenue from the Software business was $18.9 million in the fourth quarter, compared to $12.0 million in the year-earlier quarter and $12.6 million in the third quarter of 2013.

Fourth quarter EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, accretion and impairment) was $16.0 million, or 29.2 percent of revenue, compared to $12.4 million, or 23.9 percent of revenue, in the fourth quarter of 2012 and $13.4 million, or 27.0 percent of revenue, in the third quarter of 2013.

Net income for the fourth quarter of 2013 was $8.0 million, or $0.36 per fully diluted share, compared to $2.0 million, or $0.09 per fully diluted share, in the year-earlier quarter and $5.8 million, or $0.26 per fully diluted share, in the third quarter of 2013.

For the full-year 2013, consolidated revenue was $209.8 million, compared to $219.7 million in 2012. Of the total, Wireless revenue was $149.5 million and Software revenue was $60.3 million, compared to $168.4 million and $51.3 million, respectively, for 2012. Software revenue increased 17.6 percent from 2012.

EBITDA for 2013 was $60.7 million, or 28.9 percent of revenue, compared to $67.3 million, or 30.7 percent of revenue, for 2012.

Net income for 2013 was $27.5 million, or $1.25 per fully diluted share, compared to a net income of $27.0 million, or $1.20 per fully diluted share, for 2012.

Key results and highlights for the fourth quarter and 2013 included:

Wireless

• The annual rate of revenue erosion again improved to an all-time low of 10.2 percent in the fourth quarter, compared to 10.6 percent in the third quarter and 14.2 percent in the year-earlier quarter. The rate of Wireless revenue erosion in the fourth quarter was 3.3 percent, compared to 1.9 percent in the third quarter and 3.7 percent in the year-earlier quarter. The year-over-year rate of paging revenue erosion improved to a record low 10.7 percent in 2013 from 13.3 percent in 2012.
• Net unit losses were 32,000 in the fourth quarter, compared to 37,000 in the third quarter of 2013, while the quarterly rate of unit erosion was 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter versus 2.6 percent in the prior quarter. The annual rate of unit erosion remained consistent at 9.2 percent in the fourth quarter when compared to the year-ago quarter. Units in service at December 31, 2013 totaled 1,376,000 compared to 1,515,000 at December 31, 2012.
• Fourth quarter EBITDA for Wireless was $12.2 million, or 34.0 percent of revenue, compared to $14.0 million, or 35.0 percent of revenue, in the fourth quarter of 2012 and $13.8 million, or 37.3 percent of revenue, in the third quarter of 2013.
• Total ARPU (average revenue per unit) was $8.15 in the fourth quarter, compared to $8.22 in the third quarter and $8.29 in the fourth quarter of 2012. For the year, ARPU totaled $8.20, compared to $8.37 in 2012.

Software

• Bookings for the fourth quarter were $16.3 million, compared to $17.3 million in the third quarter and $18.1 million in the year-earlier quarter. For 2013, bookings reached a record high of $63.5 million.
• Backlog totaled $40.2 million at December 31, 2013, compared to $43.8 million at September 30, 2013, and $40.6 million at year-end 2012.
• Of the $18.9 million in Software revenue for the fourth quarter, $11.8 million was operations revenue and $7.1 million was maintenance revenue, compared to $5.5 million and $6.5 million, respectively, of the $12.0 million in Software revenue for the fourth quarter of 2012.
• The renewal rate for maintenance in the fourth quarter was 99.1 percent.

Total Company

• Consolidated revenue of $209.8 million in 2013 declined 4.5 percent from the prior year compared to 6.0 percent in 2012.
• Operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization, accretion and impairment) totaled $38.7 million in the fourth quarter, with $23.6 million for Wireless and $15.1 million for Software, compared to operating expenses of $39.5 million in the year-earlier quarter, with $26.0 million for Wireless and $13.5 million for Software. For 2013, operating expenses were $149.1 million, including $94.8 million for Wireless and $54.3 million for Software, compared to $152.4 million in 2012, including $103.9 million for Wireless and $48.5 million for Software.
• Capital expenses were $2.6 million in the fourth quarter, compared to $2.9 million in the year-earlier quarter. For 2013, capital expenses totaled $10.4 million, compared to $10.0 million in 2012.
• Dividends paid to stockholders totaled $12.3 million in 2013.
• The Company's cash balance was $89.1 million at December 31, 2013.
• The number of full-time equivalent employees at December 31, 2013 totaled 631, including 341 for Wireless and 290 for Software, compared to a total of 665 at year-end 2012, including 378 for Wireless and 287 for Software.

"We were very pleased with our operating performance for the fourth quarter and full-year 2013," said Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer. "We again met or exceeded our targets in most key operating categories. Both our Wireless and Software operations achieved excellent results, benefiting in part from growing demand for enterprise-wide solutions that combine both Wireless and Software products and services. Overall, we operated profitably, maintained solid operating margins, reduced expenses, enhanced products and services, and expanded our Software business into new markets. We also generated sufficient cash to again return capital to stockholders in the form of cash dividends."

During the quarter the Wireless business continued to pursue sales opportunities largely within its core market segments of Healthcare, Government and Large Enterprise. "Healthcare represented 75.2 percent of our direct paging subscriber base at December 31st and 70.1 percent of direct paging revenue in the fourth quarter, compared to 71.5 percent and 66.0 percent, respectively, a year earlier," Kelly noted, "and it continued to be our best performing market segment with the highest number of gross placements and lowest rate of unit churn. Over time we expect Healthcare accounts to continue to increase as a percentage of our total subscriber base. "

Kelly said the Company's Software business also turned in a strong quarter and excellent performance in 2013. "Software revenues increased 17.6 percent in 2013 from the prior year while bookings and backlog reached record highs during the year. Additionally," he noted, "fourth quarter revenue increased 57.5 percent from the year-earlier quarter, while bookings remained strong and the backlog totaled $40.2 million at year end."

Kelly credited the positive Software results to the Company's continued investment in sales and marketing resources, additions to the product development pipeline, and expansion into new geographic markets. He added: "During 2013 demand for Software solutions continued to be strongest in North American hospitals where we sold solutions for call center management, clinical alerting middleware, secure texting, mobile communication solutions, and emergency notification. In addition, we again expanded our sales focus internationally, specifically in the Asia-Pacific and EMEA countries (Europe, Middle East and Africa). We also experienced growing demand among public safety organizations with a number of military and municipal 911 emergency response centers choosing our Software dispatch solution. As a result, we ended the year with a solid pipeline of new business opportunities and believe our Software business is well-positioned for further growth in 2014."

The Company also completed the integration of its two operating subsidiaries. "As of January 1, 2014, USA Mobility Wireless and Amcom Software began operating as one unified company," Kelly said. "Although we've been gradually integrating various functions within the two companies over the past year, we believe this final integration of sales, marketing and operations not only creates significant efficiencies but allows us to better serve all our customers, many of whom are increasingly asking us to be their one source provider of their unified communications needs."

Kelly said the consolidation also resulted in several key management changes. Among them, Colin Balmforth, previously president of Amcom, was named president of the newly combined operating company, USA Mobility Wireless, Inc., while Jim Boso, former president of the Wireless subsidiary, moved to the role of consultant and will focus on global sales and related corporate development activities. Kelly added: "We believe this integration is another important step as USA Mobility continues its transition to a unified communications company."

Kelly also noted that USA Mobility returned capital to stockholders during 2013 in the form of quarterly cash dividends totaling $12.3 million, or $0.50 per share. "Over the past nine years," he said, "we have now returned $417.6 million to our stockholders in the form of cash distributions."

Shawn E. Endsley, chief financial officer, said excellent performances by both the Wireless and Software businesses in 2013 helped strengthen the Company's balance sheet at year end. "Improved rates of revenue erosion and subscriber churn plus a stable ARPU helped drive strong EBITDA in our Wireless business," he noted, "while year-over-year Software bookings and backlog continued to improve. In addition, we continued to reduce operating expenses in our Wireless business while investing in our Software business. Consolidated operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization, accretion and impairment) for Wireless declined 8.8 percent to $94.8 million in 2013 from $103.9 million in 2012. The net result was a consolidated cash balance of $89.1 million at December 31st. Moreover," Endsley added, "we continued to operate as a debt-free company in 2013 and currently have approximately $40 million in available borrowing capacity through our credit facility."

Endsley also noted that the process of remediating the previously identified material weakness in the design of internal control over financial reporting relating to software revenue recognition processes was completed in the fourth quarter.

Commenting on the Company's previously provided financial guidance, Endsley said: "We are pleased that 2013 results were consistent with our guidance. For the year, total reported revenue of $209.8 million was within our guidance range of $195 million to $213 million, operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion) of $149.1 million were slightly better than our guidance range of $150 million to $152 million, and capital expenses of $10.4 million were slightly above our guidance range of $8.1 million to $9.7 million." Regarding financial guidance for 2014, Endsley said the Company expects total revenue to range from $183 million to $201 million, operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion) to range from $147 million to $156 million, and capital expenses to range from $7 million to $9 million.

* * * * * * * * *

USA Mobility plans to host a conference call for investors on its fourth quarter and 2013 operating results at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Dial-in numbers for the call are 719-325-2469 or 888-437-9445. The pass code for the call is 2669919. A replay of the call will be available from 1:00 p.m. ET on March 11 until 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25. Replay numbers are 719-457-0820 or 888-203-1112. The pass code for the replay is 2669919.

* * * * * * * * *

About USA Mobility

USA Mobility, Inc., headquartered in Springfield, Virginia, is a comprehensive provider of integrated wireless and software communications solutions. As a single-source provider, the Company operates the largest one-way paging and advanced two-way paging networks in the United States, providing wireless connectivity solutions to the healthcare , government , large enterprise and emergency response sectors. It also offers mobile voice and data services through Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile , including BlackBerry® smartphones and GPS location applications. In addition, USA Mobility provides mission critical unified communications solutions software nationally and internationally to healthcare , hospitality , education , business and government organizations, connecting people to each other and the data they need. Software solutions include critical smartphone communications , contact center optimization , emergency management and clinical workflow improvement . For further information visit www.usamobility.com and www.amcomsoftware.com .

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: Statements contained herein or in prior press releases which are not historical fact, such as statements regarding USA Mobility's future operating and financial performance, are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause USA Mobility's actual results to be materially different from the future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expectations include, but are not limited to, declining demand for paging products and services, continued demand for our software products and services, our ability to develop additional software solutions for our customers, the ability to continue to reduce operating expenses, future capital needs, competitive pricing pressures, competition from both traditional paging services and other wireless communications services, competition from other software providers, government regulation, reliance upon third-party providers for certain equipment and services, as well as other risks described from time to time in periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although USA Mobility believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. USA Mobility disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

[Financial tables follow at the source.]

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LA-RICS inks deal with Motorola Solutions for public-safety LTE network

Urgent Communications
Donny Jackson
Mar 6, 2014

Board members for the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System Authority (LA-RICS) today approve a $175 million contract with Motorola Solutions to construct a public-safety LTE network that is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Board members for the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System Authority (LA-RICS) today approved a $175 million contract with Motorola Solutions to construct a public-safety LTE network that is scheduled to be completed next summer.

"Proceeding with this wireless public-safety broadband network for the Los Angeles region will assist LA-RICS in fulfilling its goal of providing the finest public-safety-grade, mission-critical communications to the region's public-safety professionals," LA-RICS Executive Director Patrick Mallon said in a prepared statement.

Funded primarily with $154.6 million in federal grants from the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration NTIA ), the 231-site LA-RICS network will be the largest public-safety broadband network in the U.S. until FirstNet begins its deployments in earnest. Under existing NTIA rules, LA-RICS must complete the public-safety LTE project by Aug. 15, 2015.

LA-RICS will use the 20 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum licensed to FirstNet under the terms of a spectrum-lease agreement that was signed last August. The primary condition of that agreement is that LA-RICS officials will ensure that the LTE network being built by Motorola Solutions will meet the interoperability and reliability standards of the FirstNet system.

LA-RICS is one of only four entities that has signed a spectrum-lease agreement with FirstNet to use the 20 MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 700 MHz band that is licensed to FirstNet for the purpose of supporting a nationwide broadband network for public safety. As a condition of that agreement, the LA-RICS project must integrate with the nationwide LTE network that FirstNet eventually will build.

As part of the new contract, Motorola Solutions will provide an evolved packet core, a Band Class 14 eNodeB for each of the 231 sites, and 1,000 VML 700 LTE vehicle modems "for the initial testing" of the LA-RICS LTE network, according to a Motorola Solutions press release.

“Public-safety agencies throughout the Los Angeles region will benefit tremendously from a new LTE broadband network delivering mission-critical data every day," Mark Moon, Motorola Solutions executive vice president, said in a prepared statement. "The region places a high priority on its first responders, and this broadband public-safety network will help them communicate more effectively with advanced video and data capabilities.

"Motorola Solutions knows the importance of public-safety communications, and we greatly appreciate being chosen by LA-RICS to use our experience to build an advanced data network as well as an interoperable radio system to serve the entire region.”

Of the 17 LA-RICS board members, 14 voted for the Motorola Solutions LTE contract, with one member voting in opposition, one member abstaining and one member absent from the meeting, according to sources. The contract was signed shortly after the LA-RICS board meeting. Last week, LA-RICS board declined to vote on the contract with Motorola Solutions, opting to conduct more due diligence before considering the contract during today’s meeting.

Last August, Mallon and other LA-RICS officials made a presentation to the FirstNet board to outline the long-term communications plan for LA-RICS that includes the use of both P25 LMR and LTE technologies.

Mallon told the FirstNet board that the LTE project is critical for public-safety communications, because Los Angeles public-safety entities are required to vacate their LMR operations from the T-Band spectrum (470-512 MHz) by 2021, and there is not enough spectrum available in other bands to simply migrate existing narrowband systems. Instead, LA-RICS hopes to offload enough non-mission-critical voice traffic to the LTE system to allow mission-critical voice communications to be carried over narrowband public-safety channels in the UHF and 700 MHz bands.

LA-RICS signed a contract with Motorola Solutions to build the P25 network at a cost that could total $149.6 million, if all phases of the plan are deployed. LA-RICS issued an RFP for the LTE network in August and began contract negotiations with Motorola Solutions in December for the project.

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:

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

Selected portions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, and/or the BloostonLaw Private Users Update — newsletters from the Law Offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP are reproduced in this section with the firm's permission.

Accessibility Report due April 1; Small Businesses No Longer Exempt

Entities providing traditional telecommunications services, interconnected VoIP, advanced communications services (ACS) (which includes non-interconnected VoIP, electronic messaging services, interoperable video conferencing) and mobile web browsers must submit recordkeeping compliance certifications and contact information to the FCC annually by April 1, 2014, in connection with accessibility requirements imposed by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). Important to note this year that the exemption for certain small businesses is no longer in effect, so many entities that did not have to file last year will have to do so this year.

For more information, please see the full article below.

Headlines

Accessibility Report due April 1; Small Businesses No Longer Exempt

Entities providing traditional telecommunications services, interconnected VoIP, advanced communications services (ACS) (which includes non-interconnected VoIP, electronic messaging services, interoperable video conferencing) and mobile web browsers must submit recordkeeping compliance certifications and contact information to the FCC annually by April 1, 2014, in connection with accessibility requirements imposed by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). Important to note this year that the exemption for certain small businesses is no longer in effect, so many entities that did not have to file last year will have to do so this year.

Like last year, local exchange telephone service providers, long distance toll service providers (including resellers), cellular carriers and resellers, paging carriers and interconnected VoIP service providers must certify by April 1, 2014, that the maintained appropriate records during Calendar Year 2013 regarding: (a) their efforts to consult with people having disabilities; (b) the accessibility features of their products and services; and (c) the compatibility of their products and services with peripheral devices and other customer premises equipment commonly used by people with disabilities.

New this year, providers of non-interconnected VoIP services, email, text messaging, instant messaging, two-way interactive messaging services on social networking websites, and interoperable video conferencing services must make the same certification regarding their accessibility recordkeeping (however, only for the period from October 9 to December 31, 2013, after the former small entity exemption terminated).

Certifications must be made by a Company officer on a specific online registry that is part of the FCC website. We can assist clients with this task.

Note that annual CPNI (customer proprietary network information) and HAC (hearing aid compatibility) certification requirements similar to this accessibility certification have been the source of significant forfeitures imposed upon entities that did not comply with them in full and timely fashion.

Clients Must Not Overlook April 1 Deadline for FCC FORM 499-A

The Form 499-A must be filed by all contributors to the Universal Service Fund (USF) support mechanisms, the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, the cost recovery mechanism for the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), and the shared costs of local number portability (LNP). Contributors include every telecommunications carrier that provides interstate, intrastate, and international telecommunications, and certain other entities that provide interstate telecommunications for a fee.

Even common carriers that qualify for the de minimis exemption must file Form 499-A. Entities whose universal service contributions will be less than $10,000 qualify for the de minimis exemption. De minimis entities do not have to file the quarterly report (FCC Form 499-Q), which was due February 1, and will again be due May 1. Form 499-Q relates to universal and LNP mechanisms. Form 499-A relates to all of these mechanisms and, hence, applies to all providers of interstate, intrastate, and international telecommunications services.

Form 499-A contains revenue information for January 1 through December 31 of the prior calendar year. And Form 499-Q contains revenue information from the prior quarter plus projections for the next quarter. (Note: the revised 499-A and 499-Q forms are now available.) Block 2-B of the Form 499-A requires each carrier to designate an agent in the District of Columbia upon whom all notices, process, orders, and decisions by the FCC may be served on behalf of that carrier in proceedings before the Commission. Carriers receiving this newsletter may specify our law firm as their D.C. agent for service of process using the information in our masthead. There is no charge for this service.

FCC Issues Agenda, Panelists for March 19 Rural Broadband Workshop

The FCC issued a Public Notice on March 7, 2014, announcing the initial agenda and panelists for the Rural Broadband Workshop on March 19, 2014. The Workshop will discuss: the need for high-speed broadband in rural areas for individual consumers, businesses, and community anchor organizations; issues that incentivize different types of providers to deploy broadband in rural communities; factors that determine the type of technology deployed; the current and future capabilities of different technologies; and the role states can play in ensuring the availability and adoption of broadband in rural communities.

The first panel, entitled "Broadband Needs, Challenges and Opportunities in Rural America," will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This panel will discuss the critical need for high-speed broadband in rural areas for individual consumers, businesses, and community anchor organizations. The panel will focus on the specific impact that access to broadband has on education, healthcare, and economic development. Introductory remarks will be delivered by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. The panelists will be: Jeff Fastnacht, Superintendent, Ellendale School, Ellendale, ND; Charles Fluharty, President and CEO, Rural Policy Research Institute; Brian Kelley, CEO, Ag Technologies; Thomas F. Klobucar, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Office of Rural Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Linda Lord, Maine State Librarian; and Don Means, Coordinator, Gigabit Libraries Network.

The second panel, entitled "Rural Broadband Buildout - Effective Strategies & Lessons Learned," will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This panel will examine issues that incentivize different types of providers to deploy broadband in rural communities, factors that determine the type of technology deployed, and the current and future capabilities of different technologies. Introductory remarks will be delivered by Commissioner Michael O'Rielly. The panelists will be Will Aycock, General Manager, Greenlight Community Broadband, City of Wilson, NC; Michael Cook, Senior Vice President, North America Division, Hughes Network Systems; Jimmy Copeland, Director of Special Projects, Troy Cablevision, Inc.; Cecil Lara, Director Network Planning, AT&T; Denny Law, General Manager/CEO, Golden West Telecommunications; Ben Moncrief, Director, Government Relations, C Spire; and Alex Phillips, CEO, Highspeedlink.net.

The third panel, entitled "State Strategies to Meet the Rural Broadband Challenge," will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This panel will examine the important role that states can play in ensuring the availability and adoption of broadband in rural communities. No Commissioner is scheduled to deliver introductory remarks. The panelists will be Ben Dobbs, Deputy Director, Massachusetts Broadband Institute (invited); David Salway, Director, New York State Broadband Program Office; Catherine Sandoval, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission; Lori Sorenson, Chief Operating Officer, Bureau of Communications & Computer; Services, Illinois Central Management Services; and Ray Timothy, Ph.D., CEO/Executive Director, Utah Education Network.

The Commission will provide audio and/or video coverage of the meeting over the Internet from its webpage at http://www.fcc.gov/live . Open captioning will be provided.

Commissioner O'Rielly Suggests FCC Reconsider Rural Broadband Experiments

On March 6, 2014, Commissioner O'Rielly posted a blog entry stating his belief that the FCC's rural broadband experiments are duplicative of the recent rural broadband pilot project included in the 2014 Farm Bill, which we reported on in the February 14, 2014 edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update.

The Farm Bill program will make $10 million available for each fiscal year from 2014 through 2018 (a total of $50 million) to bring "ultra-high speed service" to rural cities and towns. Ultra-high speed service is defined as 1 gigabit per second downstream transmission capacity. In order to be eligible, service providers must: 1) demonstrate the ability to furnish ultra-high speed service to a rural area; 2) submit an application to participate when appropriate (the application itself or the timing of such is not yet available); 3) not already provide ultra-high speed service to a rural area within the same State in the proposed service territory; and 4) agree to complete buildout of ultra-high speed service by not later than 3 years after the initial date on which assistance under this section is made available.

In addition to being duplicative, Commissioner O'Rielly also expressed "a number of concerns" about the FCC experiments in the post: how the new experiments will fit together with the high-cost universal service reforms that the FCC already adopted in 2011; the potential to divert funds away from expanding broadband access in favor of funding very high-capacity projects for a select few anchor institutions; and the ability of the experiments to succeed with one-time funding. Therefore, Commissioner O'Rielly opined, the FCC's experiments "must accomplish something very different from the USDA's pilot program," and suggested that the FCC's budget of $100 million for the broadband experiments be reduced in light of the $50 million budget for the USDA project.

Law & Regulation

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for March Open Meeting

The following items tentatively be on the agenda for the next FCC open meeting, which is currently scheduled for Monday, March 31, 2014:

• Amendment of the Commission's Rules Related to Retransmission Consent: The Commission will consider an Order making certain rule revisions and clarifications to facilitate the fair and effective completion of retransmission consent negotiations, and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on whether to eliminate the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity rules.
• Broadcast Ownership Rules Quadrennial Regulatory Review: The Commission will consider a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that initiates the 2014 Quadrennial Review of broadcast ownership rules, addresses issues referred to the Commission by the Third Circuit's remand of the 2008 Diversity Order, and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to define and require the disclosure of a category of sharing agreements between broadcast television stations. The accompanying Report and Order determines that certain television joint sales agreements are attributable.
• Increasing Utility of Unlicensed Spectrum in the 5 GHz Band: The Commission will consider a First Report and Order that would revise rules to make 100 megahertz of 5 GHz UNII-1 band unlicensed spectrum more useful for consumers and businesses, and reduce the potential for harmful interference to certain incumbent operations.
• Meeting the Nation's Demand for Licensed Spectrum: The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would adopt allocation, licensing, service, and technical rules to make available for auction 65 megahertz of AWS-3 spectrum for flexible use services, including mobile broadband.

FCC Seeks Further Comments on E-rate Issues

On March 6, 2014, the Wireline Competition Bureau issued a Public Notice seeking comments on issues raised in the E-rate Modernization NPRM. Comments are due April 7; replies due April 21.

The FCC is seeking further comment on how to improve funding support for "internal connections," i.e., "getting high-capacity broadband from the building's front door to the computer, tablet, or other learning devices in schools and libraries." This includes comment on on what equipment is essential for such purposes; ways to prioritize applications for deployment costs in the event that the demand for internal connection funds exceeds availability; and how best to distribute support among the applicants for high-speed connections to schools and libraries. The FCC is also seeking comment on adopting one or more objective impact and/or efficiency metrics to prioritize applications; possible ways to encourage cost-effective purchasing; and how best to minimize the administrative burdens and overhead associated with applying for and receiving support. Importantly, the FCC is also seeking comment on ways to transition away from support for voice services, including lower prioritization or outright elimination. The FCC is also seeking comment on providing limited funding for well-defined, time-limited demonstration projects aimed at identifying and testing different approaches to meeting schools' and libraries' connectivity needs.

Industry

Softbank CEO Seeks to Smooth Path for Sprint/T-Mobile Merger

SoftBank's CEO Masayoshi Son, one of the richest men in Japan and now the force behind Sprint, recently made appearances on The Charlie Rose Show and CNBC. Son, who started his tech career in the United States, stated that US wireless infrastructure is not good enough. He further asserted that the US lags behind the rest of the world, currently holding 15th place in speed, with poor performance compared to places like Japan and South Korea, where wireless speeds are many times faster than even US cable connected Internet. He also pointed out that the US is the only market in the world where prices have risen rather than fallen.

Son said he needs scale in addition to Sprint to bring real competition to the market, with "three heavyweights." To this end, Softbank is courting T-Mobile. He declared that US consumers have to decide if they want faster speeds and lower prices, and that he is advancing the case so that the message can ripple out (no doubt to the FCC and Department of Justice, who will have to pass judgment on any merger of Sprint and T-Mobile).

Calendar At-A-Glance

March

Mar. 17 – Reply comments are due on Use of Mobile Wireless Devices on Airborne Aircraft.
Mar. 17 – Replies to Oppositions to Petitions to Deny T-Mobile/Verizon Spectrum Sale are due.
Mar. 19 – Rural Broadband Workshop.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 525 (Delayed Phase-down CETC Line Counts) is due.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 508 (ICLS Projected Annual Common Line Requirement) is due.
Mar. 31 – Comments on FCC Process Reform Report are due.
Mar. 31 – Comments are due on Rural Broadband Experiments and Numbering Research.
Mar. 31 – Comments are due on AT&T Wire Center Trials Proposal.

April

Apr. 1 – FCC Form 499-A (Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet) is due.
Apr. 1 – Annual Accessibility Certification is due.
Apr. 1 – PRA comments on Form 477 (Local Telephone Competition and Broadband Reporting) are due.
Apr. 1 – PRA comments on Form 477 (Local Telephone Competition and Broadband Reporting) are due.
Apr. 7 – Comments on E-Rate modernization are due.
Apr. 10 – Reply comments are due on AT&T Wire Center Trials Proposal.
Apr. 14 – Reply comments are due on Rural Broadband Experiments and Numbering Research.
Apr. 21 – Reply comments on E-Rate modernization are due.

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Monday, March 10, 2014, 02:09 pm PT (05:09 pm ET)

Apple's iOS 7.1 brings animation updates, UI tweaks for Phone, calendar, and more

By AppleInsider Staff

New features like CarPlay and long-awaited enhancements to Siri and Touch ID headlined Monday's iOS 7.1 update, but Apple also made several aesthetic changes as designers continue to refine the mobile operating system's user interface.

Phone

Perhaps fittingly, the iPhone's "Phone" app received the most attention. Every button that was previously rectangular is now circular, and many have been given new icons in the makeover.

When using the dial pad to make a call manually, the "place call" button now swivels and smoothly morphs into the "end call" button. In addition, call waiting controls have been reformatted and moved to the bottom of the display.

Physics, Motion, and Accessibility

Apple also made a significant number of tweaks to iOS 7's physics and motion settings. Zooming in and out of folders and apps is now much faster, and many of the in-app transitions are sped up.

Notification Center and Control Center now sport much more pronounced "bounces" when being opened, a jarring change from the easing present in iOS 7.0.x. Apple has expanded the array of accessibility options — enabling the "Reduce Motion" option has a more noticeable impact than in previous revisions, and a new "Button Shapes" option adds shaded outlines around tappable areas.

Miscellaneous

The "Calendar" app now sports a dedicated list view button, which will take users directly to their full appointment list when looking at a specific day. Pressing the same button in month view provides an updated split-screen view with the calendar on top and appointment list below.

The lock screen's "slide to unlock" text is much more prominent, and the keyboard displayed when using an alphanumeric pass code has been tweaked. Additionally, the system keyboard itself has slightly redesigned shift and caps lock keys.

Using the Touch ID sensor to identify an already-enrolled finger now causes the finger's entry to be continuously highlighted, rather than flashing as it did before. Siri, meanwhile, sports a new hold to talk mode that allows users to hold down the home button while speaking and release it to signal Siri to stop listening, useful in loud or busy surroundings.

Finally, the "Camera" app now has an intelligent "Auto HDR" feature. When enabled, the camera will analyze the scene and automatically shoot in HDR if it feels conditions warrant it.

Wireless Network Planners
Wireless Specialists

www.wirelessplanners.com
wirelessplannerron@gmail.com

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

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“Before we can be cured
we must want to be cured.
Those who really wish
for help will get it; but for
many modern people even
the wish is difficult.”

By C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity

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