Palm will record a $2.7 million stock-based compensation expense for new Executive Chairman Jon Rubinstein’s option and restricted stock unit grants, the company said in an SEC filing. The former Apple executive joined Palm as Elevation Partners agreed to invest $325 million in the company. Palm got $64.5 million from a June land sale, it said. The company will take a charge of less than $10 million from dropping its Foleo mobile companion product, introduced this year, it said. In the fiscal year ended June 1, Palm smartphone sales rose to $1.25 billion from $1 billion year earlier; those of handheld PCs fell to $310.4 million from $490.1 million, the SEC filing said. Palm smartphones’ average sales price fell to $463 from $468 a year earlier, while handheld PC prices averaged $173, down from $176, it said. Palm sold 2.7 million smartphones, up from two million a year earlier. Sales of handheld PCs fell to 1.8 million units from 2.6 million.
Broadcasters and PCIA agree on rules they want the FCC to approve allowing use of computer interference modeling that could save both industries time and money (CD Aug 14 p2). The AM Directional Antenna Performance Verification Coalition filed a revised proposal with the FCC Sept. 7 on moment-method modeling, addressing wireless groups’ concerns. Under the revisions, wireless towers wouldn’t need to run computer tests to see if they're interfering with AM stations when making a wide array of antenna modifications. The tweaks would let operators of cellular and wireless data transmitters forgo field testing in replacing antenna gear or setting up new facilities near AM stations, said coalition head Ray Benedict.
The Washington Post reports that following the recall of millions of toys by Mattel Inc., The Walt Disney Co. said it will independently test toys featuring its characters and will start requiring licensees such as Mattel to submit their own test results before allowing products to hit shelves. (Washington Post, dated 09/10/07, available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/10/AR2007091000511_pf.html)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site a notice reminding the trade that Phase 2 enforcement of mandatory e-Manifest: Truck for advance cargo information purposes at all land border ports in New Hampshire and Vermont as well as the remaining land border ports in North Dakota - St. John, Fortuna, Ambrose, Carbury, Noonan, Dunseith, Sherwood, Antler, Northgate, Westhope, and Portal, would begin on September 12, 2007.
Spacenet last week showed its new mobile Emergency Communications Vehicle to policy makers at a Capitol Hill reception, it said Thursday. The ECV, built on a General Motors H2 Hummer, has roof-mounted satellite antenna for the integrated satellite communications link, LAN communications gear, a digital phone, land mobile radio units, a laptop, video surveillance equipment and multiple power interfaces to use generators and other power sources. The equipment can be connected to Spacenet’s Connexstar satellite service or other private services, Spacenet said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an ABI administrative message about driver/crew changes in Automated Commercial Environment that came with the September 9, 2007 deployment of Entry Summary, Accounts, and Revenue (ESAR) A1.
With little “significant” controversy, the FCC should move quickly to finalize a rulemaking revising Part 90 rules on private land mobile radio (PLMR) services, Motorola told the FCC in comments filed this week. An issue that did stir discussion in the handful of reply comments was whether the FCC should require frequency coordination when a licensee’s regulatory status changes, for example, going from private mobile radio service (PMRS) to CMRS. The Wireless Bureau raised the issue in a May rulemaking, saying submissions for new and modified Part 90 stations generally require frequency coordination; it proposes killing this requirement. Motorola said changes shouldn’t all be treated the same. “For applications involving a change in a licensee’s regulatory status from CMRS to PMRS or vice versa, licensees with exclusive use of their channel should be permitted to proceed without a frequency coordination requirement,” Motorola said. “Motorola also believes that applications to remove a licensee’s authority to interconnect with PSTN should not require coordination, even if the applicant operates on a shared channel. On the other hand, modifying a non-exclusive license to add interconnection should require coordination, because it typically results in much higher levels of airtime usage on a channel.” The Enterprise Wireless Alliance said CMRS-to-PMRS conversions pose fewer risks and shouldn’t need coordination. “A PMRS-to-CMRS conversion has the potential to significantly impact co-channel entities through increased channel traffic, while a CMRS-to-PMRS license modification reduces that possibility,” the group said. “The applicable frequency coordination requirements should reflect these different situations.” The bureau also asked for comments in changes to its Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) rules. General Electric Healthcare said the commission should refrain from imposing “a vague new mandate” requiring makers to ensure that end-users register with a frequency coordinator. The company asked the commission to prohibit secondary use of WMTS in the 1427-1432 MHz band to protect patient safety. But Philips Medical Systems said secondary use of the spectrum is safe. It noted that the American Society for Healthcare Engineering of the American Hospital Association agrees. “Modern technology allows wireless medical telemetry devices to utilize secondary spectrum effectively without sacrificing patient safety or interfering with the primary users,” Phillips said. “Indeed, the availability of secondary spectrum can enhance the safety and performance of WMTS devices as compared to WMTS devices operating only on the primary frequencies.”
A compromise FCC order giving wireless carriers five years to upgrade systems before their success in locating callers will be measured at the public safety answering point (PSAP) level (CD Sept 11 Special Bulletin) landed with a thud among carriers. The FCC approved the order late Tuesday in an unusual night meeting.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection previously posted to its Web site a notice announcing the phased enforcement of mandatory Automated Commercial Environment electronic manifest: Truck for advance cargo information purposes at all land border ports in New Hampshire and Vermont as well as the remaining land border ports in North Dakota - St. John, Fortuna, Ambrose, Carbury, Noonan, Dunseith, Sherwood, Antler, Northgate, Westhope, and Portal1, beginning July 12, 2007.
The digital transition and growing use of flat-screen TVs and computer monitors means more electronics in the waste stream, the Congressional Research Service said. The report on state e-waste legislation said Environmental Protection Agency data show that in 2005 alone about 2.2 million tons of electronics became obsolete, with about 1.5 million tons landing in landfills. Twelve states have some form of e- waste law, and about 20 other are weighing legislation this year, the report said. Many local and state agencies, retailers and electronics makers have worked with the EPA to sponsor pilot e-waste recycling programs, but most states don’t want to bear the full cost of e-waste management, it said. “One factor driving states to develop e-waste laws is to implement a system that will provide financing for an e- waste collection, transportation, and recycling system.” State laws vary from bans on e-waste in landfills to full e- waste collection and recycling requirements, it said. Products covered under state laws include CRT devices, desktop computers, flat panel monitors, plasma and LCD TVs, keyboards, printers, fax machines, DVD and video cassette recorders and players and cell phones. Lack of federal legislation and stakeholder accord on a national e-waste recycling program is driving state legislation, the report said.