Communications Briefs

WASHINGTON — A total of 17.4% of U.S. teens from 13 to 17 years of age have a wireless phone, and another 26.3% share a wireless phone with another family member, according to a consumer survey conducted by The Strategis Group. Among America's 20 million teens, there is a growing demand and for wireless services and a strong attraction to purchase associated value-added services, Strategis also said. Teens who own or plan to own a wireless phone are likely to have such products and services as Internet access, MP3 players, pagers and PDAs, the company added. Recently, according to analyst Adam Guy, Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless announced new teen-focused strategies.

SCHAUMBURG, ILL. — Motorola's third Java-equipped iDEN phone became available through carriers Southern LINC in the United States and TELUS Mobility in Canada. The i55sr, with suggested retails from $129 to $227, is the first ruggedized wireless phone available in the United States with Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) technology. Other Motorola J2ME phones are the i85s and i50sx iDEN handsets. Designed to withstand extreme conditions, the i55sr meets military standards for shock and vibration resistance. Its rubber overmolding provides a better grip and protection for use in rugged conditions. J2ME lets users customize the phone with software applications that they can download wirelessly, and this model comes with pre-installed business and entertainment applications such as a calculator and a Sega game. The i55sr features an integrated speakerphone. Optional features can be downloaded from www.motorola.com/idenupdate. They include voice-activated dialing and voice recorder.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Market research company Webnoize sees a bright future for wireless music downloading in the United States, and the future is just around the corner. "Even with 2.5G, there will be enough bandwidth available for consumers to download or stream music," said analyst Matt Bailey. Third-generation (3G) service will enable streaming at speeds of 100kbps and up, he noted. By the end of this year and early next, four major U.S. carriers will be offering 2.5G or 3G services, collectively accounting for a majority of wireless users, Webnoize said.