The worlds of technology and ingenuity are colliding in mobile health, creating state-of-the-art products for a wide variety of patients. Montage Systems' Samantha McDermott demonstrates at the recent CTIA show in San Diego how the company is tapping into the power of wireless. To learn more watch this segment from our November installment of our Wonder of Wireless webcast, and take a few moments to see what else we have to offer in this month's WOW.

Last month, while out in San Diego attending International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009® we were fortunate enough to sit down and talk with our new CTIA Chairman and the President & CEO of AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets, Ralph de la Vega. He was kind enough to share his insight on several different topics such as: on the future of the industry & his company and the proposed net neutrality regulations. To learn more watch this segment from our November installment of our Wonder of Wireless webcast, and take a few moments to see what else we have to offer in this month's WOW.

Now that the CTIA team is back from our show in San Diego, I thought today would be a good day to review some of the news that happened last week. To say it was busy is certainly an understatement!
 
On Tuesday, October 6th, we saw Verizon and Google conduct a joint webcast where they announced their Android partnership. During CTIA's show, we also learned AT&T was going to open its 3G networks to third-party VoIP services. 
 
On Wednesday, the first day of the International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment show, there were a slew of CTIA-related announcements. At the show, we were fortunate to hear from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski where he said he supported and was committed to providing the industry with more spectrum and approving a tower siting shot clock. We released our semi-annual survey which showed that wireless data usage was increasing at a rapid rate. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, along with CTIA, announced a $1 million donation to One Economy to develop the "Wireless Digital Connectors" program, which will provide opportunities to low-income communities through broadband services.
 
Thursday, October 8th was when we released our joint survey with Harris Interactive where we reported 87% of Americans were interested in mHealth solutions. For Google Android fans, Samsung unveiled their new device, Moment, which will be carried on the Sprint Nextel network. 
 
Finally, on Friday, also the last day of the show, we saw a spirited competition among six mobile application providers during the first-ever CTIA Fund Fest. Chyngle, a mobile application provider to sporting, shopping and other venues, won the Champion Award. Winning People's Choice was Telcare, which links patients with chronic illnesses to their doctors using mobile technology.
 
It was a fantastic week in San Diego and if you were with us in person, I hope you had as much fun as we did. If you visited us remotely, I hope we provided you with a bit of the excitement and feel from the show...and that you'll join us at next year's International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment show when we're in San Francisco on October 6-8th. 
 
I encourage you to visit our CTIA show page for videos, podcasts, photos and more information. In the next few weeks, we'll post a wrap-up video so stay tuned!

International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009® is coming to a close here in sunny San Diego. 

Day Three started with the debut of the CTIA Fund Fest from the keynote stage where six of the most promising new wireless start-ups pitched their business plans before a panel of distinguished judges and text voting audience. Who made the best case for why their idea should be chosen? 

Todd Sullivan of Chyngle was selected as the “Grand Champion” by the panel of expert judges, and Jonathan Javitt of TelCare was named the “People’s Choice Winner” with the highest number of texted votes from the audience. Congratulations! It was certainly an entertaining morning.

Throughout the week, I hope you’ve been visiting our show coverage site which has daily video highlights from the keynote stage, CTIA Buzz Zone interviews, camera phone photos, and podcasts of featured educational sessions.  

In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be posting the CTIA Post-Show Webcast which features extended keynote video clips. So, stay tuned!

Today's third and final keynote session from International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009 in San Diego featured the First Annual CTIA "Fund Fest" 2009, an exciting and innovative wireless business application pitch session, in front of a full audience. CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent was joined onstage by an expert panel of 3 judges – Rory Moore, CommNexus San Diego CEO; Andy Seybold, Andrew Seybold, Inc. CEO and Principal Consultant; and Quinn Li, Qualcomm Ventures Managing Director. In addition, the audience voted via shortcode for their favorite innovator.
 
Each of the five finalists for CTIA Fund Fest 2009 had 5-10 minutes to make their case for why their idea was best. All of the participants gave a rousing performance, in hopes of securing the first annual grand prize, which was a complimentary marketing and exhibiting package from CTIA and MobiTechFest with a combined value of $25,700.
 
Here is a quick look at the five finalists for Fund Fest 2009:

• First up was Chander Chawla, from Mjedi, a mobile web platform featuring the actual in-store shopping experience, combined with the instant friends and family recommendation possibilities of social networking. The company microtargets shoppers using UPC code entry scans to track price status, check for other bargains elsewhere, look at competition via online shopping and ultimately aide the individual on their purchasing decision. 
• Next to showcase its product was Terry Goertz and Jeff Fedor from ParkVu. Using their WITH ME and WITH MUSIC online platforms, users can transport all their computer files, music, pictures and video to their mobile device in a single click. The goal is to seamlessly import this information into your cellphone or smartphone. 
• Then we heard from Billing Revolution’s Andy Kleitsch, a company allowing mobile payments and transactions to be performed on your mobile device. 
• We then heard from Chyngle’s Todd Sullivan who explained his offering of a mobile online combination of texting, GPS, ticketing, social media, web browsing and much more – all to improve an attendee's experience at large-scale venues such as shopping malls, concerts, sports arenas, etc. Sullivan described a potential experience where you attend a big game, locate a ticket, buy it and get in, find your seat, order a pizza to be delivered to your seat, get live video and stat history at the game, and then find a ride home. All without missing a beat. 
• Last, but not least was Jonathan Javitt from TelCare, a remote sensor monitoring company that connects patients to their caregivers through medical devices utilizing "machine to machine" cellular communications. They’re focused on individuals with diabetes – something that affects 28 million Americans today, and is projected to affect 60 million Americans by 2020. 

Largent then came back up onstage to confer with the expert panel of judges and tabulate text-voting results............ and the First Annual Winner of CTIA Fund Fest 2009 is............ drum roll please............Chyngle’s Todd Sullivan!

The People’s Choice Award winner was TelCare. Congratulations to our 2009 Fund Fest winner and runner-up.
 
We congratulate the five finalists and wish them the best of luck with their innovations!

mHealth is improving productivity & care for the medical & wellness industries. Jeremy Lowell, DDS & owner of multiple Gold’s Gym franchises, talks about how these new products & services are revolutionizing the way hospitals, doctors & patients interact. Take a listen.

With policymakers focusing on healthcare, wireless devices and services are an important part of the solution for improving medical care while reducing costs. Kent Dicks, CEO of MedApps, a remote health monitoring solution, discusses the potential for mHealth. Take a listen.

Wireless technology can provide both traffic management systems & drivers with real-time data to better identify highway congestion & to ultimately save time, money & reduce emissions. Nokia's Quinn Jacobson talks about his company's efforts to help drivers & traffic specialists better handle our crowded highways. Take a listen.