T-Mobile: Sr. Manager, System & Database Administration

Who do we need? We need a leader who is dedicated to shared values and teamwork. Who knows what it means to elevate the customer. And, it wouldn't hurt if they had a fascination with technology.

What you need:

• Experience in systems and database operations (NT, UNIX, SQL, Oracle) - 5+ years would be a nice fit.

• Solid leadership experience in an operations environment (24 x 7).

• Wireless industry experience a big, big plus.

Check out the full job description HERE.

Dennis
T-Mobile Recruiting

On Grande' Latte's and Blackberry's

Source: BusinessWeek.com (Upward Mobility)

While this is old hat for those living in South Korea and Japan, it's bound to be a no-brainer for the rest of us - especially the "thumb generation" (the twenty and thirty-somethings who grew up with game controllers and cell phones glued to their hands).

Those who know say the next big battleground could be your back pocket.

Studies show that people notice their cell phone is missing within an hour of losing it, compared with a day or more for credit cards and wallets. Such insights helped persuade Mastercard, Visa, and American Express that phones are central to people's lives and actually could start to replace wallets.

So it took this long for the Big Three to realize cell phones are central to people's lives?

All I want to know, is, when will I get to start paying for my Latte's with my Blackberry?

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

You'll find physician jobs on The Recruiter.com.

Overland Park, KS.....Where's the BBQ?

I'm headed to Kansas City International airport in a few minutes where I'll meet up with my T-Mo colleagues and talk "recruiting" for the next couple of days.

We'll be staying in Overland Park and will be looking for a great BBQ place tonight.

Got any recommendations for BBQ...anyone? anyone?

Dennis

Turkey Hangover?

Why did so few of us feel like jumping out of bed and zipping off to work this morning?

Because Americans consume over 675 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

Wow.

Maybe that's why I'm taking one more day off.

Dennis

Our <3 Affair with Texting

According to CTIA, the volume of text messages sent and received exploded in 2006. In June of 2005, 7.3 billion texts were sent, compared with 12.5 billion texts sent in June of 2006 -- a 71 percent increase.

"Clearly, it is becoming a mainstream way for Americans to communicate and stay in touch," said Joe Farren (CTIA Wireless spokesman), adding that he expects the use of text messaging to continue to grow among the 220 million wireless subscribers in America today.

Source: Erin Kutz, The State Hornet

So Hot, Even Grey's Anatomy Can Wait: Engineering Manager, Network Operations (Wayne, NJ)

Calling all Engineering Managers in NJ (what the heck, anywhere).

We're looking for Engineering Manager candidates familiar with Ericsson 501 & 810 BSC's. Actually, that's just the technical skill. We're really looking for somebody who puts the customer first and is accustomed to having their big ideas and hard work rewarded.

If that's you, we need to talk.

You can check out the technical spec's of the job via this link.

You can get past the firewall and talk to the recruiter by sending an
email HERE.

C'mon, what are you waitin' for? We've got customers to please and products to launch.

Just Tivo Grey's Anatomy and watch it tomorrow morning (get up extra early).

I'll leave the light (email) on for you,

Dennis
T-Mobile Recruiting
WirelessJobs.com

Ten Ways to Tell if Someone is Lying To You

(Is it the word "Liar" or a man's face?)


Important interview scheduled? Usually, the recruiter is sitting across from the candidate trying to determine whether or not the truth is being told.

Turn the tables.


If a Recruiter is credible (and smart), then you'll hear nothing but the truth, the whole truth, so help me God.


But I would guess that there's a few folks out there who aren't convinced.



If that's the case, here's 10 ways to tell if someone is lying to you (courtesy of Elisabeth Eaves, Fortune.com):

1. Watch Body Language (sweating? fidgety?)
2. Seek Detail (liars' stories often lack detail)
3. Beware Unpleasantness (liars are less cooperative than truth-tellers)
4. Observe Eye Contact (failure to do so is often a sign of deceit)
5. Signs of Stress (Dilated pupils / rise in vocal pitch)
6. Listen for the Pause (most people will take a second or two to collect their thoughts)
7. Ask Again (Interrogators often ask suspects to repeat their stories)
8. Beware Those Who Protest Too Much ("....to be honest....")
9. Know Thyself (Liars succeed because listeners don't really want to know the truth)
10. Work on Your Intuition (Good human lie detectors are likely to be good intuitive psychologists)

See the full list in slide show form HERE

Mobile Phones Extinct in 5 Years?

In his blog titled, WirelessDuniya, Sidhartha Bezbora references Nigel Linge of the University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK, who is predicting that mobile phones will be extinct in the short span of 5 years!

He's predicting that we'll be using aluminum cans attached with long pieces of string. Just kidding - checking to see if you are still with me.

Actually, he predicts that mobile computers will take their place and he says this is where technology is heading.

Link to Sidhartha's post: HERE
Link to Nigel's prediction: HERE

The Single Greatest Value (SGV) to Blogging?

"What is the single greatest point of value you receive from blogging?"

CK asked....bloggers answered. And the above graphic is the cover for the 5 page, cool PDF she created that contains the poll results.

Here's a few of the answers CK received:

An Excuse ... Knowledge ... The Conversations ... Feedback ... Keeping in touch with fans ...

Community ... The Connection Cocktail ... Sharing Insights ... The Ideas ... Expression ...

Scale ... Inspiring Others ... Makes Me Smarter ... Organize My Thoughts ... The Mental Exercise

I'm going to saddle up with Vineberg and say that my SGV is Community. The personal benefit I've received (mostly mental health, altho my family and friends would argue that point)since joining the community of bloggers in December 2004 is incalculable.

So, how 'bout you? What is the SGV you receive from blogging?

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

Microsoft's Loss is the Recruiting Community's Gain

Yep, it's official. As noted yesterday in SixDegreesfromDave, Shally is Unleashed!

Great read - you need to check it out to see what Shally has up his sourcing-sleeve. If you are thinkin' it has something to do with JobMachine.net, well, you just might be related to Sherlock.

But I'm not stealing any thunder. Run over to Mr. Davey's Neighborhood and get it straight from Samauri Steckerl.

Better yet, use your cybersleuthing skills to find and decode Shally's email and phone number hidden somewhere in this post (if you choose to accept this mission, this post will self-destruct in 15 seconds).

Then, contact him yourself...it's a phone call you won't regret.

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

SHALLY@JOBMACHINE.NET

(678) 388-9208

phonezoo - the ringtone disrupter?

Mr. Oliver, of Mobilecrunch fame, brings us phonezoo - the latest company to embrace a potentially disruptive technology in the world of ringtones. What does that mean? phonezoo could be the company that revolutionizes the ringtone market and forever changes the way we create and buy ringtones.

phonezoo launches today and is based on the idea that people can use their own music plus an online tool to create their own ringtones instead of paying the wicked (premium) prices of the wireless carriers.

This is pretty sweet - I created an account and sent a ringtone to my phone in < 2 minutes.

Check out phonezoo.

Three cheers for home-grown tones.

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

T-Mobile Jobs: 4.5 million Google Results

Just for grins, I did a Google search for T-Mobile Jobs. Here's what it spit back at me:

Results 1 - 10 of about 4,540,000 for t-mobile jobs.

Geez, that's a lot of results.

And, actually, we don't have quite that many jobs open (give or take 1 or 2 million). But I'm sure you already knew that.

I guess what I'm getting at is this...you don't really have to worry about sifting through 4.5 million results. Just visit WirelessJobs.com, or send me an email. I manage the engineering recruiting team that supports our nationwide National Operations and Network Engineering Op's teams. And I can certainly help you find your way through the recruiting / hiring maze.

Not an engineer? No biggie. I'll put you in touch with a recruiter that's aligned with your expertise.

4.5 million results? Fugettaboutit. Get a straight shot to the recruiting team at T-Mobile.

I promise not to send you a postcard that says "Thanks for applying."

Dennis
T-Mobile Recruiting
WirelessJobs.com

Please ... Somebody Give this Guy a Job

Put this guy out of his misery and give him a job. I'm sure he can do just about anything better than robbing convenience stores.

PEOPLE: The #1 Reason For High Stress at Work

Geez, if it wasn't for people, my work-life would be so stress-free!

Anne Freeman reminds us that "People issues" is the No. 1 reason for high stress levels at work, according to a recent survey. I suppose we're not too surprised, right?

We all have our share of problems at work, but it's really our co-workers who drive us up the wall! (Not naming names, of course).


According to ComPsych's StressPulse survey of more than 1,000 companies,

"More than half of the U.S. workforce has high stress levels and more than one-third say "people issues" are the problem."

Those crazy angst-causing co-workers.

Anne points to another national poll that reports almost one-fifth (18%) of a manager's time is spent sorting out personality conflicts among staff members. Holy Negative Workforce, Batman, that amounts to seven hours a week!

The ComPsych poll narrows down the list of high-stress offenders as follows:

People Issues: 36%
Workload: 28%
Juggling Work/Personal Life: 22%
Lack of Job Security: 4%

Well, I'm sure glad I now know the root cause of all my work-related stress. Knowing this, I now understand why Warren Bennis once quipped:

"The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment."

Read Anne Freeman's complete article here: Human Resource Exec Online

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

Contract Recruiter - TruePosition (Berwyn, PA)

My buddy Tim Dodd emailed me yesterday and told me about a contract Recruiter position he's trying to fill in Philadelphia.

Here's some of the info I received from Tim:

TruePosition is the world's largest company solely dedicated to the development and implementation of wireless location products, services and devices, providing complete solutions to support the wireless location needs of the global marketplace. TruePosition is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation.

OK, here's the scoop. We're looking for someone with at least 3 years' Technical Recruiting experience, preferably in the Wireless Industry. Agency or Corporate background, doesn't matter, you just have to have a passion for Recruiting. We work as a Team; we work hard, support each other, have a few laughs and do what it takes to get the job done. To give you an idea of the types of skill sets we typically look for, check out our website at www.trueposition.com and click on "Careers".

We are looking for a full life cycle Recruiter with experience in all aspects of the Recruiting process, i.e., we are not looking for "vendor managers". You also need some "Chutzpah" since you will be working directly with Managers at all levels of the organization.

The length of the assignment is probably going to be in the 3 to 6 month range as we continue to expand.

When submitting your resume, please make sure to indicate things like...average number of fills per month, the types of sourcing techniques you utilize beyond the major Job Boards (hint, hint, do you have a Profile on LinkedIn?), etc. Take the point of view of listing your accomplishments, not just your job duties. Also, please list the month as well as the year for your start date & end date for each job. This position is a straight hourly rate, typically in the 40 to 45 hour per week range.

We look forward to receiving your resume.

Here's a link to the ad.

Good luck, Tim!

Go recruiters.

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

Deutsche Telekom Supervisory Board appoints René Obermann as new CEO

At a meeting yesterday the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom decided to appoint René Obermann as the new Chief Executive Officer with effect from November 13, 2006. The 43-year old will succeed Kai-Uwe Ricke.

The chairman of the Supervisory Board, Dr. Klaus Zumwinkel, said:

"René Obermann is a strong entrepreneural leader with over 20 years experience in an industry that is characterised by fast technological changes and constant new challenges in the market. His career has a strong international influence, particularly through the successful internationalization of T-Mobile..."

René Obermann, born in March 1963 in Düsseldorf, Germany, became a Member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Telekom AG, responsible for T-Mobile, in November 2002. Since December 11, 2002, he is also CEO of T-Mobile International AG & Co. KG. After completing a business traineeship with BMW in Munich between 1984 and 1986, Obermann set up the business ABC Telekom in Münster, Germany.

In 1991, he became Managing Partner of Hutchison Mobilfunk GmbH, successor of ABC Telecom, and in 1993 until 1998 Chairman of the Management Board. Obermann was also Chairman of the former German Association of Mobile Communication Service Providers in 1995 and 1996. Between April 1998 and March 2000, René Obermann was Managing Director Sales at T-Mobile Deutschland.

Devin Hester's 108 Yard TD (Ties NFL Record)

Devin Hester won't be lookin' for a job any time soon.

Is this guy the ultimate cool, or what....he takes off walkin' like he's headed to the sidelines, and then.....BANG!

Google CEO: Free Cellphones for Targeted Advertising

Google's chief executive believes that as mobile phones become more like handheld computers and consumers spend as much as eight to 10 hours a day talking, texting and using the Web, advertising becomes a viable form of subsidy.


Schmidt told Reuters,

"Your mobile phone should be free...it just makes sense that subsidies should increase."

Google is experimenting with delivering text, brand-image and video ads onto small-screen mobile phones. It is enjoying early success in its strategy to win phone network allies in Japan, where TV viewing and shopping on phones is advanced, he said.

The Google executive said his own company had no plans to directly give away phones itself, nor is he aware of any effort by partners such as phone makers Nokia or Motorola or mobile operators like Vodafone to make such a radical move, he said.

Schmidt acknowledged that mobile phones may never become totally free to the consumer. Newspapers are still not completely free a hundred years after they started relying on advertising, but they certainly are inexpensive, he noted.

The company, which will derive virtually all of its expected $10 billion in revenue this year from selling text ads to computer users who use Google to search the Web, has said previously it expected mobile phone advertising to match computer-based ad revenue over time.

Source: CNNMoney.com

Traffic.com Goes Wireless

Traffic.com, Inc. the leading provider of personalized traffic for drivers coast-to-coast, has launched a wireless mobi Web site, specifically developed with on-the-go drivers in mind.

Through any handheld wireless device, 120 million drivers in 50 metropolitan areas can access Traffic.com's industry leading, free, real-time traffic information when and where they need it.

read more | digg story

Salary Survey 2006: Hot Skills, Hot Pay

Hot skills got the biggest pay bounces in 2006, as companies prepared to fight for key talent.

Job hopping, a career strategy that tumbled with the dot-com bust, is showing signs of a comeback.

Matthew Castillo, a Web developer and administrator at the University of Houston, has already seen private-sector companies poach employees with Web skills from his staff. The 12-person Web technologies group has lost two people

“just because they can make more elsewhere,”

Castillo says. “Especially in a state institution where salaries are fixed, it’s hard for us to compete.”

Foote calls it a battle for specialized skills.

“There have always been talent wars in specific jobs. That has never changed. The difference today is it’s now down to this niche level,” Foote says.

For these in-demand skills, companies are willing to pay “skills premiums” in the form of signing bonuses or retention bonuses.

Computerworld’s Salary Survey and other studies point to a firming labor market. Some 41% of IT executives who responded to Computerworld’s second-quarter Vital Signs Survey said they found it more difficult to recruit key IT talent than they did at the same time last year. Sixteen percent of the respondents to this year’s Salary Survey said they expect to be in a similar job but at a different company within the next five years, and nearly half (47%) reported that they’re actively or passively looking for another job.

Check out ComputerWorld's full report on "Salary Survey 2006" HERE.

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

Fortune: 50 Most Powerful Women (2006)

Call it the year of the Most Powerful Woman CEO. In fact the top seven positions on the 2006 list are held by chief executives.

However, if you are an aspiring women of power, don't plan on making Fortune's top 5 unless you at least 50 years of age (at least in 2006).


Click HERE to see Fortune's top 50.






Here's a peek at the top 10:

1. Indra Nooyi

CEO, PepsiCo (PEP)
2005 rank: 11
Age: 50

2. Anne Mulcahy

Chairman and CEO, Xerox (XRX)
2005 rank: 2
Age: 53

3. Meg Whitman

CEO and President , eBay (EBAY)
2005 rank: 1
Age: 50

4. Pat Woertz

CEO and President, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)
2005 rank: 6
Age: 53

5. Irene Rosenfeld

CEO, Kraft Foods (MO)
2005 rank: 27
Age: 52

6. Brenda Barnes

Chairman and CEO, Sara Lee (SLE)
2005 rank: 3
Age: 53

7. Andrea Jung

Chairman and CEO, Avon (AVP)
2005 rank: 5
Age: 48

8. Oprah Winfrey

Chairman, Harpo Inc.
2005 rank: 4
Age: 52

9. Sallie Krawcheck

CFO, Head of Strategy, Citigroup (C)
2005 rank: 7
Age: 41

10. Susan Arnold

Vice Chair, Beauty and Health, Procter & Gamble (PG)
2005 rank: 17
Age: 52

Telecom Jobs ... They're Baaaaack!

I attended my share of job fairs in the late 90's. Two things were always a given at these job fairs:

1. Job fair attendees showed up in droves (like the children of Israel following Moses).
2. Half of the attendees swore they'd never return to Telecom.

SmartMoney.com reports that, year to date, telecom companies have more than doubled the 13% return of the broader market.

Is that good enough to satisfy today's tech-savvy job-seekers?

Of course it is. Even if our beloved boomers (of which I'm a card-carrying member) have long memories and hearts too faint to ride another feisty telecom wave, the job-seekers of 2007 will have a different perspective; one that's fueled by the opportunity to dive head-first in to the cool technology proffered by today's telecom.

Is that why investors have plowed over $450 million into telecom exchange-traded funds this year? Maybe. In fact, the telecom industry — phone companies, wireless providers and all the firms that support them — is the leading ETF sector in 2006, returning 27% so far, according to State Street. Coming in a distant second is energy, with a 15% return.

I think Telecom is back. And I'm glad I'm in a business that's supporting this growth.

Are you?

Check out SmartMoney's complete article (The Return of Telecom) HERE.

Dennis Smith
T-Mobile USA
WirelessJobs.com

Singapore Teen Going to Jail for Wireless Piggybacking

It's a good thing I live in Texas. Geez. If the state of Texas had the same standards as Singapore, regarding wireless network piggybacking, my children would have already waved goodbye and the lawmen would have slammed shut the door to my jail cell.

Unfortunately, this teen lives next door to the Singapore version of Archie Bunker. And, he's been charged with tapping into someone else's wireless Internet connection, a crime that carries a penalty of up to three years in jail, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Garyl Tan Jia Luo, 17, is the first person to be charged with this crime under the Computer Misuse Act, the Straits Times reported.

The report said Tan is accused of using a laptop computer to gain unauthorized access to a home wireless network on May 13.

The newspaper said a neighbor had apparently lodged a complaint against Luo.

Most notebook computers and personal digital assistants can detect unsecured networks and easily gain access.

Tan was released on a bail of 6,000 Singapore US dollars (US$3,855; euro3,000) and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

If convicted, Tan faces up to three years in jail and fines of up to S$10,000 (US$6,425; euro5,000) under the Computer Misuse Act.

Source: The Age.com.au

Scratch Earlier Post About Sprint Takeover ... Analysts Casting Doubt

Bank of America analyst, Douglas Shapiro, has expressed skepticism about recent rumors on Wall Street that U.S. cable giant, Comcast, would attempt an acquisition of Sprint Nextel.

Shapiro noted this week that Sprint’s $70 billion enterprise value would make this purchase a risky “bet the enterprise” proposition for Comcast, whose shareholders would almost certainly question such a deal. Furthermore, Comcast’s stock has finally seen some significant upward movement (about 50% YTD) this year, which the company likely won’t want to mess with for the time being.

Mr. Shapiro also points out that it remains to be seen whether adding wireless to a cable company’s existing service bundle would be particularly attractive to customers.

Source: Telecom Industry News

Internships Can Shine In Tight Job Market

Start Early ... Hone Your Search ... Keep Perspective

Great advice from Carolyn Bigda (Chicago Tribune) regarding internships.

Here's what Carolyn has to say about the advantage of internships in a tight job market:

Just as the weather starts getting cooler, it's time to start thinking about summer.

Employers are showing up at college campuses as early as fall, recruiting not just for full-time entry-level positions but coveted summer internships. And while an internship always enhances any resume, it has also become a serious gateway to receive a job offer post graduation.

"Many employers are looking to internship programs as a feeder to their hiring," said Marcia Harris, director of career services at the University of North Carolina. "So if they find someone who's sharp, that slot no longer exists when graduates go to search for jobs."

One reason that employers now are concentrating on internships is a so-called "war for talent."

In the next few years, baby boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, will begin to retire en masse, opening a spate of new positions for today's graduates. The need for replacements will be especially acute in certain industries such as energy, education, health care and government, which can't outsource their labor.

And the pressure is on since the number of students studying computer science, accounting and engineering -- some of the most sought-after skills today -- has dwindled.

But university career advisers and employers alike say that regardless of the labor market, finding the right internship still requires effort. Here's what to do:

Start early

While the majority of employers don't start filling internships until January, companies in competitive industries, such as financial services, arrive on campus as early as September or October.

As a result, if you haven't submitted your resume to your university career center, do so now.

Hone your search

The easiest way to find an internship is to go directly to the company's Web site.

If you don't have a specific list of companies, head to your school's career and internship fairs. Also, talk with professors, alumni and upperclassmen for their input.

Keep perspective

If after doing your homework, you don't like your internship, don't panic. Though it's nice to walk away with a job, the real point is to gain experience, as well as explore a variety of work environments.

Dennis Smith
WirelessJobs.com

Is Sprint a Takeover Target?

Fifteen months after one major merger created Sprint Nextel Corp., Wall Street investment banks are playing mix and match over the prospects of another megadeal.

This time, however, Sprint is more likely to be the seller than the buyer.

In a 44-page report titled “Deal or No Deal?” released Friday, Citigroup analysts speculated that Comcast Corp., the nation’s largest cable company, was likely to go shopping soon for a wireless business. Moreover, Citigroup considers Sprint a prime target.

“While Comcast has several options to sell wireless services, we assess a 40 percent probability that it will acquire a wireless company within the next 12 months, with Sprint as the most likely option within this context,” wrote Citigroup analysts Jason Bazinet, Michael Rollins and Michael Williams.

The report said T-Mobile was another possibility. It also suggested that Sprint could benefit, and discourage a Comcast bid, by acquiring Alltel Corp., a wireless carrier based in Little Rock, Ark., with more than 11 million customers.

Sprint officials declined to offer reaction Friday.

“We do not comment on rumors or speculation,”

said James Fisher, a Sprint spokesman.

The possibility of a Comcast-Sprint combination or other acquisition of Sprint has percolated behind the scenes among Wall Street analysts for weeks. Recent days, however, marked a turning point as a flurry of research reports addressed the topic head-on.

Source: The Kansas City Star

T-Mobile USA Adds 800,000 New Subs

T-Mobile USA continues to be a bright spot for German parent Deutsche Telekom (DT), attracting 802,000 new customers during the third quarter and posting an 18 percent increase in service revenues.

In terms of subscriber additions, the 802,000 customer adds include 773,000 net new postpay customers, which is up from 507,000 in previous quarter and 716,000 in the year-ago period.

Source: WirelessWeek

Motorola Buys Good, Nary a Dent in RIM's Armour

Our friends with the BatMan-logo-look-a-like are back in the headlines.

Motorola on Friday ramped up its efforts to compete against Research In Motion with the acquisition of Good Technology, a provider of wireless e-mail services that work on existing handsets, including Motorola's popular Q.

While Motorola has been working hard to break into the enterprise market, the manufacturer has barely made a dent into the dominance of RIM's ubiquitous BlackBerry. Good, which is already used by 12,000 companies, could help change that.

Unlike the BlackBerry service, which is tied to specific devices, Good has taken a software-based approach. Its corporate e-mail and security services run on a variety of handsets from numerous manufacturers, such as Nokia, Samsung, Palm, HP and HTC's Windows Mobile 5.0 devices.

Source: BetaNews.com

Samsung's Next-Gen Wireless Vision

The convergence of mobile phones with all manner of digital consumer products and must-have functionality is a near obsession in the global handset business. And Samsung Electronics (SSNGY) is proving among the most aggressive in pursuing it.

The South Korean telecom and electronics maker on Nov.7 offered a sneak peak at a portable device that will allow really fanatical digital warriors to make calls, surf the Web, watch TV, and do plenty of other things with one all-purpose gadget.

It's called the Deluxe MITs (or mobile intelligent terminal by Samsung) and it will be a critical rollout when it becomes commercially available next March. It's designed to position the company smartly just as next-generation, high-speed, wireless services are set to reshape the industry. With an expected $1,000 price tag, this digital jack-of-all-trades isn't for everyone. It will initially only be available in tech-happy South Korean markets.

Running on the full version of Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows XP operating system, the MIT is equipped with a 1-GHz central processing unit and a 30-gigabyte hard disk drive. Its screen, measuring 5 inches in diameter, will be hidden between the halves of the foldable, normal-sized, QWERTY keyboard.

source: BusinessWeek.com Moon Ihlwan

Wireless Carriers to Subscribers: "Let Us Entertain You!"

Cell phones are morphing into all-in-one media devices, but that doesn't mean they're entertaining consumers.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Verizon is in talks with YouTube to bring user-submitted videos from the Web service to Verizon's wireless customers. The move would follow similar ones by Sprint-Nextel and Cingular to offer video, music and games to their wireless customers.

But do people want to watch?

``The phone remains primarily for voice communication. All these other things are secondary features,''

said Michael Gartenberg, research director at Jupiter Research in New York.

As for video in particular, he added,

``Consumers consistently tell us that while they are interested in these services, they're not willing to pay a whole lot of money for them.''

The wireless providers are among a growing number of players trying to jump into the market for providing portable video.

To be sure, analysts don't argue that video on cell phones is doomed to failure. In fact, the short clips that are available on YouTube may prove popular among cell phone users who are looking for a quick diversion, they say.

Just don't expect consumers to replace their big-screen TV or even their video iPods with a video-playing cell phone anytime soon.

``It may become some sort of standard feature, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's where consumers will first go to get video,''

said Chris Crotty, senior consumer electronics analyst at iSuppli.

Source: MercuryNews.com

In-Stat: Consumers Still Carrying Around Multiple Wireless Devices

Peter Piper picked a peck of wireless devices;
A peck of wireless devices Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of wireless devices,
Where's the peck of wireless devices Peter Piper picked?

Today's wireless devices might be very capable when it comes to multi-tasking, but our wireless Peter Piper's are still likely to carry multiple devices with overlapping capabilities.

A new study out today by In-Stat find that most wireless users carry redundant devices. When it comes to mobile phones, for example, 15 percent of consumers have two.

Meanwhile, 80 percent of respondents to In-Stat’s survey said they regularly carry around both a digital camera and a camera phone. And, more than 50 percent of respondents who own multimedia phones lug around MP3 players, too.

Apparently, when it comes to the various functions that mobile devices can perform—voice communications, e-mail, texting, digital photography, playing music, etc.—consumers are voting with their wallets by choosing the best device for each task rather than one that does everything.

“It is important to understand this customer behavior if the wireless industry
is to offer commercially successful solutions,”

In-Stat analyst Bill Hughes said in a statement.

When it comes to advanced mobile phone features, In-Stat also found that business users (representing 43 percent of all respondents) were the ones interested in the increased productivity that SmartPhones can provide.

The question begs to be asked: are consumers carrying around multiple devices because it’s inherently easier to use one device for one function only, or because the all-in-one devices available don’t meet their needs?

In-Stat’s research offers some insight into this topic. In the survey discussed here, many of the wireless users queried said they consider additional capabilities to be a perk rather than a tool that provides enhanced, real-time data.

While almost half of the respondents said they believe that a SmartPhone could cut down on the number of devices they carry, but indicated they end up carrying a PDA regardless.

Source: TMCnet, Mae Kowalke

Study: Teens Guilty of TWD (Texting While Driving)

"Hi, can't talk now....I'm texting, and, like, you know, driving."


Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety surveyed teens on their biggest distractions while driving and found cellphone texting at the top of the list.

Thirty-seven percent of teens cited text messaging as extremely or very distracting; 20 percent said they were distracted because of their emotional state and 19 percent cited friends in the car.

So, is this a problem?

Carolyn Gorman, of the Insurance Information Institute in Washington, says,

"Teenage drivers are the worst drivers on the road, and if they're text messaging, it just adds to the danger, not only to them but to the rest of us."

Almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the crash, according to a study released in April by Virginia Tech University and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The same study found that the most common distraction is the use of cellphones, followed by drowsiness.

No one has yet to do a study linking texting to car crashes. But in August, an Allen Park, Mich., police officer was injured when his stopped cruiser was plowed into on Interstate 94 by a 17-year-old driver who was texting.

The teen was charged with careless driving. Maybe he should have been charged with DUIT (Driving while Under the Influence of Texting).

Source: Jim Debrosse, Cox News Service

No Wireless Jobs Here: Lucent Cuts 150

Just in time for the holidays, Lucent Technologies has gift-wrapped pink slips for 150 U.S. employees.

Notices went out today and take effect within 30 days, said Lucent spokeswoman Joan Campion.

About one-third of the job cuts are in New Jersey.

Most of the cutbacks are in Lucent's Network Solutions Group, which sells gear for sending calls and data via wireline and wireless networks. The moves, which come on the heels of a positive Lucent earnings report, are unrelated to the company's pending acquisition by the French telecom company Alcatel, Campion said.

"The reason is just getting costs in line with the business," she said.

Lucent, of Murray Hill and Paris-based Alcatel continue to operate independently, Campion said. A U.S. government panel is reviewing the deal and final approval could come within days or weeks.

The combined Alcatel Lucent plans about 9,000 job cuts.

Source: NJ.com

Turn Job Referrals in to New Jobs

LifeHacker points us to a new site (WhoToTalkTo) that aims to put you in a new job by eliciting a referral about your old one.

It works like this:

You post at least one referral about someplace you've worked or someone you know who's hiring. That gets you a point. Then you search the database of existing referrals for one that matches your interests. If you find one you like, you can "spend" your point to see the full listing (which includes company/HR contact info, etc.).

This differs a bit from the idea of job hunting via social networking, in which you leverage your personal circle of friends and colleagues. Here you get a shot at the referrals of strangers, which broadens your search considerably.

By the way, WhoToTalkTo is a job referral search engine, not a job ads search engine.

I've not had a chance to use it (yet), but plan on checking it out this week.

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

Samsung's Tiny SGH-X830 (MP3, Bluetooth) is now Shipping!

It's not every day that a global release from Samsung gets as many oohs and aahs as one of their domestic pieces, but the SGH-X830 is a notable exception.

The curious lil' spinner gets by with just two columns on its keypad (a rather low number, we reckon), brazenly sacrificing usability for fashion and the cool factor.

Then again, for a phone of this shape and size, we could be going completely keypadless -- so we'll stop our bellyaching right here. Look for the "Flick & Swing" X830 to drop in a rainbow of six colors when it shows up in your friendly local importer's inventory.

SGH-X830 as previewed by Engadget Mobile

7 Tips for Negotiating Multiple Job Offers

How to negotiate mulitiple offers without losing your mind or your reputation.

Having multiple job offers is a great problem to have, but it can still be stressful.

A participant in my online chat learned just how complicated it can be when the opportunities pour in. "I applied for a job a couple of years ago, got it and then turned it down for another job I also was offered. Now I'm looking to move on, and the hiring manager -- I still keep in touch with her -- for the job I turned down has contacted me about a position opening in their office," the chatter wrote.

The problem? "I'm also in the running for another job at a completely different company that is more interesting to me. I'm running out of reasons and ways to put off the hiring manager I know so I can hold out for this other job I may or may not get. I feel so guilty!"

He or she shouldn't feel guilty, but it's wise to proceed with caution.

"There is definitely a right way to do it and a wrong way," said Brad Karsh, president of JobBound and author of "Confessions of a Recruiting Director."

Here are a few tips for negotiating multiple offers without losing your mind or your reputation:

Press for more details.
Maybe the key to a decision lies in acquiring more information, such as details about the employer's culture or benefits. Salary isn't always the most important factor. What is important to you in your next job? Once you have a firm offer, ask human resources for details about health care and perks. If your concerns are fuzzier, and relate to your long-term prospects at the company, ask for another meeting with your prospective boss.

Put it on paper.
Make a pros-and-cons list for each job. If your list gets unwieldy, consider setting up a spreadsheet. Writing it all down can make the comparison -- and perhaps the decision -- much easier.

Don't artificially play employers against each other.
Of course you can negotiate. Just be straightforward. If you really want to work for one company but its salary falls short of the other offers, say so. Tell your top choice that if the better salary can be matched, you will take the job. Make it clear that you're not trying to put the company in a bidding war, Karsh said. If you really wouldn't take a job, don't try to use it as leverage. Lots of employers will call your bluff, offering you a "good luck!" rather than a counteroffer. If you're entertaining offers strictly for leverage, you're asking for trouble. "This isn't an eBay auction," Karsh said.

Don't ignore people.
If you haven't made a decision, say so. Ignoring a hiring manager's calls is just rude. "Once you accept an offer, the first calls you should make are to those other companies," Karsh said. "Even before Mom or Dad." I know, it's not fair that you suddenly have to respond instantly to the same employers who might have been stringing you along for weeks or even months, but that's just how the game works.

Ask for more time.
Few employers expect you to accept an offer on the spot. Most hiring managers are fine with a request for a week to think, Karsh said. And college students usually have more leeway in making up their minds about jobs before graduation. It is also reasonable to insist that offers come in writing, which may buy you another day or two.

Don't overreach.
Deferring a decision for more than a week will probably irritate people. After all, the job of hiring managers is to fill positions. Your dilly-dallying is keeping them from doing so efficiently. Even if you don't care about wasting the employer's time, think about the other jobseekers who also are waiting to see if they make the cut. If the issue is that you're waiting on another potential offer, you can call up the slower company and ask to accelerate the interview and decision process. If its interest in you is strong enough, it often will.

Don't back out.
Accepting an offer and then reneging is the "unpardonable sin" with recruiters, Karsh said. It greatly inconveniences the employer, who has made plans based on your decision. The company has already turned down other applicants, and will have to start all over again in the interview and hiring process. He still remembers a woman who did this to him years ago. Hiring managers have really long memories for such things. Seriously. "Until the day I die" were Karsh's exact words.

Source: Washington Post, Mary Ellen Slayter

T-Mobile's Hot Jobs

Here's our short list of some of the hot jobs currently on our recruiting slate at T-Mobile:

Vice President, Retail Sales - Bellevue, WA

Director, Retail Operations - Bellevue, WA

Regional Manager, Indirect Sales - Tempe, AZ

Manager, Human Resources - Lenexa, KS

Director, Broadband Products & Services - Bellevue, WA

Senior Treasury Analyst - Bellevue, WA

National Director, Field Sales - Parsippany, NJ

Director, Corporate Investigations - Bellevue, WA

Director, Supply Chain Operations - Bellevue, WA

Senior Corporate Counsel, Real Estate - Concord, CA

Senior Manager, Compensation - Bellevue, WA

Dennis Smith
T-Mobile Recruiting
WirelessJobs.com

Celltradeusa: Walk Away from the Cellphone Contract

Celltradeusa.com, a service that's been around for about a year now, claims to be able to get you out of that ball and chain by hooking you up with someone who's looking for a contract.

You put up your user profile, listing your remaining contract obligation, and then others can contact you if they're willing to take over the rest of your contract.

Celltradeusa ensures a "smooth transfer of responsibility." If you find somebody willing to take over your contract, Celltradeusa charges you $19.95 to be a member and make it happen.

Courtesy of Gizmodo

Gmail, YouTube Going Mobile

Google’s email service and soon its video service will be available on portable devices.

Source: Red Herring

Google introduced a mobile version of its Gmail email system Thursday, a day after the founder of its soon-to-be subsidiary YouTube predicted the user-generated video service would be available on mobile devices within a year.

The Mountain View, California, search king said the mobile client is also five times faster than accessing the email service through a mobile browser. The Java client reduces the number of clicks and keystrokes, and the amount of scrolling, needed to read, compose, and search email messages.

Google’s recent $1.65-billion acquisition, YouTube, also gave indications that it intends to get into the mobile business.

“Within the next year, we hope to have something on a mobile device,” YouTube CEO Chad Hurley said at the OgilvyOne Digital Summit in New York on Wednesday. “It’s going to be a huge market, especially for the video mind-set we’re dealing with. It’s a natural transition.”

As with Google and Gmail, users of some types of wireless mobile devices are already able to view clips from YouTube. But a specialized version of YouTube could make the service more easily accessible to these users and allow videographers on the go to post clips from a camera phone.

Na Na Na Na...Na Na Na Na...Hey Hey, Goodbye (Wave Wireless)

Wireless mesh house Wave Wireless Corporation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying it's down to its last $1 million in assets, with debt totaling $5 million that it can't pay.

Its largest creditor is Vodafone

Source: TelecomWeb

What Today's Teens Want in an Employer

"Tell me what'cha want, what'cha really, really want....."

source: BusinessWeek CoverStory

New research suggests that today's savvy young people (actually, those who will hit the job market in 2010) are more interested in looking deep inside a company to see what makes them tick before they decide to jump on board.

These civic-minded youngsters could provide a challenge for those recruiters attemtping to impact the workforce of tomorrow.

According to this BusinessWeek CoverStory, today's 14-18 year olds say they are committed to equality, prefer companies that act responsibly, and care deeply about a clean environment. Experts say the decisions these teens make, from the sneakers they buy to the companies they'll work for, will likely be guided by their youthful idealism.


Here's an interesting quote from the article (hope it's true):

78% of teens say money is less important than personal fulfillment.

Really? Personal fulfillment over filthy lucre?!

The big question is, where will this generation of youth find satisfying work?

Starbucks? Patagonia? Whole Foods Market Inc? Abbot Laboratories? T-Mobile?

Experts say these teens, who are highly attuned to phoniness, will seek employers they perceive as being part of a larger social purpose.

It's a safe bet that there will be fewer "responsible" organizations than there are socially responsible job-seekers.

On which side of the fence will your company fall?

Dennis
WirelessJobs.com

Resume' Spotlight: Dineshwar Mahant

Dineshwar Mahant dineshwar.mahant@gmail.com

Objective Work Experience Education Academic Projects Computer Skills Awards & Activities

Seeking full time position to employ telecommunication knowledge to contribute towards the success of a leading edge Telecommunication Company. Bharti Cellular Limited, New Delhi, India Engineering Co-op 1/03-6/03 Investigated GSM fundamentals with stress on Signaling and Routing Worked together with five interns to carry out Cell Planning Designed Signaling and Routing Tables for National and International Roaming. Implementation Tool: Winfiol CEDTI, Chandigarh, India Intern 5/01- 7/01 Lead a group of four to develop a novice encryption system which uses PN sequence (CDMA system) to encrypt voice before transmission Created one of the strongest encryption methods involving multiplying the message signal with PN sequence. Only the same PN sequence at the receiver can retrieve the message University of Texas, Dallas, TX 8/04-12/06 MS Telecommunication Engineering Graduating: Dec ‘06 Courses: Wireless & Radio Communication, Personal Communication System, Advanced Computer Networking, Design and Engineering of Packet Switched Networks, Algorithmic Aspects of Telecom Networks, Telecom Software Design Punjab Technical University, Punjab, India 8/00-7/04 B. Tech. Electronics and Communication Engineering. Ranked #1 in the Program Courses: Radio Engineering, Communication Systems, Data Communication, Fiber Optic communication, Operations Management Simulation of QPSK Modulation and Demodulation in CDMA System Simulated a CDMA system supporting QPSK modulation and demodulation Conducted Performance measurement by finding bit error rate. Involved parameters like varying multiple users and different voice activity factors. Simulation Tool: Matlab VoIP System Configuration with Advanced Calling Features Worked in a group of four to design a Jain SIP VoIP system comprising user agents and a proxy server Implemented configurable calling features, like call blocking and call forwarding, as web applications. Designed in C# and ASP.net Performance Measurement of DPSK and QPSK Modulation Schemes Simulated pi/4-shifted DQPSK and QPSK with differential coherent detection and M-ary orthogonal FSK signal with non-coherent detection Calculated the Bit Error Rate and generated comparison results ; Simulation Tool: Matlab Comparison of OAR and RBAR Multirate Schemes for Wireless Ad-hoc Networks Lead a team of three to simulate OAR and RBAR wireless protocols in Network Simulator-2. Modified the MAC files in NS-2 simulation of wireless AD-hoc networks, to include functionality for OAR and RBAR Compared the performance between the two protocols using different grid topologies. TCL was used as the scripting language to create different topologies Simulation of Link State Routing and Multicast Network Designed Link State Routing in a distributed network. Created a multicast tree on its top Key feature: Created a new multicast technique for this network which suffers from the constraint of unidirectional links and can’t use MOSPF. Development environment: C++/Unix RFID Wireless Temperature Monitoring System Collaborated with three students to demonstrate a four node sensor network wherein information from a localized area, encompassed with temperature sensors/mica-2 motes, is transferred to the base-station/computer system Further displayed this information on a cell phone via GPRS Languages: C/C++/C#, nesC, ASP.NET, Assembly language Tools: Labview, Matlab, NS-2, OrCAD, MS Office, Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Operating Systems: Unix, Linux, Windows XP/2000, Tiny OS Technologies: GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, 3GPP, UMTS, VoIP, TCP-IP Ranked #1 in graduating class of 250 undergraduate students Student member – IEEE and Indian Society for Technical Education Two time gold medallist for National Talent Search Examination Enthusiastic about traveling and meeting with people Active participant in dancing and singing competitions

5 Ways to Sabotage Your Salary

1. Talk about money too soon
2. Take the first offer
3. Let employers tell you what is fair
4. Focus on salary alone instead of the entire package
5. Believe that you will get more later

Source: Jack Chapman's Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute