Walkie-Talkies Get A Makeover

Six months ago, an application that allows cell phones to morph into walkie-talkies was heralded as the next big thing in wireless telephony. Suddenly the blue-collar feature was hip and everyone had to have it--never mind that Nextel Communications phones had been equipped with the technology for more than a decade. Read on for Forbes special report outlining the history, the reason for PTT's success and the players.

One company mentioned in the article caught my eye: "Calif.-based Kodiak Networks. A startup, with contracts with European operator Orange and U.S. Alltel, offers interesting additions to the traditional push-to-talk services, including the availability of call waiting during an instant call, the scheduled delivery of voice mail, and the capacity to transform an instant call into a regular call at the push of a button.

Their technology is compatible with both U.S. standards CDMA and GSM and the startup makes the technology available free to handset makers, so a wider array of products should soon be available".

emily | 9:15 PM | PTT (Push-to-Talk) |
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