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CNN Live At Daybreak
Verbal Instant Messaging
Aired November 18, 2003 - 05:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Cell phones are pretty much a must these days. Now there is something of an evolution taking place. It's called verbal instant messaging and it allows up to five people to talk on their cell phone at the same time for free. Imagine that in a restaurant.
Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg introduces us to this new technology.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Nextel pioneered the idea of push to talk on your cell phone, kind of like a Walkie-Talkie. And here at the Comdex Tech Show, some phone companies and some carriers are expanding that idea a little bit.
And joining me right now is Suzanne Kantra, technology editor of "Popular Science" magazine, to talk about this.
And, Suzanne, can you hear me now?
SUZANNE KANTRA, TECH EDITOR, "POPULAR SCIENCE": I sure can.
SIEBERG: Now, these are some Motorola phones that are already out on the market.
What can you tell me about them?
KANTRA: Well, they're on the Verizon network and you can call anybody on your phone address book and actually see whether they're available for that call. Now, the benefit of using the Walkie-Talkie style mode of talking is that you're not paying for every phone call. So it's going to be a big cost savings.
SIEBERG: OK, well these are a couple of the ones that are out there from Motorola already. But here at Comdex Show, there was a new announcement from Sprint. They've put out some phones, as well.
KANTRA: They certainly do. They have a ruggedized version which is really geared more toward the construction worker or somebody who's out in the field. But you can also imagine this would be perfect for somebody who's engaged in sports. You're on the mountain, you want to reach your friends and meet at the lodge, you can just push to talk and say hey, meet me down there.
SIEBERG: All right. Well, now these other two look a little different because they're the flip style, a little more compact. KANTRA: They are. And this is really more for the mobile professional. And, you know, these phones are going to cost you about $300. Again, this is perfect if you're working in a work group. You can talk to up to five people at the same time. And this model, which is coming along a little bit later this year, actually has a camera built into the back of it.
SIEBERG: Of course it does.
KANTRA: Of course, right?
SIEBERG: All these things in one.
Well, Suzanne Kantra, technology editor of "Popular Science" magazine, we heard you loud and clear.
KANTRA: Thank you.
SIEBERG: Thanks so much for joining us.
That's going to do it for now at the Comdex Tech Show.
I'm Daniel Sieberg for CNN in Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 18, 2003 - 05:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Cell phones are pretty much a must these days. Now there is something of an evolution taking place. It's called verbal instant messaging and it allows up to five people to talk on their cell phone at the same time for free. Imagine that in a restaurant.
Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg introduces us to this new technology.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Nextel pioneered the idea of push to talk on your cell phone, kind of like a Walkie-Talkie. And here at the Comdex Tech Show, some phone companies and some carriers are expanding that idea a little bit.
And joining me right now is Suzanne Kantra, technology editor of "Popular Science" magazine, to talk about this.
And, Suzanne, can you hear me now?
SUZANNE KANTRA, TECH EDITOR, "POPULAR SCIENCE": I sure can.
SIEBERG: Now, these are some Motorola phones that are already out on the market.
What can you tell me about them?
KANTRA: Well, they're on the Verizon network and you can call anybody on your phone address book and actually see whether they're available for that call. Now, the benefit of using the Walkie-Talkie style mode of talking is that you're not paying for every phone call. So it's going to be a big cost savings.
SIEBERG: OK, well these are a couple of the ones that are out there from Motorola already. But here at Comdex Show, there was a new announcement from Sprint. They've put out some phones, as well.
KANTRA: They certainly do. They have a ruggedized version which is really geared more toward the construction worker or somebody who's out in the field. But you can also imagine this would be perfect for somebody who's engaged in sports. You're on the mountain, you want to reach your friends and meet at the lodge, you can just push to talk and say hey, meet me down there.
SIEBERG: All right. Well, now these other two look a little different because they're the flip style, a little more compact. KANTRA: They are. And this is really more for the mobile professional. And, you know, these phones are going to cost you about $300. Again, this is perfect if you're working in a work group. You can talk to up to five people at the same time. And this model, which is coming along a little bit later this year, actually has a camera built into the back of it.
SIEBERG: Of course it does.
KANTRA: Of course, right?
SIEBERG: All these things in one.
Well, Suzanne Kantra, technology editor of "Popular Science" magazine, we heard you loud and clear.
KANTRA: Thank you.
SIEBERG: Thanks so much for joining us.
That's going to do it for now at the Comdex Tech Show.
I'm Daniel Sieberg for CNN in Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
