From GigaOM: A second company has enabled the Noika 770 “Internet tablet” to be used as a phone where there’s a WiFi connection, SIPphone. Google is the other one.
A related story from the NY Times (reg. req’d) covers the upgraded T-mobile “sidekick” (a device very similar to the 770, except it’s designed as a phone in the first place). The article also covers the attitudes of young people toward mobile and a range of new services and devices.
From the Times article:
Nik Lulla, a high school senior in Eagleville, Pa., near Philadelphia, swaps out his cellphones on a whim. He carries a Motorola Razr, an ultrathin metal phone that is so popular he considers it almost passé, and a T-Mobile Sidekick 2, a minicomputer with instant messaging and e-mail features. Sometimes he throws a Motorola V551 and a Nokia 3120 into the mix.
While this kid is obviously “over the top” with his many mobile devices, he’s probably not unrepresentative of his peers in terms of how involved young people are (I’m calling them “Generation Y-ireless”) with mobile.
According to Pew, 50% of teens have mobile phones and 50% would rather have TV taken away than their mobile phone privileges revoked.
