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Friday, August 26, 2005

WFU To Pilot Pocket PC Phone Edition in Campus (Geekzone)

Pocket PC Phone Edition devices will be in the hands of about 120 Wake Forest University students as the university begins a pilot program to explore potential campus uses for converged mobile technology.

The pilot program, called MobileU, will explore the ways students are already communicating and find out if one mobile device can meet their needs and enhance academic and student life.

"What we've seen over the past two or three years is students moving away from more traditional messaging like e-mail to newer technologies such as instant messaging and text messaging," said Jay Dominick, chief information officer at Wake Forest. "Student communication patterns are diverging. We want to find out if we can use mobile technology to close that gap, to deliver new things in ways students want to get them."

The Windows Moble Pocket PC Phone Edition in the pilot combine the functions of a cell phone and a mobile computer with wireless access and are equipped with instant messaging, text messaging and various customized software. Participants in the pilot will provide feedback on specific applications, but are also encouraged to come up with their own creative uses for the devices.

The pilot program will focus on three key functions: mobile messaging (such as instant messaging, text messaging); mobile access to information (including a calendar, the campus information network and specialized features such as campus shuttle bus tracking and laundry monitoring); and control over the device (including features such as turning off the ringer during a student's scheduled class times). (more...)

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