But to many customers, hi-tech phones - such as those offering advanced third generation technology - appear expensive and complicated.
Japan and Korea are special cases: The proprietary cellular technologies used in those countries means travelers need phones that operate on third-generation technology at 2100 MHz.
The winning trio want to use a third-generation technology called W-CDMA "because it will be the standard for 80% of the world market, " says Lee Jung Sik, vice president for LG's bidding unit.
European countries decided to follow the same approach in moving to the third generation of mobile technology.
One industry analyst said HandSpring and OminSky deserve credit for their ability to execute, but that the real benefits of wireless data will only come when 3G (third-generation) technology is available.
The information, which can include traffic information, weather, stock quotes, news, sports and dozens of other snippets, would be transmitted to the watches not by any fancy third-generation wireless phone technology, nor via satellite, but rather by FM radio signals using a technology called DirectBand.
Over the next year, general packet radio services, or GPRS, will be phased in, to be followed by even speedier third generation, or 3G, technology.
Because its technology underlies the third-generation mobile-phone standard, Qualcomm has become a toll bridge that all equipment-makers must cross.
India's tablet computer market is still nascent compared with other parts of the world but is growing, with telecommunication companies rolling out high-speed Internet networks using third-generation and fourth-generation communication technology.
The cellular telecommunications industry is entering a period of transition from aging, analog-era transmission technology to high-speed "third-generation" (3G) mobile networks.
And developing basic low-cost pollution technology for coal-fired power generation in the third world would probably get more bang for the pollution buck than just about anything else.
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