My Mobile Musings

Brit Mobile

2006-05-16T16:14:00.000+05:30

Been here in Britain for about 5 days, and I must say I'm loving it ;)
The interesting thing overall about the British, is that neither are they as overly exhuberant as the Americans nor are they as overly social as the French.
Somehow, it's all about balance!
The houses here all look like they haven't changed in years, but the truth is, they have!
The guest house I stay in has a light which pops on everytime I reach the front door, which made me think that the owner was sitting on the side window watching everyone who came up:-P

The truth was, there was a photo sensor below the light, which would get triggered every time someone came to the front door.

That's exactly how the Brits are, they like the way things are, and they would like technologies which keep things that way :p

Their choice of devices is somewhat the same....

Nokia: 6230i,6230, 6610
Sony Ericsson: W800i(Very popular), K700
Samsung: D500, D600(Really popular phones!!)
Motorola: Razr V3(or V3i, can't make out the difference :-p ), Pebl

The interesting thing is, that due to contracts, they can get which ever phone they want, but these are the ones they stick to.

Multifunctional doesn't seem to be high priority, since everyone around is shrouded with their iPod ear plugs, making them seem fiercely private.
It's the outsiders who'll buy phones such as the N70, and use the attached earphones.
For the Brits, a phone is a phone, and music is the iPod.

Lottery

There seems to be a huge fascination with lotteries, as I could see with the various booths around, as well as the late night shows, with belly dancers and funky hosts.
It was interesting to see, that most of the people who called up to these kind of shows, were women, showing ofcourse, that the women here are a lot smarter, more upfront, more mature than the guys here.

Big Brother

Coming from India, it was a little disconcerting to see cameras everywhere, meaning that somewhere, everything I've done before I even land in England, is documented somewhere.
I mean, they even have mikes, so with my big mouth, it won't be long before I get caught for saying something provocative :p

Cars

Being in Dubai, I thought I would see the same kind of cars here, but that ain't true.
The accent here is more on quality than economy(depending on your economy of course :p ), so the guys who are still studying , would typically have an American car like a Ford, or a functional japanese or korean car.
People who want functionality, get a Ford.
The techies, seem to love their BMWs ... they seem to be the only ones who walk in with all their gadgets ;)
Otherwise, it's VW everywhere!

XDA2: Hooked

2006-04-03T17:27:00.000+05:30

I used to wonder why people would use a brick as a phone!

Now, I realise, they don't! ...They use a computer as a phone :p

Been using the XDAII for over two months... and it's addictive.

Reasons:
Easy writing: The ability to forget T9, I-Tap ... and just write.

Easy Transfer of information between PC and device : It's a Windows device, so it opens up as a separate folder.

I just started cooking, meaning dosas, rice, dal, etc. so a friend sent me a cooking manual PDF.
Now that was 128 pages, so I wasn't printing all of it. I just transferred it to the O2, and now next time I cook, the O2 sits, where the recipe book should ;)

Easy Transfer of information with other embedded devices: A revelation, is that because it supports the SD card format, I use it for sorting my digital camera pics, or showing them around.

Thinking about the time I had to take pictures with my Nikon 3200 for a function, and wasn't able to delete old pics which had been backed up. The only option was to format the whole thing.

With the XDAII, I directly copy the pics I need onto the phone, to make space for more ;)

The XDAII fits in with my idea of Wearable Computing where the mobile device is the main centre for data storage and communication.

That this central device would be wirelessly(Bluetooth, obviously!) connected to the audio headset, the display unit(one of those TV sunglasses), input device (i still think that input devices have a looonggg way to go, maybe Steve Jobs can help ;) )

Let's see how it goes .. hmm

Werner

Virgin Territory

2006-02-20T22:27:00.000+05:30

I was going through Losing my Virginity, and it's amazing... how ... Richard's Branson company will always remain a virgin in every new territory they explore.
I mean, to be able to take the first step... in every new industry ...is amazing to me.

It means that... as long as the perception is fresh... and the need to do something off the beaten path exists, the search for, as well as the discovery of, hidden treasures... will go on, eventually bearing fruit.

Looking at their launch of Mobile TV, I still have my earlier apprehension about whether it will actually take off.
But the way Virgin is approaching this is amazing, where they take almost the entire family of Operating system, Device manufacturer and Operator, in the effort of creating the service.

Another thing, is that they realise that broadcast of music, will always have a much larger demand than mobile based TV.

So, they create a niche market ... and profit from it !

:D

Mobile Web Best Practices?

2006-02-15T13:40:00.000+05:30

I was going through the W3C Working Draft 13 January 2006

It still seems to miss out an actual understanding of what applications made for the mobile are actually able to do.

I posted a few comments, which are summarised as:

1. Device Limitations

The word "Device Limitations" is not right,

The main interest here, should be to first make note of the fact that the mobile device, has an evolution which is very isolated from the evolution of the PC.

The mobile device was evolved from the Telephone, rather than the Desktop PC. Hence, the mobile device as it currently exists, is an advancement of Graham Bell's invention, rather than a downgrade of Charles Babbage's invention.

Where it goes, from there, is advancement to a cornerstone of the virtual, online, World.

2.Advantages

The mobile device is slowly becoming a key component of the wearable computing phenomena, where multiple devices, will use the mobile device as a central point of control and storage.

Hence "Differences between the mobile device and the computer" would be the right word to use.

The mobile device has added advantages compared to a desktop or a laptop, which are:

1. Always On:This device is always on, and always has phone connectivity. Hence websites have the ability to directly connect a user with a phone number, or IP address, if the requirement exists.
2. Accessibility to near field devices, via infrared, Wi-fi, bluetooth and USB(but this option is far less used!), such as car audio systems, music players, cameras, gaming devices.
3. Added capability for Wearable computing , where the mobile device may communicate with other devices, using the means mentioned above.

The mobile is destined to be a universal point of data storage, and execution, rather than a data creator. This is greatly due to the various means of device-device communication available to the mobile, such as the operator network, Wi-fi, Infrared, Bluetooth, audio ports and USB ports.

3.Navigation and Links

All the URLs for each page, must be listed in the options(or right click) menu, so that if a user he/she wants to go to a URL on the page, he/she just has to scroll through the options(or right click) menu to reach the required URL.

URLs of Site Entry Points

Here, if URLs for a menu system running into more than 5 pages can follow a URL syntax containing page numbers such as:

http://wap.hephail.com:81/categories.php?page=59&category=11

then it becomes easy for the user to navigate between pages, just by changing the page number on the URL, through the bookmark. Of course, if the browsing application itself could provide a page browser using this syntax, the user's task of navigating through pages would be much easier.

Link Target Identification

The cost of following a link,as in the case of articles, should be identified in the number of pages which are required by the article, as is done by the BBC Wap page.

Hence we get a link at the bottom of the first page of the article, which says "Continued Page 2/4".
The user is then able to choose whether he/she wants to read a 4 page article, or whether he/she should look for another article.

Access Keys

Access keys, should be made accessible, according to prevalent usability standards.
One standard, would be that page up and Page Down keys, must be permanently hard-coded, to make navigation of a page, less arduous.
One suggested implementation, is to use a slider key for the volume, during the phone mode. Then, when the browser is activated, use the same slider key as a Page Up-Down key.

Mobile TV?

2006-01-22T23:38:00.000+05:30

I remember the first time my director presented DVB-H.
I dissed it then, and I diss it now.

The main problem is going to be the price of the handsets and the fact that the operators need to support it, and charge for it.

If there is anything that Web2.0 has taught me, it's that people want to choose what they access, and they want it cheap, if they are to make a habit of it. They don't want to get content which is pushed to them by some guy, who thinks he knows what they want.

Ok, maybe I am a little biased because I don't have a TV. The times when I hang out at a friend's place, I totally pig out on TV till 4-5a.m. , realising what Bruce Springsteen felt when he sang 57 CHANNELS (and nothin' on)

If we apply The Carry Principle, you will understand why I believe that broadcast to a phone is not a good idea.

Another idea which I think will work, though, is the Google Video store !

I mean, you let people choose what price they want to charge, and then rate the material based on who wants to watch it.

The business model of the future!

Nokia has lost her Identity!

2006-01-12T12:22:00.000+05:30

Compare (design-wise)
Sony Ericsson's T630 (My phone ;-) )Vs Nokia E60 Phone
RIM's BlackBerry 8700r Vs Nokia E61 Phone
Motorola's MPx Vs Nokia N92
Samsung's i750 Vs Nokia N80

and you'll know what I mean!

Palm + Windows= Irresistable

2006-01-05T14:04:00.000+05:30

This is real kewl!

A Handheld expert teaming up with an OS expert.

The Windows Mobile 5.0 (Magneto) based Treo 700w should be out on Thursday in USA.

The interesting thing here... is how Palm seeks to differentiate itself from Microsoft's other handhelds.

The juicy part is :

Palm was careful to not make the Treo 700w simply a clone of other Microsoft-based handhelds, however.

"We said we didn't want it unless we can make modifications," Wirt said.

Hehe... That's smart

;-)

Mobile in the Middle East

2005-12-10T04:55:00.000+05:30

Been here in Dubai for 5 days now.
Love the fact that to dial a mobile from my mobile, since it's only a seven digit number, rather than the 10 digit monstrosities which we use in India.
Hate the fact that they block sites like Flickr and Orkut, my fav hangouts, since they say:

We apologize the site you are attempting to visit has been blocked due to its content being inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the United Arab Emirates.
If you think this site should not be blocked, please visit the Feedback Form available on our website.

I tried the feedback link, but they ask for registration! I mean, Come On! If I have a problem with a service, why would I want to register?

The worst thing which I see as a fallout, is that they nip the Web 2.0 revolution before it can even begin!

I could be wrong
;-)

Start from the People.. then the Phone

2005-12-01T21:09:00.000+05:30

Was at a TI Developers Conference.
These guys from Bang brought out some interesting points about how they created a phone design by looking at a target segment(55+ housewife type and 16-22 type)... and preferred to leave the technologies to the technologists!
hmm..
Leaves you wondering..
Points about the 55+ segment:

They actually feel that they don't need a mobile, since they have a landline.
They find the mobile phone too small, too complicated, and can't figure out where the mic and speaker are.
They like the video phone option because they can then see their children, and grandchildren who are far away.

Opinion:

A combination of DECT and cellular would work out great. They could then ping their phone from the base unit when they misplace it.

Instant Messaging on the Mobile

2005-11-18T20:15:00.000+05:30

An interesting thing about the mobile, is that communities are getting formed, which do not have a precedent on the Internet. AOL, Yahoo, MSN all have their internet communities, of which a subset of this are now communicating via mobile (mostly on SMS).

Jataayu's Instant Messaging Community is one such community, where friends who have mobiles can log onto this community and communicate, without actually downloading a client.
That's because a lot of today's mobiles such as the Moto Razr V3, SE's T630 etc. all come with an IM client pre-installed.

You might ask why we would need IM on the mobile, when we already have SMS and MMS.
When trying this community out, I found that since these clients work purely through GPRS, they work out much cheaper than MMS and SMS.
Hence, when on roaming, even though I am charged higher rates for SMS, the rate which I am charged for IM, is the same data rate which I was paying when I was not on roaming.

hmmmmmmmmm....

What are the problems, you may ask? Well, for one, my battery gets drained out real quickly,
reducing my single charge time from 2 days to 1 day :(

TV on the Mobile

2005-11-15T20:18:00.000+05:30

TV Goes Mobile on the Nokia N92 DVB-H Phone

Interesting stuff... but the mobile reminds me too much of the MPX motorola phone.
The technology still seems too niche to me!
I could be wrong!

N70: Not Impressive!

2005-11-11T21:37:00.000+05:30

I get the feeling that maybe there are no more good mobile designs left out there.
I played with the N70 at the Concept Store here in Bangalore, and nothing...
Not a glimmer of excitement.
The form factor is just the same as the 6680, can't believe they couldn't improve it.
There are still way too many buttons on the keypad.

:(

Werner

Sony Ericsson's new PDA

2005-10-17T21:23:00.000+05:30

Yummy! Looks like Sony Ericsson shows where their priorities lie. They reduced the screen .. and increased everything else

This is a lot of what I spoke about here
That Phone manufacturers like Sony, are realising that Usability is just as important as an impressive feature list.
The P900 and the P800, both had the key pad on the flap. Ofcourse, these models never had a Qwerty keyboard to type messages. It was crazy to use the stylus for typing messages.

They changed this with the P910i.
The problem with the P910i, which had a Qwerty alphabetic keyboard on the back of the flap, was that it was nearly impossible to type using the keyboard, and balance the phone at the same time.

Now look at the 990. There is a Qwerty keyboard ...ON the phone itself. This is because Sony Ericsson have realised that more than a large screen, a good keyboard is important in a PDA phone, simply because after voice, message sending and receiving is paramount. So they reduce the physical screen size... increase the resolution...and Voila.

Notice that these guys never actually endorsed EDGE, simply because they felt it wasn't needed.

;-)

Warney back to his womanising ways!

2005-10-14T17:03:00.000+05:30

Here is the news

Hehe! You think Symbian gonna be around Looooong?

2005-09-27T23:09:00.000+05:30

I don't!
And this is part of the reason why....
Palm Puts Windows in Treo Smartphone
:P

The Attack of the Music Phones!

2005-09-27T20:43:00.000+05:30

First it was the ..hmm... let me think... oh yeah.. the Nokia 3300..waaaay back!
then........a llllooooooong time after....Moto's E398(or ROKR... both seem the same to me :P)..Sony Ericsson's W800 i..
and now?
Nokia's 3250

Did I like the look of it ? Naaaah! too freaking formal! and the swivel keypad is kinda wierd..especially with the camera sticking outta the side ! My favourite look-wise feature-packed music phone would be the W800 ;)
Then why am I writing about it? Because... it's just the phone I was talking about when I spoke about the Open Mobile Platform with Janne.
This phone comes with support for a 3.5mm audio jack... although it's through an included adapter. Then means..HEY! I can attach my phone to my audio system .. and blow the neighbours to BITS!@#!..with my phone :P
Then.. it comes with a micro SD card...FINALLY! After all those years of MMC cards which would only work with a specific model...Eucccccccck!
Now...if only they would come out with a video out slot... hmmmm....

Phone for (less than!)Rs.876 with AAA batteries!

2005-09-21T18:46:00.000+05:30

WoW!
The ultimate dream!
But this, is a lot what my Open Mobile Platform idea is about!
Now, you would be able to pull out the batteries from your remote... and put them into your phone.
The juicy parts:
We have used the lowest bill of material for this sub-$20 chip and very few components,” he said. To make the chip even more accessible to the markets, for the first time in the industry, Infineon has used the AAA batteries.

And there will be more.....
;)

Open Mobile Platform

2005-09-20T21:15:00.000+05:30

Excerpt from my conversation with Janne:

Q.how do we make the mobile phone a more open platform?

Think Lego.. the ability to create using basic blocks(software and hardware)... combine this with open interface standards(think bluetooth, USB2.0, Wi-Fi, IR)...

Then you will see the answer!Because trying to predict what people will want in a device is near impossible, the same way it is with a desktop!

)

--Hephail, 14-Sep-2005

On the other hand, quite a few people give up Lego when they grow up. Most people just want to have a phone that does a few simple things but does them well. They buy phones because their aim is to talk to their spouse while he's away, or something very simple but important. Just to connect to other people. How do you sell apps to them?

--JanneJalkanen, 15-Sep-2005

That is my point. Keep a phone good at doing what it does best... Connecting people. And expand this point of view to ...Connecting devices which these people use.

I wrote this article about why a phone will never replace a gaming device, digital camera etc. So think instead, of a device which is interfaceable with all the various devices which one uses (btw, ur N91 is something on that line, with support for a typical audio jack and USB 2.0). I mean, memory is not a problem anymore with phones reaching 5GB capacity. The question is, what do you do with the data which is present. Scenario: You get off from work, enter the car, attach it to the stereo system, and play the music you like. You take it home, attach it to your TV, and directly play the movie which you had bought on an memory(say SD) card. Then you are travelling, and find out that your digital camera has run out of memory. You take out the card(say SD), plug it into your mobile, and download all the pics onto the phone.Then you continue clicking.

How do you sell apps to them?The answer to this is simple. Keep a fully open software platform (like Linux)where users may choose and put what applications they want. I mean, why do I have to keep checking whether an application is a Symbian or Windows Mobile application?

--Hephail, 17-Sep-2005

Well, you could always use Java, but... I guess that from the point of an user a system is not open, if you need to check what kind of a Java app you need to install on what kind of a device. It's not uncommon to see long, long compatibility lists for a Java game ("Download Xyzzy! Works with Nokia 1234,2347, 3943, 23432, 24932, 43211123, 43242, 1245435, 64365437, 7654, 8756, 4356, 432, 43543, 3.1415, 4932, 4392, 5948, 7706, 7958, and 6584). That's not exactly transparent from an user's point of view.

--JanneJalkanen, 17-Sep-2005

hehe! Exactly my point! at least on the desktop, every application is available in Windows, Mac or Linux! But on the mobile, developers are constantly trying to figure out which will be the most popular mobile, forget about the most popular platform.
p.s. nice to see Pi as a possible model :P

--Hephail, 19-Sep-2005

Any ideas?.......... It's an open platform :p

Anti-Skype?

2005-09-20T21:05:00.000+05:30

Hehe! Looks like the entry of the operator dictator!
Don't get me wrong ... I ain't saying that this software won't sell.. I am just saying the operators ain't gonna blow their horn about buying the sofware. I mean, even the Gulf countries never stopped Kazaa! And anyhow, the bandwidth which 3G will provide, is supposed to support video conferencing, so how much bandwidth is actually taken by Skype, IM and other P2P software.... is gonna be lil drops in the ocean.
The juicy parts:
"They're all telling me they hate Skype and they're telling me that they want to do something about Skype," said Bannerman in a telephone interview. "If you have something in your network that is costing you money and raiding your business model, I assure you you're going to do something about it."

Lets see!
:P

Games....

2005-09-14T22:19:00.000+05:30

I play the games on most mobiles, and the one manufacturer who seems to have the pulse on what works ...is Sony Ericsson. Right from my low-end T630, to somebody else's (:P) high end K750i, the experience has been amazing.

Something on the lines of Oliver's post, these games would focus on the strength of the mobile, namely:

1.Vibrations: As in Vrally 2, u could actually feel every bump on the road, and every tree on the side, through the vibrations felt(also called Force Feedback in gaming jargon). I mean, on the PC, you would actually pay extra for a force-feedback joystick.
2.Bluetooth: There is nothing more thrilling than to see your opponent on your handset! Compare this to the exorbitant fees we use to pay, to go to a gaming cafe with network capabilities, to play Quake, or Counter Strike!
3.Integration with the inbuilt clock: In Honey Cave, the background changes, based on the clock. So if you play in the morning, you get the sun, if you play at night, you get the moon!
4.WAP: Everytime you get a high score, you can directly upload it to the sony ericsson site.

And these are the inbuilt games... so imagine the possibilities.

Nokia in comparison, had much better inbuilt games in it's legacy phones, with a massive overdose of the Snake game (not again...)in all it's avatars. To be fair, one game which I actually liked, was the Agent V game on the 3230, which uses the camera to create an augmented reality, where objects(Enemies, and Energy charges) are superimposed onto the actual camera view, to atleast enthrall you the first time.

On the K750i, there is a flight simulator (Flight simulator on a mobile :O)which totally blew me away with the unbelievable graphics, and response time.

If only there could be more games like this...
;)

Q.eBay's Skype?

2005-09-13T20:04:00.000+05:30

The question after eBay's Skype acquisition, coming so fast after Skype showed interest in the mobile industry, is:
How will eBay leverage Skype in it's foray into mobile based applications? Will we now see Skype-based auctions, or selling, becoming the de-facto mobile based eBay usage?
This obviously plays on the idea that by converting eBay into a VOIP based application, they are able to focus on the mobile's strength, voice, rather than it's weaknesses, small screen and limited usage keypad!

Wondering,
:-?

Skype Auctioned to the Auctionneer!

2005-09-12T19:50:00.000+05:30

Krazy !!
Can this world get any Krazier?
Just when we thought Skype was trying to build an empire over the mobile web, Skype has gone under the hammer for $2.6 Billion.
This deal could definitely go in the favour of India, for two reasons:

VOIP based auctioning means call centres...meaning.....;)
We Indians, are still cautious about dealing with computers, hence voice based auctioning...(on the top of our voices...hehe!) could be more comfortable

Skype Hype?

2005-09-08T18:32:00.000+05:30

From the renegade Kazaa, which continued the Napster legacy, Niklas Zennstrom and gang have come a long way.
As this article shows, Skype is single handedly driving the mobile VOIP , as well as the Wi-Fi phone revolution. First with the tie-up with handset manufacturer Motorola and now with the German operator E-plus.

What this would mean for the mobile world, is that VOIP or Wi-fi based telephony is here to stay, and is going to give network (CDMA, GSM....) based telephony, a scramble for its money.

First Serious Virus

2005-09-01T22:26:00.000+05:30

Oops! Just when the W32.Welchia worm was irritating the heck outta my computer! Can you believe that the time has finally come when we are gonna have to protect our phones too? Not mine though. I still haven't picked up a smartphone :P
Wait till the smartphones start coming with antivirus, is what I say! ;)

The juicy parts from the article:

"This is the first time a mobile virus has infected an organization," Runald said. "It's a particularly nasty version of Commwarrior, as it just doesn't give up."

With Commwarrior.A, an infected phone will spend the period between 8 a.m. and midnight attempting to spread the infection to other phones. Between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m, it attempts to delete evidence of its activity.

Commwarrior.B, on the other hand, "will continuously try to send itself for 23 hours out of 24," Runald said. "It's nastier than CommWarrior.A."

One of the employees at the company in question apparently received Commwarrior.B via, and then activated it by opening the program. "The virus then sent itself to every address in the address book; it was opened by more employees, who activated it, and it spread," Runald said.

Norton, Stinger ...Somebody!! There's money to be made here... ;)

Docomo Cellphone Equipped with Three-band Radio Tuner

2005-08-31T20:51:00.000+05:30

I dont know about the rest of the world, but here in India, the radio is still the most used broadcast device, mostly in traffic :p. The reason would definitely be the fact that you don't have to actually look at it, or stay fixed in a couch till you burrow a hole in it ;)
The juicy parts from the article:
The handset incorporates a dual-front design: one side can be used as a cellphone, and the other side a radio. Highly functional, the radio features easy-to-select channels, a dedicated single-color sub-display (16.7x23.1mm), as well as visible buttons. The user can enjoy i-mode while listening to the radio.

So if you read beneath the PR, you realise that the main advantage of a radio , is that you can do a lot of other things, while listening to it. That it should never disturb your normal routine.

26th Aug

2005-08-26T17:33:00.000+05:30

SIPphone releases Gizmo Project VoIP software

I love Google Talk ! This has to be the simplest IM I have ever used. And now this!

The juicy parts:

After a public beta release SIPphone Inc. has released Gizmo Project 1.0, a new Voice over IP (VoIP) software application that lets Mac, Windows and Linux users communic
ate over the Internet and, using optional features, via telephone lines. It’s free to download.

Other features include free voicemail, SMS notification, call encryption, call mapping and more. SIPphone Inc. on Wednesday also announced an agreement to connect to Google Inc.’s recently announced Google Talk instant messaging network. The connectivity will appear in future versions of the Gizmo Project software.

Scarcely has Google launched their IM, and already partnerships are forming.
You have to give it to Google, they know their bulldozing ;)

Nokia steps into top spot for W-CDMA handset sales

Never underestimate the power of the hands ;)

The juicy parts:

"Step by step, Nokia is regaining ground in high-end device segments that it has lost to Motorola, Samsung, LG and others over the last couple of years," said Neil Mawston, associate director of wireless device strategies with research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics.

"Early market leaders NEC and LG have been overtaken by Nokia, and they have significant work to do to match up in the next battle for W-CDMA phones priced below $200 wholesale, which will present significant mass-market opportunities in 2006 to 2010," said Chris Ambrosio, director of Strategy Analytics' wireless device strategies service.

For a long time, we watched as Nokia seemed to falter in its steps, to understand the new coloured mobile world. It seemed as if Nokia was losing it's grip. But no, they changed, they made their cheap phones cheaper, their camera phones more powerful.
Now, if only they could slim down all their phones!

Motorola phones let parents monitor kids

Finally! Another way to look at this is that with child monitors coming on phones, age verification cannot be far behind. This would then, maybe, allow the estimated USD 2.3 billion Adult Content market to show its smutty head from under the carpet.
Especially since US is still very vague on the age verification subject, compared to Europe.
Excerpt:

While parents need to adapt to the emerging youth culture surrounding mobile phones, adults are right to be concerned about what their kids are listening to, watching and reading

Zander said the Indian engineers were working on security features, including access control and data protection.

Nice to know where we Indians fit in ;)

24th Aug 2005

2005-08-24T17:32:00.000+05:30

Google's wireless plans could kill commercial WiFi

According to Business 2.0, Google intends to enter the WiFi hotspot market in the US through a free ad supported model.
The hotspot initiative is an off-shoot from its move to lease its own fibre to avoid transport fees and to become a network peering partner. With all the bandwidth that comes with this, Google can also run its own hotspots in a very financially favourable way. Apparently Google is already supporting Feeva, a San Francisco free hotspot venture and may be involved in further rollouts. This is putting commercial WiFi providers in a potentially lethal position due to the increasing onslaught of free municipal networks on one side and free Google hotspots on the other. Commercial WiFi providers are basically squeezed in the middle and are condemned to wither away.

What's next? A licensed strategy could also make sense with another round of auctions in both the 700MHz and the Advances Wireless Spectrum, the US 3G spectrum in the 1700 and 2100MHz bands, both coming up in 2006. This way Google could realise its vision of making information universally available. Becoming a service provider would be quite a stretch for Google, but considering the billions of dollars Google could throw at the problem it could become a reality. The challenges would be daunting, ranging from running a wireless network, managing a handset portfolio, to distribution and customer service. None of these are areas where Google has a deep understanding yet. Depending on how Google can adapt to these challenging areas and how committed it is to the space, it could become a home run or could break the bank.

Roger Entner is the VP Wireless Telecoms for Ovum, covering market developments, technology trends and companies in the North American market. He can be contacted directly via roger.entner@ovum.com.

New uses for Blackberrys, PDAs soon

August 19, 2005
Excerpt:
Starting in September, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts will provide each of its guests with the new iQue M3 GPS navigator, spokeswoman Sonia G. Weymuller said. "The device also contains e-mail, Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, etc., and enables guests to search restaurants and addresses and, thanks to an integrated speaker, gives voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions," Weymuller added.

Even teenagers are now starting to carry PDAs -- albeit modified for their demographic. Zipit Wireless Messenger has developed a portable instant-messaging device that allows teenagers to connect via "802.11 wireless home networks or free hotspots," said Mike Crisp, a spokesman for Zipit. This enables teens, and even some pre-teens, to "chat away with no service fee."

The future should be full of new PDA innovations, experts tell Wireless World.

Next year wireless carriers plan to introduce a number of new technologies including bandwidth-on-demand, instant replay, and real-time updating of pre-paid accounts. Bandwidth-on-demand will enable users to purchase high-speed downloads such as movies and load them onto a PDA before they board a plane for a cross-country flight. The instant-replay technology will allow consumers, watching a live sporting event at a stadium, to use their handhelds to connect to a stadium's wireless system and watch an instant replay of the spectacular play they witnessed. Those with pre-paid minutes will be able to update their services live without having to interrupt whatever they are doing on the PDA at that time.

Usage of the devices may grow exponentially with the new services. Right now, users are limited to e-mail and phone calls and still consume a lot of time. "I am a two-year user of Blackberry, and I average about 1,000 e-mail messages per month and about 4,000 cell-phone minutes," said Robert Cooper, vice president of sales at Haley Systems, based in suburban Virginia near Washington, D.C.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International

Smartphones: Where the computer and telephony cultures clash by ZDNet's David Berlind --
Excerpt:
This element of control over what can and can't be done with a smartphone (and even regular phones for that matter) and who gets to control that decision is ground zero for where the computing and telecommunications worlds clash. Synchronization frequency is just one very nuanced example of this control. The biggie that drives a lot of mobile warriors insane is upgrading their devices. For example, now that the new improved Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system is out, why can't I do with my smartphone what I've always been able to do with my computer — upgrade to it?

For starters (the first frustration), operating system (OS) upgrades for Windows Mobile-based devices aren't available the same way that OS upgrades are available for computers. Microsoft doesn't make them available at local computer stores or via download from its Web site. At the very least, you have to wait for the manufacturer of your Windows Mobile device to decide to support the new OS, and then to decide on what basis they'll make it available to you. But, in the event that the manufacturer of your Windows Mobile-based phone decides to support a new revision of the operating system, you still must wait for your wireless carrier to make the update available to you. In other words, you're beholden to the wireless carrier's timetable which could be tomorrow, six months from now, or never.

It's not difficult to imagine how disincented wireless carriers are to do non-critical software uprades (upgrades that users wish they could have but that don't correct some earth shattering problem on the device). If, for example, you hear about how great a new smartphone operating system is and you really have to have it, the wireless carrier knows that you'll probably buy a new phone if they drag their feet for too long when it comes to upgrading your existing one. And that's true. That's what I'd do. But I'd do it very begrudgingly, feeling as though I was up against "the system."

Palm and Audi Launch Seamless Automobile Bluetooth Integration

In a collaborative effort meant to enhance safety and convenience of consumers at the wheel, Palm, a leading name in mobile computing and Audi, a global automobile major, have launched a new generation of communications solutions. The solution offers a fully integrated hands-free calling solution and offers built-in Bluetooth short-range wireless support for the Palm Treo 650 smartphone, whether other Bluetooth capable devices will or can be supported is unknown. But the new communication features can be easily accessed by owners of the 2006 Audi A6 and A8 vehicles, they now can make and receive calls by using the car's MMI (Multi Media Interface) console, voice-recognition interface or steering-wheel controls.

The co-developers of the new solution are projecting it as a major innovation. "As the convenience of smartphones and wireless access continues to expand worldwide, an important next step was to integrate these technologies into cars in a way that places safety first. Now drivers can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, while using the Treo 650 to communicate with the outside world", says John Hartnett, Senior Vice President, Palm Inc. Adds Stephen Berkov, Director (Marketing), Audi, "We share very similar user demographics and leadership in design, technology and brand loyalty. In light of these similarities, we saw a special opportunity in the intersection of car and phone technologies."

With the Treo 650 smartphone, Audi drivers will have the ability to utilize the Treo 650's advanced calling features without ever touching the smartphone. With the Treo 650 smartphones built in Bluetooth technology, connections to your 2006 Audi A8 and A6 will be seamless and without the need for any additional hardware.

Browser on a gaming Device: Kawanishi Talks PSP Browser

Wednesday, 24 August 2005

Excerpt:
Beside HTML browsing, there are future plans for ftp or advanced email functions as well. "The email function is included but our main concern is how easy you can input your text. There are many ways of communications nowadays associated to the web. You have Text and HTML based e-mails, newsgroups, blogs, etc… We are searching for the right method to enjoy them. In PSP’s case, it is not only about texts but also videos and music. So emails are only one way of communication on PSP."

Canon introduces Web Access software for multifunction devices

Excerpt:

July 24, 2005 Canon already the major player in the networked imaging solutions arena, but the latest move by the company is still an interesting one. The Canon Web Access Software Kit is the first ever Web browser to be designed to run on multifunction devices. Unique to Canon, the software allows the use of Canon multifunction devices (MFDs) as"information kiosks" that access and print information directly from an intranet or the Internet. This makes it ideal for organisations that have a significant number of staff who do not have access to PCs but who need to access forms, documents or information on the company intranet, such as in retail, logistics or manufacturing industries.

It will also be popular with universities, libraries and all classes of organisations where important documents are regularly updated on an intranet but where access to PCs may not always be available. As employees can access the company intranet direct from the device, frequently accessed documents like leave forms, contracts, maps and manuals can be printed immediately at the MFD. This provides the obvious benefits of not only speed of access and security but most importantly accuracy.

Nokia's Mobile Search and Mobile Service Consumption

Excerpt:
If you have not tried this yet, you should, it is a very handy tool. Of particular note in my opinion is the local search functionality. This allows you to search for businesses in your local area (or an area you specify). You are provided with a list of results and from this you can do several things: dial the relevant numbers, add the number to your Contacts, and view a map with the location of the results pinpointed. Much of this information may be available via your Operator's portal, for example Orange in the UK provide a 'Where's My Nearest...' service. However, because Mobile Search is an application it is easier to use, it's faster in getting to results and it's better integrated into the phone. More than anything, Mobile Search demonstrates the power of the service type application when compared to its mobile browser equivalent.