Archive for September, 2008
by Ewan Spence
September 28, 2008 at 7:44 pm · Filed under Mobile messaging 2.0, Platforms, Twitter
I’ve talked a lot on this blog about how important the content of a message is (the payload), and why this is one of the most important parts of any mobile messaging 2.0. Having just spent last weekend in Las Vegas at the Blog World Expo, the importance of how that content is delivered was reiterated to me.
The medium was the doyenne of the new messaging crowd, Twitter. With a lot of bloggers at the event, and Vegas’ reputation as a party city, there was a certain amount of communication required to make sure everyone got to the same party at the same time so the conference discussions could continue. As with the majority of conferences in the last eighteen months, the jungle drums for parties, meetings, and surprise gigs was on the micro-blogging service.
Unfortunately for myself, my mobile number is a UK based number. A few months ago, Twitter stopped sending Twitter messages out to UK based mobile numbers, to a lot of protest. The reason was the cost, but rather than offer an alternative (eg a subscription service, the individual buying of sms ‘credits,’ or something else) Twitter simply pulled the plug.
I’ll admit that this didn’t make much difference to me when at home; I wasn’t taking my full Twitter feed down SMS, just the Direct Messages that people sent solely to myself, but this was enough to give me confidence people could reach me easily via Twitter and I’d be able to respond in a timely fashion. With the loss of SMS/Twitter, I lost this confidence.
And in Vegas it caused pain.
With all the evening fun being organised over Twitter, and various DM’s being sent to me asking where I was, where I was heading, and why not join us at Cirque De Soleie? Messages that I wasn’t getting, because I was no longer in the Wi-Fi coverage of the conference, and while roaming there was no way that I was going to do any roaming to even the low-bandwidth mobile version of Twitter. For some reason, reminding people that they had to text me directly, and not DM me via Twitter.
One of the main benefits of Twitter, the social communication in a group mixed in the physical and virtual world, had vanished. The information content was out there, but I couldn’t get to it.
As new services pop up and mature around the smartphone, it’s going to be vital for developers to consider the different ways content can get to the end-users, and that it’s not always going to be a consistent choice. They all need to work well, especially when conditions require users to use the alternatives. It’s also important to give users advance notice, and alternative options, if you are going to remove features from any service, especially if those features are key to how people use the product.
by Celine Roque
September 25, 2008 at 12:23 pm · Filed under Google, Mobile messaging 2.0, Notable + Quotable
SMS to the Rescue: Text messaging bridges the Digital Divide
James Witkin shares uplifting stories about technology and reaching out: “Many of the initiatives addressing the issues of social ecology rely on bringing modern technologies — like cell phones, computers, and Internet access — to populations in need.” Notes the piece: “recognizing the widespread use of mobile phones even in the most remote areas, several non-profits are helping to grow this ‘Social Mobile’ space, providing simple tools and basic training to grassroots NGOs. One such effort the article profiles: kiwanja.net.
How iPhone and Android Will Change the Web
Mattias Hising of Front End Book gives his prognosis on the age of the mobile web: “In order to make the revolution speed up we need molotov-cocktails such as usable services, standardized platforms, large user base and a change in behaviour.” His conclusion, after discussing the ways in which the iPhone, Android and similar efforts will change the Web: “The mobile revolution has just begun, and it is important for companies acting on competitive markets online to implement solutions for their customers, because they will start to expect that mobile services are a natural complement to their traditional web service.”
The Irritation of Text Message SPAM (And What You Can Do)
In this article on PrivacyCouncil.org, the author tries to empower mobile users by giving specific suggestions on how to fight a growing annoyance: “For more people than ever before, it’s a way of life: SMS technology is the most widely used data application on the planet, with 2.4 billion active users (74% of people with cell phones also send text messages).” The first antidote for mobile SPAM? Do take advantage of the Do-Not-Call list. After all, the government is here to help - from the FCC website: “FCC rules prohibit sending unwanted text messages to your wireless phone number if they are sent using an autodialer, or if you have placed that number on the national Do-Not-Call list.”
Online Social Networking Goes Mobile: 140 Million Users by 2013, says ABI Research
A press release on yet another study looking at mobile social networking joins the chorus of predictions of a rosy future for ubiquitous devices. ABI’s research director: “Subscriber numbers for mobile social networking will climb at a relatively modest rate for the next three or four years, but will then start to accelerate sharply. That uptick is based on assumed acceptance levels in the giant emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China.”
Some tips for the mobile phone buyer traveling abroad
Mobile Gadgeteer Matthew Miller shares his experiences hunting down tech gadgets in an unfamiliar territory: “I just returned from a short business trip to Singapore and knew before I went out there that it might be trouble for my credit card…” He discusses the Samsung OMNIA he was able to track down as well as shares some shopping pointers and tips, e.g., “Ask for a Tax Refund form.”
Is There A Recipe For Success In Mobile App Stores?
Don Reislinger of TechCrunch lists the do’s and don’t’s in this burgeoning space: “An App Store with the right ingredients for success not only makes people want to buy the smartphone more than others, but it offers a new revenue-sharing opportunity that could become extremely lucrative.” Among the items in a recipe for success: “The ability for users to download applications wirelessly to their device from a Wi-Fi or 3G connection.”
Chrome’s Mobile Future
Forbes.com’s Elizabeth Woyke reports on why we’ve probably seen just the tip of the iceberg in Chrome, Google’s new browser effort. “Google is striking at a key time. Browser wars have raged on the desktop for years, but the mobile Web space, especially in the U.S., remains relatively open.” Josh Martin, an analyst with Yankee, from the article: “In our ever-connected world, the ability to translate experiences between devices is hugely important. Chrome is evidence of Google’s strategy to dominate all devices.”
Flash and Java on the iPhone: Video Dream vs. Security Nightmare Redux
The great trade-off debate is still on, and Rene Ritchie voices his opinion on the issue: “Bottom-line: Both for Apple and for consumers, the advantages for Flash and Java currently do not outweigh the drawbacks, especially as standard web technologies continue to decrease the gap between proprietary plugin capabilities and the open internet (HTML, CSS, AJAX).”
Cell Phones Make Headway in Education
Olga Kharif reports on how a university in Texas is reversing the perception of mobile phones in the classroom: “Cell phones have long been considered classroom distractions, but the ability of smartphones to run a wide variety of applications opens the door to greater possibilities.” The article goes on to share a few interesting experiments and anecdotes and comment on the positive impact the adoption of mobile by educational institutions may have for industry players.
The mobile traveler challenge
Brian Osborne: “These days you can do a lot with your mobile phone. You can text, surf the internet, download your favorite music, and of course send and receive e-mail. Because the mobile phone is so powerful, I wondered if I could go on a trip and use just my mobile phone for things like researching and booking the trip, checking in, and more…” See the article for the result of his experiment.
The Best Free Apps for Your Windows Mobile Device
LifeHacker brings us a list of useful applications for WM in this post by Jason Fitzpatrick. “Despite the flurry of attention surrounding the iPhone and other new mobile phone platforms, Windows Mobile still has a widespread distribution and capacity for customization. Approaching its ninth birthday, Windows Mobile has a large selection of old and new software that helps enhance the user experience and make getting things done (and sometimes goofing off) all the easier.”
by Ewan Spence
September 24, 2008 at 11:08 am · Filed under Mobile messaging 2.0
Russell Beattie has asked if the deluge of applications into Apple’s iPhone store is going to cause a drop in quality, and I tend to agree with him. Not because the really good applications won’t be submitted, but because of a land-rush of developers that are going to be swarming towards the iPhone platform to try and get a foothold in the early software market. If they can capture attention then it’s likely that they can build on that and develop some solid applications.
But to do that, you need volume to be noticed, partly because of the volume of applications that are being approved for the store (some 65 per day) means it is going to be hard to get noticed, and that means you’ll need more needles in the rapidly growing haystack.
The big winner of course is Apple, with each of these developers paying their $100 for the tools to code on the platform. Far from me to suggest that Apple is getting rich on the dreams of others, but that’s a lot of $100, even if you make the far fetched assumption that each developer gains enough sales to make it back (and if they do, well Apple will have their cut of the sales as well to continue to earn for them).
So will Apple do whatever it takes to keep pushing the App Store, and keep the good apps and success stories to the front of the store like the Casino owners in Vegas handing pictures of Ten Million dollar cheques to the Strip’s constant flow of tourists? I think so. Will they address the problem of more and more ‘basic’ applications in the database? I very much doubt that. Beyond the occasional deletion for ‘triviality purposes’ to keep everyone on their toes they’d rather have the volume to shout about, and the success stories to promote, and let people’s “I can beat the odds” bring them towards one of the smaller platforms in today’s current market.
PS… in that post’s comments, someone has pointed out an HTML version of the store if you want to go exploring from your browser. http://app-store.appspot.com/ could be useful for some of you…
by Celine Roque
September 23, 2008 at 4:20 pm · Filed under Mobile messaging 2.0
Easy Cell: Mobile Phones for the Hearing Impaired
Examines the effort of University of Washington researchers who are developing software for the U.S. market that would enable users to communicate on their mobile phones using sign language via real-time video. The key: data compression via “skin-mapping” algorithm. Some 37 million Americans are hearing impaired, notes the article.
Text messages reach record levels this year
Geek.com’s Brian Osborne looks at the latest SMS stats and confesses his own contribution to the numbers. The numbers, based on a CTIA survey: “For the month of June alone, there were 75 billion text messages sent… up 160% compared to text messages sent in June 2007… Also up were picture and other multimedia messages. 5.6 billion MMS messages were sent in the first half of this year. That’s about the same number which were sent for all of 2007.”
Could There Be More To Google, Android, Chrome, & Gears Than Meets The Eye?
David Berlind talks about what Google’s most recent moves may mean for the industry: “Given how critical third party software developers are to the strategic success of any platform ecosystem, we can fully expect Apple, Google, RIM, Sun, the Symbian Foundation, Adobe and others to fight tooth and nail for every mobile developer on the planet. More than one will succeed. But not all. Or, might it not matter?…”
Surf’s up: Tips for better mobile browsing
John Maringmei shares some ideas on how to optimize your smartphone for web browsing. His starting point: a recent study released from browser maker Opera on the habits of the millions of people using Opera Mini, e.g., its finding that 11.9 million people viewed 2.4 billion pages via its browser in March 2008. But, continues Maringmei, “despite the fancy numbers, there seem to be an equally staggering number of smartphone users feeling exasperated that their phones are not as smart as they thought,” before going on to provide a long list of tips. Nothing earthshattering but certainly all of us could stand to better optimize our handset-browsing.
The big question: which big player has the right mobile web development strategy?
Dean Takahasi profiles the mobile game plans of some of the tech industry’s giants: “After listening to some of the big players talk about their strategies [at CTIA], the divisions between the companies are becoming clear and the question is: Which approach will succeed?”
CTIA: Make you Mobile Site Visible With Meta Data
Dennis Bournique reports on a new new meta data format designed to increase the visibility of mobile web sites by search engines. The format, called “Metatxt”, comes out of research done at Waterford Institute of Technology and is a simple, extensible text format based on robots.txt that lists a site’s description, keywords, title, PC and mobile URLs, feeds, mobile and PC sitemaps and geolocation.
In the Wireless World, 3 Things Matter: Location, Location, Location
Andrew Burger provides a decent overview of the kinds of location-based services operators are developing. Says a Sprint partner of their offering on the way: “the first implementations of the service will be attached to laptops, via data cards. What we have done is built a consumer destination Web site that will deliver implicitly location-centric content. The maps that we deliver and content available will all be displayed based on the end-user’s location. So the experience will geo-enable the laptop, versus the mobile phone.”
Apple looks to take multi-touch beyond the touch-screen
Katie Marsal reports on a new patent being eyed by Jobs & Co. on AppleInsider: “With its competitors struggling to catch up with multi-touch technology introduced last year as part of the iPhone, Apple is already conceptualizing new versions of the technology that would fuse a variety of secondary inputs with today’s touch-based gestures to produce more efficient data input operations.”
by Ewan Spence
September 15, 2008 at 5:40 am · Filed under Apple, MobileMe, Nokia, Ovi, iPhone
How times change. The last week has seen one technology company gather the press and media together to announce a tweaked product line-up that surprised absolutely nobody, while another announced the first device to launch one of the most intriguing and potentially game changing music service in the last few years.
The fact that the staid company was Apple and the innovator was Nokia seems to have escaped everyone’s notice.
The switch in fortunes may or may not continue – there can be no doubt that both companies have their innovation labs working at full speed for new products, but it’s going to be very hard for a pure hardware play to provide a significant win on the quarterly company reports. The future is going to be in software, and the services that are being provided.
In that light, Nokia’s Comes With Music serivce is a very interesting half way house – on certain phone models you will also get a one year subscription to Nokia’s Music Store that allows you to download as much music as you want, and keep it when the year is up. Note that it is Windows Media DRM so there are some transfer restrictions). It’s doubtful that Nokia are making any profit on this service, although do expect the price of the handset with the service to be higher than a vanilla phone.
What it does do is provide a service that helps people make their purchasing decision.
Nokia’s major play is something called Ovi, which ties in a number of software services (mapping, gaming, over the air sync of files and data, and a few other tricks as well), and Nokia are hoping that these services provide a stickiness to their offerings in these days of almost identical technical specs. The news from CTIA that Rogers Canada will be using their Maps and Gaming service for their High-Speed customers is one of the more interesting developments in this field.
Apple have a similar service as well, in the MobileMe although it should be noted that all these services are subscription based (whereas Nokia only asks for a fee if you use their off-line file-sync section), and both companies have Application Stories available for developers – of course Apple’s iPhone store is the only store availabel to developers, Nokia continues to believe in an almost fully open software ecosystem.
It’s no longer enough to have a really nice piece of hardware (like the iPod). You need to have something behind it that provides more value to the user, and keep them coming back to your platform. Apple’s recent music event shows that the day of the standalone are no longer enough. Their future has to lie in devices like the iPhone (and arguably the iPod Touch making a tablet play) or the Nokia tablets and smartphones that tie you to the servers of a company with a subtle enough touch that you could move away, but don’t want to.
Something Apple hasn’t quite mastered yet for the smartphone, but Nokia are managing quite nicely.
