The Opinionated Normob

Comscore: Android's UK market share explodes as Apple overtakes Symbian -- Engadget

2011-08-07T17:50:00.000+01:00

Look at the chart above and you'll see two things happening. First, Apple has overtaken Symbian to become the top smartphone platform in the UK (with a 27 percent market share). And secondly, Android has grown 634 percent year-over-year to shoot into second place, with less than half a percentage point keeping it from the top spot (other reports already place it ahead). As you might expect, much of that growth isn't coming from folks switching from one smartphone to the other, but from new smartphone users -- Comscore found that 42 percent of all mobile users in the UK used a smartphone in May of this year, compared to just 27 percent a year ago. Of course, that also means that 58 percent of UK cellphone users are still potential smartphone users (to say nothing of those that still don't have a cellphone at all), so there's certainly still plenty up for grabs for all involved.

Comscore Data Mine

Tesco to offer free Wi-Fi in stores

2011-08-06T10:23:00.000+01:00

Tesco will become the first UK supermarket to offer customers free Wi-Fi in its stores.

The new service will allow smartphone, tablet and laptop users to surf the internet while browsing the aisles for their weekly shop at no cost.

The move follows US chains such as Starbucks and McDonalds, which currently offer Wi-Fi 'hotspots' at many of their UK locations, and is part of Tesco’s strategy to adapt to the changing shopping habits of its customers.

A Tesco spokeswoman told Mobile: ‘We are currently running trials for the new service in four of our stores and if it proved successful it will then be rolled out quickly across all our UK chains.’

Source: Mobile Today

BT brings Web 2.0 into the fold

2010-05-26T21:16:00.000+01:00

BT has folded the Ribbit internet call management service into its Onevoice business offering, combining functionality equivalent to Google Voice with the backing of a proper telecommunications company.
BT bought Silicon Valley-based Ribbit for $105m almost two years ago, but integrating the service into BT's corporate offering has taken a while, during which time Ribbit has only been available to individual beta testers. Now BT plans testing with corporate customers over the summer and a general launch before the end of the year.

Ribbit provides not only a single number for incoming and outgoing calls, integrating with existing VoIP services where necessary, but also an open API. This allows companies to create their own applications for integrating with those cloud-based systems that are so popular these days.

BT also reckons companies can save a fortune by routing calls over VoIP connections when out of the office, and get access to the full exchange functionality too. So no excuses remain for failing to dial into the conference call while travelling.

Ribbit also integrates with mobiles, offering custom applications for the iPhone, among others, and is capable of integrating with any network and handling incoming and outgoing calls on any handset (using call forwarding).

So basically Ribbit Onevoice has everything Google is offering with Google Voice, but it's backed by a telecommunications company which will integrate it with your existing systems. BT also won't listen into your communications for demographic profiling purposes. The catch is that the service costs money. ®

Source: The Register

BBC told to delay iPhone apps

2010-03-29T13:21:00.000+01:00

Trust to review corporation's plans for news and sport smartphone apps after protests from newspaper publishers

The BBC News smartphone app was due to launch next month. Photograph: BBC

The launch of BBC News and BBC Sport smartphone applications is to be delayed, after the BBC Trust heeded industry calls for it to review the corporation's apps proposals.
Today the BBC Trust has informed the corporation's management that it plans to assess the plans for a series of apps for smartphones including the iPhone and BlackBerry.
The trust said it had also asked for the launch of the first apps to be delayed. The BBC had been planning to launch its BBC News app next month and a BBC Sport app in May. There are also plans for an iPlayer app.
When it unveiled the app proposals in February, BBC management argued that the new mobile content offerings were an extension of existing services and are "plainly not a new content service and therefore doesn't need to tbe regulated as such".
However, earlier this month the Newspapers Publishers Association, which represents UK national newspaper groups, appealed to the BBC Trust arguing that the corporation's apps plans would undermine commercial organisations' ability to establish economic models on smartphones.
"There remains some uncertainty about the potential significance of whether it [the BBC's plans] constitutes a change of service," said a spokeswoman for the BBC Trust today.
The BBC Trust added it had moved to look into the plans "following representations from the industry". The trust will now look at four areas: the financial implications, the impact on "users and others"; how long the activity will last; and the extent to which the change would "involve the BBC in a new area of untested activity".
However, the BBC Trust is not, at this stage, looking to launch a full public value test into the proposed smartphone services.

Source: The Guardian

O2's data traffic "continues to double every four months"

2010-03-25T14:11:00.000Z

O2’s CTO Derek McManus on mobile data exceeding voice traffic, the limitations of 3G and the hopes for the data-capabilities of 4G

Could demand for mobile broadband services bring the airwaves to a halt? That is the question on most expert’s lips after it emerged that, for the first time, more data is passing over mobile phone networks than voice.

The tipping point came in December, according to figures from Ericsson, and is being widely attributed to people checking email being joined by social media users sending messages, posting updates and communicating with their ‘buddies’ while on the move.

The potentially alarming point for the mobile phone networks is that this has been achieved with an estimated 400m mobile broadband users around the world, compared to 4bn voice users.

O2’s iPhone experience

Certainly Derek McManus, CTO of O2 confirms that data now exceeds voice on its 3G network and that this has been a long term development he has witnessed through the past two years, pretty much since the network signed a two year exclusive for the iPhone which ended in January this year.

“As the exclusive provider of the iPhone for 2 years, we have unrivalled insight into changing customer behaviour and the impact of intensive mobile applications,” he says.

“We experienced a 20-fold increase in data on our network over the last twelve months. And traffic continues to double every four months.”

This raises many challenges for any network, he points out, and not just in dealing with the extra traffic. One of the challenges is ensuring infrastructure and systems can cope with short, sharp and rapid burst of demands for data which are very different from voice conversations.

“The challenge is not limited to increased demand,” McManus says.

“Data services like Facebook and Twitter generate multiple and concurrent requests to the data network (once every eight seconds) – we call them ‘chatty’ applications.

We are suitably building ahead of this curve by adapting our network and cleverly focussing network investment. The issue of mobile coverage is no longer about simply covering the land mass with mobile masts to meet a percentage target, but rather about depth and quality of experience.

Bigger ‘pipes’ and ‘processes’

Hence, the future, McManus believes, is going to be dominated by the twin challenges of not only moving from 3G to 4G but also developing infrastructure which is suited to the short, rapid burst data requests made en-masse by mobile apps.

“In terms of the immediate future of 3G networks, our priority is to re-dimension infrastructure in anticipation of changing customer behaviour,” McManus explains.

“We’re challenging the industry (including our infrastructure partners) to develop solutions that will suitably support the behaviour of mobile apps. It is no longer just about ‘volume’ (making the pipe bigger) but about the ‘process’ of data handling.

“More long term is the evolution of new technologies, such as 4G. We are currently running ongoing 4G (or LTE – Long Term Evolution) trials with Huawei, which offer speeds up to 150Mbps. Incredibly, our modest 4G trial network in Slough already has the data carrying capacity of the entire live 3G network, which illustrates the vast step change expected of this next generation of technology.”

Source: Sean Hargrave for Samknows Broadband)

Android Crowding Apple, RIM

2010-03-22T17:46:00.000Z

Google's Android operating system will see the largest growth rate of the three mobile platforms this year, research firm says.

Antone Gonsalves writes in InformationWeek:

As the U.S. smartphone market grows this year, Apple and Research in Motion will see their shares fall as phones built with Google's Android operating system attract a growing number of users, a research firm says.

RIM's BlackBerry will hold on to its leadership position in the U.S. this year, while Apple's iPhone is expected to remain in second place, Canalys reported Friday. Android phones, however, will see the largest growth rate, 169.2%.

Manufacturers will ship 65.1 million smartphones this year, a 38% increase over 2009, according to Canalys. Many consumers buying smartphones for the first time are expected to favor Android phones that are less expensive than the BlackBerry and iPhone.
Lower-priced Android phones will help drive market share of the platform to 18.9% from 9.7% this year, Canalys said. On the other hand, the BlackBerry's share will fall to 43% year over year from 49.2%, while the iPhone's share drops to 21.3% from 23.1%.
Of the major smartphone platforms, only Microsoft's Windows Phone is expected to see a drop in the number of units shipped. That's because Microsoft is not scheduled to ship its upcoming Windows Phone 7 until shortly before the holiday season.
"Windows Phone 7 Series represents a major improvement to the platform that was badly needed from Microsoft," Canalys analyst Chris Jones, said in a statement. "However, the delay between announcement and expected commercial availability in Q4 2010 will make this year a tough one."
Shipments of Windows Phone-based smartphones are expected to fall 1.3% year over year to 4.7 million units. Nevertheless, the devices will account for 10.1% of the market, coming in third behind the BlackBerry and iPhone.

T-Mobile and Orange merger approved by EU

2010-03-02T14:42:00.000Z

Approval has been granted for the merger of T-Mobile and Orange in the UK by the EU. The approval was conditional on an amendment to the network sharing agreement between T-Mobile and Three as the EU were concerned that the merger could threaten the viability of Three, the smallest mobile network operator in the UK.

The other concession was that the combined network would have to give up 25% of its mobile spectrum within the 1800MHz band. Without doing so, the 60MHz contiguous spectrum held would be significantly larger than any of the other networks giving it the ability to run LTE, the next generation of mobile broadband services, at the best possible speeds within the current spectrum.

In light of these concessions, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have withdrawn their request to review the case, giving a green light for the merger to go ahead. This will create the UK's largest mobile network with a market share of around 37%.

Source: Thinkbroadband

T-Mobile launches Euro Broadband Boosters

2010-03-01T15:18:00.000Z

T-Mobile Broadband has introduced new cut-price roaming packages that let you go online in Europe from just £1.

Research has shown that “40% of customers would take their laptop on holiday with them if they could get connected to the internet easily,” said T-Mobile as it launched its new Euro Broadband Boosters.

The new mobile broadband roaming add-ons allow customers to choose how much data they want, eliminating “bill shocks” by guaranteeing that they never pay more than the fixed price option they have chosen.

Ralf Pearson, senior propositions manager for mobile broadband at T-Mobile, said: “We want customers to be able to get the most from our mobile broadband service. As 40% say they want to take their laptop away with them to stay connected, we’re launching Euro Broadband Boosters so they can do this without having to worry about the costs getting out of control.

“With this proposition, we’re offering these customers a range of better value, worry-free options, built to suit their different on-line needs while they’re in the most popular travel destinations.”

There will be four Euro Broadband Boosters to choose from, going live on 1 March:

3MB for £1 with about 15 minutes online checking email
20MB for £5 with about two hour’s online usage
50MB for £10 with one days use
200MB for £40 with 30 days usage

The 3MB, 20MB and 50MB Boosters last for 24 hours each, while the 200MB Booster is valid for 30 days.

The Boosters can be bought through a simple webpage that opens automatically when you open your browser in Europe. Once your allowance has been used up or your data has expired, this webpage will reappear, allowing you to buy another Booster if you want to stay online.

Michael Phillips, Broadbandchoices.co.uk product director, said: “Starting at just £1 for 3MB, T-Mobile is offering some of the best value for money on mobile broadband roaming packages.

“However, users need to be aware that these bundles - and the comparative offers from Virgin Media Mobile Broadband and Orange Mobile Broadband - are only designed for light internet use and checking emails. If you start watching YouTube clips, downloading music tracks and uploading holiday pictures and videos to Facebook, you'll use up your allowance in no time,” he warned.

Source: Broadband Choices

Eurocrats mandate maximum charge for data roaming

2010-03-01T14:17:00.001Z

From today, Europe's mobile phone networks must work with customers to prevent using mobile broadband while travelling from costing the Earth.

Roaming rules put in place by the European Union's Council of Ministers and the European Parliament in June 2009 oblige O2, Orange, Three, T-Mobile, Virgin Media, Vodafone and others to offer customers of a monthly limit beyond which punters will not be charged.

The EU suggested a €50 (£45) cut-off point, but networks are free to agree any other amount with their customers.

Customers who don't make a choice by 1 July will have a €50 limit imposed upon them.

The legislation was put in place to prevent so-called 'bill shock' where phone users accumulate massive bills while travelling in Europe and accessing the internet on roaming tariffs.

Recently, we reported the story of student William Harrison who clocked up almost £8000 in charges for using his UK Orange 3G dongle in France.

The EU's roaming rules limit the wholesale price of data to €1 per megabyte, though carriers are free to charge their customers more. Most, if not all of them, do.

Some networks charge as much as £5 per megabyte to access the internet overseas. Until today, download an 800MB movie and you'd be billed £4000.

Now, when you reach 80 per cent of your agreed limit, your carrier must warn you that you're nearing your cut-off point. When you hit the limit, data access will stop, but you won't end up with a bonkers bill - at least, not for data roaming. ®

Source: The Register

O2 downplays Vodafone's speed poll win

2010-02-24T15:23:00.000Z

O2 has responded to the gratitude shown from Vodafone this morning over a recent poll putting the red network on top.
An independent poll commissioned by O2 showed that Vodafone was fastest for mobile phone web access in the most cities across the UK, prompting a message of 'thanks' from Voda's CEO.
But O2's Chief Technology Officer, Derek McManus, has told TechRadar that the survey wasn't just about who was fastest:
'Ambitious claims are made about network speeds but the situation is far from clear cut. Accurate information and transparency are crucial in helping customers make sure they get the best from their mobile network.
In the loop
'We commissioned this survey to make sure no one is misled. O2 offers faster speeds in many cities, and other operators in others.
'We offer an industry-leading 14-day happiness guarantee, so if customers are not happy with the speeds they're getting, they can bring the device back. We urge customers to use coverage checkers before they purchase a phone or mobile broadband dongle.'
We're hoping that Orange, T-Mobile and 3 join in this debate, possibly ending in some kind of mobile speed-based cage fight.

Source: TechRadar

Qik gets UK distribution via Vodafone deal

2010-02-23T20:00:00.000Z

TechCrunch reports:

Mobile streaming video startup Qik has landed a significant distribution deal in the UK.

Vodafone UK customers will now be able to record and share videos from their mobile phone via Qik by texting ‘Qik’ to 97886 (free) to receive a link to the relevant app for their handset (standard data charges apply). Vodafone is the number two mobile network in the UK, behind O2 and ahead of Orange.

Once loaded, videos generated on Qik can be posted to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and users will be able to send video messages privately via SMS and email, or upload videos to blogging platforms like Wordpress, Tumblr and Blogger.

It remains to be seen how many customers will actually take up Qik however. However, live streaming video from a mobile has yet to take off here and it may well a deal like this to kick off mainstream take-up.

Qik is currently on the iPhone, BlackBerry and Nokia handsets, among others.

Rival European startup Bambuser recently signed a deal with Finnish broadcaster YLE.

Google Voice, explained

2010-02-19T15:49:00.000Z

Google Voice is about giving you more control over your communications, through dozens of features — ranging from call screening to voicemail transcription to the ability to send and receive SMS by email.

While we've heard from users that they love our growing list of features, we're conscious of the fact that Google Voice can seem overwhelming to people trying it for the first time.

So we've created a short video that gives an overview of what Google Voice can do.

In addition, we've created a set of short videos that dive into more detail about ten features of Google Voice:
Voicemail transcription
One number
Personalized greetings
International calling
SMS to email
Share voicemails
Block callers
Screen callers
Mobile app
Conference calls
The videos show why you might want to use each feature and basic instructions for getting started. And each video focuses on just one topic so you can learn about the features that matter to you.

Finally, we just launched our own YouTube channel at youtube.com/googlevoice. You can view all of the videos mentioned above in a custom video gadget we built for this channel, which will help you keep track of which videos you've already watched.

We hope these videos help you get the most out of Google Voice.

Posted by Jason Toff, Associate Product Marketing Manager
(Cross-posted from the Google Voice Blog)

One of the coolest gadgets at MWC – a portable fuel cell

2010-02-19T13:29:00.002Z

Myfc from Mike Butcher on Vimeo.

One of the more interesting objects on display at Mobile World Congress this year was one produced by a Swedish company, enabling people in developing countries to charge their mobile phone. But no, this was not a car battery or an electrical generator on a bicycle. This was a small portable fuel cell.

Think about it. Mobile base stations can often now reach far into the countryside, even in some previously remote places in Africa. But actually keeping the phone charged is an issue.

myFC is a small hydrogen fuel cell power source which will still work under extreme environmental conditions. The exterior plastic housing appears to be be very durable and it has no moving parts.

How does it work? The fuel cell silently converts hydrogen into electricity via its “Proton Exchange Membrane”. The only by-product from the fuel cell is a little water vapor. To operate, hydrogen is drawn from a small packet of energised aluminium powder, water added and voila, power comes out. In theory you could stockpile these packets of powder and just use them as needed (though of course there remains the issue of how much they’d cost and how affordable they’d be for people in developing countries).

mFC comes in three different forms. Two for outdoor use and one prototype which could be attached to the back of a laptop screen.

I was pretty impressed. Check out the video above.

Source: Mike Butcher on TechCrunch

60,000 Android devices shipping daily

2010-02-16T19:03:00.000Z

Sixty thousand handsets per day are shipping with Android.

That's the astonishing figure revealed by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who hailed the ecosystem around Android as well as the strength of the Open Handset Alliance during his 45-minute Congress keynote this evening.

'It's our time to be proud of what we have built together,' added Schmidt. 'It's our goal to make mobile the answer to pretty much everything.' He then spoke about how Google was very much a 'mobile first' company.

Senior Product Manager for Android, Erick Tseng, got up on stage to demo Flash on Android, showing us a New York Times image ('all the components are there' – a slight at Apple's iPad launch). The handset was running full-fat Flash 10.1.

Tseng also talked about how smartphones had been crucial to the fund-raising efforts in Haiti and pulled up fresh satellite footage taken after the earthquake.

We also had a translation demo as well as a mashup of translation and the recently-launched Google Goggles, whereby an item in German on a menu was translated into English simply by taking a photo of it (on a Nexus One, of course).

T-Mobile Pulse Mini unveiled for £99.99

2010-02-16T18:21:00.000Z

Android is now really on a budget

The T-Mobile Pulse Mini

T-Mobile has announced at a press conference at Mobile World Congress that it will be slimming down its budget Android offering in the T-Mobile Pulse Mini.

The new phone will retail for just £99.99 on Pay as you go tariffs, and will allow more users to sample Android without breaking the bank.

It's not got the worst specs in the world either: 3.2MP camera with LED flash, 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen and a 3.5mm headphone jack (where the original Pulse just had a 2.5mm offering).

Inter-dimensional

The Mini phone has dimensions of 106x57x14mm, meaning it's not the thinnest device out on the market - but at that price we doubt that will affect its appeal.

It's not got a lot else to shout about - 300MB on board memory, a microSD card slot for media expansion and Android 2.1 are the main highlights from the rest of the spec sheet (although we're pleased to see the latter on such a cheap device).

T-Mobile also used the press conference to announce that it will be offering the Samsung Wave - the first smartphone based on the electronics firm's Bada platform - in Europe as well.

The T-Mobile Pulse Mini has been given a UK release date of April this year, so there's not long to start rummaging down the back of the sofa to see if you can afford this Android marvel.

fonYou to let operators fight back against Google Voice, Ribbit et al

2010-02-11T16:38:00.002Z

Steve O'Hear writes on TechCrunchUK:

[Spain] With the rise of consumer-facing cloud telephone services, such as Google Voice and Ribbit, the call management services of traditional mobile operators are starting to look a bit long in the tooth. How long, therefore, before they roll out rival offerings of their own?

Not long, hopes Spanish MVNO fonYou, which today announced that it will begin licensing its Online Mobile Telephony solution to mobile network operators.

The company’s platform allows operators to offer their customers the ability to control their mobile phone services online, giving them direct access to call records, text messages and voicemails via a web browser. The degree of control and customization seems quite detailed too, including the option to set different voice mail greeting messages for individual contacts, configure your address book online, re-direct and block certain contacts, and so on. The browser-based user interface also appears to be slick, and presumably can be re-branded for each partner operator.

If my network offered such a service, it would certainly be one more reason to consider staying with them next time my contract is up for renewal. And with customer churn the number one issue which preoccupies the carriers, fonYou’s proposition does seem compelling. Cue a quote from Fernando Núñez Mendoza, CEO of fonYou:

“With Online Mobile Telephony services operators can compete with the new generation of aggressive cloud-based models such as Google Voice, Ribbit or Skype, and get closer to their customers. In this new competitive environment, fonYou will empower operators to quickly launch new ‘sticky’ services, greatly improve the users’ experience, and secure their position in the new and growing online market segments.”

And fonYou’s proposition has already stuck. The company says it’s signed up its first group of mobile operator customers who will launch their own version of the Online Mobile Telephony solution in the next quarter.

2009-10-17T14:22:00.002+01:00

Nokia Records $834 Million Q3 Loss, Market Share Slips By 6%

Nokia has seen happier times, the world’s largest cell phone manufacturer posted a loss today of approx. $834 million (559 million euro) for the companies Q3 earnings report.

It’s the first time the electronics firm has lost money in more than a decade and comes at a time when sales have dropped by 20% alongside 1.17 billion euros in company write-downs. Investors can thank that write-down to impairment charges incurred by the Nokia Siemens Network.

Nokia’s market share was also severely damaged by Apple, Research In Motion and Palm Devices which took the company from a 41% market share to a 35% level.

With Nokia announcing their new Nokia Booklet 3G netbook it should be interesting to see how sales rebound or expenses increase in the coming quarters. In either respect the company that started as a paper, rubber and cables company has always showed the ability to evolve to changing times, now we just have to wait and see if that evolution occurs once again for the electronics firm.

(via The Inquisitr via Engadget)

Android to grab No. 2 spot by 2012

2009-10-07T14:21:00.001+01:00

While the Google-backed Android mobile operating system currently runs on less than 2% of all smartphones, Gartner Inc. predicts it will surge to 14% of the global smartphone market in 2012 -- ahead of the iPhone, as well as Windows Mobile and BlackBerry smartphones.

In that year, Gartner forecasts Android will actually rank second globally, behind the Symbian OS, which is used in Nokia devices that are highly popular in Europe and many countries outside the U.S. Symbian now runs on about half of all smartphones, but will fall to 39% in 2012, Gartner says.

More at Computerworld

New [US] Carrier Promises Unlimited 3G Data, VOIP

2009-03-13T13:24:00.002Z

I'm amazed that this new offering suddenly gains publicity while I'm discussing the potential of GoogleVoice (as a basis for an integrated communications system) and data-only contracts as an alternative to the 'voice-pipe' operators with Dean Bubley on his excellent Disruptive Wireless blog.

A brand-new mobile-phone carrier, Zer01 Mobile said Thursday that it can give you truly unlimited voice and data on smart phones for $69.95/month, without a contract, on a network as broad as the one owned by AT&T.

That's because, in many ways, the network is AT&T's. The company is using a form of roaming agreement to tunnel from AT&T's network into their own IP backbone.

Zer01 gets some of their savings by eliminating traditional circuit-switched voice calling. All calls on Zer01 phones go through a proprietary Voice-over-IP (VOIP) application, which right now runs only on Windows Mobile 6 phones but will work in the future on Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, Java and even on jailbroken iPhones, Zer01 chief executive Ben Piilani said.

"No calls, period, go out over the GSM network," Piilani said.

The company's $69.95/month plan includes unlimited VOIP calling and data, and is month-to-month with no contracts or credit checks. For $10 more per month, you also get unlimited international calling to 40 countries.

Zer01's VOIP application uses several brand-new, proprietary technologies, Piilani said. It ties into phones' dialer apps to let you dial from the phone's keypad without launching a separate voice-over-IP application. It works with a phone's built-in microphone and earpiece. And Zero01 has some sort of quality-of-service mojo that lets VOIP run even over slow EDGE and GPRS networks.

Let me point out how unusual that is: I've never seen VOIP running over slow GPRS. Even on EDGE, which is faster, the network's latency typically hurts VOIP apps.

"We've developed specific algorithms in our technology that address latency issues across the GSM networks," Piilani said.

The phones run on GSM networks including AT&T's and T-Mobile's. But Zer01 isn't buying time wholesale from AT&T and T-Mobile, Piilani said. Instead, they have purchased their own IP backbone and are using interconnect (AKA roaming) agreements, the way Verizon and Sprint phones work on each other's networks. Each device on the Zer01 network gets a fixed IP address and opens a VPN tunnel to the company's servers, Piilani said.

"It's our own VPN, and we're actually providing the data the customer is using," Piilani said.

By using interconnect agreements, Zer01 can get around the carriers' 5GB/month data caps and offer truly unlimited data, Piilani said. The company's system does some traffic management to make sure that heavy users don't overload a local cellular system.

Zer01 is designed to work with unlocked phones that users bring in on their own, Piilani said, but they also plan to sell three HTC phones, the TyTnII (known on AT&T as the Tilt), the Touch Diamond and the Touch 3G. Zer01's software needs to be optimized for each individual phone model, but the list of acceptable devices is continually growing, Piilani said. Pharos' GPS-enabled Windows Mobile smart phones may be next on Zer01's list.

"Right now the initial push will be Windows Mobile devices, but immediately after launch we're going to announce several other OSes and devices," Piilani said.

Zer01 is a division of Unified Technologies Group, a company run by Piilani that also operates a land-line VOIP service and has had interests in broadband-over-power-line technology.

On the land-line side, Zer01's VOIP service is managed in part by Pervasip's VoXVOIP product, according to an October 2008 press release from Pervasip.

AT&T had no comment on Zer01. The new carrier plans to launch with a closed beta in April, and to set a commercial launch date at the CTIA trade show on April 1.

Sasha Segan on PC Magazine

KeyFuels,TruckStops and Motorway Services

2008-09-09T17:25:00.012+01:00

Sneaky experiment to get several Google MyMaps embedded onto one map.
Click on the white vertical band at the far right side to see controls.

View The Full Screen Map (takes a while to load - be patient!)
Map Channels - Embed a Google Map into your website or blog.

ThreeUK + PC World = expensive frustration

2008-07-23T15:47:00.008+01:00

Another day, another normob frustrated by unethical sales droids, misleading management and unsupportive customer support staff...

Ross (or "Space Cowboy", as he's known on MySpace) posted this heartfelt account of his frustrating experience:

3 mobile broadband at PC world (Beware)

This new mobile broadband offer from PC world looks great i say to myself as im shopping in PC world this thur, but whats the catch free laptop with mobile broad band with 5gig download limit sounds to good to be true.

So i ask a member of staff for some information, It all seems straight forward and fair and still a good offer (The main point to consider is the staff member explained to me that internet browsing was free 24 hours a day just like home broadband, and that there was a lengthy cancellation period).

It was late and i was impressed so i decided to sign up then but it being PC world none of the laptops on display that i wanted was in stock. So i shopped around the next day and found PC world with 3 was the best offer, so i went back signed up and was told again that surfing was unlimited i also convinced a friend of the offer (Sorry Phil) and he signed being told the same thing about web browsing.

I got home that night and was pleased as punch with the service. The laptop was great (Compaq) and the internet was exceptional (much better than expected i thought it would be patchy) with good speeds reaching 130Kbs on one download not bad considering. Although when i looked i was supplied with no information on price plans, cancellation terms and most unbelievable they didn't include me with my copy of the contract.

All was good until Mon 48 hours after activation and i get a message from 3 stating i had used up all my internet allowances. What the hell i think that can't be possible, i had only downloaded about 2.5gig of data i should still have 2.5gig left. So i removed the dongle modem and contacted 3 for an explanation.

In all fairness to 3 they got back to me very quickly although it was not helpful. The individual was friendly enough and helpfully informed me that not only web browsing but simply being connected to the internet is taken from your usage. I couldn't believe it three members of staff had lied about the service, this i explained but the 3 contact simply said they were wrong and offered no solution. Then i asked how the hell i had used 2.5gig even if i was connected and viewing web pages for 48 hours straight i wouldn't use up that amount, He simply replied i had used a large amount, i asked on what to which he said i should register with 3 and they will display all information on the website.

I went back on the internet to register with three and had another message from them stating i now owed £10.35 (had no supplied information on how to register and nothing clear on the site). How is that even possible i had the modem in the box and the laptop closed down and only 2 hours had passed. I was fummin mad and contacted 3 again (but i have always been polite and reasonable during all communications)

I explained all the above and was offered no explanation or solution. I stated i was happy with the internet service and would be happy to continue the contract if we could start from fresh with me being in full possession of the information on the service and an explanation on my internet usage (not unreasonable i thought), this option was completely ignored and i was told it couldn't be done (im sure they could if they cared). So i explained i was still in my cooling of period and i want to cancel. I was them informed that they couldn't cancel my contract i would have to contact PC world, I was suspicious as the contract was with 3 but 3 explained that PC world had miss sold me the agreement and the fault was with them.

Now where have I heard that old chestnut before? Ah yes, Phones4U, Carphone Warehouse and, erm, PC World...
I'm sure Three were correct in pushing the customer back to PCW for a solution but, certainly from a normob perspective, it's Three's terms and conditions that have been 'inaccurately' (to put it generously) communicated -- isn't it quite reasonable to expect them to sort out the problem with PCW? After all, the 'mud' from this episode will stick to both Three and PC World, regardless.

I'm more than a little amazed that Ross was able to get online at all with his new dongle without registering it first with Three, let alone be able to use his 5GB data allowance surfing the web over the weekend...

So after that phone call i go to the PC world were i bought the service and again explained the above (To three different members of staff before i got the line manager). I explained how it was miss advertised and the lack of supplied information. Well guess what surprise surprise they refused to take it back completely ignoring and discounting the lies that were told to sell the contract. I was told that the contract was with 3 and had nothing to do with them they were just the agents, i was only informed that there was only a three day cancellation period again after being told by PC world that i had a fortnight (Arrrrrrrrg !!)

I was really beginning to lose my ragg and i asked if "3 says your responsible and you say they are what the hell am i supposed to do" and the manager simply repeated that i will have to contact 3. So i asked if he could contacted them for me to sort it out to which he replied that he couldn't (I could of punched him), if your acting as 3 agents why would you not be able to communicate with them , your acting as a middle man it is your job to communicate between customer and provider. This he simply choose to ignore and reiterate that he couldn't contact 3 (Lies, lies, lies (They didn't even offer to supply me with my contract what a dick)).

So i have contacted 3 for a third time and guess what they are saying to go to the dealers that they cant cancel my contract or help in any way. all these people do is pass the problem off to another department.

I will get back with the results but don't hold your breath and don't shop at PC world or trust what the staff says its just lies. Three has terrible service.

I expect that the deceitful PC World manager (and quite possible Three's Customer Support crew) are hoping that this normob will go home and write it off to experience: another bloody awful and expensive, mismanaged rip-off from the combined forces of incompetent computer retailing and unhelpful mobile broadband providers.

Unfortunately for them, at least, Ross has already let all his contacts on MySpace know what he thinks of his treatment at the hands of Three and PC World, and he's started posting his account on broadband forums (which is where I picked up the thread).
He's also already contacted his local Trading Standards office (to report the mis-selling angle) and his local newspaper in an effort to gather support.

His next steps are probably stern letters to the CEOs of Dixons Group and Hutchison 3G UK. And maybe a colourful sandwich board to attract some attention outside his local PC World shop.

Any other ideas?

O2 rebrand cock-up shock!

2008-04-09T15:19:00.003+01:00

Just who do these pillocks think they're fooling?

First up is exciting news from the PR department (courtesy of MobileToday):

O2 is spending £5m refreshing its brand, which will include a change to the ‘it’s your O2 – see what you can do’ strapline introduced in May 2006, and made famous by Sean Bean’s unique delivery.

O2’s new brand brief that ‘a more connected world is a better world’ will be reflected in the new strapline ‘we’re better, connected’, although once again it will be delivered by Sean Bean.

The new brand was unveiled this week through a wide range of media advertising including TV, outdoor, cinema and online.

Sally Cowdry, marketing director for O2 UK said: ‘We’ve had incredible success with the O2 brand over the past six years, quickly establishing it as a leading UK brand.

‘But we need to keep the brand fresh, reflecting changing market conditions and customer priorities.

‘Customers are very much at the heart of our business but the role of O2 in their lives is changing. So our focus is now on empowering and enabling them to better connect to people and things that matter.’

Compare that with The Register's news that many (if not most) O2 customers on 3G tariffs don't even receive 3G speeds:

O2 has admitted its 3G customers are limited to 128Kb/s connections, with business users being automatically upgraded to 384Kb/s if they are deemed to warrant it.

3G connection speeds are highly variable, so establishing that the network has imposed a speed limit isn't as easy as it might appear, even though O2 users have long suspected they are being restricted.

384Kb/s is the technical limit of 3G technology, without resorting to HSPDA, but topping out at 128Kb/s is something of an embarrassment for a 3G network. Not that using HSDPA will help the O2 customer, depending on the "profile" O2 has decided to assign to them they might still find themselves allocated only 128Kb/sec.

O2 hasn't been able to explain how they decide who gets which profile, but they did give us a statement explaining that "O2 provides data speeds of 128Kb/s as standard to all 3G customers. Profiles of corporate customers who require higher speeds are modified so that they can benefit from speeds of 384Kb/s." With HSDPA the top speed should be even faster, assuming one is in the right profile group.

The network operator is quite careful on its website to describe 3G as a "high speed network" and makes no promises about specific connection speeds. In fact, the company tells us, 128Kb/s is all punters can expect from 3G, with 384Kb/se being a premium service only available to a select few.

Customers wanting the higher speed connection can, apparently, simply ask for it when they buy their phone, or give O2 a call - though the company declined to provide us with a suitable number or procedure for changing, or finding out, one's profile.

The competing operators we've spoken to don't offer such a tiered service. Once they had stopped laughing at O2's stance they all agreed that 3G should mean speeds of up to 384Kb/s for everyone, and that's what they provide, dependent on network coverage and local environment.

News of the limit should, however, be welcomed by iPhone users. They have been much derided for lacking high-speed 3G technology, while in reality their Edge connections could easily be out-performing O2's idea of what a 3G network is capable of.

Still, I'm sure a new strapline will make all the difference...
Not.

Whatleydude's N95 saga: VF comes out shining!

2008-03-17T22:52:00.001Z

The irrepressible Spinvox blogger, James Whatley’s (that’s Whatleydude, to the universe) didn’t have a great Friday.
His, erm, 'robustly-used' phone stopped working and naturally, as a “Vodafone’s ‘best care’ program” member, he expected it to be replaced quickly and without any hassle.
Of course, if everything had been straightforward, it wouldn’t warrant some comment from me. So, as you'll have guessed, it all went pear-shaped.

You can read James' entertaining tearjerker over on SMS Text News (probably the mobile world’s most widely-read, and massively influential blog…) but, for continuity's sake, here's the final gasp:

If I don’t have a new N95 by the end of the weekend, or at least, on its way to me by the end of the weekend – as I said at the beginning of this post – I’m going to 3.

And I’ll tell every soul that I ever sold onto Vodafone that they made a mistake and that Vodafone don’t care about their customers, nor do they care for their (outsourced) insurance – that’s not worth the paper it is written on.

Fantastic stuff!

So, to cut a long story short, everthing worked out very well in the end, with James getting a brand-spanking new, 8GB N95 in his hand, as he put it:
"Just shy of 12hrs since the original article went live."

The ‘oil on the cogs’ was Vodafone's Amy Rose, who added this comment to the post:

Good afternoon.

Thought I’d drop a quick note in response to some of the comments on the blog, mainly to give a good representative of what I do.

I work for Vodafone and run an online team who are centred around forums, blogs and social media. As well as supporting our own customer forum - http://forum.vodafone.co.uk we also trawl the internet looking for Vodafone customers that have posted on an external sites looking for help.

I have a mixed team of people working for me all from Customer Management background.

I’d like to think that my team and I provide the same level of service for all customers we find, and that James’ experience is not a unique one. It’s a shame that people do have to revert to forums and blogs looking for help, and in the ideal world all queries would be resolved on 1st contact. In reality, we know that doesn’t always happen so my team has a 2nd chance of delivering a great experience and restoring some faith.

With blogs, we do rely of Google content searches picking up on the key word ‘Vodafone’ so that we’re alerted of the new blog that has been written. This is how we came across James’ blog so promptly.

I was pleased to be able to help James, and I’m hoping to see that my team continue with the same approach moving forward.

All the best

AmyRose
Vodafone
Posted by Amy Rose on March 17th, 2008 at 4:05 pm.

(From SMS Text News)

Now it's great that James got his well-used, Mk1 phone replaced with one of the newer versions. (It’s funny how losing access to our gizmos makes us ~~addicts~~ geeks so crabby?)
And the delivery was probably about as quick as it's gets, without booking it in first. (I guess no insurance would pay out on a claim that could be forecast and avoided!)
And it's true that nothing exceptional was done except speed up the process.

But that’s the big news and the reason I’m tapping away:
Amy’s team actually want to sort out customers’ problems.

And that’s an open offer of assistance, y’know like real customer service?
Which is fucking brilliant!
If it work’s, it'll be a great move by Vodafone.

I’d hazard a guess that dealing with the FIT team is a whole lot less stressful than the usual call centres, and probably a lot more efficient for VF too. And the boost in customer morale will prove invaluable.
If it works…

I’ll put aside my scepticism for now and give full credit to VF for opening this up — damn, that’s the second time I’ve praised VF this week!
An extended outreach for the net? I hope it takes off!

Next time I meet up with a (justifiably) pissed-off VF customer, I'll see if I can put the two of them together. And report back on the experience.

Apple, RM Battle Shapes Up

2008-03-10T03:44:00.002Z

Apple took 28 percent share of the fast growing U.S. converged device (smart phone) market in the fourth quarter of 2007, behind Research in Motion’s 41percent, but a long way ahead of third placed Palm at nine percent, say Canalys researchers.

Apple also finished ahead of all Windows Mobile device vendors combined, whose share was 21 percent in the quarter.

Globally, converged device shipments rose 60 percent to hit 115 million in 2007. U.S. sales doubled.

Nokia remained the global market leader, shipping 60.5 million smart phones, while RIM shipments grew 112 percent to 12.2 million.
Globally, Symbian operating system devices had 67 percent share, followed by Microsoft on 13 percent and RIM with 10 percent.

Apple claims that nearly 70 percent of all mobile Internet traffic is generated by iPhone users. Executives at Google, meanwhile, have confirmed the basis thesis: iPhone users surf the Web way beyond anything seen up to this point.

On the other hand, RIM points out that nearly two thirds of its 12 million BlackBerry subscribers in December 2007 were government or corporate customers.

The observation is that as the smart phone market continues to grow rapidly, the dynamics of the U.S. market--as distinct from the global markets--are shaping up, in part, as Apple going "up market" to enterprises and RIM going "down market" to consumers. That's not to dismiss Microsoft-powered or Nokia devices, but simply to illustrate a dynamic.

We have a market likely to take new shape as devices and users expand beyond the original base of "mobile email" addicts. The iPhone has shown there is a new class of user who uses mobile email but also surfs the Web and uses the mobile Internet in ways we haven't seen before. That's going to get designers moving in different directions as the various segments start to emerge. For some users the current iPhone or BlackBerry interfaces still will work. For others, something else might emerge.

Personally, I like the ability to swap SIMs between devices, which iPhone doesn't want me to do. I like to be able to change my own batteries, which iPhone doesn't want me to do. Small things, of course, but real barriers to me getting rid of my BlackBerry. Other choices will have to be made by music or video afficianados.

Source: Gary Kim, Editor in Chief of IP Business magazine

The Cloud hails iPhone traffic & looks to WiMAX

2008-02-29T23:51:00.001Z

Hotspot vendor The Cloud says the iPhone is making a “huge difference” to its data traffic, while it’s also looking to the future and thinking about possibilities with WiMAX. We spoke to Owen Geddes, Development Director at The Cloud, about the Wi-Fi hotspot market going forward. He told us that devices are a crucial component for ease of access. “It doesn’t matter what you do with the networks.

"At the end of the day if the devices aren’t there - the devices with the right sort of interface - you’re going to get absolutely nowhere. And again, [the] iPhone is making a huge difference to the user experience."

Geddes said that Apple had gained by initially removing operators from the way the iPhone was developed, especially its user experience. “It’s very much an Apple product, he said. It’s very different from everything else on the market.”

Speaking about the impact of iPhone traffic, Geddes said it was “very obvious” that take up of hotspot access increased: “Certainly data increases. We see an enormous amount of YouTube across our network from iPhones. We just don’t see that from other devices…because it is so easy to use.”

Hotspots to support WiMAX devices?

And when we quizzed Geddes about the future impact of WiMAX on out-and-about internet access, he said The Cloud would be keeping tabs on development, especially with Intel implementing native WiMAX support within the next edition of the Centrino platform. “[We] will absolutely be involved in that space,” said Geddes. “We see our business evolving onto other areas including WiMAX. In the end, the user will [do things] the way that they want in a much more open model.”

However, he warned that the technology needs to become established in more devices first, “WiMAX doesn’t really happen until it’s integrated in more mobile-orientated devices. For the same reason Wi-Fi [has] only really started to happen in the mobile market with devices like the iPhone. There’s a clear difference between the business traveller market which is PC-orientated and the consumer market which is driven by smaller devices.”

“It’s going to be very interesting to watch that space.”

Geddes also said that services would become more integrated – at least that’s how it would seem to the end use. “They don’t have to worry if they’re connected via cellular or WiMAX,” he added.

He also stressed the importance of intelligent devices, able to make informed decisions about whether to connect using cellular, Wi-Fi or other technologies depending on what was cheapest or best for the user’s needs. “Something we’re doing later this year is releasing some technology into the market that will actually select networks and authenticate you onto a variety of networks. Geddes added that it would “also work hand in hand with the cellular [provider] pf that device” to select the best method. “Whether that’s The Cloud or somebody else - from our perspective it’s [about] a better service for the end user that’s absolutely vital.”

Source: Dan Grabham at TechRadar.

S60 not a Touch on the iPhone

2008-02-15T01:08:00.005Z

Came across a witty and incisive demolition of Nokia's stumbling over the touchscreen interface on Techype. You know it's going to be an interesting and entertaining read from the first paragraph:

S60 + Touch = ...?
Sadly, when the answer to that equation was shown, there were no surprises - if you hack a touchscreen onto a badly designed mess of a UI, you get a badly designed mess of a UI which can be controlled with touch. The iPhone experience was not a game changer in Finland after all.

After a full and frank examination of the S40 and S60 platforms (and landed a laudable sideswipe at the marketing profession), Raddedas moves in for the kill:

Nokia's S60 platform is confusing, obscure, constantly changing and always hugely underpowered and unresponsive, with software to do everything you might ever want to do, but after moving round the menus quite a lot you'll probably give up trying to find out how and just use it as a rather slow poor phone.

Nokia's S60 Touch seems to extend this experience by allowing you to move round the same menus with your finger smearing the screen.

Ouch!

It will take a massive sales hit to understand that this approach will not, in the long term, work out. They must innovate and diversify into handsets that are once again fun and/or efficient to use; even S40 is creaking under the weight of the features loaded into it now. Sadly Nokia have such huge sales volumes that they can coast for a long time without realising this, and their customers will be all the poorer because of it.

Encore!
Couldn't agree more but I shan't be holding my breath...

The future is ad-laden portals. Again...

2008-02-11T15:14:00.000Z

Mobile Today reports:

O2 today entered the UK mobile advertising market with a new service allowing brands to target the operator’s mobile customer base. The new service on O2 Active will enable brands to deliver both display advertising and advertising-funded content models to specific audiences.
For the first time in the mobile industry, advertisers can be provided with the tools to measure how effective their campaigns are and which audiences react well to their adverts.
Advertiser's microsites will be zero rated so that customers who click through will not incur any data charges while they are browsing on these sites.

While Nokia have announced, almost breathlessly, their "premier mobile advertising network":

Nokia enables advertisers to place ads on high quality and brand-safe publisher and operator mobile Web pages, as well as Nokia properties, representing an unprecedented global consumer reach - more than 100 million mobile consumers around the globe.

Not wishing to, erm, "pour" on their parade but we've been here before, with the desktop battles for eyeballs. And similarly it'll doubtless prove difficult enough getting zillions of consumers to visit the ad-laden portals, let alone persuading them of a reason to click on the adverts.

Without a compelling motivation, it could all become mobile marketing's wet-dream. Not that you'd notice from this blinkered puff:

Sally Cowdry, O2 marketing director said: ‘Mobile advertising is the advertiser's holy grail, combining a high resolution screen in every pocket with a customer database which has the power to deliver messages to exactly the people you want.
‘This new service will provide a boost to the market while at the same time ensuring advertising is relevant and non intrusive for our customers.’

Non intrusive advertising?
I reckon they'll need to make it squeeze your balls so hard that you'll simply have to click on the bloody ad!

Shame that neither company find time to mention the enormous (and potentially useful) opportunities of advertising within applications ("can't find that address? Click here to order a CityWide cab now") or LBS ("after all those calls, you deserve a Starbucks - there's one around the next corner").

Study Says Mobile Churn is Approaching 40%

2008-02-03T17:11:00.001Z

Research from Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software shows that customer defection rates (aka ‘churn’) within the mobile telecoms sector have risen from 33.4% in 2005 to 38.6% in 2007 – an increase of 15.3%.

Having studied the phenomenon of churn in Britain for the past four years, the 2007 edition of the Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software Customer Churn Report decided to collect data that compare and contrast the situation in key European economies and in the US. A representative sample of over 1,000 consumers in each country was interviewed by email and telephone questionnaire.

They were asked (1) whether they had switched supplier over the previous year in each of a number of sectors; (2) how likely they were to switch over the coming year; and (3) what the principal reason for switching was/is.
The overall results toppled a number of pieces of received wisdom. The primary findings of the research are as follows:-

Britain is the customer defection capital of the West (22% churn per annum), possibly because of its crowded geography, its national wealth per capita, and its high levels of deregulation across all sectors studied.

Mobile telecoms retain the highest average customer churn at 38.6%

The industries experiencing the highest levels of growth in customer defection rates since 2005 are supermarkets and general insurance providers, with both seeing a 7.6% point increase in churn rates. Both of these, however, look small compared to the 15.3% increase seen in mobile churn.

The three key reasons why people change supplier are consistent across Europe and the US. These are, not being recognised as a valuable customer (all countries average: 55%); unhelpful staff (47%); and ineffective call centres (42%).

According to Group 1, the findings indicate that the UK consumer is becoming more mobile and that companies’ retention strategies need to improve to deal with this phenomenon.

“The world is becoming generally more mobile and less loyal,” says Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software VP, International Marketing, Andrew Greenyer. “Yet despite all the effort and investment going into customer retention and loyalty, the effective strategies implemented by well known success story companies are not yet the norm.

Commenting specifically on mobile churn, Greenyer says:

“Mobile Telecoms remains a very fluid area. Here, strong brands are evidently having an effect, with the issue of content provision likely to be a key factor in future churn (or indeed inertia) patterns. 3G provision has initially disappointed consumers, leading to massive churn. Nevertheless, the sector is so volatile that this situation may easily reverse after its initial customer relationship difficulties.
“The US experiences far lower rates of churn, but this probably reflects the closer link in North America between cellphone carrier and handset. In Europe, the two are independent of one another, allowing the SIM card to be fairly portable between models. However, this also helps network operators use attractive handset ranges to persuade customers to switch. Also, number portability is relatively new in the US. The UK got portability in 1998, Spain and Sweden in 2000, and Italy in 2001. Americans didn't get it until the end of 2003.
“Finally, there are the factors of overall mobile penetration and pre-paid penetration. Mobile penetration in Europe now exceeds 100%, with 666 million connections. The US has 70% cellphone penetration compared with over 80% in France, more than 100% or more in Germany, Spain and the UK, and over 120% in mobile-mad Italy. 25% of US cellphone users switch plans each year. However, there will only be 40 million pre-paid customers in the US in 2009 (17% of forecast total market). This compares with over 50% pre-paid penetration in Europe, and pre-paid churn is on average three times higher than post-paid.”

Source: Mobile Marketing Magazine

Do you want fries with that?

2008-01-19T00:51:00.000Z

Engadget reports:

Guess what? It's yet another rock bottom sale day for Toshiba's HD-A3 HD DVD player. This time it's Amazon serving up the HD-A3 with 7 HD DVD titles and free shipping for just $129. The deal combines the extended 5 HD DVD "perfect offer" with Warner Bros' 300 and Universal's The Bourne Identity HD DVD titles thrown in for kicks. That's two extra discs and $21 less than the official $150 dealio. Crazy, we know.

Can you smell the desperation in the air?

Google's Xmas iPhone traffic was "Huge"

2008-01-15T02:18:00.001Z

Just about hidden by the announcement of the latest release of Google’s iPhone client suite, was this amazing statistic: over the Christmas period Google received more hits from iPhones than S60 users.

In Google betting big on mobile market, CNET.com’s Elinor Mills writes:

On Christmas Day thousands of people opened up boxes with something cool and functional inside and wasted no time logging onto Google.com through their brand new iPhones.
As a result of those gifts, the number of global queries to Google's search site from iPhones surpassed the number of queries from people using market-leading Symbian-based phones for the first time. Google calls it the "Christmas cross-over."
That is huge given the fact that the number of iPhone units shipped is tiny compared to the number of Symbian-based phones out there. The cross-over only lasted a few days or so, but it shows the impact the iPhone is having on the telecommunications industry and provides a glimpse into its future market potential for the Web.
"It's about usage, not just units," Vic Gundotra, vice president of mobile and developer at Google said. "The data proves that people are using the browser on the iPhone."

Maybe the countless millions of Nokia smartphone users tend to be more likely to use a computer when at home than those with iPhones? Perhaps the burst in traffic was from proud iPhone users enthusiastically showing off it’s potential to friends and relatives? Even taking these factors into account, the impact this incredible “rush” to the mobile internet could be enormous.

Miguel Helft spells it out in Google Sees Surge in iPhone Traffic for the New York Times:

The data is striking because the iPhone, an Apple product, accounts for just 2 percent of smartphones worldwide, according to IDC, a market research firm. Phones powered by Symbian make up 63 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, while those powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile have 11 percent and those running the BlackBerry system have 10 percent.

It’s no surprise to learn that Google’s development team have been working at fever pitch to produce the slick, approachable and visually stunning iPhone-only applications. Miguel paraphrases Vic Gundotra:

Google, which developed the first version of Grand Prix in six weeks, is introducing a new version on Monday, just six weeks after the first one. That is a speed of development not previously possible on mobile phones, he said.

It has the feel of a gold rush to me: both exciting and a little edgy.

Why so?

Given the prospects of future growth, how will Google allocate their terribly clever people between projects for the iPhone, the Symbian family and presumably Android? Neither interview with Google’s Vic Gundotra contained a hint of current or future S60 development. And only the vaguest: "This app will work great on Android."

I’d been hoping that later this Spring Google would reveal some gorgeous S60 mashup of SocialStream, GoogleTalk and Jaiku with a smattering of MyLocation thrown in for fun. Or maybe even a sexy java version of Grand Prix but now I’m beginning to wonder what’s in store for us S60 hordes.

Somebody tell me to pull myself together?

SuperSexySoaraway: Now with added QR codes

2008-01-14T21:50:00.001Z

This is really great news -- fancy the most popular mass-market (read: downmarket) comic in the UK evangelise cutting edge, mobile technology?

I'm hardly suprised that major companies are falling over themselves to get on board. Are News International producing all this inhouse or are there some superheroes lurking behind the project?

New Sun service merges print with mobile video

The Sun newpaper’s new mobile content service has achieved early success with around 11,000 users registered so far.

The barcode-based technology enables users to scan their mobile phone over pages of the newspaper, which in turn uploads relevant information onto the device. For example, a football fan could read a match report and use the technology to upload video highlights of the game.

Readers must download a piece of software onto their mobile to use the service, but new Nokia handsets come with it pre-installed. The application uses a barcode technology called QR (quick response) code.

It is thought that 3 has so far been the most active network in the uptake of the technology, with Orange also known to be interested.

Ian Samuel, group head of mobile advertising for News International, said: ‘There is an educational process that needs to be done. In the next few months we’re looking to do another pull-out (supplement in The Sun) to further inform people on how to use QR codes.’

The Sun hopes the service will help to boost printed editorial and advertising content in the publication, and help print to become a more profitable medium.

The format has already proved popular with advertisers - Ladbrokes, Sky and Twentieth Century Fox have already signed up. The Sun is looking for more advertisers and says the service has generated significant interest from other parties.

From Mobile Today

Radiohead's success proves industry and Trent Reznor very wrong!

2008-01-07T16:51:00.001Z

Now we know that an album can still be very successful despite widespread (and encouraged) filesharing. I hope Trent Reznor, and more especially, the RIAA/IFPI) are listening carefully...

Radiohead top UK album chart

Thom Yorke proved right about physical 'artefact'

Radiohead's In Rainbows has climbed straight to the top of the UK album chart in the week following its physical release on CD and vinyl, apparently proving frontman Thom Yorke right in his assertion that fans want a tangible "object".
The album was released online last October on a "pay-what-you-like" basis (ie, generally nothing, according to reports), but Yorke last week dismissed the idea of not backing a net release with a hard copy as "stark raving mad".

He said: "We didn't want it to be a big announcement about 'everything's over except the internet, the internet's the future', 'cause that's utter rubbish. And it's really important to have an artefact as well, as they call it, an object.
The object in question is either a bog-standard CD or a deluxe "diskbox" containing In Rainbows on CD and two 12-in vinyl disks, plus an "enhanced" CD, lyrics, digital snaps, and other goodies - all for £40. The downloadable version of the album is no longer available. ®

Source: El Reg

Hugh MacLeod tipped as next Microsoft CEO?

2008-01-06T12:00:00.001Z

Steve Hodson notes Robert Cringely’s prediction that Steve Balmer (as well as Bill Gates) will leave Microsoft during 2008 with some enthusiasm:

All I can say for this one is I sure frikken hope that of all of his crystal balling that this one actually comes true. I don’t care if he flunks out on every other one as long as this vision of Ballmer comes true - and it couldn’t happen soon enough.

Ballmer has become a blight on Microsoft and the sooner he takes a long walk off of a short pier all the better for the company. Now while Robert didn’t want to go out on a limb and complication the law of averages for this prediction by suggestion who would replace the sweating doofus I have two possibilities that could really make things interesting.

Steve Clayton
Hugh MacLeod

Chances of happening - slim to none but damn it would sure make for an interesting company in the aftermath.

I guess that either of the guys would probably present the company in a better light than Ballmer. Maybe Hugh’s Blue Monster will end up as the official Microsoft emblem!?
Now that would be a sight!

Source: WinExtra

Google hails success of iPhone

2008-01-04T20:18:00.000Z

Will the iPhone lead to the mass-adoption of the mobile internet?
Online usage of the iPhone (as detected by websites) seems to be doing very well but I have difficulty seeing anything like the US adoption rates being mirrored here in the UK.

Google has predicted that the Apple iPhone will be the catalyst for mobile internet to open up in 2008.
The search engine also expects that the collapse of so-called walled gardens on operator portals to accelerate usage further. It will bring its Android project to the market next year, with ‘openness’ for developers the key.
Speaking to Mobile, Shannon Maher, a senior director at Google, said: ‘2007 has been a big year for the emergence of the mobile web. The highlight of the year has undoubtedly been the iPhone, with its combination of search, mapping, images, and videos integrated into the communications capability of a phone, proving that the right combination of a well-engineered device and reliable services can deliver an exciting new set of experiences to consumers.’
He added: ‘For us, the most exciting part of the iPhone is the experience of browsing on a mobile phone, enabled by it's compliance to web standards. The Safari browser on the iPhone has enabled new ways of delivering and consuming data on a mobile device.
‘Twelve months ago, very few people were talking about openness in mobile; now it's difficult to pick up a newspaper without seeing some mention of it. That trend looks set to continue in 2008. We think that this is important for innovation, and will ultimately benefit the users of mobile services.’
‘One last exciting point that continues to be proven out is the effectiveness of highly targeted advertisements on mobile devices. Poorly targeted ads are spam and will not be accepted on a device as personal as a mobile phone. However, when targeted and relevant, advertising is a key piece of information that can improve the user experience greatly. Our initial trials in this area have shown, for instance, that a well-targeted search ad for a local product or service is likely to be precisely what the user wants when conducting a search on a mobile device, and, as such, are extremely valuable to the user and the advertiser.
‘We believe mobile devices represent the future of the internet, and the field is still nascent. There's still a lot of unrealised opportunity in the mobile internet.’

Source: Mobile Today

Iphone flops at Christmas despite hype

2008-01-04T19:03:00.001Z

O2 enjoyed a major spike in iPhone sales in the week before Christmas, after disappointing sales from the much-hyped 9 November launch.

Most stores are believed to have missed iPhone targets by some distance, with a typical-sized O2 store selling just one iPhone per week. However, that appeared to change in the final seven days, with O2 staff reporting a big upturn, with many stores selling one per day, and even more in large city centre stores.

One O2 source said: ‘It seemed like people started buying them even if they were already in a contract, especially as they realised they wouldn’t start being billed until they registered online.’

O2 staff said that despite the moderate interest there was a much lower percentage of returns on the iPhone than had been anticipated.

Carphone staff were less bullish on iPhone sales, reporting plenty of interest in the device, but with a very low rate converting into sales, with the price tag being the main stumbling block.

One Carphone staffer said: ‘The iPhone was poor. We work in one of the bigger stores in our area and only sold one or two over the Christmas period. Our target last week was to sell 36 and we only sold one.’

A price cut is rumoured to be taking place in the coming months to bring the cost of the iPhone down from £270, or an improvement in the tariff to give more value than the 600 minutes and 500 texts for £45 currently offered.

Source: Mobile Today

I already bought you a cell phone

2007-12-29T09:59:00.001Z

kwout: html screengrabs with clickable links

2007-12-27T02:29:00.000Z

"Kwout is a handy web-based quote maker that allows you to quote a webpage (or part of it) as an image with an image map. Basically, screenshots that can have links in them."

Imagine a graphic of part of a webpage as normal, except that highlighted links are valid, clickable urls.

SMS Text News via kwout

The procedure once you've selected the area of the page to grab, requires some work -- it's basic and cumbersome. But there's already some user control and I hope more to follow.

SMS Text News via kwout via kwout

Did I mention that you can also send a normal graphic file of your screengrab straight into your Flickr or Tumblr accounts, like this.

I reckon kwout could significantly assist anyone trying to explain any browser-based process. I'm thinking of website support, installation instructions, walk-thrus. But I'm sure that's just the beginning.

Grab one of the bookmarklets and give it a go!

Congratulations to the folks at kwout and thanks to Orli Yakuel's great Go2Web20 blog for the heads-up.

Worker runs up £27k mobile bill

2007-12-25T16:00:00.000Z

Sure, the guy's been a complete plonker for not checking the terms of his contract, which quite possibly had been sold on the basis that it was "unlimited." But I'm staggered that Vodafone didn't bother to alert their customer (let alone, suspend the service) before he hit £27k.
That's the real story here, I feel.

[ I guess it would be way to unfair to point out that Three's Mix & Match 900 plan which costs £24/month includes 900 minutes or texts and 300 3-to-3 minutes, free Skype, IM, email plus X-series Silver for £5/month with a download allowance of 1GB of data? Admittedly, you're not supposed to use your phone as a modem but I wonder if Three would even have noticed. ]

It's good to talk... unless you fail to read the smallprint on your new mobile phone contract and end up with a bill for £27,322.
Ian Simpson, 29, was sent the bill for four weeks' service after wiring his mobile up to a laptop to download TV shows - and only then found out his £41.50-a-month deal didn't include unlimited web use.
Last night the factory worker, from Darlington, Yorks, said he feared he could be made bankrupt.
He said: "I just laughed out loud. How on earth could I afford to pay that?"
Ian signed up for a Vodafone Anytime 800 contract and added a £7.50 inclusive internet deal to let him use his phone for surfing the net.
But his first bill had hundreds of extra charges for online use - some at £18 a minute. He said: "My mate told me how to wire my mobile to my laptop as a modem. It meant I could download faster than on the handset and get a proper internet connection in my flat.
"I probably downloaded 20 or 30 TV shows and four albums. I assumed it'd be OK, but they cut me off. I rang up and they said I owed them nearly £30,000.
"If I'd known it would cost so much I wouldn't have done it."
Vodafone said rules state the web package has a limit of 120 megabytes of downloads - designed for casual use to check emails, browse and download the odd song. A spokesman said: "Few customers exceed the fair usage. But it seems clear Ian has run up these charges legitimately."
A source added: "The rules are clearly stated. Mobile web pages use fewer megabytes. That package is not designed for large-scale downloading or computer-speed web use."
But last night Ian blasted the firm, saying: "I cannot believe they would let me run up such an enormous bill - £27,000 would almost buy me a flat where I live. I can't even afford a mortgage so I rent a room.
"Unless they take a sensible approach I don't think I'll have any choice but to go bankrupt."
Vodafone added last night: "The intensity of Ian's downloading was such that by the time our systems flagged anything up he had already racked up a massive bill.
"Our advice would be to never use a mobile as a modem. We will try to come to some sympathetic arrangement. And we hope he won't make the same mistake again."

Source: Daily Mail via TorrentFreak

“We are a broadband service provider”

2007-12-22T22:28:00.000Z

Om Malik's description of a truly dynamic ISP is great reading.
Now, why aren't there more ISPs taking on the Free.fr model?

Illiad is the brainchild of 40-year-old Xavier Niel, a self-made billionaire (a rarity in the Old World). Its flagship service, Free.fr. (it also owns One.Tel and Kertel, a calling-card operation) isn’t the biggest broadband service provider in France – that honor goes to incumbent France Telecom, which has over six million of the country’s 14 million broadband subscribers — but it has taken the French telecom market by the scruff and given it a vigorous shake.

How? By offering a flat-rate, high-speed Internet connection for 30 euros ($43) a month. That gives Free.fr’s three million subscribers a connection speed of roughly 28 megabits per second over DSL, free IPTV (and a free set-top box), a free Wi-Fi hub, and unlimited voice calls to some 70 countries.

From GigaOm

Rumor: Apple Hopping on Board with Intel's Ultra-Mobile Platform

2007-12-22T13:13:00.000Z

According to AppleInsider, Apple plans to adopt Intel's ultra-mobile PC platform for a new generation of portable devices. Rumor has it that Apple has decided to use Intel's upcoming 45-nanometer "Silverthorne" chip in multiple new devices in 2008, with the most likely candidates being a next-gen iPhone and a UMPC.

Silverthrone was specifically designed for cellphones and UMPCs, using a mere tenth of the power consumption of a typical laptop chip while retaining the speed of a second-gen Pentium M. In addition to it being super-efficient, it's also much cheaper to manufacture than current mobile chips, which should lead to lower prices (or higher profit margins) for any devices it's placed into.

In any case, Apple seems pretty dedicated to the platform, and with "multiple devices" promised, that's gotta be more than just the 3G iPhone we all know is coming. Could it be a new tablet? An ultra-portable laptop? It could be something like the image up top, which is a prototype created by Intel that can run for 24 straight hours without needing a recharge thanks to the efficiency of Silverthorne. MacWorld is in a couple of weeks, so it's possible that something using the platform will be announced then. Time will tell, but it certainly hints at pretty exciting things.

Source: AppleInsider via Gizmodo

Commissioner red-faced as data tsar has details swiped

2007-12-06T13:44:00.001Z

When Alistair Darling prompted wide-eyed panic after announcing the lost discs palaver, there were few more concerned voices than that of our information commissioner, Richard Thomas.

At the time, Mr Thomas, the data tsar who, in the wake of the crisis, has spent the past few weeks issuing warnings about the danger of ID fraud on the internet, described the Government's blunder as "unprecedented and deeply disturbing".

So it has just come as considerable embarrassment to Mr Thomas to learn that he has recently been exposed as being just as vulnerable as the rest of us. In an experiment carried out by an internet security consultancy called SecureTest, it took just half an hour to discover the details of three bank accounts held by Mr Thomas, as well as his age, his home address and his work email.

"What hope have we got if Mr Thomas can't even protect his own identity?" says a spokesman for the company. "I thought it would be an interesting exercise to see if Mr Thomas practises what he preaches. It was easier than I could possibly have imagined."

SecureTest say that they were able to glean most of the information on Mr Thomas from Freedom of Information requests, and from a register-of-interests declaration he submitted when he took the governmental position in 2002.

Which makes you wonder whether Mr Thomas has double-checked his bank statements recently. His office insists that Mr Thomas "uses secure passwords for his accounts".

Source: Independent Online

95 percent of all VOIP traffic is caused by Skype

2007-11-30T13:18:00.001Z

Skype's slowing growth has recently raised some concerns about its future and the price Ebay paid for the VOIP provider. Ebay numbers may show that Skype users aren't really talking as much as the company wants them to, but they still talk a lot more than anyone else in the VOIP world: German traffic management company Ipoque estimates that 95 percent of all VOIP traffic is caused by Skype.

Ipoque published a report that analyzes P2P traffic trends this week, and Skype continues to be a noticeable factor in this space. From their press release:

"Voice over IP (VoIP) only accounts for one percent of the Internet traffic, but is used by 30 percent of all users. Skype is by far the most popular Internet telephony application."

30 percent of all German users, to be precise. Ipoque measures data at ISPs that use the company's traffic management applications, and the study is based on measurements from ISPs based in "Australia, Eastern Europe, Germany, the Middle East and Southern Europe."

Skype's popularity seems to vary significantly in these different places. The company estimates that 30 percent of Germany's internet population uses Skype, but only one percent uses SIP-based VOIP services. Skype's market share in the Middle East is just 7 percent, but SIP services don't seem to be any more popular there than in Germany.

Source: P2P Blog

Global cellphone penetration reaches 50 per cent

2007-11-30T00:49:00.001Z

Worldwide mobile telephone subscriptions reached 3.3 billion -- equivalent to half the global population -- on Thursday, 26 years after the first cellular network was launched, research firm Informa said.

Since the first Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) networks were switched on in 1981 in Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Norway, mobile phones have become the consumer electronics sector with the largest volume of sales in the world.
"The mobile industry has constantly outperformed even the most optimistic forecasts for subscriber growth," Mark Newman, head of research at Informa said in a statement.
"For children growing up today the issue is not whether they will get a mobile phone, it's a question of when," Newman said.

In recent years the industry has seen surging growth in outskirts of China and India, helped by constantly falling phone and call prices, with cellphone vendors already eyeing inroads into Africa's countryside to keep up the growth.
The Nordic start for mobile telephony was the basis for the success stories of Finnish Nokia and Sweden's Ericsson.
Fast growth in Asian wireless markets has since helped Korean Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics as well as China's ZTE take their place among the top six cellphone vendors globally.
But although mobile subscriptions have reached the equivalent of 50 percent of the population, this does not mean that half the people in the world now have a mobile phone, since Informa said 59 countries have mobile penetration of over 100 percent -- where some owners have more than one phone.
"The economic difference between the more mature markets and those in developing countries is highlighted by the vast differences in operators' revenues per user," Informa said.
Hutchison Whampoa's 3 operation has an average revenue per user of just over $70 a month in Britain, while Hutchison's Sri Lankan operator counts revenues of below $3 per user.

According to the International Programs Center of the U.S. Census Bureau, the total population of the world reached 6,634,294,193 on Thursday.
At the same time 2,571,563,279 people were using the most widely used mobile technology, GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), according to global trade body GSM Association.
The second largest mobile technology, CDMA, had 421.4 million users at end September.

Skypephone sells out

2007-11-14T02:15:00.001Z

3 has been caught out by high levels of demand for its prepay Skypephone, with many stores selling out of handsets within days of its launch.

The prepay device, which allow users to make free Skype calls in exchange for a minimum monthly top-up of £10, is 'flying off the shelves', according to staff in 3 stores across the country.

Staff in a central London store said their initial allocation of 10 prepay handsets sold out a few days after the handset was launched. They added that their next delivery of 25 had already been pre-sold.

One of 3's Newcastle stores reported selling its stock of six prepay Skypephones in a day and a half, with half of its next batch of 10 handsets already reserved.

'Loads of people have walked in and asked what it's all about. I think it's the “wow” factor when you explain it and tell them it's free,' said one staff member. 'The reaction has been good,' added another.

A spokeswoman for 3 said demand had been high. She said: 'A number of stores have sold out, but there will be plenty of stock in for the weekend.'

© Copyright 2007 : Noble House Media Ltd

From MobileToday

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Google Android OS 'no major threat'

2007-11-06T13:34:00.001Z

So potentially the most profound upheaval the mobile industry has ever seen (duelling with the UI of the iPhone), is almost casually dismissed by the major incumbent.

What an arrogant prick!

Symbian, meanwhile, believes that without Google's presence in the Open Handset Alliance nobody would be giving two hoots about the project. "We take it seriously," said John Forsyth, strategy chief at Symbian. "But we are the ones with real phones, real phone platforms and a wealth of volume built up over years."

Still haven't produced an easy-to-use operating system that everybody loves tho, John?

Source: Tech.co.uk

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3 launches new Skype mobile phone

2007-10-29T13:11:00.001Z

Mobile phone provider 3 has launched a new handset that will allow users to make free calls over the internet via telephony service Skype.

Users will also be able to use Skype's instant messaging service, 3 said. But while people using Skype on their computers are able to make cheap global calls to any phone number, this will not be possible via the new 3 handset.
Skype has about 246 million registered users worldwide and is one of the firms reshaping the global phone industry.

Mobile potential

To date, mobile phone companies have been unwilling to let users freely access Skype via their handsets for fear that it would hurt their business.
While it is possible to access Skype from a number of handsets, this has involved downloading third-party software, something that has put off the majority of users.
The Skype-phone will be the first instance of a phone operator launching a mass market device that is designed to allow free calling over the internet from a mobile, 3 said.
"It takes an innovative operator... to challenge traditional thinking and offer the kind of product other operators are still shying away from," said Skype's acting chief executive, Michael van Swaaij.
"It's is now truly mobile. Skype has now taken a giant step forward in the mobile arena.

And chief executive of 3 UK, Kevin Russell, said the firm wanted to make mobile internet more accessible.
"Services need to be simple to access and affordable," he said.
"Mobile has the potential to massively increase access to internet calling."

Global reach

The service, launching on 2 November, will be accessed by a button on the handset.
As well as the UK, the 3 Skype-phone will be launched in countries including Australia, Denmark, Italy and Hong Kong.
Pay as you go customers will have to top up their account with at least £10 each month to qualify for the free Skype-to-Skype calls, 3 said.

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Global mobile penetration to reach 75% by 2011

2007-10-26T11:25:00.001+01:00

Asia-Pacific region drives surge

Over half of the world's population will have a mobile phone by 2008, according to new research.

A new report from Portio Research predicts that the global mobile penetration rate will surpass the 50 per cent mark next year. That's not all though, because a further 1.5 billion mobile phone users are expected over the next four years to bring the overall penetration rate to 75 per cent by 2011.

Some 65 per cent of these additional users are likely to come from the Asia Pacific region, rather than from Africa as has previously been supposed. Moreover, the majority of the new subscribers will be from rural regions in countries such as India and Pakistan.

While mature markets such as Europe aren't expected to show any serious signs of growth over the next few years, Portio predicts that the US is likely to buck that trend seeing five years of sustained high-value volume growth.

Portio's report, entitled The Next Billion: Strategies for driving growth and making profits in low-ARPU mobile markets, puts the future growth of the mobile industry into some sort of perspective.

The study notes that while there will be a rapid rise in mobile owners in emerging markets, the monthly Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for US subscribers is expected to be equivalent to yearly ARPU from customers in other countries. In India and Bangladesh, for example, subscribers are only just beginning to move towards monthly ARPU of about $3 or $4.

Indeed, the report goes on to claim that each North American subscriber is worth as many as seven new subscribers in Asia in terms of revenue.

Despite the obvious disparity in profits for mobile operators geographically, Portio's study does offer insights into why the big players can't afford to ignore any region.

It notes that while Asia Pacific offers massive growth in subscriber numbers and North America and Europe offer the highest levels of ARPU, South America will see continued growth of basic services with significantly higher returns per user than much of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Moreover, it adds that Africa offers great future potential as "the last billion" when markets everywhere else are reaching saturation.

A recent study from Informa also heralded a rise in global mobile penetration. The firm announced in July that mobile subscriptions had reached three billion worldwide, but it said that there were fewer than 2.3 billion users of mobile services.

According to Informa's forecasts, users of mobile services will not reach three billion until the end of 2009, by which time subscriptions are forecast to reach four billion.

Source: The Register

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Nokia teams up with Reuters for mobile journalism

2007-10-23T21:19:00.001+01:00

We've heard a lot about 'citizen journalism' in the last year, which generally involves members of the public shooting photos and/or video on their cameraphones, then sending them into newspapers or TV broadcasters. It's even been claimed the phenomenon could put proper journalists out of a job. Nokia and Reuters have other ideas, though.

They've launched a new project called 'Reuters Mobile Journalism' (although we prefer the way the website address shortens that to Reuters MoJo). It's basically an application preloaded on Nokia N95 handsets, allowing Reuters hacks to file stories from events without the need for a laptop. They've already been testing it out at events like New York Fashion Week and the Edinburgh Film Festival.

It's easy to see why putting cameraphones into the hands of journalists will result in some interesting stuff - more photo and video-related than textual. But this isn't new - savvier websites have been getting their journalists to moblog for a while now, using existing technologies and services. Still, it'll be interesting to see how the relationship between Nokia and Reuters develops - we wonder how many journalists would put up with filing content from a device with the N95's famously low battery life...
Link: Reuters Mobile Journalism website

Source: Mobile Choice Blog

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Who needs Google? Facebook's stealth ad system

2007-10-22T12:34:00.001+01:00

Facebook, in the midst of a high-stakes negotiation over its future, has just dramatically upped the ante. How? The social network is quietly starting to promote its long-rumored ad-targeting system -- under a clever costume. Facebook has disguised the system as a simple upgrade to Flyers, its much-derided system for selling cheap ads on a self-service basis. This new system shares little with Flyers except its name, however -- and poses an obvious threat to Google.

Like Google's AdWords, Facebook's Flyers Pro charges per click. Unlike Facebook's old Flyers, which only let advertisers target small groups like students and alumni of a particular college, Flyers Pro lets advertisers target by city, gender, age, relationship status, employer, educational level, political views, and -- are you listening, Google? -- keywords. Facebook, of course, has the data, freely given by its users to target to those characteristics.

Article continues at Valleywag

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Is the Mobile Web Finally Set to Take Off?

2007-10-20T00:35:00.001+01:00

It's true that the N810 and the iPod Touch and similar devices may fail on the first go around, but they're indicative of a trend toward mobile computing and acceptance of using mobile devices to access the web and the growing catalog of web applications to get things done.

As wifi access becomes more ubiquitous and relying on cellular networks to get online via mobile devices becomes less important, I think we'll see a lot of growth in this market. As applications move online and access is everywhere, full-sized computers will be needed less, and will be less desirable, for many of our daily tasks.

The mobile phone (or mobile Internet device) as your primary computer may become a less foreign idea over the next few years in developed nations.

What do you think?
Is the mobile web (or, rather, using mobile devices to access the web) finally coming of age?
Are we set to see more of these devices flooding the marketplace in the future or will the idea never take off?

At the end of last year, only 15% of R/WW prognosticated that the mobile web would be the biggest web trend of this year.
Could the results for next year's predictions be different?

Source: Read/WriteWeb

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