Spiral Arm News

Shopping Centre offers Bluetooth services: movie times, directions, locate friends.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the AU$10k Bluetooth network deployed in the Broadway Shopping Centre, Sydney. Users download a Java applications to their handsets, and are then presented with a menu of services, sensitive to their location. Locating and messaging friends, is free, but AU$5 per month is collected via SMS for other services.

"Users must opt-in if they want to receive advertising and special offers such as mobile coupons, which uses picture messaging to send bar codes to mobile phones that can be read by a standard in-store scanner."

"Centre management and stores can also use the network to monitor staff and dispatch tasks".

Operators bundle cellular and Wi-Fi, form alliances, to appeal to businesses.

The Register
carries a Wireless Watch report on operators starting to market their services to the enterprise: "...operators are touting comprehensiveness as their chief appeal to large companies, creating service packages that support mobile workforces by incorporating multiple networks, and multiple territories, in one tariff."

Mobile phone as an image scanner.

Computer Weekly report that Xerox has developed software for the Nokia 7610. The software works with a one megapixel camera and appears to process it (covert to black and white, sharpens the image) before allowing it to be passed on via email, Bluetooth or MMS.

"This will definitely have a place in many business sectors, particularly construction and insurance."

Computing reports on the blossoming market for mobile computing.

"...financial services, legal, health and education, are very receptive to mobile solutions. Some will buy CRM simply to stay in touch via email, while others will want remote access to a line-of-business application..."

Mobile services on the desktop

TheFeature comment on Vodafone's announcement of desktop software to allow Outlook and Notes users to send text messages. Apple's "Address book" has also had the ability to send SMSs from the desktop for some time, but it requires a mobile phone to be connected. What makes the Vodafone announcement interesting is that this "static texting" requires no mobile connection, although the charges for messages go to your Vodafone account.

These applications are just the kind of thing the Parlay Group have been working towards supporting.

The article asks: is this the start of "communication becoming device agnostic?"

IDC: European businesses moving towards mobility slowly; Meta Group: most businesses will have mobile email.

The IDC report, quoted in Computing, states:

• 40% have a mobile data strategy


• 4% interested in business applications

Smaller companies have lower interest in mobile applications. "Mobile operators and other industry players such as equipment vendors, systems integrators and solution providers still need to work hard to bring this section of the market closer to understanding the real value and benefits that mobile solutions can provide to organisations."

Meanwhile, a Meta group report in
Computer Weekly predicts that 75% of UK businesses will be using wireless email within 3-4 years. It warns companies to keep an eye on costs. Service charges are likely to range from £35-£45 per month. "And this figure is unlikely to reduce significantly over the next three years".

Other costs include: licensing of server software, administration (patching, removing lost devices) could be 10% of total IT admin costs, 15% loss and breakage ratio per year, plus support desk calls (average of six calls per year per user).

"[...] the viral nature of wireless e-mail means that the capability trickles down into the rank and file of the organisation fairly quickly, especially in organisations with loose or non-centralised control."

Surveys: satisfaction, cost, replacement cycle, camera phones

Computing summarize a report from JD Power on mobile phone satisfaction. The annual survey is based on 13,458 US households, where the customers have owned their phone for less than two years.

• Users 5% happier with their service than in 2003


• Average reporting purchase price rises to US$99 from US$88 in 2003


• Handset replacement occurs every 18 months


• Cameraphone ownership increased to 15% (4% in 2003)


• Handsets purchased with colour screens at 57% (was: 17%)

The most important elements to these US customers are: features (27%); durability (23%); design (19%); battery (16%); and operation (15%).

The Gartner report, as quoted by the BBC, points to the on-going growth of the cameraphone:

• Global cameraphone sales to reach 159m by end of 2004 (more than double 2003)


• In Europe, four times more cameraphones sold in 2004 compared to 2003


• Predictions for 2008: 70% of all phones to be cameraphones


• In Japan, the 2008 prediction is for 95% of all phones to be caneraphones


• By mid-2005 average image resolution will be more than 2 megapixels

Ease of use is given as a major reason for the take up of cameraphones. Improvements in MMS, design features such as rotating screens, removable memory and new ways to share pictures have all contributed.