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Thursday, September 22, 2005

Survey of desirable phone features.




From The BBC: "Two-thirds of mobile and personal digital assistant owners in a marketing survey across 15 countries said two days' active battery life was vital".




The survey, of 6,800 people taken during July and August, looked at what features consumers would demand for a converged device -- a device which would replace all the devices they currently carried.


  • Most important feature: Battery life (except in China, 20GB storage was seen as the most important feature).

  • 46% said a high resolution still and video camera.

  • 47% requested "20G of memory" (presumably any storage solution would be acceptable).

  • 53% in Brazil wanted video conferencing.

  • 46% requested the ability to send pictures via MMS.

  • 23% said video or audio via MMS.




"The study shows that there is an appetite among consumers for powerful new applications, particularly those around entertainment media and imaging".



Additional details can be found in the TNS press release (PDF).


by Richard @ 09:09

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Early tests of 4G start.




New Scientist report that NTT DoCoMo have started experimenting with 4G in anticipation of a commercial launch 2010. This will give: "100 megabits per second on the move and at up to a gigabit per second while static. At this rate, an entire DVD could be downloaded within a minute."




by Richard @ 15:22

Friday, September 09, 2005


Phone penetration and annual growth.





The Economist has published OECD data for mobile phone penetration, which is measured as the number of subscribers per 100 inhabitants. As of 2003 much of Europe is around the 90% mark, with Luxembourg at 120%. "In Luxembourg, phones outnumber people, since many people who live in neighbouring countries have a second handset for use within its borders". Canada and the US show the lowest penetration rates.


by Richard @ 10:24

Monday, September 05, 2005

Asia: governments to end anonymous SMS.




Malaysia, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines and Japan are amongst those countries trying to make pre-paid mobile phone users register their identities.
The popularity of anonymous phone contracts is seen as a major contributor to problems such as fraud, spam, rumour, organized crime and terrorism.




"The problem across Asia is ensuring people register their real identities: many are reluctant to give personal details and dealers just want to sell into a booming market-place." Reported in
The Sydney Morning Herald.


by Richard @ 08:35

Friday, September 02, 2005

Slow take-up of games.




Although most people in the UK have a mobile phone, "not many people are paying to download" games on their phones, reports The BBC. On figure suggests 5% of consumers have downloaded games, with a third being unsure if they could do so.




The article suggests the problems facing adoption include:


  • the lack of major marketing in mainstream media;

  • poor usability in getting to the games via portals;

  • lack of a flat-fee to access games.





"Given that recent reports from analysts Informa claim the mobile entertainment industry will be worth more than $40bn (£23bn) by 2010, clearly a good deal of growth in these areas are expected."

by Richard @ 07:51