Spiral Arm News

Handset sales drop, but it's about the software.

2008-11-25T13:02:00.003Z

While it's expected that handset sales will fall, the percentage of smart phones will grow, and with that the industry changes. "It will be less about hardware and more about software, services and content. In fact, for the first time, more will be spent this year on such intangibles than on the handsets themselves".

The Economist describe "the battle for the smart-phone's soul" (22 Nov 2008, pp. 85-86) noting that it has taken Apple and Google, two outsiders, to shake things up.

"But even if one [of the many platforms] comes out ahead, it is unlikely that the market will consolidate soon. Strong economic interests are keeping each platform alive. Google wants to get its services and advertising on mobile phones. Nokia is also betting on services as a source of growth. And handset-makers and operators will probably continue to support LiMo, if only because they do not want to depend on Google or Nokia."

Council .mobi services.

2008-11-14T19:05:00.002Z

"Newham Borough Council is launching a service that will enable citizens to book GP appointments, report graffiti and access local maps and travel information on their mobile phones." Although to book a GP appointment you need to enter a "practice ID", "Access ID" and password and visit the GP to register in the first place. From Computing.

Controversial Phorm advertising trial continues.

2008-11-11T17:41:00.003Z

Computer Weekly reports: BT presses on with Phorm after Orange pulls out. The Phorm ad-serving system generated concerns from privacy groups, and it was privacy issues Orange cited as reasons for moving away from the platform (as reported in the FT last month). BT, however, are continuing their trials.

Using SMS for health education.

2008-10-27T17:27:00.003Z

From Texts tackle HIV in South Africa, BBC News: "Project Masiluleke [...] plans to broadcast millions of health messages every month to mobile phones across South Africa."

"The system sends the messages using a so-called 'Please Call Me' (PCM) service. This free form of text messaging, found across Africa, allows someone without any phone credit to send a text to a friend asking them to call. Each sent PCM message has the words 'Please Call Me,' the phone number of the caller, and space for an additional 120 characters. The extra space is normally filled with advertising, which helps offset the cost of running the service."

"Texts include: 'Worried that you might have HIV and want to talk to a counsellor about getting tested? Call Aids helpline 0800012322.'"

See also: MobileActive's coverage of the trail of this system from December 2007.

Quantitative analysis from mobile phone movements.

2008-10-08T15:42:00.002+01:00

By tracking the temporary mobile subscriber identity number, Path Intelligence have started to produce analysis of consumer behaviour. As reported by The BBC, their initial findings that "the longer people spend in shops, the more they spend" is hardly a revelation. But the approach holds promise.

See also:

Path Intelligence web site, includes a demo of the technology.
Shops track customers via mobile phone, Times, 16 May 2008.

T-Mobile G1

2008-09-30T18:29:00.004+01:00

The first Android-based mobile phone is launched by T-Mobile, available in the UK in November on a GBP40/mo contract. Android Market will be the equivalent of the iPhone App Store.

"If you’ve used the iPhone or a Windows Mobile 6.1 handset before, then you’ll feel at home with Android because it seems to incorporate elements from both rival platforms." Not as slick as the iPhone, it does have a number of innovative features: commentators are issuing "wait and see" as an opinion.

Sources:

Attack of the androids: Google's new phone, Times.
Google's Android mobile unveiled, BBC News.
First look: The T-Mobile G1, The Register.
Introducing T-Mobile G1 with Google, T-Mobile press conference.
T-Mobile UK G1 web site

Mobile web-browsing grows.

2008-09-11T19:05:00.000+01:00

Mobile web-browsing is growing, especially in developing countries, and the sites being visited include more elaborate services.

"In future, most new internet users will be in developing countries and will use mobile phones. Expect a wave of innovation [...] But Ken Banks [... co-chair of W3C's new mobile internet interest group ...] points out that simple services based on text messages are likely to predominate for some time to come, for several reasons. All mobile phones, however cheap, can send text messages. Mobile-web access requires more sophisticated handsets and is not always supported by operators. And users know what it costs to send a text message."

From: The meek shall inherit the web, The Economist Technology Quarterly, 6 Sep 2008, p. 3.

"London set to become the mobile internet capital of the world"

2008-09-01T08:20:00.002+01:00

The Independent on Sunday, 31 Aug 2008: '"There have been a lot of false dawns in this industry and a lot of people have had their fingers burnt," says [Scott] Beaumont [of Mippin, a mobile content aggregator]. "But I really think that it will be different this time."'

The feature discusses how "British firms that are at the vanguard of producing mobile-only web content" and "[a]though the industry is in its infancy, London has become the hub for mobile start-ups—incredibly eclipsing Silicon Valley in America".

US text ads: "It’s one of the hottest new channels available".

2008-08-18T13:48:00.004+01:00

"The vast majority of people say they are averse to having advertisements text-messaged or otherwise sent to their cellphones. But nearly a quarter of people who have gotten such ads say they have responded at least once, a figure that is highly encouraging to marketers". The problem with receiving text messages in the US is that the recipients often have to pay for the message, although this is changing as subscriber plans have started to include an allowance for text messaging.

From the New York Times via Mobile Messaging 2.0.

Asian iPhone round up.

2008-07-26T07:03:00.007+01:00

While there seems to be shortages in the U.K and U.S. anecdotal evidence supports existing handset availability in Australia, with a slow but constant flow of back orders coming in.

Possible troubles in Asia

The Sydney Morning Herald, 7th July 2008, reports that the
iPhone could face tough reception in Asia:

If the phones exclusivity wanes expect to see the desire for the handset also wane.

Pricing and lack of features will also play against the iPhone, missing features such as MMS or the ability to watch television.

Keyboard is a barrier to text messaging, which is a turn off in the Philippines where it is the primary means of communication.

Pathetic mobile plans have watchdogs off the leash

With the release of the iPhone the less than generous plans the Australian telcos have come out with,The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) has issued a warning to consumers to consider their data usage and carriers charges on excess data before signing up to a plan. The ACCC has also written to the telcos informing them about the concerns of consumers being misled about mobile data charges.

All three of the telcos currently offering the iPhone in Australia have been criticized for offering poor mobile data plans - being too expensive and providing low data limits. No provider offers unlimited data, in fact Telstras limit is 3 GB, optus 2GB and a piddly 1 GB for vodafone.

An Optus marketing director said they believed that 2GB was enough for most people.

From the Sydney Morning Herald, July 21st 2008, Watchdog sniffs at mobile excess usage fees.

WiMax and LTE

2008-07-21T17:48:00.002+01:00

The Economist, July 19th 2008, pp. 80-81, discusses the two main contenders for the next generation (4G) networks. "Both 4G technologies promise wireless nirvana: fast, ubiquitous broadband. Once radio chips are cheap enough, they will crop up not just in handsets and laptops, but in devices such as digital cameras and electricity meters, which are unconnected today. But the telecoms and computer industries have very different ideas about how this should be done, and this explains the split between WiMAX and LTE (which are technically similar). WiMAX is an attempt by the computer industry to export its way of doing things to the telecoms industry—and LTE is the response"

WiMax, lead by Intel and allies, believe that wireless broadband should be as open as the internet is, with consumers paying a flat fee for access, using whatever services they like.
LTE (Long Term Evolution), lead by Ericsson, is seen as an update to existing technologies and has been criticized for being closed and limiting consumer choice.

Since last year WiMax had the upper hand, but that has changed: some operators reported the technology wasn't ready, and auctions for suitable WiMax spectrum have been delayed. This has given LTE the opportunity to fight back: it has received backing from the GSM Association, and AT&T and Verizon have said they will adopt LTE.

"[T]here is now talk of merging the two technologies, by making WiMAX part of the LTE standard. Even Sean Maloney, Intel’s Mr WiMAX, says “they ought to be harmonised”. Although this is still unlikely, it would not be a bad outcome. Subscribers could then take advantage of internet-like openness combined with the robustness of wireless technology—without having to put up with the inconvenience of two different standards."

Linux-based open source phone ships.

2008-07-07T13:14:00.000+01:00

"Openmoko has begun shipping its Linux-based, open source Neo Freerunner phone to five newly announced distributors, in Germany, France, and India". The hardware is open (via published CAD files), and the software is also open based on the OpenMoko project and the Jalimo Java virtual machine. From Linux Devices.

In other Liinux-based phone news, Electronista has unconfirmed news from WSJ that "Android-based cellphones are seeing crucial delays that will force them to miss an end-of-year target".

Symbian becomes more open.

2008-07-01T10:31:00.000+01:00

Nokia will buy the remaining shares of Symbian Limited and donate the technologies to the new Symbian Foundation: a non-profit that will provide the platform royalty free to it's members. Membership is US$1,500 per year, but "[t]he foundation will move the platform to open source under Eclipse Public License (EPL) 1.0, during the next two years; making the platform code available to all for free." Sony Ericsson and Motorola will also contribute technologies to the foundation, in particular UIQ.

"From these contributions, the foundation will provide a unified platform with common UI framework. A full platform will be available for all foundation members under a royalty-free license. Further development of the platform will be enhanced by integrating contributions from foundation members through open collaboration. "

Sources:

Industry leaders establish foundation to provide an open and royalty-free mobile platform, Sony Ericsson Developer World
Nokia grabs control of Symbian - then gives it away, The Register.

QR Codes and iPhone in Australia

2008-06-30T02:27:00.000+01:00

The Sydney Morning Herald has recently had an article discussing how and where QR code could be used and hinted Telstra would soon be making an announcement, which can be seen next.

One thing to note is the some what inaccurate graphic showing an iPhone reading a QR Code. At the current time there are no QR code readers for non-hacked iPhones. Telstra are going to be given half a million unsuspecting customer the gift of QR codes, via a free software download. More information can be found at the telstra portal qrious. Via Gizmodo Australia, June 26 2008 and Sydney Morning Herald June 14 2008.

It would appear 3 is try a different route to the other telcos in getting the iPhone, rather than engaging in a dialogue with Apple. They are getting there customers to help them beg for it. Of course, it could be a cunning market scheme to build interest in the brand before they announce they have already penned with Apple. Via Sydney Morning Herald June 26 2008.

Apple positions itself between iPhone customers and the networks.

2008-06-26T10:24:00.001+01:00

From The Register... "we learn that networks who partner with Apple must install Apple gear at the data centre to support its services - specifically, the Push Notification service that wakes up the Jesus Phone. Forget the revenues from sales of extra server gear - the key point is that Apple now sits in the middle of the data stream, capturing the customer's data. The analyst outfit describes the iPhone as a potential "poison" for the networks."

iPhone 3G subsidized by operators.

2008-06-16T15:10:00.000+01:00

The Economist notes: "Apple ditches its unusual business model to boost handset sales", commenting "Evidently Mr Jobs hopes to gain more from faster handset sales than he will lose by giving up his share of usage fees. By cutting the iPhone's price and increasing the number of countries where it is legally available from six to 70, Mr Jobs hopes to reach his goal of selling 10m iPhones by the end of the year. (So far, 6m have been sold.)"

The mobility patterns of 100,000 mobile phone users.

2008-06-10T17:38:00.002+01:00

"The whereabouts of more than 100,000 mobile phone users have been tracked in an attempt to build a comprehensive picture of human movements", reports BBC News.

Most people move less than 10k on a regular basis, with a few moving hundreds of kilometers, with the pattern following a power law. Overall, people tend to return to the same places. "Information was collected for six months. But, according to the researchers, a person's pattern of movement could be seen in just three."

This information, published in Nature, could be of use to understanding outbreaks of infectious disease or to urban planners.

Consumer applications in the workplace.

2008-06-06T16:21:00.002+01:00

Computer Weekly (3 June 2008, p. 18) reports on how consumer applications used in the workplace "pose a security risk, but they point the way forward for business".

Benefits include staff being able to spot new business uses from blogging, use of photos, collaboration, SMS and mobile location services.

Banning these devices "gives a false sense of security" and "CIOs [...] could cut off significant business improvements and new ways of dealing with customers".

High taxation holds back phone growth.

2008-06-01T22:10:00.003+01:00

"Sometime in the next few months, the number of mobile phones in use will exceed 3.3 billion, or half the world's population. No technology has ever spread faster around the globe: the mobile phone took less than two decades to reach this degree of penetration. But the ever-restless wireless industry has already set its sights on getting the other half connected."

The article, in The Economist, May 31 2008, p. 78-80, goes on state that making handset ownership more affordable is the key. Handset costs are dropping, and innovations in infrastructure have helped lower costs, making it possible for operators to make a profit at low prices. However, governments add costs via taxation.

"This enthusiasm for taxation is easy to explain: governments have to tax something, and mobile phones are an easy target, since operators' billing systems do all the hard work. But treating mobile phones as a cash cow is shortsighted, says Gabriel Solomon of the GSMA, because mobile-specific taxes reduce demand. If governments did away with them and charged only VAT, tax revenues from the mobile industry would be around 3% higher by 2012, the report found, and the average penetration rate would increase from 33% to 41%. (Studies have found that in a typical developing country, an increase in mobile penetration of 10% boosts GDP growth by around one percentage point.)"

Investigation into premium rate compliance.

2008-05-20T08:50:00.000+01:00

PhonepayPlus, the UK regulator previously known as Icstis, has seen a 40% increase in complaints from consumers receiving unexpected premium rate bills. Although millions of people have no problem with voting and buying content from their mobiles, there are some businesses breaking the rules. "We expect these rules to be followed and any failings of compliance will be punished", said cheif executive George Kidd in a BBC News article.

PhonepayPlus have decided to carry out a review of premium-rate services. "The review, the results of which should be published in July, will look at ways of dealing with unsolicited text message promotions, price transparency - especially use of the word "free" - and subscription to services such as ringtones."

The Register have also reported on this story.

Flash for Java ME.

2008-05-14T06:06:00.000+01:00

Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin aims to allow Java ME developers to embed Flash Lite applications inside their Java midlets./ "Flash is great for artists, but Java is better for programmers, so the combination should allow both sides to excel and create some really interesting applications."

In related news, Adobe has decided to make Flash more open and stop charging a license fee for Flash Lite.

Source:

Sony Ericsson puts a Flash into Java, The Register.
Adobe opens up Flash on mobiles, The BBC
Sony Ericsson's new Project Capuchin bridges Java ME and Flash Lite, Sony Ericsson Developer World.

Blyk reaches 100,000 customers.

2008-05-12T12:30:00.004+01:00

Blyk have announced they've reached 100,000 customers, These customers receive free messages and minutes each month in return for receiving up to six adverts each day, via SMS and MMS. The 117 Blyk advertiers include Xbox, Penguin, RSPCA, and STA Travel.

The Register comment: "Pitches of this kind aren't new. During the dot.com boom several companies thought they could make a living providing free computers subsidised by advertising, but such projects have been beset by the fact that those most interested in a free lunch have traditionally been those least attractive to advertisers. Blyk reckons that by focusing on the youth demographic it can avoid this problem - youths all want free phone calls, and so far they would appear to be right"

Social networking could drive mobile internet usage.

2008-05-09T12:17:00.002+01:00

eMarketer: "Mobile social networking stands a good chance of jumpstarting mobile Internet adoption because mobile social networking is based more on communication than content. Time and again, communication services have led the way for content and advertising to follow."

The article goes on to discuss the figures for paid mobile entertainment. "Even with the most upbeat projections, paid mobile content is a tiny market in comparison to revenues from communication-based mobile services."

Looking at data from an Ofcom international survey of mobile use it clear that "mobile users are more inclined toward communications or task-centric interactions with their mobile device than toward content or entertainment." eMarketer suggest that social networking could provide a way for content recommendations, and give operators a new way to sell mobile data access to their customers.

iPhone for the Enterprise

2008-04-21T15:02:00.000+01:00

eWeek report on developers looking at the iPhone SDK with a view to developing enterprise applications for the device.

Opera on Android

2008-04-14T14:51:00.004+01:00

"[...] manufacturers around the world are looking to make Android handsets, and all those handsets are going to need a web browser". Opera have stepped in and "ported" their Java Opera Mini web browser to run on the Android platform, by creating "a special wrapper that translates Java ME (mostly MIDP) API calls into Android API calls."

Sources:

Opera tunes itself for Android, The Register.
The story behind Opera Mini on Google Android, Opera.