Mobile Future Blog
Posted: 07/29/08 by Jo-Anne Basile
According to a report issued by the Nielsen company last week, American consumer interest in mobile Internet use remains as insatiable as ever. Of all the citizens around the globe polled in the Nielson report, U.S. cell phone users are the most active in wireless cyberspace. However, they still want more battery life, unlimited data packages, and even more new and innovative services.
The report found that 15.6% of Americans access the Internet on their cell phones, followed by the U.K. at 12.9%. Among wireless devices, a massive 82% of iPhone users were found to access the Internet with it, five times the average amount for mobile subscribers. Reviews of the new iPhone models express concern over whether the iPhone's difficult-to-change batteries can supply enough power to support extended web usage of AT&T's new and highly advanced 3G network. This unanticipated battery life demand is symptomatic of the general findings in the Nielsen report, which said that 38% of mobile Internet users cited battery life as their most preferred improvement, followed by larger screen size (22%), more memory (21%) and improved data input (20%).
Even following the arrival of enhanced service access, more efficient multimedia storage, and technological revamping, mobile Internet consumers are draining their batteries without satisfaction. The Nielsen report said the yearly Web access growth was up 28% with average subscribers, up almost 20% from the previous year-over-year statistic.
Mobile Internet users' yearning - despite such growth - for further technological improvement to meet their demands suggests that the mobile Internet market is capable of supporting waves of new innovation and capital investment. The report reads: "Mobile Internet is today at a point of sufficient mass to sustain a chain reaction of rapid growth in consumer adoption and, in turn, mobile Internet marketing...it has reached critical mass through a confluence of device availability, network speeds, content availability and, most importantly, consumer interest."
Mobile Internet usage has come a long way, and yet still offers possibilities for the future.
Posted: 07/24/08 by Mobile Future Team
After Apple's popular iPhone, you may be wondering where handset manufacturers are going to go next - The simple answer would be, just about everywhere - with innovative designs going in all directions.
Although they are planning at least seven to 15 years in advance, Nokia has designed a phone called, Morph, which as its name suggests, can morph into different practical forms, including a bracelet. It will be made out of a self-cleaning material capable of repelling dirt and grime much like a newly waxed car repels water. On top of that, the phone will have sensors capable monitoring carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere for the health conscious or the blood sugar levels for the diabetic.
Then there is Italian designer Massimo Marrazzo's Handphone, which is literally just that. First, imagine a speaker ring attached to your pinky and a microphone ring attached to your thumb, second imagine gesturing to a friend to call you by using your hands to mimic a phone call, and then you have the Handphone design. When you're done simply tell the phone, which responds to voice commands.
Utilizing the same touch screen technology as Apple's iPhone, a Chinese design firm has plans to double the fun with the P-Per phone. Although they are a few years ahead of today's technology, they plan to have a touch screen camera on one side and touch screen mobile phone and messaging capability on the other side.
Also using touch screen technology, which will dominate the future, Turkish designer, Emir Rifat Isik has designed the 5 cm square by 1 cm thick Packet phone, which folds open like a package, providing more surface area to fit in a keyboard and pointer area when you are surfing the Web.
Today it's the iPhone, but tomorrow it could be anything.
Posted: 07/22/08 by Chris Parandian
As always, we like to keep you informed about upcoming events in the district of communications.
Accordingly, the folks at Media Future Now will host a panel discussion on Tuesday, July 22 titled: "3G: Mobile Media in Motion." This discussion looks to cover a wide spectrum of issues in social media, mobile broadcasting and mobile marketing. I have the pleasure of sitting down with Michael Collins (Kinetic Mobile) and Peter Corbett (iStrategylabs), both successful entrepreneurs who have done some great things in wireless, advertising and social media.
With that in mind, my remarks will be focused on mobile broadcasting and how wireless can augment citizen journalism (expanding on my remarks at the Free Press Conference last month).
Visit the Media Future Now site for more information and to RSVP...
Hope to see U there!
----------------
Here is the 411:
When: Tuesday, July 22, 12:15-1:45 p.m.
Where: The offices of Quinn Gillespie & Associates, 1133 Connecticut Ave., NW
Posted: 07/21/08 by Molly Kocour
If you're like me, and your sense of direction doesn't always lead you in the right direction, you'll be interested to hear about the innovative ways that GPS is entering the cellular world.
Nokia has just announced its acquisition of Navteq, a leading digital map provider in the United States. Navteq, which provides maps, can already be found in most in-car and portable GPS systems and, with this deal, they will find their way into the hands of about a billion cell phone users.
Instead of relying on government maps, Navteq hires its own teams to drive around recording and collecting data - making their maps very accurate and reliable. But, imagine how much more accurate and reliable they will become when a billion cell phone users are contributing to the process!
Navteq CEO, Green, said, "a cell phone could also be a live probe, noting that real-time data about how quickly a handset is moving could provide clues as to the speed of traffic in an area."
The future of GPS and location-based content is really taking off. The research firm, Gartner, predicts that global subscribers to this kind of service will reach, "43.2 million in 2008 and hit almost 300 million in 2011." Soon, you could be walking around in a foreign city and your phone, which knows where you are, will deliver restaurant recommendations and points of interest.
By downloading a cell phone application called, Bones in Motion, athletes are already using such GPS technology to aid in their training. For example, runners can use this application to not only track distance run, speed, and calories burned, but also such information as weather conditions and difficulty. All this can then be uploaded and stored as a running log.
If this isn't enough, GPS and location-based technology has even made it to the canine world. A few companies are in the early stages of developing a tracking system which monitors the location of your dog, sending you a warning text message if your dog leaves a designated zone.
Then there's my favorite one. A program called, Superhero, by Yougetitback.com, tracks lost or misplaced cell phones. You can even program your phone to ring, "I've been stolen," or "Take me home," if it goes missing!
Maybe your sense of direction is better than mine, but there are clearly multiple benefits to having a GPS-enabled cell phone.
Posted: 07/17/08 by Jo-Anne Basile
Have you ever been to a big event and you couldn't get a hold of anyone because the wireless networks were so congested?
Maybe it wasn't too important when you were trying to call a friend so they could hear the encore at the Rolling Stones concert, but imagine if it happened at the Democratic or Republican National Convention, events that help select the next President of the United States. With all the digital data streaming to the public during these high-profile events, wireless network failure would spell a communications meltdown.
However, since the last conventions four year ago, the telecommunication companies have made numerous technical advancements and have taken great measures to upgrade and expand their services. Even with the last minute change of venue for Barack Obama's Democratic National Convention, the telecom companies are making adjustments and utilizing innovative solutions to ensure for a successful event.
COWS and COLTS are just a few examples of the innovative solutions that will enable telecommunications to maintain wireless service during the conventions. COWS and COLTS stand for "cell on wheels" sites and "cellsite on light truck." These wireless "animals" enable wireless providers to augment existing coverage so users can conduct business as usual.
The telecom companies are also accommodating for the increase of bloggers (expecting 10 times as many as in 2004), who will likely be heavy BlackBerry users. Not to mention, there will likely b
e much more video streaming and picture uploading as well. So while the change of venue isn't a big deal for bloggers with little equipment, a reliable communications network is needed so they can update their blogs frequently.
All this is being taken into consideration as companies: AT&T, Qwest, Sprint, T-mobile, and Verizon Wireless invest millions of dollars to keep up with the increase of technology and resulting bandwidth traffic.
AT&T Wireless regional vice president and general manager, Dave Fine, claims, "Based what we've seen at previous large venues -- the Final Four, the World Series, the [Barack] Obama rally in St. Paul -- and what we expect to see at the upcoming Neil Diamond concert, we're confident of what we've planned for at the Republican Convention."
If you're attending either of these conventions, it sounds like you can rest assured that you'll be able to use your cell phone for calling, texting, blogging, emailing, picture and movie uploading.
If you're not one of the 76,000 expected to attend the Democratic National Convention or the 45,000 expected to attend the Republican National Convention, you can rest assured that you will be made to feel as if you were actually there.
Posted: 07/16/08 by Chris Parandian
New ways to communicate with our friends and family via wireless is exploding. This mobile social convergence is also affecting our lawmakers as they also look to participate in ways that they never imagined! As we know, mobile provides an opportunity for lawmakers to connect with consitutents via video or with other social networking tools (twitter, facebook, qik, utterz).
Representative John "Congressman Qik" Culberson (Texas) is in a league of his own and we highlighted his efforts to show Americans what he does in Washington. Unfortunately, those efforts were not appreciated by one of his colleagues (who is focused on videos). Accordingly, a debate is taking place on Capitol Hill on how lawmakers can use these new tools and what kind of Congressional oversight should accompany the use of those tools.
On that note, Ms. Pelosi seems headed in the right direction. She represents a tech-savy district and utilizes different social communications herself. At a time when Congressional approval is at an all-time low, these tools give lawmakers a real-time way to communicate with folks and provide an open window into Congress. Fighting this mobile-social revolution is not the answer and I am optimistic that Ms. Pelosi will modernize the rules governing "franking" which is at the heart of the debate.
Updating the rules so lawmakers can communicate with new media as they do with traditional old media is a good thing and we applaud Mr. Culberson for starting the conversation. As an active mobile user, Mr. Culberson cares about these wireless technologies and our ability to communicate with them in real-time - a true compassionate conservative!
Posted: 07/11/08 by Hiram 'Art' Contreras
Before the Internet, child safety measures largely applied to monitoring one's children as they ventured outside the safety of the home. Children could only meet strangers and threatening individuals once they moved into an uncontrolled environment. With the rise of the World Wide Web, came instant communication in chat rooms, web sites, streaming video, and email, now our children have access to the outside world with the click of a "mouse". The outside world is now inside the front door. And now, with the possibilities of wireless Internet service on children's cell phones, the threat has been expanded. As parents and grandparents, we want to provide every opportunity to our children to expand their knowledge of the fascinating world of cyberspace. However, we must also be diligent and raise their level of understanding to deal with and recognize a possible threat.
The Yankee Group research organization estimates that over half of the 20 million preteens (8-12) living in the United States will be carrying a cell phone by the end of 2008. And while wireless service provides myriad child safety protections-the ability to phone for help if a kid gets lost or physically threatened and ensured communication with a parent-it also bears potential threats.
Cyberspace can unfortunately sometimes place kids dangerously close to sex predators, criminals, or simply inappropriate content. LA Times reports, for example, on how kids visiting popular website and virtual worlds like Webkinz and Club Penguin are being harassed by cyber bullies-kids stealing each other's virtual goods, or discovering how to swear and curse at each other. But even if wireless service is responsible for the problem, it can also provide the solution in cyber security measures and education programs for young children.
New Zealand 's law enforcement organizations have given education high priority and adopted a national interagency approach to cyber safety education called NetSafe. Many New Zealand Police officers have worked with NetSafe since its inception in 2000; including members of the fraud squad, the E-Crime Lab, sexual abuse teams, and police youth education officers
NetSafe seeks to get children excited about cyber security with a separate, charitable subsidiary of the site called Hector's World, created in 2006. In its high-quality animated episodes, Hector Protector is a dolphin in the underwater realm of Silicon Deep. The site lends children a fictional and appealing context in which to learn cyber security guidelines; in the eight minute clips, the first set focuses on privacy and personal information online, while the rest of the storybooks tailor to specific age groups (5-6 or 7-8, for example) to reach out to the child viewer. Hector's World even has a free downloadable Hector Safety Button, a child-activated safety device which installs a swimming Hector in the corner of the computer screen; if the child is disturbed by something online, he or she can click a button so that Hector swims across the screen and covers it from view. The site's applications thereby stimulate proactive cyber safety in children who end up emulating the behavior of Hector Protector as he swims through his own watery community.
If children can be taught at an early age general guidance for online safety behavior, they can adopt healthy habits for when they later become engaged with more extensive online-browsing. The wireless Internet undoubtedly presents some risks for children playing with their cell phones, but it also offers valuable opportunities to combat those risks with early education.
Posted: 07/09/08 by Diane Smith
As the parents of an active teenager, my husband and I are constantly texting, phoning, and otherwise using our daughter's cell phone to keep track of her. And, as summer vacation frees children across the country from their classrooms, it becomes more difficult than usual for parents to keep track of their roaming kids. Cell phone and wireless communication enable parents, grandparents, and other concerned adults to stay in touch with their preteens at the beach, playground, or friend's house. Parents can rest easy knowing that their child is not only capable of being reached, but also phoning for help in a moment of peril.
Summer is when police departments receive the most missing child calls, and with the speed of wireless communication, even the surrounding community can assist in providing child safety. Summer vacation spots like Kittery, Maine participate in the "A Child is Missing Alert Program," where law enforcement officials send a customized alert message to all registered numbers in the area in question. Wireless communication, when utilized correctly, can thereby alert individuals in a crowd at a fair, amusement park, or beach where a child has gone missing.
Of course, preteens tend to be less interested in these wireless capabilities, and more interested in their cell phone's multimedia, games, and text messaging. So it's important to teach kids the responsible use of their cell phone, particularly when it can keep them from harm. Already a third of the 20 million American preteens between the ages of 8-12 have a cell phone, a number that will jump to nearly half by 2010.
Nicholas P. Sullivan and David Aylward are proponents and researchers of cell phone safety and head COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance, a nonprofit educational and advocacy group of more than 100 organizations representing emergency responders nationwide. "Children need to be taught that the cell phone is a tool, not a toy. It can play an important role in emergency situations involving children, but only if their parents have taken the time to teach kids what they need to know," said Aylward.
Aylward and Sullivan outline the basic ways each parent can teach their children cell phone safety in the summer months.
- One should teach their kids how to press 9-1-1 and SEND on their cells, and then stay on the line to explain their emergency.
- Parents should stress, however, that calling the police is not a game, as some children unfortunately sometimes fail to grasp, resulting in disruptive and illegal prank calls.
- Also, adults should pre-program their kids' cell phones with all emergency phone numbers and precede them with ICE, for "in case of emergency."
Parents can also take advantage of some cell phone companies' more customized child-friendly provisions. There are some service plans that can be prepaid, which limit kids' free talking and encourages children to "budget" their phone time. Other phones allow only numbers pre-approved by parents to be called and accepted by the child, including offering a special emergency key. These are great tools to focus and monitor kids' cellular activities.
Finally, parents should always insist that their kids keep their cell phones on at all times, and provide an extra battery for the kid to prevent any possible excuses. Wireless technology is a gift to families-in Sullivan's words, a "safety blanket" that adults may extend to their loved ones when they leave the security of the house-and so it is crucial for children to understand that wandering around in the summer months without a powered phone is not an option.
Posted: 07/07/08 by Chris Parandian
We recently covered how to make the movies when on the move. In addition to catching the blockbusters this summer, you can have your dinner reservation set on the go too!
OpenTable, the leader in facilitating restaurant reservations around the globe, has recently introduced a mobile version of the popular website. OpenTable first opened for business in San Francisco and has been very successful over the years. OpenTable now has affliations with 8500 restaurants and serves 3 million folks a month. This service is quite timely (with the surge in smart phone demand) and I expect it will become a favored mobile service for consumers.
Although an early review of the service was mixed, in time, I'm sure OpenTable will seek to augment the initial product... Additional FAQs about OpenTable mobile can be found here.
Page 2 of 8 pages < 1 2 3 4 > Last »
0 comments | Permalink