Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications
Posted: 03/27/12 by Mobile Future Team
According to Computerworld, a mobile app developed by 2tor is allowing students to pursue online degrees from the palm of their hand. For certain programs at various universities around the United States, including University of Southern California and University of North Carolina, students can access online classes via mobile apps on smartphones and tablets. The app allows students to watch live lectures through videoconferences, check on class materials and connect with peers.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 01/27/12 by Mobile Future Team
As The Washington Post recently reported, a new study by mobile network firm Arieso looks at the increased data usage by iPhone 4S users and found that the latest iPhone uses twice as much data as the iPhone 4 and almost three times as much data as the iPhone 3G.
Paul Farhi writes in the article:
“In all, Arieso says that the Siri-equipped iPhone 4S “appears to unleash data consumption behaviors that have no precedent.”
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 11/22/11 by Mobile Future Team
With only three days until Black Friday shoppers would be wise to have their wireless devices ready. According to the Washington Post, a recent survey from InMobi found that mobile devices will be heavily relied upon on the biggest retail day of the year as 60 million mobile users are estimated to use their devices to shop and over 21 million shoppers are expected to purchase items directly through their mobile devices on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Also, as the NYTimes reported, a new app should help shoppers make the most of Black Friday deals and discounts. TapBuy provides users with a digital catalogue of deals from over one hundred companies and also allows users to search for deals within their vicinity. To complete a purchase, users simply snap a photo of the front and back of their credit card and the app inputs the information.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 10/06/11 by Mobile Future Team
We are all thinking of Steve Jobs today. He was truly a visionary who designed products that few people could have ever even imagined. From the first Apple I and Macintosh computers to the latest iPad and newly unveiled iPhone 4S, Jobs will be remembered for technology that the everyday person wants – and can use with unmatched ease.
Steve Jobs’ contributions to the wireless sector will not soon be forgotten. He was a revolutionary innovator and entrepreneur, who boldly thought outside the box and created some of the most iconic products in use today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jobs family and the Apple community.
Posted: 05/18/11 by Mobile Future Team
Our nation has an extraordinary appetite for wireless products, data, and services across a dizzying array of applications and devices. The massive growth of internet mobility, however, is quickly exceeding the available wireless spectrum, the invisible infrastructure that powers the mobile ecosystem.
We at Mobile Future have outlined the serious impacts sharply increasing data consumption will have on networks if additional wireless spectrum is not made available soon in this Spectrum: Fueling the Mobile Future Video.
Key highlights from the video include:
- By 2012, more than half of all new phones purchased will be smartphones.
- A smartphone uses 24x more spectrum than a feature phone. An iPad uses 120x more.
- By 2014, 70% of all consumer electronics will be wirelessly connected to the Internet.
- If we don’t allocate more spectrum for mobile, our nation’s appetite for wireless will out-strip capacity as early as 2014.
To watch the video, go here.
Posted: 04/07/11 by Mobile Future Team
The release of apps and services that aid Americans with disabilities shows no sign of abating and the release of ZoomReader, a new app that reads aloud any text, should have those with visual impairments particularly rejoicing. The app uses the iPhone or iPod touch’s camera to take a picture of text- including nutrition labels, menus, books and e-mails- and converts the image into text which the app reads aloud. Also, the app highlights and magnifies the converted text on the iPhone’s screen as it reads the text aloud so those with low vision can easily follow along.
As reported in The Wall Street Journal:
“Doug Hacker, vice president of business development for the Vermont-based Ai Squared, said it decided to develop the app because of the enormous popularity of the iPhone in the visually impaired community. According to a survey the company conducted, it believes roughly a third of its current 150,000 to 170,000 customers own an iPhone and the majority of the rest want one. “The community tends to be behind the curve as far as technology is concerned, but because of VoiceOver, almost every blind person is buying it,” said Mr. Hacker, adding that it expects a “burgeoning marketplace.”
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 03/11/11 by Mobile Future Team
Wireless technologies have truly opened doors for those with disabilities, offering new opportunities and independence. Adding to the influx of services aiding the visually impaired, LookTel just released their Money Reader App for the iPhone which speaks the denomination of US currency in real-time when the smartphones camera is waved in front of any US bill.
As Nick Bilton reports in the NYTimes:
“The iPhone’s software already offers a number of features to assist the visually impaired. Under the phone’s Settings menu, users can navigate to an Accessibility area, which enables them to enlarge the phone’s graphics and text. Apple also offers Voice Over, which speaks text aloud when the phone’s screen is touched.”
To learn more about the impact of wireless innovation for people with disabilities, click here.
Posted: 01/19/11 by Mobile Future Team
How many times have you gone to a local bar or café to meet up with friends only to find that the venue is packed and the line is out the door? With What Spot Now -- a new service from spotlight mobile available via mobile website or as an iPhone app -- you can take a live look inside the venue before you get there.
This location viewing service allows users to watch live images of participating businesses on their smartphone, gauge how crowded they are and see what tables are available.
The trademarked “SpotCam” Wifi cameras transmit a real-time view of the venue to your smartphone to help you decide where you want to grab some food or a drink. For privacy reasons, the camera blurs out the faces of customers.
As an added bonus, the cameras also detect if business is slow in the venue and the app sends exclusive discounts directly to your mobile device. To take full advantage of more discounts available at venues in your area, another new service Bartab allows Facebook users to claim $1.00 beverage vouchers with their mobile phones at participating locations. .
If you’re looking for a new restaurant to try, Near+Now finds places based on users preferences, providing reviews and information regarding special events so users can quickly decide what spot to checkout next!
These new apps and services are sure to cause foodies and bargain hunters alike to rejoice. Bon appetite!
Posted: 12/27/10 by Mobile Future Team
You can now use your smartphone or tablet to accept credit card payments with Square, a new service that transforms Apple and Android devices into credit card terminals. With no contract, monthly fee, or hidden costs the Square card reader is highly economical and allows even the smallest of businesses to accept credit cards using the free card reader that easily attaches to your mobile device and can be stored on your keychain for quick access. Square will even send receipts via text to your patrons! To learn more, click here.
Posted: 11/17/10 by Mobile Future Team
“The Mobile Revolution has spawned the ‘apps economy,’” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski stated at last month’s Spectrum Summit. Thanks to the explosive growth of innovation technology in the apps market, consumers can choose from over 250,000 applications that accomplish everything from saving time to keeping you healthy.
To help sort through the expansive iPhone App Store, Bob Tedeschi has identified the “Top 10 Must-Have Apps for the iPhone, and Some Runners-Up” and “The Best Free Apps for the iPhone” in the NYTimes.
Tedeschi qualifies his list, stating:
To make my Top 10, an app must deliver an experience you couldn’t find on your computer — something, in other words, that exemplifies the smartphone at its best.
Among the featured apps: a personal digital assistant, a guide to the constellations and a faster way to identify songs- even by humming.
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Tags: Applications, Consumer Awareness, Consumer Benefits, Innovation, iPad , iPhone, Mobile Video, News, Smartphone, Wireless Devices, Wireless Innovation