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Today’s real wireless issue and it’s not the iPad

The lights have dimmed at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center and for all the hype surrounding the iPad, the far more important issue involves the rapid impact that tablet computing will have across the wireless ecosystem.

If the iPad is a success, watch for hardware and software developers to respond in kind – and fast.  Take hardware development: By the fall of 2007, consumers had shown clear interest in mobile phone touch screens.  A year later, at least three other companies had unveiled touch screen phones.  Since then, even more choices have emerged.

That, in turn, spurred the current surge in mobile apps.  If tablet computers become a success, expect to see a huge amount of resources deployed for software development.  Earlier this week, The New York Times’ Jenna Wortham once again showed why she has a reputation for being ahead of the curve on tech trends.   On Monday, The Times published this article by Wortham on the broader implications of the iPad [Link]:

“Apple’s move to open up the iPhone to outside programmers in 2008 started a software-writing frenzy. [The iPad’s 10-inch screen and other features] could inspire developers to create new twists on apps, like games that two or more people can easily play at once on the same device.”

As with mobile phone apps, the growth of the “tablet app” market will continue to hasten America’s mobile adoption.

 

For policymakers, the importance of allocating enough wireless spectrum to accommodate consumers’ expected surge in mobile usage becomes even more important.  Fortunately, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet recently approved a bill that’s a step in the right direction.

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Tags: Broadband, Legislation, Mobile Applications, Mobile Broadband, Smartphone, Spectrum, Wireless Innovation, Investment/Competition, Looming Spectrum Crisis, Mobile Broadband Growth

Dr. App

Out of the devastation in Haiti have come extraordinary stories of survival.  One amazing first-person account is of Dan Woolley, a Denver-native, who found himself trapped beneath the rubble of his hotel in Port-au-Prince.  The tool that saved his life?  His iPhone.  Through his wireless connection he was able assess his injuries and diagnosis a broken leg.

Woolley used the light from his iPhone to show him his injuries and diagnosed it properly as a broken foot.  Then, he used the instructions from the app to treat the excessive bleeding from cuts on his legs and the back of his head. 

Furthermore, he was able to figure out his location within the building using GPS and find an elevator shaft—which lead him to safety.  A true testament of personal ingenuity in the face of catastrophe. 

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Tags: eHealth, GPS, Mobile Applications, Mobile Health, Public Safety, Investment/Competition

A new addition to the smartphone market

David Pogue of the New York Times takes a look at the newest entrant in the handset market, the Nexus One.

"It's pretty sweet, it advances the state of the art, and it's a welcome addition to the catalog of great app phones like the iPhone, Palm Pre and Motorola Droid.  You'll pay $529 without a two-year contract for service with T-Mobile, or $179 with one."

 

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Tags: Mobile Applications, Mobile Phone, Smartphone, Wireless Innovation, Investment/Competition, Mobile Broadband Growth

City Governments Go Mobile

Ever see a pothole or a tree that's fallen in the road and think, "Someone ought to fix that"?

Well, if you're in Washington, DC, you're in luck.  All you need to do is snap a photo with your PDA and using the city's DC 311 mobile app, pair it with a GPS location.  You then upload it into a local government database.  This also works for graffiti, broken parking meters and any other public nuisance.

Other cities from New York to San Francisco have also moved to harness the power of mobile consumers.  The practical result, as CNN reports is that:

[T]ech geeks transform banal local government spreadsheets about train schedules, complaint systems, potholes, street lamp repairs and city garbage into useful applications for mobile phones and the Web. The aim is to let citizens report problems to their governments more easily and accurately; and to put public information, which otherwise may be buried in file cabinets and Excel files, at the fingertips of taxpayers.

San Francisco and other cities are trying to develop a national standard for municipal government data. That way, a mobile app that tracks, say, bus service in San Francisco could also be used in any other city.  That could enable cities that cannot afford to develop their own mobile apps to benefit.

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Tags: GPS, Mobile Applications, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Phone, Public Safety, Smartphone, Wireless Broadband, Wireless Innovation, CA, DC, NY, Investment/Competition, Mobile Broadband Growth

Technology creates economic opportunities

The Duluth News Tribune in Minnesota recently published an op-ed piece by Mobile Future Advisor Diane Smith. The piece details Diane’s success as an entrepreneur in rural America, and the many ways that technology helps small business and promotes economic opportunity.

The wireless sector employs nearly 2.7 million Americans - from applications developers to retail store workers to network engineers - and contributes $100 billion annually to our nation's economy. In the last year alone, wireless companies have invested more than $20 billion in networks that are expanding opportunities for the next generation of connected businesses.

You can read the rest of Diane’s op-ed here.

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Tags: Broadband, Competition, Economy, Job growth, Wireless Investment, Mobile Applications, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Future, Mobile Future Board, Diane Smith, Mobile Phone, Rural access, Wireless Broadband, Digital Divide, Investment/Competition, Mobile Broadband Growth

Savitz’ Savvy

Eric Savitz writes the Technology Week column for Barron's and his business perspective on technology's changes is always refreshing.  Case in point, his predictions for the Consumer Electronics Show, which begins January 7th:

[M]obile devices should be the big story. New phones are likely to be unveiled by Palm, Motorola and others. There will be a host of new e-book readers; keep your eye on the QUE from start-up Plastic Logic. The netbook surge rolls on, aided by variants known as smartbooks -- generally Linux-based, with non-Intel processors, and offering handy features like instant on. Even now-mundane devices like cameras and camcorders will offer wireless connectivity. Also expect a host of new tablet-based PCs, taking advantage of special features in still-nascent Windows 7.

Incidentally, we're offering Savitz' insights solely for their own merits and not to help convince our bosses to approve our last-minute CES travel request.

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Tags: e-reading, Mobile Applications, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Phone, Mobile Video, Smartphone, Wireless Broadband, Wireless Innovation, Investment/Competition

How mobile helps you shop smart

This season, who isn't trying to cut costs?  Fortunately, as Claire Cain Miller points out in The New York Times [Link 1], your PDA gives you an instant alternative to trudging through parking lots and malls:

"The mobile phone is quickly becoming Santa's biggest helper.  Powerful software applications for [PDAs] are making it easy for bargain-hunting consumers to see if another retailer is offering a better deal on a big-screen HDTV or pair of shoes and to use it to haggle at the cash register.

 "Online retailers are revamping the mobile versions of their sites so consumers can make purchases without tedious typing. And offline retailers, battling for every last dollar, are sending cellphone users electronic coupons to lure them away from competitors."

Incidentally, while shopping and browsing may be national pastimes this time of year, let's also remember the holiday spirit and help those in need.  Yes, you guessed it - your mobile phone makes it easy to do that too.  The folks at the Mobile Giving Foundation are leading the way in helping non-profit organizations leverage the mobile Internet to generate fast and easy options for mobile users to donate from their PDAs.

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Tags: Mobile Applications, m-commerce, Mobile Broadband Growth

Prescription for Wireless Healthcare

With the exception of reducing the Digital Divide, probably the greatest social benefit from wireless technology is its potential to improve access to more affordable healthcare.  We've blogged a lot about this (see here, here and here) and now thanks to Venuri Siriwardane at the Newark Star-Ledger, there's even more evidence.

As an example, Siriwardane cites fuzzy bedroom slippers with pressure sensors in the soles which wirelessly transmit movement data, including information that the wearer may be more likely to fall. 

Of greater potential benefit, researchers are pouring research funding into the development of cost-effective wireless audio and video consultation services so doctors may interact remotely with patients in real time.

 The reason for this is not hard to discern:

Remote patient monitoring alone can generate between 20 percent to 40 percent in savings, said Chris Wasden, managing director of health industries strategy and innovation at PricewaterhouseCoopers....  Wasden [explained] that telehealth is much more common in developing countries such as India, where cell phones enable people to receive health care in remote areas that once lacked access to modern medicine. "They've already developed the ability to deliver mobile health care to their people, but we're behind the times on that."

Better healthcare.  More affordable access.  That's the mobile future.

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Tags: eHealth, Mobile Applications, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Health, Mobile Healthcare, Telehealth, Telemedicine, Wireless Broadband

Black Friday’s Mobile Milestone

Last Friday ushered in the holiday shopping season, and while consumers were clamoring for the best bargain, this year they had a new tool in their artillery - their cell phone.

With an array of smartphone choices from the Palm Pre to the iPhone, several new Blackberry models, and the Droid - never before have Americans had so many options at their disposal. That's not to mention the proliferation of retail m-commerce sites, and applications that can help you navigate stores, compare prices and even send coupons straight to your mobile phone. For customers, cell phones have become the ultimate aid in savvy shopping.

The Wall Street Journal reported that on Black Friday, "mobile online payments through PayPal surged 650%" and mobile searches grew to 200,000 from around 5,000 in 2008. This is good news for retailers, but more importantly it signals that 2009 is likely to be seen as a tipping point for the mobile web.

Today, nearly 40 percent of new phone sales are smartphones, a figure that will surely rise with the current holiday promotions. And a recent report projects that by 2011 a majority of phones in the U.S. will be connected smartphones that put PC-like functionalities in the palm of your hand.

What's driving this growth is a fundamental shift in how we use our wireless devices.
According to a recent survey of nearly 1,000 phone users:

"[S]martphone users are no longer just reading e-mail or scheduling appointments but also surfing the Web, streaming video and music, downloading games, and snapping pictures. Smartphones are now seen more by consumers as minicomputers than as cell phones."

This is a giant step forward for U.S. connectivity and greatly beneficial to American consumers, but it also raises key questions for federal policymakers.

With the surge in smartphone adoption and mobile web usage, wireless data traffic in North America is expected to double every year between 2008 and 2013. If this forecast holds true, it means that we are facing what FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski calls a 'looming spectrum crisis.' The FCC needs to take action by opening up new wireless spectrum. Thankfully, Chairman Genachowski recognizes this challenge and is taking steps to address it.

However, as we witnessed with the last auctions, the path to spectrum allocation can be a lengthy and bureaucratic process, and consumers also need more immediate solutions. Wireless network management helps ensure as seamless a consumer experience as possible, no matter how busy the wireless networks become. As we seek solutions to address exponentially increasing mobile usage, we should keep in mind the constructive policies and engineering practices that made this growth possible in the first place.

As evidenced this Black Friday, wireless innovation is working for America. When considering policy changes, the FCC must first do no harm. Government policies should support mobile's still-nascent potential and growth, but consumer choices and mobile innovation should guide wireless' bright future.

This article was originally posted on Huffington Post.

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Tags: Broadband, Competition, Economy, Wireless Investment, Huffington Post, Mobile Applications, m-commerce, Mobile Future, Mobile Future Board, Jonathan Spalter, Mobile Phone, Net Neutrality, Smartphone, Spectrum, Wireless Innovation, National

Library in a Pocket

If you're looking to brush up on a little reading, you don't need to carry around a stack of books or even buy an e-reading device. You've already got them with you.

A recent article in the New York Times describes how phones are gaining an edge over e-readers like Kindle. Many people are finding that there is no reason to spend $300 on a new device when they've already got access to thousands of books in their pocket. This trend has caught on with application designers:

Over the last eight months, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and a range of smaller companies have released book-reading software for the iPhone and other mobile devices. One out of every five new applications introduced for the iPhone last month was a book, according to Flurry, a research firm that studies mobile trends.

Many new reading applications feature videos, music and other multimedia features, in addition to colorful screens that can't be found on the Kindle. The fact that smart phones go with us everywhere, take up less space and can perform more functions make them an easy choice for e-reading.

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Tags: e-reading, Mobile Applications, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Phone, Smartphone, Wireless Broadband, Wireless Innovation

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