Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications
Posted: 07/28/11 by Mobile Future Team
New data released this week captures the frenetic growth in the mobile landscape. As reported by GigaOm, smartphones now make up more than half of all phones sold in the U.S. and data consumption by wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets has skyrocketed. Compared to Q1 of 2010, the first quarter of 2011 saw a 130% increase in mobile data usage.
What is contributing to this huge jump? As Mashable points out, a report by Allot Communications finds that video streaming has become the largest user of data on wireless devices and soaks up 39% of mobile bandwidth. The report also shows that social media is a very popular mobile activity, and in the first half of 2011 Twitter grew 297% and Facebook grew 166%.
For more information, click here.
Posted: 05/19/11 by Jonathan Spalter
Smartphones, tablets and an ever-expanding array of mobile gadgetry have become ubiquitous in society. In ways large and small, we all bear witness every day to the fact that modern life is being transformed by the power of the Internet in the palms of our hands.
What makes it all possible? A pivotal resource with an elusive definition. In geek-speak we call it spectrum. But what IS spectrum? In a nutshell, it is the essential 'invisible infrastructure' that makes all mobile connectivity possible. Without allocating more spectrum for mobile, our nation's appetite for wireless could outstrip capacity in as little as three to four years.
Today, Mobile Future is releasing a video, "Spectrum: Fueling the Mobile Future," that seeks to explain why we need more spectrum to power the ongoing expansion of the mobile Internet, and the strong stake our nation's 300 million wireless consumers have in what has so far been a highly technical and inside-Washington debate about the future of this critical resource.
What's driving the sense of urgency? Fast-expanding mobile connectivity is poised to power the next wave of American innovation and job creation. Ensuring there's adequate spectrum to keep pace is essential to the quality and reliability of mobile service that consumers take for granted today.
A few key facts about the coming (yet easily avoided) mobile capacity crunch:
- Smartphones Set the Stage. Smartphones, with their robust and appealing capabilities, generate 24 times more data traffic than a basic feature cell phone--putting vast and quickly escalating strain on existing mobile network capacity;
- Tablet Torrent. As consumers quickly embrace additional devices, led by iPads and other tablets, these devices generate 120 times the data traffic of basic cell phones;
- Everyone's Smart. By next year, more than half of all new phones purchased will be smartphones, exponentially driving up demand for adequate spectrum; and
- Everything Connects. By 2014, 70% of all consumer electronics (not to mention medical, education, public safety and business tools) will connect to the mobile Internet.
Too little spectrum leaves too few options for the mobile innovation community: Unreliable service and performance, potentially higher connectivity costs and even rationing of wireless services. The good news? It doesn't have to be that way. If Washington takes the right steps, right now, to constructively address the spectrum crisis and meet fast-expanding consumer demand, we can have all the wireless Internet we need to keep the mobile future bright.
Today, over 300 million American consumers take their mobile connectivity for granted. And, 90% of us feel so strongly about this connectivity that we keep our favorite device close to our hearts--literally within arm's reach 24 hours a day. To keep mobile connectivity working for all of us, it's time to raise our voices and be clear to our nation's leaders: We need spectrum now.
This article was originally published on Huffington Post.
Follow Jonathan Spalter on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mobilefuture
Posted: 04/01/11 by Mobile Future Team
New research just released further points to the frenetic growth in the smartphone marketplace and consumers growing consumption of mobile video.
This week, The Nielson Company announced that in Q3 and Q4 of 2010, 25 million U.S. mobile subscribers watched on average, over four hours of mobile video per month. Users who watched video on their smartphones grew 40% from last year, signaling consumers growing demand for mobile innovations and growing smartphone capabilities.
As The NYTimes reported earlier this week:
“According to new research by the International Data Corporation, a company that tracks technology market share and sales, smartphone makers are expected to “ship more than 450 million smartphones in 2011 compared to the 303.4 million units shipped in 2010.” These predictions show that the smartphone market is expected to grow by as much as 50 percent over the next year.”
Increasing smartphone sales and users growing demand for new technologies continue to fuel the smartphone revolution. To read more, click here.
Posted: 11/16/10 by Mobile Future Team
All right, your smartphone won’t really gobble, at least unless you download a cool ringtone. But as Thanksgiving approaches, here are a few reasons to keep your smartphone handy.
If you’re traveling, WorldMate or TripCase are free apps that can help you with flights delays and missed connections.
If you need kitchen help, Butterball has once again ramped up its mobile offering, including texts that offer tips on thawing, turkey size and cooking temperatures. Meanwhile the Food Network’s newly launched “In the Kitchen” app has 45,000 recipes, including a special section on Thanksgiving.
Want to do a little pre-Black Friday shopping while watching the game? As AOL’s WalletPop reports, “Mobile shoppers can still get the same bargains – or even better deals – than the fearless shoppers who brave the crowds and long checkout lines of traditional brick and mortar retail outlets.” Try RedLaser, which Bob Tedeschi at The New York Times just called “a perfect shopping companion” because it allows for easy price comparisons.
Finally, if you head outside for a game of touch football or a 5K run, you can still catch the Macy’s Parade through a mobile video app.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted: 09/27/10 by Mobile Future Team
The Wall Street Journal released its Technology Innovation Awards today, and the ground-breaking advancements featured here will surely improve the quality of life for many people around the globe.
Wireless innovations received several important mentions, from software called Connect that enables health care providers to exchange health information electronically, to Vidyo Inc’s high-resolution videoconferencing system that works on both laptops and smartphones and travels over the Internet or 3G and 4G cellular networks. (A complete list of winners in the wireless category can be found here).
As Scott D. Anthony, managing director of Innosight Ventures and one of the judges of the awards said, “A number of the applicants have the potential to literally change the world.”
Posted: 09/16/10 by Mobile Future Team
It’s no secret that new technologies—including those advanced in the wireless marketplace—are making the world a smaller seem smaller by the day. As Ellen Page shows us in Cisco’s ad campaigns, a quick “field trip” to China or a consultation with a doctor travelling internationally can happen these days with relative ease. But connectivity does not always yield itself to communication, especially when taking language barriers into consideration.
Well fear not, les communicateurs! Mashable conveniently has profiled 15 mobile translation apps that can assist the international telecommuter and traveler alike and make each a little more confident when conversing across languages and lands. And while these apps may not quite make you fluent upon download, they can promise whether you are conversing from the comfort of your couch or the clamor of the Champs-Élysées, you will always feel a little more chez soi.
Posted: 09/01/10 by Mobile Future Team
Rise and shine sports fans. With September officially upon us, now is the time to change out your summer whites for your football finest.
That’s right, September 4th marks the commencement of a new calendar year, where weeks revolve around Saturdays and the difference between triumph and heartbreak can boil down to a matter of inches.
Because if it’s September, it’s time for college football. And whether you’re watching your team live between the hedges (shameless plug) or nestled between fellow enthusiasts on your couch, mobile applications are here to make sure you never miss a down.
From apps geared toward specific teams and conferences to Gameday bundles and live game streaming, mobile promises to give you the full college football experience this fall. So before your team kicks-off this Saturday, be sure to pay a visit to your app store so you can be armed and ready all season long.
Posted: 08/27/10 by Mobile Future Team
Picture this: It’s Labor Day weekend, and your family has piled into the car to make the four-hour drive to the beach. On your right, your little brother immediately monopolizes the backseat DVD player watching Austin Powers, while on your left, your big sis unabashedly belts out the lyrics to Lady Gaga’s latest hit. Behind you, Rover joins in for harmony. In the front seat, Mom won’t stop talking to Dad about just how badly Uncle Pete burned the burgers at last year’s cookout.
In the middle seat, it’s just you and your smartphone, and you’re yearning for a sweet release. Well, road-trippers rejoice, because Netflix has just made its way to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Simply flick over to the App Store, download the application (which is free for Netflix subscribers), and immerse yourself in a video oasis with hundreds of titles that download and stream directly to your smartphone.
So while mobile can’t help reconcile your siblings’ tastes with your own, it once again finds a way to cater specifically to yours. Now if only your phone really could pop corn (seriously though, how did they fake that?). Oh well, maybe one day.
Posted: 07/27/10 by Mobile Future Team
Birthdays and anniversaries are inherently times of reflection and celebration. Which is most likely why Mashable, a news site celebrating its 5th birthday this year, decided to take a quick jaunt down memory lane to show us just how far mobile technology has come over the last half-decade.
Suffice it to say that if the majority of human relationships were as successful as that of consumers and the wireless industry, the markets for chick-flicks and online dating may cease to exist-- because this romance is nothing short of a fairy tale.
The expansive and swift proliferation of mobile broadband. The shift from feature-based flip phones to smart mobile devices operated over user-friendly interfaces like the touchscreen. The real-time social capabilities offered through new media sites like Facebook and Twitter. The emergence of apps for, well, just about everything.
And thankfully, there is no end in sight for this climate of consumer-driven innovation. We appreciate Mashable for highlighting how wireless continues to serve as a true American success story, and, as always, we look forward to exploring new unchartered horizons in our mobile future.
Posted: 06/24/10 by Mobile Future Team
Taking off work to stand in line for a new iPhone4?
If you answered 'yes' to this question, you are not alone. Media outlets today have been blanketed with the images of long queues as impatient Apple fanboys and fangirls are paying the opportunity cost and at least $200 (with 2yr activation) to get their hands on the latest must-have device. With such tantalizing features as video-conferencing, multi-tasking, and 720p video recording, it is no wonder that people are forming endless lines outside Apple stores-- similar to those you might see outside a certain vampire themed movie premiere.
With as many as 600,000 preorders, Apple's current supplies can only appease those launch day customers showing up to AT&T stores that actually ordered the device in advance. All Johnny-come-latelies must wait until June 29th to be able to buy an iPhone4 at AT&T stores.
Has the love affair with your iPhone3 come to an abrupt end? Don't trash it, learn how to recycle it and other phones here.
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Tags: Applications, Consumer Awareness, Consumer Benefits, Innovation, Mobile Video, News, Smartphone, Wireless Devices, Wireless Innovation