Mobile Contents

Rumors about the mythical GPhone or Google Phone are alive once again. This time it's between computer maker Dell and obviously Google. According to MarketingWeek, senior industry sources claim this scheming tandem will be revealed at the upcoming 3GSM conference in Barcelona, Spain.

The widespread buzz about GPhone has died down with the launch of Google's open mobile platform, Android. It seems the excitement over a so-called iPhone-killer is not yet over.

Is this possible? Many observers do not find this alleged partnership very sound. One reason is it might jeopardize the openness of Android OS if Google gives special attention to one handset manufacturer.

But as you know the wireless industry is so full of surprises. Who knows this might be the golden opportunity for Dell to improve its poor performance in the PDA market.

via Engadget

See full article.

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Moving Towards the Google Phone – 30 October 2007

It’s Not GPhone, It’s Android – 06 November 2007

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You might have notice some cryptic 2-dimensional bar codes while browsing online. That's called Quick Response (QR) code. Compared to ordinary bar codes found in malls, it can store more information and character types while maintaining its small size.

Although this is not familiar image in the US yet, QR codes are prominent in Japan. In fact, Nokia Beta Labs manager Tommi Vilkamo proudly proclaims 2D barcodes will rule the earth. Right now, here are some applications of QR codes in our daily lives:

As mobile boarding pass in selected airports in the US.
As a way to bridge the gap between online and paper magazines (Spektacle and UK's The Sun tabloid magazine)
As shopping companion
As retailing tool
As a weapon for social activities
As a cool campus guide
As fashion design (maybe)

Despite some major developments in this field, it does not have significant impact yet in the US. You still cannot see it transforming into a necessity just like SMS or Bluetooth devices.

I guess it's too early to predict if it can rule the earth.

This post is sponsored by cellity – tune your phone! Becoming a mobile activist need not be expensive with cellity worldCALL, cellity freeSMS, cellity Twitter and cellity groupCALL.

See full article.

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If you are too lazy to unlock your keypad and read your text messages, you will surely love ShakeSMS – a new mobile application enabling Nokia Nseries users to read SMS just by shaking their mobile phones.

The video shows how it works. Just shake your phone to read the message even if the keypad is locked, read the message, shake it again to return to the main menu and lock the keypad.

Though many users may find this cool, it is virtually useless. The idea behind ShakeSMS is to reduce the number of steps to read text messages. Then again, how hard is it to read a text message?

Just by looking at the video you will see how sensitive it is to slight movements. Even if you're walking this might open your inbox by mistake. Not a good companion if you are always on the go or have an active lifestyle.

via IntoMobile

See full article.

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Although the idea behind Nokia's acquisition of Trolltech is to develop cross-platform applications and complement Symbian OS, this could be damaging to Symbian over the long haul. According to an analyst at ABI Research:

Currently, Nokia only offers Linux based MIDs (mobile internet devices) and even though it has not expressed any specific intentions so far, this acquisition is likely to lead to Nokia introducing smartphones and other handsets based on Linux in the coming years. For Symbian, it will be a big setback and their market-share of the OS market will rapidly decline if Nokia starts offering Linux devices.

Even though it is very unlikely for Trolltech to replace Symbian, it can still weaken the bottom line of Nokia's longtime OS in terms of royalty revenues. With the entry of Google's Android, the role of Linux-based mobile devices might become more relevant in the future.

See full article.

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Maybe it's time for Apple's brilliant CEO Steve Jobs to get rid of its exclusive partnerships and go mass market for its revolutionary mobile handset, iPhone. According to Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi, about 1 million or 27% of total iPhones sold in the U.S. are “unlocked” so consumers can use it on other mobile operators.

Translated in dollars this means a revenue loss of $500 million for 2008, assuming iPhone reaches its sales target of 10 million units in the US. While AT&T and Apple acknowledge this problem, both parties declined to comment on this guesswork. Though I'm sure we can assume silence means yes.

Expect this rate to increase for there are still many mobile consumers who remain madly in love with this device.

Read [BBC] via [pocket picks]

See full article.

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Image analytics and pattern recognition software firm Mitek Systems is all geared up to take mobile banking to the next level with its ImageNet Mobile Deposit – the first mobile banking software that extends mobile payments and paper check deposit capabilities to millions of customers who use camera phones.

These new financial services complement the existing mobile banking features such as balance inquiry, fund transfers and electronic bills payments. More importantly, it adds value for many banking customers who lack the time to pay their bills and deposit money.

Compatible with any mobile devices equipped with 2 megapixel camera or higher and Windows Mobile or Symbian OS, this application is very easy to use. Here's the basic guide:

To make a deposit, the user initiates a mobile banking session, keys in the deposit amount, and snaps a photo of the front and back of the check. The software captures the images and recognizes and extracts the check's Courtesy Amount and Legal Amount (CAR/LAR). Before transmitting data to the bank, ImageNet Mobile Deposit confirms the check images meet Check 21 accepted image quality standards. Once the bank's system receives the deposit, it sends the customer a confirmation text message.

The same process works with payment of paper bills. While the idea is brilliant, will the general public embrace this technology? I'm sure security issues will also be the utmost concern.

For more technical details visit ImageNet Mobile Deposit.

See full article.

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As I was browsing my feeds, I chanced upon a press release from survey and professional services company Vocal Laboratories and its study of customer service quality among major wireless phone companies.

It turned out that Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile both received the highest grades possible in its latest quarterly survey. Moreover, VocaLabs CEO Peter Leppik commented:

We've been following customer service quality in the mobile phone industry for over four years, and during that time the industry as a whole has posted a significant, sustained, and meaningful improvement in customer service quality. This trend continued in the December 2007 quarter, with industry averages on all our major benchmarks showing improvement.

Then it got me wondering. Are these improvements enough to elevate the poor image of the wireless industry in comparison with other sectors? To refresh your memory, this industry performed poorly in the latest Forrester Customer Experience Index. Unfortunately, SectorPulse limits its study for different companies in the same industry.

How about you? Do you think there is an improvement in the customer service industry, at all?

See full article.

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Verizon Wireless Tries to be More Customer-Friendly – 03 October 2007

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Customer Experience Overhaul a Must in the Wireless Industry – 12 December 2007

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Google CEO Eric Schmidt told a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the future of mobile advertising is a “huge revolution”, contrary to the conservative projection of Forrester Research. The mobile advertising market is projected to generate a meager $1 billion in 2012.

“It's the recreation of the Internet, it's the recreation of the PC (personal computer) story and it is before us — and it is very likely it will happen in the next year,” said Schmidt, in a news article.

While Schmidt's words in the Internet world are immensely influential, analysts in the mobile industry are not convinced of this fearless and self-serving prediction. Moreover, the powerful Google CEO has criticized Forrester for failing to account the tipping point of mobile Web.

Who do you think will win in this prediction battle? An established research firm or a company known for its visionary insights?

Via Search Engine Roundtable

See full article.

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Latest Mobile Marketing Study Released – 19 November 2007

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On Friday, I got to watch a demo of Skyfire over Skype Video given by Skyfire CEO Nitin Bhandari. Skyfire aims to bring the full PC browsing experience to your mobile handset rendering a web page complete with Flash with no compromises. Based on the demo I saw on a live handset, it truly delivers!

The browser will be offered in a private beta in the U.S. for Windows Mobile devices. You can sign up for the beta at Skyfire's web site. Symbian (e.g. Nokia S60 devices) is planned to be available in the first quarter of 2008. Other locations will be supported in the near future as well.

See full article.

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Mobile Music Shifting from Mobile Operators to Mobile Makers – 14 December 2007

Apple iPhone Dominates Mobile Web Browsing – 19 December 2007

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Nokia issued a press release today stating their intent to purchase Trolltech ASA. Trolltech makes a cross-platform graphical toolkit called Qt, which first got notoriety when it was chosen for the KDE Desktop Environment on Linux. Originally not open source, Qt is now licensed under both a commercial license and the GPL.

Qt will give Nokia a cross-platform layer that can be used to develop applications for both PCs and mobile devices. Qt is expected to be integrated into the Series 40 and S60 platforms, making this dream possible. Furthermore, Nokia plans to continue to offer Qt and other Trolltech technologies with commercial licensing or the GPL.

Do you think this purchase by Nokia will usher in a new era of applications that can run both on your phone and your PC, yet have a similar user experience? What do you think about this?

See full article.

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