Recently in mobility Category

Texting for Takeout Food: Let Your Fingers Do the Ordering

January 14, 2008 5:19 PM | 0 Comments
As if ordering delivery take-out food wasn’t already easy enough, USA Today recently reported that soon it may no longer be necessary to even talk to another person on the phone to put in your order. That’s because text ordering is being adopted by more and more national fast-food and other restaurant chains, allowing users to send their requests for sustenance via a cell phone.
 
Among the chains now offering or looking into offering text ordering: Papa John’s (national TV spots now promote the service), Domino’s (launched last July), Pizza Hut (soon to get started), Quiznos (considering), Dunkin’ Donuts (considering), Subway (considering), McDonald’s (testing in Seoul), and Starbucks (trial underway in London and in one U.S. store).
 
The USA Today report quoted Papa John’s CEO Nigel Travis as saying that the potential of texting can be compared to online ordering, which currently accounts for 20 percent of the company’s sales. (He went on to predict that, within two years, texting will account for 3 percent of sales.)
 
Americans send about 30 billion text messages each month, USA Today noted. GoMoboo.com CEO Noah Glass was quoted in the report as predicting that texting very well might account for 25 percent of all takeout food orders by the time another decade is gone.
 
Not everyone is thrilled about using cell phones to text in takeout orders, though; some users are concerned about privacy. For example, one user quoted in the USA Today report said he guards his cell phone number carefully, describing it as “the last firewall of privacy.” Giving it to a national restaurant chain in the process of placing an order could be in invitation to unwanted calls, he implied.
 
What do you think—do the benefits of text ordering outweigh the potential privacy breaches?

Radar from Tiny Pictures Enables Free Photo and Video Sharing

January 10, 2008 1:24 PM | 0 Comments
The other day, a rep from Tiny Pictures, which makes software solutions for mobile devices, got in touch to tell me about Radar. She explained that Radar is a free service that lets mobile phone users share camera phone pictures, videos and attached comments with friends and family. She described the service as a “real time conversation—letting you show the funny, nutty, interesting things that happen to you.”
 
The capabilities of Radar include a private “channel” and Web address to protect your privacy, allowing only invited friends to see the content you’ve chosen to share. Friends can then comment, either privately or publicly.
 
Radar reportedly works with most cameraphones (compatible with more than 225 devices) including iPhone, BlackBerry and smartphones running Windows Mobile.
 
Seems like a cool idea. If you try Radar, let me know how you like it.

Texting the Screen During New Year’s Eve in Times Square

January 2, 2008 11:34 AM | 0 Comments
Yours truly braved the crowds this year to attend the New Year’s celebrations in Times Square. It was a long day—my companions and I arrived in the city about 11:30, and were in position with a great view of the ball by about 2:00. It was a long wait; you try standing in the same place for ten hours and you’ll understand why everyone was cheering at midnight: the ordeal was over, we could all go home.
 
One of the things that kept the crowd on my side of the street (we were next to the MTV building) entertained was an MTV-sponsored giant screen on which were displayed text messages from people standing on the street. Mobile phone users simply typed in a special code, and whatever username they wanted displayed, then their message. A few minutes later—voila! There it was for thousands of people to read.
 
Here’s a wideshot of the screen, with surrounding buildings and the crowd across the street from where I was standing, contained by concrete barriers.
 
 
The text message screen became a way for strangers in a massive crowd to converse with each other. The messages, some in response to MTV-planted questions, included your standard debates about which was the best sports team, what people resolved to do in 2008, how tired people were of standing there, and way too many instances of “Welcome to the party.”
 
Here’s a sampling of the messages.
 
 
In my opinion, the text screen was a brilliant idea that gave an otherwise restless crowd something to do for long stretches of time.
 
Were you in Times Square on New Year’s Eve? Happy New Year!

Apple Tablet: A Good Idea or a Bad One?

December 28, 2007 5:53 PM | 0 Comments
An interesting video was posted yesterday on TheStreet.com, in which staff reporter Scott Moritz and gadget columnist Gary Krakow discuss Apple’s reportedly upcoming release of a tablet computer with touchscreen.
 
Krakow’s conclusion was that maybe Apple will come out with a product compelling enough for people to buy it, but given the history of table computers the odds are against Apple.
 
“Ask any other manufacturer: tablets do not sell,” Krakow said in the video. He noted that people like the idea of working on a flat surface, but when it comes time to type a letter, tablets fall short.
 
“Apple might be able to make it work with some interesting features,” Krakow said, looking skeptical.
 
Moritz noted Apple has already conceded that its table wouldn’t be a mass market product, but rather a specialty one designed for the educational market. But Krakow pointed out that quite a bit of that market may already be taken by the One Laptop Per Child device, which is not just a laptop computer but also a tablet.
 
“They’re going to have to do something very interesting,” Krakow said of Apple’s designs on tackling the tablet market. “Leave it to them; I’m sure they’ll find it.”
 
What do you think; can Apple successfully launch a tablet computer, or is this market too tough a nut for even iPhone’s creator to crack?

Apple Rumors: Fox Movie Deal, 3G iPhone, Asia iPhone Deals

December 27, 2007 2:50 PM | 0 Comments
With the Macworld Conference & Expo only a few weeks off, yours truly thought it might be a good time to head on over to AppleInsider and see what’s on tap for current Apple-related gossip. It’s kind of funny how much fuss was made last year leading up to Macworld 2007, mostly speculation about iPhone, and how relatively quiet the rumor mill is this year.
 
One very likely announcement from Apple at Macworld might be a deal with 20th Century Fox to rent movies on-demand through iTunes. AppleInsider reports that such a deal is in the works, according to a recent Financial Times article quoting “a person familiar with the situation.” Sounds like a credible source to me!
 
The service would supposedly work like this: users could download a complete movie from iTunes, for a rental fee, but it would only last a set amount of time before “expiring.” Fox would also provide DVD copies of the movies that are copy protected to an extent; these copies would allow the movies to be transferred to a device (e.g. iPod, iPhone) for viewing.
 
Who knows, AppleInsider said—it’s possible not only Fox but other studios as well may be on hand at Macworld to announce similar deals.
 
Of course, all of this is speculation since none of the parties mentioned here—Apple, Fox, other studios—have confirmed that such deals are even in the works.
 
Another possible announcement at Macworld might be exclusive iPhone distribution deals between Apple and mobile service providers in China and Japan. (China Mobile? DoCoMo?) Also, Apple probably will say something about releasing a 3G-enabled iPhone in 2008 (AT&T’s CEO let this slip in November.)
 
It remains to be seen what effect any such announcements would have on Apple’s continued business success. The company is pretty highly valued, if stock prices are any indication; on Wednesday shares of the company topped $200 for the first time, closing at $198.95. Would you pay $200 for a share of Apple?

Nicholas Ciarelli Bows to Apple, Agrees to Shut down 'Think Secret' Web Site

December 21, 2007 3:37 PM | 0 Comments
One of the biggest stories of this Friday-before-Christmas was a report that Apple and Nicholas Ciarelli, master of the Think Secret Apple rumors Web site, have reached an amicable agreement in which Ciarelli agreed to shut down the site. The site was a source for leaks about Apple product releases, but because it was run by an independent publisher it ultimately was put in a different category than traditional journalistic outlets.
 
Apple sued Ciarelli in January, 2005, for publishing trade secrets from the company, and now almost three years later the heart of the matter has finally been sorted out. New York Times reported that Ciarelli, a senior at Harvard, was satisfied with the outcome.
 
This is a victory for Apple that goes against two precedents—cases in which courts ruled the company could not stop journalists from exercising First Amendment rights to publish information.
 
No specifics about the settlement were released. Whether you view it as a victory for the cause of business to protect trade secrets or a loss for protection of information dissemination/the public debate depends on your perspective. What do you think?

ABI Predicts RIM Will Finish Second Behind Nokia for 2007 Smartphone Sales

December 20, 2007 1:17 PM | 0 Comments
When it comes to smartphone market share, no-one can touch Nokia. But it looks like Research in Motion (RIM), maker of BlackBerry devices, will come pretty close for 2007. That’s the conclusion reached by ABI Research in its research brief, Research in Motion Strategic Review, released Thursday.
 
ABI is predicting that RIM will end 2007 with 10 percent of the smartphone market, making it the second largest such vendor in terms of device shipments—second only to Nokia. RIM’s market share, ABI reported, has risen steadily during the past five quarters (from 7.2 percent in the third quarter of 2006 to 9.5 percent in the third quarter of 2007).
 
So how can RIM capitalize on its current winning streak?
 
“In addition to operator partnerships, RIM needs to grow both its R&D and manufacturing capabilities to expand and increase its presence in markets beyond North America and Europe,” advised ABI analyst Shailendra Pandey, in the research brief. “Considering the growing opportunities in the Asia Pacific region, a manufacturing and R&D presence in India or China can help RIM in shipping more devices and reducing overall costs.”
 
ABI also noted that one of RIM’s strengths is a consistently high and stable average selling price (ASP) for its devices. For 2007, ABI estimates that RIM’s ASP for smartphones is $345, significantly higher than the overall industry average of $248. This demonstrates that, if the feature set is right and the device is well-executed, consumers and carriers are willing to support higher prices.
 
What do you think—will RIM catch up with Nokia during 2008?

FCC Releases Full List of 700 MHz Spectrum Auction Applicants

December 19, 2007 4:01 PM | 0 Comments
The envelope, please. RCR Wireless reports today that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has released a full list of companies that applied to participate in the 700 MHz wireless spectrum auction due to begin January 24, 2008. The FCC reportedly received 266 applications—from big companies like Google and small, regional phone companies like Inland Cellular Telephony Company serving Eastern Washington State and North Central Idaho.
 
RCR Wireless reports that the FCC has assigned an “Accepted” status to 96 applicants, with a further 80 applicants given an initial filing status of “Incomplete.” On the incomplete list are Alltel, Cox Wireless and Qualcomm. Google is represented on the accepted list under Google Airwaves, Inc., and Microsoft under Vulcan Spectrum LLC.
 
The RCR Wireless report noted that 62 megahertz are up for grabs in the auction, divided into 1,099 wireless licenses of various sizes. Google and Microsoft are among those companies vying for the open access 22MHz “C” block. Altogether, the FCC is reportedly expecting to bring in $15 billion from the auction.
 
Among the bidders in the auction are AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Alltel, Leap Wireless and MetroPCS. Cable TV and broadcasting bidders include Bright House Networks, Cox, Cablevision, EchoStar, Public Broadcasting Service and Catholic Church Brooklyn (under the name Trans Video Communications, Inc.). Notably absent from the list are T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel.
 
Those companies whose applications were dubbed incomplete have until January 4 to resubmit with corrections.

Strategy Analytics: 2008 Will Be a Significant Year for Fixed-mobile Convergence

December 18, 2007 3:19 PM | 0 Comments
Predictions, predictions. This time of year, people love to make predictions. Today’s example comes from Strategy Analytics, in the form of some wireless enterprise strategy projections for 2008. The firm’s year-end market outlook predicts that unlicensed mobile access (UMA) and Call Redirect will dominate the business fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) market next year.
 
The firm also thinks that mobile device management (MDM) solutions will experience strong growth during 2008, with sales of dual-mode smartphones reaching 66 million.
 
“2008 will see significant traction on MDM as smartphones surge and GPS handsets become more closely aligned with Enterprise LBS solutions and begin to resonate with enterprise customers,” predicted Strategy Analytics analyst Andrew Brown, in a Tuesday report. “Embedded modules will gain a foothold in business as a result of flat rate data plans while USB modems will continue to grow dramatically.”
 
Brown also predicted that prosumer e-mail will be the new battleground during 2008, yet secure e-mail will continue to offer higher revenue potential.
 
“Microsoft will raise its profile and credibility as an end to end mobile solutions vendor with SCMDM (System Centre Mobile Device Manager) as applications become more closely aligned to core business processes,” Brown added.
 
Another analyst at the firm, David Kerr, concurred, saying that enterprise mobility will be a “critical” profit center next year.
 
“In 2008, mobile email and line of business applications will post strong growth as the ranks of mobile workers continue to surge and businesses seek enhanced security and access controls to their critical human and capital assets,” Kerr said.
 
In its report, Strategy Analytics also predicted that mobile enterprise apps will become better aligned with core business processes (thanks to adoption of SOA and SaaS), USB modems will be in strong demand (for both professionals and prosumers), and that IT departments will start to soften their attitudes toward laptop computer WAN connectivity.
 
What do you think—is Strategy Analytics on the money or missing the mark? We won’t know for sure until this time next year.

Verizon: Maybe Android Isn't So Bad After All

December 4, 2007 4:06 PM | 0 Comments
In a move that left consumers and wireless industry analysts gasping with surprise, Verizon Wireless let the world know Monday night that it has changed its mind about Google’s mobile Android platform. That’s right, the carrier that never stops working for you has admitted maybe it was wrong about Android and open standards, and would now like to be part of the future, thank you very much.
 
Sensing a bit of snarkiness in the paragraph above? Yep, that’s right. It seems to me that, given Verizon Wireless’ announcement last week that it plans to open its network to outside developers and manufacturers next year, the announcement about Android is hardly that surprising.
 
The story about Android was apparently broken by BusinessWeek, in a report quoting Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam as explaining that the Android announcement culminates a year’s worth of evolution in the company’s strategy. The company’s new outlook on life was borne out of many meetings with FCC officials and executives at co-parent Verizon Communication (Vodafone also owns a stake).
 
Why the change of heart? Apparently Verizon Wireless, despite being so successful, sees the writing on the wall: the future of mobile and wireless lies with open standards and open networks, not proprietary practices. Things might be rosy now for the company, but it seems to think that might change if it doesn’t get on board with the trends of the future.
 
Smart move, in my opinion. By deciding to open its network, and by embracing Android, Verizon Wireless may well be known as the carrier that helped lead the way to a more open wireless market in the U.S.
 
What do you think—is Verizon Wireless being smart or just bowing to industry pressures?
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