Mittwoch, 16. Februar 2005

Computer Key Stool After the keyboard jewellery , here come the FUNkeys, by Mixko design studio. The chairs are custom-made. Just state which colour you like best and if you'd rather sit on a "help" or a "ctrl" command. Via The apartment . - regine [Popgadget: Personal Tech for Women] 11:19:33 PM    comment []

X-Space R/C UFO. First shown at the Nuremberg Toy Exhibition in Germany, this X-Space UFO was reportedly first designed by two kids. Gyroscopes keep to level, while four high-speed electric motors allow it to navigate with a moderately high degree of precision. The framework is carbon fiber, which is good[~]these sort of things often suffer from forced landings in the farthest reaches of the backyard. (Thanks, Michael!) Catalog Page [BrandoraDE] [Gizmodo] 11:16:42 PM    comment []

Another Shot of the Oakley/Motorola RAZRWire Bluetooth Sunglasses. Here's another picture from the 3GSM show floor from Mobileburn, this time giving us a good look at the Oakley RAZRWire bluetooth sunglasses, which are the clear choice for those who enjoy wearing metallic dingleberries on their frames. Because, you know, if Bluetooth headsets weren't dorky enough, now we'll have to put on our shades inside to take a call. I think I left mine in my trenchcoat. Oakley/Motorola RAZRwire Bluetooth Sunglasses [MobileBurn] [Gizmodo] 11:15:10 PM    comment []

Sharp Mebius PC-AL3DH 3D Laptop. Sharp has announced another update to its Mebius 3D laptop, this time adding three dimensional DVD playerback was well as all the standard speed and memory bumps. The PC-AL3DH will include the "TriDef DVD Player," which attempts to convert traditional 2D movies into pseudo-3D images, as well as Nvidia 3D stereo sound, which simulates positional sound with just two speakers. Of course, for the price of ¥360,000 (around $3,600), you could just buy two laptops, hit play simultaneously, and cross your eyes. Sharp Mebius PC-AL3DH [TechJapan] [Gizmodo] 11:14:13 PM    comment []

How-To: Make a cheap portable espresso machine. Thought we[base ']d mix things up this week with a low tech How-To courtesy of Hack A Day editor Jason Striegel: I spent the weekend trying to design a small espresso machine that you can make from readily available parts. What has a homemade espresso machine got that an $800 Williams Sonoma special doesn[base ']t? $770 dollars in your bank account, high-design PVC tubing, and a caulk gun. You probably have a caulk gun anyway, so let[base ']s just make that $785 in your pocket and a fine piece of caffeinated gagetry that you can impress your friends with. A caulk gun? Hey, if it[base ']s good enough for Taco Bell guacamole and sour cream, it[base ']s good enough for a fine and delicate espresso, right? If you just want a nice strong cup of coffee, you can use the homemade espresso machine sans caulk gun too. Just force the plunger manually and don[base ']t tamp the grounds as hard. It[base ']s perfect for backpacking! There[base ']s nothing like brewing a shot or two of espresso atop your favorite 14er[sigma] so I[base ']m told. Ingredients Lengths of 1 1/4-inch and 2-inch PVC tubing Various pipe joints shown in the above picture (hereafter reffered to as a, b, and c from left to right). You[base ']ll need two of the bottom right, and a part that mates two 2 inch pipes together (d, not shown). PVC cement, and teflon tape Some sort of stopper that will make a sealed fit in a 1 1/4-inch tube 2 inch diameter portafilter cup Caulk gun Hot water and finely ground coffee Construction Feel free to skip this section if you want to see the device in action and don[base ']t care about the details of its assembly. The assembled product is shown above and is comprised of three parts: the plunger, the portafilter attachment (where the coffee goes), and the seal/compression chamber. Joint b on the portafilter attachment and joint a on the compression chamber screw together to form as seal and can be seperated for cleaning. The portafilter is sandwiched between joints d and b (which are cemented together with a small length of 2-inch pipe. The seal is provided by two c joints affixed end to end. Part c has a small ridge inside of it which exactly accommodates the 1 1/4 inch plunger. I use two of these end to end so that the dead space between them provides a small buffer for any water that slips past the first seal. We don[base ']t want anyone getting squirted with pressurised hot water. The very top of the seal unit is removed and affixed to the bottom of the portafilter unit. This keeps the length down and prevents the filter basket from striking the end of the caulk gun. Preparing Your First Cup Just like any espresso machine, you[base ']ll want to grind your coffee and place the appropriate amount in the filter basket. You can then tamp down the grounds with the plunger unit. The amount of coffee you use and the pressure with which you tamp it down will determine how much pressure is needed to force the water through the grounds and out of the machine. To operate, the two halves of the machine are then screwed together and filled with water to just below the bottom seal. The plunger is inserted and the entire unit is loaded into the caulk gun. How It Works A typical espresso machine circulates water past a radiator, heating it to just under boiling temp. The water is then pumped through the coffee at about 12 atmospheres of pressure. When the coffee exits the system and depressurizes, small co2 bubbles form and rise to the top, creating a reddish-brown foam. With this machine, you[base ']ll heat your water seperately and then just pour it in. I highly suggest you pressure test the unit for leaks with cold water before trying a hot water run. You are the pump, so you will control the pressure in the system. It[base ']s all dependent on how hard you tamp the grounds and what rate you force the plunger through. You probably won[base ']t be producing 12 bar and I double.. no.. triple suggest you pressure test the system if you are even going to attempt that kind of pressure. It takes about 20 seconds to produce a couple shots of espresso. It[base ']s black, strong and, surprise, it tastes like an espresso. You probably wont be winning any taste-test competitions, but the hack value counts for something, doesn[base ']t it? [Engadget] 11:08:28 PM    comment []

Augmented Reality. Technology Review comments on developments in Augmented reality. "...Unlike Virtual Reality, which immerses users in a new digital environment, Augmented Reality (AR) -- a broad class of user interface techniques intended to enhance a personâo[dot accent]s perception of the world around them with computer generated information -- aims to enhance the analog world...Users, via wearable display screens, see the non-virtual world around them with digital information superimposed into their surroundings. But since each person experiences the world differently, AR developers face some tricky programming and design problems..." [Smart Mobs] 11:04:08 PM    comment []

Gizmodo Chat: irc.gizmodo.com. IRC: it's not just for BDSM cyber and warez kiddies anymore! It's my pleasure to announce our support of that archaic, text-only communication protocol, Internet Relay Chat, via Gizmodo's new irc.gizmodo.com server. I'm not quite sure what will come of this experiment, but something tells me a group of portable technology fans heavily into communication will be able to start creating some interesting and useful tools using an easily accessible, data-lean system like IRC. If you already have an IRC client you like, come on into #gizmodo[~]let's dish. If you haven't used IRC before, I've pulled out a few IRC clients that I've had good luck with over the years. All the usual etiquette applies. Hope to RUMORF ASL you very soon. [Gizmodo] 11:03:09 PM    comment []

Deloitte's Trends of 2005. Deloitte Research have been joining the trend-spotting/prediction game, with their top 12 for 2005. Since 8 deal directly with mobile phones, the main conclusion seems to be that this will be the year of the mobile. Here's what they say about mobile stuff: # Electronic viruses will run rampant in PCs, cellphones, PDAs and gaming consoles. Nuisances such as unsolicited e-mail (spam), unsolicited instant messages (spim) and attacks on Bluetooth-enabled devices (bluejacking) will become common. These will cost businesses billions of dollars in lost data and downtime. However, it will also offer opportunities for companies that sell IT security solutions. While I certainly think that mobile viruses are a huge opportunity to sell security solutions, I also think that the actual threat is negligible for most phone owners, unless exceptionally stupid and unfeasibly unlucky in the first place. If you look under the bonnet of all the mobile virus stories to date, there's no real substance. This may change obviously, but I think we're pretty safe this year. The Bluejacking thing is showing no sign of slowing down at all. Just because it's not in the press all the time, doesn't mean it's not happening. I also predict we'll see more idiots trying Bluespamming this year (commercial messaging via Bluetooth) before they realise that spamming people who are near enough to hit you, don't make sense. # Music downloads will become respectable with the growing quality of online stores, rise in digital music players, the inclusion of CD burners as standard features in PCs, and the exceptional quality of legal downloads. While legitimate, paid for downloading has surely always been "respectable", it doesn't mean that the free stuff will go away. It's just too tempting for most cash strapped teens to download and the risk of copping a legal suit is so remote. While the music industry is furiously congratulating each other on their sagacity of finally accepting digital downloading, the rest of us can't help but smirk as they're 4 years too late to really benefit from the party. This is an industry that alternates between the anger and denial stages of loss. # Ads will be embedded with text hyperlinks, software toolbar buttons, video games, software (particularly freeware), web browsers and even on mobile phone screens. These ads will be precisely targeted, updated via Internet connections based on time of day and user activity, and will be far more subtle and sophisticated and less intrusive. There's a big difference between "should" and "will". Most advertisers are still wedded to the in-yer-face disruptive model and that's not going to change soon. Another industry in denial. # Simplicity will be the key to selling content on cellphones. Faster networks, better processors and brighter screens will make content over cellphones more appealing. 'But many experiments will fail, due to a lack of understanding of the way mobile phones are used, the social context of mobile usage, and the limitations of the mobile device,' the study notes. What will sell is simplicity - small, relevant packages of content that customise the device such as ringtones, screensavers and wallpapers. All this will contribute to a multi-billion dollar industry. Yes, finally one I can agree with wholeheartedly. I'd go further though and say micro-segmentation of content is also key. Why oh why does all wallpaper get merchandised together? People don't buy wallpaper, they buy (for instance) Busted Wallpaper and a Busted Ringtone. So why not put this together? And if I buy an Eminem ringtone, it's pretty unlikely that I'm going to buy a Britney ringtone, but I might buy an Eminem call back tune. So why not put the product in danger of being sold by better thought through merchandising? # Small talk by billions will add up to big revenue as there will be nearly two billion mobile subscriptions worldwide by end-2005. Subscriber growth will be strongest in developing countries (including Asia and Latin America) where mobile phones are both a transformational technology and a status symbol. Pretty much what I said in my predictions. # Voice will be the primary source of revenue and profits in cellphones and will account for more than 80 per cent of total revenue. Cellphone penetration will surpass 100 per cent as more customers take a second subscription for data or for personal use. The most compelling and lucrative mobile content will revolve around personalisation, such as ringtones, real tones, wallpapers and basic games. # The vast majority of voice calls will continue to originate and terminate the traditional way, on the public switched telephone network (PSTN), due to superior call quality and overall reliability. PSTN operators will cut prices in response to competition from low cost providers (mobile and VoIP), causing margin pressure. # VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) will see both call volume and the user base increase significantly among consumers and businesses. Its adoption and growth will be limited by shortfalls in VoIP's quality, consistency and reliability and the resulting slightly negative image in the marketplace. And for enterprises, cost savings will often be less than anticipated. So, all in all, not a bad effort for a bunch of professionals :-) Source: Asia One via Moco News [The Mobile Technology Weblog] 11:01:22 PM    comment []

Teens and Mobile Phones. "The Text Generation" is New Zealand's most comprehensive survey on teen cellphone use, released today by NetSafe, the Internet Safety Group. Once again we're reminded quite how central mobiles are in young people's lives - and there's no reason to suggest that Kiwi Teens are any different from anywhere else. Well, apart from the sheep thing, obviously. Some quite surprising snippets, even for jaded mobile watchers: 41% had "no idea" how big their monthly spending was on mobile charges. The highest was $1,900 (US $1,350) a month. One kid admitted spending $1,800 a month, mainly on sex lines and stole money to support his habit. Actually 13% said they stole to pay their bills. Text bullying seems to be a big concern/issue. Nearly half had started a relationship by mobile and 25% had finished one that way. 29% used them in class time, including taking unflattering pics of teachers and recording their teachers outbursts and rants for later sharing. 2% claimed their parents didn't know they had a mobile. So, if you want to control a teen in your life - just threaten to take away their phone for a while. You'll kill their social life, their sex life and their blackmail-the-teacher material. Source: New Zealand Herald [The Mobile Technology Weblog] 11:00:27 PM    comment []

Interview with a VC. Jason Purcell is CEO and Founder of London based of First Stage Capital. If you're looking for funding, check out their website as there's plenty of great advice and resources for entrepreneurs. I interviewed Jason about his views on the VC market and mobile, especially. As an early stage investor in wireless, what areas do you think are more likely to attract funding at the moment? There are lots. Services that depend on 3G; wireless VOIP; broadband wireless data and video services. WiFi attracts attention still, as do technologies such WiMax. The last few years have been difficult ones for true start ups ie with no real progress to show against the business plan. Do you see that changing or are the days of a [base "]man with a plan[per thou] likely return anytime soon? The days of a [OE]man with a plan[base '] never went away. What got scarce was finance for the [OE]man with a plan[base ']. But a plan is only part of the answer. Managing a roll out, building revenues, sales channels, management teams and companies all matter too, and these are things that investors want to see. What[base ']s your biggest [base "]golden rule[per thou] for entrepreneurs approaching investors? There are lots. Here are three: It[base ']s better to under-promise and over-deliver, rather than over-promise and disappoint. Do you know who your revenues will come from, and why? And if you do, can you explain it in 30 seconds? And your biggest [base "]don[base ']t ever even think about doing this[per thou][sigma]. There are too many big ones to choose from. One in mobile is promoting an otherwise brilliant idea, but one which relies on mobile operators or equipment manufacturers to open up their network or interfaces in order to realise it. There[base ']s enough risks in venture capital without starting off with a load more. Russell adds: Loads of promising companies have gone bust waiting for operators or handset guys to do something (like deploy location tracking technology, for instance) or trying to negotiate a deal with one. If your plan relies on something like this, don't bother, quite frankly. This isn't having a go at operators, by the way. It's just the way things are. And it doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to do a deal either. But you do need an alternative strategy for your plan to work. Tell us about one start up in your portfolio that really excites you at the moment. I[base ']ve learned in venture capital not to get too excited, but just to be hopeful. I[base ']m very hopeful about all my portfolio. And one start up that excites you and isn[base ']t in your portfolio. There[base ']s both the room and the need in next generation mobile networks to create the Cisco or Microsoft of mobility. There is one or two players in mobile networks and software area that have got a shot but there is a way to go yet. Russell adds: I agree with Jason on that. One of my constant themes is that Microsoft just don't understand the potential of mobile and that it's poised to wipe out desk top culture as surely as the desk top wiped out the mainframe. One of the areas we cover in the blog is Location Based Services, which haven[base ']t really reached the potential that everyone thought a few years ago. Why do you think this is and what does the future hold for LBS? It[base ']s easy with location based technology to know where you are. But the market is all about knowing what to do about once you know where you are. In other words, it all about the applications and not much about the technology of location. Frankly, the mobile industry structure doesn[base ']t make it easy to exploit new services, unless of course you[base ']re a network operator, and they have so far had plenty of other priorities, securing telephony market share. What do you think about Blogging [^] are there any business models that make sense? We[base ']re waiting to find one. Make 3 wireless predictions for the next 3 years. (1) Millions more customers will use some form of converged fixed/mobile service [^] even if it is only throwing away their fixed phone. (2) The many thousands of objectors to mobile phone masts will continue to want to use mobile phones themselves, willingly subjecting themselves to higher radiation levels than the masts they seek to stop (3) The size of the buttons on mobile phones will continue to follow Moore[base ']s Law, making it harder for me to text. Is there anything I haven[base ']t covered that you like to talk about? We haven[base ']t talked about the killer app for 3G. Maybe there isn[base ']t one at all. But I think it will be continue to be voice for a while yet. Russell adds: I agree with that too. Actually, it's one of my 2005 predictions. Number 14 actually. Thanks Jason - it's great to get an inside glimpse of the funding world. [The Mobile Technology Weblog] 10:59:34 PM    comment []

Wireless Investment Tips. Wireless Match have just launched their online mobile and wireless accelerator programme in the UK, designed to match investors with entrepreneurs seeking to raise £50,000 - £1.5m. I took the opportunity to interview their Chairman, Steven Dotsch, about his views on raising funds in the mobile and wireless markets. As an expert in early stage wireless ventures, what areas do you think are more likely to attract funding at the moment? Generally, there are no hard and fast rules about what gets funded. A lot depends on the quality of the business plan, the size of the market you are going for, the management team executing the plans, and the general [OE]appetite[base '] to fund early stage companies. More specifically, I believe very much in the mobile entertainment sector and everything that goes with it, from downloading ring tones from chart-topping pop artists, playing branded mobile video games, getting up to date sports and financial news, to being able to download and watch TV programmes on mobile devices. Also there is a lot of basic content in the market place today, so new innovative ways of utilising and reusing that content will be attractive to operators and aggregators alike, and therefore, in theory, attractive to potential investors. This applies to both creating and distributing the content as well as the core technology enabling this, combined with innovative mobile payment systems. Other areas to consider are Voice Over IP and Location Based Services, in particular solutions that can combine better/cost efficient accuracy with exciting services and reasons to use LBS. The last few years have been difficult ones for true start ups ie with no real progress to show against the business plan. Do you see that changing or are the days of a [base "]man with a plan[per thou] likely return anytime soon? We are talking about a very difficult period over the past few years, an almost necessary response to the irrational optimism that pervaded the market in the late 90s, up to 2001. Now the market has returned to a much more normal situation where plans and entrepreneurs are taken at face value and they are not judged against the state of the market. Having said that, I believe there is a huge pool of capital available that needs to be placed in the market. I see that the appetite for larger and later-stage deals is significantly increasing amongst wireless and telecoms VCs, and they are increasingly competing for the market there. Time will tell whether some of this pool of money will trickle down to the earlier stage wireless market. I doubt it, somehow. That[base ']s why we believe that we[base ']ll become the main funding channel for early stage wireless companies requiring smaller amounts in the UK. What[base ']s your biggest [base "]golden rule[per thou] for entrepreneurs approaching investors? Unfortunately, I do not have one particular [OE]golden rule[base '] rather a number of [OE]tips[base ']. Entrepreneurs should think big and act like leaders. They should know their weaknesses and how they will compensate for these. They should know their market, know what they are going to do in it, know where their revenue is going to come from, know how they are going to achieve it and make sure the opportunity is of a significant enough size to be able to generate large returns . . . soon. They should be able to listen and accept feedback, in particular from those knowledgeable investors whom have been around the block more than once. They shouldn[base ']t overdo R&D, rather, they should get out of the bunker early and show some initial traction with prospective customers. They should focus on cash conservation and generate profits within a pre-agreed time line. They should be conservative in their initial valuation, forecasts and returns. They should under-promise in the first instance and surprise the initial investors prior to their next round of funding in order to secure a higher valuation. And your biggest [base "]don[base ']t ever even think about doing this[per thou][sigma]. Recently, I met this aspiring [OE]wireless entrepreneur[base '] looking for an unquantifiable amount of funding who shouted at me during the first 30 seconds of our meeting: [base "]according to this famous research company there are at least one billion prospective users desperate for his stuff. Yeah, right NOW. We just need to spec, develop and get it out there. Actually, I can easily double that number of users in no time, in particular if we use some of your millions for global marketing. Believe me, I am the man who can do it. I personally guarantee you that each of our users will listen to two mobile phones by the end of the year, at the same time, and use our stuff in sync.[per thou] So, if you come badly prepared and present badly, don[base ']t be surprised if you[base ']re shown the door pretty quickly! If you, as an entrepreneur, are not the kind of person who can argue persuasively, get others involved who can. Investors will use any excuse they can find not to invest in you and your venture. Tell us about one start up you[base ']ve helped that really excites you at the moment. If I may, let me mention two companies . . . I am indirectly involved in a company called Vibrant Media, a UK company launched in 2000, and funded by a dozen or so business angels and a Dutch bank. They have developed a technology called contextual advertising that matches internet advertising with relevant content, so that the reader of the text can very likely be identified as someone who is interested in the products you are advertising. This solved one of the major problems for advertisers who just couldn[base ']t get to grips with the size and the diversity of the internet. Whereas online publishers secured an additional revenue stream from their content. This is a win/win situation for all parties concerned. This company was placed second in this year[base ']s Sunday Times fastest growing technology companies and it has continued to grow extremely rapidly, especially in the USA. I am also quite excited about ORBO Technologies, an Irish pre-revenue wireless security company. ORBO originally raised some business angel funding and more recently completed their first institutional round. Just imagine the potential harm for you or your employer when you loose your mobile or laptop with all your and/or your employer[base ']s confidential information on it. I believe ORBO has quite impressive technology and they are gaining increasing momentum from several prospective multinational customers. One to watch! And one start up that excites you and isn[base ']t in your portfolio. Unfortunately, I missed out on both Espotting, as well as MonsterMob. One of the areas we cover in the blog is Location Based Services, which haven[base ']t really reached the potential that everyone thought a few years ago. Why do you think this is and what does the future hold for LBS? I very much believe in LBS. Unfortunately, the market has been slow to take off, but that has as much to do with the reluctance of operators to engage in it and invest in the network infrastructure required to provide a reasonable, expected level of accuracy. In addition to this, there seems reluctance to properly reward companies developing the technology and the content. I believe the market needs both the combination of accurate positioning (circa 50m is enough) and exciting services that stimulate the user. The delay in the rollout of 3G has of course also not helped. I admire a company called Mobile Commerce who I believe are a market leader in this space in the UK. They started in 2000 and have continued to plug away at the market which was always around the corner but somehow never within reach. However, if you have ever used a [OE]Find my nearest[base '] on your mobile, you have almost certainly experienced their business. As I[base ']ve said, LBS will get much more sophisticated as technology advances and Mobile Commerce are well placed to take advantage. We will see wider use of location based services driven by better positioning technologies and sexier services. What do you think about Blogging [^] are there any business models that make sense? I am afraid I haven[base ']t seen any specific business models for blogging. I am happy to look at one, though. I believe there is an opportunity for online marketing firms to use blogging as part of their online marketing mix on behalf of their clients. Perhaps blogging is at the same stage were online affiliate marketing was, some 5 to 7 years ago, when nobody in e-tailing believed that this would work. Now it[base ']s big and getting bigger and even the end consumer can benefit from it, see for instance MyCashback.com Make 3 wireless predictions for the next 3 years. 1. Enjoyment of TV, or TV type content on the go; 2. Mobile / Fixed replacement will continue to grow with new solutions including VOIP to drive down end user costs, and 3. By end of 2007, retailers will dedicate as much shelf space to mobile content products as they do to PC games/content. Is there anything I haven[base ']t covered that you like to talk about? I would like to elaborate a bit on the prospects of VoIP. Unlike the IP telephony hype of the dotcom era, consumers are now using VoIP, and it is just as reliable as conventional landline and cell phone services. Now that new wireless technologies, like WiFi, are converging with VoIP, it's only a matter of time until smaller companies are able to offer mobile VoIP using WiFi, and later WiMax. I believe, the emergence of mobile VoIP promises to become a disruptive force in the traditional telecommunications market. Finally, if I may, a shameful plug, but probably very relevant for your audience. I am also involved in Move2Mobile Ltd, which is regarded as one of UK[base ']s foremost business acceleration firms for the wireless space. We provide services to a range of wireless businesses from start-up entrepreneurs through to established companies wishing to accelerate and grow their business. For more information on this or anything else we've covered here, please contact me at stevend at move2mobile dot com. [The Mobile Technology Weblog] 10:44:11 PM    comment []

When Will They Ever Learn? Selling 3G to Users. The BBC featured a survey by Netonomy that claims that only 4% of those questioned said they were considering upgrading to 3G. The main reason seems to be "that the bewildering number of features on 3G handsets was putting them off". This is a pretty clear indictment of the millions that operators have squandered on marketing 3G. If potential users don't understand the benefits of trading up, they clearly won't be interested in 3G. Instead the campaigns have focused on the features of 3G, leaving the user to try to work out why that might be relevant to them. If you're going to talk features, you need to do the work and translate that into a product benefit. As an example, faster network speed is just a feature. The benefit might be that you can get email on the move or download video clips of the latest footie action in the blink of an eye. A feature might be that you can make video calls. The benefit might be ...errr.. anyone know??? This is pretty basic marketing. Secondly, as the speed feature demonstrates, a benefit might vary from person to person. So segmentation and targeting is paramount. Instead, we still see the same old advertising trying and failing to address every audience simultaneously. Oh dear. Very basic stuff. The only real success in 3G so far is 3 itself, which has been forced to go nuclear by introducing packages of very cheap voice calls, after abandoning all their earlier "clever" and rather unmemorable marketing. Cheap call plans have the merit of at least being understood (benefit: you save money). But it then puts all the other features in danger of being discovered by these new users. So they'll find out the benefits for themselves. It's not pretty marketing, but it works very well as a trial mechanism. I still think that the problem with 3G is that there's a lack of really good applications that put the service through its paces. In other words, there's nothing that early adopters can show off with in the pub. Other than cheap voice calls, how can I get my mates to think about upgrading? I still have a game scoped out that could do this fun demo, allowing an operator to unleash their early adopter sales force, if anyone's interested. [The Mobile Technology Weblog] 10:43:16 PM    comment []

Save SMS on Your iPod. TreasureMyText have launched a service where you can save sms's on your iPod. This is actually a brilliant idea as many people want to keep old text messages, especially from girlf's and boyf's. In fact, one of Prof Richard Harper's studies found that not wanting to loose old texts was a reason for not upgrading phones! Sounds like a service the operators and handset guys should be pushing! Source:Moco News [The Mobile Technology Weblog] 10:42:40 PM    comment []

Free Ringtones for All - says Nokia. A recent entry in Mark Frauenfelder's journal says that Nokia vice-president, Lee Epting, was recently quoted saying she wants to encourage people in "making ringtones, icons and other content and giving it out free to other users" and that already "free tools that people can use to create high-quality ringtones and icons are the most popular downloads on our website". This is what I said would happen to the market in my first Prediction for 2005. However, I suggested it would happen naturally, led by users fed up with being over-charged for mobile content. But with an industry giant like Nokia actually pushing this, it's kind of inevitable that it's going to happen. I wonder what the operators think of this - well, actually we can guess that they'd hate it as it'll cap a very profitable oil well for them. So I'm surprised that Nokia are so publicly supportive of the movement. On the other hand, as the record business so ably demonstrates every day, you need to embrace new trends, not fight them. There's no point in going into a state of denial or anger about things. You need to understand the new paradigm and figure out a way of making money from it. Story spotted on M-Internet 360 [The Mobile Technology Weblog] 10:41:47 PM    comment []

Is TV the Next Victim?. Firstly, we had music file sharing, which hasn't gone away by any means despite the rather desperate attempts of the RIAA and the quaintly named BPI to bully customers through the courts. Then we had the MPAA shutting down sites using Bit Torrent to distribute legitimate files and some of their member's films. Now apparently TV execs are wetting themselves as it seems programmes are making it out there too. The New York Times (via Emergic) writes: Millions of viewers are now watching illegal copies of television programs - even full seasons copied from popular DVD's - that are flitting about the Internet, thanks to other new programs that allow users to upload and download the large files quickly. And entrepreneurial souls are busily concocting even newer applications, including one that searches the Internet for illegal copies of any television shows you may desire and automatically downloads them to your computer. Not surprisingly, the repercussions - particularly the rapidly growing number of shows available for the plucking online - terrify industry executives, who remember only too well what Napster and other file-sharing programs did to the music industry. They fret that if unchecked, rampant trading of files will threaten the riches of the relatively new and surprisingly lucrative television DVD business. It could endanger sales of television shows to international markets and into syndication. And it could further endanger what for the past 50 years has been television's economic linchpin: the 30-second commercial. Unfortunately, the 30-second commercial has actually expired, it's just that no one has actually noticed it. It's been killed off by market forces that are impossible to resist - TiVo and the web are part of it, sure. But advertisers are starting to switch budgets heavily to online now. New research from Starcom shows online growing at 52%. Why? It's accountable, targeted and affordable, even for the smallest businesses. It's opened up the long tail of advertisers and no one knows how big that untapped market actually is. Other news on the media. Rupert Murdoch, famously sceptical about "new" media has gathered his top management to work out a new strategy for the internet. He can smell the money shifting and clearly wants a slice of the new pie. As probably the best strategic media man of the last 100 years (no matter what else one thinks of his style of business), this is an important indicator. I wonder if blogging will be on the agenda? Not so for Michael Wolff, acerbic New Yorker columnist and writer of the classic Burn Rate and the interesting, but inconclusive Autumn of the Moguls. I think it was inconclusive as he's too close to his subject (the collpase of media) and failed to see what's actually happening to the media he was writing about. Here's how BuzzMachine reported a recent speech about blogging: At some point in the '50s Truman Capote was asked about Jack Kerouac, and he said, "That's not writing, that's typing," which is to some degree how I feel about blogs. I even hate saying the word blog. I hate being forced to say the word blog. When I look at that particular blog piece of software I react viscerally. I said, "Oh, I don't want this. I don't want to be part of this." There's that scene in "Doctor Zhivago" where the professionals and the intelligentsia are reduced to having to walk with the hoi polloi, and that's what I feel when I'm forced into this blog stuff. So I want to take what I think of as a noble and principled stand in saying that I'm not going to be part of this blog stuff. And I'm going to insist upon this until I am washed away.... Well, they do have impact. Part of it is actually involved with a kind of further devaluation of information because what it sets up is this constant second guessing of information. Which is not necessarily bad but it does lower the value of all information. You undermine that authority of information. But having been around this business now for some time I've learned that nothing lasts too long. By all rights, 18 months from now we should be looking back at this and all kind of embarrassed to say the word blog -- I hope. I think he's wrong. I think he's very wrong. I also think he's an arrogant prick to suggest that somehow old media journalists are inherently superior. But most of all, I think he's running scared. His well-paid and prestigious job's on the line ultimately and the only way he can cope is to regress into denial. What exciting and fast moving times we live in! [The Mobile Technology Weblog] 10:40:21 PM    comment []