Mike Slocombe

European Mobile Users *Heart* The Web, US Not So Keen
European mobile phone users are far more likely to use their handsets to access the web than their US counterparts, according to a new comScore Networks study.
The comScore Mobile Tracking Study revealed significant differences between Europeans and Americans, with 29 percent of Europeans regularly getting online with their mobile phones compared to just 19 percent in the U.S
Breaking the European figures down, over a third (34 per cent) of Germans and Italians use their phones to access the web, followed by France with 28 percent, Spain with 26 percent and the UK with 24 percent, compared to just 19 percent for the USA.
The comScore Mobile Tracking Study also showed that geezers are more likely to access the Web from their mobile phones than women (probably looking for football scores, pubs and pr0n).
Nokia proved to be the most popular phone in Europe for accessing the web, bagging a market share ranging from 50 percent in Italy to 22 percent in France.
In the States, Motorola pushed ahead with 26 percent of the market compared to second-placed Nokia’s 17 percent share.
Portal sites were the most popular destinations for mobile surfers, with Google, Yahoo! and MSN leading the way, with branded Web sites set up by the phone operators, such as Vodafone, o2 and T-Mobile also proving a hit.
“Three-quarters of American mobile Web surfers access content from the leading online portals such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN compared to only thirty percent of Europeans,” observed Bob Ivins, the big cheese of comScore Europe.
“In Europe, the mobile Internet appears to mirror the dynamics of the fixed Internet,” said Ivins.
“Google remains strong but the other U.S.-based portals achieve much lower penetration, facing stiff competition from local competitors – in this case the mobile providers – who have the structural advantage of a degree of control over the access point and interface from the mobile phone,” he added.
comScore
23 October, 2006
Microsoft Smartphone Userbase Hits Six Million
As the smartphone market continues to explode, Microsoft has revealed its bullish ambitions to keep on doubling sales, year on year.
Last year’s total of six million mobile phones running Microsoft Windows software represented a 100 per cent increase on the previous year, and according to the head of Microsoft’s Mobile and Embedded Devices division, the company are hell bent on shifting even more.
“We want to make 100 percent again this year and to grow further at this rate in coming years,” he told the German Euro am Sonntag newspaper.
According to research firm Canalys, worldwide shipments of smart mobile devices rose by 55 percent year-on-year in Q2 2006, with the Symbian operating system remaining the most popular with a 67 per cent market share.
Although Microsoft is in second place, it lags a considerable distance behind with just 15 per cent of the market, followed by Research In Motion (Blackberry) on 6 per cent.
It looks like the smartphone market is going to heat up in coming months too, with Research In Motion’s new Pearl smartphone offering a camera and music functions.
RIM’s co-Chief Executive Mike Lazaridis were also hoping to double their users ever year, adding that the market for mobile emails was, “huge, and we’re just at the beginning.”
Elsewhere, Palm’s eagerly awaited new Treo 680 looks set to be hitting the UK by the end of November, after computer retailer Expansys announced that they expected unlocked models to be in stock by the end of November.
We’re not sure if they’ll be getting the full range of funky colours, but we’ll be pwning that natty Orange Treo as soon as we can get our hands on it.
23 October, 2006
EW-700 WiFiFone Announced By Samsung
Currently causing something of a stir on the floor of the Korea Electronics Show is the WiFiFone EW-700, a Wi-Fi-enabled VoIP smartphone running Windows Mobile.
The all-black phone is a collaboration between Samsung and Korean, big-name cordless phone maker Eidicom, and sports a slightly unusual keypad layout, with navigation controls sat in the left hand corner of the handset and the phone keys shunted to the right.
This leaves the ‘call’ and ‘answer’ buttons in the bottom left hand corner of the handset which seems far from ideal to us.
The EW-700, looks a fairly plain, clunky beast too – in fact the photos we’ve seen have something of a pre-production air to them – but it’s not short of features.
The phone offers Samsung’s latest “Post-PC mobile multimedia processor”, an “embedded OS/Device driver,” web browser, Instant Messaging and an MP3 and video player keeping customers entertained. We figure there must be some kind of memory card expansion available, but seeing as all the pics released so far only show the front of the camera, we can’t be sure.
We’re yet to get full specs either, but the screen looks like a 320 x 240 pixels jobbie to us, and there’s also a 2-megapixel camera with camcorder function onboard, a voice recorder, hardware MPEG engine offering full frame video and Wi-Fi and infrared connectivity.
As for pricing and availability, we haven’t the foggiest right now.
[From Aving USA]
23 October, 2006
Google Maps For Palm Treo Review (95%)
Although it was announced as part of the forthcoming Palm Treo 680 smartphone package, Google has already made its Google Maps application available for free download.
Described by Google as being, “months in the making,” the company describes the 425k download as “the fastest, slickest version yet” of their mobile-optimised Google Maps application, offering real-time traffic reports, detailed directions, integrated search results (search for cafes/bars etc and get addresses and the option to call them with one click), fast downloading detailed, draggable maps and even satellite imagery.
Installation
Installing the Google Maps was easy enough, we just pointed our Treo browser to google.com/gmm and downloaded the program over the air. Users can also download the program from to their PC from http://www.google.com/gmm/treo and then hotsync the file over to their handheld in the usual way.
We ran Google Maps from our SD card with no problems.
Looking up locations
Loading up the program, we were prompted to type in an address (or ZIP code, postal address, latitude and longitude, intersection etc) and we were astonished by the speed that the map appeared on screen – even though we were connecting via GPRS. This baby is fast!
The maps download as small, separate tiles, so only new segments need to be downloaded as you were scroll across pages using the Treo’s five-way controller, or by dragging the map across the screen.
Overlaid, opaque zoom in/out buttons let you decide the level of detail, and a ‘find nearby business’ menu gives you the option to search for local hotels, cafes, bars etc with the results appearing onscreen as numbered markers.
Clicking on an icon provides more address information and a button to phone them up, as well the ability to get turn by turn driving directions to and from any given point.
Best of all, downloaded maps are stored locally, so you can look up the area you’re visiting and have the map ready for viewing – even if you can’t connect to the web.
A minor niggle is that there’s no option to store downloaded data on to the Treo’s memory card, so stored maps burn up precious internal memory, but you can at least chose to delete all data on program exit.
Traffic updates
With Google Maps you can call up comprehensive information on traffic conditions in more than 30 U.S. major metropolitan areas (with partial information available for other states) with the driving directions offering traffic estimates to avoid congestion.
Highway traffic speeds are represented by different colour overlays (green for traffic flowing at over 50mph, Yellow for 26-50mph etc), and you can download satellite maps for onscreen maps.
You can search and view UK locations, but there’s currently no local business or traffic information available, although Google says it’s working to increase availability.
Conclusion
Google Maps is a truly remarkable product that adds near GPS-like functionality to the entire range of modern Palm OS Treos (700p, 680, 650 and even the venerable Treo 600 smartphone) – and all for nothing!
Of course, it won’t be able to tell you where you are, but so long as you can find a street sign, you’ll be able to nail your location, download local maps, locate and call up nearby shops, businesses and bars and even get traffic updates and satellite images.
It’s easily one of the best products we’ve ever reviewed for a Palm phone – any smartphone, in fact – and it’s a ‘must have’ application for map fans, travellers, amblers and business users alike. And it’s free, Goddammit!
Features: 90%
Ease of use: 90%
Value For Money: 95%
Overall: 95%
20 October, 2006
Google Goes Solar Powered
Google is converting its Californian headquarters to run partly on solar power, creating the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the United States.
The Internet search giant has said that its jumbo-sized solar project will eventually deliver nearly a third of the power at its 1-million-square-foot campus in Mountain View, near San Francisco.
Kitting out the campus will require the installation of more than 9,200 solar panels on high-tech offices known as the “Googleplex.”
Expected to be up and running by next Spring, the panels should be able to generate about 1.6 megawatts of electricity – enough power to supply about 1,000 homes.
Google haven’t disclosed the costs of the project, but it’s unlikely to cause much of a dent in the pockets of a company reputed to have nearly $10 billion in the corporate coffers.
With about a trillion hard drives purring away and Borg-like billions of PCs busily indexing this interweb thing, we imagine Google’s energy costs must be sky high, but David Radcliffe, Google’s vice president of real estate, reckoned that anticipated savings from future energy bills should pay back the solar project’s costs in five to 10 years.
“We hope corporate America is paying attention. We want to see a lot of copycats” of this project, he commented.
Nice one, Google.
Googleplex
19 October, 2006
Pure Digital Camcorder Uploads Videos Direct To Google
Pure Digital Technologies has announced a cheapo camcorder that can upload movies to video sharing Web sites like Google Video with a single click.
The $129 palm-sized camcorder can hold up to 30 mins of footage ($169 for the 60-minute version) and boasts a 2x digital zoom and 1.4-inch colour playback screen, with a pull-out USB connector.
The point’n’shoot camcorder plugs directly into PCs or Macs, with the built-in software letting punters transfer and process footage with a single click.
The software includes instant sharing options like one-click emailing, video greeting cards and custom-edited movie mixes, with the option to burn DVDs by taking the cam to one of the 10,000 Pure Digital-certified retail locations.
Allen Weiner, an analyst with market tracker Gartner, reckoned Pure Digital were on to a winner, describing the pint-size camcorder as “simple, but also revolutionary.”
“There are millions of people who look at a site like YouTube and want to put their videos up, but have no idea how to do it,” he said. “This puts everything directly into the camera itself.”
Pure Digital are feeling bullish about sales prospects, predicting around 250,000 camcorder sales this year – that’s 9% of all camcorders sold – with sales topping one million next year.
Pure Digital Technologies
18 October, 2006
Wikipedia Co-Founder To Launch Rival Citizendium Encyclopaedia
Unhappy with the inaccuracies of the online encyclopaedia he set up, Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger has announced that he will be launching an alternative to the free online reference this week.
The free spin-off site, sporting the rubbish name of ‘Citizendium,’ will introduce user registration and editorial controls for user-submitted articles in an attempt to filter out pesky trolls, biased contributors and Tourettian troublemakers.
“Wikipedia is amazing. It has grown in breadth and depth, and the articles are remarkably good given the system that is in place. I merely think that we can do better,” Sanger said.
“There are a number of problems with the system that can be solved, and by solving those we can end up with an even better massive encyclopaedia,” he added.
An invite-only pilot version of the non-profit site will launch this week, although there’s no news about a full release.
The rise of Wikipedia
In five short years, the advert-free Wikipedia has become one of the most popular research tools on the Web, boasting more than 2 million articles in 229 nationalities, with Nielsen NetRatings registering more than 33 million unique visitors in September this year.
Such is the explosive growth of the site, this figure represents a whopping 162 percent rise from the same period last year.
With anyone able to write and edit content on Wikipedia, the site has been accused of unreliability, with controversial topics and some political entries being bogged down by never-ending disputes from warring factions.
Sanger has accused Wikipedia of failing to keep a grip on its writers and editors, commenting that the latest articles don’t represent a consensus view, just a reflection of what the most persistent ‘posters’ say.”
Larry Sanger hopes to introduce some order to his rival site by introducing editors, volunteer ‘constables’ and personal accountability which will see people using real names.
Although the site will be open to submissions from anyone, editors will be empowered to authorise articles with “constables” charged with wading into rows and asking, “why can’t we all just get along?” Or something .
With backing from an unnamed foundation, Citizendium hopes to evolve with public participation, growing from a “fork” of the open-source code of Wikipedia, with new content replacing existing content until it grows into a new compendium of its own.
The Citizendium Project
Toward a New Compendium of Knowledge
18 October, 2006
Mobile Users Want GPS Tools Not Mobile TV
A new survey of over 1,000 early adopters and mobile phone business users discovered little enthusiasm for mobile video but a keen interest in using handsets as navigation aids.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the study by market research firm In-Stat suggests that mobile phone companies may need to change their strategy as they try to encourage more users on to third-generation data services.
In-Stat analyst David Chamberlain noted that there’d been some “disappointment” in the industry as uninterested consumers had failed to clutch mobile video to their hearts in vast numbers.
Commenting on the low uptake of value-added 3G services, Chamberlain suggested that customers were reluctant to part with their hard-earned just to watch juddery little video clips of “yesterday’s ballgame” on the squinty displays of smartphones.
Although just 15 per cent of those surveyed expressed a strong interest in mobile video, when they were asked if they wanted phones capable of giving out location information and directions, over half (53 per cent) said, “we’ll have some of that please, squire.”
“People like the idea of getting directions from their phone to take them to their destination,” Chamberlain observed, adding, “They like getting suggestions about restaurants nearby and how to find them.”
If the findings of the In-Stat survey prove to be representative of the population as a whole, it looks like mobile phone carriers are going to have to shuffle around their ranges of phones currently being offered, and give GPS-enabled phones a bigger push (or look to include more mobile navigation apps like Google Maps).
Although navigational applications don’t hog as much bandwidth as TV and video, mobile companies should still be able to persuade users to upgrade, pointing out that mapping programs still need a nippy third-generation network to provide fast route updates.
In-Stat
17 October, 2006
Yahoo And CBS To Offer Local News Videos
Yahoo execs have pressed the flesh and struck up a deal with CBS owned-and-operated television stations to exclusively broadcast local news videos online.
From Tuesday, the syndication deal will see surfers able to view online videos from 16 stations, with each station making between 10 and 20 stories available per day
Under the terms of the landmark deal – the first video agreement between a network-owned TV station group and a Web news provider – Yahoo will make CBS the exclusive provider of online news video, with both companies sharing advertising revenue.
Included in the new service are CBS stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Austin, and Green Bay.
“Local news has become one of the most important pieces of a user’s online news experience, and this agreement brings some of the best local TV journalism to the millions of Yahoo News users,” said Scott Moore, head of news and information, Yahoo Media Group.
“One of our key priorities is to offer our users relevant and high-quality local news in each market, and with CBS we’ve found a partner that deeply understands the issues most important to the communities they cover,” be continued.
Surfers will be able to access the video content from both the Yahoo front page and within the news section of the site.
Yahoo News
17 October, 2006
Vodafone Lets Rip With A Seasonal Blast Of 3G Phones
Mobile phone giant Vodafone has unwrapped its winter collection of phones which it hopes will work their way into Santa’s sack.
The seasonal 3G handset line-up features phones capable of downloading websites at broadband speeds and includes new handsets sourced from South Korea’s LG Electronics for the first time.
In the face of slowing sales, Vodafone is keen to get punters forking out for higher-paying 3G services and hopes that its new range of ten exclusive 3G phones will get the cash tills rattling at Christmas.
The full range adds up to no less than 24 Vodafone Live with 3G handsets featuring onboard mobile TV; 14 Vodafone Live with 3G handsets featuring Vodafone Radio DJ music service and six 3G broadband handsets – sourced from Motorola and Samsung – delivering HSDPA.
HSDPA
HSDPA – that’s High-Speed Downlink Packet Access to those not hep to the latest acronyms – enables super-nippy access to multimedia extras like mobile TV and music downloads, along with faster laptop access when the handset is used as a modem.
The HSDPA technology should provide speeds of 1.8 megabits per second to start with, rising up to the giddy rate of 14mbps in the near future.
By comparison, existing 3G networks can only muster up a comparably sloth-like rate of just 384 kilobits per second.
“This range of handsets extends Vodafone’s lead in 3G and offers a wide diversity of choice for our customers,” purred Vodafone global chief marketing officer Frank Rovekamp.
Vodafone
17 October, 2006