Mobile – Page 95 – Digital-Lifestyles

Nokia and Vodafone to lead mobile Java standards

There is a lot of effort being applied by the mobile phone industry to unification and the current round is the attempt to unify Java on mobiles. The two currently largest players, Nokia and Vodafone, today announced the formation of a “mobile service architecture initiative” that will bring “open unified mobile Java services architecture”.

Software developers currently have major headaches when trying to develop software that will run on the handsets of different manufacturers, leading to many version of the same programme having to be written.

The central tenet of the Vodafone/Nokia idea is to actually bring the once-touted but soon forgotten ideal of Java, Write Once Run Anywhere – the ability to write an application and for it to work on any Java-enabled devices. The announcement puts it much less succinctly; “This will enable application compatibility across multi-vendor mobile devices.” Their phrasing also gives them the get out clause of “multi-vendor”, not meaning Anywhere.

It’s not just the two biggest names involved in this, as Orange, Siemens, Sony Ericsson and T-Mobile International have given their support to the idea. As you would expect with anything involving Java, Sun Microsystems are also heavily involved.

One of the areas that is being highlighted are the Security enhancements, which interestingly include the ability to management software components to mobile over-the-air – great for updating functionality, or heaven forbid, fixing bugs.

Alan Harper, Group Strategy Director at Vodafone, said: “It will build upon the JTWI (Java Technology for Wireless Industry) vision, and output from other industry groups, to create an open and evolving platform roadmap to enable consistent and predictable implementation on a wide range of mobile devices.”

Having a near-unified platform to write for can only be good for developers of software applications for mobile phones, and therefore the advancement of the mobile handset as means to access services.

The participants of the initiative have committed to deploy the platform, and the first reference implementations are scheduled for next year.

The continued strength of Java as a development platform for mobile phones is of paramount importance in the mobile industry, providing continued resistance of Windows dominating mobiles as well as computers. To date Microsoft’s attempts at this haven’t been a resounding success.

Microsoft Launch “Plays For Sure” Campaign

Microsoft are keen to emphasise the range of support for Windows Media is in the market, from music stores to hardware players, though the freedom of choice can paradoxically confuse consumers.

Consequently, they’re planning a campaign to bring its forthcoming music store, Windows Media and the wide selection of compatible music players out there together. The “Plays For Sure” campaign is intended to inform consumers about Windows Media compatibility, so they know what tunes will play where and on what.

The campaign will also include a certification programme for hardware manufacturers and, once passed, their devices will be able to carry a “Plays For Sure” logo. Music stores selling tracks in Windows Media format will also be eligible to carry the logo.

Microsoft will be sure to play up the contrast between the amount of software and hardware support for its own technologies, contrasted with limited support for Apple’s iPod and Sony’s own Network Walkman offerings. Indeed, the move will contrast sharply with Apple’s own attempts to limit the iPod’s compatibility with other platforms.

A Plays For Sure website is coming soon, and the timing for the campaign is set to coincide with the range of new players will be appearing later this year that have enhanced Windows Media 10 compatibility through Microsoft’s Janus technology.

Microsoft’s Windows Media

Dan and Dusty – an Unlikely Example of TV Interactivity

Dan and Dusty is ITV1’s latest occupant for the post-pub Friday night slot – thirteen weeks of bands, interviews and stand up designed to appeal to young drunk people. This time however, ITV have fronted the show with two puppets rather than the usual talentless presenter. I suppose they’re cheaper and the headlines in 3AM Girls will be less embarrassing.

Anyway, what has this got to do with convergence? That’s right – ITV have realised that young, drunk people who like music and comedy also like mobile phones … and mobile phones equal money.

Viewers can interact with the programme with their mobile phone in a number of ways. They can send text messages to the show’s agony aunt for live advice on “In Confidence”, and enter competitions for prizes. It should come as no surprise to Digital Lifestyles readers that there are wallpapers and ringtones to download as well.

The mobile service is provided by Mobileway and Watertrace. Bernadette Lyons, the managing director Mobileway UK, said: “By providing mobile services to a show that looks set to have all the qualities of a cult success, Watertrace and Mobileway are helping ITV create a truly interactive proposition for viewers.”MobileWay

Dan and Dusty

Telstra’s i-mode Deal with Turner

In a further development for 3G services, Telstra have completed a deal with Turner Broadcasting to bring rich content to their i-mode subscribers. Later this year, mobile users will be able to watch local and international news on their mobile phones, along with some choice cuts from The Cartoon Network.

In addition to news, the content will cover sports weather and entertainment news from CNN, as well as games and video based on the Cartoon Network’s popular intellectual properties like Tom and Jerry, Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory.

Holly Kramer, Telstra’s managing director for wireless and mobility products said: “In the months ahead we will be announcing some great content deals to provide i-mode subscribers with a premium wireless experience, delivered over a range of innovative, multifunctional handsets.”

3G phone adoption has been very slow since launch – hardly surprising since the first phones have been poor and there has been no content to speak off (comedy sock puppets don’t count as compelling content). With the increasing availability of content that subscribers might actually take an interest in, 3G services might finally take off.

Telstra

Open Mobile Alliance Publish DRM Standard Version 2

The Open Mobile Alliance have officially published version 2 of their DRM standard. Supported by Nokia and Arpa amongst others, the standard incorporates the Open Digital Rights Language.

The standards are open source and available without any obligations or licensing requirements. Permissions and restrictions are as simple as possible, being limited to play, display, execute, print and export for Permissions, and count, timed-count, datetime, interval, accumulated, individual and system for Restrictions. Combined, these mean that content can be protect from unauthorised sharing, or viewed only a fixed number of times.

OMA began working on the standard in 2001 in response to market demand and has steadily upgraded the specification as networks, content and end-users have become more sophisticated.

The Open Mobile Alliance

First Destructive Phone Virus in the Wild

Cracked copies of Mosquito, a game for Series 60 phones, have a little extra – a dialler that sends SMS texts to premium rate numbers. Pirated software has always been a popular vector for virus and Trojan infections, but this is the first time it’s been observed in mobile phones. Risk of infection is yet another reason why consumers should stay away from copied games and applications – you don’t know where they’ve been.

In this case, the dialler was actually included and written by the company, Ojom, who produced the game as a form of revenge for pirating it. The dialler was removed as it didn’t work as required – and you guessed it, old copies with the dialler appeared on the internet.

The dialler is not strictly a virus – it doesn’t reproduce and finds its way onto your system by hiding in something else, so it’s properly identified as a Trojan horse. In this case, the infection can be removed by un-installing the game.

Ojom Games

eBay Anywhere

Bad news for people with eBay addictions – Volantis Systems have launched a service that allows subscribers to keep close tabs on auctions from their mobile phones. Bad news for everyone else too, because it means that some of the more extreme eBay junkies might feel liberated to leave the house and wander about a bit.

The service is currently very simple, but they have big plans to turn it into a full eBay portal. Revolving around SMS text messages, eBay Anywhere sends users text messages when they are outbid on an item, win the auction or an auction ends.

eBay have offered a similar service for a while, but eBay Anywhere has a feature that stops addicts from having to leap into cybercafes at random times during the day or night: subscribers can text bids straight back if it looks like a long-coveted blackbird pie funnel is about to go to someone else.

Messages cost UK£0.25 (€0.37) as they are premium texts. Volantis hope to be able to include photo uploads direct from camera phones as well as a fully-featured version of the My eBay portal for providing feedback and checking payments.

eBay Anywhere

Felcia Payment System Goes Live

The Felicia payment system has gone live in Japan this week, after successful trials last year. Running on the NTT DoCoMo network, the service allows users to pay for goods and services securely using their mobile phones. Customers can also check in for flights and withdraw cash from their bank accounts.

Felcia is based on a Sony smart card of the same name that stores persona details about the user, and runs on the Symbian operating system.

NTT DoCoMo’s 46.6 million subscribers will have access to the service if they can get their hands on a compatible phone.

One of the first phones to support the service is the Fujitsu F900ic, which even incorporates a finger print scanner for security. Additionally, the phone has a 1.2 mega pixel camera, an additional low-res camera for video calls, a 2.4 inch high resolution display, plus an additional one 1 inch OLED display for people who still don’t think it’s gadget-y enough.

Felcia

Ringtone Market Now Worth Frightening US$2.5 billion; WAP Use Doubles, But Still Rubbish

Research groups are estimating that the worldwide ringtone market is now worth at least US$2.5 billion (€2 billion), with some groups claiming that it’s nearer US$3.5 billion (€2.85 billion).

The US market makes up just a tiny proportion of the US$2.5 billion figure, accounting for just US$140 million (€114 million) of ringtone sales – the bulk of the market is in Europe and Asia.

Like text messaging, ringtones are another completely unexpected mobile phone success story – ten years ago, mobile networks thought they’d be making their money from obvious things like phone calls.

Perhaps those guys in the panda outfits weren’t so daft after all.

WAP, however, was an unexpected failure – adoption of the difficult to use, worse to implement internet browsing protocol has been extremely slow. Slow to the point that it will soon be bypassed by traditional internet access on phones. Like teletext but slower and less interesting, figures from the Mobile Data Association indicate that 1.11 billion WAP pages were viewed during June 2004, up from 784 million in June 2003. The MDA estimate that the year total will be 13 billion for the year.

Mobile Data Association

Nokia Partners with Loudeye on Mobile Music

Nokia have signed Loudeye to develop and advanced wireless digital music platform for their range of mobile handsets. The announcement comes days after Motorola and Apple got together to bring iTunes to mobile phones.

No details on the platform have yet been released, but the deal is for several years.

“This agreement with Nokia represents a significant strategic opportunity for Loudeye to work with the leading mobile communications company in the world to develop an advanced wireless music platform,” said Jeff Cavins, Loudeye’s president and chief executive officer. “We are very excited about our relationship with Nokia and look forward to sharing more details in the future.”

This is another early step showing that online music services and handset manufacturers believe that mobile phones have tremendous potential as tools for listening to, and buying, digital music.

Loudeye recently acquired OD2, Europe’s leading white label music download service and claims to have the world’s largest music archive. We’ll be interested to see how the service ties in with Visual Radio, if at all. If Visual Radio gets a proper European or worldwide launch, then it may form the basis of a service for radio listeners to buy and download music heard during broadcasts.

Loudeye