Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, Blackberry, iPhone, Microsoft Windows, Mobile phone, Smartphone, Time Warner, Windows Mobile
The iPhone now accounts for 50 percent of mobile Web traffic from smartphones in the U.S., according to an AdMob Mobile Metrics report released this morning. Over the past six months, the iPhone has taken share from Blackberry and Windows Mobile. In August 2008, the iPhone made up only 10 percent of mobile Web traffic from smartphones. During the same time, Blackberry’s share has gone from 32 percent to 21 percent (with the Curve and the Pearl coming in stronger than the Storm), while Windows Mobile has taken an even bigger hit, declining from 30 percent to 13 percent. Palm is also down to 7 percent from 19 percent six months ago. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/24/iphone-now-50-percent-of-smartphone-web-traffic-in-the-us/ 3/24)
Time Warner’s AOL is releasing a version of its online coupons service, Shortcuts.com, optimized for mobile phones. Registered users will be able to redeem the coupons in-store without a paper receipt. Competition among mobile coupon purveyors is said to be growing. (http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10202079-12.html 3/23)
Dell will have to go back to the design table after cell phone carriers showed little interest in the PC maker’s attempt to compete with the iPhone and BlackBerry in the smartphone market, according to Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu. Wu said the pending Palm Pre, however, is already being viewed as a viable rival to the market leaders. vnunet.com (3/24) , InformationWeek (3/23)
Are iPhone app developers getting paid on time from Apple? Not all of them. On this iPhone developer forum
, there are numerous threads from developers who are complaining about delays in payments for January and not being paid the amount of money the developers are in fact due from sales. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/24/iphone-app-developers-gripe-about-payment-delays-and-dismal-customer-service/ 3/24)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: App Store, Apple, Blackberry, Facebook, Google, iPhone, Research In Motion, Yahoo
Apple is under pressure from developers who are selling downloadable iPhone applications in competition with the company’s megasuccessful App Store, according to a published report. To use the unauthorized apps, users must download software to modify the device. An executive at one third-party provider said the software had been installed on 1.7 million iPhones. The Wall Street Journal (3/6)
Would you pay $10 for an entire offline copy of Wikipedia, the crowdsourced encyclopedia of information that you can get on the Web for free? WikiPock
, a Paris-based startup, has compressed the entire English language version of Wikipedia to under 4 gigabytes (not including images), and is selling it for mobile phones. (Iwantmedia 3/6, http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/06/wikipock-will-put-an-entire-copy-of-wikipedia-in-your-pocket-for-10 3/6)
Yahoo is said to be in talks with Vodafone about the distribution of the Internet company’s mobile search product. A deal could make Yahoo mobile search the default software on phones sold by Vodafone across Europe. Vodafone’s deal with Google expires this year. (Iwantmedia 3/6, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a8PTHNIb80cI 3/5)
Research in Motion is inching closer to the launch of its own app store – the BlackBerry App World – stocked with games, social networks, personal productivity application and other gizmos RIM hopes will stave off iPhone envy. In a FAQ posting the company said the store will work with all BlackBerry smartphones running OS version 4.2.0 or higher and that paid apps will start at $2.99. (Developers can price their apps in $1 increments as long as they’re at least $2.99). (Cynopsis 3/6)
Developer MobileTribe unveiled a powerful new app for BlackBerry allowing users to blend data and address books from multiple services including Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, Plaxo, Yahoo and Google. The service allows you to view email, wall posts and friends requests from these social networks as well as view pictures on flickr, Picasa, Facebook, MySpace, Orkut. (Cynopsis 3/6)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Android, App Store, Blackberry, CityMint, Google, iPhone, iPhone 3G, Windows Mobile
In the last week, a pair of new iPhone applications have appeared on the App Store that put the menus of hundreds of restaurants at users’ fingertips. Dubbed GrubHub
and CityMint, both applications allow users to order food on the go from online menus, buying entrees, appetizers, and drinks on the fly without the hassle of human interaction. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/04/mobile-restaurant-ordering-finally-hits-the-app-store 2/4)
If you ever get a craving for classic literature while on the go, Google’s just given you the ability to check out your favorite literary works via an iPhone or Android phone. Google’s Book Search currently features 1.5 million public domain books, which have all been optimized to fit a mobile screen. Unfortunately, Blackberrys and other non-Android operating system phones are out of luck in accessing this feature. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/05/googles-answer-to-the-kindle 2/5)
Not sure this is the best device to read on especially as my iPhone battery can’t handle normal usage without dying halfway through the day…but then again, I’m not a big fan of reading via Kindle either.
Asustek Computer and Garmin, consumer-electronics companies that have made names in the personal computer and portable-navigation fields, respectively, have formed a strategic alliance to market smartphones under the Garmin-Asus brand. Asustek Chairman Jonney Shih, whose company produces the popular low-cost Eee line of PCs, said the companies were pondering various operating systems, including Android and Windows Mobile. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (subscription required) (2/5) , InfoWorld/IDG News Service (2/4)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, BarackObama, Blackberry, Gartner, Microsoft, National security, National Security Agency, Safari
RIM really dropped the ball after launching the Bold
with the shouldhaveneverbeenlaunched Storm. But I’m happy to say that they’ve come back into Mobilecrunch’s good graces with the launch of the T-Mobile Curve II otherwise known as the 8900. (http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/01/28/review-t-mobile-blackberry-8900 1/28)
Apple released its iPhone 2.2.1 OS update, a minor fix intended to improve the stability of Safari and Mail. To update your iPhone simply plug it in to your computer and click on “Check for Updates.” (Cynopsis 1/28)
Noting the National Security Agency’s concerns about President Barack Obama‘s retention of his BlackBerry, Microsoft has offered Obama the option of using one of two $3,300 handsets, which the company said carried its most secure technology. In an interview, Microsoft mobility executive Randy Siegel discussed security issues and how it can apply its experience with Obama to the mass market. Telephony Online (1/27)
From deployment of Bluetooth 3.0 to the introduction of Near Field Communications, Gartner has outlined eight wireless developments that will make a substantial impact in 2009 and 2010. “All mobile strategies embed assumptions about technology evolution so it’s important to identify the technologies that will evolve quickly in the life span of each strategy,” said analyst Nick Jones. cellular-news (U.K.) (1/28)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Android, Barack Obama, Blackberry, High Tech Computer Corporation, Last.fm, Mobile phone, TouchFLO, United States
HTC‘s new Touch Cruise handset can evolve from a smartphone into a GPS-based navigation device and includes a new geotagging feature so users can tag photos from tracking data and audio clips, the cell phone maker said. The Windows Mobile 6.1-based TouchFLO device has QVGA resolution instead of full VGA, and HTC will market it in the U.S. as a dual-mode HSDPA phone. PC Magazine (1/22)
By limiting his communications to senior staff and a small cadre of close friends, President Barack Obama will be able to retain his beloved BlackBerry, the White House said, meaning Obama will become the country’s first president who regularly uses e-mail. A spokesman said security — probably by way of heavier encryption — would be ratcheted up on the device. USA TODAY (1/22) , The New York Times (1/22) , MSNBC (1/22)
Music recommendation engine / social network Last.fm
has launched an official, feature-rich application for the Android platform that enables users to stream radio stations (including personalized streaming radio), consult up-to-date concert information and also offers the ability to track users’ listening habits based on their Last.fm profile. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/23/lastfm-unveils-official-application-for-the-android-platform 1/23)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Barack Obama, Blackberry, Computers, Enterprise Server, President-elect, Research In Motion, RIM, WIRELESS
The growing increase in the quality of cameraphones will likely result in an explosion of imaging applications for wireless devices, according to a new report from Parks Associates, a research and consulting firm. The study predicted revenue from the new opportunities should reach $500 million by 2013. InformationWeek (1/13) , cellular-news (U.K.) (1/13)
In a demonstration of why President-elect Barack Obama will probably have to surrender his BlackBerry, owner Research in Motion on Monday issued a pair of interim patches to cover up critical security holes in the handset’s software. In an advisory, RIM listed four service packs from its Enterprise Server and Professional Software systems that were affected and warned users to open PDF documents only from trusted senders. CNET (1/13)
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Filed under: Feature | Tags: Blackberry, Digital video recorder, iPhone, Jon Stewart, MTV, Slingbox, Television, TiVo
GOT SLINGBOX?: DISH USERS DO
Announced this week, DISH is the first cable/satellite provider to offer subscribers the holy grail of placeshifting: Slingbox. For those of you unaware of the benefits of Slingbox, this little gem gives you the power of watching your television on a laptop or mobile screen. Watch video, change channels, or program your TiVo anywhere you have an internet connection. Slingbox originally was a nifty little commodity but a nice-to-have at the end of the day. I’ve had a Slingbox for 2 years and can count on one hand the number of times I’ve used it, which predominantly included airport moments when I had some time to kill or wanted to show a stranger something nifty. At the end of the day, it’s an extra box and an additional charge.
This week, with the announcement of the iPhone and BlackBerry app and this latest inclusion of Slingbox technology in the newest HD DVR box from DISH, placeshifting has taken one momentous step forward. As of Q3 2008, DISH was rockin’ 13.78 subscribers down from previous quarters but still strong. Now, I know all subscribers wouldn’t have this new HD DVR upon release in the spring, but this is to say that Slingbox will undoubtedly have access to a new audience. The other missing link is pricing, which wasn’t included in this announcement.
In addition to the hardware, DISH and Slingbox are announcing the Sling Guide. Click on the image above for a demo video of how the guide would work. In essence, SlingGuide enables users to program their DVR from anywhere accessible via internet. In addition, the guide allows for easier searching of content. Want to see how many times Jon Stewart brings the awesome town on The Daily Show? Sling Guide. Want to see how many times MTV will re-run The City this week? Sling Guide. The Sling Guide is available on this new box (ViP 922) as well as these additional boxes at launch:
- ViP 722K
- ViP 722
- ViP 622
They just need to be hooked up to a broadband connection to work. I think the announcement of the Sling Guide along with the Slingloaded HD DVR box is a little confusing only because the Sling Guide without the Slingloaded box won’t allow video playback. Confused yet? Yah, I thought so.
Here’s all you need to know.
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