The iPhone isn’t anything new

The iPhone, which blends a mobile phone with the iPod music player

The above quote comes from bloomberg and it doesn’t make me want to rush out and buy one. I have an iPod and I have a phone (several infact). There are lot’s of devices out there that are both phones and music devices and cameras (and GPS) now.

The only way the device will sell big is because of the Apple brand, the same way that the iPod won in terms of MP3 players, many of which are/were better than the iPod.

This is nothing new I’m sure, the iPod just became a must have accessory, a lifestyle choice. Will the iPhone become the must have accessory..I don’t know, I think it might be too complicated for some users and that will put them off.

Only time will tell if the iPhone will be a success, I for one won’t be rushing out to buy one, but maybe if it can copy the success of the walkman branded phones from Sony Ericsson then maybe it will.

Technorati Tags: Bloomberg, iPone, Sony, Walkman

HTC’s big announcement leaked

Smartphone Thoughts has an insider that has leaked the news due next week (June 5th)

…a multitouch display like the iphone. So you will be able to slide your finger across the screen to run commands and interact with the device in the same manner as Apple’s much hyped iphone. HTC will be launching this on a global scale, so it has the potential to reach a large audience in a short amount of time

I think we all new it was going to be some sort of touch screen device just from the image above, so no real exclusive there. The interesting part is that it’s going to be Windows mobile devices in direct competition with the iPhone and it’s multi touch screen.

That’s good news in my view, although I’m not a huge fan of touch screens I’m more of a tactile person, preferring buttons, a bit old school now almost.

Technorati Tags: iPhone, HTC, multi, touch

PSP credible web tablet

I just flashed my PSP to the latest firmware, once you flash you never go back, I just can’t help myself from flashing things to the latest level of firmware, must be the techie in me.

A funny story first on the subject of flashing firmwares. I was on an IBM course when I first joined leaning about the IBM 8260 TR/Eth multi-card device. One of the tasks we had to do was flash it to the latest level of firmware. So we all downloaded the very small file of microcode to our thinkpads and proceeded to flash the 8260. One of the guys, who will of course remain nameless, downloaded the file then managed to lose it, so uploaded the next smallest file he could find. Yes shock horror, he uploaded a small screensaver file to it. We all then rebooted our devices and Ian’s (opps) of course stated flashing red in the boot loader. Oh how we laughed for days.

Anyway, my PSP displays all my Google homepages, mail and Reader just fine, I’ll try it with Google calendar later.

So I’m chuffed that I’ve got a web tablet that’s awesome at games for a couple of tenners over a ton. I haven’t explored the music or video capabilities of the device yet either.

Technorati Tags: PSP, Web, Google

Deutsche Telecom invest in Jajah

This was also in today’s business section of the Guardian, but it’s here too.

VoIP startup JAJAH announced today that it has received venture funding from an unexpected source: Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile. This marks the second major player to get involved in the company in just a few short weeks, and it’s a strong sign that no one has handed the game over to Skype, despite its popularity.

This an interesting source of funding.

Technorati Tags: Jajah, Deutsche, Telecom, Skype

elastic spending patterns & the CD

BusinessWeek have a good article on why CD sales have dwindled away; the elastic spending patterns of the modern consumer.

DVD sales have grown, Internet services, on-demand TV have all grown at the cost of CD sales, not P2P and mp3 piracy.

CD sales or the significant portion of traditional buyers are not your P2P users. I accept a very small percentage of sales will have been impacted but no way all of the slump can be accredited to piracy. [via]

Technorati Tags: Business, Week, CD, DVD

Avaya could be putting the for Sale sign up

The NYT has an article on news that Avaya could be investigating a sale of either all or some of their business.

Avaya are seen as a traditional Voice business that is successfully building a VoIP presence. [via]

Technorati Tags: Avaya, Telecom

3G Video Call at 130kmph in Solvakia

Picture 047

Originally uploaded by Rob Evans.

This photo was taken whilst I was doing a video call from a motorway in Solvakia at 130kmph in a rented Mercedes.

I was amazed at the network in Slovakia it even had HSDPA enabled too, something that I couldn’t find in London.

UK Data Prices Start to Fall – Finally

MobHappy’s Carlo Longino wrote back on the 4th of May that his prediction for 2007 would be Flat Rate data plans would emerge in Europe.

Flat rate data has been around for a while in the UK now and Orange and Vodafone joined T-Mobile with affordable data bundles marketed with the tag of unlimited* (* = 1gb)

Anway, I agree with Carlo any telco worth it’s salt would rather have people paying a constant revenue stream of £50 to £120 a year extra per user as being better than the odd month when the user accidentally surfs a little too much and ends up with a £30 data bill.

Unlimited data is the killer app of 3G.

What else is there to do with 3G..voice and video..it works but not for every single call.

Unlimited data is allowing applications such as Fring (there is it again), Zyb, Goosync, Push email, Shozu and thus Flickr, BlipTV and Youtube to be used without a worry for the data bill at the end of the month.

I’ve got Unlimited data and it’s changed the way I use my phone and I encourage anyone who hasn’t got it to get it now.

Who needs wi-fi when 3G works? Telco’s could then argue the need for Wi-Fi in devices, remove that need for finding and logging onto hotspots…what a pain, I hardly use my Openzone account these days and have considered shutting it down.

Unlimited data means I use my camera more (and want a better camera) as I can use shozu to upload any photo I take to Flickr in the backgound…fantastic!

So for me unlimited data is the Killer app of Mobile computing.

Is Skype a Telco? – Yes

Martin asks if Skype is a Telco, I think they are.

(TELephone COmpany) A company that provides telephone services

The definition makes no mention of owning physical infrastructure or it’s own circuit or switched network. Skype is a Telco in that it provides a Telephone service, but it doesn’t have it’s own national or international network.

But the real problem is Skype hasn’t provided the necessary platform — be it Liberty, OpenID, or whatever — to let 3rd parties use their authentication system

Neither have GoogleTalk, MSN, Yahoo etc. yet we’re all able to use services such as Fring, Meebo etc etc (with an element of trust) and sue the underlying frameworks of services such as GoogleTalk and Skype without actual going any where near the actual application.

The bit I don’t like is that Skype is a proprietary ‘standard’ and the lack of interoperability is why SIP based services will take a hold. SIP is the Voip Standard and now  built into (most) Nokia and Windows smartphones. So users can get free/cheap VoIP calls using SIP on their handsets. SIP may also be the standard the enterprise that they work for also uses, allowing the same devices to connect to the enterprise voice network too.

I don’t see Skype as true VoIP, although it is by definition. But as many users comment, one moment is superb next it’s rubbish. Could this be where intelligence within the network comes in. QOS allows SIP traffic to be prioritized. Therefore VoIP calls have a mechanism by which a standard quality is being attempted to be maintained.

But we’ll see, Skype has a big enough user base to be around for a while yet.

Google Reader on PSP

27052007009

Originally uploaded by Rob Evans.

Here’s what google reader mobile looks like on a PSP. It’s well spaced out. I tried Google Reader proper but it can’t handle the code so showed nothing at all.