Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Last week at The Fonecast: 5th June 2012

Don't expect a positive answer from the Oracle

Mark Bridge writes:

Here in the UK, we have a double Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. That means two days away from work for many of us (and also two days of unseasonably bad weather, according to tradition).

In fact, the three of us at The Fonecast are celebrating our own anniversary this month. It’s been six years since we started podcasting about the mobile phone industry. We’ll be revisiting some of those early programmes - and the biggest mobile news headlines from 2006 - in this week’s podcast on Wednesday.

The biggest news from the last few days is what can loosely be called a ‘conclusion’ to the Android-related legal battle between Google and Oracle. No patents were infringed, no copyright was breached... and there’s no chance this will be the last we hear of it. Expect an appeal from Oracle and much discussion about the copyright of coding.

Research In Motion made another unwelcome return to the headlines by warning that its next set of quarterly results would show an operating loss – and it’s also expecting to cut staff numbers. Disappointment from Cisco as well; it’s stopped work on the business-focussed Cius tablet.

But cheer up; it’s not all bad news. There’s been plenty happening in the world of payments, with Gartner’s research anticipating over £100 billion being transacted via mobile this year and Juniper Research expecting a quarter of European mobile users to be paying via NFC within 5 years.

A new app called PayPal inStore is now offering mobile payments in high-street shops without NFC, another mobile payment solution has just launched for UK businesses and the m-ticket innovators at Masabi have demonstrated how NFC phones can be used as smart transport tickets.

Customer service has been attracting plenty of attention too. Everything Everywhere says it’s going to redesign its service operations around handset operating systems and the devices that use them, while Ofcom has opened a consultation about an improved 'text relay' service for mobile users with hearing and speech impairments.

Finally for now, let’s turn to a different kind of mobile service. As the Diamond Jubilee weekend moves towards its conclusion, all eyes turn to the London 2012 Olympics. Mobile technology is ready to cope with the visitors... but it’s not what you might expect.

A recent announcement from BT has confirmed it’s on track to have 500,000 WiFi hotspots working across London in time for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including exclusive WiFi service across the Olympic Park in East London. And Virgin Media has named a list of 82 London Underground stations that will offer free WiFi this summer. Perhaps an excellent opportunity for a VoIP call to tell your friends “I’m in a tunnel”.

Hmmm. I’m sure I’ve said that before.

Start your week with a reminder of the latest mobile headlines. Simply register at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page and we’ll send you this weekly news summary by email.

The Fonecast is sponsored by 51Degrees.mobi. More details about advertising and sponsorship opportunities are available on the About Us section of our website.
Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
4.0

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Opinion Articles

How AI technology is transforming the smartphone experience

How AI technology is transforming the smartphone experience

From improved performance to personalized recommendations, AI is enhancing the functionality and usability of smartphones for users

By incorporating advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities, AI can help to optimize a smartphone's performance, providing users with a faster, more efficient and user-friendly experience.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Whatever happened to all my tech?

Whatever happened to all my tech?

Mark Bridge revisits his mobile technology reviews

Mark Bridge writes:

I've been taking a look back at the devices I've written about during the past few years. Some are still faithful companions, others... well, let's just say my faith was misplaced.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Predictions for 2016: Network Function Virtualisation, 4G throttling and video calling

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Kapture review: the audio-recording wristband

Kapture review: the audio-recording wristband

A 'recording watch' that links to your smartphone

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Author: The Fonecast
4 Comments
Article rating: 4.0
Making mobile websites work better

Making mobile websites work better

Device detection and responsive design explained

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Article rating: 4.0
RSS
12345678910Last

Recent Podcasts

Podcast - 6th March 2007

A review of the Nokia 7373 and Sony Ericsson K810i, all the news plus "Are we all swapping Pink for Prada?". There's also a look at Lyric EMI and Ascendo Photos for Blackberry.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 26th February 2007

The team discuss the changes taking place on the UK high street with 02 pulling out of Phones 4U. Has the Market matured? We also review the Samsung F700 and the HP iPAQ 514, plus Ghost Rider + VolumeCare Pro software for your mobile.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 20th February 2007

The team look at the cash back crisis impacting the mobile industry, plus review the BlackBerry 8800 and Nokia E90 Communicator. 2 new pieces of software with Andy McNab's Enigma Force and Quickoffice Premier v4.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 13th February 2007

This week the team look at all the latest news from GSM world, review 2 new phones from Nokia and Sony Ericsson the 8800 and W880i. We also look at smart2go and The Bird - Evil has Wings.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 5th February 2007

The week the team take a look at the D840 from Samsung and the V3xx from Motorola. They also debate the evolution of VoIP for mobile over the past 6 months, as well as review the latest news from the past 7 days. This weeks software review includes Sonic the Hedgehog and amaZe advertising support GPS navigation software.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First99100101102104106107108Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«November 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
28293031123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
2526272829301
2345678

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement