Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Geography meets Social Media on 'Geosocial' sites

Ted Landphair of voanews.com writes:

There’s a well-worn phrase in real estate: “location, location, location,” meaning that where a property is located, alone, means more than anything else when it comes to assessing its value.

But ‘location’ is getting new meanings in these days of smartphones and other hand-held devices.

When satellite-based global positioning and tracking became commonly available on computers and smartphones, sales of maps and requests for directions from strangers took a nosedive. We know of people who hardly go out of the house without first checking for GPS directions.

Some apps, or phone applications, even provide real-time alerts about traffic jams, accidents, and detours.

A new study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project finds that 28% of adults use what it calls mobile and social-media ‘location services’ every day. And not just to plan trips and get directions.

“Smartphone owners are using their phones to get fast access to location-relevant information on-the-go," said Kathryn Zickuhr, co-author of the Pew report.

What does that mean?  Lots of smartphone owners get recommendations for restaurants, museums and theaters based on where they happen to be at the time. Young adults use so-called ‘geosocial’ check-in services such as Foursquare and Gowalla, to keep track of friends’ whereabouts and pick places to meet and eat.

Foursquare users can play a game in which rivals compete to become what they call the ‘mayor’ of a place - even an office building or a post office - just by sending out a signal that they’re in that particular location.

We’re told that a security guard here, for instance, was the ‘mayor’ of the Voice of America for a time, reviewing our visitors’ tour and even the quality of our cafeteria food. We’re scrolling our smartphones frantically to read that.

Originally published on voanews.com
Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

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

Recent Podcasts

Chris Millington introduces the Doro PhoneEasy 740 and the Doro Experience

Podcast - 9th November 2012

In this special feature we're talking to Chris Millington, Doro's MD for UK and Ireland. Doro, which produces easy-to-use mobile phones for older people, is releasing its first touch-screen smartphone this month.

As well as explaining the phone's benefits, Chris also describes the advantages of Doro's tablet and PC software. In addition, we take a few minutes to look at Doro's plans for the future.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Struggles for Comet and Sharp, worries about Android apps

Podcast - 7th November 2012

In this week's podcast we hear that Comet has gone into administration and that Japanese tech manufacturer Sharp is struggling to survive.

There's also concern about the security of some Android apps, some changes afoot at O2 and a new favourite device at WiFi hotspots.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Apple, Google and Microsoft all have something new to talk about

Podcast - 31st October 2012

We're talking about Apple's iPad mini, the new Google Nexus devices and Microsoft's two updated operating systems in our podcast this week.

There's also the launch of 4G from EE, an assortment of quarterly results and some analysis of smartphone sales.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: 4.0

EE reveals its 4G tariffs, O2 makes some changes and Samsung still hasn't copied the iPad

Podcast - 24th October 2012

This week we're talking about the UK's first 4G mobile phone tariffs, Ofcom's consultation about contract pricing and O2's response to its recent network outage.

We're also looking at quarterly results from Google and Nokia, Apple's iPad design, Microsoft's tablet pricing and texting cows.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Problems for O2, ZTE and Huawei... but some good news, too

Podcast - 17th October 2012

Last week wasn't particularly good for O2 in the UK or for Huawei and ZTE in the United States. In today's podcast we explain why.

There's also a look at newly-independent Vertu, Microsoft's new music service, a mobile-friendly search engine and 5G research in the UK.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First2627282931333435Last

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