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Monday, October 17, 2011

Last week at The Fonecast: 17th October 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

Apple and Blackberry crumble. There, I’ve said it. Twitter’s favourite joke from the past seven days. The reality wasn’t so funny.

It was last Monday when part of RIM’s infrastructure failed - and the backup system didn’t work properly. As a result, a data backlog started to build… and build… and, before long, BlackBerry messaging, browsing and email were disrupted. Here in the UK - and much of Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa - it took around three days before things were getting back to normal, with Latin America, Canada and the USA also suffering problems for a day or so.

The Apple issues weren’t such a big deal but the joke’s much funnier with the second fruit reference. Although there was the inevitable upbeat media frenzy when Apple’s iPhone 4S went on sale, some users suffered lengthy downloads and file problems when trying to upgrade older devices to iOS5. In addition, a number of customers were disappointed to find that elements of the Siri voice recognition service didn’t work in the UK yet.

Sticking with bad news, Samsung - and potentially the Android world in general - suffered a legal blow in Australia. A somewhat lower blow was suggested by the discovery of e.coli on one in six mobile phones. And Sony Ericsson was told off by the ASA for the way it described ‘standby time’ (although it’s an industry-wide issue, I’d say).

Talking of Sony Ericsson, it revealed its quarterly results and said that it would become a smartphone-only business by the end of 2012. The days of the feature phone may indeed be numbered.

Still, it wasn’t all bad news. In fact, the GSMA has calculated that the number of connected mobile devices worldwide will double from more than 6 billion today to 12 billion in 2020. Everything Everywhere has started enabling UK customers on Orange and T-Mobile to use the 3G signal from either network. Outdoor advertising company Clear Channel has said it’s putting NFC connectivity in its new digital poster sites, while O2 UK is trialling a WiFi voice-over-IP service that’ll behave like the customer’s regular mobile number.

Yes, it’s a dynamic industry we’re working in. Having said that, Nokia’s latest forward-thinking move has raised some eyebrows. It’s decided to include a dubstep version of its classic Grande Valse on more than 100 million handsets over the next few years. If you fancy starting early, you can download the MP3 file here.

On the subject of downloads, have you listened to last week’s special feature from Droidcon UK?  You’ll hear from event organiser Thibaut Rouffineau, HTC’s Michael Ludden, Marcus Hansson from Sony Ericsson, Marcus O’Sullivan of Cisco and InMobi’s Terence Eden. Listen on our website, via iTunes or by downloading the MP3 file.

You can receive this news summary by email every week. Simply register at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page.
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Opinion Articles

SpinVox visit offers a few clues about the technology

Mark Bridge writes:

So, dear reader, let’s start at the beginning. Once upon a time, a mere five years ago, there was SpinVox. A company created with help from entrepreneur Christina Domecq – whose surname offers a clue to her family’s background – and Daniel Doulton, the man behind the Psion series 5. (Sherry and portable computers; two of my favourite products. But I digress).

The company’s promise was simple: to turn voicemail messages into SMS text messages.

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That just about covers it

Mark Bridge writes:

In my last article I looked forward to a world of cyborgs… but feared that decent battery life could stifle my dreams. And this week I’m on a similar theme, despairing that the UK’s mobile coverage problems probably won’t be solved before the Silver Jubilee of Vodafone and Cellnet’s networks.

To illustrate my worries, let me tell you a story.

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What price for a hands-free conversation?

Iain Graham writes:

When you get up tomorrow morning and get in the car, why don't you screw up three £20 notes and lob 'em out of the window?!  Oh, and whilst you are at it, take out your driving licence, and put three points in the penalties column!!

Why would you do that, I hear you ask?

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The Singularity is… errm… on its way, I think

Mark Bridge writes:

I’m an optimist. I’m not quite sure why I’m wired that way but I’m perfectly happy with it. Much as you’d expect, I suppose. And although I tend not to tap-dance in the gutter when it’s raining, I firmly believe that life is like a musical.

That’s probably why I’m such a fan of what’s become known as ‘the Singularity’; a point when technology and evolution are expected to combine. As computers become smarter, so they’ll be able to build smarter computers themselves – and before you know it they’ll be repairing people and improving the design. If all goes well I’ll look like a combination of Robocop and Jude Law.

“Fascinating”, I hear you say. “Bring on the medical nanobots. But what’s all this got to do with mobile phones?”

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Web Browser vs. Application Stores

James Rosewell writes:

Anyone involved in the mobile industry will have hardly failed to notice the hype surrounding mobile application stores led by Apple. Application stores provide a really simple way for consumers to install applications on their mobile phones. They’re so simple I heard Iain Graham had used one the other week!

However they don’t solve the fundamental problem of handset compatibility.

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