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Monday, September 24, 2012

Last week at The Fonecast: 24th September 2012

Apple loses Google Maps… and quite a few major landmarks

Mark Bridge writes:

Oooh, a new phone. It’s running a powerful new processor, it has a large edge-to-edge toughened glass display and its model name bears the familiar ‘i’ suffix. Hang on a moment. Suffix?  Yes, suffix. This isn’t a new Apple device but Motorola Mobility’s first Intel-powered Android smartphone, the RAZR i.

Arguably it wasn’t a great week for Motorola’s launch, what with HTC’s new flagship handsets and the iPhone 5 going on sale.

HTC presented us with the Windows Phone 8X and the Windows Phone 8S, both of which are expected to hit the shops from November. An exceptionally close relationship with Microsoft is hinted at by the appearance of ‘Windows Phone 8’ in their names. Wonder if Nokia is jealous?

It’s certainly not unhappy with some of the fuss surrounding Apple’s iPhone 5, which went on sale last Friday. A couple of days earlier the iOS 6 operating system saw an official release – and the replacement of Google Maps with Apple’s own mapping service has drawn many an unfavourable comparison. Apple’s data seems significantly less detailed to the offerings from Google and Nokia, causing much amusement amongst naysayers.

There was also slightly worrying news for fans of machine-to-machine communications – M2M isn’t being implemented as quickly as some had forecast, according to new research – and for lovers of QR codes, who found the UK was lagging behind the rest of Europe when it came to adoption and usage. Conversely, tablet sales were doing much better than expected.

Sticking with good news, we learned that a Norwegian study had found no scientific evidence that radiation from mobile phones causes adverse health effects and we heard that high-speed broadband services could be available in aircraft fairly soon.

Discount service Groupon moved into the mobile payment arena, Google acquired another photo software company, Good Technology introduced professional services to help businesses move to a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ scheme and O2 snuggled up with augmented reality platform Aurasma.

However, if you really want an unexpected tech partnership, you need UK artist Dominic Wilcox, technologist Becky Stewart and shoe maker Stamp Shoes. Together they’ve created ‘No Place Like Home’, a pair of leather shoes that’ll guide you home via built-in GPS and LED indicators. You activate them – much like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz – by clicking the heels together.

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.
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Opinion Articles

MEF predictions: ten key mobile trends for 2014

MEF, the global trade association for companies engaged in mobile content and commerce, has revealed its mobile industry predictions for the next 12 months.

Its forecast combines insights from the group’s Global Board of Directors with research from the recent Global Mobile Consumer Survey.

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Top five mobile tech predictions for 2014 from Jasper Wireless

Macario Namie writes:

As the connected car phenomenon gains pace, 2014 will see global automotive firms embracing LTE. Machina Research predicts 90% of cars sold in 2020 will have some form of embedded connectivity – that connectivity roll-out continues strong in 2014 and LTE is pivotal to its long-term success.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 16th December 2013

A Happy Tranquil Christmas for HTC?

Mark Bridge writes:

HTC experienced a bit of Christmas cheer last week when the threat of a sales injunction against the HTC One mini smartphone and a number of other devices was lifted. Nokia had previously won a patent-related court case against HTC but it seems that a sales ban was deemed too harsh a penalty.

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Deutsche Telekom M2M predictions for 2014

Jürgen Hase writes:

Machine-to-machine communication (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT) run through all areas of life and work. Cars, cargo containers, parking spaces or even wristwatches and coffee cups – everything around us is on the verge of being connected.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 2nd December 2013

It's oh so quiet...

Mark Bridge writes:

It was a relatively quiet time for tech news last week, with many companies taking a day off to celebrate Thanksgiving in the USA and then planning for a present-buying retail frenzy on ‘Black Friday’. Today the focus on Christmas shopping moves online; a day that’s called either ‘Cyber Monday’ or ‘Mega Monday’ if you work for a news organisation.

Yet it wasn’t an entirely newsless week.

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Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

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Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

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Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

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Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

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A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

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