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Monday, October 3, 2011

Last week at The Fonecast: 3rd October 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

It’s time for my summary of last week’s mobile industry news… and what a week it’s been. Not just for me – I made my first-ever visit to Over The Air on Friday – but for the world of mobile devices.

The big news came from Amazon, which introduced four new Kindle eBook readers. The really flashy one is the Kindle Fire, an Android-based WiFi tablet with a browser that relies heavily on information in the cloud. At the moment there’s no mention of the Kindle Fire reaching the UK, although that seems unlikely to remain the case throughout 2012.

Samsung revealed the GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus, successor to its original 7-inch tablet, while Orange, NTT DOCOMO and Sharp announced a fascinating Android smartphone that promises an instant conversion of 2D content into 3D. This one is launching in France; no, still not the UK but at least it’s closer than the United States. Sadly, Nokia didn’t have good news last week – it looks as though around 3,500 more jobs are being cut.

There’s also been a lot happening with operating systems. Tizen promises to be the new MeeGo, according to The Linux Foundation. Let’s hope it has a longer, happier life. Samsung became the latest company to sign an Android-related patent licensing deal with Microsoft. And Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ began its worldwide roll-out.

Mobile money was another headline maker. Visa Europe prepared the ground for person-to-person payments and spending alerts. ABI Research optimistically predicted that NFC payments would become mass-market within five years. Payment processing provider WorldPay announced a partnership with The MoBank Group. Isis, the US-based mobile commerce venture announced last November, added HTC, LG, Motorola Mobility, RIM, Samsung and Sony Ericsson to its list of supporters. There was even news about mobile payment regulation, with PhonepayPlus promising to look at the problems of app-based mobile payments.

But – as far as the mainstream media is concerned – all this will pale into insignificance in less than 48 hours, when Apple announces something. Probably an iPhone 5, maybe an iPhone 4S, almost definitely without the presence of Steve Jobs. And it seems that something like two out of five mobile phone users plan to buy it. Which leaves me with a simple question. Is it you… or will it be me?

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Opinion Articles

Last week at The Fonecast: 24th June 2013

More of the same

Mark Bridge writes:

Another week, another couple of product announcements from Samsung. There appears to be no stopping them, despite a recent drop in the company’s share price.

This time it’s a couple of tablets – one of which runs both Android and Windows 8 – and a 20 megapixel camera that’s got a 4G-enabled Android device built in.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 17th June 2013

Making the network truly mobile

Mark Bridge writes:

The telecommunications industry was making plenty of headlines last week – but much of it wasn’t particularly upbeat.

The debate about privacy and security continued in the wake of allegations about US agents intercepting internet traffic. Meanwhile, Nokia prepared to make its last Symbian smartphones and Tradedoubler warned that mobile devices were having a negative effect on high-street consumer loyalty.

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How to shield from internet snooping

George Putic of voanews.com writes:

When news broke about U.S. government agencies collecting metadata about its citizens’ Internet and phone communications, many were surprised by its scope. The surveillance covered a vast number of Internet messages and phone calls. The government did not deny the action but pointed out that the collected data contained, not the substance of the communication, but the so-called metadata.

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Giving it all away

Paying with our privacy

Mark Bridge writes:

There’s been a lot of talk recently about PRISM, which may allow the US National Security Agency - and anyone they choose - to access some of our personal online information if it passes through the USA. It’s unclear exactly what (if anything) is being shared with whom… and given the nature of national security, we may never know.

However, alongside the possibility of governments seeing information we thought was secure, it’s also worth pointing out that we choose to share plenty of online information ourselves.

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6 things you need to know about mobile research, smartphone rumours and imaginary new products

Mark Bridge writes:

Where did it all go wrong?  When did the mainstream mobile industry start to slide away from innovation and into repetitive nonsense?  For a while I suspected the downloadable ringtone was to blame. Just days after hearing 'Barbie Girl' on the mobile phone of a man from Vodafone Value Added Services in the late 1990s, I'd downloaded a poptastic tune to my own Nokia 2110. Soon, the entire mobile world was focussed on 30-second instrumentals instead of technical innovation. It was the beginning of the end.

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