Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Last week at The Fonecast: 19th March 2012

Mark Bridge writes:

Mobile financial services were making the headlines yet again last week. Not once. Not twice. No, we noticed at least three separate (and all pretty big) stories to talk about.

First came Nokia’s planned withdrawal from its mobile money service, which will leave around a million people in India looking for a new mobile wallet. Then there was mobile payment business BOKU announcing $35 million in new funding, including a sizeable investment from Telefónica. And finally along came PayPal Here and its plans to reclaim the iPhone-as-Point-of-Sale-terminal market from US rival Square. PayPal’s service is launching in the United States, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong... and it’s using a card reader that’s triangular to avoid any possible confusion with its rival. Expect a Square vs PayPal vs iZettle debate between me and James in Wednesday’s podcast.

Talking of podcasts, it’s been a busy week for those as well. Two of the discussions we recorded during Mobile World Congress are now online; you’ll find a recording of the ‘Heroes of Emerging Markets’ panel on our website - and it’ll soon be joined by the MEF Privacy in Mobile Apps roundtable (which you can currently hear at the MEF blog).

In network news, Ofcom says it’s happy with Everything Everywhere’s proposal to use existing 1800MHz GSM spectrum for 4G services in the UK. There’ll now be a four week consultation to see if all the other networks are happy with this (no, they’re not) and - more importantly - to see if they’ll produce a solid argument against it.

Virgin Media announced a partnership with London Underground that’ll introduce WiFi internet access to over 80 Tube stations by the summer. Service will be free during the launch period, so load up your preferred mobile VoIP service and prepare to frustrate your fellow passengers. Meanwhile, a company that would have appreciated an alternative network is MVNO giffgaff; it had an unhappy end to the week when water damage to computer systems took its mobile service offline for several hours.

Last week’s notable product announcements came from medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific, now working with Vodafone to offer real-time heart monitoring devices, and Sony Mobile Communications. Its new Android-powered Xperia sola smartphone offers ‘floating touch’ navigation, enabling you to browse the web without touching the screen. Gimmick or practical feature?  That’s probably for consumers to device. Much like mobile payments, it could be argued.

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:
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

Opinion Articles

Opportunities for media coverage and promotion at Mobile World Congress 2013

It’s heading towards that special time of the year when people prepare for a frantic few days of excitement, they get ready to exchange cards and they hope to glimpse a brand new star.

Yes, Christmas is over and everyone’s thinking about Mobile World Congress.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Advertising gets truly personal with Pontis

Every mobile network customer can be offered an individually tailored deal

Mark Bridge writes:

Advertising is already personal. Browse online for certain products and services – perhaps a new camera, a car hire deal or a pair of jeans – and you’ll see the same items advertised when you visit other web sites.

Marketing technology company Pontis, based in the high-tech industrial zone of Ra'anana in central Israel, has a much more focussed perspective. It talks about a segment-of-one marketing approach… and it’s just started working with O2 in the UK.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: 5.0

Top ten gadgets for 2013

Mark Bridge writes:

I’ve recently been talking to Theo Neumann from Wolverhampton City Radio about the top ten gadgets that are likely to hit the headlines in 2013. The most desirable, most likely to be talked about, most exciting… that kind of thing. Although my top 10 list isn’t entirely mobile-related, I thought it was worth sharing here.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Are brands missing a trick with mobile?

Dave Katz writes:

It has been reported recently that consumer spend via mobile is on the increase this Christmas. Further confirmation has come from research indicating that 20% of the expected £4.6bn of total online shopping will be carried out using smartphones and tablets.

If consumers want to browse, research and purchase via mobile, then is it not something of a surprise that only 7% of adspend in the UK currently goes on mobile?

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Mobile phone industry predictions for 2013

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge look into the future

Mark Bridge writes:

Predicting the future is easy. Making accurate predictions is more of a challenge. In our final podcast of 2012 we've provided a forecast for the mobile telecoms industry in 2013 - and we've also looked back at last year's expectations.

So... what do the three of us at TheFonecast.com expect from mobile phones and wireless technology next year?

Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First2526272830323334Last

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.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

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.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

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.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

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.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

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.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
12345678910Last

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