a multi-tasked stream of consciousness or perhaps just emails to myself
I have no idea what happened but on the way home tonight my E61 decided to go into a reset loop after I hung up from a call. I’ve had a few issues with calls being dropped due to phone resets (perhaps a few too many apps running) but this was the first time I’ve seen this…
A fresh start is not that horrible, but I have to configure quite a few things in order to be back where I was. At least my key PIM data will just sync back courtesy of Mail For Exchange.
BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » How to kill newspapers in one easy lesson
Jeff Jarvis points to what has to be the worst idea I’ve ever seen by an old media thinker… especially given we are way past mass-adoption of the internet… essentially, the genius at the SF Chronical is thinking it’d be great to develop an embargo to prevent online from running stories to give the newspapers a fair fight.
Too bad we can get information from all kinds of new sources these days…
I’ve been playing with Gmail Mobile a bit the past few days and it’s quite excellent. I find the speed in loading messages better than the way Nokia’s built-in email app works since that only initially loads headers and must make a second call to get any messages you choose to read them. GMail’s mobile application is probably the easiest way to do email on a phone – or smartphone but it has a few weaknesses that while minor might bother people after a while. I think all could easily be fixed in a subsequent release:
The irony…
I just posted about starting to use Google Calendar and moments later have received an email from Apple inviting me to learn how to sync using .Mac.
I’ll be waiting for the Apple OTA sync until I really get back into things with iCal / .Mac — as much as I like it actually. I just want easy access (two way sync) from a wireless device and GooSync can rock that for mobile devices.
Technorati Tags: .Mac, SyncML, Google, GooSync, Marketing, N73, N91, E61, Apple, Mobile, e-series, Software, Sync
There was quite a bit of buzz about the release of GooSync this week, but when I went to try it out there was no support for s60v3 devices like the ones I use… It was not actually a limitation of Symbian, but the version of SyncML that the phones support.
That’s all resolved now and I’ve been trying to get it to work on my E61, N93 and N73. There’s a slight hitch which is I have yet to receive the configuration message – sent wirelessly for the Sync Server. Once received, I should be able to sync my device two-way over the air (OTA) with Google Calendar, which is suddenly very compelling. In fact, if this works (GooSync was actually doing an update last night) I would seriously consider ditching iCal and .Mac sync for my Calendar.
Once you use a device that syncs over the air, there is no going back. Why? Have you ever not been able to leave your house while a palm was syncing in the cradle or your phone was waiting on iSync? I have. This is a slow and burdensome task and even though I’ve enabled sync for devices, I rarely use it. I get most of my info OTA from my work Exchange server and sync once in a while for my personal info with iSync — all because of the time required.
The GooSync service is a massive consumer win and I hope becomes a wakeup call for Apple’s .Mac team. When the iPhone is eventually released, it will HAVE to sync OTA with your .Mac info out of the box in order to be competitive — regardless of the coolness factor Apple brings to the space.
Anyway — looking forward to getting this rolling later today and exporting my personal .ics files from .Mac to Google’s Calendar.
Technorati Tags: .Mac, N93, e-Series, GooSync, SyncML, N-Series, Google, Nokia, OTA, Sync, N73, Apple
I received a few new Nokia’s this past week and so far I am a very happy geek. The N73 is an absolutely stellar update to the N70 while the N93 updates the N91. Both are very solid, though I’ve spent most of the time with the N73 as the form factor is a bit easier in the pants pocket…
The N73 actually has a firmware update which I ran today. You need access to a PC – no Mac for this. I’m fortunate enough that I’ve got both at work so it was pretty easy to do. Remember to back-up anything close to critical before running. My process was straightforward and error-free. I did have to reinstall two Handy Apps – Weather and Clock – which did not restore back after the update. I also had to re-enter my email password, but my data was completely intact and I was syncing over the air to the company Exchange server within a few minutes…
I’ll post more soon on my use of both devices.
Technorati Tags: N-Series, N73, N91, N93, Mobile, Exchange, Firmware, Nokia, N70
The term hyper-local has been getting a great deal of use lately in describing the ever-changing Newspaper (and news reporting in general) landscape. As papers begin to realize that they are news organizations not limited to just printing a single edition a day their existing credibility opens the doors to a very deep relationship with their reader communities. The use of digital enables a fantastic loop for a paper to break a story via web or mobile and feed back a reported story to the next days or evenings paper. In each community, coverage can go very deep on topics of great interest to the local readers so things like crime, politics, sports and retail can all be deeper than the usual scan they might get from a printed paper who needs to limit the printed word for cost keeping.
The latest move by Gannett as reported in Wired is very significant for a few key reasons… For Starters USA Today is the nations largest paper. If you add in a layer of hyper-local coverage they become a force to be reckoned with in areas whose paper’s have yet to embrace what can be done electronically.
The initiative emphasizes four goals: Prioritize local news over national news; publish more user-generated content; become 24-7 news operations, in which the newspapers do less and the websites do much more; and finally, use crowdsourcing methods to put readers to work as watchdogs, whistle-blowers and researchers in large, investigative features.[Wired News]
Gannett has already been testing this new model fully in a few markets and the results are very positive:
What they found is remarkable: Breaking news on the Web and updating for the newspaper draws more people to both those media. Asking the community for help, gets it – and delivers the newspaper into the heart of community conversations once again. Rich and deep databases with local, local information gathered efficiently are central to the whole process. The changes impact all media, and the public has approved. Results include stronger newspapers, more popular Web sites and more opportunities to attract the customers advertisers want.[Crowdsourcing]
Given their size, Gannett can compete across many markets simultaneously and offer communities a complete news view from hyper-local through international…
Big papers like the The New York Times are not standing by while this trend grows and in fact have their own high tech multimedia reporting desk being built out now:
The booming expansion of multimedia at The New York Times was a big driver behind the network infrastructure going into the new facility. The Times, over the last several years, has been trying to shake the “gray lady†image with aggressive use of online and multimedia features, such as multimedia packages and video segments from reporters, chat rooms and blogs. That means Times staff does more than just write and edit text articles for the paper-and-ink product.
To this end, every desktop in the newsroom will feature a full Gigabit Ethernet link as well as an IP phone, integrated voice mail/e-mail and an Internet chat, all rolled into one with Nortel’s CallPilot unified messaging product. Instant “click-to-dial†audio conferencing and presence capabilities will also be available for the Times staff, Kraft says.
“We wanted to create a multimedia environment for each worker,†Kraft says. “If they need to do anything with voice or video or multimedia, it can all be done†from the desktop. Since each PC will have a USB camera and microphone, Kraft anticipates more video conferencing will take place, was well as recording of short podcast and video podcast segments by reporters for the NYTimes.com site.
Among the background clatter in the Times’ current newsroom are several televisions, constantly tuned to breaking-news channels, such as CNN or FOX. The new Times newsroom will have fewer televisions but more options available for the staff, as 10 channels of IP television will be available to every desktop in the company. The IPTV streams will be delivered via Time Warner Cable.
“We will be one of first customers in New York for†IPTV from Time Warner, Kraft says. “We’re helping them develop that service.â€
The IPTV streams will let editors and reporters view content more relevant to their sections or beats, Kraft says; business writers can view CNBC or MSNBC; sports scribes can peek at scores from ESPN News while writing and editing. (The Times had no comment about what effect TV-to-the-desktop will have on reporters meeting deadlines for filing stories.) [Network World]
One thing is clear – the news reporting business is very competitive and traditional papers need to evolve to compete for both the timeliness and depth of coverage across all the facets of the consumers lives. The newspaper seems to have an edge against TV reporting based on their existing associating with consumers and their ability to deliver multiple channels of news across a variety of media. TV and Radio guys are actually starting behind, with the exception of CNN – but they really only focus on national and international news. The local and metro markets – those which impact us all on a daily basis are hotbeds for the future of competitive news.
Om notes the pending release of a cool new Voice 2.0 service … (gotta love the not so new numeric age we are living in now.)
Without actually using this it’s hard to make a real judgement, but I like how it seems to work, which is fully transparent with your mobile device. Your virtual TalkPlus number can both send and receive calls directly on your mobile with the help of a small app… You can choose to keep your mobile number private if you like which is a feature I probably would not take advantage of personally but as Om also notes will be great for the dating scene.
My challenge is getting past initial trial on most of the new VOIP services as tasty as they seem (GrandCentral, TruPhone, etc) is that it’s not that simple to use at the same time as your current phone without having to constantly use a different number for in and outgoing calls. TalkPlus seems like it will simplify matters considerably.
Here is how it works: the service gives you a TalkPlus number that you can pass around freely. The service connects to a TalkPlus server over the data network, and allows you to authenticate your number. All out bound calls from your phone can be made via any of the two phone numbers you have – your cell phone, or this virtual number.
Outbound and inbound calls use the voice channel, and connect to the PSTN network. There is no voice quality degradation, typically a problem with mobile VoIP offerings. Those who are receiving your call can only see your virtual phone ID.
When they want to return your phone call, they can hit call and the call is returned to the virtual number. When they hit send, the call is then routed to the TalkPlus softswitch and then onto your mobile phone. [GigaOM]
Technorati Tags: GrandCentral, TruPhone, TalkPlus, VOIP
I was thinking about this announcement from TomTom and Vodafone and started considering the power of what this could do for real-time traffic reporting.
TomTom and Vodafone have just partnered to create a new type of commercial traffic data system based on thousands of mobile phones that will describe traffic conditions in real-time. The idea is that by using the regular signaling information between the handset and the base station, the location and speed of the handset can be determined at any given time. Combine that information across a region among thousands of drivers who become data points, and a picture emerges of how backed a given freeway really is — enabling TomTom to provide detours much more quickly than previously possible. [Engadget]
There does not seem to be any reason from where I sit why this can’t apply across carriers. If you subscribe to TomTom Plus, which you need to in order to get traffic info, you already have a mobile device feeding the GPS a data connection. Add to that the ability to track your friends with a buddy list (another plus service) but treat the tracking for traffic rather than “how you doing” and you could get a very smart system. I have no idea how many devices TomTom has sold but limiting this to a single carrier will defeat the potential network effect.
This is the exact offering of Dash Navigation… I’d imagine it’s the reason for TomTom’s move. I’m glad that TomTom is looking to continue enhancing the functionality of their devices… My TomTom G0 510 has been excellent in my daily commute.
The New York Times reports on the launch of T-Mobile’s UMA service:
To gain access to the service, called T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, customers must buy a phone that works on both networks. T-Mobile is selling a choice of two handsets that cost $49.99 for customers who sign up for a two-year rate plan for at least $39.99 a month. Subscribers are charged $19.99 a month in addition to their regular cellular plan fees.
Customers also need a wireless router, which is free with a rebate. The router is then connected to any available broadband line for home or office use. The phones connect not just to the wireless router, but also at any of 7,000 Wi-Fi hot spots that T-Mobile operates at Starbucks coffee shops, Hyatt Hotels and other public locations.T-Mobile has set up a Web site, www.theonlyphoneyouneed.com, for customers who want to sign up for the service.
Since customers can make unlimited calls using their broadband connections, the service represents a threat to Vonage, SunRocket and other companies that offer phone plans over high-speed Internet connections. The service also gives T-Mobile a leg up in competing with Sprint and other cellular carriers that are trying to develop similar services.
The dual-use phone service may appeal most to younger consumers who do not have a traditional phone line and rely solely on cellular phones and broadband lines.“For the below-30 age segment, it’s a no-brainer,†said Roger Entner, a wireless industry analyst at Ovum, a consulting firm. “This is also a threat for other wireless carriers because it fixes the problem of poor coverage inside homes.â€
This is definitely a big deal especially considering how prevalent locations like Starbucks are with TMO hotspots are. I know plenty of people who only carry mobile phones and to whom being able to both conserve minutes on the go as at home via WiFi would sound very enticing.
What I’d really like to see as a next step is the capability of phones to become enabled for this type of service without having to buy all new equipment. Clearly this is far more advanced and would require some effort by the consumer which the new router and phone from TMO defeats… I get that. My point is that there is already an existing audience of enthusiasts like myself with WiFi capable handsets and mobile VOIP access. I can do both TruPhone and Gizmo on my Nokia E61… just not as a single service inter-linking with my existing cellular. Actually – Truphone defines multiple Access Points (3 by default) so you can automatically connect to work or home WiFi as you enter range… assuming you leave it enabled. My data connection can also auto-switch between cellular and WiFi thanks to Birdstep’s smartroaming… voice is the next logical step.
Technorati Tags: e-series, E61, Marketing, Smartroaming, T-Mobile, Travel, UMA, VOIP
Last I checked, Gartner was a supposed to be a pretty respectable shop… but then I read this. It’s worth a few minutes… I’ll wait.
If Apple decided to get out of the hardware business… We’d have some seriously dull beige (maybe grey) boxes – that were built in the cheapest way, caught on fire and sent you into Dell Hell.
Apple is a pioneer in the hardware business – and yes I am biased. They were first to lose the floppy and add USB port, the first to include Firewire, the first to go Wireless, the first to re-introduce the all-in-one system (iMac) and of course brought us the iPod. And let’s not forget the key piece of their business – they control the software AND the hardware and therefore the entire user experience.
The Nokia N91 blogger team has compiled a great list of helpful tips on how to get the best experience using the device. Mine is unfortunately a brick at the moment…
I just received this nasty scam email which makes it look like I am being billed for a new Treo 700P. If you click the link, you get sent to a “looks like” Paypal phishing scam. Be careful and lookout!
There’s no actual history of this in my Paypal purchase history which is good to see – this is a total scam.
WHOA!! Quite a domination…
Google Inc. is on track in 2006 to become the first company ever to pocket 25% of all U.S. online ad spending in a calendar year, according to a new report from eMarketer, an online ad tracker. [eMarketer via MarketWatch]
Nokia announced the formal release of Symbian Series 60 version 3 feature Pack 1 (S60v3 FP1 if you prefer shorthand). The current crop of E-Series devices all run v3 already, but I sincerely hope that Nokia enables these devices to be flashed forward to the latest release of the OS. From the release it states that the system is fully backwards compatible so … should work right?
There are some enhancements to key pieces of the system that many of us use on a daily basis – like the browser (bye bye Services!) and RSS. Without understanding the complexities of matters — though I did manually flash my E61 already — it should be possible to release an update per device.
Please don’t make this only available in future releases like the N95…
Technorati Tags: E-Series, E61, Marketing, Mobile, N-Series, Nokia, N95, Software
Consider me pre-ordered… As much as I love my Nokia experience, it would be hard to beat what I believe Apple can bring to the handheld / phone space. I’m far from alone in wanting this… and I seriously hope it’s real.
Apple Computer plans to introduce two iPod-based cell phone models in the first quarter of 2007 that it will initially manufacture in limited quantities, says one analyst.
In a research note released to clients on Monday, Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora said his checks indicate that one model will be a smart phone, including integrated keyboard, video and music capability, while the other model will be a slimmer phone with just music functionality. AppleInsider
Appleinsider also reports on a patent filing:
In the September 15th filing, Apple describes iPhone as “handheld and mobile digital electronic devices for the sending and receiving of telephone calls, faxes, electronic mail, and other digital data; MP3 and other digital format audio players.”
Under the primary but broad classification, Apple said iPhone may also consist of “electronic handheld units for the wireless receipt and/or transmission of data that enable the user to keep track of or manage personal information.”
Similarly, it may include “software for the redirection of messages, Internet e-mail, and/or other data to one or more electronic handheld devices from a data store on or associated with a personal computer or a server; and software for the synchronization of data between a remote station or device and a fixed or remote station or device.”
