Interesting news out of wireless tech company, Qualcomm, which announced yesterday that it is coming out with a new PC alternative to make high-speed wireless Internet access more widely available and affordable in emerging markets around the world. Its Kayak device alternative leverages 3G wireless broadband to bring Internet access to parts of the world where online access is difficult to get or unaffordable. The Kayak PC is being positioned as the alternative solution to desktop PCs, which normally require landlines or separate accessories for connectivity, and Web-capable wireless devices.
Kayak More»

Labels: mobile web, web 2.0

Apple today announced that iPhone and iPod users have downloaded more than 100 million applications from its App Store. The store which was only launched on July 11, 2008 has more than 3,000 applications. According to Apple, “Applications can take advantage of iPhone’s large display, innovative Multi-Touch™ user interface, fast hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, built-in accelerometer and location-based technology to create mobile applications unlike any seen before.”
The App Store on iPhone works over cellular networks and wifi so users can download applications directly onto their iPhone or iPod touch and use them More»

Labels: Apple, iPhone, mobile web

Apple sold one million of its new and improved iPhones, the iPhone 3G, over the weekend after its much anticipated release on Friday, July 11.  According to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, “iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend. It took 74 days to sell the first one million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world.” Additionally, more than 10 million applications were also downloaded over the weekend from its new App Store.
The new iPhone 3G combines all the features of iPhone plus 3G networking More»

Labels: Apple, mobile web, usability, user experience, web, web 2.0

For anyone interested:
Should YOU Mobile? – Opportunities & Challenges in the Mobile Space
“RainMakers Live!” Conference brought you by The National University of Singapore Entrepreneurs Association (NUSEA).
Date: Friday, June 27Time: 5:30 – 9:00 p.mVenue: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, 950 Page Mill Rd, Palo Alto.
Conference Theme:
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Labels: mobile web

It seems like everyone is excited about the new iPhone that was introduced by Apple on Monday (many people are actually calling it the Jesusphone) but I think everyone’s missing the big picture.
What triggered those thoughts was yesterday’s blog post from Mashable, discussing what was really revolutionary about the new iPhone:
And, The Really Big Thing About The New iPhone Is… GPS. Global Positioning System . Geo-anything. Location based services. (…) Why hasn’t all this happened before? Three words: ease of use. While you could have done all these things for the Symbian More»

Labels: Apple, GPS, iPhone, Local Search, mobile web

Two recent studies indicate how social networking over mobile devices is going to grow into one of the online world’s most significant activities.
Opera’s research about the use of their mobile browser is a bit misleading however because it appears to be from those who use the browser on their phones - obviously a group much more likely than others to participate in social networking:
Select global highlights from the first quarter report:
Social networking consumes almost 41% of traffic: The United States, South Africa and Indonesia have more than 60% of their traffic going to social More»

Labels: Facebook, Mobile, mobile web, Social Networking

Even as broadband penetration in the USA increases, many users are still frustrated with the lack of enough data transmisson speed to bring really great internet functionality to all the devices in your life.
Ralph de la Vega, COO of ATT, says that things are going to change fast and get faster. Speaking at a Morgan Stanley event he said that sometime in 2009 ATT would be able to deliver speed in excess of 20 megabits per second. That is fast enough to allow some spectacular streaming of data and video content, provide downloadable movies to More»

Labels: ATT, broadband, Mobile, mobile web

The mobile market in India is approaching 250 million people, which in turn is approaching the entire population of the USA. Chinaś mobile user base is larger than that, and it is very clear that in terms of internet use both China and India are poised to eclipse US use - probably by a substantial amount.
Today Om Malik asks what the natural limit to India´s mobile subscriber base would be. It is a very important question and it is a large number, perhaps roughly equivalent to the population itself as mobile devices become cheaper and More»

Labels: Mobile Advertising, mobile web

Ask.com is leveraging the core capability of what the mobile phone does best i.e. transit speech, to provide voice-activated directions. Ask.com Mobile announced that they’ve added a new option to their Directions service called Click to Speak. The feature lets Ask.com Mobile users verbally enter addresses by speaking instead of keying them in. Users can activate a voice activated directions service with a click and within seconds receive a text message with a link to directions.
Here’s a how-to video but basically, from your mobile device, you navigate to www.ask.com or http://m.ask.com, click More»

Labels: Ask.com, Mobile Search, mobile web

Email tops the list of the most requested service for mobile users. In a poll conducted by Webcredible, a UK usability firm, of about 1K mobile phone users they asked people ‘Which service would you use on your mobile/cell phone if speed & quality weren’t an issue?’. 33% said email would be their number one choice followed by 25% for social networking. This was followed by local info about their surroundings at 20%; travel, mapping, and directions at 13%; and not surprising, much lower on the list is online shopping coming in at 9%. Users are generally more interested in More»

Labels: Mobile, Mobile Search, mobile web