Multimedia

Handango inks apps deal with Sony Ericsson

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:08:18 -0400

Smartphone applications provider Handango announced a worldwide agreement with Sony Ericsson to bring content direct to consumers on all of the device maker's convergence phones, including the Windows Mobile-based Xperia X1 and its UIQ handsets. Handango's InHand clients will offer users a variety of productivity, games, imaging and music apps designed for optimal performance across the Sony Ericsson convergence phone portfolio--the Xperia XI will boast an embedded, Handango-branded Windows Mobile 6.1 InHand client. In addition, Handango will serve as the content provider for Sony Ericsson's mobile web storefront for UIQ devices, and by year's end will offer its InHand mobile client embedded on all UIQ devices.

For more on the Sony Ericsson/Handango deal:
- read this release

Related articles:
Sony Ericsson unveils motion gaming phone
Sony Ericsson debuts Windows Mobile device

Most wireless apps miss the mark

Fri, 30 May 2008 17:18:42 -0400

Even the best mobile applications today don't take full advantage of the wireless network.

By Iain Gillott

Many companies and individuals have described a future for mobile content as it relates to the desktop-based Internet. Coupled with the development of mobile devices (i.e. bigger brighter screens, faster processors, increased memory and infinite battery life) the Web-centric protagonists simply extend the best applications and content to the mobile device.

An example can be seen in the recent concepts that have emerged for games based on Apple's iPhone. The games make use of the iPhone's Mac OS and its processor to simply extend Mac games to the mobile device - the user interface and movement sensor are incorporated into the game's controls.

Other example is music. Music is commonly available on mobile phones and a range of OEMs allow for both side-loading and downloading of music to the device. Some operators offer streaming music and, obviously, video.

This is easy to do but really misses the value of mobility. The Web-centists are just taking Internet content and applications and shrinking them to fit a smaller mobile device. In essence, the content is just moving from one platform to another, without taking advantage of the mobile aspects of the wireless network.

Wireless networks today offer more than simple connectivity. Aside from the location services (based around GPS or cell site triangulation), the network also detects presence for both device and application (for example, a network server knows when you start an IM application on your handset). Through a contact or buddy list, the network knows when your friends are ‘on' network.

Payment and purchase history also are easy to find, as well as communication behavior. For example, the network knows when a subscriber usually makes calls or sends text messages. I make the majority of my calls when I'm in Austin between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. But when traveling, I tend to call later into the evening and earlier in the morning. My kids never call or text (OK, they rarely call but always seem to need to text) during school hours.

The network also knows all about the device I am using including the screen size, the type of keyboard, the processor, memory, speed of the data connection, and battery life. For those people who will argue that open network access will remove this level of knowledge from the network, remember that each device will be certified for the network and will carry an IMEI or its equivalent.

Since the network, and therefore the application and content provider, know a greater level of detail about the subscriber and their device, this information can be layered into the content itself. For example:

A college kid may be introduced through social networking to other students in the same vicinity with a similar taste in music or games. Imagine all of the Britney Spears fans at a university student union ‘meeting.' OK, bad example - Brit's remaining fans could probably meet in a phone booth.

Advertising inserted into mobile games can change to match the user's location. For example, if the subscriber is playing a game on their mobile in the airport, the ads embedded in the game would be for the food court, book shop or maybe a competing airline.

Multi-player gaming could also make far better use of location, presence and social networking to enable more interaction between players. For example, the equivalent of Paint Ball could be played on mobile devices in a building - the phones are the guns and the building's layout would show on the screen together with the location of the other players. Obviously, this would require accurate location determination through a building and a way to introduce everyone but it could be a fun way to pass the inevitable airport delays. Imagine playing Virtual Paint Ball at Terminal D in Dallas Fort Worth Airport with a group of complete strangers you met through LinkedIn.

User-generated content can easily be uploaded from a mobile device to the Web. But what if you could shoot a video and then publish to group of like-minded users through the operator? Compensation based on viewers could be in the form of micropayments or credits to your mobile account. Web cams are limited to a single location - mobile cams would allow people to publish their entire mobile lives.

Maybe some of these ideas are a little far out but you get the idea. Creatively mixing the best attributes of mobile with the computing power of a mobile device will, in the next few years, result in a whole new generation of mobile content.

Iain Gillott is the founder of iGR Research, a market strategy consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile communications industry.

AT&T, LG turn spotlight on Shine

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

AT&T and LG Electronics announced the release of the handset maker's new Shine, a multimedia, sliding form-factor device boasting a sleek silver exterior. The LG Shine also features a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.2-inch LCD display, microSD storage for up to 4 GB of music, images and video, and 70 MB of integrated user memory--the device arrives pre-loaded with features including AT&T Video Share, Mobile Banking and AT&T Mobile Music (with support for MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+ and eACC formats). Price tag: $149.99.

For more on the LG Shine:
-read this release

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Sprint, LG duet on MUZIQ
LG's answer to the iPhone
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A developer's guide to pitching mobile apps to operators

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:59:59 -0400

One of the few highlights of last week's otherwise moribund CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment 2007 conference was the State of Mobile Content Mini-Conference, a panel discussion bringing together the data services heads of the five largest U.S. mobile operators. During the course of a lively and far-ranging session moderated by Douglas Garland, executive in residence with venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the subject turned to developers' best bets for successfully pitching their applications for inclusion on carrier decks. Here's what each data chief had to say.

John Burris, Sprint's vice president of wireless data programming: "Understand what kinds of services Sprint offers today. You'd be surprised by the number of partners who aren't aware of what's part of our portfolio today… Be flexible."
Wade McGill, Alltel's senior vice president of product management and development: "Have a business model and an elevator speech. If it takes an hour or two hours to get through what a product is, it's not going to sell. Show me the value in the first five minutes."
Lee Daniels, Verizon Wireless' staff vice president, consumer services: "You have to understand the network impact of your application. How often is it hitting the network? How much data is it sending? You can't crush the network with streaming audio and video."
Ian McKerlich, T-Mobile's director of mobile web and content services: "Know what else we have and how your application is different. Take time to know how our business is different from other operators. We all go to market differently. Tell me how it adds value to the consumer, how we can make money, and how you can make money."
Mark Collins, AT&T's vice president of consumer data services: "What's the customer experience and why should a customer be interested in what you have to offer? If the customer isn't going to have a good experience, neither of us is going to make money. We have limits to our resources--we've got to prioritize."

For more of our comprehensive coverage of the CTIA event, including exclusive photos of some of the newest mobile phones and devices, click here. -Jason

Motorola's "media monster" handset

Tue, 15 May 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Motorola CEO Ed Zander announced that later today the company will be releasing several new handsets, including one Zander referred to as a "media monster" capable of playing video at 30 frames per second. FierceWireless has more.

Editor's Corner: Carnival of the Mobilists

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Carnival of the Mobilists
Greetings! This week I have the great honor of hosting Carnival of the Mobilists, a weekly collection of the best writing in the mobile blogosphere.

Let's start off with an interesting post from Open Gardens about Mobile Ajax--more than a pretty face. It's no secret that Ajit is a big fan of Mobile AJAX--he's the one who once wrote that AJAX will replace J2ME and XHTML. I agree that there's a huge potential for simple, zero-install mini-applications that sit on top of a common framework, but I'm not convinced that AJAX is the right way to go. It's hard enough to get AJAX working across different desktop hardware and browsers, and there are still some pretty serious limitations among mobile Javascript implementations and XML processing tools. Then again, Opera seems confident that they can make a successful product out of Platform.

Next up is my favorite post of the week. StayGoLinks takes on the walled garden and writes that the walls keep tumbling down. I couldn't be happier. It's great that carriers spend a lot of time creating their deck and loading it with content, but nobody wins in a strict walled garden. Users should want use the carrier deck because of its high quality, not because it's almost impossible to go elsewhere.

Continued online...

Verizon to stream YouTube videos

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

Verizon has signed a deal with Google to provide YouTube videos to V-Cast subscribers. I guess it was only a matter of time. The only question is how long before there's a free, cross-carrier mobile YouTube site that generates revenue using mobile AdWords? Article

MercuryXMS powers mobile Google Video demo

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:01:36 -0500

To show off the capabilities of MercuryXMX's mobile video APIs, BusinesSMS has a created dittybop.com, a site that allows users of nearly any phone to download a video off Google Video.

Optimizing OpenGL ES Applications for BREW

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:01:36 -0500

DevX has a new tutorial on optimizing OpenGL ES application for BREW. If you're new to OpenGL ES, check out the introductory tutorial I linked to last month.

Editor's Corner

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Flash Lite
This isn't the first time I've written about Flash Lite, and from the looks of things it won't be the last either. The platform, which is already huge in Korea and Japan, is making serious new headway in the U.S.

I'm talking, of course, about the Verizon-Adobe initiative to bring Flash Lite for BREW to Verizon phones. The deal is apparently an extension of a pact Adobe signed with Verizon back in April, just after Adobe acquired Flash Lite creator Macromedia. The initial plan is to pre-install Flash Lite on four high-end Verizon phones and provide free OTA updates for existing owners of those phones. Presumably Flash Lite will eventually be deployed more compatible Verizon phones.

By its nature, Flash Lite is unlikely to power complex games or any sort of enterprise applications, but for simple, cross-platform mobile content it's hard to beat. As part of the deal, Verizon is offering Flash Lite content on its Get It Now service, which has spurred several well-known developers to create new Flash Lite apps and update existing titles. The Weather Channel has already created a Flash Lite version of its popular weather forecasting app, and India Games is offering special content from NBC's "The Office." - Eli