Wireless Muse: Reiter's Wireless Internet Weblog

Heading to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Saturday

I'm heading to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona (see below) on Saturday, arriving on Sunday.

 

I've been to Spain several times and to Barcelona twice, but never for the MWC.  In 2006 some 50,000 people attended the show, that used to be in held in Cannes.

I'm going as a guest of Nokia, through its "blogger relations program," and expect to receive a couple of great new toys -- that I certainly intend to put to good use during the conference.  I'm especially interested in attending panel discussions and exhibits about multimedia products and services, such as -- surprise! -- camera phones for photos, videos, live streaming and mobile television.

Assuming I can get some good wireless data connections (hopefully free or Boingo-affiliated WiFi hotspots) I'm going to try some live streaming cellular videos.  Stay tuned next week.

Mobile advertising requires creativity, innovation for mass market, leading-edge phones

Mobile advertising is a red hot topic in the wireless industry.  The Internet advertising behemoths — Google, Microsoft, Yahoo — are targeting wireless as the next very big thing for them. 

Also, a huge number of new companies are champing at the bit to get a piece of the supposedly enormous mobile advertising market — that has been forecast but hasn’t emerged….yet.

I agree that mobile advertising could be a significant business, especially when it’s integrated it with location technology, such as GPS, being incorporated — finally — into cellular phones. 

But I also believe it will require creativity to deal with the problems of mass market handsets (such as small, low resolution screens) as well as innovation to push the envelope for advertising over leading-edge handsets that have superior screens and browsers.

Mobile advertising column

I wrote about this in my weekly “Thinkernet” mobile communications column on CMP Publications’ “Internet Evolution” site (see below).

The cellular operators have been moving slowly to implement advertising for phones because they are extremely concerned about alienating their customers — and rightfully so.  However, I think we’ll see an order of magnitude increase in the number of mobile advertising efforts this year.

Forbes examines wireless Internet trends

Forbes has published an interesting article about the future of wireless Internet and I agree with the predictions.  (A “thank you” to Paul Whyte, a Fulbright Scholar, who alerted me to the article in his comment on my “Thinkernet” column examining the MacBook Air’s ramifications for wired versus wireless access; see left.)

The article notes that wireless Internet’s future will include:  Cellular phones with larger screens, touch screens, better Web browsers, more intuitive Web navigation on the phone and better integration of the browser with applications and searching.

One of my many pet peeves about today’s cellular phones — even the Apple iPhone — is the Web browser.  The iPhone’s browser is probably the best of the lot, certainly the best cellular browsing device when you consider the relatively large, high resolution screen.

Cautiously optimistic about browsers

But no cellular browser can display every Web format, and many cellular operators won’t allow browser plug-ins, such as Flash. 

I am cautiously optimistic that 2008 will be a better year for browsers, especially if Verizon Wireless’ “open” network fosters the introduction of more cellular phones with WiFi that can download any type of audio and video format without being restricted by cellular network prohibitions.

Will Sony's electronic book reader get wireless soon?

Robert Scoble, who just joined Fast Company to develop online videos, is interviewing attendees at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland and might have gotten something of a small scoop regarding the future of the Sony electronic book reader (see below).

This morning at the WEF, Robert was interviewing two well known technology journalists, David Kirkpatrick of Fortune and John Markoff of The New York Times.  Robert has been conducting many interviews of WEF attendees and streaming the videos live on the Qik video hosting site.  Based on a question from someone viewing the interview live on Qik, Robert asked the journalists what they thought about Amazon’s ebook reader, the Kindle (see top left).

Kirkpatrick said (see top) he had spoken this morning to Howard Stringer, the chairman and CEO of Sony Corp. of America, and Stringer was “jealous” that Amazon had introduced the Kindle with free wireless.  The Kindle incorporates a 1xEV-DO modem from Sprint, as I discussed in my “Thinkernet” column examining the ramifications of the ebook reader.

Kirkpatrick also said Stringer told him wireless for the Sony ebook reader is “not too far in the future.”  Kirkpatrick didn’t elaborate.  So, will the next Sony reader incorporate cellular (or even WiFi)?

Robert has been doing a great job of interviewing people from the WEF, and I wrote about it this morning in my mobile television weblog.

Effects of microblogging, politics and The New York Times

I live in one of the most political — perhaps the most political — areas in the world:  Washington, D.C.  I hate politics; I especially hate national politicians. 

All too many politicians are amoral or immoral.  They don’t have the morality of normal Americans and they don’t realize their failings or they know but they don’t care.  As Mark Twain said in Pudd’nhead Wilson, “It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.”

What does this have to do with wireless data?  Microblogging.  More people are posting microblogs — short comments — from their cellular phones.  I wrote about the ramifications of microblogging in my latest weekly “Thinkernet” mobile communications column in CMP’s “Internet Evolution” (see below).

Today I see The New York Times published an article about microblogging in the current Presidential campaigns.

Pondering the future of MIDs, UMPCs, subnotebooks and cellular

I’d love to find a carry-around-all-the-time computer with a screen that’s easy to view Web pages and documents, a QWERTY keyboard that’s good enough to type relatively quickly, WiFi, Bluetooth, the ability to connect an HSDPA and a 1xEV-DO cellular modem — and fits inside my pocket (okay, it can be a very big pocket).

I haven’t found anything that meets all those requirements, although it’s getting close.  The new “Mobile Internet Devices” (MIDs) introduced last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, offer features that are good enough for me.  However, the ergonomics that combine a semi-touch (at least) typeable keyboard with a small size might not be here yet.

My most recent weekly “Thinkernet” column for CMP’s “Internet Evolution” site discusses the relationship among MIDs, UMPCs (Ultra Mobile PCs), subnotebook computers and cellular phones (see below).

Update (1/20/08):  Engadget has posted an article about two UMPCs from Inventec that look very interesting.  The UMPC 7–A with the slideout keyboard (see below) looks like it could fulfill my requirements, except that I wonder how big, heavy and expensive it is.  It appears too large for my take-anywhere/anytime requirement.

The UMPC 5–D doesn’t have an attached keyboard, but it can be connected to a variety of docks (see below).  This is an interesting capability, but for some time I’ve been pondering the concept of docking cellular phones.

My pondering is whether high end cellular phones are becoming so powerful and feature-rich that they will replace laptop computers for some people.  Analysts for years have been discussing phones versus laptops, but I’m thinking about cellular phones that could be connected to docks with a monitor, regular QWERTY keyboard, etc.

2008: The year to buy a cellular/WiFi phone

If you’ve never had a cellular phone that also includes WiFi, you are missing something. And, 2008 is likely to be The Year of Cellular/WiFi phones….if handset manufacturers are smart.

Why do you want WiFi in your phone:

1.  It’s faster, probably, than your cellular connection.  Yes, 1xEV-DO and HSDPA are good, but in many cases WiFi is significantly faster, upstream and downstream.  That means surfing the Web and retrieving e-mail, as examples, can be a much better experience.

2.  It’s cheaper.  For many applications, you pay nothing — if you’re at a free WiFi hotspot — or a modest amount for unlimited use.  Compare your monthly cellular airtime bill to, for example, a $20–per-month WiFi bill to use T-Mobile’s hotspots.

3.  VoIP.  This is going to be very, very important.  If you have VoIP peer-to-peer software on your cellular phone via WiFi, there’s a good chance you won’t be paying extra for your calls.  No cellular airtime. 

Moreover, if you can’t get cellular coverage in your house or if the coverage is poor, you might be able to use VoIP on your phone, such as via T-Mobile’s $20–per-month UMA-based Hotspot@Home service.  I know one technology consultant, Jim Opfer, who wanted GPS on his cellular phone more than WiFi, for which he didn’t see much use.  But he couldn’t get cellular coverage — except on his deck — from any cellular operator.

He signed up with Hotspot@Home and now his cellular phone is usable inside his house.  He’s completely changed his tune.  He loves WiFi on his phone.

Update (1/2/08):  Jim writes about his love of WiFi on a cellular phone with Google Maps’ new location feature (see left) in his most recent blog post.

4.  Greater Web functionality.  Sure you can use your handset to access the Web, but in many cases that functionality is crippled.  Let me give you one example:

I listen to lots of technology podcasts, that I typically download to my computer via iTunes and then transfer via a cable to my BlackBerry Curve 8320 (or other cellular phone).  The Curve can download and play mp3 files,  But if I use EDGE, the files are often too large and a message pops up on the handset that indicates the file can’t be downloaded.

This afternoon I was listening to one of my favorite technology podcasts, Mobile Technology RoundUp, while I was eating lunch at Panera (that has free WiFi).  One of the podcasters mentioned another mobile tech podcast. 

I tried downloading that 66 MB podcast via EDGE, but it was too large.  I turned on the Curve’s WiFi and tried streaming it, but I couldn’t do that.

However, when I clicked “save,” I was able to download and save the audio file to the Curve’s 2 GB microSD card.  (I’m deciding whether to purchase a 4 GB card or wait until, perhaps, this January when I can update the Curve to accept 8 GB cards and purchase one of those).

Consider a cellular/WiFi phone!

Mark my words:  WiFi on cellular phones will be a killer app for some users.  I wrote more about this in my “Thinkernet” column on CMP’s “Internet Evolution” Web site.

What are 2008's top ten Internet, telecom trends?

What do you think will be the top ten Internet and telecommunications trends for 2008?

M/C Venture Partners lists its thoughts and I respond in my latest weekly "Thinkernet" column (see below) for CMP's "Internet Evolution" Web site.

The venture capital firm says the wireless trends include mobile broadband helping to bridge the digital divide around the world, the "second coming" of broadband and consumer interest in privacy and security helping the operators' walled prisons gardens.  I agree with the first, think the "second coming" already came and disagree with the third.

I'm hoping to write another "Thinkernet" column solely about wireless trends, based on my own -- not M/C Partners' -- views.  But I have to see whether the editor thinks one 2008 trends article from me is enough.

The big deal of WiFi on cellular phones

I'm a huge fan of cellular phones that incorporate WiFi.  Once you have WiFi in your phone you're unlikely to want to purchase another phone without it.

Firstly, Web based applications are generally much faster than over cellular.  Yes, I know, sometimes WiFi connections aren't particularly good, while sometimes HSDPA and 1xEV-DO provide better data rates than WiFi.  I also am well aware of the local coverage "islands" of WiFi versus cellular's wide area coverage.

These issues notwithstanding, using WiFi for access the Web often trumps cellular for speed.

WiFi rocks with cellular

Secondly, WiFi will be a very big deal for VoIP.  For consumers and businesses, WiFi will make a significant difference for decreasing costs and enhancing coverage compared to cellular.

Thirdly, we are becoming so dependent on wireless communications that having a second wireless network as a back-up is a good idea.  Want a useful example?  T-Mobile's cellular network in my market, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, sometimes crashes for data services.

As a result, I can't get my BlackBerry e-mail via EDGE.  But my BlackBerry has Gmail software, and copies of my e-mail are forwarded to multiple e-mail addresses.  If EDGE goes down, I can access e-mail on my BlackBerry (and other cellular phones) via WiFi.

More on "Thinkernet"

I write much more about this in my latest "Thinkernet" column, "Wi-Fi Calling," (see above) on CMP's "Internet Evolution" Web site.

"Inside Digital Media" interviews me about Verizon's "open network" policy

Research analyst and podcast interviewer Phil Leigh of “Inside Digital Media” recently interviewed me (see below) about the ramifications of Verizon Wireless’ announcement to allow virtually any unlocked CDMA phone to run virtually any applications on its network.

During its press conference, Verizon said early next year it would announce technical specifications for handset manufacturers to provide phones so Verizon can certify them for use on their network.  Once the phones are certified, the manufacturers may sell them directly to consumers and businesses, without restrictions on the type of applications allowed.

There are many interesting aspects to the Verizon announcement and it could be very good for consumers.  But there are many unanswered questions.

I discussed the potential advantages and disadvantages during Phil’s interview.  Also, I wrote a column about the Verizon announcement for “Internet Evolutions” Web site and it’s slated to be published on Tuesday, December 4.