More on Mobile Broadcast TV

The ever-skeptical bloggers at TechDirt wireless have been cooking up some critiques of broadcast tv. They cite Juniper Research's latest study predicting that mobile-broadcast TV services will be a $6.6 billion market by the year 2012.

Author of this post, Mike Masnick, makes a good point that mobile users may not be inclined to watch TV programs while on the go - they'd rather settle for short video clips that focus more on communication than content. Furthermore, he cites TiVo and Slingbox as already existing solutions for broadband television - free solutions.

While it's true that these make-shift broadband television solutions exist, they can definitely be improved. On top of that, there exist many legitimate complaints that unlimited data plans aren't so unlimited, and streaming a half to a full megabyte a second is a quick way to get your plan turned off.

Look at my last post for my views on the progress of convergence.

Manhattan Interactive: City to broadcast public access over the internet

This New York Times article states that NYC TV clips - over 500 of them - can now be found on the internet through the city's website, www.nyc.gov. Dozens of clips will be added weekly, said Bloomberg, which can be searched by neighborhood or category, such as shopping, parks or food.

Users can also email video clips in, making this medium a sort of Interactive TV.

Al Gore, who recently won an Emmy for his work, has created Current TV, an independent media company that first went on air in August of 2005. The network features short programs, called "pods", of which about 30% are created by viewers.

This sort of interactive television again highlights the power of Web 2.0. As I've said in previous posts, user driven content is no fad, but the direction media is headed. Furthermore, as a 'mobilephile', I'm inclined to believe that the convergence of the standard web experience and the mobile web experience is happening faster than most realize. With applications like Current TV, or any IPTV for that matter, users will have even more reasons to go mobile.

Twenty years ago, very few thought it would be necessary to have a telephone with you at all times. Very few thought you'd need a personal computer. The internet was exclusively used for data exchange between researchers and scientists. A lot has changed since then - all three of those have converged, and are still doing so. It's quite exciting to witness these developments.

iPhone Improvements - An Article for Apple

This Computer World article is looking to give Apple a few pointers for their second crack at making the most accessible and feature-full mobile device on the market. As mystery shrouds the next generation iPhone release, one can only speculate as to what improvements will be made.

The first one on the list is a big one. 3G technology is where we're going. WiMax is where we're eventually headed , but for now, 3G chips should become standard in the US, and the iPhone should follow suit. Furthermore, the applications would run much smoother - mobile YouTube might even be able to run a few more videos.

Adding mobile iChat would be another huge feature for the iPhone. As mobile broadband steps up, mobile video conferencing would become possible.

Adding push email to the iPhone would help with enterprise solutions. Businesses might even pick it up as the primary work tool, as its features overshadow RIM's Blackberry or Palm's Treo.

There are others on that list, all of which would vastly improve the second generation iPhone.

Google and Unity - Under Sea Communications

What is being called "yet another foray into the telecommunications business," Google is considering joining a consortium, known as Unity, which wants to lay high capacity underwater cables across the Pacific Ocean. As I've mentioned before, Google is also looking to bid for the 700 MHz spectrum in January.

What does Google not have its hand in?

According to the above "Bits" article, Google has considered becoming part owner of undersea cables because it needs the bandwidth to move massive amounts of digital information between its international data centers. The company already leases bandwidth on some underwater cables, but having a hand in ownership may be less expensive.

Google's massive footprint is looking to extend itself. "Faster, Higher, Stronger" doesn't seem to just be the Olympic credo anymore. I'm starting to see Google as the new Microsoft. Instead of Windows, Google harnesses the power of Web 2.0 to deliver a truly universal platform. They web applications are quickly approaching the features and reliability that we've come to expect from Microsoft Outlook or Apple's iLife. They've even surpassed Microsoft with innovative map solutions, unprecedented search engines, including blogs, patents, scholarly reports, video, products, and images. They're even looking to step in on Microsoft's most prized possession; word processing and spreadsheets. With Google docs and spreadsheets, I can see users writing and editing documents on the go, from any internet capable device.

Convergence is coming along nicely, and Google has shown the ability to adapt. With a hand in telecom and a dynasty in data, Google's looking good. Google's looking very good.

MySpace Mobile

According to this Engadget Mobile article, mobile versions of MySpace are expanding past Helio's scope. As social networking goes mobile more and more carriers are going to cash in. In this case T-Mobile and Danger have included customized versions of MySpace Mobile for the Sidekick.

Soon enough we'll see MySpace Mobile, Facebook Mobile, even that Sprite Yard Mobile on every platform, from Windows Mobile, to Blackberry (and maybe even Apple's platform). I have a feeling that Mobile Social Networking, in fact, the mobile web itself, is not going to fade away. In the same way that word processing and spreadsheet creation were killer apps for the Apple II platform, social networking may be a must have for mobile technology. With Blackberry users are evolving from businessmen to socialite teens, the mobile web and applications like these are going to be used heavily.

Competitor's Take on the iPhone

This Laptop magazine article gives an amusing look at some of Apple's largest mobile competitors. The interview is with Helio, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung - pretty much the biggest players of the handset business.

Some of the thoughts were a bit backwards. The Helio rep doesn't believe that the touch screen will be a mainstay in the near future. The touch screen essentially allows the user to mimic "real" web browsing on a mobile device. This is probably the best feature of the iPhone, considering the terrible browsing experience on almost all other smartphones. As a Blackberry user, I can say that a 3.5" brilliant screen with actual pictures and formatting is a step up from a text-based display with a less than ideal user interface.

When asked about convergence, Helio, Motorola and Nokia all answered that consumers are looking all-in-one devices, and then give a free plug about their own devices, such as the N95 or the Ocean. Samsung, however, seems to have little to say on the subject, grabbing hold of GPS. All in all, convergence in the style of the iPhone is here to stay, according to these big players.

Nokia seems to place functionality over slimness of the device - which makes sense. Phones can only get so thin before they become frail and unusable.

Helio keeps finding a way to talk about the Ocean - when asked about a positive feature of the iPhone, the rep mentions the difference in feel between the two devices. Nokia does so as well, with the N95. Those two are probably the only two phones on the market that serve the same market as the iPhone.

Saving the best for last, Laptop Mag asks the four reps the dislikes that they have about the iPhone. Helio jumps on the lack of tactile keypad. To be honest, the software based keypad on the iPhone takes some getting used to, but actually provides a larger surface area and far more room for error than any tactile keypad could. With slimness, durability, and screen size all being taken into account, the lack of keypad is going to become the industry standard. As long as the software solutions are smart enough to compensate for potential mistakes, keypads will become a thing of the past. Nokia makes some fair points - the lack of 3G and and GPS. The lack of 3G is a big deal, but will soon be remedied in Apple's next generation (hopefully). Samsung also jumps on the battery life and lack of expandable memory. Fair points, however no other phone can compare with the amount of memory on the iPhone - it's still about 7 gigs ahead of the competition, with or without expandable ports.

Then, of course, Motorola tactfully declines to speak negatively about the iPhone; how classy.

iPhone anySim Solution

According to this Engadget Mobile post, anySim from the iPhone Dev Team has gotten a pretty good software unlock GUI. The source code for the application will be released in a few days.

The glaring T-Mobile up on the top left of that screen shot gives me great confidence in this unlocking solution. Although Apple seems to fall in the chic company category along with Google, they are not outspoken about open networks. Their silence with all the hacks going on may be their quiet condoning this practice. They certainly don't want to annoy their provider (although they might wield the power over AT&T with the killer product and all of the press and fans etc. etc.). Furthermore, AT&T is making some enemies with their 30 pound phone bills and poor service.

As Apple's iPhone finds its way to Europe, these unlocks will become more common and common. Next step - 3G.