With a digital compass capability, it seems a useful idea to display geographically sensitive data on a mobile according to the direction it is pointing. If I point the device North, then I get the nearest fish-and-chip shop going North. Turning 180 degrees, I get the nearest fish-and-chip shop going South, or whatever else is […]

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The specifications for the latest 3G networks/handsets include recommendations for a generic presence capability, which is essentially part of a wider infrastructure evolution called IMS (IP Multimedia System), which is an area I am working in at the moment.
Any user of an Instant Messaging service will understand presence, which is the indication of buddy states, […]

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DVD players could be equipped with Bluetooth in order to beam information to nearby movie watchers. A DVD could include a URL that points to a microsite, or it could contain the entire microsite itself and allow nearby mobiles to surf directly without incurring data costs.
Let’s say that I’m watching 24 on DVD. Surfing the […]

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Vodafone UK has announced the introduction of two phones under the name “Vodafone Simply”. These devices are simple to use.
I advise taking a tour of the Sagem VS1, which is a really excellent example of usable design.
What’s incredulous about all this is that Vodafone are clearly implying this phone is for older, possibly more stupid, […]

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Metcalfe’s Law says that the usefulness of a network is proportional to the square of the number of users (click for diagram). Clearly, there are other factors to consider, such as accessibility of the network. With texting, most of the users of the network have constant access because they carry the device with them.
On the […]

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I have been looking at various push-email solutions for mobiles. I have almost given up trying to figure out who offers Blackberry Connect on which device, because it seems an impossible task, at least in the UK.
I came across a push service for Pocket PC called Pocket Express. It is a hosted services that collects […]

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A handy side pocket on a sock would allow discrete carriage of the mobile. This has a range of practical benefits, such as avoiding the dreadful and often damaging exit from shirt pockets whilst bending over.
Moreover, there’s a distinct safety upside. With Bluetooth headset connected, the phone would be at the maximum possible distance from […]

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In my last post I was lamenting the unimpressive promotion of mobile email on an operator website. Fellow mobilist Chris Petersen came back to me suggesting that mobile email could still become a killer app.
However, as much as I am an advocate of mobile email, and an avid user, I would like to question the […]

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I just spent about 1 hour trying to find an answer to a relatively simple question: what email options are available on the XDA (a type of PDA) from O2 and how much do they cost?
I still don’t have an answer.
There are two types of information available on the Internet. Vague generalisms on the O2 […]

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In a previous post, I mentioned how convenient it might be to send personal details from the phone in a way that would allow someone to avoid entering them into a form on their PC screen. For example, when checking into a hotel or conference and the desk clerk asks for name, address etc.
There are […]

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I am learning Tai Chi. I already subsribe to Traditional Chinese Medicine as a viable approach to wellness, including acupuncture and herbs. Tai Chi is a soft martial art that involves graceful movements that are a lot harder than they look - believe me! (I sweat a lot and it hurts.)
During one of the lessons […]

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Having an Instant Messaging (IM) dialogue with an automaton is not new. There have been various attempts to introduce platforms and developer kits to allow this type of service to be realised. The idea is to use IM to interact with a software application (automaton) rather than a human being.
One mode of IM assistant is […]

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Following on from my last post about using push-to-talk to instantly update voicemail announcements, is there is an alternative whilst we wait for PTT to arrive on our terminals?
One possibility is to give users a dedicated number that is solely for updating voicemail announcements. Dial the number and record! That simple.
However, even were this available, […]

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Voicemail is still a useful application, despite the ubiquity of text messaging and other forms of asynchronous communication. We all like to talk and voice remains the dominant service for mobile. But, can it be made better?
The newly emerging service for mobile is push-to-talk (PTT). It’s an old idea revisited. However, its new form has […]

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Vonage recently launched their VoIP telephony service in the UK. The pricing is attractive, but I am just as interested in the services. In particular, the voicemail, which includes email notification and web access. I am just so frustrated that on an ordinary carrier, like BT, you’re either stuck with an answering machine or using […]

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