New research predicts that there will be more than one billion people using mobile broadband around the world by 2012. European network’s however, are already insisting that present use is crippling their networks.
Vodafone UK is to double its broadband mobile service to 14.4mbps. An Ofcom survey in March noted three million UK homes had mobile broadband access. A Vodafone spokesperson stated “… we have been concentrating on depth of coverage and quality of the network…as it will help us cope with the demands of news users”.
SFR, the French operator said dongle customers use 450 times as much bandwidth in comparison to those with a classic mobile phone.
The portability of the mobile broadband is popular in most markets and in particular with young adults on the move, who can take their broadband wherever they happen to move instead of paying for fixed line services at homes which they do not intend to be permanent.
In recent months there have been complaints about busy signals and poor areas of network congestion from UK users.
Phil Sayer, principle analyst at Forrester Research, believes the switch-off of the UK’s TV analogue frequency presently in use by BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Five, may prove a significant resolution for the UK network providers. Phil said “it would improve mobile broadband enormously”, he continued “700Mhz is a great frequency for good building penetration. 2.4Ghz [the current frequency used for wireless broadband] is pretty poor”.
The majority of UK network deal are capped. Questioned on this earlier in the year for their cap, O2 stated “it was used as a deterrent and to make sure that others using the network had a good experience”.
Other operators such as Telenor in Norway, slow down and even block connections should it feel that one individual has reached the limit of their bandwidth. A spokesperson for Telenor told Reuters “we have to do this otherwise on a few users will end up straining the whole network”.
The cost of using mobile internet broadband overseas can soar unexpectedly with customers being unaware of the true cost of this use. This has forced the EU in July to introduce a cap on the cost of using this service on networks. The maximum network operators can now charge is one Euro per megabyte.
The debate goes on and we will need to watch, wait and see over the coming months and years to see how the networks are able to manage the ever increasing use of mobile broadband on its phones and laptops.
Nokia Ovi Maps has received an update. Including with bug fixes and few improvements are several new features. Visited somewhere beautiful? Enjoyed a meal in a nice restaurant? Enhanced your cultural life with a visit to a new exhibition? You can now share these by creating a “favourite place” and sharing this within your Ovi maps. To update head on over to maps.ovi.com
Ovi Contacts has been updated to v1.20.11 for the Nokia N97. Unfortunately my phone is still in repair so I can not confirm whether this is so as Nokia sometimes release update news well after the actual update becomes available. You can update via your Nokia Software Updater.
Posted by: Phat^Trance in
At Adobe MAX, Adobe’s worldwide developer conference, Nokia and Adobe today announced more than 35 funded multi-screen applications as part of the joint Open Screen Project Fund. Both companies also introduced new Nokia Web Runtime (WRT) extensions for Adobe® Dreamweaver CS4 software making the creation of mobile WRT widgets for supported Nokia devices easier than ever. Together with the Ovi Store by Nokia, developers and designers have an easy way to engage, build and publish their content to Nokia mobile device customers around the world.
Engage -- The Open Screen Project Fund, Newly Funded Companies
Announced in February 2009, the Open Screen Project Fund is a USD 10 million joint market development fund designed to accelerate the creation of multi-screen applications, content and services that leverage existing Adobe Flash Platform technologies and the announced Adobe Flash Player 10.1 runtime for smartphones, netbooks, smartbooks and PCs (see separate press release). Companies of all sizes have been encouraged to submit their ideas, and they have responded by submitting more than 750 to date from over 60 countries. The more than 35 funded applications built using the Flash Platform realize the Open Screen Project vision of delivering compelling experiences across screens. A complete list of funded applications can be found at http://www.openscreenproject.org/developers/get_inspired.html.
The Open Screen Project Fund is actively accepting new submissions until the end of 2010. Developers can apply via openscreenproject.org or openscreen.forum.nokia.com/. During the Adobe MAX conference, Adobe and Nokia will be demonstrating several of these applications. (Attendees can find these demos in the Winners Circle in the Community Lounge). They include:
Twittle, Flash Widgets, LLC -- Twittle is a robust twitter client.
MyFestival Guide, Little Big Ideas -- The MyFestival Guide is an interactive moving map and guide to the 2nd largest music festival in Europe, the Roskilde Festival.
SmartGrooves, Storer Communications Ltd. -- SmartGrooves is a creative entertainment application using Flash technology to deliver interactive multimedia.
MileBlaster, CTM Holdings -- MileBlaster tracks your frequent flyer miles against award goals. Video
- UvLayer, Unkown Vector -- UvLayer lets users curate their digital media through an immersive multi-screen interface
LiveTalkBack, Greys Mead Ltd -- LiveTalkBack collects real-time audience feedback to content publishers and broadcasters. Video
- TckTckTck Campaign, Monterosa -- The Tck Tck Tck Campaign hopes to engage and inspire millions of people around the world to join a growing movement against global warming.
Turner Broadcasting is another content partner that developed a new CNN video application leveraging the Adobe Flash Platform. “Working with Nokia and Adobe Flash technology allowed us to develop a fantastically rich CNN video application for consumers. None of this would have been possible without the Open Screen Project efforts”, said Mark Farrow, Director, Wireless Technologies, Platform Research, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Build -- Nokia Provides New WRT Extensions for Dreamweaver
Web developers and designers looking to build rich applications for mobile devices can now build WRT widgets more easily using familiar tools like Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 software. The Nokia WRT Extensions for Dreamweaver CS4 software include the Web Developer’s Library, widget import capabilities, widget wizard, widget preview, debugging and deployment features. Additionally, the updated tools support touch screens; “Home screen” publishing functionality on the Nokia N97 and the recently announced Nokia N97 mini; and Platform Services which enable the simulation of location, calendar, contacts and other APIs in applications.
Publish -- Flash Developers Can Reach Millions of Nokia customers with Ovi Store
Close to 40 percent of all new phones in 2008 shipped with Flash technology and Nokia has shipped more than 400 million devices with Flash technology to date. Developers and designers can take advantage of this global reach by publishing their content to Ovi Store and the Adobe AIR® Marketplace for consumers to download and experience. With content ranging from applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, and Web to location-based services and much more, Ovi Store offers Flash developers a unique opportunity to target customers and monetize their content.
“The Open Screen Project Fund has received developer submissions from over 60 countries” said Purnima Kochikar, vice president, Forum Nokia. “With the Open Screen Project Fund, easy to use development tools and distribution through Ovi Store, times have never been better for Flash technology developers.”
“We are excited to see many more rich Flash technology based mobile applications come to market,” said David Wadwhani, general manager and vice president, Flash Platform Business at Adobe. “With today’s announcement of Flash Player 10.1 and Nokia’s Dreamweaver software extensions for WRT, we expect even more innovation and creativity in web content development across screens in the future.
