WHAT IS … the future of mobile technology?

As a Windows Mobile user,  and after all of the recent WinMo 6.5 loving, it’s really hard to get a clear picture of where Windows  Mobile is going, or a timeframe for development. Face it, the difference between, the designer, and video producers concept is radically different to the  end user experience.

This video shows a flawless and incredibly fluid look, at what MS envisages as the integrated mobile experience of the future.

With a bevy of different non existent devices included, featuring functions specific to different fields, such as medical, and even something that looks like a Kindle DX.

We have not seen the proof of concept yet, but live in hope!

Microsoft Future Vision | SolSie.com

Kindle On Steroids?

With the current downturn of the traditional newspaper,  as this short Blog post over at E-Commerce News highlights, “Will the Internet Kill Newspapers?” as more and more people turn to online solutions for their daily news needs. The burgeoning need for sales not at print level to maintain the growth of all major news providers, is becoming more dependent on online subscriptions via devices like the Kindle. It appears though that a lot of the major newspapers are happy with the way the Kindle, and many other e-readers in the same category, handle their content.

A few publishers are forging alliances with consumer-electronics firms to support e-readers that meet their needs. Chief among their complaints about the Amazon portable reading gadget is the way Amazon acts as a middleman with subscribers and controls pricing. In addition, the layout isn’t conducive to advertising

So not only is this about the Kindle, other players are stepping into the e-news arena, with digi-books!

A Post Resurrection! and some answers for Windows Mobile Fans

The other day I told you about some attempted transparency from Microsoft, over at the Windows Mobile Facebook page. I was, to say the least, sceptical at the time, but it seems Microsoft have finally deemed to grace fans at FaceBook with some answers! Answers though that are innocuous, and well, affected by a generous slathering of PR spin, sanitised and no real answers at all. For  example:

Nikita

When will…
…Silverlight be finally on WM?
…there be WM6.7? [With SL and SL in Widgets]
…Widgets get IE8 WebSlices?
…century old base OS controls be shiny like XP>Vista?

Windows Mobile

While we are not dicussing future versions of the product beyond what we announced at Mobile World Congress, I can say we are committed to bringing Silverlight to Windows Mobile in the future.

Shot in both feet! Marketplace!

  I am just amazed at the amount of negatives that are surrounding Microsoft’s latest initiative  for Windows Mobile. We’ve heard that the marketplace would exorbitantly charge developers for inclusions in the app store after their initial five free programs, and that additional charges would be incurred for even minor updates to programs after this limit was reached. So after the initial furore from the Windows Mobile community, it seems Microsoft “Got Smart” and rethought the pricing policy for developers, and thought they had pacified anyone that felt warm and fuzzy over that news.

BUT…

another hiccough, well more of a dry wretch, has hit the carpet, and it’s not pretty and it’s definitely gonna leave a stain. This is a decision that is going to alienate a lot of, well most of, well all current WinMo owners,

“No marketplace for you”, I know that sounds like the soup nazi from Seinfeld, it seems though that’s the road less travelled, and less travelled

When is enough, enough?

OK, this is a very personal post, a rant if you may, but I think it’s time today to highlight some intelligent use of mobile technology that has been greeted with annoyance in an emergency situation.

The Australian bushfire situation has made news around the world, and the drastic situation has affected many people I know, and three weeks after the initial event which is being called “Black Saturday” there are still major fires still burning.

Now the Victorian Police took an innovative approach to alerts to extreme weather events, and actually SMS’ed every body in the state of Victoria yesterday, to alert them to extreme events forecast for today. It makes sense, and it should be welcomed, I mean any effort to save lives in this extraordinary situation, should be welcomed.

I have TWO great fails that broke my heart today, one a story on ABC radio, @774melbourne, said that a lot of mobile users were annoyed to get the alert, come on guys and gals, is it that much of an inconvenience, or do you just want to remain oblivious to the situation because it doesn’t directly affect you?

And for the person that was complaining about the vagaries of Melbourme’s weather this morning, on the train station, yes it was fitfully trying to rain, yes it wasn’t gonna spoil your Armani suit, yes it might help change the fire situation, No you might have to put up with it no matter how much you spend on a suit!

I just don’t get the lack of compassion!

Bushfires, Mobile Devices and Social Networking!

Most of you would have heard of the devastating bushfires in Australia this past week, and incredibly, eight days after the initial fire storm, there are still a lot of fires on the go, and other environmental ramifications that are further reaching than the destruction dealt out in the immediate fire areas.

You’re probably thinking right now, “what has this got to do with a mobile lifestyle?” and I wouldn’t blame you for that, but I just wanted to share with you some of the mobile community experience, and how I benefit from my devices, and the services I use.

On Friday night, I realised I had run out of dog food, and Melbourne was covered in a thick smoke haze, as I was running up to the 7/11, I looked up and the moon was blood red. A consequence of the smoke haze.

I only had the Tilt, so I twittered a request, for someone with a high resolution camera to capture an image for me. Credit for the image goes to @neilcreek, a fellow aussie and blogger. Even though it’s serious times here, an example of another mobile networking use that I found tonight, really gave me a good chuckle

Android Shuffle, or is it a Quick Step?

The  G1 android phone was and is a ground breaker as far as introducing the new OS from Google. Well it’s not so new now, but except for new applications developed for the OS, and lots of people joining the bandwagon, there has been little movement in the development of devices with the OS on them.

So  what would you say to a T-Mobile G2 device, there has been a rumour going around for a few days now, that, is rather dubious.

Although the rumour has been discredited somewhat, and given a nice bit of photochop, still the posts come, the tenacity with which the mobile community has embraced this bit of folly, is laughable, but the other information that has surfaced because of the impetus provided by this unverifiable tidbit is rather news worthy.

It may have even spurred the bevy of news that has surfaced since it became intertube fodder.

As If ? Windows Mobile on the iPhone!

Ever think that you’d found the next best thing to sliced bread, and then not really know what to do with it? Yesterday, the inter tubes were all afire with news of an iPhone running Windows Mobile. In the video it looks like this young Dev has ported WinMo to the iPhone, making it a dual boot system. At this point though, it’s really hard to tell whether this is real or fake. Others posted yesterday on this, and then revoked the post rather quickly, so it’s really hard to tell if this is factual or not.

 

The I’m A PC, Monkey Dance!

The “I’m a PC” line of commercials, are a refreshing move by Microsoft, and highlight the strength of the platform. Let’s face it most people cut their computing teeth on a Micro$oft based system, and system loyalty, whether it be driven by apathy (sticking with what’s familiar, not wanting to experience a new OS learning curve, or discount years of specialisation, and therefore expertise). Then they go and spoil it with this! Click on the image below, or the link to go to the I’m A PC page and view the Ballmer shenanigans.

 

http://imapc.lifewithoutwalls.com/?icid=realpc

The over the top styling’s of Ballmer don’t do a lot for me, although the Seinfeld/Gates advertisements left me cold as well.

When it comes down to the nitty gritty though, you must applaud the quality of the overall marketing package, that M$ have put together, and I will have to admit at this point that I’m a PC. I have to admit that M$ have done the best job ever of presenting their platform as cool and rugged, and the stereotype of the computer geek, proliferated in the Mac ads is far away from the images Microsoft are presenting now.

Now we are seeing a slicker, cooler and well much more rugged presentation of the PC/M$ OS. Depicting a much better metaphorical representation of what the OS can do for you ie; open a window to the  world. The Windows revolution, or more pertinently, make over, is obviously designed to overcome the years of, well, undesirable impressions, of PC users. You know get a cool haircut and a netbook and you’re up there in the mobile tech world.

With all of the info seemingly focused on highlighting M$’s huge market share, and the proliferation of netbook PC’s, that are somehow dependent on an almost superceded OS.

I’m still sporting XP, upgrading to Vista, is not an option, it doesn’t, or isn’t as user friendly, IMHO,

The fact is though, we are not seeing Windows Mobile development, in any significant way, "slowly slowly catchee monkey" seems to be the ethos there.

I thought I do a construct of an Apple/PC advertisement, but Microsoft have done it.

Have a look at the "I’m  a PC website"