Thursday 31 May 2007

Nokia mobile web server



User- generated mobile phone content for your friends and family that doesn't have to be uploaded. It's shared, instant and contextual ! Oh, and it will drain your battery ;)

Juha Pusa, a Nokia man, demonstrated at MobileCamp event in New York for the first time Nokia's Mobile Web Server.
It's the concept of serving web pages directly from a mobile phone connected to the network.

It's a 6 years ahead of thinking for Nokia, IMHO.
The key is access to information such as location, pictures and phone numbers which will enable a new breed of applications to be created. Access from any browser.

But do we need to access all those information using browser ? Is that unnecessary complication while at the same time there is some sort of web service with mobile ''leg'' accesseable from a phone ?

The plan is that every mobile web server will be provided with global URL.
So, I can only imagine a mobile website it will change by its owner and it will be meaningful as the content that is shared may depend upon the current location and context.

If every mobile phone or even every smartphone initially, is equipped with a webserver then very quickly many websites will reside on mobile phones. That is bound to have some impact not only on how mobile phones are perceived but also on how the web evolves.

Mobile Web Server, also known as Raccoon, consists of a port of the Apache web server to the S60 smartphone platform.

It's a very exciting Nokia brave world.
Very interesting to follow up on their actions about mobile web server and it's ''computing'' strategy for the future business.

I can imagine as well this sort of thing; Every mobile phone user is likely to have forgotten his phone at home at some time or another. With a mobile web server on the phone it is easy to browse to it remotely and check, for instance, whether someone has called or sent an SMS, and even answer SMSs.
Cool ;))

All of this is, IMHO , relevant for personal communication and information sharing for small groups not for one-to-many broadcasting.

Wednesday 16 May 2007

Google Vision With The Grande Phone App


A future gadget ?

Wow, what's this ?

It's a concept developed by UK designer Callum Peden.
''Branded'' as Google Vision features a handset-type device that opens out to reveal a retractable flexible screen.

Callum envisages WiFi access , GPS, image recognication features etc.
Nice try. But if you take in the account what Andy Rubin did with Android software that is now part of Google Inc, things can get more interesting ;))

Still, I don't think Google is acctually building mobile device.
They are in the software and media business .

So, my guess is still that Google will build UI software platform for mass market mobile phones .

The Grande Phone App is only my fictional name for Google's suite of apps that will include Search, Gmail, Maps and Gtalk etc co-developed with MNO, handset makers and advertisers.

Just like Dr. Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, once said;
Your mobile phone should be free," Schmidt told Reuters. "It just makes sense that subsidies should increase" as advertising rises on mobile phones.


Maybe Blyk is onto something after all.

Thursday 3 May 2007

Mobile User Experience to be debated


People's forum for open, calm discussion. London. Today. Tomorow. No hype.

There is constant need for better mobile interfaces and interaction. People from mobile telecom industry are gathering in London and talk about mobile UIs .
It's the first ''manifesto statement'' I've seen in the mobile space .

Sort of guide and creative thinking highlighting the key issues in mobile user experience. Read a conference blog.