gBluff

An old form of poker known as bluff

Google is bluffing.
All those recent fancy announcements about OpenSocial and Open Handset Alliance is just a grandious bluff.
It's the game that would be in the state of war called ''positional fighting''.

Not that other are doing something extraordinary .
Amazon, Yahoo and Ebay are doing pretty much the same spinning around itself and buying innovative internet products and services .

Open Handset Alliance brought to you by Google

The down of innovation in mobile eco-system ?

The goal is open software stack for ''magic'' phone ( any phone ) . Build it as you like, but keep it open to all. Google made alliance and tries to bring it alive.
The strategy that worked when internet was young. But will it work in the mobile bussines ?

Android will deliver a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. On November 12, we will release an early look at the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) to allow developers to build rich mobile applications.

Well, what's then with LiMo initiative ? Some thinks it's here to stay as well.
Here's a short summary and notes of Google conference call ( source: Gizmodo )

Live: Google's gPhone Open Handset Alliance Conference Call

9:52: Call done. Archive below.

9:50: USA Today asks about gphone name again. Coming? Another way to think about the gphone, says Andy, is that there will be 1,000s of Google phones, some you like, some you don't.

9:46: NYTimes asks what kinds of agreements will be in place between carriers and google on ads, and will they have to share ad revenue with carriers? And will this phone change business models in the phone industry? Google answers: Sharing is likely. Our strategy is to share. Android allows it, but doesn't require it. If anything, it provides additional opportunity.

9:44: Sasha asks if its possible to create completely locked down phones. It is, apparently, but Google says that you can do that, according to the license, such a device wouldn't be able to run many apps and would be much less powerful and competitive.

9:43: So if you don't like the phone you get from your carrier, if it's android, you're free to switch it up? Google: "that's an answer for the carriers."

9:39: How will this phone compete with development communities of other OSes, and will yet another platform fragment the dev community. The difference, Andy says, that this one is open. And it's open source. Eric says that because of this, even competitors might both pick it up, if the platform is good enough.

9:39: Eric says he could picture using iPhone in one hand and Android in the other. Strange.

9:33: Chicago Tribune asks what the diff is between the Gmail apps on phones now, and the android ones. Eric answers that the gphone, with a real browser, won't need customized programs and websites, so it'll be easy for devs to support the phone by supporting any desktop browser. Android will be the first to do this broadscale.

9:29: Someone asks, were Microsoft, RIM, and Apple to join the alliance, and what did they say? The question is being dodged but he says the alliance is open and if people want to join they can.

9:29 Financial Times asks if a real gPhone is coming. Eric says that we're not announcing, but if we were to, this would be the platform for it.

9:27: WSJ asks about Google's web applications and ads will work with the new platform. Andy responds that Google's flexible ad platform should be fine, esp since one part of Android is a very robust HTML browser. But you won't see an ad driven browser on this phone for some time.

9:24: BBC is on. They're asking if HTC is going to use Android exclusively. Peter Chou says that they're going to be using all OSes equally. Moto says that this is important to accelerate their development, but they do have some commitments from other OS devs.

9:23: The Q&A is starting.

9:21 Sergei Brin: Sergei is talking about how linux helped him start Google, and now he hopes that they can use open source to develop great handsets. Today's mobile devices were more powerful than the servers he was using 10 years ago, so he's excited.

9:19: VP of China Mobile, biggest carrier in the world. An open mobile platform will accelerate China's smartphone adoption, he believes.

9:16: Ed Zander, CEO of Motorola is on the phone. Says nothing about handset development.

9:13 Paul Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm, is speaking. He's chatting about 3G. Qualcomm has been working on Android for the last year, committing significant resources. They've been working on the 7000 chipsets for ideal multimedia functionality. They're upcoming snapdragon chipset will do better data throughput, 3d, GPS, and mobile TV at better power consumption.

9:11: Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp is speaking. He believes that the point of a mobile phone OS is to provide quick access to the content and functionality of a mobile phone. Android can do this, he believes. We plan to release the first mobile phone in the second half of 2008 with others to follow. "Windows Mobile Sucks!" Just kidding, he didn't say that.

9:08: René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, parent company of T-Mobile, is speaking. Squishy quotes but no new data...our current plans include the launch of an android handset in 2008 in the EU and US with heavy wireless and web2.0 capabilities.

9:07: Eric is saying that users want better features. And that you couldn't do this with one company. That's why they've started the alliance of 34 companies.
Access to less expensive phones with more services and better UIs. Elliot Speaking.

9:06: We want to start a mobile phone platform that includes new services and features we couldn't imagine today. First mobile phone platform stack, including OS, apps, etc. Most liberal open source license, too. It's important to say that this isn't an announcement of the Googlephone. It's the announcement of a platform for lots of phones.

9:05 Started. Eric Schmidt is here and speaking.

Nokia Music Store in UK

Uphill battle for music fans just started in UK powered by Nokia Music Store.
Buy a track, album or streaming. Music has been allways hoped to be accepted on mobile phone.
The pricing for such a commodity will be extremely fierce.
I expect some type of digg-a-like rating system ( for similar mobile music services ) for artist popularity in addition to other features made famouse by Last.FM, Party Strands etc .

Nokia Search gets more presence in Latin America

Search the content of your phone and in the outer mobile space

Not so visible and important by metrics and measurement I've seen, but mobile search by Nokia is gaining momentum in Latin America.
Nokia made deals with local search providers ( 15 in South America and 38 overall in the World ).

“We’re on a mission to bring everyone the ultimate search capabilities, whether locally or on the web,” says Jussi-Pekka Partanen, head of Nokia Search, Multimedia, Nokia.

Mr. Jussi- Pekka sounds like they try to explain themselves as internet connected mobile multimedia and phone top search.

What about photo and mobile code searches ( visual ) ? Are those engines counted ?
Point and search ? Not type and search.

A moment for reflections

One needs to write.
It helps on a lot of occasions.

We need to put digital footprints into this digital see of information.
The goal is sometimes to put yourself up for somebody to pay attention or to serve as a reminder to ourselves that we had dreams, hopes, attitudes and done something to feel alive.

That's what I am doing right now.
The life is too short. We must act on our desires, senses, wishes, capabilities and reach what we like and hope for. ''Too late moment'' could be a moment closer then we think.

That's the life.
A bit poetic post today after some time on hiatus. Yes, I am still talking about mobile space.

After some time, I did more closely watched Forum Oxford forum. It's again interesting and nice to see some new important discussions.
But more about this in my future posts.

I've discussed about business opportunities inside mobile space recently with one of my friends but we riched conclusion there's nothing specific we are thrilled right now, so we won't bother with mobile business anytime soon.

But I'll be involved into mobile because of my passion.

Walkman phone w960i

Multimedia phone for beauty contest

Sony Ericsson W960i is entering ''modern'' aproach to mobile handset design and goes after iPhone and N95 market product range ( modern you bet, nice wording ;).

Beautiful design with superb functionality and easy controls ( at least for music, I am not sure how they'll implement it for Web experience ) .
A holy grail of a multimedia handset.

It seems to be more evolutionary approach then revolutionary ( Apple's way ) . Sony Ericsson doesn't insist on radically addressing poor handset controls but making it somehow hybrid ( buttons still there ).

W960 looks powerful:
- memory : 8GB
- Symbian™ OS
- 2.6" Touch screen
- 3.2 mega pixel with Auto Focus
- GPRS EDGE 3G WiFi
- USB Mass storage device
- Video recording at 320X240 with 15fps in mpeg4 for Video & AAC for audio
- MS Exchange ActiveSync
- Jog Dial
- Document editors


Credits:
Photo from Esato

My sinful vision for iPhone

Mea culpa, ring, ring.

Oh boy, I was wrong about Google involvement with Apple and iPhone project.
Mea culpa.
Seems I had connected wrong dots, but that doesn't make me to give up of the vision that includes some sort of mobile mashup services : Maps&Local Search&visual search and image processing .
Far from that. I think it will be doable.

I'll now stop writing about iPhone ( directly ) for some time. Maybe the best review ( altough PDA-centric ) by iPhone user I found to this day is posted on PDAPhone forum.

Asap.
Google & Apple partnership is totally unclear to me right now. They collaborated on what exactly ? Putting YouTube icon on iPhone ? Really ?

Steve Jobs doesn't understand mobility

OK, today ( 28.06.2007. ) I wrote follow up ( scroll down this post )

The first real iPhone reviews are in from a few influencers.

Walt Mossberg - Great, but not so great.
David Pogues- Great, but not so great.

Well, Steve, WiFi is NOT ubiquitous.
EDGE is not enough for browsing.
GPS is not inside iPhone.
Video camera ( ! ) is not inside iPhone.
$ 599 is too expensive.
iTunes won't work directly from a phone.
E-mail is not SMS. SMS is not email.
Removable battery , please

You better get those super-extra gMaps and 3D gEarth or image-processing capabilities on board or else...Eric will leave you ;)

Steve Jobs and the crew of ''mobile experts'' around him should relocate in Europe or Japan for a few months to understand mobility.
It's not that I had too many expectations ( well, in terms of UI it is a game-changer ).
I am currenly using mass mobile phone ( am not techie ) and I can record my videos, and much more here in Croatia.

OK, UI is superb. But everything is dejavu from previus releases.
For $ 599 I can get much better phone, and I won't worry much about UI.

Come to Croatia.

We are waiting for the 2nd iPhone generation and Europe's sale.

FOLLOW UP:

According to real user usage, data and app services should be in this order:

A 6 (six) Core:
In order of importance

1. Voice
2. SMS ( not so much in US )
3. Photo Camera & multimedia
4. Search ( info & news, people, places, maps )
5. Apps
6. E-mail

Services and apps tailored on those basic promises will be successful.

iPhone partly missed those realites and try to bypass some of them ( Wi-Fi instead 3G, email instead of SMS ( mobile phone is 1-to-1 medium - personal ) , not enough camera-centric ( or will be ? ), Maps as a proxy for ''search'', and apps not installed but used on the web ). Kind of too much PC-centric and not mobile-centric ( or is it just me ? )

According to what we know before public release.

Super Google Maps and image-recognition magic could could force me to change my thoughts :))

Google's secret feature inside iPhone ?

A magic carpet for the iPhone ? Google.

Google Phone project doesn't exist per se ( hardware ), the concept might be special software arrangment inside iPhone based on Google Maps & gLocal & gEarth API suite.

Location- aware web & mobile service/browser/app/code ( call it whatever you like ) that will serve as a glue between physical and virtual locations ( via object hyperlinking, sort of, call it information nuggets, placemarks etc. ) .
Suddenly, iPhone user could be having a '' cloud '' and exchange information with the surrounding ( other people, places etc. ).

Google will call your phone to connect you to the business you are searching ( just one example ).

I was doing much research lately about iPhone and possible Google phone so I looked into every possible scenario and found this one as the most appealing to all parties, including end users.

Something was missing all the time. We hear a lot of yelling like ''mobile, mobile, mobile'', then ''maps, maps, maps ''. Well, Google Maps. My maps, my local placemark, review, news...Google free call !

Why would I buy ( I'm in Croatia right now, so I won't ) a handset that costs $ 599 only to make calls, use multimedia etc. ?
Well, I've come to realise it might be worth the price ( I am on defensive and yet unconvinced when talkning about battery, Edge instead of 3G, GPS , and if it is about niche product which it is for start).

There's got to be something that will make Google go not just inside iPhone but to other mass phones on the market. It will NOT change the world solely with iPhone, but it will challenge the current thinking and the way we used to think about mobile.

Suddenly, we will be aware of another informational element ( geobrowsing, information geo layer ) and the wholy new way of making locally accessable information for the mobile phone ( can't say much more about the tech implementation it will be used- GPS probably not available from day 1., user will be asked to provide default location ).

Google will do just fine with extremelly targeted and personal ads. No need to elaborate that. Click-to-call.
Searches will be tailored to location, history of searches in that location , daytime, personal preferences and the results won't be the same for everybody.

But more important, Google will do the CALL for you when you search local businessess and will call you FOR FREE , unless you provide Google mobile number.

Google Phone Company , sort of ;)

Sort of informational / wireless cloud around our heads and authoring tools in our hands ( some authoring widgets for making user-generated content fo the location- annotation if you like ).

These are all ideas floating around a decade , in one or another form, but Apple and Google partnership could be real execution of these ideas.

And as I already said in my previous articles, if Apple succeeds in making the 'widget' the standard app delivery service for cell phone usage, then they can succeed in delivering the first mass-market entirely web-based computing platform and Google could get opportunity to for ''inovative'' software delivery ( the trend is there ).

Maybe my thought are only wild speculations and wishful thinking, but we will know everything on the 29th when iPhone ships ;)

Annotation of the Earth could become reality and sort of ''augmented reality'' perceived on the phone.
''The Google globe'' if you like and you are good to go if you are not privacy advocate ;)

All of this could lead to new way of using, organising and creating information, and Google will surely try to make sense out of this content bits and make a buck.

Here are my other articles about the similar subject during my research:

Google widgets for iPhone ?
Google Mobile Gadget ?
Mobile Web Tablet ( see the end of the article )

Web-based computing platform for mobile phones and software delivery ?

End game ?

I had a second thought today about the thinking on Apple+iPhone+Google+Widgets and try to relay the quote.

'' Everybody's might be missing the point.

If Apple succeeds in making the 'widget' the standard app delviery service for cell phone usage, then they can succeed in delivering the first mass-market entirely web-based computing platform.

That is huge.

iPhone widget development will become the big game.

Now Google apps also have some hardware to live on where they (hopefully) get adopted as another new standard for document exchange.

If it works, then Microsoft is no longer anywhere in the picture of the future of personal computing devices and of the most interesting channels of software delivery.

This is going to be very interesting... ''

Above is a quote by someone unknown in the internet abyss.

Google Gears will work even inside Safari.

Now, everything is fine, but I have only still some issues with iPhone:

1. Battery lifecycle could be too short
2. EDGE not 3G ( what's the value of iTunes integration on a slow connection ? )
3. What kind of unlimited plan by AT & T ?
4. Personalisation of the device ( different models - hardware ''faces'')
5. Europe's and Asia plans in the future ? ( 3G ready ? )
6. Will this Apple's ''philosophy'' sell to others ( carriers, handset makers etc ) and start similar ecosystem ( Nokia, Widsets, Orange )?

7. Selling 10 million phones is not a game changer of itself !?

Webwag mobile widgets

Widgets on demand and from startpage

Webwag.com, a startpage from France launched real mobile widgets.
Download is available on mobile phone or internet.
Consume the internet from mobile with beautifully simple widgets and sync it with an equivalent web service.
Mostly all the MIDP2 handsets are compliant.
They will open up the SDK really soon.

I am playing with the app and find it very nice. Still need to figure some things and catch all those buttons and access keys, but it is elegant, indeed.
Still I haven't used much their startpage at webwag.com. Currently I am trying to explore ''widgets'' and ''mobile'' aspect of the service.

Mobile checkout provided by PayPal

Oh, Lord, would you buy me, a mobile Mercedes Benz or just send me some money.
Please ...

Mobile phone users within as much 130 countries now will be able to pay for goods and services on the mobile web sites via PayPal Mobile Checkout system which was announced on the 11th June.

This is extremelly good for the merchants and the fact you could do a trade in a very easy way.

Cheaper trading

No need anymore for merchants to use expensive premium SMS provided by mobile operators granted under unfair deals .

PayPay had been offering for more than a year mobile person-to-person paying system for its user, but this gives another dimension ( WAP 2.0 ) which will make buying from the mobile phone and mobile web sites much easier and much profitable for the content providers.

Checkout alternatives

Google must be preparing something along the same route for Google Checkout.
Just I think that PayPay has an edge on the users side cause they are extremelly specialised for electronic payments , only doesn't have branding power of Google ( maybe service franchising with local entreprenuers would do the trick here and spread it more deeply among the uninitiated).
OboPay has some interesting offers too.

The Bank of PayPal

PayPal claims about 130 million users around the globe ( 190 countries ) . Only in Europe there are about 35 million users .
PayPal had become European bank in Luxembourg and was given financial licence recently.

Google widgets on iPhone ?

A billion of them ?

It went somehow unnoticed , The Seattle Times has posted an edited interview with AT&T's iPhone project head, Glenn Lurie. In the course of the conversation, Lurie let slip that Google apps are coming...

"There are other things — you have the widgets, some of the Google applications that are coming — there are just so many things here that the price will not be an issue."

He's saying about value for money. We'll see.

Is it possible that Google is much more involved ( integrated ) into iPhone plans that they were ready to admit? Now when Jobs , the other day , de facto announced that the mobile OS is ...well, no need to think in those terms, it is the Web, right ? ( open standards bla, bla... )

Having in mind Google Gadgets which is essentially something very interesting in the desktop world just starting to be more present in the rebranded iGoogle personalised homepage which is now called ''homepage content directory''.

Are those first shapes of Google mobile gadgets/widgets ecosystem coming into shape ?
I wonder. Though, it's now focused only on desktop.

Google Mobile Gadget

What do you do ?
I Google.

PC at hand

Not smartphone. Mobile Internet Device. Co-existence and divergence.

Intel with its Mobile Internet Device platform and Nokia’s move towards Internet Tablets, as I wrote in yesterday's post, could bring some shift in our mobility assumptions. At least, I am challenging my dogmas :)

Intel's Paul Otellini said recently:

But Otellini believes that Silverthorne may be one of the most important products in Intel’s history. “The importance of the new Silverthorne chip is only comparable with the 8088 processor or Pentium,” he told the FAZ

Both of these are so called ultra mobile platforms only Intel's has a distinct attributes ( more pocket friendly ) : size - 4'' to 6'' display, target users consumers and prosumers, instant UI .

Intel is focused on delivering an un-compromised Internet experience with an excellent UI, strong performance, responsiveness, battery and memory. They define the usage models as “Stay in Touch,” “Be Entertained,” and “Access Info and Locate.

Nokia is preparing and re-inventing itself to the possibility of being computer company after all.

Iannucci pointed out that Nokia started as a paper mill and has a history of completely changing its industry from time to time -- from rubber boots to monitors to mobile phones. He said it is once again "a company in transition to the next phase." That next phase is mobile computing.

So, having in mind already announced iPhone, Palm Foleo and other similar products, things can get interesting with mobile computing .


Google and Microsoft still haven't showed their muscles.

Market is in the making.

I call it ''PC at hand''- a casual mobile appliance with full access to the network and the range of communication features.

Mobile Web Tablet by Intel

Internet tablets with Intel Inside.

Intel is another company making pitch for mobile computing.
The device is not smartphone but not a laptop as well. They claim Master User Interface ( MUI ) and it is a mobile internet device powered by Linux.

So, who will come up with ''mobile tablet PC'' in the future ? ;))

Follow up:

What if ... Google thinks along the same line ? Google Ultra Mobile tablet with The Grande phone apps on board ?
They just released Google Gears few days ago which will do mobile offline computing and later synch with server data.
What if they are betting against Microsoft Origami that will come up preinstalled with Live apps ?

Uf...

Could be that Alan Kay was right after all when saying after iPhone announcement:

He responded by pulling out a black covered 6×8-inch paper notebook and said that he would like it to be that size.

;))

This might be a path to Google's Metaverse when taking into account Google SketchUp and Croquet project.

Our world modelled in 3D and presented by Google and its Google AdWords advertisers ;))

Linux Phone Standards forum (LiPS)

Make those mobile apps and handsets really ''work''.
I don't care if it's Linux or something else, it is badly in the need.

The LiPS standard, version 1, is available.

The Register run a story:

The documents published today include APIs for interaction with the address book, text input system, user interface, and the all-important voice-call enabler. LiPS promises full telephony control, messaging, calendar, IM and presence as well as more UI-interface elements by the end of 2007. Unless the organisation has improved its forecasting, expect some slippage.

Google One ( FTM * )

A mother of all mobile browsers

Open up your Google One (FTM* ) browser on the dialpad ( mobile phones with ordinary buttons ) :
Just Dial 1 ! It will be 10 clicks less then opening up your Opera Mini ;)

Your phone browser as your most used app on the phone. Your mobile deck, dial pad etc.
Your mobile ''everything'' and splash screen at the same time.

It is the most direct ( excluding touchscreen icons and dedicated G buttons ) way of using mobility web services provided by ''fantasy'' company or third parties.

A phone wrapped up with the ''thing'' we might call browser, but in the end we might not ;)

It will be so personal so we could call this Spoochy ;)
Spoochy from the Web ! ( Spukni to z neta, na hrvatskom ;) )

So, dare you not to advertise your local shop or service with Google and you are out of business very soon. Nobody will find you, nobody will call you. It's the location and call, stupid.

LG !

Now, back to planet Earth ;)

Disclaimer:
FTM stands for fictional trademark

Happy Googlers

Till the first economic downturn

Part of my everyday job at my present company ( not related to technology ) is to make contacts with people who are possible candidates and could work for us.
I wouldn't discuss my involvement more in this field, but I would be very eager to cultivate the business culture and human resource policy such as those made by Google.

It's possibly silly to call it Chief Culture Officer ;))
Google is currently riding on the wave of success, so relationships among employees are mostly good. But if they ever face tough times, layoffs etc, I would NOT be CCO officer at all ;)

Thomas Yung's writing about pervasive computing

Blogrolling

Thomas Yung cited my article about Nokia mobile web server.
He's running The Mobile Web 2.0 site and his personal blog here.
He's writing very good about tech and mobile.

Thomas runs CityBlogz Design Studio and has extensive experience with Domino/Notes as a web developer. .