Monthly Archives: November 2011
Lack of NFC support is hurting W7 Mango
Rating: Even Acer is now pushing Android handsets with NFC support
A smartphone vendor whose name is virtually synonymous with W7 Mango (especially now that HTC is so heavily associated with Android) has announced that starting with its latest handset, all of the forthcoming brand’s Android smartphones will be equipped with NFC technology. The company is Acer and the Android smartphone in question is the Liquid Express. However, this announcement puts heavy pressure for Microsoft to get its act together and introduce support for NFC in Windows Phone (WP7). Its important for Microsoft to rectify this omission because its other key supporter for Mango and onwards is Nokia. The very latest version of Symbian – Belle – supports NFC, so why doesn’t Windows Phone. Continue reading
New mBlox payments products revolutionize mobile transactions
Mobile Web and Application offerings improve purchasing experience across mobile devices
mBlox, a leader in mobile consumer interaction and payments, today announces mBlox Entrust, a suite of mobile payment solutions for both in-app and mobile web payments that makes paying for goods and services over mobile and tablet devices simpler, easier and safer than ever before. mBlox Entrust delivers secure, resilient, easy-to-use payment services for consumers purchasing on the move. Continue reading
Another two free BlackBerry apps trickle out
Rating: We give thumbs down to Nobex Radio Premium
The trickle of free apps from RIM as part of its ‘Thank You Gift’ programme continues. You can now download two new free apps to BlackBerry. One of them is Nobex Radio Premium from Nobex Technologies. Apparently worth $9.99, RIM says that its “free of charge for a limited time.” The other is Photo Editor Ultimate from Ice Cold Apps. That still brings the genuine total of apps been made available to nine. Even by RIM’s own deadline which mysteriously expanded to six weeks from four weeks, there’s still three apps to go. We make them two games from Gameloft – N.O.V.A. and Texas Hold’em Poker 2 ; plus iSpeech Translator Pro – from iSpeech.org. If you want to check RIM’s own statement on the subject – it’s here. So that’s nine apps released in 40 days and three left to come in two days. Bizarre. Continue reading
The mobile web app gets its own icon
Rating: Mobgets and Skyron spot the need to differentiate
It’s not an omission which GoMo News had spotted previously but two companies have joined forces to create a unique new icon which represents a mobile web app (and one which is almost certainly built with HTML5 technology. The two companies involved are Mobgets which is a specialist mobile app store and Skyron – a digital communications agency. Together they’ve come up with the icon shown on this page which is designed to represent web apps. The pair claim that there is no globally recognised icon to indicate a web app. Continue reading
What’s the deal with micro SIMs in the UK?
Rating: We could get voice to work on three out of the four we tried
We’ve got a beautiful bit of kit on loan in the shape of the latest RAZR Android smartphone from Motorola. Unfortunately, this US-based company (now owned by Google) may be attempting to push the boundaries too far with this handset’s technology. [...]
iBuildApp facilitates DIY mobile coupon building
Rating: It’s easy. Just add water & stir. [We're joking].
DIY app building specialist, iBuildApp, has created a service which will enable brands to jump onto the Mobile Coupons bandwagon. With this tool, anyone can create, customise and manage an application that contains mobile coupons and then upload it to an app store. It’s not just iPhone compatible as the name might imply. The company says its mobile app building solution currently supports all major mobile operating systems, including: – iOS (iPhone), Android, BlackBerry, Nokia and Windows. [Not sure whether that includes W7 Mango, though.] iBuildApp has also put together some very interesting stats about mobile, too. Continue reading
The best audio file format for your smartphone
Rating: A definitive answer from Lemonrock
Some of our keenest readers might recall a story we wrote recently concerning the various formats in which audio can be stored including the infamous Ogg Vorbis. (See our previous story here). This raises the question – what is the best format to use when storing audio on your mobile phone or tablet? Well, Mac MacLaren is the head honcho at Lemonrock and he’s supplied GoMo News with what we can only describe as the definite answer. MacLaren outlines the main digital files formats below and the answer is to go for ALAC. But – as he says – these things are all objective because some people are quite happy with an MP3 file which is the commonest format. Continue reading
Survey shows smartphone owners have no idea who to call
Rating: When their handset goes wrong that is
A survey of 2,047 Brits, found that only three per cent call their smartphone manufacturer if the device fails. Plus, just 19 per cent call their mobile operator. The most popular reaction – with one third of all of those surveyed picking it – is to go to an online search engine like Google. GoMo News was surprised that only 13 per cent go back to the store they purchased the smartphone from. Of course, we are part of the 22 per cent who visit an online forum looking for the answer because it normally works. Continue reading
Mobixell and Commtouch help operators battle porn
Rating: Joint solution to keep porn off kiddies’ phones
The UK government along with authorities in Ireland and Australia are promoting legislation which would make mobile phone network operators responsible for protecting children from pornography or other unsuitable web content. Compliance with such laws could be challenging for operators, since web pages and their content are constantly changing, and new sites are registered daily. Hence Mobixell Networks and Commtouch have put together a solution aimed at mobile operators to enable them to comply with proposed web content regulation. For example, it is designed to make certain types of content available only if users opt-in to receive it. It also builds on Commtouch’s GlobalView URL Filtering technology which offers advanced content filtering capabilities. This is especially useful for blogs which might contain a mixture of family-friendly and inappropriate content. Continue reading
Mobile handsets could spell end to dedicated payment cards
Rating: Out with the Oyster and in with an equally fishy substitute
This report is very definitely intriguing because the outcome of research into payment systems by Greenwich Consulting and Olswang has concluded that the days of the dedicated ticketing payment card are numbered. The report – entitled ‘Mobile: Driving Intelligent Payments into the real world’, suggests that, “The rise of intelligent payments will lead to mobile banking, ticketing and travel advancements, which could mean the death of dedicated travel payment cards such as Oyster in the UK and E-Z Link in Singapore.” The report attempts to suggest what the real alternatives are. Continue reading
Software analysis could be mobile operators’ secret weapon
Rating: Location based services could well be the trigger
The subject of software analysis and measurement wouldn’t have attracted anybody’s attention in the mobile sector, had it not been for the recent three day outage suffered by RIM. This showed that software is just another component in a complete solution, according to Lev Lesokhin of specialist [...]
Location based revenues will double by 2016
Rating: Latest report from Berg Insight
Mobile location based service (LBS) revenues in Europe are forecast to grow from €205 million in 2010 to reach € 435 million in 2016, according to a new report published by Berg Insight. The company estimates that 20 per cent of all mobile subscribers in Europe already use some kind of location-enhanced application on a regular basis. Local search, social networking and navigation services are the top application categories in terms of number of users. The social networking category is forecast to experience the highest growth in the coming years. Continue reading
Mobile Marketing Roundup: Seasons Greetings, Android taking the lead and more…
Here’s your Tuesday round-up of the hottest mobile marketing stories from across the globe.
The holiday season is fast approaching for many so for this edition we’re looking at making the most of mobile marketing during the lead up; Android taking the mobile ad lead; further growth in Asia and more… Continue reading
If you interrupt sex to answer your mobile – there’s something wrong
Rating: Tell-tale signs of mobile phone addiction from Cash Generator
Surely you’d spot that something is wrong if you even interrupt sex to answer a mobile phone call? Well according to buy-and-sell specialists, Cash Generator, it’s an obvious sign of mobile phone addiction. Other signs include having your mobile phone switched on 24/7 and sleeping with it next to the bed. Apparently, the majority of the population now has a mobile and users are being invited to take an online test to find out if they’re addicted to their handsets. Cash Generator has identified nine key indicators of mobile phone dependency. If seven or more apply to you then you may need to take action to curb your mobile mania. Continue reading
Leading QR code app from Scanbuy to go Windows Phone
Rating: Other bits added in time for Xmas
GoMo News has gradually been migrating from using the Neoreader bar code scanner from NeoMedia over to the ScanLife reader from Scanbuy. In practice, the latter has proved more reliable. Anyway, Scanbuy has announced that it has added new feature to its barcode scanning app in time for Xmas. At some point over this holiday period, a version of ScanLife for W7 Mango (Windows Phone) should emerge to plug this little hole in Scanbuy’s mobile OS support. The most intriguing feature in this new offering is a live feed that displays codes being scanned in real-time from around the world. Continue reading
