Monthly Archives: August 2012
HTC to target low-end market in brand rethink
New Android handset for the masses
Taiwanese maker HTC is poised to unveil a new low-end Android phone in a what appears to be strategical U-turn by CEO Peter Chou. According to US website theverge.com, which has published renders of the handset codenamed ‘Proto’, the struggling manufacturer may introduce the new device at IFA in Berlin next week [September 2012]. Investors in HTC, who have seen the value of their shares plunge to a new low, have long urged the company to venture more deeply into low-end brands. Continue reading
MDS finds that BYOD costs 20% more than company provided
Rating: 49% of SMEs have still adopted BYOD
Independent research conducted by MDS suggests that there is significant disparity in how businesses adopt Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. It highlights the resultant problems in transparency, cost-planning, and productivity. This shows a disparity which service providers need to address in order to smooth the deployment of such services in medium and big businesses, according to MDS. Of all the respondents, a massive 71 per cent suggested service providers need to be doing more to support the growing BYOD trend. The report also suggests that allowing employees to use their own device is estimated to cost businesses 20 per more than providing them with a company-secured contract. Continue reading
NeoMedia adds new recruit for core products
Rating: Hires Mark Lanphear hot on heels of Microsoft coup
Hot on the heels of its announcement that the company had landed Microsoft as a licensee (and how many others will now follow suite?), NeoMedia Technologies, has gone on the head hunt. It has just snaffled Mark Lanphear as its new vp for sales in North America. “To be joining an industry stalwart like NeoMedia at such a positive time for QR codes is very exciting for me,” Mark Lanphear commented. “NeoMedia is a company focused on innovation and I look forward to helping drive NeoMedia’s continued success,” he added. Continue reading
MACH speeds up roaming partner on-boarding process by up to 20%
Roaming Implementation Manager solution automates workflows and provides progress-reporting capabilities
Press release
August 23rd 2012. MACH, the leading provider of cloud-based managed communication services, has announced the launch of a new solution that facilitates and accelerates the process of launching roaming partners for mobile network operators, allowing them to rapidly increase visibility and roaming coverage. The Roaming Implementation Manager solution can deliver efficiency gains of up to 20 per cent by automating and streamlining many of the manual steps required to launch a new roaming partner. Continue reading
Guest Post: How C-level execs are going mobile
by Jeffrey Vocell, co-founder of Trendslide
Executives today are increasingly busy and getting pulled in all different directions. With ‘to do’ lists getting longer, and hours available in the day not following suit – the C-level exec is turning to mobile to keep up. Given the explosive growth of mobile (which for the sake of this post we’ll count as both tablets and smartphones) it’s apparent that life for the C-level exec will never be the same. According to a Dimensional Research Survey, 71 per cent of SMB’s [Small-to-Medium Businesses] surveyed are using tablets for work-productivity related tasks. Apps and the mobile web have been the biggest change allowing productivity related tasks that weren’t possible before to seamlessly be completed on a smartphone or tablet. Let’s look at some of the common tasks below to examine the impact of mobile on executives. Continue reading
HTC ‘poised to slash prices’ on all smartphones
Embattled manufacturer has little choice, it’s claimed
Taiwanese handset maker, HTC, is to slash the price of its devices across the board, according to reports from China. With HTC’s One series proving to be something of a flop, it’s reported the price reductions will include all smartphones already on the market as well as forthcoming Android and Windows Phone 8 smartphones. To keep costs down, the struggling manufacturer will also stop using Beats Audio technology in most of its handsets. Continue reading
3 UK to acquires 1800 MHz spectrum from Everything Everywhere
Rating: Wild speculation about using it for 4G/LTE
3 UK has formally announced its agreement to acquire two 15 MHz chunks of Everything Everywhere’s 1800 MHz spectrum. Dave Dyson, CEO with 3 UK, commented, “Acquiring this spectrum will more than double the capacity available to customers on our network.” However, the mobile operator will definitely not be able to utilise this bandwidth immediately. A few things have got to happen first. Ofcom needs to give official approval (which it almost certainly will). The EU’s Competition Commission will also have to give the go ahead. That’s also extremely likely because it asked Everything Everywhere to divest itself of some of its spectrum as part of the agreement to allow T-Mobile and Orange to create Everything Everywhere in the first place. The third obstacle to getting its hands on this spectrum for 3 is that Everything Everywhere needs to stop using it. It doesn’t have to do so until September 2013. Continue reading
Kirusa reaches voice SMS milestone with 1bn calls
Rating: Developing nations really love this stuff
In Europe and North America, it’s very easy to forget than millions of people around the world can barely read or write. Which makes text messaging kind of difficult, of course. The obvious solution is ‘voice SMS’ where basically you send a message telling some-one that you’ve left them a short voice message. A number of suppliers can offer voice SMS including Bubble Motion. However, rival company, Kirusa, has just reached a significant milestone which should enable it to correctly claim to be the world’s leading developer of mobile social media and value-added services (VAS). Kirusa’s voice SMS and mobile social media applications are now deployed by over 30 carriers across 20 countries. The company has just announced that in July [2012] it processed over one billion calls in a month. Continue reading
Mobile users call in a billion times on Kirusa platforms
Kirusa Voice SMS and mobile social media applications are a runaway success with more than 30 carriers across 20 countries
Press release
August 20th 2012. Kirusa, the world’s leading developer of Mobile Social Media and Value-Added Services (VAS), has announced that its platforms, deployed with over 30 mobile carriers, processed more than a staggering one billion calls in July this year [2012], creating a new landmark in the company’s history. Monthly traffic on Kirusa platforms was 250 million a year ago, quadrupling to a billion this year. Cumulatively, Kirusa platforms have now processed 10 billions calls.The impressive increase in traffic bears testimony to the rapid adoption of Kirusa mobile services across the globe. It also demonstrates the robustness and scalability of its platforms. Continue reading
NeoMedia bags Microsoft as an IP licensee
Rating: Might be a death knell for the Microsoft Tag
Regular GoMobile News readers have always urged mobile barcode speciallist, NeoMedia Technologies, to take full advantage of its IP portfolio. This now consists of over 74 patents awarded and pending worldwide. The latest milestone is that the company has now granted worldwide rights to license its patent portfolio to none other than Microsoft itself. Neither side seem to mention the fact, but this is a major triumph for QR code technology because Microsoft itself was desperately trying to push a rival technology in the shape of the Microsoft Tag. Continue reading
RIM’s ageing enterprise server platform ‘for the chop’
Just won’t work with latest server offering
Canadian handset manufacturer, RIM, is to axe further development of its current Blackberry Enterprise Service platform after struggling to integrate it with its latest QNX operating system. Sources close to the company say embattled RIM will cease development of its current server platform after the release of 5.0.4, meaning that users of ageing, Java-based phones from the Blackberry 7 and older will be bereft of future support, apart from security patches. Continue reading
Everything Everywhere won’t drop Orange or T-Mobile brands
Rating: Just needs a new lick of paint for 4G
Well, Everything Everywhere (EE) – the joint venture between Orange (France Telecom) and T-Mobile (Deutsche Telekom) certainly knows how to grab the headlines in the UK. Not content will getting the jump on its rivals with permission to launch a 4G network over existing spectrum (see here), it has also decided to speak out over ‘brand issues’. Rumours have been circulating on social media sites (probably Twitter) that the holding company is thinking about ditching its original brands. Such speculation has been categorically denied by an Everything Everywhere spokesman who revealed that the new brand won’t replace the existing three. What new brand? Well, has definitely decided that if it is to introduce high-speed 4G services, it will need a new brand. We’re not sure whether 4 UK has gone but Everything Everywhere 4G won’t cut the mustard. Continue reading
Guest Post: BYOD -the pros and cons for end users and the business
By Alex Wood, marketing manager at Point to Point
Without a doubt,’Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) is the industry hot topic this summer. IT professionals are wary of it, end users are embracing it and vendors are trying to market it. It’s a subject that’s dividing opinion, with the security implications alone causing IT managers to wake up in a cold sweat. There is one very obvious and visible benefit of the BYOD phenomenon. Productivity increases. Quite simply, user’s work better and increase productivity while feeling more content with the freedom to use their own devices. Continue reading
Vodafone rails against UK regulator’s 4G spectrum decision
Rating: This ain’t no level playing field, Ofcom
For a body which is supposedly mandated to create competition in the UK communications space (Of com), to make the decision it has today [August 21st 2012] is mind blowing. It has decided to give the go-ahead to Everything Everywhere to launch 4G/LTE services over existing 1800 MHz spectrum from September 11th 2012. In its decision the body said, “[This] will deliver significant benefits to consumers, and there is no material risk that those benefits will be outweighed by a distortion of competition. Delaying doing so would therefore be to the detriment of consumers.” Wow. How can allowing one of the four UK mobile operators to gain a head start over its rivals possibly be fair? Naturally, Vodafone has exploded and GoMobile News can see exactly why. Continue reading
Ofcom allows Everything Everywhere to use existing spectrum for 4G
Press release
August 21st 2012. Ofcom [the UK regulator] has approved an application by the mobile phone operator Everything Everywhere (EE) to use its existing 1800 MHz spectrum to deliver 4G/LTE services. 1 Following a consultation, Ofcom has concluded that varying EE’s 1800 MHz licences now will deliver significant benefits to consumers, and that there is no material risk that those benefits will be outweighed by a distortion of competition.2 Delaying doing so would therefore be to the detriment of consumers. Continue reading
