Android needs to target lower-end mobile devices, according to Broadcom

Broadcom is one of those companies that’s so big it’s slightly unnerving. Its “stand” at Mobile World Congress was more like a small village, and the mere 25 minutes I had to talk to Michael Civiello, Senior Director of Marketing at the Mobile Comms Business Unit wasn’t barely enough time to cover what the company actually does. But those 25 mins raised some very interesting bits of information - including the central position that Broadcom has carved itself in mobile phone manufacturing, and its opinion on what Android isn’t doing quite right.

The open application store industry is where iPhone will see competition. PocketGear has bought out Handango

Mobile applications are often the subject of some seriously ostentatious advertising and promotion. Apple regularly quotes its most recent “billion” landmark, and the Wholesale Application Community announcement at MWC last week was the very definition of grandstanding. But in the older market of platform agnostic app stores, things are quickly getting very interesting. Todays announcement that PocketGear has bought out competitor Handango is only the most recent of several interesting developments.

Nokia reinvents NFC with Explore and Share mobile content service

Here’s a quickie on a “new” service from Nokia that it has released an official video for today. Explore and Share is a way for people who buy their phones in a Nokia retail store to get content from the Ovi store onto their phones incredibly quickly.

Consumers don’t really use Blackberry apps - so here come Super Apps for businessmen

I’ve always been a bit wary of applications on the Blackberry. It’s not that I don’t think RIM is up to scratch, it’s that apps aren’t really what the Blackberry is for. It’s the premier business mobile in the world, and the flash-bang of the iPhone app store doesn’t really belong there. And it would seem that RIM is thinking along the same lines, as I spoke to Mike Kirkup, RIM Director of Developer Relations, about its philosophy of app development surrounding the Super App.

Calling all Digital Nomads! WorkSnug is a mobile application that will really appeal to you.

I absolutely love WorkSnug - but then again I would, because it’s directly aimed at people like me. I’m what some people call a Digital Nomad. All I need to do my job is a laptop, a plug and an Internet connection. I can work from the street, from a cafe, or from your kitchen. I’m a homeless office-worker, suffering from complete location independence. And WorkSung is an app that is directly designed to make my life easier.

You know what? Novarra’s “OneWeb” mobile app program is actually pretty good.

How many times have you heard “develop once, publish anywhere”? It’s a phrase that actually makes me stop listening these days. It has been promised so many times by so many different companies that it has lost all meaning. So when OneWeb came up in my interview with Randy Cavaiani, VP Marketing for Novarra, I almost shook my head in despair. But as I talked to Randy, I realised that Novarra might actually be on to something here. Might be.

Nokia is dropping the price for developers who make mobile apps for Maemo

I was lucky enough to get some time during MWC with Peter Schneider (the in house Nokia N900/Maemo guru) this week and he told me a little about new moves for Maemo developers on the Ovi Store. I was very impressed with the fact that they are so intent on adding content to it they waived the token $50 fee. I find this a nice step in the right direction and a gesture signaling that Nokia is ready to have the N900 stores shelves stocked. See a short video interview below:

Free Nexus One? Google pulls one of the best tricks in the book

Yesterday Google was running a program where if you came and sat in the audience to listen to a presentation about creating apps for the Android platform, you would get to leave with a brand new Google Nexus One. Hundreds (if not thousands) of journalists, exhibitors, booth girls, PR agents, etc., etc. thought they would take advantage of Google and get in on this to pick up a free Nexus One. Wow, well aren’t we smart, taking advantage of Google like that.

MWC in Soft Focus: are mobile phones going biodegradable? Not really…

Two companies I’ve met so far at Mobile World Congress have been touting eco-friendly, biodegradable products for mobile phones. The first is an Irish iPhone-accessory company called Jivo Technology, and the second was UK-based Santok.

Motorola splits for mobile home entertainment and advanced wireless networks

Motorola has been talking about dividing itself down the middle for quite some time now - the idea first surfaced about two years ago. At the time, it proposed one company for all things mobile, with everything else going into the other company. Now that it has announced a final plan, it’s a little different from that.

Don’t like your Android UI? Don’t worry, there’ll be another one in a minute.

Here’s a cool story about a new Android service. HipLogic is launching a service that will allow mobile operators and mobile makers to embed their own UI on Android devices they support - and to update those UIs over-the-air, as well as launch new ones. This story wouldn’t have had as much of an impact on me before today, but I was discussing the new Acer Liquid Android phone with a friend of mine this morning - and this service would be particularly great for that phone.

Like gadgets? How about this one: a helicopter you can fly with your iPhone!

There’s a massive gulf between “practical” and “incredibly cool”, and out of that gulf flies the AR.Drone from Parrot - a flying helicopter drone designed to be controlled from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Sprint + GetJar = Awesome. Mobile operator teams with indie store for 60,000 applications

American mobile operator Sprint has just announced a major deal with mobile application store GetJar. GetJar is the largest independent application store in the world - and counting everybody else, only the Apple Store is bigger than it. Sprint will now be offering the entire selection of 60,000 apps from GetJar to its mobile customers. Why is this such a good idea? Read on…

Study shows UK and USA consumers are ready for mobile internet - but operators aren’t

Here’s an interesting survey result from mobile content experts Volantis. Over 4,000 UK and USA respondents took part in the study - and Volantis found that a huge number of them would make much more use of mobile internet features if their data plans were more generous.

Cheap, useful mobile phones from Synchronica - function is more important than form

GoMo News has been following Synchronica for a long time now - mainly as a provider of mobile email services for extremely low-tech phones. But the company has kicked it up to the next level today, with the announcement of MessagePhones. Rather than just release cheap messaging services for low-tech phones, Synchronica has released two devices specially designed to take advantage of new, low-cost mobile messaging options.

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