Wireline and Mobile Broadband Penetration and Traffic Study

In Q1 2009, the US market exceeded $10B in quarterly mobile data service revenues for the first time. The subscription penetration in the US is well past 90% and the mobile data usage is on the rise. While the rate of new subscriptions has slowed, the pace of innovation is going very strong. It is quite apparent that the mobile industry is going through a significant transition from voice to data, from making calls to getting lost in applications and from voice communications to multimedia communications. Helped by the ever expanding wireless broadband networks, and release of hit devices every quarter, and consumer’s insatiable appetite for information and content has brought us to the surge of a data tsunami that will shake the industry to its core.

In 2009, the global yearly mobile data traffic will reach a new milestone – 1 Exabyte(EB) or 1 Million Terabytes (TB). By 2016-17, the global yearly mobile data traffic is likely to exceed 1 Zettabyte (ZB) or 1000 Exabytes. By 2014, in the US alone, the total yearly mobile data traffic is likely to exceed 40 EB. How do you go about managing such growth in a profitable manner when the cost of supporting such traffic will increase exponentially despite the move to 4G? Will the move to LTE offer some respite?

The new report Managing Growth and Profits in the Yottabyte Era discusses the analysis done by Chetan Sharma Consulting on the growth of mobile data traffic in the US market and how the ecosystem can apply some strategies to manage growth and profits. We built detailed models to estimate the rise of mobile data network traffic and discuss some solutions to handle such growth in this paper.

Rovio Wi-Fi Home Security Robot

Ever wanted to be in two places at once? Now you can.

WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled WebCam Robot is a groundbreaking new Wi-Fi enabled mobile webcam that lets you view and interact with its environment through streaming video and audio, wherever you are! It is a new challenger of the remote control Spykee bot that you have seen on my blog earlier.



The Rovio has an impressive list of features that makes it useful as a home security robot, telepresence device or a just for fun toy gadget:

• Easily remote control from any web-enabled device: PC or Mac, cell phone, smartphone, PDA or even your video game console.


• Head-mounted moveable camera and wide range of vision


• Indoor GPS


• MPEG4 video


• Self-docking capabilities for auto recharge


• Built-in LED headlight


• Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b and 802.11g)

The Internet of Things is happening as innovations like remote control wifi robots are becoming connected devices. Roveo is a pioneer and it could probably be improved but it shows the possibilities and is fun to play with.

Kindle 2 by Amazon Raises the Bar on EBooks

The Amazon Kindle has the potential to start a new wave of innovations for ebooks and mobile internet devices. The second-generation Kindle ebook reader has much improved aesthetic thin design with aluminum back. It feels almost like an Apple product.

The Kindle 2 will costs $359, but it's much thinner than the angular original -- in fact, it's thinner than an iPhone at just .36 inches. Read to Me can read any content on the device back to you in a decent-sounding computerized voice, but there's also seven times more storage, a sharper 16-level e-ink display that turns pages 20 percent faster and 25 percent longer battery life.



Jeff Bezos the CEO of Amazon (AMZN) has announced the new Kindle 2 on amazon.com:

Dear Customers,

Today, we are excited to introduce Kindle 2 - the next generation of our wireless reading device.

Since launching the original Kindle a little over a year ago, customer response has far surpassed our highest hopes - and we're grateful and appreciative for that. More people are reading more books, newspapers, and blogs on Kindle sooner than we ever imagined.

We kept everything readers love about the original Kindle - the convenience of reading what you want, when you want it, the immediacy of getting books wirelessly delivered in less than 60 seconds, and Kindle's ability to "disappear" in your hands so you can get lost in the author's words.

We chose the same 3G wireless technology used in advanced cell phones, so you never need to hunt for w Wi-Fi hotspot. But unlike cell phones, there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install and no syncing required.

Improved battery life means you can read for up to two weeks on a single charge. Its new, streamlined design makes Kindle 2 as thin as a typical magazine and lighter than a paperback. We added more storage, allowing you to carry over 1,500 titles. An advanced display provides even crisper images and clear text for an improved book-like reading experience. Our new Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you.

At Amazon, we're always been obsessed with selection, and we know that even the best reading device would be useless without the books you want to read. Today, the Kindle Store has more than 230,000 books, including 103 of the 110 New York Times Best Sellers, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. We added over 40,000 new titles in just the last three months. Our vision for Kindle is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds.

We hope you enjoy Kindle 2.

Jeff Bezos
Founder, Amazon.com

P.S. If you'd like to have Kindle 2 ship to you the day it becomes available, we recommend you preorder today to reserve your place in line.

Is Kindle the future of reading? It can be if Amazon executes its Platform Business Model well. The integrated broadband access and the number of available ebook content can fuel its acceptance. The Kindle roadmap promises color display and international access though the dates have not been announced.

2008 Year in Review

2008 was the year of social networking and mobile internet innovations.

Let's highlight the most interesting news and trends of last year.

Cloud computing hype has reached all time high:

• The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google
• Google App Engine + OpenSocial = Web 3.0?
• IT in 2018
• Wua.la Launches Online P2P Storage Cloud
• Bandwidth usage of the Amazon Cloud has surpassed all of Amazon.com’s website traffic
  

Mobile Internet and gadgets has become a platform:

• iPhone Apps Lead Mobile Internet Innovations
• iPhone Roadmap Possibilities
• Rapid Mobile Broadband Usage Growth

High-Definition Video has started to conquer the Web:

• Hybrid P2P-CDN Streaming Enables HD Video Delivery
• Video Traffic Bandwidth to Reach Exabyte by 2015
• HD Flash Video on the Web

3D and Virtual Worlds have grown:

• Sun's Open Source 3D Virtual World
• Virtual Worlds are Rendered in the Cloud

Camera Phones to Scan 2-D Mobile Codes

Camera phones combined with 2D codes in innovation that mobile users could take advantage of. The use of Mobile Codes is only limited by imagination. One possibility is innovative marketing:

When BMW launched the BMW 1 Series 3-door version last year, it was the first white car they had introduced in a long time. So they decided to produce their advertising campaigns in black and white.
“Because the campaign was black and white, we decided to combine it with 2D bar codes, which we wanted to test.” (2D bar codes, both Semacodes and QR Codes, are also black and white).

What are mobile codes?

'Mobile codes' are codes in the same way as ordinary barcodes are, but their matrix structure can hold more information. The codes are also mobile in the sense that the camera of mobile devices can be used to scan and decode them.

A web address (URL), a phone number, an email address or plain text can be converted into a mobile code. After scanning it their camera phone, people will have instant access to the encoded information straight on the display of their mobile device.

Mobile codes are increasing in popularity: as tags on flyers and posters; on business cards and CVs; in magazines and blogs; offline and online.

Mobile phones such as a Nokia N82, N93, N93i, N95, N95 8GB, E66, E71, E90 or 6220 Classic comes with the Nokia barcode reader preinstalled, ready to scan mobile codes.

How to Create Mobile Codes?

There are free easy to use tools to create Mobile Codes such as the Nokia Mobile Barcodes site. Once the mobile code has been generated scan, print or save it for sharing the way you want.

How to scan and decode Mobile Codes?

There are many other tools in addition to Nokia Barcode Reader such as

• NeoReader, by NeoMedia for the Apple iPhone
  
• I-nigma reader, by 3GVision
• Glass reader, by Active Print(HP) / Gavitec AG-mobile digit
• UpCode reader, by UPC
• Semacode reader, by Semacode
• QuickMark reader

Have fun and connect the real world and the virtual world with innovative mobile codes!

Mobile Broadband Usage Statistics by Nielsen

The mobile consumer spends $350B each year on connectivity, devices, and content.
Nielsen Mobile provides syndicated consumer research to the mobile media markets.

The latest Nielsen Mobile Insight Research Reports feature interesting topics such as

• iPhone 3G and Smartphone Statistics
• U.S. Mobile Advertising Market
• Entertainment Drives Mobile Internet Growth in BRIC Countries
• Mobile Gaming Statistics
• Increased Availability of GPS on Mobile Phones Drives Consumption of Navigation and other Location-Based Services
• Mobile Video Popularity Reaching New Heights with Triple-Digit Growth in Revenues and Subscribers
• Mobile Audio Media Study
• Critical Mass - The Worldwide State of the Mobile Web

Check out Nielsen Mobile's other Research Findings here.

Spykee Robot - Remote Control Spy Robot with Wifi Skype Video

Spykee, the spy robot is an innovative home surveillance solution and an incredible fun and cool gadget all in one. It is Skype compatible and have 3 different models.

Spykee Spy is the WiFi robot you build yourself! He can be controlled remotely from anywhere in the world using a computer and Internet connection. Spykee moves, watches, hears, speaks and monitors (whatever you want). He is available for preorder on Amazon.com for less than $300. He is a great toy but also an universal home surveillance security guard robot too.

Discover all his other functions:

• Photo/Video: Spykee takes pictures and records video.
• Monitoring and Video Surveillance: He monitors and protects your room from intruders with his video surveillance function! Spykee detects movement and sends you a picture of the intruder by e-mail.
• VoIP Phone: Spykee lets you make free calls on the Internet with VoIP Phone function!
• MP3 Player: Spykee can play mp3 music. It is made for iPod through Erector.
  
• Self-recharging: When Spykee gets low on power it will find its power station and automatically dock with it to recharge.
  

The robot is equipped with:

• Webcam
• Microphone
• Speaker
• Flash lightning and lights
  
• Rubber tracks
• Comes with recharging dock

The Spykee robotic sentry is the most fun wireless broadband gadget you can get today. I can't wait to get mine! I hope that the Spykee remote control iPhone app will soon make it to the Apple iPhone App Store. Check out the Spykee page for more information.

Liveplace - Photo-Realistic Virtual World Rendered by OTOY Cloud

Mobile phones and devices can already access virtual worlds such as Second Life on 3G networks. Vollee delivers Second Life to more than 70 handhelds by rendering it on the server side. Their Second Life iPhone client is in beta.

LivePlace plans to take cloud rendering of 3D virtual worlds to a new level. TechCrunch has posted a very impressive video of LivePlace's City Space which is a Photo-Realistic 3D virtual world. The beautiful ray tracing is done on the server side or "in the cloud" and delivered to the clients via OTOY. OTOY is a 800k web plug-in that enables cinematic quality 3D rendering in a browser with compressed content streaming.

The City Space demo shows beautiful and highly realistic rendering of different environments. It looks and feels more real and immersive than Earthmine, Everyscape or Google Maps Street View.

The demo video shows real time rendering using an ATI RX 1900 GPU and live streaming to a Treo 700 at 240 kpbs. The final product is said to be even more impressive! The first comment on the demo: "this is the pinnacle of what has been dreamed of since computer modeling and rendering was begun."

TechCrunch has more details on OTOY and LightStage here including interesting interviews with Jules Urbach, the founder and CEO of OTOY.

iPhone 2.0 SDK Applications to Lead Mobile Internet Innovations

What it takes to have the Internet in your pockets? Apple understands the needs and delivers. The recent announcement of the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) and the iPhone 2.0 marks the start of the revolution of mobile computing:

"What we saw today was the spark. The explosion will continue for twenty years. We will all feel the warmth. Watch the Steve Jobs video from today and you will understand how Apple will dominate the smartphone market for the next 25 years. Wow. What Microsoft and Windows was to the desktop, Apple and Touch will be to mobile. "

Until now the internet experience required a PC or a Mac with a browser, e-mail client and several other applications or clients like Google Earth or Second Life. To deliver this multimedia experience it takes a powerful device and a full featured operating systems like Mac OS X. The Apple iPhone is a unique device that makes true mobile internet experience a reality for the first time.


What makes the Apple iPhone uniquely powerful? Kontra has found 10 reasons in his blog post on Who can beat iPhone 2.0?

1. Design - Apple’s industrial design and highly polished multi-touch interface have no peers
2. Stores - The promise of the iTunes Store-like App Store is genuinely outstanding
3. Pricing - Apple can now leverage its high-volume iPod/Mac businesses to get favorable component prices
4. Games - high-resolution 3.5" screen, Core Animation, H.264 video, SQLite, OpenGL ES, 3-D OpenAL sound, accelerometer and multi-touch makes the iPhone 2.0 the most capable mobile game platform. Have you seen Spore on iPhone?
   
5. WebKit - the Web shines on the iPhone with its multi-touch gestures and big screen
6. Depth - multi-touch patent portfolio and gesture library bridges PCs and mobile devices. Economies of scale, core design competencies and cross-device integration opportunities will give Apple an huge advantage in product design in the post-PC era
7. SDK - Cocoa Touch, the marriage of OS X and multi-touch UI, gives developers access to the hardware, multi-touch controls and events, accelerometer, camera, etc., in the top of the line XCode IDE with built in emulator
8. Enterprise - The mobile space enables Apple to openly court businesses large and small. The enterprise world is a new and significant market for the company.
9. Ecosystem - Apple has already created the biggest-ever ecosystem around a consumer electronics product line with the iPod. No other player has comparable experience in growing a billion dollar plus ecosystem
10. Curatorship - Apple has proven with Mac OS X and the iPod that it can anticipate user needs, trade features for enhanced user experience and carefully distill choices to create coherent and desirable products.

User satisfaction surveys consistently prove actual users love their iPhones at rates far above rival devices. Safari on the iPhone has already captured 71% of the mobile browser market in less than a year.

The new iPhone SDK will start a new wave of innovations in mobile computing with applications such as:

• Reality Tagging
• People Tagging
• Reality Recognition
• Physical Social Networks
• Personalized Travel Guides
• Digital and Physical Treasure Hunt
• Distributed Mobile Games
• Credit Card and Biometrics as Software
• Paperless Receipts & Digital Business Cards
• Medical records as Software
• Physical Browsing & Digital Shopping
• Location/time-based deals

Will Apple Dominate Next Gen Computing? It is hard to tell. But the iPhone value proposition looks great for developers and users alike. A revolutionary new platform is a rare and prized opportunity for entrepreneurs as well. So much so that Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has created a $100 million fund to fuel this innovation. KPCB’s iFund™ is a $100M investment initiative that will fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the revolutionary new iPhone and iPod touch platform.

Developers are indeed interested. Apple has announced more than 100,000 SDK downloads in just the first 4 days.

It is certainly a challenge for Google Android, Microsoft and Nokia/Symbian (to catch up?). What do you think?

Telepo Delivers Enterprise FMC

The promise of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) has been envisioned for a long time. However the challenge to deliver true mobility with flexibility for enterprise workers – anytime, anywhere and on any network is huge. True fixed-to-mobile convergence solutions need to integrate the mobile phone and new IP based communication services into the enterprise communication infrastructure. The requirements:

• same set of call handling features both on fixed and mobile
• easy to use and manage
• no change in end-user behavior
• open standards (such as SIP) and proven components
• future proof and interoperable
• security

Telepo is a pioneer in FMC innovation. Telepo provides companies with a feature-rich, cost optimized communication system that spans both wired and wireless networks, providing a consistent user experience on a variety of commercial phones. It has won the Best Mobile Enterprise Product or Service award by the GSM Association in 2007.

The Telepo Business Communication Solution provides mobile business users and enterprise voice administrators with a uniform set of services – independent of device, network and location including:

• Single Number Reach (i.e. Single Identity)
• Presence Services
• Personal Call Routing
• Unified Messaging
• Least Cost Routing
• Rich set of traditional PBX features
• Mid-Call Services
• Corporate Directory Services
• Support and roaming between VoIP clients, IP phones and dual mode mobile phones
• Telepo Mobile+ and VoIP clients, including the Telepo Softphone+

Telepo has innovative solutions where the internet and mobile technologies meet. Check it out!

Amazon Kindle Bundles Broadband Wireless

Amazon wants to change how you shop for and read books with its new device, the Amazon Kindle. Its bundled hidden wireless connectivity marks a new wave of internet innovations. No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—they take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.

Bundling broadband internet connectivity with devices such as the Amazon Kindle or the Apple iPhone is a new way for companies to create compelling gadgets and services. Kindle connects to Whispernet which is based on Sprint's national high-speed (EVDO) data network to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, download, and read content on the go. Unlike WiFi, there is no need to find a hotspot.

Arc Technica posted a detailed review on Amazon's eBook reader.

The War for the Next Generation of Mobile Consumers

Mobile broadband services will revolutionize our life and create opportunities for companies like Apple and Nokia. Who will win the mobile consumers?

The landscape is changing quickly as companies prepare for this war. The moves so far:

• Apple launched the iPhone in collaboration with AT&T
• change the business model for operators and handset vendors
• revenue share agreement with an operators
• European operators O2 and others follows
  

• Nokia made strategic acquisitions
• buying companies such as Intellisync, Sega, Gate 5, Navteq, Enpocket and Loudeye
• introduced Ovi - its music and web services platform
• Vodafone and Telefonica have both plan to offer Ovi services
  

• SonyEricsson
• introduced its own Internet music portal: PlayNow
• Ericsson acquired Tandberg TV, Redback, Marconi and LHS (billing) to build the next generation services network
• Sony builds on its Walkman, Cybershot and Playstation brands to leverage with consumers
  

• Google phone turns out to be an open software initiative
• Android is Google’s open mobile operating system initiative. Check out the demo here and the architecture overview here.
  
• acquisitions for location based services, mobile advertising, chat, search, and others set Google up on a collision with the others. But it is a collision with partnerships.
• the Open Handset Alliance is betting on the revolution of the mobile phone industry. The alliance includes handset manufacturers such as Motorola, HTC, Samsung and LG, mobile operators such as Sprint, T-Mobile, KDDI, NTT DoCoMo, Telecom Italia and Telefonica, other companies such as Broadcom, Intel, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, eBay, and PacketVideo
• but Android will not appear in phones for about a year
  

• Microsoft is going Live
  
• betting its mobile future on Windows Live Hotmail, Messenger, Live Contacts and Live Spaces and bringing together a total end-user experience
• acquired companies to extend its offerings and plans to acquire about 20 companies—from $50 million to $1 billion—every year for the next five years

Stay-tuned for the coming battle of the internet and mobile giants. On the other hand media and entertainment companies will create new services and experiences on these platforms and devices. Consumers will have many choices as this brand new mobile broadband world unfolds.

iPhone shipping with YouTube

Users will soon enjoy YouTube on their iPhones when they begin shipping on June 29. The Apple-designed YouTube application will wirelessly stream content in the advanced H.264 format to iPhone over Wi-Fi or EDGE networks and play it on its stunning 3.5 inch display.

Apple excels in mobility with long battery life of the iPhone: it will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback and up to 250 hours of standby time. Great news for heavy mobile internet and multimedia consumers!

Wireless Power via Magnetic Resonances

How often do you need to recharge your mobile phone, iPod, GPS and other gadgets? Science has published a research article about WiTricity - an experimental system to deliver power without the need for wires.

The demo made a 60W light bulb glow over distances in excess of 2 meters. The power is transmitted between two copper coils using the resonance of low frequency electromagnetic waves. Check out the article on BBC News.