HOOKED ON MOBILE

I’ve been rather quiet for some time and didn’t write anything on my blog. I attribute my lack of motivation in admitting that I have no clue as to where the mobile industry is going. The direction is still too fuzzy for me.

In the meantime, we (Threeview) are working on creating a brand for a very different and new mobile service. Under NDA I cannot tell what it is but in due time you’ll know.

With the upcoming GSMA (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona we will be seeing a lot of trends emerging. This has been called (sadly) the year of the tablet. With the iPad leading the way, closed followed by the Galaxy Tab, it is almost certain that it will contribute to the evolution of the mobile phone as we know it. Will we see a tablet-mobile phone hybrid? it would only make sense. Twitter just released it’s statistics, where 40% of the twitter users are posting from mobile devices. The question would be who is going to be the first to go to market with something new.

For the time being, I am still on the lookout…

Last year 28 year old engineer Karsten Nohl, an encryption expert from Germany was able to crack the G.S.M. algorithm, a code developed in 1988 by the G.S.M. Association an industry group based in London. This algorythm still used today to protect the privacy of many mobile calls worldwide. Mr. Nohl was not only able to crack the code, he actually made it public by sharing it with others via the internet.

For the less technical folks, there are plenty of other options to find on the web. Some pretty stupid I have to admit (“How to Eavesdrop on a Cell Phone” from eHow.com) but some pretty scary:

The Interceptor AU688: Going for about 1,800 EUR (not cheap) promises to:

• Monitor both cellular A or cellular B system (B system used in Europe)
• Operates both in general monitoring mode and targets specific phone by number
• Identify unknown cellular mobile phone numbers
• Targets 20 mobile numbers for all calls made in or out

It’s not that hard for psychos, private detectives, stalkers or just regular joes to listen your private conversations, know your location and even retrieve data (such as SMS) from your phone.

Luckily some companies have picked up on this growing concern and offer encrypted phones such as the HTC P3470 running windows and modified to offer a more sophisticated encryption.

While most of us are not rock-stars, secret agents, politicians, CEOs, drug dealers or mafia bosses, the idea that someone else could listen to my conversations is a point of concern. I’d like to believe that even though I am not James Bond or Jason Bourne, my conversation still private to some extended. If there is ever some sort of encryption available for the iPhone. I’ll be the first one to get it.

The iPhone is a wonderful device. I use it so much throughout the day that sometimes I feel like is an extension of myself. Sadly the batteries don’t last longer than 3 hrs. Apple has a few recommendations on how to make the most out of it (http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html). Not enough if you ask me.

I’ve been reviewing a few options for extra power to use “on the go” that can keep me using my iPhone the whole day. While there are many options available in the market, I researched what I consider to be the best options based on price and performance:

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100% Reliable

Mophie juice pack air™ (yes the name is a reference to capitalize on Apple’s famous laptop): This puppy promise to double your life battery and protect your phone at the same time. Is the thinnest battery extension of it’s kind. Starting at 79.95EUR is not a bad deal. It comes with a feature called “Standby Mode” that lets you choose to either use the extra battery or just use it as a protective case. It also connects directly with USB cable so you can charge your phone and the case at the same time.
Since the mophie website doesn’t offer more than marketing jargon here is a small table to have an idea of what to expect in terms of battery life.

Standby Time: Up to 270 hours
Talk Time: Up to 4.5 hours (3G) Up to 9 hours (2G)
Internet Use: Up to 4.5 hours (3G) Up to 5.4 Hours (Wi-Fi)
Audio Playback: Up to 20 hours
Video Playback: Up to 6 hours

Website: http://www.mophie.com/product-p/1059_jpa-ip3g-blk.htm

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Outdoorsy/Summertime

SOLiCharger by Solight: “Summertime and the living’s easy…” Yup you guessed it “Solar power”. Take advantage of charging your iPhone while hiking, at the beach or simply at the Beergarden (those living in Munich) with the most abundant energy available on earth: the sun.

Starting at 39.90 EUR (I hate these prices by the way, as if we are complete morons and don’t see that is 40 bucks ) is a good offer. The adapter plugs underneath your iPhone and charges it in about 4 hrs of direct sunlight exposure. Alternatively, it can also be charged with the regular USB cable that comes with your iPhone. The phone can be used while the device is attached. If you don’t use it for a while, a built-in solar panel on the back will provide enough power to keep the SOLiCharger fully charged. However, if you are outside, why would you want to use the phone anyway.

Website: http://www.sollight.com/products/solicharger.cfm

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Emergency
iGo powerXtender: is for sure an ugly-cheap-looking device. However, it will be there when you most need it. At 20.98EUR this charger will allow you to charge your iPhone using any type of AA Batteries as suppose to other similar products of this kind that will only allow the use of rechargeable batteries (something I don’t understand about these other products. If you can recharge the batteries… can you not recharge your iPhone as well? Obviously, they want to sell you the batteries as well). If you want to use it with an iPhone you need to buy an special adapter which can take the total price up to 20EUR. Anyway, you can use your iGo on the go and stick two of your preferred AA battery brand.Yeah, that includes the one with the bunny and the drum.

Standby Time: Up to 270 hours
Talk Time: Up to 10 hours (3G) Up to 9 hours (2G)
Audio Playback: Up to 28 hours

Website: http://www.igo.com/Accessories/PowerXtender-Charger/invt/ps002640004

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Experimental
PEG (Personal Energy Generator): While it has nothing to do with “pegging” (sorry to my Aussie friends) it has everything to do with you. The more you move the more your phone will charge. The PEG, developed by the company nPower harvests your kinetic energy to power any electronic device. Based on the Faraday principle. The energy is produced from the motion of a magnet passing through a coil, then stored in a similar battery storage as we have today. While it innovative in the mobile device arena, this technology has been successfully used to power other type of devices such as watches. The company hopes this will replace mobile phone batteries altogether in the near future.  This technology is already available for non commercial use and the commercial will ship on 2011 as they predict. If you go to their website is possible to pre-order the PEG, however is difficult to tell how good this product will really be.

Website: http://greennpower.com/

For the longest time I’ve been ranting and raving about not been able to use my iPhone when I travel. Apparently that is about to change. In my quest for using my iPhone overseas I discovered a few useful tips that can help me along my trip. Here’s how to prepare an iPhone for an overseas trip:

Step 1: Jailbreak it!
Yup. Jalibreak it. It is not illegal to jailbreak your iPhone and it will pay off if you want to use it in another country. Many publications actually recommend Jailbreaking the iPhone. Just follow the instructions on this website and you’ll be good to go in no time.

Step 2: Get yourself a Global Pre-Paid SIM Card
There are many options to choose from depending on the country you live in. But you want to make sure whatever plan you choose will have at least FREE unlimited incoming calls and GPRS data available (3G network), also make sure is a Pre-paid SIM Card

This company (GO-SIM) for example has a travel plan for €27.60. In Germany T-Mobile offers a plan called “Smart Traveler” with quite a decent offer.

Step 3: Get some travel apps
Here a few of my favorite apps to use when traveling:

	DB Navigator: Let’s you check out the train schedules of the Deutsche Bahn at any time. Useful even without WiFi network.
	Tripwolf: This app currently has a free and a paid version. It downloads a city guide to your iPhone (for just about any city) that you can browse without having to be connected to a network. On the paid version you can get additional info. If you are connected to a network, you can get pictures with each review.
	Qype: International community with recommendations on Restaurants and Bars. Since is international, once you are connected with your Sim Card, you’ll be good to go.
	Lonley Planet Travel Guide: Travel guide for any city with recommendations from other users.
	Sit or Squat: is an app that helps you locate the nearest toilet. With your 3G network activated you’ll be able to use it in any country.
	Lufthansa Launcher: If you are traveling with Lufthansa, this app will help you book flights, check in, check timetables and check the flight status.
	Wikitude: This is an augmented reality app. It will inform you about places by using Wikipedia and other sources. Please note this app only works with the iPhone 3Gs

That is correct… With Coca Cola. Daizi Xheng a chinese developer, found a way of replacing the lithium-ion batteries we use in our phones for a more efficient and environmental friendly solution. He proposes a bio-battery that lasts longer than regular batteries using any sugary solution as a source of fuel, for example: Coca Cola.

There are mixed opinions about this approach, since is a prototype there are no long term results to look at in terms of reliability and sustainability. His modified Nokia phone is the first prototype of its kind and only time will tell us how good of an idea this will be.

In my opinion, this should not be part of the device in itself, but an external source of energy. Since Smartphones are energy sucking devices, other alternatives for power should be explored. Here some ideas:
- Solar energy
- Bio energy
- Kinetic energy

There is a massive proliferation of smartphones and app-phones flooding the market. With such speed that the general public is almost overwhelmed by it. There is so much you can do with a Smartphone nowadays, that is easy to forget you can still make phone calls with them. Recently I find more and more people who are going back to the basics and only want to use their phones to make phone calls. No GPS, no emails, no apps, no nothing… Simple.

I was talking to a girl (Oh my god was she beautiful) last night, who finds the Smartphones a waste of time. She did have some very interesting points to share:
- Smartphones consume a lot of battery power. With a regular phone you are good for at least two or three days on a full charge.
- You use it less. If you only use your phone for phone calls and SMS, you are more likely to use it only when is necessary and have more intimate conversations with people.
- You have less technology dependence. Having GPS systems, maps, store locators…etc makes you self sufficient, but at the same time it cuts you out from a human interaction. Something so basic like: “Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find an ATM around here?”
- Keeps it more personal. Forget about intrusive advertising, twittering, facebook… this is 1 to 1 interaction in most cases with a human being. The many to many approach flies out the window.
- You only care about the SIM card. If your phone gets lost or damaged, you only care about getting the SIM card back and plugging it into another similar device. Zero hassle and headaches. The cost of these phones are so cheap that you can have a new device every month.

I do have to admit without sounding like a neo luddite, that maybe technology (as usual) is going too fast. People still need some time to digest the concept that you can do pretty much anything with your phone. Technology should make us more human and less dependent. Then again… Different strokes for different folks.