HOOKED ON MOBILE

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 [...]

o everything started this last summer. My bike was basically dead and I wanted to go biking with my son, so I opened an account with “Call a Bike” the renting bike service from the Deutsche Bahn (trains) here in Germany. I used it and though – “this service needs an app to boost their business and make life easier for everyone”.

Groceries at the supermarket… 40 euros. Pay everything with you mobile phone… Priceless. Well OK not priceless, but certainly convenient.

A few days ago I couldn’t help noticing a woman at Maximilianstrasse in Munich (the street with expensive fashion labels) using her mobile phone. The device was covered in pink leather, flashing a GUCCI logo on the back of it. My first reaction was: “Oh, GUCCI has also a phone just like PRADA… Of course!…” Later I realized it was just a leather case for a regular mobile phone. However, that kept me thinking about how we tend to turn simple electronic devices into symbols of status or simply customize them so tat they can somehow reflect our personalities.

Iranian citizens have turned to the use of non-traditional media (blogs, twitter, youtube…etc) to broadcast the truth to the world. The mobile phone has become an instrumental part for reporting events as citizens use it to take pictures and record videos that find their way to the internet in a matter of minutes.

About a year ago Garmin (GPS Navigation System guys) announced their Nuvifone, the natural evolution of their navigation system, featuring local based services way before any other device at the time. In addition it was possible to play mp3 audio and video files. By far the best of its class. The anticipated iPhone killer… So what happened?

If you have a smartphone, video is certainly nothing new. Most smartphones offer the possibility to play local video or over the internet. The promise of faster connections seems to be around the corner, but we know already than in places like Japan (the mobile test bed of the world) superfast connections have made possible TV Channels on the mobile phones. It is not surprise that advertisers are eager to recycle their Ad spots and get them mobile, but that is not the answer for a medium that is so personal, intimate, contextual and with a high level of expectancy of relevant content. We’ve learned our lessons from the internet and we know that the 30 sec spot will not work.

Click-to-Call or CTC is a model that started first on the internet and then evolved into a more literal use of its name, meaning click to make a call. While browsing the net on your mobile phone you can see how phone numbers are higlighted (like a link), upon clicking the number will be automatically dialed.

In february this year, the company Samsung Electronics unveiled in Korea the first solar powered full-touch screen phone called Blue Earth.

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