Challenges and opportunities in the Web 2.0, iPhone and Google era

Within a short timeframe, the iPhone series of devices has helped fuel mobile web adoption in North America and Europe unlike any device before. In the seven years prior to the launch, the paucity of user-friendly mobile web-focused devices proved a major obstacle to optimal growth in users and traffic.

Thanks to innovative multi-touch gesture user interfaces, faster processing and large screens, users are now more aware of the benefits of web access with mobility. The introduction of multi-touch user interfaces been pivotal in finally realising the possibility and benefit of mobile browsing to a wide audience, particularly in developed markets. Supported by increasing bandwidth in mobile networks, improved user experience has encouraged uptake, particularly as an extension of any given user's online desktop experience, evidenced by the widespread adoption of mobile versions of leading social networking sites. This is illustrated by Apple through the iPhone, whose users in the UK are five times more likely to browse the web than owners of other mobile phones.

The move triggered a wave of touch interface releases with large screens from rival device manufacturers. It is within this context that the development of mobile web browser technologies forms a crucial component, providing the platform which will help generate new revenue streams from advertising and content/application downloads, on top of subscriptions.

Given its evolutionary path in relation to advances in device and UI, the browser is increasingly assuming the ability to substitute many applications for a single platform. The browser can form a single stop for documents, audio and video, games, and navigational services with APIs leveraging each device's unique capabilities including GPS, accelerometers, cameras and so on.

Companies such as Google, Apple and Palm are harbouring ambitions to port the next stage in the internet roadmap, HTML 5, onto the mobile platform, possibly leading to video played within the mobile browser without the need for additional rich internet application (RIA) plugins such as Flash and Silverlight. The RIA framework developers themselves, such as Adobe and Microsoft, are working towards full desktop versions onto mobile handsets for 2010.

source: vgTelecoms

Orange launches music streaming on prepay

Mobile operator Orange UK looked to shake up the market on Wednesday with the launch of a free music streaming service for prepay users.

In partnership with Universal Music and UK TV station Channel 4, Orange’s ‘Monkey’ service gives customers free access to hundreds of thousands of songs streamed to any mobile handset.

Users, who are expected to fall into the 16-34 age bracket, will be able to create, listen to and share playlists via the platform.

But with only one label on board, the choice of music content will be somewhat limited.

Jonathan Arber, a senior research analyst at IDC, said that the move would be an attention grabber, especially in light of the success of services such as Spotify. But he also said the offering was “extremely limited” by its dependency on Universal, although Orange is attempting to differentiate with editorial content.

Mark Little, principal analyst at Ovum, says that Monkey is well positioned on basic low cost phones at a time when Spotify is targeting a slightly older, wealthier consumer. But again, Little believes that the offering might be limited in scope and will face competition from better stocked providers.

source: telecoms.com

Un proyecto de Cenatic suscita el interés de los fabricantes de telefonía móvil

Los principales fabricantes de telefonía móvil como Nokia, Blackberry, Limo, Symbian Foundation y HTC-Android, están interesados por el Visor de ODF para dispositivos móviles que está mostrando el Centro Nacional de Referencia de Aplicación de las TIC basadas en software de fuentes abiertas (Cenatic) en el 'Mobile World Congress'.

Esta es una de las ferias "más importantes" del mundo sobre telefonía móvil, y que reunirá en Barcelona a "más de 50.000 personas" interesadas en el mundo de la movilidad y la comunicación.

Así lo explicó el Cenatic, cuya sede se encuentra en la localidad extremeña de Almendralejo, en una nota de prensa en la que añadió que el Visor de ODF se ha desarrollado conjuntamente con las empresas 'Semarket' y 'Ready People', y con el apoyo de uno de sus patronos, 'Sun Microsystem'.

Según detalló el centro el Visor de ODF es una aplicación libre para móviles basada en J2ME que, instalada en cualquier teléfono móvil que cuente con dicha tecnología Java, permitirá leer documentos de texto, hojas de cálculo y presentaciones realizados bajo estándares abiertos.

Igualmente, indicó, que el Conseller de Governació de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Jordi Ausás i Coll, así como los directores generales de infraestructuras de telecomunicaciones y sociedad de la información, "también se interesaron" por este software para uso en las administraciones públicas.

Además, Cenatic en colaboración con CatPL y la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, llevarán a cabo en Barcelona los próximos días 5 y 6 de marzo, "sendos" cursos dirigidos a pymes y a desarrolladores, con la intención de que conozcan la aplicación, y puedan contribuir a "mejorar sus capacidades" y convertir esta aplicación libre en una "oportunidad de negocio si lo desean".

Estos cursos también podrían convertirse en un "punto de partida" para el desarrollo de una comunidad de desarrolladores y usuarios de aplicaciones móviles de código abierto.

Los cursos cuentan con la colaboración del Colegio Oficial de Ingeniería en Informática de Cataluña, la Asociación Catalana de Empresas por el Software Libre, y la Cátedra de Software Libre de la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña. Estos cursos serán impartidos por Semarket en la sede de la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña.

Fuente original: Europa Press @ http://www.hoy.es/20090219/mas-actualidad/tecnologia/proyecto-cenatic-suscita-interes-200902191729.html

Mobile World Congress 2009

Ready People has been invited by the Government of Catalonia to attend next Mobile World Congress, in the Innovation Zone.
Our company will be placed on the 7th Hall and our booth will be IZ22 (IZ22(7-0)). Use this official Interactive Map to search our placement by using the right side Exhibitor List.

Ready People is listed on the following categories: Content Management (Virtual Communities), Location Technologies and Services, Mobile 2.0, MObile Social Networking Equipment and Services, User-Generated Content.

The Congress

The GSMA Mobile World Congress (formerly 3GSM World Congress) combines the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry with a stimulating and insightful congress that brings together prominent leaders and personalities from mobile operators and equipment vendors, as well as Internet and entertainment professionals.

The Mobile World Congress presents a myriad of opportunities for mobile professionals and innovators from operators, value-added service providers, and equipment and device manufacturers from around the world. The Mobile World Congress provides the ideal personal experience and environment for networking with a select circle of mobile professionals who can positively impact your business.
This year is expected to attract approximately 50,000 attendees, so don’t miss this unrivalled opportunity to conduct business, discuss the hottest trends in mobile communications, and help define the industry’s path to continued growth.

The Innovation Market Place

Turning ideas into reality is what innovation is all about -- even better when these innovations will shape the mobile industry. That’s why the GSM Association (GSMA) created the Mobile Innovation Market.
Bringing together the mobile industry’s top innovators, investors, operators and key suppliers from all over the world, the Market is designed to identify the industry’s top priorities for new products and services, elevate the best-in-class innovations that are building them, and facilitate dialogue with potential interested customers or investors.

W3C Workshop on the Future of Social Networking

W3C is organizing a Workshop hosted by Ready People and UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) on the Future of Social Networking, with a high level goal of bringing together the world experts on social networking design, management and operation in a neutral and objective environment where the social networking history to date can be examined and discussed, the risks and opportunities analyzed and the state of affairs accurately portrayed. Based on the facts and a consensus-based industry landscape, plans for the future can be made by the industry participants.This is a gathering of mobile network operators, architects, designers, managers, operators and philosophers of communities who understand and want to work to solve the issues facing the progress of social media and social networking with an emphasis on mobile platforms with and without PC accessible destinations.

Background

Social networks are increasingly going to appeal to people who are on the go. Whether using the mobile Web or handset applications, many "made-for-mobile" communities have a web presence available on PC; conversely on-line communities must offer their participants mobile access when the participant is without their PC and when social media is captured on the mobile device.

Social networking is a complex, large and rapidly expanding sector of the information economy. The impacts of emerging social networking tools will be far-reaching. For example, user-generated content is causing changes in the traditional content/media industry structure. In the future, community features could be an integral part of all digital (Web and other) experiences — from information/publishing to business and entertainment.

Companies providing services for social media and social networking, or adding social networking features to existing services, must anticipate and begin working to resolve barriers to industry growth and stability. W3C believes there needs to be a time and place where the various actors of this industry can gather and discuss the challenges they'll need to face together to allow for healthy market expansion in the future. See our analysis of why now is the right time for this workshop.

Workshop URI
http://www.w3.org/2008/09/msnws/
Agenda URI (15-16 January 2009, Barcelona)
http://www.w3.org/2008/09/msnws/agenda.html
Venue URI
http://www.w3.org/2008/09/msnws/venue.html
Papers URI
http://www.w3.org/2008/09/msnws/papers/

To reach the campus:

• Underground (Metro), green line (number 3), stop: "Palau Reial"
• bus 54, 33 or 213
• Taxi: street Dulcet, 3 (Barcelona, Spain, in googlemaps), by street Sor Eulalia d'Anzizu

There will be arrows from the street to the right entrance to the building and the conference room.

Should you have any problem, please contact the host of our workshop, Marcel Medina Juventeny at <m.medina@readypeople.com> or at +34 664 209 208 (mobile phone).

BDigital Global Congress: la web 3.0 semántica

"Toca cambio de dígito y no por antojo del paso del tiempo o porque al 2.0 le siga de forma correlativa el 3.0: hay evidencias de que se está construyendo una nueva forma de entender y consumir Internet. Durante más de una hora, Steve Bratt, CEO del consorcio internacional que produce estándares para la World Wide Web (W3C) y mano derecha de Tim Berners-Lee, creador de la web, ha intentado explicar la web que viene. Aquella que es inteligente, que entiende y relaciona lo que el usuario busca -semántica-, aquella que se puede transportar en la palma de la mano porque es móvil, aquella que es capaz de programar el horno de casa minutos antes de llegar... en definitiva la Web 3.0."

Fuente y extensión del Artículo: sociedaddelainformacion.telefonica.es 
Presentación, audio y vídeo de la ponencia original en diferido: www.bdigitalglobalcongress.net
La introducción del moderador, Pablo Priesca (Director de CTIC), es en Español mientras que la ponencia es en inglés, con aproximadamente una hora de duración.
Recent Media de Steve Bratt (Otras fuentes recientes)