In the latest news story about Telstra holding off on launching mobile TV (DVB-H) Justin Milne, MD of Telstra Big Pond, says that DVB-H has a long way to go.
For an advanced first world country, gee, we are slipping behind. If I was to live in Moscow I would be able to choose from 11 mobile tv channels.
You have to wonder at what motivations might be at play to hold off on deploying broadcast to mobile. Could it be that this will distract the consumers from spending big dollars to access Foxtel’s content (part owned by Telstra) or to access the over-priced sports content that the telco has invested in?
Unless there is a compelling, on-going, low cost and easy to use video entertainment service offered on phones, then most consumers are not going to engage with their phones in the way that they are in other parts of the world where these services are available.
Following on from it’s successful inaugural event last year, Mobile Content Australia is back. Early bird discount is still available so be sure to visit their site to check out why it’s worth attending.
The Off-Deck Mobile Content 2007 conference shows the growing interest in getting content to consumers directly rather than via telco portals. As data rates in Australia are dropping there is likely to be more and more off-portal websites and an increasing focus on providing compelling experiences for mobile internet.
Despite some reluctance to get too excited about seeing the iPhone being held by the person next to me on the train anytime soon, I would like to publicly thank Apple for immeasurably helping the mobile media industry.
This nifty device with exceptional user experience will mean that the penny drops in the minds of many people who have not seen the future of mobile content and portable computing.
Although most of the features of the iPhone (gee, should we actually be calling it that given Cisco is now suing over trademark infringement) are available on most high end smart phones, Apple has just done it so much better. The incorporation of tools that exist on the desktop in addition to wi-fi connectivity will finally demonstrate that the device formerly known as the phone is really a miniature computer.
For media producers, who are floundering around trying to understand the dynamics of the phone, consumer behaviour and how to distribute effectively when the carriers are acting like gate-keepers instead of toll-ways, this will hopefully bring them to the sensibility that the phone is part of a cross-platform mix that they need to understand in order to make content that will find audiences in a fragmented media marketplace.
The price of the iPhone may be too high, the complexity of integrating with carriers around the world too difficult and the fact that battery life is way too low may all mean that the iPhone will struggle to dominate the phone marketplace as the ipod has in the music player category.
The good news is we are all watching closely, including the great masses of consumers who suddenly just got a whole lot more interested in what else their phone can do.
Having seen the exciting potential of the wireless broadband connected mobile, with the Nokia N80, and it’s exceptional web browsing experience, I am convinced we are only going to enjoy optimal ubiquitous connectivity once we are permanently on wi-fi and unshackled by the contraints of telco data charges.
I’ve also seen iMate and other super PDAs wirelessly connected and working with Skype. Great, but that’s not going to reach far beyond your business and tech savvy consumers.
I was, therefore, pleased to read about this new offering from Truphone. A service providing free and internet rate calls from your mobile.
Once again Nokia is the handset of choice for the application. It will be interesting to see if the service will reach beyond the symbian system, or if it just adds to the number of compelling reasons to go with a symbian smart phone.
If you’ve used the Truphone and have an opinion about it - good or bad - pleased leave a comment here for us to read.
Today I am speaking with Monte Silver, from BambooMC who have recently released Mobipod, a service that delivers podcasts directly to your mobile phone.
Monte explains how background downloads works, how the on-device client is initially loaded onto the phones, which handsets are suppported, memory management and what has been the response from telcos, users and podcasters.
Just got wind of a new mobile phone software offering Voip.
I am guessing you would want to be only using it with a wireless connection as the data rates are going to be formidable for using the operator service.
Please let me know if you’ve given this a try and if it works.
Marseille, 20th September 2006 - The IMGA, the international awards for mobile game developers, is calling on budding developers to get their original and innovative concepts in before 25th September in order to win a share of the $40,000 cash prize. The award categories include the Best Interactive Experience Award, the Best Use of Connectivity, the Excellence in 3D Award, the Most Innovative Game Award and the Best Use of Flash Award, with the overall winner of the IMGA Grand Prix winning $15,000 as well as the opportunity to distribute their game to the public.
While the IMGA is aimed at gaming studios, individual developers, students and researchers, there is an added incentive for students to enter this year. Alongside the Awards, there will be a parallel set of student awards, with categories reflecting the main awards. The overall Student Award prize consists of a trip to Barcelona plus attendance at the IMGA ceremony on 14th February 2007.
Entries can be made online via www.imgawards.com by providing a detailed overview of the project with visuals. Japanese and Korean developers can now enter the Awards via their own language section on the site.
“Entering is easy with the on-line judging form available at www.imgawards.com and it took me less then 30 minutes to enter my new game concept. My entry reflects my vision on the future of mobile games, so I hope the jury will appreciate that by nominating my game, “says Toni Doublet of Mobile Gaming company EXKEE and winner of the 2004 award.
Once the submissions are in, the international jury will carefully select the most appealing, original and creative ideas that are also technically feasible on 3rd October at the Belle de Mai Media Park in Marseille. With the help of the sponsors, the nominated entrants will work up a playable version before 26th January 2007, with the winners announced at a lavish ceremony at 3GSM in Barcelona in February next year.
The Mobile Media Show is an interview series discussing the latest trends in the emerging industry of content on mobile and wireless devices. The host, Keren Flavell, speaks with a range of guests from around the world who are pioneers, experts and observers of the new portable platforms.
