Mobileslate

Video: Handset Forum USA – Motorola

Why is Software Flexibility so Vital to the Development of Forthcoming Handset Devices?
Asokan Thiyagarajan, Technology Evangelist, Motorola

Video: Handset Forum USA – Morgan Gillis, LiMo Foundation

Morgan Gillis, Executive Director, LiMo Foundation

Apple iPhone Error: 0xE8000002E, Any Resolutions?

So I have looked at quick a few newsgroups and sites about this error, but there does not seem to have any distinct answers to resolve this issue. Maybe it will be fixed in the upcoming 2.2 release? I am also still having problems with the email when it tries to check for new mail, but never completes the Send/Receive procedure, and never get a Time Out or Error Message pop up. One thing that I have learned; I don’t need to reset the Network Settings each time to correct the problem; I can simply restart the iPhone and it fixes the problem.

If any finds a resolution to either of my problems, please let me know!

Motorola Update To Developers from Christy Wyatt

Just received. A letter from Christy Wyatt regarding the big updates and changes regarding Motorola. It summarizes in a short 1-page letter what changes are happening at Motorola.

A summary of the current plans that we have recently disclosed to the industry:

• The future of the mobile device industry is really about the Mobile Internet and delivering personal experiences and we believe that Linux/Android and Microsoft OS will be the key enabling platforms for the longer term
• We will continue to leverage P2K feature rich carrier branded services in our low-to-mid tier product portfolio
• As a pioneer of Mobile Linux, Motorola has been a leader in the development in distribution of mobile Linux handsets. We remain committed to Mobile Linux and have more LiMo compliant phones shipping this year. We are increasingly excited about an Ecosystem that is evolving within Mobile Linux with the entry of Android and we are looking forward to continuing our work within the Mobile Linux community.
• The maturity and robustness of the Microsoft Windows Mobile platform, coupled with their growing ecosystem of partners will enable us to target the high-end professional product category.
• We plan to cancel Symbian UIQ products currently in development in the near term. These changes will bring greater focus to our 2009 portfolio, necessary to ensure our teams and resources are aligned to our top strategic priorities.

The full letter can found here: Motorola Letter to Partners from Christy Wyatt (pdf)

iPhone WordPress Tools

It’s a sign of the times that more people are looking at this blog on an iPhone. A recent examination on the traffic statistics for mobileslate.com, I have noticed that almost 6% of the traffic is coming from the Safari browser. While you might argue that a portion of this is probably from a Mac, I do feel that delivering a good user experience should be made possible for my readers. Back in January, I added the WP-Mobile plugin to support people using mobile devices to access things like my Mobile World Congress and CTIA party lists.

To further advance my blog, I have added the WP-Touch plugin. For those who are also bloggers, it can support WP-Cache and during the initial install there was some conflicts with WP-Mobile, I believe I have resolved that as well. In the WP-Mobile Plugin Settings, there is an iPhone setting, Treat iPhone as a “PC” and the WP-Touch plugin will take over.

Next, since I am blogging a lot more than when I first started, I have also downloaded the WordPress for iPhone application. It’s easy to use and one of the most handy features is the fact that it can save “Local Drafts” to my iPhone. This is very useful when I am using public transportation or on an airplane and out of band. When I am back in coverage, I can publish or upload the draft to my site, then when I get back to my PC, I can make all the final formatting and links.

Interview: Julie Palen, CEO of Internoded

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Julie Palen, CEO of Internoded about her views on Mobile Device Management.

What does Internoded do?

InterNoded provides the Global 2000 with the industry’s only self-service mobile device and application management solution supporting multiple mobile platforms and optimized for high performance and reliability. InterNoded’s product, InterNoded Mobile Device Manager (IMDM), is based on fifteen years of experience managing complex corporate email and wireless hosting environments.

InterNoded’s customers include Coca-Cola, Deutsche Bank, A.G. Edwards, and Bearing Point. The unique combination of a self-service end-user portal, multi-platform, multi-server management, wireless and middleware server optimization, and mobile application management capabilities make it the leading mobile device manager for the full lifecycle of mobile devices.

Source: Internoded

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Four Earthquakes in Mobile

Jeff Balk, Principal at ICT168 Capital lead off the morning on the first day of the Handset Forum USA 2008 in foggy San Diego. His comments about the Four Earthquakes in Mobile was interesting commentary.

iPhone. The initial problem about closed operators, walled gardens for content creates slower innovation in mobile. Venture Capitalist talk about “If Only Mobile Operators would…” The iPhone took a different approach and really opened up the ability for innovation and application developers.
Google Android. A more open approach which included the Operating System. It’s not quite there in terms because building mobile is really hard. It’s not that simple to get a bunch of Web 2.0 developers to simple rejigger their application or service for mobile. The other problem with this model is that there is a lack of optimization with respect to the device in terms of effect of battery life, subscribers who do not have an unmetered data plan, and much to the dismay of a mobile operators, a disclaimer that “running this application may effect call completion.” Good first try, but make sure you keep working at it for the long term.
WiMax Ecosystem. Now that it’s live, this can potentially stir innovation as well as get competitors to get more aggressive about rolling out LTE, HSUPA, and 4G networks. Dedicated spectrum, potentially lucrative pricing models and more devices with it built-in, lots of promise to execute on the hype.
Current Credit Crisis. We are currently in a “low income elasticity” which means that people are evaluating what they should spend their monthly budget on and the phone is winning in terms of being kept. Where the difficulty is coming from is the “high demand elasticity” when it comes to mobile services. Perhaps if mobile operators can take lower profit from data services, more people might use them.

Attending the Handset Forum US…

Attending the Handset Forum USA in San Diego.

Too Much Connectivity?

Click to enlarge

Source: Wired Magazine

Is there such thing as too much connectivity? This photo taken from the January 2008 (16.01) Wired Magazine; Artifacts from the Future, by Chris Baker.

And I thought that hands free bluetooth in my car connecting to my mobile phone was enough! What do you think about this?

Under the Radar Mobility Event – The Place to Be Heard

Many thanks to Rudy De Waele and his contest for Free Tickets. What is the event? Here’s a short description:

Under the Radar: Mobility is a one-day conference uncovering 32 vetted, test-driven startups that have launched within the year in categories such as iPhone apps, location-based services, gaming, social networking, enabling technologies, and marketing/advertising.

It’s a great event to see what’s hot and where is mobile heading. Below is a list of companies that will be presenting.

	Apisphere LBS platform for mobile apps (SaaS)
	Avot Media Mobile video transcoding and streaming platform
	Bambuser Live broadcasting from mobile phones and webcams
	Billing Revolution All-in-one solution to mobile commerce, from processing to CRM
	DialPlus The ultimate smartphone: view relevant, context-sensitive info during and after a call
	Goojet Widgetized browsing: personalized content delivery
	Instinctiv Changing the way consumers experience their entertainment
	Mob4Hire A developer’s dream: crowdsourced mobile app testing
	MoFuse The ability to launch and manage mobile sites in seconds
	Mojiva The mobile ad toolkit: create and deliver location-based hyper-targeted mobile ads
	My6Sense Lifestreaming with intelligence: bringing you the content and contacts that matter most to you
	MyBooo Solves the problem of digital data spreading for people who work on several devices like laptop, office PC, mini-PC or smartphone
	Palringo Rich messaging across all IM services
	PhoneTopp Hyper-charged platform for mobilizing business apps
	PixelPipe Get your content out to your favorite social network, photo/video and blog service
	Skout Location-based social network
	Smule Develops interactive sonic media applications for the iPhone
	Soocial Works behind the scenes: sync your contacts
	Torch Mobile, Inc Innovative software applications and services for mobile and embedded devices.
	Toro Near field communication applications
	Vuclip Mobile video search and delivery

Red Pocket Mobile

So I have a visitor staying with me for a little while and was looking to get a cheap, inexpensive cell phone service. The prepaid option seemed to fit the bill, so I started looking into all the choices. Of all the ones out there that made sense, Red Pocket Mobile seemed to fit the bill. Some of the requirements that Red Pocket has are the ability to send and receive SMS in Chinese and have the option of directly calling China without using a calling card access number or needing to remember PIN codes. Last but not least, the phone had the Chinese language software to both support menus and PinYin character input.

After placing my order online, the package came in a few days. Inside was an oversized red envelope (hong bao, in Mandarin) with gold lettering similar to what Chinese people give to each other during Chinese New Year or on special occasions.

Once I opened the envelope, basically two things were contained inside: A simple customer support card and the SIM card. Simple, Quick, Easy. If I need to charge my minutes, I can go online, charge my credit card in exchange for a redemption code I can input on my phone.

Google G1 Android phone

So Wednesday morning on the 22nd, I was thinking about waiting in line at a T-Mobile store to pick up the new Google G1. But after my experience with getting my hands on the Apple 3G on opening day, I decided to wait.

Around midday, I called the closest T-Mobile and asked if there were any left. “Nope. All 60 devices that we got are all sold out. We will get a new supply in about a week.” When asked about a waiting list, the answer was, “first come, first serve.”

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Obama on My iPhone

Two Hot Keywords lately: Obama, iPhone. It’s finally in one place. Well, I first downloaded the Obama application for iPhone a few weeks ago, but so much has been going on, I did not get a chance to check it out, before version 1.1 was released. I finally got some time to check it out. It should really be called the Obama Device Portal for iPhone (ODP).

First off, it’s great to see non-Tech folks embrace technology, particularly mobile technology. An earlier post I wrote a few months back, talked about how the Obama campaign has been really at the forefront when it came to utilizing the mobile channel as a way to keep his constituents abreast of the latest news and happenings in your local area. Even the VP selection used SMS to let people know garnered a lot of attention (even though the implementation failed to deliver). The interface is “dare I say, similar to an On Device Portal” since everything Obama is right at your fingertips. I am amazed how well integrated the application is to the other parts of the device as well as utilizing all the features of the phone.

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Works! Now back to blogging.

Works! Now back to blogging.

Testing Twitter Tools

Testing Twitter Tools

How To Unlock Motorola W450 (ACTV)

Here’s how to unlock the Motorola W450 (ACTV) from T-Mobile:

• Place a non-T Mobile SIM card into the handset and turn the handset on.
• The handset display should read “Enter Special Code”
• Enter the unlock code* (an 8 digit number) and press “OK”.
• After entering the unlock code, a message saying “Network Lock Deactivated.”

*The 8 digit code can be obtained by calling T-Mobile Technical Support and given the representative the IMEI number. In exchange they will give you the Subsidy Unlock Code.

To obtain the IMEI number press *#06# on your mobile device.

Comverse Moves Into Advertising

In a recent briefing with Reuben Braham, AVP Marketing and Business Development for the Mobile Ad Product Unit, we talked about the current state of mobile advertising and how Comverse is addressing this burgeoning space. According to Strategic Analytics, $1.5B USD is what advertisers currently spend annually on mobile media. Launched earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, Mobile Advertising has certainly garnered a lot of attention.

Comverse’s MobileAd solution enables operators to provide highly relevant advertising to targeted subscriber segments through all channels, such as Mobile Web banners, SMS and MMS messages, ringback tones and visual voicemail. MobileAd delivers the right advertisement to the right person at the right time via the right mobile channel, maximizing advertising effectiveness and click-through rates. Advertisers gain better return of investment on their advertising dollar.

Quick integration with messaging and content value-added services enables operators to generate advertising revenues from their existing mobile value-added services.
MobileAd handles the full advertising lifecycle, including ad injection, campaign management, targeting and reporting.

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Mobile Money

Recently, I went to the Annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival and needed to get some cash to pay for food and knickknacks. Bank of America rolled out an RV ATM on wheels. (Click on photo to enlarge). Makes those Brinks armored trucks look so antiquated!

How to Unlock Samsung SGH-D407

On the AT&T Network, to unlock the Samsung SGH-D407:

• Power on without SIM
• Type in #7465625*638*Unlock code# (8 digit unlock code*)
• Device should say: “Network Lock Deactivated”
• Phone may automatically reboot

*The 8 digit code can be obtained by calling AT&T Technical Support and given the representative the IMEI number. In exchange they will give you the Subsidy Unlock Code.

To obtain the IMEI number press *#06# on your mobile device.

How to Unlock Samsung SGH-A837 (Rugby)

On the AT&T Network, to unlock the Samsung SGH-A837 (Rugby):

• Power on without SIM
• Type in #7465625*638*Unlock code# (8 digit unlock code*)
• Device should say: “Network Lock Deactivated”
• Phone may automatically reboot

*The 8 digit code can be obtained by calling AT&T Technical Support and given the representative the IMEI number. In exchange they will give you the Subsidy Unlock Code.

To obtain the IMEI number press *#06# on your mobile device.

How to Unlock Samsung SGH-A237

On the AT&T Network, to unlock the Samsung SGH-A237:

• Power on without SIM
• Type in #7465625*638*Unlock code# (8 digit unlock code*)
• Device should say: “Network Lock Deactivated”
• Phone may automatically reboot

*The 8 digit code can be obtained by calling AT&T Technical Support and given the representative the IMEI number. In exchange they will give you the Subsidy Unlock Code.

To obtain the IMEI number press *#06# on your mobile device.

How To Unlock SonyEricsson TM506

Before starting the instructions, make sure the MyFaves option and the Navigation shortcuts are turned off. Here are instructions to unlock the SonyEricsson TM506 from T-Mobile:

• Insert a T-Mobile SIM into the device.
• From the main screen, press the Navigation key left.
• Press the Star * key.
• Press the Star * key again.
• Press the Navigation key left.
• The handset displays Network Locked.
• Select OK.
• Enter the 16 digit SIM subsidy unlock code.
• Select OK.

If successful, the handset displays Network Unlocked.

*The 16 digit code can be obtained by calling T-Mobile Technical Support and given the representative the IMEI number. In exchange they will give you the Subsidy Unlock Code.

To obtain the IMEI number press *#06# on your mobile device.

How to Unlock Samsung SGH-A117

On the AT&T Network, to unlock the Samsung SGH-A117:

• Power on without SIM
• Type in #7465625*638*Unlock code# (8 digit unlock code*)
• Device should say: “Network Lock Deactivated”
• Phone may automatically reboot

*The 8 digit code can be obtained by calling AT&T Technical Support and given the representative the IMEI number. In exchange they will give you the Subsidy Unlock Code.

To obtain the IMEI number press *#06# on your mobile device.

How to Unlock Samsung SGH-A127 UPDATED

This post has been updated.

On the AT&T Network, to unlock the Samsung SGH-A127:

• Power on without SIM
• #0111*unlock code # (unlock code = 8 digit number)
• Device should say: Personalization Cancelled
• Type in #7465625*638*Unlock code# (8 digit unlock code*)
• Device should say: “Network Lock Deactivated”
• Phone may automatically reboot

*The 8 digit code can be obtained by calling AT&T Technical Support and given the representative the IMEI number. In exchange they will give you the Subsidy Unlock Code.

To obtain the IMEI number press *#06# on your mobile device.

How to Unlock Samsung SGH-A717

On the AT&T Network, to unlock the Samsung SGH-A717:

• Power on without SIM
• Type in #7465625*638*Unlock code# (8 digit unlock code*)
• Device should say: “Network Lock Deactivated”
• Phone may automatically reboot

*The 8 digit code can be obtained by calling AT&T Technical Support and given the representative the IMEI number. In exchange they will give you the Subsidy Unlock Code.

To obtain the IMEI number press *#06# on your mobile device.