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3 Australia To Launch Facebook Phone next week

Ben Green — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:33:08 +0000

The ultimate goal for these cheaper 3G smartphones is to drive more consumers to use mobile data, or a INQ Mobile CEO Frank Meehan told Unstrung, “You need to drive data usage higher right across all the handset segments. You want the majority of customers, not the top-end of the community that rules strategy at the moment.”

Three already try to drive more data usage through promotion of Facebook Mobile on their website.

INQ’s client-based Facebook app will always be on in the background, which means owners of the phone will get instant notice when friends update their profile, or as Meehan says, Facebook becomes like SMS.

This is what it looks like (nice wallpaper, dudes):

Flickr: Lessons Learned while Building an iPhone Site

Ben Green — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:24:01 +0000

Point 3 – “Donâ€™t Build for Just One Device”. For me, this is a real indication of progress, because the whole mobile web game to date has been massive effort to support multipe devices.

Luckily the current generation of high-end mobile browsers is excellent in terms of support for modern features. Many phones use a WebKit derivative, including the iPhone, and Symbian and Android phones. Other phones either come with or can use Opera Mobile or the new mobile version of Firefox (called Fennec). For the most part, very few changes are needed in order to support these browsers.

Code.Flickr article

Android’s Epic Bug

Ben Green — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:56:02 +0000

From Engadget, news of an “epic” bug in Android:

It turns out that G1 firmware revisions RC29 and earlier literally interpret everything you type as command-line operations, so if you happen across a legit command, it’s going to get executed — with superuser permissions, no less. No, seriously. Just go to the messaging app, the browser, or anywhere else a text box is convenient, type “reboot,” press the enter key, and watch magic happen.

Epic Android bug interprets your typing as system commands

‘Kandroid’ coming Down Under!

Ben Green — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:11:39 +0000

But really, it’s gotta be K-Tel doesn’t it?

Kogan Android phone by Christmas

It’s like the internet(s) in your pocket(s)

Ben Green — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:23:22 +0000

From Engadget, the solution to those gnarly hardware performance issues for convergent devices that have to have e-verything – break it up.

It almost seems like a good idea, in that you can custom your phone to focus on what you’re interested in – like web browsing / email. But if you’re interested in more than one thing, then this commenter probably has a point:

Does it come with a cool fanny pack to haul all those modules around? Not practical.

Ouch.

src. Mystery Verizon phone features 3-inch touchscreen, attachable function modules

A good visual example of the improved mobile experience the iPhone offers

Ben Green — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 04:07:32 +0000

Wesabe have a helpful page that shows some key interactions from the mobile and iPhone services. This is demonstrated by a short description accompanying a screenshot from an iPhone and a Motorola Razr (early version methinks).

The Motorola has a pretty ordinary web experience, so it’s not the strongest contender the regular mobile device world could have offered up in this unintentional side-by-side, but the improvements apparent in the screenshots probably have pretty wide application across smartphones.

The iPhone layout is consistent and logical, it’s seems easier to know where you are, what actions are available and what information is available. The Motorola squanders alot of screenspace on browser info and soft key labels and there appears to scrolling for all but the most basic of screens.

The difference in the readability of text is remarkable, and the form buttons look like buttons, and so benefit from people not having to learn a visual language different to large-screen web conventions.

And at a glance you’d surmise that the above would mean the propensity for errors – be it entering your password, or adding a transaction, or navigating to the page you need – would be lower for the iPhone. If you were thinking about where to devote your energies in mobile web platforms, getting a sense of the difference in experiences is really useful alongside knowing your audience and what they like.

Wesabe Mobile

The future of mobile – it ain’t all that flash

Ben Green — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:37:18 +0000

If you come to this event expecting to hear anything about mobile Flash I don’t think we have very much about it. Not that it’s not a technology that’s in play, but it’s just not something – it’s not open. It doesn’t allow development of services very easily. It’s not in deployment by individuals or by users.

Daniel Applequist (Senior Technology Strategist at Vodafone Group & key W3C MWBP guy) talks to Tim O’Brien of O’Reilly about a mobile 2.0 conference he’s holding on November 3.

The mobile web is where it’s at:

Time and again I’ve heard from start-ups, that have started off trying to write a Java app, or something like that, that they abandoned that and when they went to mobile web they found that they immediately had way more customers.

Gmail mobile client gets offline support

Ben Green — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:31:19 +0000

A 2.0 release that includes offline support for J2ME and Blackberry.

Includes email account switching between Gmail and Google Apps accounts.

Introducing Gmail for mobile 2.0

Mobacut- instant webclips to phone

Ben Green — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:55:07 +0000

Via @jaketracey

Prada Mach II

Ben Green — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:25:30 +0000

Almost identical to the highly successful original, the new telephone has a hidden secret. In one smooth movement the ultra-thin keyboard slides from under the handset. As serenely as it appears it slides invisibly, effortlessly away – a modern icon of mobile style and design with an extra competitive edge.

Looks a little old-school HTC to me – i wonder what prompted the qwerty – maybe trying to get Blackberry users to defect?

LG press release