Posted by Tattletech on Feb 20, 2011 in
3GSM,
Conferences,
MWC,
New things,
Renewable energies 
Sure. The show was massive, 50,000 phone nerds roaming around. It had all the things you have come to expect from Mobile World Congress – daytime cocktail receptions, night time cocktail receptions, late night parties and generally more networking than ever before. The biggest talking points of MWC 2011 was which parties were where and when, and all the muggings that took place nightly.
We decided to do a quick wrap up on what we think should have been addressed better at MWC along side the over-present and over-covered Android news. Here are our highlights from what we hope will be the last MWC in Barcelona, ever:
- Femto cells make it back into the limelight. Not sure why this isn’t bigger news, but in the end it should be. Network Norway, Orange and A T &T are high on them with research and roll=out plans underway, but Germany’s T-Mobile remains ambivalent.
- Portable fuel cell chargers from MyFc. Last year, MyFC was in attendance in the Swedish Pavilion to talk about their fuel cells for mobile devices and other consumer electronic devices. This year, they have a commercial product, PowerTrekk, that is ready for the market which is great news for the growing clean tech and renewable energy movement within the mobile market.
- According to their charismatic CEO, Björn Westerholm, he claims that PowerTrekk has a competitive edge over traditional portable chargers because fuel cell power is charging and generated immediately and isn’t impacted by weather or the position of the sun like it is for solar panels. Compared to battery powered travel chargers, PowerTrekk offers reliable charging as the fuel packs do not deplete as batteries do.
- Even though MyFC is way out in front here, there are others. Signa Chemistry says it has created a special fuel for mobile chargers that’s made out of sodium and silicon. Anyway you slice it, the industry should be looking to renewable energies to power these devices rather than continue down the path of resource consumption and waste.
- Mobile Health - this was in a small Pavilion in Hall 7 which was almost totally overlooked. A shame really because mobile health is going to be one of the ways that we use our phones to enhance our lives.
- Companies such as AlcoSystems, have created a mobile device-connected alcometer that measures alcohol content to enable people to keep a balance between an active life and alcohol consumption. They are using BlueTooth to connect the device to your mobile, which in our opinion is the best use of BlueTooth over social interaction.
- One rather overlooked piece of news from MWC was Vodafone’s announcement about its alliance with the UN & the mHealth Alliance on a new initiative will assess potential ways of connecting indigenous communities in remote areas of Brazil with health information, such as vaccination scheduling and maternal health guidelines.
- NFC (Near Field Communication) phones – for regular people this means secure mobile payments using your smartphone. Pretty much every device and operator claim they are on it — Blackberry, Orange, LG, etc., and I guess this means that finally there is some consumer trust or that we are all just getting lazier and lazier or maybe we just want things to be a bit easier with the chores in our lives and mobile payments via our phones just make life a little bit simpler. And, on that note, here is a list of all NFC phones you can buy today.
- Barcelona is not a good city for MWC anymore — just about everyone we know got mugged or had an attempted mugging. Move the show to a city where you feel safe walking around at 23:30 and for Barcelona that is not even late. Please move the show GSMA.
- Waterproof. How come it has taken this long to come up with this? Very cool stuff, let’s get this waterproof party started. Krussell had a waterproof phone case, Fujitisu has waterproof technology it can put into smartphones, hurry up please.
- Mobile behind the scenes just got sexy. Ok follow me here. Traffic goes up as more and more folks (like billions) use mobile networks and the cost goes up for mobile operators. They gotta keep up with the demand but they also need to make money. Simple. Two companies, from Sweden, are addressing these issues, Teligent and Birdstep. Teligent says it wants to “move the power” to the subscriber so that mobile operators can boost their revenues and do away with that pesky churn (if someone can resolve churn, there would be nothing to write about). Birdstep is focused on data off load and maximizing the switch between 3G and wifi networks. They have a unique approach via EasyConnect 3.1 for operators and by also offering consumers a widget/app-like view to monitor their usage.
- The country Pavilions are massively under reported. I mean if you want to see innovation at a uh, glocal level..then you should be watching what goes on in those pavilions – Spain, Germany, Ireland, Sweden (28 exhibiting companies ranging from mHealth to LTE to renewable energy and infrastructure), Israeli – amazing stuff and most of those companies in the Pavilions have partnerships with big operators or device guys that enable them to roll out their products and services. Don’t over look the small guys, there is a lot going on in those Pavilions.
- Mobile marketing. The coolest mobile marketing company at the show was not at the show but was roaming around the show – aFrogleap out of the Netherlands. Even though their website is in Dutch (it should also be in English), the team there is doing some innovative things in terms of concept and development for mobile web and applications. The company was founded by Naos Wilbrink and Bart Fussell who have an uncanny vision for the future of mobile and web apps and are creating some interesting apps for the big boys like CapGemini and ABN Ambro. You can follow them both on Twitter: Naos @Sprize and Bart @bartfuzzle.
– JH
Tags: afrogleap, Alcosystems, Android, Bart Fussel, Birdstep, Bjorn Westerholm, Bluetooth, Easy Connect, Fuel cell, fuel cells, Fujitisu, Glocal, Hydrogen, Krussell, mobile marketing, Mobile World Congress, MyFC, Naos Wilbrink, Near Field Communication, Network Norway, PowerTrekk, Signa Chemistry, Sweden Pavilion, Swedish Pavilion, Swedish Trade Council, T-Mobile, Teligent, vodafone, Waterrpoof
Posted by Tattletech on Mar 31, 2009 in
3GSM,
Cool stuff,
Mobile World Congress,
Technology
- Option
We briefly mentioned Option right after MWC in Barcelona. So we finally got a chance to invite Option’s Jan Poté to our Hot Seat:
Tattletech: Option must be around for a while (either that, or you had to pay a substantial sum to own the www.option.com domain) Can you tell us a little bit about how the company started?
The company was started in 1986, and has indeed owned that URL since the ‘90s. The vision was to make products enabling “anytime, anywhere easy access to information”. Today, that vision is still the basic philosophy by which we design and develop products.
We started with designing full-size and half-size PC modem cards for laptops (Toshiba, IBM etc.) – still with a fixed line. Later on we developed the first completely wireless (cellular) PCMCIA data card. It is with that data card – together with a massive marketing campaign from Vodafone in Europe – that we ‘created’ the market for data cards.
In total we have come up with about 22 world firsts in cellular data (the first 3G data card, the first data card combining cellular with wifi, the smallest wireless module on the planet for Intel platforms, etc.). Now we have about 110 customers, including Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange, AT&T, and Telefonica.
TT: You recently launched Ucan – a virtual ‘PC on a stick’ – How does Ucan make our lives easier? At least our digital lives?
It makes our lives easier because you can take with you (in your pocket) all your applications, all your data, all your favorite websites and much more in a device that also lets you connect to the internet via 3G and 3G+ (HSPA). With this ‘PC on a stick’ you don’t need to worry anymore about whether or not you have your PC with you (netbook, notebook, or big laptop) – you just plug it into any USB port of any computer and it automatically creates your own personal digital environment.
TT:How do you ensure user privacy? What happens if I use Ucan on a public computer, open documents etc? Can anyone logging in after me see my stuff?
Not at all… and that is another beauty of this product. When you stop working and take the USB device out of the computer, it leaves no trace at all on the host machine. It is as you where never there, never used it. Yet, everything you changed or added is saved on your USB device.
TT: How is your product different from others already available on the market?
There is no other product on the market that does exactly what uCAN does. You have the simple 3G USB devices (which enable you to connect to the Internet) and you have USB devices with applications on them, offering no Internet connectivity. The latter type of device is similar to uCAN, but works by automatically installing all its software on the host device – it will even require you to have the necessary access and permissions for the host PC.
TT: So, do you really see a future where business people walk around NOT carrying a laptop?
We do see a future where some business people and consumers will walk around with all of their digital information without a laptop. Having said this, it is also true that it is a matter of ‘customer convenience,’ meaning that not all business users or consumers will prefer to walk around like this. However, as with all advancements in technology, there’s no telling how quickly something like this could become the norm. Would we ever have thought that some of us would go running around with 10,000 songs around their neck? Yet, it happened. Additionally, the type of software/applications that can be installed on the USB device can vary widely according to the needs of the customer (e.g. a USB device for the banking industry would have different software than a USB device targeted at the ‘gaming community’). So yes, we see a very bright future for this type of product – we call it ‘Internet in your pocket.’
-SM
Tags: MWC, Tattletech Hot Seat, Technology
Posted by Tattletech on Mar 3, 2009 in
3GSM,
Cool stuff Another cool company we met at MWC in Barcelona, Option (www.option.com <http://www.option.com> ), presented us with a virtual ‘PC on a stick’ – an effective way to carry your computer preferences, software and all associated configuration data with you at all times on a USB stick called Ucan.
Ucan uses any PC as a host to easily access all your applications, files and content, as well as connecting to the internet.
Option tells us that for operators, this presents an opportunity to generate new revenue streams and deliver new innovative services to customers, as well as a chance to create market differentiation. For us consumers, this is an opportunity to embrace the true potential of a personalized and portable, ‘Internet on the Go’ 3G experience.
-SM
Posted by inkgirls on Feb 1, 2008 in
3GSM,
Conferences,
Mobile,
Mobile World Congress This year we have one smart and extremely funny ink gal on site at Mobile World Congress to report on all the absurdities of the Congress. Including whether or not the name Mobile World Congress actually sticks. Alex Crabb will be reporting on everything – from the buzz in all the halls including the ones located in the outer orbits of the show and whether or not there are more topless girls this year or last. But she will also be pointing out what good technology was missed or outshadowed by all the big brands. And if we are lucky- we will have our 2nd annual best looking tech men at Mobile World Congress. Stay tuned.
Posted by inkgirls on Jan 25, 2008 in
3GSM It’s cold outside and we are busy – which means 3GSM now stupidly named Mobile World Congress, is on its way. This year, we are very curious as to how the show will run – like an ant hill that was stepped on or like a show that you actally get something out of – oh say, like a new idea versus a bad hangover for 5 days. We bet the latter, but hey, there is always hope.
Posted by inkgirls on Feb 15, 2007 in
3GSM,
Mobile,
New things,
What makes good news Well its finally over… GSM. We are currently in Day 4, the end of the road and for us and this show has been about an overwhelming desire to flee. This show has gotten so big and so vast that its hard to really make out what its all about anymore. We are not even going to address all the other nightmares of the Fira and its inability to be nice to exhibitors or provide the barest of service ( you can´t get wifi at this show, well you can but it cost 75 euros an hour)
It is the battle of the handsets in Hall 2 where you have the likes of Alcatel-Lucent with four (count em, 4) stands. There is the Nokia/Siemens crossroads and of course the ever popular stands with private rooms with armed guards standing outside – we wonder if people really want to steal those devices not even knowing if their operator will support them. The RIM stand looked like a set from the Matrix with big white upside down looking lamp shades spewing out Blackberrys at the end of metal rods, it was very cool, but sort of scary too. What we loved about the RIM stand was all of its partners – we liked the way you could actually see the guys who make your life better on the BB – our personal favorite was Ring2.com -which turns your BB into a audio conferencing god – control, manage and create con calls via your BB – pure brilliance. And for folks like us who are on the road spread around the world, this reduces many points of pain. Look for them or check them out at www.ring2.com.
The underdogs as usual, never get the attention and as the show grows into a grotesque circus – half pipe with mountain bike boys, half naked yellow painted goth ladies and scantily clad multi’colored dancers , it is apparent that GSM has lost its way. There was one stand that publicized the fact that their next ¨showing¨ for dancing was every 2 hours – not their next demo, but the next show of dancers!
The most interseting Hall was Hall 7- tucked across a road accesable via a foot bridge, past a vast courtyard and beguiling fountain up a user control escalator, you found the content Hall – the real heart of all the commotion of mobile TV or anything mobile. What will users actually watch, want to watch or how will that content be rendered. Yahoo grounded the Hall but it was by far the feature … companies like ZYB (bringing your mobile data online and using it the way you want to), Vzirt (an IBC favorite, real time 2D & 3D broadcast graphics), Media Excel (real time digital video encoding and streaming) brought intersting topics to light.
Another favorite, although not exhibiting but making its rounds was Kimia – a spanish start up that channels internet content to mobile (www.kimia.es) We love this company and were entranced by their proposition. Last we don´t think that would be a good summary if we didn´t mention Icareus – this company we ran in to at TVoDSL in Paris recently and again on one of the Alcate-Lucent stands and were thrilled to see them here. A Finish start up with serious brain power. Icareus is a an iTV that focuses on the service layer of iTV - be it digital television, mobileTV, or IPTV. Check them out we think that they will make a significant impact on the market. http://www.icareus.com/
We did however spend some excellent quality time with some journalists and analysts who still liked their job and wanted to fish out real stories, that was the best part of the show for us, seeing that there are some out there that still care about their craft and want to get to the bottom of the hype or take a chance and discover something new. Thanks to all the media that met with ink´s clients!!!
Live from the front – Alex and Jennifer
