Facebook have just made life a little easier for its users! They just released a new mobile app which allows Facebook friends to call each other for free.
The App, which was produced by internet telephony company Vonage, lets users call their Facebook friends using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), providing both parties have the app downloaded. The app will be available on iPhone, Android, and the iPod Touch (for outbound calls only).Vonage Mobile for Facebook is free to download and use and will work across Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G networks.
Later versions will look to include instant messaging, SMS and the ability to make call to mobile numbers directly from the application. An iPad version is also currently being developed.
Although this app does appear to offer Facebook users a very convenient way to contact their friends, it does raise an unavoidable question: how many of your Facebook friends would you feel comfortable being able to call your mobile phone?
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Sales of Android phones have risen by more than 300% since the beginning of 2010! With 1 in 10 mobile contracts sold in the UK now running on Google's mobile operating system.
From the beginning of 2010, most of the UK's major mobile operators have started selling a number of Android based mobile devices, running on Google's Linux-based software. The HTC Desire and HTC Legend are among the devices hailed by critics and consumers alike. HTC, the Taiwanese manufacturer of many devices running Android, posted a 41% global sales increase for the first six months of 2010.
"The figures suggest an increasing number of consumers are now asking for Android handsets by name," said GfK analyst Megan Baldock. "Operating systems are no longer simply a by-product but a key selling point in their own right."
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Aiming to increase the success of the Android App Market and reduce the gap with the Apple App Store, Google has released a web-based system which it says needs "NO programming knowledge" to write your own app.
The program, known as App Inventor, is attempting to bring app programming and creation to the masses. The web based application makes the whole process simpler by removing the tedious process of writing code and allow users to drag and drop display elements and use blocs to specify the app’s behavior. The creators said that there are blocks available for just about everything you can do with an Android phone, as well as the more depth function calls.
Google said it had been working on the system for a year and were pitched at those with little knowledge of programming.The programming system was developed with the help of computer scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who created a similar coding system known as Open Blocks.
Obviously Google’s main objective in producing the system is to increase the number of apps in the Android App Market and to add allure of their platform. However it will remain to be seen if App Inventor will lead to thousands of useless basic being developed or genuinely useful apps that will allow Android really challenge Apple as the rulers of the App space.
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With thanks to 3G technology and higher end phones being more accessible to consumers usage of mobile internet across Europe is experiencing massive growth according to a research report commissioned by the mobile operator body - GSM Association (GSMA).
The EU's mobile data market grew by 40% last year and to €7 Billion, with 3G users doubling to 112 million in the year to April 2008.
The GSMA attributed falling costs of 3G services, handsets and 3G enabled laptops to driving the market. Costs are perhaps the most important factor to uptake of next generation services as more and more operators introduce bundled data packages and flat rate deals the association also claim that competition from WIFI is helping to keep prices down.
Tom Phillips, chief government and regulatory affairs officer of the GSMA, has said of the rising use of mobile internet "We expect prices to continue to fall as operators further innovate around tariffs and more and more Europeans use these services as a part of their everyday lives."
According to the research, the average retail price of data roaming in the EU fell by 25 percent in the year to April 2008, andthe cost of text message roaming services dropped 18 percent in the same period. Finally, data roaming traffic in the EU grew by 75 percent in the same period.
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Tags: gsma, mobile internet, mobile data pricing
Music producing Svengali Timbaland ia about to make history by recording the first ever mobile only album. The artist/producer has teamed up with mobile network Verizon to launch their ""Mobile Producer in Residence" program where Timbaland will release a new song every month from March. The music will be solely availble to Verizon customers.
The plan is for Timbaland to collaborate with a new guest artist every month and all tracks will be recorded from the fully equipped Verizon Mobile recording studio bus.
As the bus stops in cities around the US, fans will be able to catch a glimpse of Timbaland's recording process by gaining exclusive access to the Bus itself.
Read what Timbaland has to say on the partnership here.
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Tags: verizon wireless, mobile music, timbaland
The EU commissioner has handed down a deadline to operators to come up with credible data pricing or face being regulated.
The move which will be welcomed by content owners, mobile marketing agencies and broadcasters who have been held back in their use and development of mobile as a medium largely due to inflated costs of data consumption.
Although not relating specifically to costs of mobile internet - type services this is certainly a step in the right direction.
With the date set out as the 1st of July 2008, europena operators will now have to become realistic about what they are asking their customers to pay for using mobile internet and other data services.
A key area of focus are data charges paid by mobile users for roaming both in the retail and wholesale market.
Watch this space!
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Tags: data pricing, network operators, eu commissioner
I was incredibly impressed this week and quietly pleased with my little handset when I bought a book on the train home from work. Amazon.com has just gone live on 3's "Planet 3" portal and now anyone who is already registered and has an account with Amazon can purchase items directly from their mobile. So, finally we are starting to see mobile payments happening securely and I'm sure that this will be the first of many. So encouraged was I, that this morning on my way to work I toiled to get Ticketmaster.ie working on my mobile - I was frantic that I may miss out on Kanye West tickets - the latest in a string of Phoenix Park gigs scheduled to take place this October.
Anyway it seems that ticketmaster do not have a mobile ready site yet (much like the rest of the country :( ) and so I had to contend with reading from the standard (online) website. This all worked fine and thanks to 3's all you can eat package it didn't cost me anything. I got as far as buying the tickets when my journey ended abruptly at the word verifiction tool, which usually proves that you are a human being. Anyway, it wasn't deeply disheartening but it did mean that I had to run to my desk computer to get the tickets before they were sold out! I bought my tickets via the standard route and I suggest you do the same for the minute. Tickets are still on sale for the Kanye West concert last I checked.
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Tags: mobile payments, ticketmaster
Sony Ericsson and 3 have teamed up with Paddy Casey to create the Paddy Casey W880i Walkman Phone. Paddy was in the 3 Store on Grafton street at lunchtime today to launch the phone and was introduced onto the 3 Stage by Tom Dunne, who as it happens also has his own channel, "The Hive", on the planet 3 portal.
In keeping with operator theme, the singer performed 3 tracks from his up coming album "Addicted to Company (part 1)". 3 Customers and passers by were in for a treat as Paddy belted out new songs - "Not out to get you", "You'll get by" and "Refugee". The phone features the new album and is on sale now in 3 stores nationwide.
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Tags: 3 ireland, paddy casey, cool launch
Mobile operator 3 have been receiving significant publicity throughout the past few weeks with changes to its pricing model and the announcement that the company has grown its subscriber base to 150,000. At present market leaders Vodafone possess 47% share of the market, 02 has just over 32% and Meteor almost 18%. 3 are yet to feature in the rankings as the country's fourth network.
Robert Finnegan was at the 3 store on Grafton St last week announcing that the operator would be cutting its EU roaming rates by 80% to set a new industry standard. In this bold move 3 will offer it's customers rates that are 33% lower that those set by the EU Commission earlier this year. By dramatically slashing their prices 3 hope to udercut all their rivals and gain further market share. The new rates will come into effect on the 31st of August allowing 3 customers to make calls anytime, anyplace in the EU for 39c per min and the operator will charge a meer 19c to receive calls. All other operators in the market currently charge 59c per min to make calls and 29c to receive.
These press grabbing moves by 3 will no doubt.help in their quest to become a larger player in the Irish market Especially now that the revenues of market leaders Vodafone and second player 02 are falling. The Sunday Business Post reported this week that average customer revenues have fallen here by 6% and are plummeting at a much greater speed than elsewhere in the EU. Robert Finnegan, 3's managing director, acknowledged this fact by saying that 02 and Vodafone are under real pressure. Despite the fact that 02 announced healthy 2nd quarter revenues and a 2% increase in its customer base there is no doubt that the market is saturated at 112% penetration. Any new growth for the operators is coming from customer churn and from Data services (mobile internet). These are 3's specialist subjects and it's fair to say that there will be plenty of business for the company too cash in on if they keep lowering rates!
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Tags: 3 ireland, roaming rates
This month 02 announced that they would be pulling their iMode service out of the UK but are fully pleased with itss performance in Ireland so will be capitalising on this. iMode was first introduced in Japan as the first ever fully scalable mobile internet. It was introduced by the operator DoCoMo and is now the standard in Asia for most mobile web platforms. The Japanese markets grew up with iMode and it has evolved together with its’ adoption, as a result its' use has become second nature to japanese mobile consumers.
During the initial development stages of mobile internet over this side of the world, rather than spending valuable time developing their own mobile internet 02 merged with DoCoMo to offer the ready – to – go iMode and achieved success in being the first mover. Since then, many, more sophisticated operator portals (including 02's own 02Active) have developed and passed out iMode in terms of functionality and style.
The issue is that iMode is only available on iMode specific handsets, of which there are only a dozen and are, in general, much less attractive than regular handsets. Compare this to the fact that 02 Active is offered on some 240 different handsets and available to 15.8 million customers. In saying all of this (and the same issues exist in Ireland), 02 remain committed to offering iMode in the republic. 02 have been quiet enough not to reveal how many subscribers they have on their portal but a spokesman did say that currently there are over 120 on-portal content sites on O2 Ireland’s i-mode service including eBay, Ticketmaster, Heat, Ireland.com and Napster – all of which offer the same services to i-mode users as their online versions so there would be little sense in pulling out of the market.
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