Nokia plans to release a podcast client for its latest smartphone lineup in early July. The application takes advantage of 3G cellular data networks and/or nearby WiFi hotspots to deliver new audio content to your phone right after it's published. Users can search for podcasts but it's not clear who is providing the directory and search content for Nokia. Tags: nokiaseries60...
Last night I attended a talk at the Computer History Museum about the early history of portable computing highlighting GRiD Computing as one of the pioneers in the space. Some interesting facts: GRiD was one of Silicon Valley's first stealth companies (back in 1981). Most employees did not know what they were working on until after they were hired. Co-founder Dave Paulsen told a story about sourcing parts from all over the world to try and find already manufactured components that could work in a small form-factor PC. They found their electro-luminescent displays while flipping through a Japanese electronics...
In this week's PodSession Om and I discuss voice and mobile technologies currently available for platform integration. When does it make sense for a web application to add voice or mobile capabilities? What are the costs and benefits? Are so called "web 2.0" companies just shinier versions of existing applications? Is anyone actually pushing the envelope and inventing entirely new industries? IP-based voice applications have already changed the way we think about communicating online. Mobile phones are now common tools of daily communication with relatively fast data connections with always-on access to the Web and focused data. Why are we...
Sony Ericsson announced a new lineup of mobile phones today with Google integrated as a blogging and search platform. Sony Ericsson's new K800 and K790 phone models include a 3.2 megapixel camera with a xenon flash and the ability to upload photos and text to Google's Blogger service. Google will become the default search engine on all Internet-enabled phones from Sony Ericsson. A Google search bar will appear as a part of the default browser but hopefully won't take up much space on the small 2" screen. Tags: sonyericsson...
Cingular just announced 3G data access throughout the entire San Francisco Bay Area and 14 other metropolitan areas across the country. The new network uses HSDPA technology that currently supports average connection speed of 400-700Kbps but can technically support up to 10Mbps. Cellular data networks allow you to be online in more places than you can find a public WiFi hotspot. You can even use it in your car or on the train to get some work done while commuting. These new cards support seamless handoff between cell towers and downgraded non-3G data connections. It's nice to know that...
MetroFi announced today the deployment of wireless mesh networks at San Francisco's Civic Center, Ferry Building and Portsmouth Square. I visited all three locations this evening and SF TechConnect, San Francisco's wireless access grid, is definitely alive and broadcasting. Using the network supposedly currently requires visiting a splash screen and accepting a terms of service document, but I could not establish a connection to any of the nodes. (pictured above are the three network locations plotted on a Google Map. Please open this post in a web browser if you do not see a map) Macworld reports the system...
Om Malik and I sat down tonight to talk about mobile technologies, the latest developments in networks, and mobile phone hardware. We discussed the recent changes at Cingular, the benefits of each major mobile carrier, wireless data networks, MVNOs, and the phones we recommend for the holiday season as well as early 2006 corporate budgets. Om and Niall PodSessions are now available as a weekly feature on their own domain: ONPodSessions.com....
Niall Kennedy is a web technologist in San Francisco, California in the United States. I am very interested in the world of... MORE »