Germany wants another go at DVB-H

You might remember the debacle of the German DVB-H spectrum, involving a company called Mobile 3.0, which had to hand the license back in the end. Well now Germany has decided it's going to try again. In simple terms, there is a special committee created to look at investor interest, and models for that investment. However, they are going to wait for the drive from a market player before pushing anything themselves. I suspect we might see something from the German Mobile Operators, since this was the group frozen out by Mobile 3.0 last time - the company beat the operators in the bid, then asked for their co-operation - which as you may be able to guess, wasn't forthcoming! In fact, going a step further, the Operators were able to bring DVB-T free-to-air Mobile devices to the market (due to some unique conditions of the way TV reception works there), which dissolved the business model of a commerical service over Mobile! Let's watch what happens here - Germany is a very interesting market for devices and services, and I would be surprised to see things happening before the year-end… [Via: rapidtvnews.com] Related News from IntoMobile: LG reinforces DVB-T in Germany More of the same: Mobile TV facing tough times ahead DVB-H: so the pendulum swings again…

The BBC is pushing Mobile TV & video with iPlayer Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:42 PM PST The FT.com has an article talking about how iPlayer, in it's many mobile guises is helping to drive the adoption and usage of Mobile video. As you may or may not know, iPlayer is the BBC's online VoD catch-up service, and given the quality of their programming, it's becoming an InterWeb dynamo - much to the chagrin of ISPs in the UK! Well, they might become even more frustrated, as if Mobile usage takes off, some of it will surely be via WiFi from Mobile devices, into home ADSL routers - the rest I'd imagine via 3G. The Beeb had released a couple of dedicated Mobile clients initially - an iPhone which only streams (due to DRM licensing issues from Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)), and an N96 one that allows you to download programmes - I've used both and they are great, but now more devices are getting iPlayered-up! Of course, the thing that's notably absent when we talk about TV and Mobiles, is any form of broadcast - as well as the MASSIVE cost of rolling out broadcast networks, user demand seems to be for (good quality) "On-Demand" viewing - which is exactly what iPlayer supplies. I strongly suspect in the coming months the BBC will announce other platforms on which iPlayer is working, and within that you can bet there will be some Nokias, and probably a Korean handset vendor or two - Samsung and LG never like to miss a trick, as their YouTube access integrations proved over the last couple of years. I'd suggest having a read of the FT.com article, it's well written and covers some other points - you can find it here. [Via: FT.com] Related News from IntoMobile: BBC Adds Radio Shows to iPhone iPlayer UK: The BBC isn't that amused at Apple… Mobile TV set to be very popular

Top ten things to looks for in a Mobile Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:18 PM PST TechDigest has compiled a list of the top 10 things it would like to see in a Mobile device. I won't spoil it and reproduce the whole list here, because (a) that would spoil it and (b) you should take a look at their site - really nicely re-designed recently. What I will do is pick on a couple of things, and then direct via the wonders of hyperlinks to their site… 10) Battery - any old Li-ion Yes, that's right. I don't care about batteries. I'm sorry Gary but it's true. To hang with the lot of them. I've never owned a handset that ran out of juice without it being entirely my fault. I don't expect them to last forever, just till I make it to bed each day will do. That's when I recharge and it seems only fair to expect no more of my handset than I do of myself, with all that Bluetooth stuff aside. Yep that's a fair one - we demand more from our devices these days, but they should be able to go one day at least! 5) GPS - nowhere without it Come on, it's all about mobile services now, isn't it? What can your phone do for you or, more to the point, what can you do with your phone. You're nowhere without GPS and there's hatfulls of location based services already out and heading our way soon. They seem slightly pointless to begin with but they're the kind of thing that you only realise you can't do without until you've got used to them. Whether you want know where your friends are, where the nearest USB cable can be bought or simply how to get from A to B, it's all about GPS. Give it to me and while you're at it, make sure the handset can support it quickly and properly. Come on, let's make it turn by turn. That's kind of fair enough, though I'd argue it's a combination of the services that make use of GPS and the tech here, rather than just the tech itself. So what else be in that Top 10 then? Well click here to find out! [Via: Tech Digest] Related News from IntoMobile: Google Phone To Be Manufactured By HTC - Will Ship By Year's End The five best browsing phones Samsung 'Female' Phones?

Follow-up: Handset trends at MWC that don't matter Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:11 PM PST I wrote an article a week ago about trends that are going to be seen at MWC, but which in isolation don't matter - essentially I was saying technology for the sake of technology does not a good Mobile make! I touched up touchscreens, memory, and camera megapixels as three "measures" of devices these days, that when maxed out, should propel (according to much tech bumpf) the handset to super-stardom. Well now the dust of MWC has settled, and I've had time to digest the handsets that appeared - it's pretty much the same story, only perhaps with addition of: Screen size - yep, that diagonal measurement in inches (!) seems to matter a lot to device vendors. Sure, stuff lots of pixels in there too, but make the screen MASSIVE. Hell, make it so big you can block out the sun when you hold the device to your ear! Video handling - again comes the year that video playback could be the "big thing" - well with Mobile devices that can record in "HD" (I'll believe that when I see it [the quality]), it apparently is a very important thing… But again, all of this is for nought if the User Experience is shocking. I've watched a stack of handset demo videos that various people have shot over the last few days, and my overriding feeling was one of half-baked Ux, compounded in some cases by a series of really juddery GFX on things like screen transitions. But what say you, readership? Were you enthused by the Mobile Tech on offer? Do you care that one handset has got a really fast chipset, or that another has got more than 10 Megapixels in it's camera? Maybe you do, maybe you don't. My MacBook Pro has TWO graphics cards, and a multi-touch trackpad - but they'd be nothing without the User Experience that comes with using it. Methinks some vendors at least have lost sight of Ux, in search of more silicon in their devices… Related News from IntoMobile: Three handset trends that you can expect to see at MWC, but which are becoming irrelevant Sony Ericsson K770 Cyber-shot announced 3D on Mobiles: due relatively soon?

Application Store for iPod Classic and iPod nano Launched – Notescasts.com Posted: 20 Feb 2009 01:58 PM PST TimeStream Software, the leading developer of Notescast® titles, has announced the launching of Notescasts.com, a new Application Store for the iPod Classic, iPod 5th Generation and iPod nano. Notescasts.com is a digital download store which allows anyone to develop and post their own Notescasts or download a Notescast from a growing selection of free and inexpensive titles. "What the App Store is to the iPhone, the new Notescasts.com is to the iPod Classic and nano.", said Mike Westby of TimeStream Software. "We're excited about all the different Notescast titles users will be submitting to the site, as the title possibilities are nearly limitless. The more titles users submit, the more Notescasts.com has to offer." Notescast titles available through Notescasts.com install to the iPod "Notes" feature found on nearly every iPod Classic, iPod 5th Generation and iPod nano in use today. Each Notescast is a interactive multimedia presentation consisting of a hierarchical directory of interactive text embedded with links to related multimedia content, which can consist of photos, video, audio or related text. "Notescast titles are developed for individual users, such as our Disney Notescasts, as well as corporate accounts using them to extend their web site content, mobile marketing and brand interaction efforts to the iPod. The free Sheraton Maui Notescast is an excellent example of the latter.", said Mr. Westby. Notescasts.com is soliciting Notescasts to build its title base prior to its upcoming official launch, and to help developers create these titles, it offers a wealth of development information on its web site, including a free 21-page guide titled, "How to Write a Notescast". Users can visit Notescasts.com to download Notescasts to their iPods, or to submit their own Notescasts for approval to the Notescasts.com web site. Well it's different, isn't it? I've used my iPod for things like contacts and calendar before, but this really is pushing the little i-devices a little further. Let's see what Notescasts people come up with - watch this space! [Via: Notescasts.com] Related News from IntoMobile: PlayStation®Store directly on your PSP™! iPhone Nano Coming to Market in the New Year? Vaja Cases List iPhone Nano on Their Site… The Plot Thickens!

The five best browsing phones Posted: 20 Feb 2009 01:38 PM PST Mobile Choice has a news article on it's site, listing what it believes to be the five best browing phones. Like all things, this is open to some subjective interpretation, but then again at least they are putting a list out there for discussion! I am not going spoil it by listing out the Top 5 (since I think you should pay their site a visit via the link at the bottom of this post), but just give a mention a couple of the devices that made the list… Those devices are the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N96, and the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold - now I don't know about you, but compared to what are essentially "full" browsers on the other devices, I don't view the browsers on these devices as "close enough" to a desktop equivalent to give a full browsing experience. Fortunately I've spent some time with each of these devices, and they do a "sufficient" job I suppose - but once you add a Touchscreen to the browsing experience (which the other devices do), suddently browsing becomes much more intuitive. So I'll throw it out there - having checked out the list (via the link below), do you think these are the five best devices for browsing. Me is not so sure… [Via: Mobile Choice] Related News from IntoMobile: Skyfire browser turns up the heat - desktop-like mobile web-browser with Flash support Microsoft kills off Deepfish NVIDIA and Opera Software team-up to accelerate mobile web browsing

Glu Mobile says: Monsters vs Aliens - The Mobile Game Posted: 20 Feb 2009 01:21 PM PST Invading a mobile phone near you, Monsters vs. Aliens is the official mobile game from Glu Mobile, based on the major animated movie from DreamWorks Animation! Here's an outline of the game: Mysterious alien beings have landed on Earth! The last resort to stop them is a ragtag group of monsters that the military has been quietly rounding up over the years. Speed through the city as Ginormica, 49-feet-11-inches of brawn and beauty! Battle your way through the alien spaceship as the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link! Combat Gallaxhar and his evil clones and save the world from imminent destruction! Find your inner monster! You can find it on your mobile operator's portal now! Why not also check out the official site here. Thanks again to Holly for that one Related News from IntoMobile: Ojom releases Men In Black: Alien Assault Medal of Honor Airborne coming later this month More CES videos with Robert Scoble, Greg, and me

Do the right thing: buy this! Posted: 20 Feb 2009 01:15 PM PST Monday 23rd marks the release of the Prodigy's new album "Invaders Must Die" - and Invaders must surely end up on your digital music player, be it on your phone, or standalone device! If you don't know who The Prodigy are, then where have you been? Like seriously, maybe you are one of the Invaders themselves! Prodigy's brain-busting dirty beats and insane melodies are somethign that past, current, and future generations should experience - you'll NEVER hear better dance music! So get online to your fave digital music vendor, and download this when it comes out on Monday - all reviews have been incredibly positive, and if you're a Prodigy fan, you won't be disappointed. (Subnote: I wonder if we'll be able to tell if people are listening to this on their music players as they walk along - probably from the freak air-shapes they'll be cutting as they stroll!) Related News from IntoMobile: What music is on my Mobile this week…? Space Invaders gets a second life in AppStore Neat wireless gadget: Dane-Elec Zpen

From expensive to super expensive: Athem unveils Diamond Encrusted Vertu Constellation Gold Posted: 20 Feb 2009 12:31 PM PST Luxury designer and jeweler Knalihs Athem, whose super expensive mobile phones we've already seen in the past, is striking again. His latest work is called… (drums please)… the Diamond Vertu Constellation Gold. You've read that correctly. Like the Vertu Constellation isn't already expensive enough, Athem decided to further spice up the offering. Here's what they say: This one-of-a-kind exclusive phone is crafted and created with exceptional precision and skilled Swiss craftsmanship in 18 carat gold and encrusted with more that 1500 finest quality colorless brilliant cut diamonds. The phone is hand-finished with utmost care and all the diamonds set precisely to provide lasting beauty and quality. This creation exudes an aura of opulence synonymous with Knalihs Athem creations. Of course when you pay tens of thousands of dollars for a device, it's expected that you can personalize it. On that note, you can add such things as your initials, lucky number, logo and almost about anything of your choice to your special version of the Diamond Vertu Constellation Gold. Athem's Vertu Constellation's diamond customization service is available in various designs across all Vertu Constellation models, and you can send your existing Vertu handset or customize a new one purchased… For more information, hop over to Athem's website. Related News from IntoMobile: Knalihs Athem's Diamond Encrusted Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte looks stunning, costs $20,000 Switzerland's Knalihs Athem out with its own Diamond encrusted iPhone 3G Vertu releases Constellation Mixed Metal, ideal gift for the uber-rich

Genaker launches new Windows Mobile PTT technology Posted: 20 Feb 2009 12:21 PM PST Developer of SIP-based VoIP apps, Genaker, announced the launch of genaker40501, a new OMA push-to-talk service for Windows Mobile-powered smartphones and PDAs. Touted as the "advanced push-to-talk technology," genaker40501 allows mobile operators and service providers to provide their customers with a way to communicate easily with numerous people at the touch of a button. It is also the only solution that combines PTT technology with real-time location tracking, when used with GPS-enabled handsets. As expected (like the overall PTT technology), Genaker's solution is designed for such users groups as government bodies, shipping and courier organisations or companies with a large feet or remote personnel. In addition, genaker40501 can be also useful to individual users involved in outdoor activities with "rugged" smartphones/PDAs… Related News from IntoMobile: India threatening to shutdown RIM's BlackBerry service ABI Research: Push-to-Talk to reach 8.5% penetration in North America by 2013; What about the rest of the world? Telus introduces Qix Mobile Search and Discovery Engine

GetJar to announces support for Flash Lite runtime Posted: 20 Feb 2009 12:17 PM PST Mobile app store GetJar announced support for Adobe's new over-the-air mobile runtime solution that includes the Adobe Flash Lite 3.1 Distributable Player. Or to put it in other words, you will be able to purchase Flash Lite apps through GetJar. But it's not just the support for Flash Lite GetJar has announced. The company also said they will be one of the key sponsors of the Flash Lite Developer Challenge that will see mobile content creators competing for $100,000 cash prizes. As a key sponsor, GetJar will match the $100,000 prize with additional $100,000 of marketing support for the contest winners. Also as part of the deal, GetJar will actively promote the Developer Challenge to its 200,000-strong mobile app developer community through its website, mailings, blog and forum posts and CRM. More information about the Flash Lite Developer Challenge is available from a dedicated website. Related News from IntoMobile: Forum Nokia S60 3rd Edition Challange Forum Nokia S60 3rd Edition Challange UIQ Developer Program expansion

Opera Software joins the LiMo Foundation Posted: 20 Feb 2009 12:12 PM PST Opera Software announced that its has joined the LiMo Foundation. Their idea is simple - Opera wants to have its mobile browser(s) running on every possible platform. That being said, we've already seen them releasing Opera Mini for Android, and their browser is also available on a range of feature phones. Guess, this means that some of the future LiMo-powered handsets may come with Opera Mini or Opera Mobile pre-installed — something the end-users can certainly appreciate. Commenting on the announcement, Opera Software's Jon von Tetzchner said: "We have always prided ourselves on producing a standards-based browser with the goal of running on any platform. Linux Mobile is a growing platform that epitomizes our ideals of a unified mobile Web where standardization reigns industry-wide. We look forward to joining forces with other LiMo members to keep mobile technology moving forward." Related News from IntoMobile: LiMo Foundation and LiPS Forum combine to battle open-source competitors LiMo Foundation picks up 11 new members Opera Software: We have 35 million people surfing the Web with Opera Mini

Gigafone launches Ochre to tackle market fragmentation Posted: 20 Feb 2009 12:07 PM PST Mobile advertising space is heating up, and now we have Gigafone — the company which we've already covered before — announcing the launch of its new digital advertising solution - Ochre. So what is Ochre? It's a vendor agnostic solution designed to provide brands, agencies and mobile operators with a holistic and simplified view of the advertising ecosystem. Nine partners from across the advertising value chain participated in the launch to make Ochre more powerful, to tackle market fragmentation. From the press release: The key to Ochre is allowing advertisers to choose the best mobile delivery channel for individual campaigns by utilising the intelligent analysis and reporting facility built into the solution based on previous campaigns. Ochre combines sophisticated booking and planning tools with user generated profiling and historical campaign analysis to allow advertisers to make an informed choice over which delivery mechanism will resonate best with the consumers they are looking to engage with. Gigafone has brought together mobile advertising innovators: Xtract, Vizimo, Palringo, Aditon, Yodel Digital, Icom Group, Liquid Air Lab, Sponge Group and OwnSkin as launch partners for the Ochre solution. With demographic and purchasing characteristics changing on a campaign by campaign basis, Ochre has been built to cope with the complexity of mobile advertising. Advertisers can now switch delivery channels at the click of a button, making sure content rich information gets to the right person at the right time. This means consumers receive relevant and timely information about products that they are interested in and advertisers can reduce wastage generated from blanket campaigns. Ochre provides the transparency required to optimise advertising campaigns to ultimately improve return on investment. Unsurprisingly, Gigafone is in the midst of recruiting partners to join the Ochre solution, and is also working closely with leading brands and agencies to provide a tailored experience with a range of relevant delivery channels for all digital campaigns. Related News from IntoMobile: Jinny Software enters the mobile advertising space Gigafone and Xtract partner to create new mobile marketing platform Juniper Research: Mobile search advertising revenues to reach $2 billion by 2013

Telecom Italia to get 28 Mbps mobile broadband powered by Ericsson Posted: 20 Feb 2009 12:02 PM PST Good news for our readers from Italy. The leading telecom company in the country, Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI), along with Ericsson have already started deploying a new mobile network technology of 28 Mbps speeds in early 2009. The deployment will include the so called MIMO (Multiple Input and Multiple Output) technology and Milan will be the first Italian "ultra-broadband city," enjoying speeds of up to 28 Mbps in download and 5.8 Mbps in upload. From the official release: Telecom Italia will be first in Italy to deploy live mobile broadband speeds of 28 Mbps with Ericsson's mobile network technology. Tests in Telecom Italia's mobile network will start early 2009 and initial deployment is planned in the city of Milan in June 2009. National coverage will follow in the second half of 2009. As expected, not every part of the city/country will be able to use the maximum speeds. Actual download speeds can be less and will vary due to congestion, distance from the cell, local conditions, hardware, software and other factors. Still, it's good to see these things rolling out. Related News from IntoMobile: Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) to offer Apple iPhone in Italy Telecom Italia to drive advanced mobile market growth with S60 AT&T testing 7.2Mbps network in Chicago

América Móvil, Nokia team-up to bring Nokia Maps to Latin America Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:57 AM PST Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and América Móvil announced a partnership to bring Nokia Maps Navigation to América Móvil consumers in Latin America. The new collaboration between the two companies is part of a broader partnership in the area of value-added services. As part of the deal, Nokia and América Móvil signed a Memorandum of Understanding related to broader services collaboration. By combining their strenghts, the two parties are looking to jointly lead innovation in 3G data services in Latin America. Commenting on the announcement, América Móvil's Marco Quatorze said: "Through this agreement, we make it possible for users to experience Nokia Maps and innovative social location features at their fullest the minute they purchase the phone." Related News from IntoMobile: Nokia N-Gage and Nokia Maps hitting Rogers Wireless Telecom Italia jumps into Nokia's OVI offering Mobispine partners with India's OnMobile to reach up to 390 million subscribers

Jinny Software enters the mobile advertising space Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:51 AM PST Another company is joining the promising mobile advertising space. It's called Jinny Software and it used Mobile World Congress to launch its "fully-managed mobile marketing and advertising service." The main idea here is to provide advertising from the agencies to the operators as a managed service and to share the revenue earned with operators. As a result, there's no need for operators to incur the up-front CAPEX required to build and implement the solution. Jinny manages relationships with the advertising agencies and brands, and invoices the parties for the campaigns run across the platform. The new service is designed to manage almost every aspect of a mobile advertising campaign for both the operators and advertisers. Some of Jinny's service features include: Commercial functions like payment, reconciliation and settlement Campaign design and reporting System integrity - campaign monitoring, database management, hardware monitoring, report management and interface monitoring Network integration - campaigns can be run over SMS, USSD, MMS, WAP or HTTP delivery channels. Finally, to make things even more appealing to the operators, Jinny mentions its already established ad agency relationships globally… More information is available at Jinny Software's website. Related News from IntoMobile: Gigafone launches Ochre to tackle market fragmentation Amobee signs Global Framework deal with Vodafone… Nokia enters the mobile advertising market

Diamond-Encrusted Plantronics Bluetooth Headset is Mad Pimpin' Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:38 AM PST Around the end of October, Bluetooth manufacturer Plantronics had announced a gold-plated, diamond-encrusted version of their popular Discovery 925 headset to auction off for charity. They brought it along to Mobile World Congress to show off at Mobile Focus on Monday, boasting it should fetch upwards of $50,000 for the Elle charity.  As you can see, wearing the headset bestows upon its wearer immediate and startling awesomeness, hawtness, and pimptitude. Of course, that's not the only thing that brough Plantronics to the show - some snazzy new stereo Bluetooth headphones that came out at CES and a brand new iPhone dock also populated the Plantronics booth. Related News from IntoMobile: CTIA: Plantronics Expands Bluetooth Lineup With Pulsar 260 Apple confirms iPhone dock will include Apple Bluetooth Headset charging port! Apple lowers price on Apple Bluetooth headset

nüvifone G60 and M20 Video Demo Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:17 AM PST Gamin-Asus had announced their second nüvifone late last week before Mobile World Congress, and we got some time to play with it here at the show. Although there's been a saddening lack of new Android devices here at the show, Asus has already confirmed that they'll be doing something with it this year - the fact that the M20 is packing Windows Mobile shows that the nüvifone series will be hopping across lots of OSes. They're pitching the M20 as an enterprise e-mail device, but as you can tell from the video, it's a bit hard to swallow without a physical keypad. Regardless, the M20 is extremely slim and compact, while still offering all of the handy GPS-centric services of its bigger brother. The two should kick off the brand in the first half of this year, with more form factors on the way before 2010. Related News from IntoMobile: iPhone Pro and iPhone Elite Concepts Hit the Web… Both Make Me Giddy Garmin-Asus releases G60 specs; Introduces nüvifone M20 W950 - Stylish 4GB Walkman Phone

Friday Fun: President Obama's Ideal BlackBerry Posted: 20 Feb 2009 06:57 AM PST There's certainly been nothing but concern and gossip surrounding President Obama and his BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) ever since he was elected to office. Would it be safe? Couldn't it be hacked? Shouldn't he be on some sort of special super-encrypted Berry? World famous hacker Kevin Mitnick was even caught commenting that the President's BlackBerry would still be hackable (albeit a long shot). Whatever the case, below is a funny look from the New Yorker on what President Obama's ideal BlackBerry might look like. Some of the key buttons to note: 3. Press to play prerecorded "Love to, but this term's no good" response to Senator McCain lunch request. 6. Alarm flashes if Malia and Sasha are jumping on Lincoln's bed. 7. Push to get Rahm Emanuel's Wisecrack of the Day. 11. Tap once to activate C.I.A. briefing. Tap twice to activate C.I.A.-briefing lie detector. 13. Automatic alert beeps if Al Gore is within one mile of White House. 19. Press to refresh current Cabinet roster. Funny stuff. Happy Friday. [Via: Gizmodo] Related News from IntoMobile: Senator McCain gets an iPhone app, too; Unofficial, that is Aide Rebukes Mccain's Claim to Creating BlackBerry Handy Alarm Pro released for Symbian S60 devices

Google Demos a T-Mobile G2? Posted: 20 Feb 2009 06:43 AM PST While speaking at a conference earlier today, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) was busy showing off Gmail running on Android. All well and good, but something was a tad strange about the presentation. Check out the image I've included here. Doesn't that look like a T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) logo on the handset? Sure does! I thought the HTC Magic was supposed to be exclusive to Vodafone (NYSE: VOD)? Perhaps this is the T-Mobile G2 we're looking at here? Sure looks like it. There's no telling if this was done carelessly or on purpose. No doubt Google and T-Mobile both want to get the 'buzz' goin' surrounding the G2. With this little gem they'll definitely generate a good buzz… They got me to write about it anyway If you haven't checked it out already, be sure to load up Will's hands-on with the HTC Magic. [Via: Brighthand] Related News from IntoMobile: Hands-On Review of the Vodafone BlackBerry Storm Kill your cellphone signal buzz Does your E61 or E62 screen buzz?