BPL Mobile To Use InfoGin’s IMP

from the Press Release:

This makes BPL Mobile the first mobile operator in India to offer the Real Internet as a genuine service from its WAP portal. The new, easy to navigate, service is offered through WAP portal of BPL Mobile, “@Cafe” and enables users to quickly access any website on any mobile device and enjoy a PC-like surfing experience.
“India is one of the world’s fastest growing mobile data markets. BPL Mobile has clearly focused its efforts on innovative leadership by introducing its subscribers to state of the art advanced mobile data services,” said Eran Wyler, CEO & Founder of InfoGin. “We are very excited to make our first entry to the Indian market,

This announcement comes after InfoGin and Microsoft deal, BPL mobile currently operates in Mumbai city with more than 1 million subscribers, that is surely a small carrier, but is a good start for Infogin in India.

Vringo Application To Be Promoted On Sony Ericsson’s Walkman devices

from the Press release:

Vringo’, the next-generation ringtone pioneer, announced today that its free video ringtone application is being pre-linked on global shipments of Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phones and promoted via the manufacturer’s Fun & Downloads portal.
… This partnership with Sony Ericsson, which was established when Vringo took home a prize at last year’s Sony Ericsson Content Awards, is the latest step in Vringo’s continuing push towards global availability and monetization of video ringtones.

Qualcomm To Power Modu Devices-Technologically And Financially

The chip manufacturer will empower Modu devices.
The company also invested in Modu but the amount has not been disclosed, rumors speak about 7 million dollars of investment.
We hope the release date will not be changed (April 09)

Celltick, the company that takes advantage of the mobile “Idle Mode”  will soon open the gate to all advertisers.
Celltick’s platform Livescreen displays ads on the mobile screen while the device is not used by the user, once he takes a look at the screen and sees the ad he can choose whereas to interact with the ad or not.

According to the company, the ads overall do not interfere the users and  “more than 80% of all users keep LiveScreen Media on, while 35% use it regularly, averaging 8-10 clicks per month”.
Until today Celltick has disclosed agreements with marketing agencies, but soon anyone would be able to run an ad campaign using their technology.

The Livescreen platform can segment the users by location, behavior and demographics, Moreover advertisers can also schedule when the ad will be displayed thanks to the nature of  the client that comes pre-loaded on a SIM card or a handset.

There are many issues with “automatic” display of ads. Although it is not as intrusive as telemarketing campaigns, it is still “taking control” over your mobile screen. Users behavior and even regulation direct to opt-in advertisement only when the user asks to be subscribed to a certain service and the only way to get users do it and actually react to the ads is by providing a strong incentive. Another aspect that should be considered is the difficulty in providing real accurate information about the users besides their location and their past interaction with the system (if any). If the user did not provide personal details in a process that verified the details (age, gender, income, preferences etc) the speculated data is usually not accurate.

We think that providing another platform for advertisers to launch their mobile campaigns on is a good move. Celltick actually offers advertisers a technological solution and an audience which is a great offer for advertisers. Still,  Celltick will need to increase the distribution of the platform to appeal more advertisers.
The ad network will be available at www.livescreen.com

As my current position at Nana10 I often get to review new mobile phones that are soon to be launched in the Israeli market.
This month I got the Samsung i900 (Omnia) and here is a summary of the review that originally was posted in Hebrew:
The Omnia is a new type of WinMo based device, the HTC Diamond was the first to introduce a UI that covers the original WinMo interface, in this case Samsung did the exactly same thing.
The Samsung UI is simple to use, intuitive and well designed and there is no need to use the stylus or the optical mouse.
So it seemed that to operate the device a finger is all you need, But Because the Samsung UI does not cover all WinMo interface, you can not use your finger only.
One of the thing I really do not like with the WinMo OS is the “Minimize” issue whereas apps are not being closed when pressing the X button.
Samsung did a great thing and added a shortcut button to the task manger and also created an “apps navigation” window.

The greatest thing about the Omnia is the multimedia.
The 5 megapixel camera does great work, the camera UI is wonderful, and there are cool features like: face and smile detection and image stabilizer.
Add to this one of the best FM receiver, and a supreme music player, The Omnia is truly a multimedia beast.
Web browsing is done through the Opera Mobile 9.5 (iPhone style browsing), and do not forget an AGPS.
The battery is quite strong and would hang on a day while browsing the net, capturing some photos and of course receiving some voice calls.

From my point of view the only drawback is the WinMo OS and its known issues, but if you do like the Windows Mobile System, the Samsung i900 Omina is one of the best WinMo based devices out there.

Interesting is the Omnia marketing campaign, Samsung and McCann Digital decided to give the Samsung i900 as a gift for mobile bloggers.
In exchange the blogger will write about the device and both sides are happy.
Personally I think that this is a smart move, instead of investing massive amounts of money into an ad campaign, the company invests money that can directly influence potential buyers by a blog post.

Disclosure: The writer did not get the device as a gift.

Frankly I did not expect Palm to steal the show, the well-anticipated event was the MacWorld.
MacWorld’s biggest announcement  was that the iTunes will become DRM-free, a great move but that’s all.
From Palm on the other hand we did expect a new OS named  “Nova” that will have a slick and smooth UI, and yes Palm did announce a new OS but that was just the tip of an ice-berg.

Palm announced the “webOS” a mobile operating system that puts the “Mobile OS war” in a new light.
Do not get me wrong, Palm is not in good shape at all, just look at Palm’s financial report which indicates more than 500 million dollars of net loss, and a 100 million dollars investment that eclipses just a bit the bad situation of Palm.

The iPhone, created a situation that developers were just waiting for Apple to release the Platform SDK, and the rest is history.
Android backed up with the internet giant Google and about 60 companies including manufactures and carriers, offers  developers a whole Eco-system that can start on one device and ends up with 20.
And Symbian that’s come with the experience of years and millions of devices that are already out there.
It seems that the Palm’s WebOS will tell developers something like this ” Hi we got a cool device, and developing apps is just an ease give it a try”
That is the crucial point for Palm, if developers will leave the WebOS and will put all their efforts on iPhone or Android based device, The Pre can be an amazing device but soon there will be a better one.
Or, developers will  pay attention to the WebOS and the PRE will be just like its ancestor, the Pre will die and long live the WebOS.
Meanwhile all is just an expectation and we will just have to wait and see, if  the PRE, is just the begging or the end of Palm.

BTW Palm apps can not be called WebApps, Apple already uses this name for the web based iPhone apps.