11:56 AM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Telecommunications Commissioner Douglas Webb has decided that he can't agree with Telecom and Vodafone's explanations about why it's so expensive to make mobile calls in New Zealand. They have claimed that it's due to high costs and not lack of competition. (What else would you expect a good duopolist to say?)

Turns out that "The market dynamic between Telecom and Vodafone seems to be focused more on brand differentiation than on the type of product innovation and pricing levels we would expect to see if the market was effectively competitive."

Webb will investigate the situation. If this is his opening shot, I can't wait to hear what he has to say about pricing after he has some real facts in his back pocket!

From the New Zealand Herald via Lockergnome.

11:31 AM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

I haven't tried it yet, but if it works well and the ads are not too intrusive, this is my new source for phone number information! With it you may never have to pay for a 411 call again, and you are supposed to be able to get the same up-to-date info from the web also.

"Search by Phone
When you call 1-800-FREE411, you will find the same service that you get when you call the 411 that you pay for, but instead of YOU paying for it, the cost is covered by businesses who have offers you may be interested in. If you are interested in an offer, we will connect you free of charge. If not you'll just receive the information you've asked for.

Search by Internet
If you prefer to search online for residential or business listings, www.free411.com offers you the most accurate data on the Internet. www.free411.com uses the same, real time data that the phone companies use."

They do say in the FAQs that it's US only, and that due to heavy volumes you may sometimes get a busy signal. But they also say they are expanding to meet the demand. The service infrastructure, not the ad lengths, I hope!

Via MobilitySite.

Update! I tried out the web version to look up myself. It came back with an address I was at about 15 years ago! I've moved twice since then. I guess they stretched the truth a bit when they said it "uses the same, real time data that the phone companies use." As a result, I've added OLD to this post's title. Sheesh!

11:24 AM by Bob Russell in E-Book General | Deals and Resources (No...

TeleRead posted an article a while back that is probably of interest to many of our readers. Especially if you need a replacement battery for an older e-book reader model, and aren't ready to jump on one of the more expensive new generation e-ink readers.

"So what happens when the batteries in your old e-book reader won’t work–and you still want to read titles in the now-obsolete format? Oh, the pleasures of the Tower of eBabel.

Ellen Hage, ... a TeleRead contributor, has been kind enough compile a list of places to go for replacement batteries. Her letter, slightly edited, follows [here]."

07:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

If you missed our frontpage news at any point this week, here is the best way to catch up:

Elsewhere on the Net
The new life of books
Z4CK sequel "Digital Force" released as free e-book

In the News
Details of DRM support built into Vista
Developers should target mobile devices
Duracell's upgraded batteries are coming this month
E-book vending machines?
Ever wonder what others think about dead formats?
Eyescan security system for camera phones
Harder materials may help protect mobile devices
If we must DRM, maybe we should Navio?
Insiders guide to the wireless future
Invisibility not just for sci-fi books anymore?
Just what we needed - another picture format
Origami cell phone prototype
PDA Umbrella!
Prime View launches E Ink ODM/OEM services
Shore predicts DRM is moving to portable storage
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is 147yrs old today
Sony announces Japanese Telecom partnership
Super silent in-the-ear earphone upgrade
Symantec antivirus program has been hacked
The Book Radio
Today begins the battle for .mobi domain names!
To save books you must... Kill them?!

iRex iLiad
iRex iLiad featured in Channel4 clip
iRex iLiad to launch in May says iRex rep

Link Swap
The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time

Mobile Browsing
Safer search results with Scandoo

Mobile Sites
SeatGuru is a mobile traveler's best friend

Other Readers
Amazon launches Amazon Online Reader

Palm OS
Buying a Treo 700p - what's your plan?
Chatter 2.0 does push e-mail on PalmOS Treos
Palm downgraded due to intensifying competition
PalmSource patents new method to select records
Palm to add WiFi to future Treos

Portable AV
Create music RSS feeds from your iTunes library
Origami DVD Player (Not a UMPC)
Read the web on your iPod

Windows Mobile
Tutorial:Add eReader books to your PPC device without a PC

06:52 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

It is a bit discouraging to see the simple ideas that get patents. But it's fun to get a peek a new ideas. And if simple things are getting patents, then at least it's good to see a mobile platform leader benefit from it.

This month, PalmSource received US Patent #7,047,503 for "Method and apparatus for the selection of records." It obviously took a lot of work to put together the patent information and application, but it does give us a glimpse of one possible way that the PalmOS may be evolving in the form of the Access ALP platform.

Specifically, the patent is summarized as follows:
"An improved method and system for record selection. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention interprets the 'gesture' of swiping the pen horizontally across a line-item of a record entry as a command to highlight the line-item and to select the entire record. Furthermore, a contiguous group of multiple records are highlighted and selected by selecting the first record, as above, and then continuing to swipe the pen vertically through the records, in accordance with another embodiment. Lastly, discontiguous records are selected by repeating the above sequence for two or more discontiguous groups of records. Previous selections are maintained until the user executes any other non-selection action."

Here's my "real English" version... You can select a single record in a list by making a rightward gesture on it. If you continue the gesture by moving downward, then additional consecutive records get selected. If you want another group of records, you do it again.

It makes a lot more sense when you look at the attached picture below. Will it change the face of mobile computing? Not really. Could it be a convenient new way to highlight records? I think so!

Note: If you are reading this article from the MobileRead front page, you'll need to make the jump before you find the clickable thumbnail with the diagram.

10:09 AM by Bob Russell in Archive | Portable Audio/Video

Imagine taking your iTunes library, and making it available to any device with a broadband-connected browser that can handle RSS podcast feeds. MyTunesRSS is a free java program that does just that. It seems to have Windows, Mac OSX and platform independent versions available in the downloads, and is available in version 1.2 already. The program is described this way on their web page...

"Enjoy all the songs in your iTunes music library on any device that has network access to your iTunes computer.

MyTunesRSS is a application for configuring and starting a server. You can access this server with any web browser, search your iTunes music library and create an individual play list. The play list is published as an RSS feed with the feed items containing links to the music files. These files are served through the server as well.

MyTunesRSS supports MP3 and unprotected AAC files from your iTunes library. You can also create RSS feeds directly from your existing iTunes playlists. Access to the web application and therefore your library can be protected with a password."

If I had an iPod and an iTunes music library, I might just try this out!

Via M-Trends.

08:07 AM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

According to Rob Shaddock, corporate vice president and chief technology officer of Motorola, there is a tremendous opportunity for developers by writing for mobile devices. I wouldn't expect anything else from one of the leading handset makers, but still it makes sense.

"Shaddock suggested that some 900m client units will be sold this year, which suggests that the rate of development of new services and features is giving a large percentage of those units a lifecycle of less than 12 months. Motorola itself expects to sell, this year, more mobile phones than the entire world PC industry put together."

Handsets are more frequently replaced than PCs, and they are soon going to enable a whole new set of application possibilities due to broadband connectivity.

On the other hand, I read recently that revenues from mobile software purchases are starting to sag. Ringtones, applications and other add-ons just aren't booming like they used to, despite the big sales figures for devices. And even the price point of mobile applications for handsets is weakening. Sorry, don't have the reference, but it was in the news recently if you really want to search out the details.

But it's natural to see both opportunity and erosion of profits in any new and evolving industry. It was not so long ago when commentators first expressed their shock and how it was going to become hard to even stay in business as a PC seller. Some completely lost their heads and even predicted that in the future no one could make any money selling PCs. We're close, but the market always ensures that someone can make a few dollars, and it always will.

From TheRegister

07:21 AM by Bob Russell in Archive | Portable Audio/Video

Yes, I admit it. I'm fascinated by display technologies. And anything that can improve the interface of a pocket-sized gadget. And a folding display is pretty exciting. We recently reported on something called the Origami Cell Phone. Well Inventables seems to want a whole product line from the folding screen concept. Now they have created the Origami DVD player.

But be sure to check out their full set of concept ideas, where you can find rubber umbrellas, mp3 players with magnetic knobs that work outside your pocket through the cloth, and transparent toasters!

Via Tech Blog's Top 10 Strangest Gadgets of the Future.