01:26 PM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

While this isn't exactly breaking news, one has to wonder why we hear such differing views of the spread of mobile devices. First we hear that the future of mobile computing is cell phones, and everyone will have a smart phone. We hear that internet usage on cell phones will outpace desktop internet usage.

Then we hear that people don't want the complication of a phone that does more than just phone calls. Whoops, not so fast! A recent survey says people love the extra features. In fact, they want more. And we are seeing all kinds of new devices coming up, such as special ESPN phones, video camera phones, music phones, etc. What are we to think about our beloved high-powered combination handheld devices? Talk to some and the future is full desktop power in something like an OQO or an Origami device.

Let's look at the business side. We heard that the Treo was going to be hot with business customers once Palm adopted Windows Mobile along side PalmOS. Microsoft is much more palitable for businesses we hear. RIM was pretty much in trouble. No wait, they resolved their legal problems and they're back again, aren't they?

As Michael Mace has said so elequently, we're not very good at predicting the future of mobile technology over the long run. We get close with our predictions 5 years out, but more than that and you can pretty much forget it. We end up talking about possibilities more than predictions.

And earlier this month we saw the news that really started me thinking - Security Fears Hamper Mobile Devices, which based on a new survey, says "Around 60 percent of businesses are shying away from deploying mobile devices primarily due to security concerns." But businesses are afraid of the security risks of camera phones, iPods and thumbdrives also. And we don't see their adoption hampered by security threats! I think it's a factor, but I don't thing it's the problem.

I'm starting to believe we can't see the forest for the trees. So let's take a step back and look at a few simple observations about the big picture. I think you'll find it interesting.

1. People do like connectivity through mobile email, messaging, and voice calls.
2. People generally don't like to be continually expected to be available at all times, and always responsible for responding to company or personal business. Unconnected downtime is important. But so is the choice to be connected.
3. Consumers hate complicated devices that are hard to use. This is a huge factor when someone is considering a purchase. Typically they either need to see some feature they can't live without, or they need to have a friend use it and say how wonderful it is. Then they believe they can use it also. And if "Fred can do it" then they just might work all the harder to figure it out themselves.
4. Technology will improve so that the converged device interfaces and usability will become better than all the existing single-purpose devices of today. Some would argue this point, but I think it's hard to disagree. There are some things due to the form factor that limit usability, but that's not our biggest problem right now. Our "sucky" software and limited hardware is the real problem. Sure, it's spectacular compared to what it was, but it's horrible compared to what it will be.
5. People don't want to spend a week's salary on a gadget.
6. Prices come down with massive adoption and economies of scale.
7. Large scale business adoption would drive the market forward, and fast.
8. It's not simple, not cheap, and not safe to roll out powerful mobile devices in a business right now.
9. Business people need to be connected when they're on the move. Even email and voice are important mobile functions.
10. Powerful mobile devices are lots of fun. People just don't realize it yet. <Okay, that's probably not a universal feeling. But I'm sure most of our readers would agree!>

Now rather than come up with my own conclusions, I'd be interested to hear what you think this all means about whether mobile devices are going to be popular, what sorts of capabilities they will have, and what it will take to see the average businessman and businesswoman (or the average joe on the street) using a multipurpose and powerful computing device that fits in their pocket.

And I wonder. If we do believe it's coming, then will it be an overnight jump like we imagine the iPod success to be, or will it be a progressive adoption like the way phones made it into our homes (and then pockets) in the first place? And come to think of it, why don't we think of other technology adoptions such as VCRs, CDs, TVs, cell phones, computers, etc to be overnight like the iPod? Has Apple marketing pulled another fast one on us?!

Let us know what you think. Nobody seems to have these topics nailed down yet, so it's fun to speculate.

06:17 PM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Proporta is known for their innovative handheld cases and accessories. Henry over at Palm Addicts managed to get his hands on three of their products, the Advance Screen Protector for the Palm LifeDrive, the 9V Charger for Palm handhelds and a Triscribe ballpoint pen. So don't miss his thorough review if you plan on getting on of these toys.

Edit: More Proporta reviews from PA here, here and here.

03:45 PM by TadW in Miscellaneous | Lounge

Yahoo Mail beta is Yahoo's answer to Gmail: webmail like desktop mail - thanks to Ajax. Normally it's hard to get an invite, but here is a how-to to get yourself invited immediately (I just got invited, see screenshot):

How to change your content preference:

• log in to Yahoo Mail
• click Options
• select Account information from the left panel
• go to Member Information, General Preferences, Preferred Content
• select, for example, Yahoo UK
• click Finished
• go to Yahoo Mail
• you’ll see a page that says “It’s the New Yahoo! Mail Beta… and you’re invited.”
• click on “Try Beta Now”.

via Google OS

11:32 AM by Bob Russell in E-Book General | Deals and Resources (No...

James Patrick Kelly has been called "an important figure in the SF field." In fact, his name has shown up before on MobileRead as part of a previous Fictionwise sale. He is now offering his material in podcast form on the web for free as an experiment.

You can get the good stuff here.

[via David Rothman at TeleRead]

10:58 AM by Bob Russell in E-Book General | News

There are a lot of new display technologies popping up these days, but if you look at your mobile device it probably has the same old display on it. Well, the more new technologies, the sooner we're going to start seeing one or more of them show up in real products.

One of the latest displays is pretty unusual. It's from Liquavista, which is yet another Phillips Research spinoff for commercialization of a new type of display that uses something called electrowetting. According to ZDNet news article, "In electrowetting, each pixel cell contains a small amount of dyed oil and water and a layer of a material that can be converted from hydrophobic (water repelling) to hydrophilic by applying electricity. When the material is hydrophobic, the water pushes away from it and forces the dyed oil against the surface. The pixel, which has a light source behind it, then projects the color of the dyed oil out.

In hydrophilic mode, the water draws toward the surface, shoving the dyed oil to the side, changing the color projecting from the pixel. Flipping the pixels rapidly allows a screen containing millions of the pixel cells to create an image."

It's somewhat similar to the e-ink technologies in upcoming e-book reader devices, but it should have better colors than even color versions of e-ink displays. The displays can be manufactured using much of the existing capabilities for LCD screens, which should help in the race to get products to market.

Related: Philips spins off Liquavista to start yet another e-paper venture

09:37 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

We've all heard about the .mobi domain - the new top level internet domain that will soon provide site names like www.cnn.mobi or www.espn.mobi that are targeted for mobile devices. But I haven't seen a lot of information about this topic in the popular press or online tech sites, so it seems to be time for a quick overview of the topic.

Availability of the .mobi domain, also referred to as "dotMobi", was announced at CTIA in Las Vegas on April 5. However, that doesn't mean you will be purchasing those dmain names yet. A few companies such as Nokia already have the names for use in testing, but they won't be widely available to the mobile industry until the limited mobile industry early registration period from May 22 to May 29. Then there will be a Sunrise registration period aimed at trademark owners. You need to have a trademark registered before July 11, 2005 to take part in this next registration period. Then from August 28th through September 10th, there is a "landrush" period that is open to the general public. This is a time during which anyone can apply, but due to the expected heavy demand, the prices are raised. If you are willing to pay the higher price, you can apply at this point. It's not until September 14th that the regular registration process kicks in.

So what is the intent of this new .mobi TLD (top level domain)? Here are some interesting exerpts from that press release, which include quotes from Neil Edwards, CEO, mTLD Ltd.

"The dotMobi Internet address, which is set for launch on May 22nd, brings the ease of accessing the Internet from the PC to mobile phones everywhere, and clearly indicates Internet sites and applications that are designed for consumers on the go...More people have access to an Internet-ready phone than to a PC with Internet access...

However, accessing the Internet on a mobile phone can be frustrating. Downloading content to mobile devices can be expensive, slow, exceed screen size, and difficult to navigate. "Many existing Internet sites are grounded in desktop PC-oriented services and were not designed with a mobile phone in mind, which has led to less than ideal performance for consumers," said Edwards. "The dotMobi sites are tailor-made for browsing and navigating on the mobile phone, making a far better experience."

To make creating Web sites for mobile Internet functional and reliable, mTLD has developed rules and best practices, all based on open standards, for content developers and service providers. This ensures that their Web sites can be viewed and navigated by any mobile phone. The consultative dotMobi Switch On! Web Browsing Guide may be found at mtld.mobi A guide for mobile messaging will be launched later this year. These guides are based on best practices specified by the World Wide Web Consortium's Mobile Web Initiative (MWI)."

But not everyone is so happy about the dotMobi domain. One of the fundamental principles guiding the domain naming is that of device independence . In other words, a domain name should not be targeted at specific devices. It should not matter what device is being used to get at the content, and there are many web technologies to make the content readable on all devices. For example, Wikipedia says that this can be accomplished by "using hostnames within an existing domain or content negotiation through the HTTP protocol." So the advice of some experts is to avoid the split and device dependence that would be introduced by a separate .mobi domain.

Russell Beattie, comes out in favor of the .mobi domain. in his commentary, he argues that dotMobi is a good thing. He observes that among the top mobile sites there is no consistency in the URL names, so it's not even easy to find the URL you want. (Actually, it's sometimes not so easy across the rest of the internet, either.) He also points out that a common set of guidelines for navigation and page layout is a good thing if the web is going to be usable for mobile devices.

Personally, I think that in the short run it's a good thing to have a universal set of standards. We need it now. But in the long run, I'm not sure. I seem to take a slightly different view of this debate.

First of all, I don't see it so much as a device dependency issue. To me, it is more of a category of content presentation. I don't have a problem with one or two top level domains set up for that purpose. Maybe another domain gets provided for a new class of 3-D content. In a way that's device dependent, but not really. I think of it more as being focused on the type of content.

Let me detour just for a moment on this 3-D thought... Wouldn't that be really cool, by the way, to have 3-D content sites on the web? Almost mind blowing to think about what can be done. And just because I think it will eventually come, and I've never heard anyone talk about it, let me put a stake in the ground point out that it's my idea and I think it's a great one! There will be a day when people first start making a 3-D content web and the historians point back to this day in April, 2006 when it was predicted first at MobileRead.com!

Okay, back to dotMobi. Having argued that this is not a device dependency issue, the next question is whether or not it's a good thing to have mobile standards. As I said, it can only help in the short run. We need something badly for usability. But is there really a need for a standard here? It's not like Blue-Ray specs or BPEL or EJB specs where the technology can only work if a standard prevails. In this case, we're generally only talking about two things. One is usability and convenience. The other is not forcing technologies on a site visitor that are not supported by the visiting device.

My personal opinion is that a standard is overkill in the long run. We should have, maybe, some competing sets of usability standards and let them fight it out for the best result. To impose a single standard at a domain level is fairly resetrictive and I think it will only hinder usability in the long run. So I see this as a short run vs long run issue.

But even so, I like the idea. You say, wait a minute -- didn't you just argue that it's only good in the short run, but limiting in the long run? Yes. That's exactly why I tend to think that it's a good thing. We need help in the short run. In the long run, I think these things will all get worked out and the current .mobi standards are going to be irrelevant anyway. Things in the mobile space are not very stagnant. They are revolutionary. Even form factor limitations in 10 years may not be what we think they will be. Projection and holographic and rollable displays might just change the typical device displays that are deployed in ways that we can't predict now.

So I'm not convinced what the best choice will be, but I'm going to enjoy the benefits of .mobi and its standards and not look back. For now, it's a good thing.

Hopefully, this article provides some of that background in an accessible form that has been missing from the topic in the popular press. I believe that some of the new thoughts presented will also provide a new take on the issue that willl make you think about these issues in a different way. And maybe it will even inspire you to imagine a whole new world of 3-D web sites! ;-)

As a side note, let me sadly point out that the excellent blog written by Russell Beattie has recently come to a close. The combination of his employment at Yahoo and his excellent writing and thoughts have made it a popular site. But after four years, he's decided to hang up blogging and has posted a goodbye statement. Thanks, Russell, for a great ride. We'll miss you.

08:51 AM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book General | News

If you're one of the many people who use their handheld every day, you may experience eyestrain as a result. The Wall Street Journal has a write up of how especially younger folks suffer from vision difficulties due to prolonged sessions of reading or looking at tiny computer screens.

As use of portable hand-held gadgets soars, America is becoming a nation of squinters who spend hours hunched over gadgets like PDAs, cellphones, game devices and iPods, straining to read small text everywhere from dimly lighted restaurants to sunny park benches. With mobile technology growing increasingly sophisticated -- allowing people to surf the Web, build PowerPoint presentations and watch "The Daily Show" on screens barely larger than a postage stamp -- many users say they are experiencing eyestrain... Some opticians say the tiny fonts on the gadgets are leading a wave of younger people to seek reading glasses. Most people start noticing age-related vision declines around age 40, as the eye's internal lens loses elasticity. While no one is suggesting that the small screens are causing people's vision to deteriorate faster, some opticians say the small type on portable gadgets is making people aware of minor vision shortcomings at younger ages.

The article goes on explaining how tech companies are trying to address this problem by introducing new technologies:

• Microsoft adapted new fonts designed for small handheld screen (e.g. Frutiger Linotype).
• Motorola's forthcoming phones will have the option to enlarge the type size.
• Sony will introduce the electronic book, the Sony Reader, to mimic the experience of reading on paper with a screen that reflects natural light.
• Palm uses transflective screens that have a backlight for low-light situations, but also have the capacity to reflect natural light. Also, the glass displays on Palm handhelds are treated with special polarized films that bend light in ways that allow users to see the screen clearly from many angles.

To prevent eyestrain the article recommends to take frequent breaks and - I first put off writing about this because I wasn't ready in my heart to accept it - to avoid using mobile gadgets for a long time.

So what do you do to keep your eyes fresh after hours in front of your monitor? Let's us know your best tips!

04:37 PM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Microsoft officially confirmed today that the company is working on the successor of Windows Mobile 5.0, code-named "Crossbow". According to IDG:

Crossbow will have strong links with Office 2007 and Exchange 12, Microsoft's pending new office application suite and e-mail server, said Pieter Knook, senior vice president for the mobile devices and telecoms sector. Crossbow would be the successor to Windows Mobile 5.0, released in May 2005.

Crossbow will take aim at the Symbian Ltd. and BlackBerry operating systems. The OS will contain a new mobile version of Office Communicator, an Office 2007 enterprise communications application, that includes instant messaging on public and private networks, Knook said.

The official revealed no launch date, but it's not a top secret that Microsoft aims to make Crossbow available to OEMs in Q4 2006 and to launch the first commercial products through Q1/Q2 2007. Crossbow will still be based on the old kernel of Windows CE 4.2. For more revolutionary changes we'll probably have to wait until "Photon" is launched by the end of 2007 which will be based on the next release of Windows CE (5.0 - "Yamazaki").