By Magnus Ingelsten
We at Teleca have started a series of Technology Days. Just run a couple of them on two interesting subjects. LBS (Location Based Services) was the subject of a Techday in Bochum at our Teleca office, and another on Android at the Thistle, in central London. What is awesome is when you get a quality audience. Great level of people, high competence, dynamic characters and so interested they bother to come and visit us about it. Moreover, they (both peers, competitors as well as others in the value chain) engage in heated debates on whether positioning services are cloud service or clients, who is owning the media screen in the car or on a media device. Or if multi-media content and apps should be distributed OTA or via Wlan…. Next Teleca Techday is on Android and venue is at San Francisco November 3rd. Maybe we see you there?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Teleca and Dashwire partner to deliver best-in-class mobile-web services for operators and handset makers
By Anette Gregow
Yesterday Teleca annonced a marketing agreement with Dashwire (http://www.dashwire.com/) to deliver best-in-class mobile-web services for operators and handset makers. Dashwire is an industry leader in connected services that simplify backup and transfer of information, content and services between mobile devices and the cloud. Under the agreement, Teleca will team with Dashwire to help customize, integrate, test, and verify solutions that mobile operators and device makers create on top of the DASHWORKS platform from Dashwire, and integrate into their mobile devices. We are excited through the partnership with Dashwire leverage our expertise and off-shore sites to enable our customers to quickly roll-out customized E2E services!
Find out more here: http://www.teleca.com/Home/news_room.aspx
Yesterday Teleca annonced a marketing agreement with Dashwire (http://www.dashwire.com/) to deliver best-in-class mobile-web services for operators and handset makers. Dashwire is an industry leader in connected services that simplify backup and transfer of information, content and services between mobile devices and the cloud. Under the agreement, Teleca will team with Dashwire to help customize, integrate, test, and verify solutions that mobile operators and device makers create on top of the DASHWORKS platform from Dashwire, and integrate into their mobile devices. We are excited through the partnership with Dashwire leverage our expertise and off-shore sites to enable our customers to quickly roll-out customized E2E services!
Find out more here: http://www.teleca.com/Home/news_room.aspx
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Spend spend spend .. time and money -October 15th
By Magnus Ingelsten
Well, much is at stake these days. No need to remind about economic hardship in the global market. Although the west is week, China is relieving the pressure on the global economy by increased car sales in mid 2009, + 48% compared to last year! And the cell phone user base is growing with about 10 million users every month!! In spring China crossed the 50% cellular penetration mark. ..
So, belonging to the western economy, did you all have the relaxation that we needed during your summer holiday without having to worry? Did you do fun things! Bought the stuff you like such as a new cool phone or a nice new cabriolet. Yes, spend money and time on fun experiences, on happy moments with your friends and family, then we all will come back to a better, richer tomorrow and the rise of better global economy.
To relax at holidays you should leave your work PC behind, keep your phone off, get the voice messages only occasional-if at all... But what about the new phone you bought? Use it for writing your diary of fun experiences, getting the latest barbecue recipes, or checking the currency being down at the Croatian archipelago prior to using the phone to navigate there, and play a game of Sudoku now and then. Relax to recharge. Happy holidays! By the way, isn´t it time stop calling it “a phone” as telephony is probably the application least used these days! Why no call it Webby .. or Apply (oops too close to..) or just Player .. or …… eh?
Well, much is at stake these days. No need to remind about economic hardship in the global market. Although the west is week, China is relieving the pressure on the global economy by increased car sales in mid 2009, + 48% compared to last year! And the cell phone user base is growing with about 10 million users every month!! In spring China crossed the 50% cellular penetration mark. ..
So, belonging to the western economy, did you all have the relaxation that we needed during your summer holiday without having to worry? Did you do fun things! Bought the stuff you like such as a new cool phone or a nice new cabriolet. Yes, spend money and time on fun experiences, on happy moments with your friends and family, then we all will come back to a better, richer tomorrow and the rise of better global economy.
To relax at holidays you should leave your work PC behind, keep your phone off, get the voice messages only occasional-if at all... But what about the new phone you bought? Use it for writing your diary of fun experiences, getting the latest barbecue recipes, or checking the currency being down at the Croatian archipelago prior to using the phone to navigate there, and play a game of Sudoku now and then. Relax to recharge. Happy holidays! By the way, isn´t it time stop calling it “a phone” as telephony is probably the application least used these days! Why no call it Webby .. or Apply (oops too close to..) or just Player .. or …… eh?
Friday, October 9, 2009
Long live rich Games!
By Jari Saarhelo
Hey, following up last week blog, but to suggest a different point of view!
There probably wouldn`t be 3D HW accelerators on home PCs without games. The launch of a blockbuster game creates a peak in game console sales. New HW features are used in games as soon as the feature is available. Not so in games for mobile phones. A high volume seller can be 345th remake of a popular 70s/80s arcade game implemented with a “lowest common denominator” design.
The worst device supported dictates the game feature set and complexity. I bet it is not because the consumers insist on poor games, but because most of the systems on the market do not have the basic enablers needed for rich gaming to happen:
- Easy, fast and cost efficient game distribution to the device
- Large enough game asset size to accommodate the graphics & audio
- Gaming friendly device form factor (read: landscape display and gaming keys)
- Reasonable SW platform for creating and deploying the games (read: binary compatibility + fast access to HW)
- Enough firepower in device HW to make rich gaming happen
- Gaming ecosystem: publishers investing enough in game development, enough consumers buying games
Looking back, most of these things simply weren´t there. You can´t make a rich game on a platform that has fast HW, but very small media. You can´t publish a rich game for a device with only a small consumer base. However, most of the enablers are starting to be in place in the smart phone segment. Binary compatibility remains a challenge, but that is bound to improve – how can you otherwise compete with application business of Apple Store?
I bet that we will see a blockbuster rich mobile phone game within the next year. There will be a significant peak in the sales of the devices supporting the game … And the world of mobile gaming is changed for good … Goodbye Tetris!
Hey, following up last week blog, but to suggest a different point of view!
There probably wouldn`t be 3D HW accelerators on home PCs without games. The launch of a blockbuster game creates a peak in game console sales. New HW features are used in games as soon as the feature is available. Not so in games for mobile phones. A high volume seller can be 345th remake of a popular 70s/80s arcade game implemented with a “lowest common denominator” design.
The worst device supported dictates the game feature set and complexity. I bet it is not because the consumers insist on poor games, but because most of the systems on the market do not have the basic enablers needed for rich gaming to happen:
- Easy, fast and cost efficient game distribution to the device
- Large enough game asset size to accommodate the graphics & audio
- Gaming friendly device form factor (read: landscape display and gaming keys)
- Reasonable SW platform for creating and deploying the games (read: binary compatibility + fast access to HW)
- Enough firepower in device HW to make rich gaming happen
- Gaming ecosystem: publishers investing enough in game development, enough consumers buying games
Looking back, most of these things simply weren´t there. You can´t make a rich game on a platform that has fast HW, but very small media. You can´t publish a rich game for a device with only a small consumer base. However, most of the enablers are starting to be in place in the smart phone segment. Binary compatibility remains a challenge, but that is bound to improve – how can you otherwise compete with application business of Apple Store?
I bet that we will see a blockbuster rich mobile phone game within the next year. There will be a significant peak in the sales of the devices supporting the game … And the world of mobile gaming is changed for good … Goodbye Tetris!
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Future of Rich Games in Mobile -September 28th
By Craig Turner
Teleca often discusses and debates hot topics from various viewpoints. Today, we present one viewpoint on the future of mobile gaming. Next week, we’ll follow this up with a counterpoint!
Rich games will never grow beyond a niche market on mobile devices. In this space, casual games will continue to take the lion’s share of revenues. That is not to say that only games like the original Snakes will be successful or that there is no interest in good-looking, fun games on mobile devices. I think the interest in mobile games of the caliber of the Halo or Grand Theft Auto will remain the exception to the rule.
1. Mobile gamers are casual gamers. We want to play quick and be able to start and stop at any time. Not that a game may not last longer than 5 minutes, but it shouldn’t have to last an hour.
2. Mobile games are limited by the form factor and hardware of their target device. These are extremely fragmented. There is no single hardware like in the console world and no unifying DirectX software platform that makes games easy-to-build. And games need to be playable and fun on such a wide range of systems that economics alone will continue to boil them down to the lowest common denominator.
For my mobile games, I expect them to start quick, entertain and challenge me, and not punish me when I take a break to get off the train or (heaven forbid) answer a phone call – all this without instantly draining my battery, please. If I want to blast my way uninterrupted through mind-boggling 3D scenery, I can turn off my phone and sit down with my PS3.
And I’m still waiting for somebody to show me a truly casual multiplayer game. Maybe that will be the key to bigger and better things in mobile gaming…
Do you feel challenged? - Any comment on this is welcome. Next week we expect a counter point blog!
Teleca often discusses and debates hot topics from various viewpoints. Today, we present one viewpoint on the future of mobile gaming. Next week, we’ll follow this up with a counterpoint!
Rich games will never grow beyond a niche market on mobile devices. In this space, casual games will continue to take the lion’s share of revenues. That is not to say that only games like the original Snakes will be successful or that there is no interest in good-looking, fun games on mobile devices. I think the interest in mobile games of the caliber of the Halo or Grand Theft Auto will remain the exception to the rule.
1. Mobile gamers are casual gamers. We want to play quick and be able to start and stop at any time. Not that a game may not last longer than 5 minutes, but it shouldn’t have to last an hour.
2. Mobile games are limited by the form factor and hardware of their target device. These are extremely fragmented. There is no single hardware like in the console world and no unifying DirectX software platform that makes games easy-to-build. And games need to be playable and fun on such a wide range of systems that economics alone will continue to boil them down to the lowest common denominator.
For my mobile games, I expect them to start quick, entertain and challenge me, and not punish me when I take a break to get off the train or (heaven forbid) answer a phone call – all this without instantly draining my battery, please. If I want to blast my way uninterrupted through mind-boggling 3D scenery, I can turn off my phone and sit down with my PS3.
And I’m still waiting for somebody to show me a truly casual multiplayer game. Maybe that will be the key to bigger and better things in mobile gaming…
Do you feel challenged? - Any comment on this is welcome. Next week we expect a counter point blog!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Why can´t my phone talk? - September 22, 2009
By Chandra Challagonda
Back in the days when mobile phones were perceived as a replacement for landline phones the definition of "Hands Free" meant not using your hands when you are talking on the phone. But nowadays mobile phones are used more or less as computers & usage is increasingly cantered accessing e-mails, social networking & internet browsing. So there is a need to re-define, what exactly "Hands Free" means with the current mobile phone usage.
The other day I was taking a walk with my dogs and heard my phone alerting me at the arrival of a new e-mail. Both of my hands were holding leashes so I did not have chance to take the phone out from my pocket and start pressing keys. So I had to tie the dogs to nearby pole and then reply to the email. After I started walking again, I come to think that the phone I am using is supposed to have the Hands Free-feature, right?
As a mobile device user I would like to have more intelligent & advanced voice command based usability of my phone which would be totally hands free. That means when my hands are not free, I connect a Bluetooth headset and when I get a new mail, I just say "Read New Mail", then I would expect my phone to read the e-mail with the same voice & accent I have. (good, eehh?). Also for example if I give a voice command to my phone "Next Meeting Please", then my phone reads out the next meeting details and then I say "Take me there/Drive me there", then phone should be able to launch Navigation application and guides me to that location.
Another use case is that the user keeps dictating and mobile phone automatically keeps typing it. There could be many more use cases like this. And this all needs to be done without using hands and without pressing a key buttons on the phone.
In today's world staying connected is considered important and doing multiple things at the same time has become so common that it would be really good to have one more hand to operate mobile phones.
Well I am not mentioning that all mobile users have to undergo mutation. But rather a usability mutation is needed to provide a true Hands Free experience.
Back in the days when mobile phones were perceived as a replacement for landline phones the definition of "Hands Free" meant not using your hands when you are talking on the phone. But nowadays mobile phones are used more or less as computers & usage is increasingly cantered accessing e-mails, social networking & internet browsing. So there is a need to re-define, what exactly "Hands Free" means with the current mobile phone usage.
The other day I was taking a walk with my dogs and heard my phone alerting me at the arrival of a new e-mail. Both of my hands were holding leashes so I did not have chance to take the phone out from my pocket and start pressing keys. So I had to tie the dogs to nearby pole and then reply to the email. After I started walking again, I come to think that the phone I am using is supposed to have the Hands Free-feature, right?
As a mobile device user I would like to have more intelligent & advanced voice command based usability of my phone which would be totally hands free. That means when my hands are not free, I connect a Bluetooth headset and when I get a new mail, I just say "Read New Mail", then I would expect my phone to read the e-mail with the same voice & accent I have. (good, eehh?). Also for example if I give a voice command to my phone "Next Meeting Please", then my phone reads out the next meeting details and then I say "Take me there/Drive me there", then phone should be able to launch Navigation application and guides me to that location.
Another use case is that the user keeps dictating and mobile phone automatically keeps typing it. There could be many more use cases like this. And this all needs to be done without using hands and without pressing a key buttons on the phone.
In today's world staying connected is considered important and doing multiple things at the same time has become so common that it would be really good to have one more hand to operate mobile phones.
Well I am not mentioning that all mobile users have to undergo mutation. But rather a usability mutation is needed to provide a true Hands Free experience.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
OSiM Observations Day 2 -September 17th
By Robert Kempf
It was good to see that the initial Sales pitch in the Day 1 talks was not visible anymore on Day 2 at OSiM, but that rather the key topic “Open Source in Mobile” was the focus again.
The presentation from Samsung on how they handle this transition phase from working in a rather closed environment towards using OSS was a good example. A very honest description of the challenges a company phases in this transition and an encouraging outlook for those who are going along the same path.
There were also quite some statements on having too many open source platforms coming up and the potential need to go one step back to see whether there can’t be a unique platform as a common base at least in the Linux space – but to be honest I doubt that anyone speaking about this idea will really invest in making this happen short term.
A very inspiring part of OSiM today were the WIPJam sessions. These 40min open discussions around a specific topic with a very diverse audience were great fun. Having open source freaks, entrepreneurs, senior management people from large companies and people who want to learn about this topic and are more kind of the end-user-type around the same table leads to a very unpredictable but exciting discussion on a topic and gives you new ideas of what could be done. It did also show the very different view of how to interpret benefit and innovation – especially in this area the view of the technical experts and the end-user-type participant were quite different.
It was well worth participating in OSiM 2009, meeting people you haven’t seen for some time, getting new ideas about where open source in mobile will go and seeing the ever increasing momemtum of OSS in the mobile industry.
It was good to see that the initial Sales pitch in the Day 1 talks was not visible anymore on Day 2 at OSiM, but that rather the key topic “Open Source in Mobile” was the focus again.
The presentation from Samsung on how they handle this transition phase from working in a rather closed environment towards using OSS was a good example. A very honest description of the challenges a company phases in this transition and an encouraging outlook for those who are going along the same path.
There were also quite some statements on having too many open source platforms coming up and the potential need to go one step back to see whether there can’t be a unique platform as a common base at least in the Linux space – but to be honest I doubt that anyone speaking about this idea will really invest in making this happen short term.
A very inspiring part of OSiM today were the WIPJam sessions. These 40min open discussions around a specific topic with a very diverse audience were great fun. Having open source freaks, entrepreneurs, senior management people from large companies and people who want to learn about this topic and are more kind of the end-user-type around the same table leads to a very unpredictable but exciting discussion on a topic and gives you new ideas of what could be done. It did also show the very different view of how to interpret benefit and innovation – especially in this area the view of the technical experts and the end-user-type participant were quite different.
It was well worth participating in OSiM 2009, meeting people you haven’t seen for some time, getting new ideas about where open source in mobile will go and seeing the ever increasing momemtum of OSS in the mobile industry.
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