Despite described as more like a home entertainment device than a serious business tool,
proud owners of Apple iPhone have discovered it ships without any games....More
Missed opportunity for Vodafone
Vodafone's apologists appear adamant that the company's continuing 45
per cent holding in Verizon Wireless is justified. They seem blind to
the missed opportunities....More
Idle screen software raises ARPU
Orange claims
that its handset software customisation really does work. It says customising
the handset's screen increases data usage; raises ARPU and decreases customer
'churn'. ...More
Femto cells have image problems
Mobile operators' solution is to put a 3G base station into consumers' living
rooms in the shape of a 'femto cell'. It could cause great consternation amongst
sections of the populace...More
Nokia Siemens may provide iPhone
EDGE
Numerous reports point towards Telefonica/O2 as the winner in the race for
Apple's iPhone in the UK, beating Vodafone. So O2 has developed a sudden need
for an EDGE (2.75G) capability...More
MP2P payment solution seeks users
It has just dawned on US based companies - Phoenix Technology and Smart Chip
Technologies that they've been sitting on a method for providing Mobile Person
to Person (MP2P) payments...More
ICSTIS renames as PhonePayPlus
The UK body responsible for policing premium rate calls , ICSTIS, is to
acquire a new name, PhonePayPlus. Perhaps its 'remit' to cover any telephone
call charged above normal rates?...More
Snippets
It appears that leading fourplay expert, Virgin Media
-which includes Virgin Mobile UK, has put itself up for sale. This
follows intense speculation that private equity firm, the Carlyle Group,
is interested in buying it.
www.virginmedia.com
iSuppli, the market researcher, has taken an 8GB iPhone to pieces and
said the total bill of materials plus manufacturing cost is $265.83,
delivering a margin of 55 per cent. The Apple handset retails at
$599 but the iSuppli calculation doesn't include royalties and
logistics. www.isuppli.com
In Site of the Week (by Tony Dennis)
This week
Honda F1 Mobile
For a site described as "One of the most exciting and informative mobile WAP sites in the automotive sector to date", you'd expect something special.
Sadly Honda's F1 WAP site is hugely disappointing.
So what does it offer? Video clips from the last race at Monaco? Results and summary of performance from the Monaco GP?
Predictions for the next race? None of the above. What it does have are three pathetic F1 style ringtones and three wallpapers showing Jenson Button plus Rubens Barrichello.
The best part is probably the chance to win a tour of the Honda F1 factory in
GB.
For a company which offers state of the art technology, you might expect Honda to have tied location based techniques to displaying where the nearest Honda garage is located.
But, no. Surfers find the nearest Honda dealer by typing in their postcode.
Unfortunately the site's provider – the Mobile Interactive Group (MIG)– seems to think the site is industry leading.
This site definitely does nothing for the Honda brand. But at least it wasn't foolish enough to utilise a dotmobi (.mobi) address for the site.
