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Showing posts with label Odds and ends. Show all posts

Mobile in Manila? The MMDA is your best friend.

The Metro Manila Development Authority recently launched a new service in collaboration with Interaksyon of TV 5 which gives you which gives you comprehensive and accurate updates of the traffic conditions on six major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. You can access the service by pointing your browser to this link: Metro Manila Traffic Navigator.

You can view traffic updates for the six major thoroughfares by the system, or through a list or overlayed on Google Maps. Select the particular road you want to get information on.

The default view, which will take a few minutes to get used to, but once you do you will realize it is an amazingly simple and clever way to get an comprehensive update of the entire traffic situation in Metro Manila. I really just only use the system view. The web page is light, and works well from the browser of a mobile phone. The person who designed it was a genius.

Complementing this service is the MMDA's Twitter service. @MMDAtweets provides you real time information on the traffic, flooding and color coding status in the City. The most amazing part is @MMDAtweets answers your questions and their response time is in my experience under two minutes. Amazing. Two of my service providers (who I pay service fees to monthly) respond in hours, days or never (yup sometimes I never get an answer). This is not the case with @MMDAtweets. All I can say is hats off to you. Best public service and customer service in the web as far as I am concerned.

It is not just online where the MMDA is looking good. The MMDA will be imposing a 60 kilometer per hour speed limit on Macapaga Avenue. In advance of the imposition of the speed limit, they put up clear and legible signs. So many signs that if you do not see at least one of them you must be blind. Well done.

In these times when there are some questions as to whether there has been change with the new government, the MMDA has definitely stepped up. It has always been one of the more prominent agencies, because like what they do or not, the MMDA had a reputation for being a hard worker. The MMDA today is even better. I always had a high regard for this agency, and I am now even more impressed.

All I can say is well done MMDA, and thanks TV5.

Around the web: Mango enters the fray, Tablet wars and wars

With Microsoft signing off on the Mango build, Mango has finally arrived. Techie.com.ph has details on the first ever Windows Phone 7 Mango device. It has a 3.7-inch screen, 32GB of internal memory, and a whopping 13.2 megapixel camera... and no, its not a Nokia. The phone is the Fujitsu Toshiba au IS12T. Before you get to excited, this is slated to be a Japan only release.

Four years ago the GSM Association held a conference at New Delhi, India where the 3G For All initiative was launched. The GSM Associations 3G For All program was envisioned to bring 3G multimedia services and mobile Internet access to a mass-market user base around the world, and the LG KU250 handset was selected as the winning device. The group planned to launch more low cost 3G devices, but eventually the initiative became necessary as manufacturers on their own launched lower and lower cost 3G devices.

Today, it is about smartphones. The feature phone will slowly fade out of existence, save maybe for the most basic handsets, and there is a need to bring smartphones to the mass market. Low cost handset manufacturers from China, with the free license Android operating system from Google, are making this a reality.

Today, we got two Huawei U8150 IDEOS handsets on Smart Communications postpaid Plan 500 offering. Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular offer the same phones on similar plans.

The phone is decently built, and while Android on a 2.8-inch 240 x 320 screen is not ideal, it is a much better choice than any other smartphone at a Php6,000-7,000 budget. It has WiFi, a high speed data connection, can run a large number of Android apps, and can even play Angry Birds (though Rio gets a bit choppy).

This kind of humble device, will bring smartphones to the masses and will probably make Android the dominant operating system in the planet.

Google to acquire Motorola Mobility

Motorola gambled big on Google's Android, making it their only operating system. Now it looks like Google is gambling big on Android.

PCMagazine reports that Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in order to "supercharge" its Android mobile operating system and build up its patent portfolio.

This may cause some worry among other Android smartphone manufacturers, but Google assures that it remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices.

In my opinion it actually should assure Android partners that Google will actively defend Android from software patent attacks from Apple and Microsoft.

With Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, it acquires the latter's patent portfolio. Presumably, Motorola Mobility software patents wont be used against other Android hardware manufacturers.

Is the tablet a fad? Is the PC dead? In a word "no".

Despite growing sales, there is a sentiment that tablets are just a passing fad. Tablets are not for everyone, and a tablet is still not good replacement for your desktop or laptop PC. But the demand for a device larger than a smartphone but smaller than an laptop has been around for a some time.

In the spring of 2006, Microsoft and Intel created the specifications for the An ultra-mobile personal computer, or UMPC. The UMPC are small hand held computers, which have a TFT display measuring (diagonally) about 5 to 7 inches, and operated like tablet PCs using a touchscreen or a stylus. The target price for these devices was $500, but the target was not met an UMPC hit the market with a price of about US$1,000

Gigabyte U60 UMPC from 2007

The following year, Intel launched the specifications for a Mobile Internet device (MID), which was a multimedia-capable mobile device providing wireless Internet access.

Nokia N800 from 2007

Eventually, the lower price point was met by going with a more conventional form factor, Asus Eee PC 700. The 7-inch device followed the form factor of a laptop, and was actually a product of the One Laptop Per Child program.

Asus Eee PC from 2007

But in the end, this was really a unhappy marriage between putting a conventional keyboard in a smaller package. The Asus Eee PC was originally classified as a "UMPC", but eventually a new category called "Netbooks" was created and the devices grew larger, being pretty much low cost ultraportable laptops.

Basically, the need for a device, bigger and more functional than a smartphone, more portable and cheaper than a laptop has been a recognized for some time. Apple's iPad, was the first truly commercial success in this regard. Basically, it dropped the physical keyboard and dedicated pointing device and created a software or app ecosystem which minimized dependence on those two input methods.

Apple's iPad from 2010

The other view has been expressed. Kevin C. Tofel of GigaOM wrote an article entitled "The once mighty PC treads a path towards extinction", citing Mark Dean, IBM's Chief Technology Officer:

[W]hile PCs will continue to be much-used devices, they’re no longer at the leading edge of computing. They’re going the way of the vacuum tube, typewriter, vinyl records, CRT and incandescent light bulbs.

I think this view is extreme.While I can agree with the first statement, I do not see them going the way of "the vacuum tube, typewriter, vinyl records, CRT and incandescent light bulbs."

Yes, I do see the tablet replacing the PC for a large portion of the market. A desktop or laptop is just more than many people need. The personal computer was a productivity tool, became a gaming device and morphed into a multimedia platform. With the advents of more capable smartphones, and now the tablet, it is going back to being a productivity tool.

Before the advent of the PC, we had the typewriter and the pen and paper. Our use for computers have gone beyond recording information and writing letters, but basically the need for this functions has not gone away.

Back in the day, a family would share a typewriter, with a few people who used it regularly having a separate one of their own. For daily needs, we would use the pen and paper.

Basically, the personal computer replaced the typewriter. For lack of other viable options, it became the tool for those who really just needed the pen and paper. The tablet replaces personal computer for those who just really needed the pen and paper. Well, that is where things stand today.

But generation of ARM processors Tablets will get more powerful. Keyboards and other peripheral, even larger monitors can and will be integrated into tablets, so much so that a tablet can be transformed a laptop or a home theatre PC depending on need.

I do not want to put words in the mouth or Mr. Dean, but I think what he was saying that x86 (Intel, AMD and Via processors) is going the way of the dodo, in the personal computer space at least. I think I can agree with that. While there will always those who need more power, at some point in time, people will start realizing that their needs only require so much power that they will buy what works well enough and not worry about benchmarks, with other factors like battery life being considered more important.

I would not say that the PC is dead, but it will loose relevance with the average home and business user.

The smartphone wars

Apple has recently intensive its efforts to stop the progress of the Android operating system, this time though not through the release of new products or promotions but in legal action in the United States and Australia. Microsoft too seems to have it sights set on Google's Android. We have seen software patent wars before, and we will see than again in the future.

iOS. WMPowerUser has data from Market Research company Kantar World Panel on smartphone sales in seven countries. The data gives us some insight on why Apple and Microsoft might be a bit nervous. Apple is winning in the battle of profitability, but loosing ground in market share. Comparing figures from the last the 12 week period ending July 2010 and the same period in 2011, it would seem that the iPhone share in smartphone sales is actually slipping in three of the countries.

Great Britain

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 25.3%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 20.2%

Germany

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 24.6%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 20.0%

France

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 33.1%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 20.3%

I would think in part, the slide in sales could be the delay of the release of a new iPhone.

Market share in smartphone sales has increased in four of the countries.

United States

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 20.4%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 28.6%

Australia

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 32.9%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 39.2%

Italy

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 13.4%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 22.0%

Spain

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 3.9%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 7.1%

All in all, absent a new phone things are looking pretty good for Apple's iPhone.

Android. The problem is Android is on a tear.

Great Britain

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 18.6%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 48.8%

Germany

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 4.8%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 44.3%

France

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 19.7%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 41.0%

United States

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 24.2%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 57.0%

Australia

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 4.7%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 38.0%

Italy

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 1.3%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 27.6%

Spain

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 10.7%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 47.9%

Apple iPhone's are selling well, but overall more Android phones are being sold. This is not really much of a surprise for us since the available iPhone's the 3GS and 4 would only cater to the higher end market, while Android phones range from entry level smartphones to iPhone challengers.

Symbian is falling heavily on all seven countries and it looks like most of the slack is being taken up by Android. This is not too surprising since Nokia smart phones phones sell at the same price points as Android smarthpones. So, in the end while the iPhone continues to sell well, it looks like it is Android which is really taking Symbian down. This is something Microsoft would want to delay until the Nokia Windows Phone 7 devices are released.

RIM is loosing sales overall, but is only loosing heavily in the United States and Australia. It actually gained some ground in Great Britain and in Spain. WHat is interesting to note is RIM is loosing the most were the iPhone is the strongest.

Windows Phones 7, not much good news here, but it managed to get 7.1% of the German market

Google the reluctant mobile phone manufacturer

After approvals are given by the government regulators, Google will officially be in the hardware manufacturing business. Albiet, it will be a reluctant player in the field. Why did Google make the bid to buy Motorala?

The Patent Wars. Apple and Microsoft have been suing manufacturers of Android devices. Google acquisition of Motorola gives it 24,500 patents (Source: PCWorld), approved and pending to fend off attacks on Android.

And the Patent Wars. Motorola wanted to be bought. Despite the reprieve brought on by the Android Operating system, Motorola handset division was in trouble. Formerly the second largest handset maker in the world, next to Nokia, by 2010, Motorola's global market share had dropped to seventh place.

Just a few days ago Phone Arena reported, CEO Sanjay Jha hinted at a conference presentation that Motorola might start asking for royalties from other Android manufacturers:

"I would bring up IP as a very important for differentiation (among Android vendors). We have a very large IP portfolio, and I think in the long term, as things settle down, you will see a meaningful difference in positions of many different Android players. Both, in terms of avoidance of royalties, as well as potentially being able to collect royalties. And that will make a big difference to people who have very strong IP positions.”

Motorola wanted to be bought, and let Google know that it was in a position to hurt Android. If Microsoft had been the buyer, it would probably have been the end of Android.

The interesting thing to see now, is what Google does with Motorola.

Where the Android community stand. From the standpoint of Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson and LG, Google's pending acquisition of Motorola will allow Google to better defend Android and prevent Motorola from claiming royalties from other Android manufacturers (I do not think a Google owned Motorola would do this at least), but it does reinvigorate a competitor that was loosing the battle.

Should Google's run Motorola well, Motorola phones will increase their market share, which will eat into the market share of other Android manufacturers. Google which has also been trying to push Android manufacturers to update their products and recently obtained a commitments from major Android manufacturers to support their products for a period of 18 months after release (hardware willing of course) will now have a stick, and not just a carrot to offer. Google can use Motorola to set the standard for support. Android manufacturers won't jump ship, but will be keeping a keen eye on Google and Motorola. They really have no reason to panic, except for Motorola and Sony Ericcson, the major Android Manufacturers all already produce Windows Phone 7 handsets. Samsung also has its Bada OS. In a way, they have been smartly hedging their bets from the start.

As for Google, it is fighting for its future, placing a 12.5 billion US dollars bet on Android, over and above what they have already spent and now has to figure out what to do with its new baby.

If you are among the Android faithful, Google just spent 12.5 billion US dollars to back up and defend what you already bought. Google has your back.