NFC Becomes a Reality
Nokia’s upcoming 6212 Classic handset was press-released yesterday and while the overall specs might not knock you out of your seat, the presence of Near Field Communication (NFC) couldn’t be more exciting. With a Q3 release, the 6212 won’t be the first NFC-equipped device but it will likely be the first to be widely marketed by a top company. What is NFC? The press release illustrates usage cases well:
Near Field Communication is designed for intuitive, simple and safe interaction between electronic devices. By tapping an NFC-enabled tag, consumers can receive new content such as weblinks, audio files or contact data directly to their phone. They can activate a profile in their handset or open applications such as FM radio or web browser. Photos and videos can be easily shared by tapping another NFC-capable phone and pairing with a Bluetooth NFC-enabled device, like the new NFC variant of the Nokia BH-210 headset, happens with just one touch.
Of course the applications of NFC are essentially limitless. Mobile handset-invoked payment remittance for example, would be infinitely more secure as compared to current methods. In fact the technology is so exciting that perhaps it will spark some advancement here in the US where we are lagging at best with like technology. I’d love to be able to tap my handset against an ATM to withdraw cash from my checking account or tap it against a gas pump to fund my fuel purchase.
Back to the now however, we can expect to see light uses come into play as 2008 fades into 2009. Parrot for one, has just today announced a pair of NFC-equipped portable speakers that will be available for around $150 this summer. If the 6212 Classic was being issued with AT&T-compatible UMTS I’d likely snag both of the aforementioned toys. Alas…
Gmail Redesigned »
A complete and instant redesign of the Gmail web UI thanks to a Firefox plugin called Stylish and a style by Globex Designs (link). Looks phenomenal. Note that it does slow load time down a bit when you first hit the Gmail site, but once it’s open I notice no lag issues beyond the norm. Thanks to Jonathan for the link.
Delta Cares
A few weeks ago on a trip that took me through Atlanta, Dallas and Las Vegas, I was stuck in the ATL airport for about 12 hours as a result of the MD-88 fiasco. Don’t get me started. Yesterday I received a surprising letter from Delta however. Many apologies and 10,000 complimentary Sky Miles. The consolation isn’t necessarily valuable, but the gesture is unexpected and well received. After reading about ‘consolation prizes’ from some other airlines, credit is due: Good job Delta.Nokia Strengthens Customer Bond With 'Conversations'
I could not be more happy about this. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me about a project currently underway behind the scenes at Nokia that really sounded exciting. “We all know and love S60’s blogs,” he said. “What if Nokia had a similar site that touched upon all of the major areas relating to Nokia?”
Our conversation ended and since then I’ve heard nothing about the project - until last night. An email found its way into my inbox containing access information for a special preview of Nokia’s upcoming site: Nokia Conversations (link not yet live). I finally had some time to browse through it a few moments ago and thusfar I’m very, very happy. Despite the fact that SiMo isn’t one of the blogs they follow (nor is maramine of course, it just launched!), the team behind Nokia Conversations has done a fantastic job putting this site together. Headed by the ever-popular Charlie Schick, Conversations is just what my friend said it would be; the S60 blogs of Nokia.
Company insights, business insights, strategic insights, environmental insights, personal insight; it’s all there. No other handset manufacturer (or internet company) comes close to delivering customer relations experience that Nokia has in place today, and Nokia Conversations is a big step beyond anything we’ve seen before. I’m really not sure how much I’m supposed to reveal at this point, but I will say that the site is currently separated into six main categories:
- Products & Services
- Design
- Future Technologies
- Environment
- Ideas & Opinions
- Our Business
This will give you a good idea as to the content to be expected from Nokia Conversations. Once launched, the site will give visitors a unique opportunity to interact with many of the minds behind the products and services we all know and love so much. One of the aspects that I’m looking forward to most is the reactive side of the blogs. I hope many of the contributors take some time to give their input with regards to “current events” as they are reported on within the media and blogosphere.
Not all of the links on the site are live yet, but the email I received stated the site would “go live shortly”. Get ready…
RIP Mobile Web
When someone like Russell Beattie says that the mobile web is dead, it really doesn’t bode well for mobile web developers. Russell, co-founder of Mowser, is someone with a lot of weight when it comes to the topic of mobile internet. For those who hadn’t sampled it, Mowser is/was a web-based tool that allowed users to instantly convert most full web pages into low-end mobile browser-friendly pages. Like what Google does, but better. Yesterday Russell posted on his blog about the difficulties his company has had of late. As such, Mowser is no more.
How could Mowser have succeeded? Carriers and manufacturers are typically the toughest nuts to crack but Mowser needed a big deal with an AT&T, Verizon, Samsung, or other. A service like Mowser has huge potential in my eyes, but without exposure to the right audience it had little hope of becoming a success. It did get exposure but essentially only with the savvy crowd via the tech blogosphere. These are not the people who need Mowser. These are primarily tech-junkie types equipped with smartphones, UMPCs and internet tablets. The mobile web has no place with them. It is the less tech-aware who would have and still can benefit from a product like Mowser.
Contracting with a carrier like AT&T could have lead to a rebranding of Mowser’s technology. Integrate it with the default homepage (MEdiaNet page) accessed by non-smartphones and market it well to the less savvy user. Find interesting ways to show them the clear benefits of mobilizing webpages and watch as data traffic doubles. That is how Mowser could have succeeded. ‘Any information anywhere’ is big money for carriers and the right pitch(es) could have shown them the clear benefits of promoting and extending the reach of a product like Mowser.
But again, a small start-up like Mowser would likely have a difficult time cracking a nut like that - especially without some serious funding. Russell speaks of the difficulties they had in securing funding and with internet-aware VCs focused on social networks, over-valued Facebook apps and the like, it’s no wonder Russel and company had difficulties.
I wish Russell all the best and I wish that I had a job for him. He and his team are quite a talent and under different circumstances, Mowser could have really gone places. The mobile web isn’t dead, it’s just hibernating.
Web 2.5 = Theft?
Is this the future (for now) of the internet? So many new “Web 2.0” services are coming about with a core service offering that amounts to little more than theft. I read about WikiFM today on the Listening Post and it has me concerned. The site marries two amazing services; Last.fm and Wikipedia. Yes, the concept is there: Why not enable the listener to read in great detail about each artist as they stream through the Last.fm player? While Last.fm does have bio pages and other tools that allow users to learn while they listen, Wikipedia often goes into much greater detail.
So what’s the problem? WikiFM doesn’t own the technology that it is using as a sole service offering to users. I use the term “theft” lightly in this post - yes WikFM may have permission to feed from each of the sites in question, although I doubt it. Should sites attempt to build value by using such practices?
Shyftr and Friendfeed are two more examples that are hot in the blogosphere lately. The former is a social RSS reader. It allows users to pull in feeds from any site and share them with other users. The Shyftr community can then share comments (locally), etc thus devaluing the original source of said content in my eyes. The latter, Friendfeed, scoops up feeds from a host of social networks and life-streaming sites, aggregating them in one place. Great concept but just like WikiFM, Friendfeed is building value by making use of time / energy / resources that it did not expend.
So I’ll ask again: Is this where the internet is going?
Welcome
Welcome to maramine. I’ve been meaning to toss up a personal “everything” blog for quite a while now, and this is the result. Kudos to tumblr for putting together quite a versatile free outlet here; it has been remarkably simple to get going.
On this blog you’ll find a stream of consciousness of sorts. I currently blog for The Boy Genius Report and Symbian in Motion, neither of which is very condusive to much of the content I’d like to cover. And so here we are…
As to what you’ll find on this blog, I can’t say for sure. Rants, raves, rambling; yes. Insights; perhaps. Interesting content; I hope so.
Feel free to contact me for any reason and I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can: zach [at] maramine [dot] com
