2008/07/04: Cheep goes mobile… Apple & Blackberry pie
Official: Mobiles are for the birds…
Wild birds are able to imitate the simple ringtones of mobile phones and can sing up to 78 phrases it is claimed. According to Tierramerica, an information service specialising in environment and development, German ornithologists report that birds like the Euroasian jackdaw (Corvus monedula), the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) were put in contact with electronically created sounds as a result of the expansion of urban life, the food opportunities provided by cities, and the fast-paced growth of mobile phone use.
Apparently, it is in the nature of these birds to imitate the sounds of their environment that correspond to their own musical capabilities, and they can imitate these sounds so well that sometimes it is difficult to hear the difference. Surely nature couldn't be so twisted as to inflict the crazy frog on our feathered friends…
Apple and Blackberry pie
It seems that Blackberry has suffered as a result of the looming 3G iPhone mania. Research In Motion (RIM) shares are said to have nose-dived despite the 'crackberry' manufacturer announcing that revenues for the quarter to the end of May increased 107 percent year on year.
According to one analyst, RIM is being punished for not being Apple, although there is also some concern about the company's ability to deliver on its consumer-oriented strategy. However, on a brighter note, it is reported that the Indian Ministry of Telecommunications has come to the conclusion that Blackberry devices do not pose a security threat and that, therefore, it will not be closing down Blackberry's service in the sub-continent.
Meanwhile, there are those that believe that July 11, when the 3G iPhone hits the shelves in the US, will witness a similar frenzy to that which accompanied the launch of the original device. The problem it seems, is that AT&T is insisting that the handsets are activated in-store, to prevent unlocked iPhones making their way onto the overseas black market.
It sounds like a veritable nightmare - but one that is obviously unavoidable (and perhaps not wholly undeserved) for such people that are driven to queue round the block for days on end in order to complete their lives with the latest mobile wizardry. Okay, so the iPhone is pretty ground-breaking in certain respects, but c'mon, is it really the last word in mobile? And it seems operators are all too eager to succumb to Apple's every whim, if the story regarding one journalist's close encounter with the 3G iPhone is anything to go by…
In the News…
Biometrics to fast track 'trusted' travellers (read full story)
Under a UK-US agreement aimed at boosting business travel, fingerprint, iris and facial recognition technology will be used to speed up frequent travellers' journeys through immigration control…
ePassport upgrade scaled back (read full story)
The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has scaled back plans to upgrade its electronic passport system.
Blogger: Google's MySpace problem is serving up unrelated ads (read Blog)
The problem Google is having monetising its inventory of News Corp.’s MySpace pages may have more to do with faulty algorithms for ad serving than it does inherent issues with social networking sites, it is claimed.
On the wire…
The generation game: Y oh Y? (read full release)
As TV and movie studios push to make more of their video content available online, a new study from Knowledge Networks reveals that while consumers are indeed turning to new video technologies - such as online streaming and mobile video - most of their video-related spending continues to be on conventional sources such as DVD rentals and purchases.
No surprises there. But what is interesting is that the market watcher plays the old 'generation X, Y lead the way' card. Have they not heard that the term 'Millennials' now denotes the younger generation?
Speaking of the whipper-snappers:
Mobiles, not knives, will help to tackle gun and knife crime say London teenagers (read full release)
A project dubbed 'LIFEWISE' involved over 200 young people from South Thames College and six secondary schools across the London Borough of Wandsworth, whereby students used Vodafone v1615 handsets to enable them to work collaboratively on a range of curriculum-based projects, including finding solutions to the increasing problem of violent crime.
This is one of the first projects funded by The Mobile Learning Network (MoLeNET) and uses handheld technology, provided by Steljes, Vodafone, Wildkey and M-learning.mobi. The result has been a theatre production, a professionally-mastered CD of music incorporating anti-violent lyrics written, mixed and produced by the students, video promos, and an action plan to tackle social cohesion problems that can contribute to violent crime.
Let's hope the mobile can prove mightier than the sword…
And if the kids didn't have enough on their plate already:
Capcom recruits academic to brainwash kids with physics and maths while they play video games (read full story)
Nipan Maniar - the University of Portsmouth academic who is famous for developing the cultural awareness game ‘C-Shock’ – will work with games company Capcom to develop subliminal mind programming techniques in the architecture of video games to provide structured learning environments that players won't be consciously aware of; and in subject areas many students find hard to understand.
I can just imagine the scenario with Grand Theft Auto: If you have £3,000 and buy a stolen hot-hatch for 2,300, a hand-gun for £250, and narcotics for £275, how much cash are you left with?
Pop, pop… pop!