MobiSnippets
By Brian Prows
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Podcast Description
MobiSnippets, a daily podcast and blog, provides news, information and commentary about changing trends in mobile and wireless communications not covered elsewhere. I seek worldwide events, products and services that are changing how people use wireless, then talk about 4-5 topics. Listeners and readers may access MobiSnippets from multiple sites and devices, including their mobile phone. Readers and listeners who seek further information can explore further through links included with each day's podcast
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Auto Wi-Fi from Ford “Where Quality is Job One” | What would you think about Ford Motor Company installing auto Wi-Fi in your vehicle? No, not to bypass the carriers or let junior play mobile games faster on his mobile device. But to better regulate traffic on freeways, save gas, your nerves and, possibly, your life. If you're old enough, you remember the old Ford slogan "Quality is Job One," a slogan that became as familiar as Coke's "We're the Real Thing" or Verizon's "Can you Hear Me Now?" Ford may again regain its status among consumers, but this time with a slogan like "Where Innovation is Job One." Chief Tech Officer Paul Mascarenas is pushing an idea called "connected cars" that link enough vehicles with Wi-FI networks in a half-mile radius. Consider these facts and benefits: Commuting to work yearly takes as much time as working one full week Ford already offers a system called "sync destinations" providing road traffic and other information Creating a true mobile data network integrating adjacent vehicles makes it possible to offer other services as well, like parking lot availability or paying with a credit card before reaching a garage or toll booth. (Read this about connected cars.) The auto Wi-Fi net makes autos "nodes" on a small network. Only vehicles affected by traffic slowdowns or other factors would receive or re-transmit the data. About three out of ten cars need wi-fi connections to send and receive data within the half-mile area. Heavy encryption would prevent any breach of personal information Using an intelligent network would help prevent accidents and inform drivers of traffic in REAL time Ford or other Wi-Fi service owners could offer related services about travel and traffic helping to lower annual service costs. Off-loading cellular traffic would improve mobile phone voice and data performance This auto Wi-Fi idea is similar to smartphone apps which enhance the usefulness and value to consumers. In fact, application developers would jump at a chance to develop applications delivered over a Wi-Fi network enhancing GPS services. Now we're really talking mobile. (Information for this article came form Connected Planet, an industry publication.) | 8/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Stop! Sell Your Cell Phones, Make Money and Recycle for Charities | Aha. I caught you!. You were about ready to throw your old cell phones in the garbage at 4 a.m. when no one's looking, eh? But did you know you can recycle, make money and help charities by properly disposing of your cell phones? IN 2009, the U.S. generated 3.19 million tons of waste. Only 18% was recycled in landfills or incinerators. Dumping cell phones in landfills releases hazardous chemicals into groundwater supplies and burning plastics spreads deadly dioxins around the planet. Recycling one million phones keeps us away from 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 of silver, 75 of gold and 33 pounds of palladium (bad stuff found in lots of products including car catalytic converters). And used cell phone batteries contain lithium and other chemicals. Recyling Cellphones But, as they say, "you can have your cake and eat it too." Or was it "you can't have your cake?" Oh, well. Check out the Urban Dictionary about the four meanings of the English phrase. Bottom line for this post, you can sell your old cell phones for moolah. Or if the darn thing is ready for the grave, donate it to organizations who will fix it for charities. Project Re-Cell works with 70 organizations to collect phones for cash. You rake in $1 to $300, depending on the age and condition of the phone. Then they help your favorite non-profit. Call them at 800-RECELL-5. An online e-commerce site called ExchangeMyPhone.com just launched. They're dedicated to cell phone recycling, spreading the wealth with you while safely recycling old and broken cell phones. Free shipping is included. Jeremy Cohen, its founder, says everyone wants the newest phone technologies and most people have a drawer that looks like a cell phone graveyard. But why store them when you can make $50 for 2 year old smartphones, or $200 for most newly released ones. If the phones are broken, Exchange cleans all data off the cells and recycles their components. Even the African country Ghana is ready to finalize a new law preventing import of electronic waste, such as old cell phones that pose a threat to the environment and people. Soon it will be illegal to dump electronic waste in that country. Ghana's communications minister warns those who dump such materials, saying "we have taken a serious view of the situation." And the VP of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, calls "...the dumping of electronic waste a menace to society." Secure Data Destruction Another big concern in our smartphone age is secure data destruction. As phones store more information, more than names, phone numbers and addresses are at risk. Smartphones now store financial and other personal information. Left in the wrong hands can lead to credit card fraud and identity theft. Environmental Integrity, a firm that provides secure data destruction, safe disposal of batteries and re-marketing of usable cell phones can help. If your phone is reparable, it's donated to your charity of choice. If not, the company uses a 100 horsepower hammer mill shredder that pulverizes and shreds phones, totally destroying data and materials. Call them at 877-473-9278. Whether you're concerned about the environment or only making money on your used cell phones, now's the time to get with it and save the planet. | 8/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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10 Mobile Tech Insights in 2011 – Forrester Tells All | eWeek reviewed Forester Research's recent report "10 Mobile Tech Insights for 2011." Striking trends worth noting. Smartphone owners will continue growing, pay less for mobile devices and demand more data, Butt consumers will use fewer apps, increasing competition in the already competitive app development and distribution markets, especially Apple and Android. The overused word "fragmentation"--meaning too many operating systems, phones and apps--continues. Apple and Android dominating in the U.S.; lower-cost Symbian devices maintaining their grip over Europe and Asia. Advertisers, used to mass marketing, continue debate about mobile's slice of the ad pie. As HTML 5 crawls into mobile phone browsers and "Angry Bird" and other application users peck away at for more mobile Internet access 24/7, "mobile pros" will opt for Web access rather than apps. Forrester officially proclaimed iPads, the forthcoming Motorola Zoom and E-readers--Kindle, Nook and netbooks-- "mobile devices." Now if creative industry marketers stop calling their gadgets "devices, buyers will stop equating a "mobile device" with the cost of a fridge. Mobile marketing, left in the advertising dust too long, finally passes $1 BILLION in revenues. The research firm sees massive consumer demand for mCommerce--lots of products and Groupon deals. Google execs already planning their bonuses as AdMob, its mobile ad network, and Android OS makes lots of money in display and search advertising. Worried Foursquare standalone check-in service heading into trouble as Facebook Places--six times larger at 600 million--charges ahead trying to be the who, what, when and where place. Big war to happen among NFC (near field communications) for mobile payments as Google (who else) turns smartphones into over-sized ATM cards. Meanwhile, QR codes, those stripes on most products and mobile augmented reality (AR) chips soon to appear on smartphones.. Rovio, the maker of Angry Birds, flys high in '11 as casual gaming spreads its wings further. Subscriptions, in-app billing and micro transactions, meantime, are hitting the market like eagles in heat. Despite Verizon's strong push of LTE 4G wireless at CES-11, few people by Christmas will walk the streets with a 4G phone. Forrester says 4G in the same camp as 3G when launched in Europe: slow adoption and technical hurdles. Nevertheless, expect lots of 4G carrier chatter as Verizon, AT&T and Sprint over-advertise their superior technology. Forrester putting lots of pressure on American companies to adopt mobile strategies or get left in the dirt. Travel firms in particular should take advantage of using mobile tech to lower costs and increase revenues. And there you have it--10 MobiSnippets about 2011. If Forrester is wrong...well, there's always 2,012. | 8/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 3 Episodes |
- Free
- Category: Tech News
- Language: English
- © Copyright - MobiSnippets, Division of Mobilebeyond - 2011 - All Rights Reserved
