5 LBS Apps on iPhone

Apple’s new iPhone software with the iPhone OS 3.0 update will include Google Maps integration. With this I feel there will be an explosion of location-based apps to start appearing in the App Store. This again will be followed by other app store hope-fulls like RIM, Nokia etc. There are already a few location-based apps available now and here are five that are worth a look.

uSonar (Free)

There are lots of apps available that let you keep up with your social networks while you’re on the go, but what about when you’re bored and want to find someone local to hang with? uSonar lets you know who’s around and what they’re up to, whether they are someone you already know or not. Members post “blips” about their activities and locations, then you can message them directly through your iPhone or iPod touch. Everything about uSonar is opt-in, so you’re in control of who can see where you are, or send you a message or email. You can even post anonymously if you’d like.

Loopt (Free)

If you want people outside your immediate location to be able to find you, try Loopt. This app lets you broadcast your whereabouts or send pictures to everyone in your social networks, like Twitter and Facebook. It works across all major mobile phone carriers and supports over 100 different models of phones so your buddies without iPhones can find you. It’s famous among youth of UK

Hear Planet (Free)

If you like to go sightseeing when you travel, then you’ll love Hear Planet. It uses geolocation to determine where you are, then feeds you tons of information about the area’s landmarks, famous buildings, historical sites, and more via your headphones. More than just an audio tour guide, listen while you drive around running errands and you just might learn something you never knew about your hometown.

Whrrl (Free)

Some folks love micro-blogging so much that they want to document every minute of their day. If that’s your thing, let Whrrl help. Use your iPhone’s camera to snap pictures of your lunch, trip to the market, and visit to the dentist, uploading to Whrrl as you go. You can even add text and messages if you choose. Your location and micro-stories are shown on a map, which is really neat if you happen to be around other Whrrl users doing the same thing as you. Imagine attending the IPL Cricket matches and updating the experience as it happens, while simultaneously watching someone else across the stadium do the same.

Traffic ($1.99)

This app will let you know what the traffic conditions are like in your area and display them in list form or superimposed on a map. Traffic gives you details on how severe the traffic situations are. The app automatically locates where you are, but you can enter the location of your choice so you can get traffic conditions anywhere.

pre-CTIA event summary 31 March ‘09

Here are interesting happenings from the halos of CTIA Wireless site in Vegas (the event starts tomorrow but there were interesting pre-event conferences/announcements)

• Skype released on iPhone and BlackBerry. We downloaded it and really like what we see. Only issue : it works only on WiFi networks. For now TruPhone wins on this one as TruPhone works on operator network also using its AnyWhere service. We are sure Skype will provide that later. Skype for BlackBerry to be made available this summer.
• RIM to unveil the BlackBerry App World (mobile app store). Nokia Ovi Store comes this summer. MSFT Windows Mobile App Store called Sky Market is later part of this year.
• Handango, one of the initial mobile app developer, launches App Store Accelerator, yet another app store for mobile.
• MSFT thinks that mobile devices are fashion accessories. As such it is teaming up with top designers for designing mobile phone colors and schemes.
• MSFT is collaborating with AT&T for its PlayReady triple-play content management software for synchronized content delivery on three channels – TV, broadband and mobile.
• Go2 Media to create app like experience in mobile browsers like Safari
• AT&T to launch in-vehicle satellite TV service called CruiseCast. If you have seen Uverse from AT&T, you know what AT&T has mastered TV
• Samsung launches first WiMAX device for ClearWire. It is an internet tablet PC.

Stay tuned for more from CTIA as the conference kicks off tomorrow in Vegas.

CellStrat on twitter now

We are pleased to announce that CellStrat is on twitter now. So if you are really really interested in checking what we are doing at the moment, feel free to follow us on twitter.

http://twitter.com/CellStrat

We will be providing tweets as they call them. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 bytes in length. Twitter is an interesting micro-blogging service to post one liners – it is what they are now referring to as “Real-time Web”. A web which changes by the minute and people publish their thoughts on the go. Other people can follow the tweets by a person whereas that person can follow other peoples’ tweets. It becomes more relevant from a mobile perspective as one can post tweets while on the go. So we downloaded the twitter client “twitterific” from iPhone AppStore. This has been created by a firm called “the iconfactory“. Twitterific is fabulous as is twitter.

This is a new model which has evolved over last one year. It has been adopted by one and all around the world from celebrities to businessmen to evangelists.

So chase us on http://twitter.com/CellStrat …

iPhone 3.0 OS Overview

I wanted to write about the new Apple news – that of iPhone 3.0 software. Apparently it is a version which will fulfill many of the things which were missing before :

- 100 new features
- Search iPhone
- Cut, copy and paste capability – sorely lacking in prior versions
- Send photos, contacts, audio files and locations via MMS
- Read and compose email and text in landscape mode. Earlier the safari browser allowed this but not the email and message box. Now the latter will allow landscape also.
- 1000 new APIs for developers
- enable in-app purchase of content like subscriptions, additional game levels and other content
- apps can communicate with other hardware via Bluetooth
- push is available to developers to push content
- multitasking so multiple apps can run simultaneously
- developers can use the map feature of iPhone in their apps
- developers can access the iPod music (or podcasts etc) library stored on the device and use them innovatively in their apps

 

This is a sample list – we will write more as we learn about this exciting new announcement from Apple – we remain die-hard fans of iPhone which is a true mobile revolution as far as we are concerned.

Attended the Wireless Technology Forum (Atlanta) General Meeting on Wireless Consumer Apps

I visited the Wireless Technology Forum’s General Meeting today. WTF is the top wireless networking group in Atlanta with 550 members and growing rapidly. The topic for today’s session was “Where is the Money in Wireless Consumer Applications?“

The WTF session today had an excellent panel :

Ken Hayes, EVP – Carrier Relations, ThumbPlay

Rob Hyatt, Executive Director, AT&T Mobility

Andy McGuire, VP Mobile Innovation, GSM Association

Andrew Dod, VP Marketing, Whoop Mobile

Ron Kozoman, Director, Mobile Operations, Turner Broadcasting Systems

Moderator : Maury Margol, Sr. Director, Client Relations, Nielsen Telecom Practice

Here are some highlights from the panel discussion :

As one would expect, iPhone has come to dominate all things mobile internet in current times. Basic theme all throughout the discussion was that the iPhone is a game changer in mobile app world. It has shown the world how the mobile user experience should be and how to influence consumer adoption with a compelling application portfolio.

Which mobile apps are making money today ? Ken suggested it is the iPhone apps with its AppStore strategy.  3 years from now, it will be LBS which will be main revenue generator in mobile apps. Andy McGuire suggested that 800 million iPhone application downloads so far is the tip of the iceberg. It is an indicator that developers and consumers are there if the ecosystem is right.  He mentioned that in future, one might see utility models like medical and home apps on mobile phones. One panelist opined that in spite of all the iPhone AppStore hoopla and massive no of apps available, money is still being made in limited categories like games and music.

On the question of wired devices, the panel was of the opinion that in future there will be lot of wireless devices which will preclude the need to have a wired network but higher speed apps will still find a use for wired networking eg in case of high speed TV. Andy quoted Sony CEO’s statement that in the future, 90% of devices may be wirelessly-enabled. Clearly wireless is the future for all networks but for reasons of speed and niche uses, wired devices and network will still prevail in some areas. Some interesting uses of wireless will be wireless blood pressure monitor, reservoir monitors etc.

On the question as to how a carrier like AT&T makes money in “open mobile” environments like iPhone AppStore, Rob from AT&T mentioned that iPhone has increased data plan sales for AT&T and also AT&T itself makes some of the iPhone apps.  Plus AT&T attracts a huge no of new subscribers due to the iPhone exclusivity. In essence, AT&T has lots of monetization models around iPhone type of devices where the volume of customer adoption more than covers for the revenue lost due to “open” mobile gardens like iPhone AppStore.

Next there was a question – how can developers make money in mobile apps? The panel was of the opinion that there are lot of apps being made and put out most of the times for free. Lot of these apps are simply experimental in nature or are hobby apps with no business model around them. The panel suggested that developers need to think through the business model when writing apps. Most apps peak and then are forgotten in the ever increasing mass of mobile apps on iPhone AppStore. As to mobile ads inside the mobile apps, it is a nascent idea at this point but in future, this will become a bigger source of revenue vs a download fee. One panelist suggested that considering the fact that there are 4 times the no of mobiles in the world compared to no of PCs, there is a dearth of content for mobile so that is an area which developers can look at. Also RIM has stated that minimum pricing for BlackBerry App Store app will be $2.99 – this may invite more serious developers who have a revenue-generating business model in mind.

Per Robb Hyatt from AT&T, iPhone took AT&T Mobility from “2nd innings straight to 5th innings” in mobile data; I found this interesting.

When asked where does Google come into picture, the panelists mused that it is one of many players unlike in internet where it dominates via search. One interesting aspect about Google Android is that it has reduced manufacturing costs for OEMs (read cellphone makers) dramatically. Eg Samsung or Motorola no longer have to spend tons in maintaining custom mobile OS for its phones. It can focus on making compelling phones and just use Android for mobile OS.

On Mobile Payments, the panel thought that Near Field Communications or NFC payments are still in infancy although other countries are slightly ahead of USA in this area.  Also consumers need to become comfortable about security before mass adoption of Mobile Banking will be seen. Andy gave an example of “Banking for the Unbanked” in Kenya on Safaricom network and its mobile payment offering called m-pesa. The 7 million m-pesa customers use mobile as a payment mechanism and receive paychecks on it. This is excellent innovation in mobile payment. Everybody agreed that mobile payments and banking is a trust model as much as it is a technology model.

Then the natural question : has recession effected mobile apps business ? Apparently not, per the panel. It seems consumers will not give up mobile and its little entertainment oriented apps just like they won’t give up on movies in a downtime. Mobile is an essential device today for a consumer.

All panelists agreed that there is lot of innovation remaining in mobile app arena. The primary gaps remain in user experience and business model evolution. iPhone experience is the beginning and not the end.

Well, very informative and highly intuitive discussion. Thanks to the panel and to the organizing team at the WTF – Maury Margol, Bob McIntyre and Steve Bachman.

War on Mobile App Store Front soon…

I was at Nokia Forum yesterday in New Delhi while it was being organised by Nokia parallely in Malaysia too. Nokia has started organising these forums/ code camps regularly now to connect with third party developers who come out with very innovative applications every now and then from around the world.

Mostly present there were talking about how different manufacturers like Research In Motion (RIM), Google Inc., Microsoft and Nokia etc. are all tryting to get a pie of the app store market share, a trend started by Apple. Most of them agreed that Apple actually told the world that phone is not just for talking or sms but a lot more then that, through it’s iPhone and the app store. However in India, iPhone is not as popular in absence of 3G networks.

Now, other companies like RIM and Nokia are going to leverage that customer knowledge (imparted originally by Apple)  to monetise the huge opportunity available now as Nokia and RIM both have far greater market share in India then Apple’s iPhone.

Research in Motion (RIM) in October 2008 announced two major distribution initiatives for smartphone applications for its BlackBerry handheld, including an online store called BlackBerry Application Storefront and an application center. RIM began accepting applications and content from developers for inclusion in the storefront in December and the store is scheduled to launch this month. The storefront will allow developers to set their own prices for applications. RIM is working with PayPal, an online payment service, to provide consumers with a way to pay for applications from BlackBerry smartphones.

Nokia is launching their app store on OVI starting first from western world by end of first quarter and later entering in India by around mid of this year. Nokia is also tying up with various payment platforms including credit card payment gateways online for cutomers to pay for applications.

A key question for technology executives is what value, if any, do these app stores provide to business users? So far, experts say, the usefulness for business appears to be limited. But with the influx of new players in the market, the number of business applications might increase.

How will netbooks affect mobile marketing?

The growing popularity of netbooks – smaller, lighter and cheaper laptops with almost similar Web capabilities as big-screen versions – is set to change the world of mobile marketing and media.

Brands such as Acer, Hewlett-Packard and Asus have already launched netbooks priced between $300 and $400. Dell is expected to debut its own version, although there is no inkling that Apple may come out with its netbook.

According to Pholop Solis, ABI principal analyst for mobile broadband in Oyster Bay, NY, A netbook is easier to carry out of the home because it is smaller and lighter, and it is also easier to tote around the home. Also, some people are buying them to use for email and presentations when they travel for business so they can travel light. The popularity of netbooks is possible because of their price range – mostly between $300 and $400, so far.

ABI Research expects netbooks’ sales to more than double to about 35 million units in 2009, and for that to continue to climb in 2010. Some of these will be purchased as secondary devices to get on the Internet by consumers who would not have bought a second laptop.  Some of them will be purchased by consumers as a replacement for an older laptop instead of buying a new laptop.  Today’s netbooks resemble small laptops – they practically are except that they have processors that are less powerful. Early movers in netbook space have been Acer and Asus as two main leaders in the market.

Netbooks are increasingly being offered with mobile broadband and increasingly coming with GPS as well, these devices certainly bring opportunities around location-aware services and advertising.  They will used while walking the way smarpthones and mobile Internet devices will be used, but they certainly will be used on-the-go more often than laptops.

Mobile devices, in general, are expanding from just cellular handsets to include laptops, netbooks, mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and even mobile consumer electronics devices – things like game devices, portable media players, cameras and camcorders are gaining mobile broadband connections for data-only to increase their usefulness. 

In this context, smartphones with better browsers, netbooks, and MIDs are filling the need to be able to access the Internet from anywhere on just the right device, depending on the person’s preferences and needs. This means Internet will be consumed, via the smartphone and netbook channels in the longrun. On-the-go, various devices will fill the need to get on the Internet. However at home, nothing can fully replace the PC.

How should marketers and advertisers react to this phenomenon?
The fact that Internet access is being done more and more from anywhere means that advertisers have to take this into account. 

Location-based advertising is one part of this.  Properly done, mobile advertising can be very useful to people who are already searching for places and using services in the context of their current location and next destination.

(Excerpts from Mobile Marketer)

IPhone – an operator’s friend or a foe…

Strand Consult laid out, why having the Apple iPhone on your network might not be the best thing in the world. In their own words:

Strand Consult is not in the business of creating hype around technology, our business is to explain to mobile operators how the future market will evolve and how to make money for their shareholders.

…so their ten points on the iPhone are well worth reading in this article. You can read the details here, but their main topics are given below, with little notes of my own thoughts on each area.

1. The iPhone attracts a limited market segment, Apple’s goal was a global market share of 1%. But despite this, the iPhone is not a mass-market product; it is a product that attracts a niche segment. In India too, there are not many serious takers of iPhone. Many just carry the same just as their style statement while carrying a second phone to make or recieve calls. I have personally come across many who are out of reach when somebody sitting next to them tries to call them.
 
2. Marketing the iPhone takes away staff from more profitable sectors.

3. Customers not interested in iphone have been the neglected lot.  Could some of those customers that are not interested in an iPhone feel more welcome with operators that do not carry the iPhone and is not it likely that focusing on a niche product will result in neglecting customers that are the actual foundation of an operator’s existence?

4. While the data usage of the iPhone is promoted, most people are switching to the iphone from other data handsets, not coming into the network specifically for that, so the actual educational effect of the iPhone is minimal. Perhaps operators should take a closer look at these customers voice ARPU rather than their data consumption?
 
5. Having iPhone customers using large data volumes sounds good, but when data is being sold at a flat rate, a high data consumption results in high production costs without the corresponding increased revenue. You could compare the operators’ attitude towards the iPhone’s data consumption with a restaurant owner that has a “all you can eat for 10 Euro” buffet and that is proudest of the customers that eat the most! In this business the idea is to generate revenue for the shareholders, not to increase the production volume and costs, while at the same time minimising revenue.
 
6. When you examine the iPhone data consumption, you will see that iPhone customers use their browser to view ordinary websites and that they often choose not to view the websites in XHTML – optimised for low bandwidth and mobile phone sized screens. In practice this results in that when an iPhone user browses a typical news site, an ordinary web page will be around 1 MB, while the mobile version of the same page will often be less than 100 Kb. It is significantly cheaper for an operator to produce 100 Kb data than it is to produce 1 MB data and it is much more fun to deliver 100 KB rather than 1 MB when you are selling data at a flat rate.
 
7. Apple’s App store gives no fees to the operator (in the same way as Nokia share revenue via the N-Gage on device store), and has a kickback from the data tariffs. In short they regard networks as dumb bit pipes.

8. Strand’s research shows that there is not one single Apple partner in the world among the mobile operators that has increased their overall turnover due to the iPhone. So apart from the press coverage, what value has the iPhone actually created for the shareholders of the operators that have chosen to become Apple iPhone partners?
 
9. The unlocking handset market worldwide is huge for unofficial handsets. These phones are most often used on other non-Apple partner networks thus depriving the apple partner networks off the revenue.
 
10. Other Operators and MVNO’s are directly benefiting from (9) without having to invest in all the other iPhone structure requested by Cupertino.

The conclusion is simple. This is not good business for shareholders of operators that are Apple and iPhone partners – on the contrary it is far better business not been an Apple and iPhone partner. Operators that choose not to carry iPhone products have an increased probability of serving their shareholders interests over those that move their management’s focus, subsidies, marketing and distribution power on a product that is as beautiful as Paris Hilton, but increases production costs and where there may not be a relationship between revenue and costs.

What is OVI?

OVI meaning Open Door, is a platform that was announced by Mr Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Nokia last year.It lets Nokia phone owners back-up contacts and calendar entries from their phone to the site, plus add and edit entries on the site before synchronising the new data back to their handset.

Ovi also features online storage, called Anytime Files, with the emphasis on allowing users to view synced files remotely via their phone’s Web browser. Different from similar services like Apple’s MobileMe which rely on dedicated clients, Nokia’s files storage is accessible via any Web browser — this means you don’t need a specific device, or brand of phone, to access your files.

Mr Anssi Vanjoki is visiting New Delhi tomorrow for a meeting which I am attending too

Talking of 3G spectrum when even 2G is not sufficient in India

Today’s front page news article “Call drops, busy routes: What’s wrong with cells?” in Delhi’s print edition of Times of India , one of the National dailies here shows just that.

According to this article, mobile users are growing at the rate of approx. 40% year on year and thus there are complains of customers like there are frequest call drops, disconnections, route congestion messages etc. Ultimately when customers are not able to talk on mobile, they switch to land line. Most operators cite scarce spectrum as the key reason. But amazingly, even after knowing the problem they don’t do anything on their infrastructure front. They should first increase their infrastructure to strengthen the 2G space instead of blindly trying to get 3G spectrum. This will only add to customer frustation.

One good solution that I can think of is operators brining in Femtocells fast. They can leverage the existing situation as anyway customers are using their broadband internet as well as landline for calling due to spectrum crisis. So these operators can very well promote femtocells to these customers as an alternative to cell-towers and get them to switch back to mobiles and use their broadband for femtocells instead. This will help operators in following ways:

• De-congest the macro network at both work and residential sites as when femtocells are their calls will be travelling from mobile to femtocells to broadband to mobiles
• Reduce infrastructure installation and maintenance costs.
• Be more environment friendly.
• Be accessible to more subscribers on current infrastructure in interiors of the country too.

Femtocells will help the customers in the following ways:

• Minimisation of bills as calls are going through braodband route.
• Better clarity.
• Better connectivity.
• Better data speeds.
• No call drops.
• No busy routes.

Operators should soon do something about this issue or else the day is not far when somebody will invent some technology that bypasses the operators…

Vishal