Mobile Publishing from the Anti-G8 Protests

[UPDATE - Sunday June 1st in textually.org].
Mediactivism is an open project reporting every day on the mobilization efforts against the G8 meeting in Evian (May 29 - June 1st) and offers demonstrators the opportunity to publish short articles and pictures of demonstrations or direct actions with their cell phones or PDA.s So far, as of this Saturday morning 10 am, only three text posts and no pictures.

It's High Noon here is Geneva as the population awaits for what it fears most, the city being torn down by violent demonstrators. Most store fronts in the center of town have been boarded up, it's the strangest sight to see the city wrapped up like a sarcophagus. ATM machines have been emptied, ticket dispensers for public transportation dismantled and removed. Many companies have unscrewed their brass engraved business plates from the entrance of their buildings and the private banks have asked their employees returning to work on Monday, to dress in casual attire (no suit and tie) to avoir attracting attention. So far the number of demonstrators has been far less than predicted (under 5 thousand, whereas figures such as 300'000 were articulated) and their manifestations mostly peaceful, but the biggest demonstration scheduled here in Geneva will be tomorrow, Sunday. [Above picture comes from La Tribune de Genève's photo gallery]

G8 Summit Text alerts are being offered by local TV channel Leman Bleu and daily Geneva newspaper La Tribune de Genève (cf G8 Summit Text Alerts post in textually.org).

VidiTel, a video call service

Roland for Smart Mobs, reports on a new videophone technology called VidiTel, developed by Reality Fusion and tested by Rafe Needleman for Business 2.0.

In the company's own words: "VidiTel is the premiere video call service that provides real-time communications for anyone with an Internet connection and a computer. Now, not only can you talk to anyone in the world on the VidiTel network, you can see them, too. And it all happens with just the click of a mouse".

20SIX launches European Blogging and MoBlogging Platform

20six goes live, a weblogging community targeting people without weblogs. Based in Europe with local operations in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, 20six is filling a gap left by Americanised US competition, by presenting the blogging platform in European user's own languages and cultural styles.

20six also offers users the option of moblogging via their cell phone, by posting picture or text messages directly to their blog from their handeset.

According to Azeem Azhar, UK Managing Director of 20six: "We predict that by 2010 more young people will be reading blogs than will be reading newspapers. Younger consumers are turned off by traditional media models - they are looking for something which gives them choice, interactivity and dialogue with friends with similar viewpoints. Blogs provide all this and more and that is why we believe they will play an increasingly important role in consumer's media consumption as time goes on..

Swedish Magazine publishes section made with Nokia Picture Phones

Howard Rheingold on Smart Mobs report on an interesting entry from Alex's Blog on the June issue of Swedish city guide/magazine Nöjesguiden, which includes an 8-page insert produced entirely by readers, armed with mobile phones and e-mail.

"Nokia 35650 picture phones were handed out to several of the magazine's audience who accepted the assignment of writing on three story categories ("Five ways to enjoy Stockholm in the Summer", "My day" [a 24-hour documentary] or "Interview the most interesting person you meet within three days")". According to Alex's Blog, "the results are refreshing and excellent".

Dual mode 3G handset for Japan

Japan's DoCoMo will be launching June 11 it's first handset that can work on both 3G and DoCoMo's existing 2G networks. "The «N2701» can be set to operate exclusively in 2G or 3G mode, or set to switch automatically between the two networks according to available signal strength", according to Cellular News,

Sending MMS, not yet so widespread

According to John Delaney, an analyst at UK telecom research company Ovum and interviewed by Gabriel Sigrist for Swiss e-zine Largeur.com, a mobile user who is used to sending 60 text messages per month and who owns an MMS enabled phone, sends only 4 to 5 MMS a month.

Higher Resolution for camera phones

I don't understand much about micro chips, but according to this article in The Electronics Times, Silicon Valley company NuCore Technology has developed a two-piece image processor chip which will allow for a higher resolution in digital still and movie camers as well as camera phones. "The company projects a worldwide 2004 market of 37 million units for digital still cameras, 12 million units for digital movie cameras and 142 million units for camera-equipped mobile phones". Sounds like good news.

SARS a "double edged sword" for Tech Sector

According to an article in PCWorld, the SARS outbreak in Taiwan has led to a decrease in travel from IT buyers and thus fewer orders for hardware manufacturers, but it turns out that sales have increased for video conferencing products and one company, Leadtek Research, reports sales of video phones have soared.

Tracking and Capturing a postman's travels

moblogging.org reports on a Swedish postal worker, Patrik Ahlvik, who is attempting to ride his mail delivery bicycle on a 3 month trip from the Northern tip of Norway down to Gibraltar. Patrick will be sending information about his journey by e-mail, photos, and SMS messages from his Nokia 3650 to the Moblog.biz mobile blogging site created for the occasion, which will also report on his position tracked through his Benefon Esc GPS mobile phone.

Tiny Printer for Picture Phones

Matsushita Electric Industrial, best known for its Panasonic brand of consumer electronics and digital communications products, has launched a tiny thermal printer that can print pictures taken by a camera phone. It is on sale in Japan for 29,800 yen ($250 U.S.), according to Globe Technology via Gizmodo.

For more on printers for cell phones, check out textually.org's special category Cell Phone Printers.

New camera phone module from Philips

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands has unveiled its newest product targeting the burgeoning camera-phone market -- a module that includes two color displays and a VGA camera, according to Cellular News.

Playboy launches with 3G

3G mobile phone services operated by Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa will include pictures and video clips from Playboy Enterprises, a spokesman for Hutchison's 3 UK said on Wednesday, per an article in CNN. 3's exclusive multi-year rights include access to 13 million photos and 2,000 hours of video programming. Content willld be controlled by a pin number to keep it restricted to adults.

Megapixel-class mobile phone

Japan's J-Phone says that the J-SH53 by Sharp, which comes with a built-in CCD mobile camera capable of photographing 1 million effective pixels for high-quality pictures, will be available in stores from May 22nd, making it the world's first true megapixel-class mobile handset to be commercially available. According to an article in Cellular News

Ban on Picture Messaging for child protection reasons

Following guidelines sent out to 10,000 local authority-run leisure centres in Britain by an industry watchdog, a ban is urged on all cameras where partly clothed children might be photographed, according to an article in The Guardian. Bolton council in Manchester is the first local authority to enforce the new policy because of concerns over paedophiles.

And with good reason, picture messaging phones with images of children being abused were found by the police in a raid in Central Scotland last April. (cf related article "Hardcore Child Porn Peddled by Camera Phones" in textually.org).

MMS usage

According to a recent study from HPI Research, conducted for Nokia and reported by eMarketer, 90% of camera phone owners in Japan send multimedia messages to other camera phone users, while 68% send them to e-mail accounts,

Auto industry is wary of photo phones

Favorite Steve Outing in E-Media Tidbits, reports on a note he received in response to his post on photo phones (A Toast to Photo Phones), describing how the auto industry recognizes the danger of the new handsets, and is confiscating cell phones before entering certain areas for fear of pictures taken of un-veiled models.

Video Phone technology in hospitals for long-term patients

Video-phone technology has been installed at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (Australia) on a one-year trial basis, to allow long-term patients to see and talk to their loved ones every day. This article in The Herald Sun, follows an interesting post by Steve Outing in E-Media Tidbits, on a Boulder Colorado Community Hospital opening up soon, which will equip patients' rooms with refrigerators, TVs, VCRs, DVD players and, wonderful, Internet access.

NYC Celebs Sightings on Upoc's Picture Messaging Service

Favorite mobile community Upoc.com launched it's picture message service earlier this month where nembers can send picture messages via MMS to any Upoc text group or participate in the new "Picture Groups" category added to the directory.

The response has been overhwleming with the most popular groups so far, predictably, «nyc celeb sightings», followed by «crazy stuff I saw», «new shoes» (to show them off) and «picture chat» where members send in pictures of themselves. Well, are they hot or not?

Upoc's Picture Groups

Favorite mobile community Upoc.com has its picture message service available to members with compatible phones and for those who don't have a picture phone yet, they can still take part by viewing picture messages published online.

Most popular groups so far are predictably «NYC celeb sightings», followed by «crazy stuff I saw», «new shoes» - for those who want to show them off -, «Picture-chat», where members can send in pictures of themselves. Are they hot or are they not?

The (positive) impact of picture phones

Don't miss Steve Outing's enthousiastic review of Evan Nisselson's article entitled "Why will wireless camera phones revolutionize the photography industry?" and published in The Digital Journalist, commenting on the impact of picture phones.

"It's refreshing to read this positive outlook of the photo-phone phenomenon, rather than just defensiveness. And Nisselson points out how the devices will forward the photojournalism profession, not undermine it. He dismisses the devices' current poor quality -- often cited by pro photographers -- as a red herring; resolution is improving rapidly as photo-phone technology improves".

In Uganda, cell phones are perceived as a symptom of madness

According to an article published in All Africa, in Karamoja Uganda, mobile operator MTN is having trouble implementing its operations. As no one had bothered to explain to the natives why foreigners where talking to themselves holding up a small gadget to their ear, tribe elders assembled and concurred that cell phones were a symptom of madness and surveillance teams were dispatched to monitor the outbreak of the illness. "It is not that Karimojong are resistant to change, but they need help in adjusting their attitude to change".

Mafia considers 3G phones to rigg elections

The Italian Mafia has devised an elaborate plan using phones, to influence the outcome of the upcoming regional elections in Italy May 25th. Reported by both Internet Magazine and the BBC, using 3G handsets, voters were to send images of their ballot as they cast it in the polling booth to claim a 50 Euro award. The plan has been thwarted as Italian authorities are wise to the scheme.

Video catalogue of movie greats, ready in time for the Cannes Film Festival

A few days before the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, French wireless technology company Musiwave announced the completion of it's catalogue of images and videos related to the film industry (movies and stars) available on Vodafone, T-mobile and Telefonica, per Netéconomie.

Musiwave is well known for it's a world premiere Musitones platform, allowing to play an extract of an original music as a ringtone.

Happy forecasting

According to market researchers at The Yankee Group, mobile messaging services -- such as sending a digital photo along with a 10-second recorded message -- will bring in about $12 million this year, with the potential to grow to $1.5 billion by 2007, according to another analyst group, In-Stat/MDR, per The Mercury News.

Phone camera online Gallery

There is much written about the unauthorized use of picture phones by perverts, but in this insightful article by Aloysius Choong for C/Net Asia, there is, he thinks, "a lot of good to camera-phones and their effects could be wider and subtler than getting advice from friends about a new dress or showing off your new sweetheart." Already, Choong points out, you can find online galleries of photographs taken with phone-cameras, such as this one, called Morii's Keitai Cam. Very cool.

Picture phoning abuse

After being forbidden in locker rooms in Hong Kong and lap dancing clubs in Edinburgh, a school in Bergen, Norway is forbidding the use of mobile camera phones after pupils are said to have taken pictures during swimming lessons and publishing them on the Internet, according to Nettavisen.

Young robber caught on cell phone camera

Last week in Sweden, a 15-year-old boy who held up a convenient store with a knife, was arrested thanks to a picture taken by the manager with his mobile phone. He sent it to the police and the boy way caught 30 minutes later in a nearby restaurant, per a post in smartmobs.

A similar story was reported in the BBC in February about two thieves jailed in Italy after being identified from a mobile phone text picture.

The two men were photographed by a tobacconist with a picture phone, who grew suspicious as they hung around outside his shop.

He sent a text message with the snapshot to police. After checking their files, officers realised the two were wanted for other robberies, and arrested them. cf posting in picturephoning.

Star of CeBIT Australia: The Matrix Phone

According to an article in The Straits Times, the uncontested star of CEBIT Australia was the Panasonic X70 phone featured in "Matrix Reloaded" which was shot also in Sydney.

It comes with a built-in camera, GPRS and Bluetooth capability and unlike Nokia's camera phones, where you have to very still to take a picture, the Panasonic allows you to sweep and offers a crystal clear image.

DoCoMo's success with camera phones

Some 60 percent of DoCoMo's handset sales now come from the camera phones, whose users also tend to spend more on data transmission fees to swap photos with friends and relatives, according to an article in NY Times on DoCoMo, Japan's leading cellphone maker.

moblogging.org

Mentioned in Smart Mobs, moblogging.org is a new and welcome entry into the blogosphere. The place to go for resources and information regarding moblogging, (the ability to update blogs while on the move). Bookmark!