Telsis Launches Viral Conferencing For Vodafone Italy

The world's first ‘viral' voice conferencing service – where participants can join, leave, re-join and involve friends and colleagues at will – has gone live with Italian mobile operator Vodafone Italy, reports TMCNet.

"Anyone can start a conference and invite others to take part. Joining participants can then issue invitations of their own. A unique aspect of the Telsis system, this capability enables conferences to grow organically, with each participant paying their own call costs. In a further advance, conferences continue for as long as any of the participants want to talk, in contrast to conventional conferencing systems that disconnect all participants as soon as the originator hangs up".

Photoblog aggregator

I've been following this wireless technology company for some time, and they continue to develop and expand in interesting ways. Anyone interested in photoblogs and their social impact should check out BlueHereNow daily. They report on picturephoning news and are agreggating images from photoblogs across the world.

It's where you'll see political news (including protests and elections) celebrities, international news (including blackouts, wildfires and images from the battlefield), sports and other major events wirelessly reported for the first time.

In their own words: "As more people are able to capture photos and send text, images and sounds through the air it is inevitable that all major cultural events will be captured by hundreds if not thousands of accidental bystanders, citizen reporters".

Editorial: Merging mobility and media

As Nokia launches its Nokia 7700, and with it the Series 90 platform, Editor-in-Chief of Infosync World Jørgen Sundgot, ponders on whether Nokia's plan to merge mobility and media will succeed.

Excerpts

"The concept of merging mobility with media is certainly not new, however, as the rather low-tech approach of SMS voting and SMS 'chat channels' has already been widely implemented by radio and TV channels. With the 7700, Nokia is taking matters a step further, and will be courting radio channels who wish to add further elements of interactivity to broadcasts. The manufacturer also has its eye on TV, as the 7700 will be compatible with a digital TV receiver accessory - and let's not forget that the device also offers high-speed Internet connectivity courtesy of EDGE.

Personally, I find the two latter abilities to be the most interesting, as I have for years longed for the ability to consume video on mobile devices.

Strikingly, though, Nokia appears to have given little thought to any sort of textual media delivery mechanism with the exception of a standard-fare Internet browser. This is most likely due to several factors, such as the abundance of free information available on the Internet combined with lacking standards for delivery of such content to mobile devices. And with standards, I'm referring to the kind that would enable those creating the content to charge for it, since that is how the real world works - even though the Internet seems to have convinced most of the world's population of the exact opposite".

CNN to Be Embedded Into Nokia 6600s

Rafat Ali for Moco News reports on CNN's new Java-powered mobile news product, CNNlive, which will be embedded into the multimedia cards of Nokia 6600 phones sold in Europe.

"The application will be included in the standard sales package of the phones, and will also be available on Nokia.com's shopping area for users of other Series 60 phones including the 3660 and 7650 models.

However, after a 14-day free trial, users will be required to subscribe with a monthly fee. The fee varies according to country and market". [Digital Spy]

Flash animation for mobile phones

Nazomi Communications and Digital Aria have announced that Digital Aria's Mobile Flash Animation engine has been adapted to mobile...this will result in Mobile Flash Animation frame rates of 15 frames per second, reports Moco News.

Nokia takes TV to the handset

The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia launched new phone models on Tuesday including a handset that will allow users to watch television, according to ZDNet.

"The 7700 model, will allow users to watch television. It will also have video and camera options and an in-built FM radio".

Great pictures and more info in Mobilemag.

Citizen Fire Photos: Not Bad

Steve Outing in E-Media Tidbits on Textamerica's photoblogs from citizens living through the Southern California fires, comments that though there are some surprisingly good photos there, they do not really pose a threat to the work of professional photojournalists. However, he adds:

But they do make a very nice supplement for any news organization. I'd like to see every news outlet offer something similar during major news like this. It's entirely possible that a photo from the public could be good enough -- and capture something important that no photojournalist witnessed -- to be published prominently in print or on a news website alongside the pros' work.

Camera phone software explosion

Back from the CTIA in Vegas last week, Alan Reiter writes with enthousiams about companies offering camera phone-related software, both client- and server-based. 

"At Wireless I.T. I saw three new software products for enhancing camera phone photos. Have you heard of, for example, Sozotec?  The Austin, Tex. company has -- surprise -- photo enhancement software for camera phones".

Reiter predicts a multimedia explosion

"Don't think about still photos only. You need to think about audio and video products and services for wireless. The 15-second video clip is just the start.  In a year, fuzzy, short videos will be old news.

You have to think about ways to leverage longer and higher quality camera phone video clips for consumer and business applications. You also have to think about how this all integrates with music, games and television.  Indeed, you need to think a lot about wireless music and games, too."

Hidden camphone charges

The Independent in a story on hidden charges on car rentals, brings up a little known aspect, the hidden charges related to picture phones - which are not outlined by wireless operator guides (in this case Orange UK).

"Picture phones, it is claimed, can send photographs by email. However, most ISPs have firewalls that reject photographs sent from picture phones. They read the pictures as viruses".

Which means you pay for sending an MMS which never arrives. ISPs are going to have to do something about this.

How wireless imaging is impacting the world of business

Forbes published the transcript of a Q&A with Alexis Gerard, president of the digital imaging research firm Future Image, who discusses how wireless imaging is impacting the world of business.

Some examples of how wireless images apply to businesses. Excerpts:

FDCEDITORS: Alexis, can you give us some specific examples, please?

ALEXIS GERARD: Sure. Law enforcement, any kind of field repair or maintenance across industries, manufacturing, facilities management.

FDCEDITORS: How would imaging come into play in law enforcement?

ALEXIS GERARD: For instance taking a picture of a suspect, a vehicle, a location, and transmitting it to another officer or another location for verification

[...]

Rusty: What do you think is the biggest hurdle to getting greater use of wireless imaging?

ALEXIS GERARD: Excellent question Rusty, thank you. The biggest hurdle is simply that we have grown used to the fact that we cannot communicate visually, that we have to translate visual information into words in order to communicate it. By the way, this is also why the first movers can gain such tremendous advantage. There's not a steep technology, investment, or learning curve - it's a matter of changing habits.

FDCEDITORS: And what do you think it will take to push us past those perceptions?

ALEXIS GERARD: Another great question, thank you. I think the biggest single "push" is the fact that carriers will essentially give you a camera in your phone at no cost. Once it first occurs to you that "hey, wait a minute, I can just take and send a picture"...and then a second, and a third time...you won't go back.

Big-a: What are some of the most under-utilized applications of wireless in imaging?

ALEXIS GERARD: Well, imaging and wireless have never been brought together before, this is a very recent development. So everything is under-utilized...or non-utilized...but the most compelling applications are going to be where speed is important. For instance, everything that has to do with emergencies.

Photobloggers cover anti war protests over the weekend

Anti war protests staged over the weekend are being covered by photobloggers in Europe, NY and California and a roundup of photos has been published on BlueHereNow (Thanks Mike!).

- Thousands March in Paris - Je Moblog

- Anti War Protests Hit San Francisco - Tiger Beat Photos

- Anti War Protests in DC - What Really Happened

- Anti War Protests Gather Steam - Politics in the Zeros

Concorde's Final Flight Photoblogged

Things Magazine has posted some photos of the Concorde's final flight, october 24, 2003. [via Media TIC]

-- from Edinburgh

-- from Bay of Biscay

-- from New York

It was such a wonderful plane.

Vodafone to launch MMS postcard service

Vodafone Sweden has signed a deal with Extrafilm to provide new multimedia content for the new MMS postcard service being offered via Vodafone Live! camera handsets. This service will allow users to create and send postcards and invitiations directly from the camera handsets. These are then sent to recipients through the standard postal service. [Telecom Paper]

This follows similar services launched in Denmark, Norway, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Portugal. cf previous entries in Picturephoning.com:

- Nokia launches MMS Postard services (Denmark and Norway)
- MMS postcards sent by the post office(Germany)
- MMS postcards sent by the post office (Netherlands)
- MMS postcards from Swisscom (Switzerland)
- Vodafone sends postcards by mobile phone (Portugal)

Camphone snap as evidence in police investigation

According to French e-zine mobicity, policemen of Toulon, France, were able to arrest two men on charges of extortion, thanks to evidence found in one of the men's camera phones.

Here's the story. A victim filed a complaint with the police after being threatened by a thug to pay his overdue rent - or else. Interrogated, his landlord denied being involved in the affair, but the police found a picture of the thug on his camera phone. Both men (landlord and thug) were arrested for further questionning.

Picture Messaging Evolves

Eric Lin has an interesting post in TheFeature.com, commenting and rounding up the latest moblogging applications - such as the one enabling users to upload photos in just 2 clicks - and the new services available allowing not only for the posting of pictures but of video and audio as well (Mlogs, Albino Gorilla, Txtsolutions).

"Just when we thought no one was listening, and the picture messaging revolution was going to pass by the handset manufacturers and carriers right into the hands of the public at large, the big guys finally catch up".

15-second films for Nokia 3650s entered in The Raindance Film Festival

The Raindance Film Festival in London is showcasing 15-second films made especially for mobile phones according to The Guardian via Moco News.

"Movies made for mobile phones will feature as part of the 11th Raindance festival, beginning in London tomorrow.

Ten short films, commissioned especially, and loaded on to Nokia 3650s (which enjoy a short video capability) will be on display in cinema foyers before each festival screening.

The 10 films are finalists in Nokia Shorts, a competition that generated more than 150 entries from budding film-makers.

On a related note, The World's Smallest Film Festival.

New audio/video/photo blogging services

A couple of companies are offering next generation photoblogging services, allowing for audio/video/picture and text posting from a cell phone. US Text messaging service Tellshare has launched, mLogs (cf company press release) and blog.textsolutions.com offers a similar service in the UK, for the time being available only through the Orange operator (cf Smart Mobs).

Update A moblogging service has just launched in Denmark, Albino Gorilla, possibly the first to utilize both the picture and sound capability in MMS' for blog entries. It's in Danish, but the test-moblog is self-explanatory. Anyone wanting to try can simply post an MMS with sound, text and a picture totest.albigo@albinogorilla.dk and check it moments later at Albino Gorilla Test. Thanks Mads!

First Camera Phone launched in November 2000

Ever wonder when and who launched the very first camera phone?

Sharp - a leading mobile operator in Japan and a member of the Vodafone Group - released the first camera phone in the world made by Sharp the J-SH04, in November 2000. [A brief history of camera phones on Satochi's Wireless Weblog].

"The J-SH04 was the industry's first mobile phone to feature an integrated 110,000-pixel CMOS image sensor for taking digital photos. It was followed by the industry's first application of a 65,536-color semi-transmissive TFT LCD on a flip type phone (J-SH05). Both models were supplied to J-Phone Co. Ltd., and raised Sharp's presence in the mobile phone market". [Sharp Company Profile]

Talking Heads on cell phones

Bill Howard for PC Magazine magazine has a fun article on «Talking Heads», or photo real avators for cell phones, thanks to technology allowing to change still photos into animated pictures.

"Several companies are working on bringing cartoonish characters and photo images to life. U.K.-based Anthropics with FaceWav and Pulse Entertainment with Veepers (virtual personalties) can animate human, animal, or cartoon faces and lip-sync spoken or synthesized phrases.

Think of the possibilities... "So along with cell-phone avatars advising you of traffic jams and a sepia-toned picture of grandmother reading a letter from long ago, you'll have the same animation technology aiding and abetting the unclothing of our public figures"

Howard concludes "The seamier aspects aside, avatar technology holds promise for plenty of legitimate uses, too. I expect we'll see both kinds of usage as this technology comes of age".

Park bans Camera Phones

Elk Grove Park District officials posted fliers this week telling park facility visitors to leave their camera phones out of reach, according to NBC5.

Commissioner Ron Nunes suggested the move to ban the popular devices after reading a magazine article about a case in Texas.

Ron Nunes should get together with Jack Gold (cf Ban camera-phones in workplaces).

Ban camera-phones in workplaces: Analyst

"All companies, not just those handling highly sensitive materials, should ban employees and visitors bringing camera-enabled phones into the premises", says Jack Gold, an analyst with IT research firm Meta Group, and reported by CNET Asia.

That's quite a statement and one Mike Masnick disagrees with over at Techdirt. "Completely banning the phones is an over reaction, a step backwards, and not (at all) a workable or reasonable response to the rise of such a tool. This is, of course, the typical response to anyone who doesn't understand a technology and is afraid of it (just ban it!), but does little to help in real life." I couldn't agree more.

Corbis Gets Into The Picture

With millions of images at its disposal, Corbis - one of the world's leading image banks founded by Bill Gates - sees higher data rates as an important driver of picture and video messaging, according to Wireless Week via Moco News.

"Corbis recently got into the wireless world in the United States with deals with AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless.

Recently it moved into handling the acquisition of film clips and TV shows, on special order, a service which should become more interesting for wireless subscribers with the coming of 3G phones.

"I see that with the advent of 3G and video phones hitting the market," says Mark Sherman, Corbis vice president for emerging markets and products, the idea will be exciting to be able to present classic Hollywood moments to send as a greeting."

An MMS revolution from a service perspective

An interesting post from Gerrit Visser on Smart Mobs, on an article published by Dan O'Shea for Telephony Online entitled "Beyond Photoplay: An MMS Revolution".

O'Shea claims that the growing popularity of moblogging - an application that may not have been imagined by the carriers themselves - could turn into a monster headache for operators in the coming years, as "it has the potential to wreak havoc on everything from their marketing plans to their billing systems".

"Mobile blogging can create a lot of new service options," said Eric Anderson, vice president of practice development at Ericsson USA. "It's almost like the network operator is not 100% in control of what hits their network anymore. Blogging users can use the phone in ways we hadn't thought about, allowing those small groups of users to be great influences."

Another official moblog tied to CTIA event

Following Saturday's post on Textamerica's launching the official moblog, for the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2003 in Las Vegas, Textamerica.com has created a second moblog for the Mobile Entertainment Forum that begins tomorrow at the same event, reports Reiter's Wireless Data.

Shot in the Dark

Samsung has showcased a new next generation SGHE-700 camera phone, incorporating a flash and capable of taking pictures in the dark, reports AME Info.

"The innovative mobile phone is equipped with a night-shot mode to take pictures in a no-light room and also features a multi-shot mode allowing a user to take up to 15 frames in a single click without compromising the picture quality.

70% of Japanese camphone users sent pictures in June

I've pulled these stats from Mike Genville's post in 160characters.org on "Japanese Messaging - A world of difference" on Japanese market research company Infoplant's survey of 33,340 i-mode users in June of this year. Some of the findings:

- 35% of subscribers who had cameraphones (60% of all subscribers) took pictures on one or two days a week,

- 27% took pictures two or three times a month and 17% took photos on three or four days a week.

- Over 70% of them sent the photos they took to other people, a significant increase on the 50% who said they did so in the survey Infoplant conducted a year previously.

- Sending the photos to friends was also the most popular choice compared to the 65% who said they used the photos for wallpaper and the 60% who looked at the photos on their handsets.

Japanese Messaging - A World of Difference

Mike Grenville, founder of 160characters.org, brings insight via Pernille Rudin, into the Instat-MDR report on the Japanese market, claiming that text messaging (SMS) is declining in favor of Multi Media Messaging (MMS) and that the story published in FT, was missing the point.

"SMS has never been the all conquering success story in Japan that it has been in parts of Europe, so it would be wrong to interpret this report as suggesting that the popularity of text messaging in Europe is about to decline, now that more and more European subscribers have cameraphones.

First of all, SMS has only been available for communications between subscribers to the same operator network in Japan. For example, NTT DoCoMo offers Short Mail, which allows 50 Japanese characters per message, between NTT DoCoMo subscribers only.

No surprises then that Short Mail is not as popular as NTT DoCoMo's i-mode e-mail service (usually referred to as “Long Mail”), which allows users to send mail from anyone who has an i-mode mobile phone or Internet e-mail address (which includes people receiving internet e-mail on their mobiles who are with other operators).

Messages of up to 250 Japanese characters can be sent and up to 2000 Japanese characters received.

There is no evidence that this kind of e-mailing via mobile phones is declining in Japan.

And MMS has added rather than substituted for e-mails in this context".

Camphones banned at celeb-starred social gatherings?

I always pick up a new fact whenever I spot an article on the privacy issues and concerns surrounding camera phones. In this one, from USA Today, apparently, Rolling Stone magazine honored a request by pop star Britney Spears to confiscate all cell phones at a recent party in New York, prompting speculation that the phones could be banned at other social gatherings attended by celebrities.

Textamerica launches official moblog for CTIA's Wireless I.T & Entertainment 2003 conference

Interesting! Textamerica.com has launched the official moblog, photographically documenting the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2003 -- in Las Vegas, October 20 - 23. Branded with the CTI logo and colors it's obvious at a glance that it's the official moblog. This type of partnership is sure to become a wild-spread trend.

Wireless I.T. is one of the largest wireless data shows in the United States.  More than 5,000 attendees are expected to attend and there will be more than 200 booths, reports Reiter's Wireless Data. 

Video Clips Over GSM Launched in Holland

Dutch mobile service provider TheRazor has launched a mobile video clip service in co-operation with internet portal Lycos, according to Mike Grenville for 160characters.org.

"The new service “Clips on Mobile” allows mobile users to download video clips on to their mobile phones.

The 15 to 30 seconds clips can be downloaded from the Lycos website and range from Music, Sport, to Fun and Babes clips. Once downloaded onto a mobile phone, the clips can be watched as often as the mobile user wants.

The uniqueness of the service is the quality of the images. All video clips (Dolby surround sound and images) have a data rate of 35 KB.

TheRazor has the right to use content from major content owners such as Playboy, Private, Dj Tiesto, Extrema, Veronica, Bridge Entertainment and PSV".