mobile

Nokia to acquire Plazes, eyes geo market

With more GPS-enabled handsets on the way--iPhone 3G, I'm looking at you--there are few Web 2.0 niches that are more hyped-up than location-based services.

The latest evidence: Nokia announced Monday that it plans to acquire Plazes, a start-up still in private beta.

Financial terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2008, were not disclosed. Plazes, which is based in Zurich, Switzerland, but works primarily out of Berlin, will become part of Nokia's Software and Services division. Plazes' technology will likely be worked into future mobile apps.

It's good … Read more

Google's Android software appears to hit delays

It turns out that while it may take a village to raise a child, herding the village to launch an open-source mobile phone platform, called Android, is a bit trickier. While Google has denied that the Android launch date is slipping, suggesting that it is "very, very close" to completing Android, the Wall Street Journal reports that instead of shipping in the third quarter of 2008 it may slip to the fourth quarter or even to early 2009.

There is no evidence that Android won't be able to gain momentum over time. But wireless carriers throughout the industry are confronting challenges as they seek to customize the Android software -- which includes an operating system and programs that work with it -- to promote their own Internet services. Some handset makers are taking longer than they thought to integrate Android, test it and build custom user interfaces to meet carrier specifications.

Meanwhile, Apple's iPhone developers suggest that writing applications for the iPhone is easier because of familiarity with the Mac OS X platform. Google has a shorter history in catering to developers, yet has been much more accommodating to outside developers lately. I suspect that Android is serving as a fascinating laboratory for Google as it figures out how to engage development communities.

As such, it may well be that Android will be delayed, but the long-term benefits for Google will be worth it.… Read more

Report: No Android until fourth quarter

Last we heard, we'd be seeing phones powered by Google's Android open-source software in the second half of 2008. A report Monday from The Wall Street Journal has narrowed that down somewhat: Those handsets will start appearing in the fourth quarter of this year, a later time frame than expected.

And according to the Journal, some handset manufacturers are "struggling" to get Android on track even for a fourth-quarter launch. Sprint Nextel and China Mobile, the world's largest cell carrier, reportedly won't be able to put out Android-powered phones until next year. Other carriers, … Read more

Maxtor Black Armor: The Fort Knox of external hard drives

We first caught a glimpse of the Maxtor Black Armor back in January at CES 2008. Since then, we've been excited to get it into our labs for testing to see if it measures up to the rest of the market. After a few months of waiting, we finally got it and...not so much.

The Black Armor's No. 1 concern is data security. Like a little digital lockbox, everything inside the hard drive is protected by 128-bit government grade encryption that's built into the hardware itself, rendering the drive useless in the wrong hands. The owner … Read more

First Look video: SugarSync file-syncing

For serious syncers who routinely work from multiple computers or mobile phones, SugarSync is, in more ways than one, a premium solution to file-transferring problems. More flexible than some competing PC-to-PC syncing software or mobile and PC remote access services, Sugar Sync weaves in elements of both. Lite sync some folders for online back-up and fully sync folders or files to load them on each of your computers. A change to one file exacts a change to all.

SugarSync doesn't do everything, and the mobile functionality could use some usability finessing. There are also a few tricks worth knowing … Read more

Powerset's iPhone app solves bar bets, makes you smarter

Semantic search tool Powerset has put out a new iPhone app this week. Those looking to search on the go can now use the service's plain English searching capabilities to scour the entirety of Wikipedia and Freebase (coverage). The app comes after months of Powerset staff fumbling while trying to use their own product on the popular mobile device.

The new tool will pull up everything the desktop version does, although I found performance to be a tad slower--even over Wi-Fi. Outline, one of my favorite Powerset features that gives you quick links to each section in a Wikipedia article, has also made its way into the pocket version. While not as convenient as the desktop version which sits beside the actual Wikipedia article, it's a great way to skip down to a lower section of an article, which is normally an activity that makes you look like a complete idiot while you continuously drag your finger up and down the screen of your phone. There's also a much needed search function, something the iPhone's version of Safari is lacking from its desktop sibling.

I expect the company to come out with its own native app that will save past searches and let you store local content depending on how popular this version becomes. I've embedded some screens below. Also embedded after the break is a demo video of it in action.

… Read more

Dialed In 36: Explaining 3G

All this talk about a 3G iPhone and T-Mobile 3G has left some lingering listener questions about what exactly 3G is. Mickey Papillon from the Cell Phone Junkie joins us to explain what it all means. Listen now: Download today's podcast

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Yahoo signs up mobile partners in Asia

Yahoo announced deals on Tuesday to provide mobile phone ads through two Asian network operators, Idea Cellular in India and Maxis Communications in Malaysia.

In addition, Yahoo announced partnerships under which five new operators will make OneSearch, a service to provide search results on mobile phones, the default search option. Those partnerships are with Mahanagar Telephon Nigam in India, Hong Kong CSL, Smart Communications in the Philippines, Digital Mobile in the Philippines, and Vibo Telecom in Taiwan.

Yahoo also announced its Go 3.0 software for tapping into various online services such as news, photos, and finance, now works in … Read more

AT&T CEO looks toward mobility for growth

LAS VEGAS--Mobility will be the key driver of growth for phone companies in the coming years as they expand their businesses to include new services like TV and broadband, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson told attendees at an industry trade show here Tuesday.

AT&T and the entire telecom industry have been transforming themselves over the past few years as traditional phone business slowly dies. No longer are these companies simply offering telephony, but they also offer TV, high-speed Internet, and wireless services. But it will be the mobilization of new services that will drive growth for companies … Read more