New N73, N70 & N93 internet editions

This was mentioned in some press stories yesterday but wasn't really picked up much. It seems Nokia are going to release further variants of the N70, N73 and N93. We've had the music editions, now it seems there are going to be internet editions too. The multimedia key, which on the music editions allows one touch access to the music player (which once opened is an absolute pig to close down) will offer one touch access to the internet on the internet edition phones

Nokia will also pre-load the internet edition phones with Live messenger and Yahoo Search.

Whilst this is all well and good, I don't understand why the differentiation needs to be made between particular services. I'd like to have my N73, with full internet service integration, and the decent music player. Is that too much to ask?

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Gizmo VoIP Service on the N80ie

Details announced today, from the Nokia World Conference. All sounds great. But how big is VoIP really gonna be? I don't know anyone who uses VoIP. I get more than enough calling minutes from my network, the only time I would personally use VoIP is for cheaper international calls.

Detail on the announcement below:

Nokia today announced that users of the Nokia N80 Internet Edition will have easy access to low-cost calls over the Internet with SIPphone's Gizmo Voice over IP (VoIP) services. The Nokia N80 Internet Edition is optimized for SIP-based Internet calls, and now Nokia and SIPphone have worked together to create an easy way to configure and make calls using Gizmo VoIP directly from your multimedia computer.

"Mobilizing the Internet is a key focus for Nokia and I'm excited to see how a multimedia computer like the Nokia N80 Internet Edition can provide people with the convenience of Internet calling," said Ralph Eric Kunz, Vice President, Multimedia, at Nokia. "Our collaboration with SIPphone makes Internet calling easy, plus our open VoIP platform allows for any SIP-based VoIP provider to incorporate their services in our device architecture, giving consumers the best of the Internet world."

Nokia N80 Internet Edition users download the free Gizmo VoIP settings from the Download! folder in their device, automatically beginning the installation process. During installation, users go through a simple two-step process for creating a free account that they'll use to make Internet calls. Other capabilities, such as customizing voicemail greetings, purchasing Gizmo Call Out credit for dialing landlines and mobile devices and managing Gizmo account settings are available by using the Nokia N80 Internet Edition to browse the www.gizmovoip.com web site.

"Collaborating with Nokia has allowed our development teams to create a compelling VoIP experience on the N80 Internet Edition and instantly enable millions of mobile consumers around the world to save money," said Michael Robertson, Chairman and CEO of SIPphone. "Ease of configuration and intuitive everyday use options make this Internet calling service unique in the mobile VoIP space."

Making an Internet call with the Nokia N80 Internet Edition is as easy as making a regular voice call, only the call is carried through wireless LAN, saving money and conserving cellular airtime minutes in the process. The VoIP framework, based on the SIP-protocol, is integrated into the Nokia user interface, so downloading the GIZMO VoIP settings is simple. Furthermore, the open S60 platform on the Nokia N80 Internet Edition is optimized for downloading compatible third party Internet call applications.

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Orb streaming working on the N73

I like the PC access services, Orb and Avvenu. Orb is going to be one of the new services available in the X Series from Three and is going to be an additional service available on the N80ie.

Orb has a new version, now Orb 2.0 This version gives a nicer phone interface than before. With Avvenu, you still get the standard web page login. The benefit of Avvenu, for me, is the ability to download files from the PC to your phone. Orb is for streaming. The advantage of Avvenu occurred just last night. I had purchased a tune online, and wanted to put it on my phone, but I forgot to transfer it. No problem, I just logged in via the website, accessed my PC desktop and downloaded the tune to my phone. Simple as.

I've always had problems getting connections with Orb. Not reliable a all. Just once I have managed to stream a video. All other times I've had all manner of problems. So I've mainly used it for viewing pictures and other items on my PC. Finally, I've found the solution to the streaming problem. Simply, I needed to change the configuration in the Orb settings on my PC. Instead of using the default port 554, I changed it to 555 and now Orb streams onto my phone. Screenshots below:

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Nokia announce some new phones

No new N Series, but one of them is a S60 handset. We'll start with that first:

Nokia 6290
Nokia 6290 Smartphone - advanced technology made simple
The Nokia 6290 smartphone combines the collective power of S60 3rd Edition and 3G in an easy-to-use, attractively designed package. It supports a number of practical new features, multiple alarms and handy Quick Cover access keys which enable instant access to a wide range of the device's useful features, including an interactive world travel application.


Nokia 6300
Nokia 6300 - Clean styling, compact size
The Nokia 6300 is a mid-range model that represents an evolution of the modern monoblock design. Less than 13.1mm thin, the slim Nokia 6300 has a stainless steel frame that adds both design interest and strength. In addition to its organic curves and appealing design, the Nokia 6300 offers a robust range of easy-to-use features.

Nokia 6086
Nokia 6086 Cameraphone - Compelling feature set, seamless connectivity
The Nokia 6086 allows consumers to stay in touch - in any environment. This quad-band GSM and UMA-enabled cameraphone hides its sophisticated circuitry in a classic design with a large keypad and intuitive user menu.









Nokia 2626
Nokia 2626 - Tune into style
The Nokia 2626 is a colorful mobile phone designed for style-conscious consumers in emerging markets. The Nokia 2626 will be available in a range of bold colors, such as Fiery Red and Spatial Blue, and includes an FM radio for music on the go.

I'm reading: Nokia announce some new phones

Nokia podcasting app updated

blogs.S60.com report that the Nokia podcasting app has been updated. Full details and a link for download here.

I've had problems with the app in the past but after a re-install and some other changes, all seems to be fine now.

I'm reading: Nokia podcasting app updated

COTM 55

The latest edition of the Carnival of the Mobilist can be found here. As ever the carnival has some very interesting articles to go through.

Next week the carnival arrives at Mopocket.

I'm reading: COTM 55

Nokia World

On the 29th and 30th November the Nokia World event (Formerly known as the Nokia Mobility Conference) is being held in Amsterdam.

The agenda is here, details of the Expo here & you can create a personal page here. This allows you to store items of interest from the event. Once registered you'll be sent a link to your phone with a personal login to allow you to access content from your phone.

I'm looking forward to any new kit Nokia may announce at the event. There have already been rumours surrounding new enterprise handsets that may be unveiled (see here) My next handset is already planned to be the N95. Lets see if Nokia have anything up there sleeves that will make me change my mind.

I'm reading: Nokia World

Mobile broadband speed restricted

T-Mobile offer Web n Walk, all you can eat data access, including Mobile Broadband (HSDPA). Three are on the verge of offering the X Series, initially on the Nokia N73 and SE W950i. Three will launch Mobile Broadband early next year.

One of the concerns operators have that some users will clog the bandwith available using P2P services as happens on landline internet. ISP's regularly claim that there is a small group of heavy users who ruin the broadband experience for the majority by hogging bandwith and network capacity.

To counter this Nokia will offer Peer-to-peer traffic control to mobile networks early in 2007, to counter bandwith hungry applications such as VOIP and P2P file sharing, by carefully managing and balancing network resources.

Whilst I can see the reasons why the networks would want to control usage across their networks to ensure the end user experience is as good as it could be, I hope they implement the product with a good dose of common sense. With WnW and XSeries T-Mobile & Three are leading the way for open, unlimited high speed data access on your mobile phone. It would be a shame to temper these market leading products before they've fully taken off.

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Updating an N73 to Music Edition

It's possible to update an N73 with the N73 Music Edition software. You can read posts on the AAS Forums and the What Mobile Forums

The screenshot shows the new music player. You get the Moby tune "In My Heart" that Nokia use in the adverts pre-loaded. The joystick controls play, down to stop left/right to rewind/fast forward. The media key on the phone becomes a one touch access to the music player.

It's only really recommended to update to the N73 Music Software if you're confident of the procedure. It will invalidate any warranty on your handset and there is always the chance you'll 'brick' the handset. And as always, make sure you back up any data before updating your firmware.

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N73 Flickr usage

Posted by Tommi on blogs.s60.com

I really like to see details like this. Popularity of a particular service or phone or application. The N73 is showing a fantastic rise, matched and at the end slightly topped off by the K800i. The popularity of the K750i shouldn't be a surprise, seeing how good a camera phone it was (and still is)

I've owned the K800i and it's core competency, the cybershot branded camera, is very good. But the N73 is still my preferred choice. There is a definite blurring between top end phones and smartphones though, in terms of features and functionality. Off hand, I can't think of a feature I can do on my smartphone N73 that I can't do on the K800i. The normal definition of smartphone is a handset that allows you to add functionality by downloading and installing additional software. No? I can do this on the K800i with some java apps. Add Opera Mini. Add Shozu for uploading to blogs (although the K800i does have a built in blog upload function) The K800i offers email access. Web browsing. Has expandable memory, etc, etc. But it is not classed as a smartphone.

I like S60, I like the flexibility the O/S offers, the total menu customisation, etc. But the difference between smartphones and 'normal' mobile phones is less clear than it used to be.

I'm off now to increase the N73 stats by uploading some pictures to Flickr

I'm reading: N73 Flickr usage

Rumours, rumours....

There was a rumour a while back, regarding an update to the N93, the N93i. New metallic body and other slight changes. Well the rumour persists, Slashphone have more detail on the handset today. Could be that it's announced imminently, which would tie in with the Nokiaworld Mobility conference happening in Amsterdam soon.



















There's certainly more chance of the N93i being reality than the recently rumoured N97:

I'm reading: Rumours, rumours....

N95 Review

It's typical. I'm out for one day, away from the PC, and an N95 review turns up! The review is over on Nokia List. All things considered the N95 seems to be all you could hope it would be. I can't wait to get my hands on one, it's top of my wishlist for the next mobile handset.

I'm reading: N95 Review

Carnival of the Mobilist 54

Another week, another edition of the Carnival of the Mobilist. This week the carnival is held on Goldenswamp.com Golden Swamp is a new site to me. One of the great things about the carnival is the amount of additional sites you get exposed to, those hosting and those good enough to submit articles.

As ever it's a good read, it takes me a few days to go through the articles as I don't have time to read it all at once.

Next week the carnival will be on fiercedeveloper.com

I'm reading: Carnival of the Mobilist 54

Too complicated to use?

I was reading through some mobile related sites the other day, and I came across this article. It's related to the story the other day that Symbian have shipped 100 million smartphones.

A couple of the comments in the story caught my interest. First:

The S60 3rd Edition interface has received tonnes of criticism from veteran Nokia users for being far too complicated to use. It's great that there's new stuff to play with, but not so great that the old stuff, as in making calls and sending texts, has been made more complicated.

Is this really true? Is S60 so hard to use these days? I don't think so. I've been a fan of S60 since the 7650, through the 6600 (what a great phone that was) 7610, and on through to the N70, N80 and N73.

One of the things I liked about S60 from the start was the simple customisation of the menu structure, the flexibilty in creating folders and moving programs from place to place. S60v3 still has this. Setup on S60 phones has always been straight forward and easy, S60v3 is still so. Even more so now with the settings wizard. Is making calls and sending text more complicated on S60v3 than previous versions of S60? I don't see how it is.

The fact is, Nokia's phones are in danger of turning from the iPods of the phone world into the Gizmondos -- from devices dedicated to doing one thing well to jacks-of-all-trades that do too many things poorly.

The NSeries range is aimed at people who want more functionality from their phones. Sure, some features are not as good as they could be. The standby screen on S60 is not as customisable as on a S40 phone. I would dearly love to remove calendar appointments from the main screen and just keep the shortcut icons. And there are a few other areas that S60 can improve. Better PIM features (apparently, the built in calendar covers my needs but feedback on various forums suggest it is not good enough for most) would be one. But jack-of-all-trades, master of none is not a comment I would use to describe S60 phones.

You now have to wait for your 'multimedia computer' to boot up and shut down and once everything is up and running you have to wait while an application loads. Is that what mobile phone users really want?

It was often a criticism against S60 phones, how long they take to start and access the menu when switched on. S60v3 is faster than on previous phones. Start up time on my N73 and N80 is quicker than that on my SE W810i. Accessing the menu is a second or so after start up, afterwards it's as fast as I need it to be. I rarely turn my phone off, so this is a minimal issue for me.

Then there's the issue of battery life. With so many new features the battery simply can't cope anymore. Recharging your phone almost every day has become the norm, which is a far cry from the days when phones like the Nokia 6310 would last you four or five days.

Battery life is a problem on phones like the N80. But then, do a check list between an N80 and a 6310. You can't compare the two. Battery life on my N73 runs at around 3 days. I don't turn my phone off, so that's three total days. Usage is internet, email, Orb or Avvenu, calls, text, occasional Sat Nav use, music player, etc, etc, with the phone powering a large QVGA colour screen. Battery life of six days would be great, but for what I use three days is good.

Last month Crave went to the Symbian smart phone show and we were blown away by the number of applications Symbian-based handsets can support. It was simply overwhelming -- from satellite navigation to instant email access to VoIP. But do phone users really want all these new features?

For those who don't, there is the Nokia 6021. Or 1112. For those who do, we have NSeries.

The perfect balance would be to do both well. Rather than focusing all efforts on making expensive converged devices, it might be a better tactic to make several devices that do one or two things very well, with calling and texting at the heart of the user experience. Nokia phones' ease of use and simplicity made them the iPod of the mobile phone market. But the dream of convergence has made Nokia fly too close to the sun

I think Nokia have this covered. They offer the high end smartphones with various features across the range, with WiFi on some phones, better cameras on others, QWERTY keyboards, etc, they have a good number of mid range phones covered by S40 UI and there is a fair number of low end phones for the 'I only call and text' brigade.

For me, The N73 covers all I need and does it very well. And where it could do better, there is usually a third party application I can use instead.

edit: There is a related discussion to this topic at this post on blogs.S60.com

I'm reading: Too complicated to use?

Orb just got better

I wrote briefly about ways of accessing your PC via your phone here. At the time (and it was only a few days ago) my preference was for Avvenu

Since then Orb went 2.0 and it is a significant improvement. The view when logged in via your phone is much better. A simpler layout, easier to navigate with quick access to all There is an article on the new Orb over on blogs.S60.com

With the new page layout on the PC and the better look from the phone it may just be that Orb becomes the preferred choice for accessing files on the move.

I'm reading: Orb just got better

Jeff Hawkins' "secret" project is coming next year

Ed Colligan, CEO of Palm, gave a talk this morning. Afterward I asked him if we'll see next year the secret project that Jeff Hawkins has been working on. "Yes," he said, and moved immediately to another question.

Very little information has been released publicly about the Hawkins project. I know a number of very bright people at Palm moved to work on it, more than a year ago. Hawkins himself has dropped cryptic hints about something that would start a new category of devices, alongside handhelds and smartphones. I know some developers have been shown pre-release versions of the product, and the reactions were mixed. But nobody's discussing what the device actually is.

Apparently we'll find out next year.

I'll be interested to see it because I believe there's still a huge opportunity for new sorts of mobile devices. The mobile market is heavily segmented, so much so that mobile phones can't and won't eat everything. Other than Palm and Apple, though, there aren't a lot of companies that are both willing to experiment in new categories of mobile hardware and capable of creating full hardware-software solutions, as opposed to just tossing a hunk of hardware out there.

I'll post more about Colligan's talk later.

I'm reading: Jeff Hawkins' "secret" project is coming next year

X Series from Three

Sometimes you come across information that is worth sharing, even if it doesn't fall within the core interest of your blog. This info will be of interest to anyone in the UK. 3, the multimedia company (that's how they like to describe themselves) have announced a new range of services, the X-Series. A whole range of mobile broadband services. The first two handsets that will be available for the X-Series is the N73 and SE W950i. Press release below, it is interesting stuff.

Hutchison Whampoa announced the global launch of the X-Series from 3. The X-Series from 3 marks the beginning of the internet via mobile broadband, and heralds a new way of doing business for mobile network operators.

It will extend several of the core applications and uses of the broadband internet to the mobile handset, with a new pricing model. The X-Series from 3 will be supported by the leading internet companies, cutting-edge handsets from the world’s leading mobile manufacturers and premium customer service.

Customers will be able to make unlimited calls from their mobile using Skype, watch their home television via their mobile using Sling, access their home PC remotely using Orb and have access to the best of internet and messaging services from Yahoo!, Windows Live Messenger and Google.

The X-Series from 3 will be priced like fixed line broadband. It will offer use of mobile internet services free at the time of use, for a flat fee. The X-Series from 3 will be available in the UK from the 1st December 2006 and in 3’s other markets around the world in early 2007. Each 3 company will provide further details as they launch X-Series in their markets.

Canning Fok, Group Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa, said:

“This is the internet as it was meant to be and what people have been waiting for. Mobile broadband is the natural next step for mobile services, extending the full power of the internet to mobile handsets. By partnering with the leaders of the internet and the leading handset makers, the X-Series from 3 will give everyone access to more of what they want, when they want it, and however much of it they want, all free when they use it.”

Frank Sixt, Group Finance Director of Hutchison Whampoa, said:

“We believe that giving our customers the benefit of the favourable economics of the broadband world will lead more customers to join our network. That is the proposition the 3 Group will be putting forward in all of its markets under the X-Series. This is why we created 3, and what our network was designed to deliver. The X-Series heralds important changes in the business model for mobile media and internet. Moving away from unit charges will set mobile users free to enjoy broadband services without fear of ‘bill-shock’.”

The X-Series from 3

The X-Series from 3 will allow people to communicate, find information and be entertained in ways they have never been able to do before using a mobile handset.
With X-Series, the 3 Group is sharing the power of mobile broadband with its internet partners and above all, with its customers who will get more of what they want, when they want it, how they want it, and without fear of hidden charges every step of the way at the point of use.

At today’s launch presentation the 3 Group announced global partnerships with major internet brands Sling Media, Orb and Google. These partnerships build on global agreements announced earlier this year with Skype, Microsoft and Yahoo!

New Charging Structure

X-Series customers will be charged flat access fees for X-Series mobile broadband services on top of their basic subscription. The access fees will include all you can Skype, all you can chat by instant text message and all you can search and browse. There will initially be an additional access fee for customers who also take higher-bandwidth services like Sling and Orb. Just like the fixed line internet, all X-Series services will be free at the point of use, subject only to fair usage limits.

The X-Series will lay the foundations for the mobile broadband charging models of the future. The broadband internet is based on a completely different economic model than that of most mobile operators today. As internet and media technologies have evolved, customers are able to do more at less cost. Customers in the future will be attracted by greater and greater choice, and higher and higher usage levels, for fair, attractive and transparent access fees.

This charging structure overturns the traditional telephony model of charging per minute, per message, per click, per event and per megabyte. This is made possible by the rapid development of all IP (internet protocol) mobile networks, HSDPA and HSUPA network speed upgrades, peer-to-peer technologies, and a number of efficiency improvements in every aspect of a mobile operator’s business. As a result, the cost of providing broadband internet and media applications in mobility may be expected to continue to decline, as it has in the internet and fixed-line broadband world.

Voice

An X-Series customer will be able to make and receive unlimited Skype calls with Skype PC users anywhere in the world, and to any other Skype 3 mobile customer. Skype to Skype calls on a 3 mobile will be free.*

Niklas Zennström, CEO, Skype, said:

“Over the last three years, Skype has changed the way people communicate with one another. There are 136 million Skype users today who are making free calls to other Skype users across the world. With 3, I am very proud to say that for the first time, our users can now try out making Skype calls on the move using a mobile phone. We always want to delight our users by letting them try out new ways of keeping in touch. This is a real milestone for Skype because now you can use Skype beyond the PC, no matter where you happen to be.”

Your TV where you are

An X-Series customer who purchases a Slingbox will be able to watch anything they are able to watch on their own TV, including their terrestrial TV, Freeview, cable, and satellite TV, at the same time, on their mobile. Slingbox will also let X-Series customers control their home personal video recorder (PVR) to watch shows they have recorded, pause and rewind live TV, or even queue a recording when away from home using their mobile.

Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media, said:

“Working together with 3 has enabled us to push the boundaries of TV viewing further than ever before. 3 understands the power of mobile broadband to deliver compelling, value-add applications and services like a truly personalized mobile TV experience. We are thrilled to be working with them. The availability of SlingPlayer Mobile for 3 customers is a major breakthrough in mobile TV viewing. Customers can now view all the programmes they love to watch at home whilst on the move via their mobile phone.”

Your PC where you are

Using Orb means people can access the digital content that they have stored on their PC at home, including music files, playlists, digital photos and videos, on their X-Series handset. Orb has specifically designed a user interface for X-Series handsets, which will ensure the X-Series customers taking Orb will receive the best user experience.

Joe Costello, Chairman and co-founder of Orb Networks, said:

“3 Group just gets it. They are the first mobile media company to give their customers the freedom and choices to use the mobile Web the way it was intended to be used. Who doesn’t want the freedom to control what digital media we enjoy, when we enjoy it and where? That’s the type of media freedom Orb provides. 3 is not running away from the future, they are running towards it with open arms, ripping down the wall around the garden and offering up the best Web 2.0 services to their customers.”

Messaging

X-Series from 3 will offer customers text instant messages, to or from Windows Live Messenger or Yahoo! Messenger, to another X-Series handset, or a PC. Sending and receiving text instant messages with an X-Series mobile will be free.*

Sharon Baylay, General Manager, Microsoft Online Services Group UK, said:

“We’re excited to be bringing one of Microsoft’s best of breed communications services to 3’s network. Already, in the UK alone, 3 users are having one million Windows Live Messenger conversations every day. These are exciting numbers and mobile broadband will bring a rapid shift in the delivery of internet services, and consumers’ usage of them. This announcement shows Microsoft at the forefront of the mobile broadband revolution and we will continue to roll out ‘anywhere access’ to our leading web services.”

Open Internet Access and Search

Customers will be able to search the internet without limitation from their mobile using a GoogleTM or Yahoo search engine, depending on their choice and the search services available in their country. Searching and browsing the internet on mobile will be free.*

Terry Semel CEO of Yahoo said:

“Approximately three billion people in the world today are using mobile devices, and to have the ability to connect to those three billion, with broadband capabilities, and allow them to take advantage of Yahoo! services on the go is a huge opportunity for both our company and for 3.”

Dominique Vidal, Regional Vice President & Managing Director of Yahoo! Europe, said:

“As the number of consumers accessing the Internet on their mobile devices continues to grow, creating and partnering to deliver innovative mobile communications services, personalized content and an intuitive search experience is a key component to Yahoo!’s future success. With the launch of broadband mobile Internet, 3 Group and Yahoo! can now deliver the rich and personalized Internet experiences that consumers want on the go.”

Jim Holden, Director Wireless Strategic Partnerships, Google, said:

“We want people to be able to find useful information on the internet wherever they are. 3 share this goal. Mobile search offers people the chance of a rich internet experience on the go. Our agreement takes us a step further to meeting this ambition.”

The best Internet shopping with eBay
X-Series customers will be able to shop on eBay real-time. Searching and browsing and bidding will be free. This will give eBay users with access to 3 the ability to enjoy enhanced opportunities to buy and sell on the go and not just in front of their PCs. With 3 and X-Series, eBay sellers and buyers will be able to stay connected to one another when and where they want.

Cutting Edge Handsets

The global launch of the X-Series from 3 is being made possible by the first two handsets that will support this full range of services: the Nokia N73 and the Sony Ericsson W950i.

Kai Öistämö, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Mobile Phones, Nokia, said:

“We are firm believers that mobile convergence is the future of mobility. With its wide array of features, the Nokia N73 multimedia computer is simply ideal for this kind of innovative service. The X-Series from 3 will be a great way for consumers to take full advantage of the devices’ great features. We are proud to take part in the X-Series and we are most confident that our customers will greatly benefit from this mobile broadband service.”

Miles Flint, President, Sony Ericsson said:

“Today’s sophisticated consumers want complex services at their fingertips and our devices are the physical touch-point between Internet services and the consumer. But consumers don’t just want a functional device, they want something highly individual. That’s what the W950i Walkman phone brings to the X-Series.”

I'm reading: X Series from Three

100 million Symbian Smartphones shipped

Symbian Limited, today announced that 100 million Symbian smartphones have shipped to over 250 network operators worldwide since Symbian's formation.

"Hitting the 100 million mark with over 100 different models currently shipping from 10 leading handset vendors is a phenomenal achievement for Symbian and a strong indication that more and more people are embracing the smartphone lifestyle. However, we are still at the beginning of a technology revolution that will change peoples' lives profoundly," said Nigel Clifford, CEO, Symbian.

Since the first Symbian OS phone, the Ericsson R380, shipped in 2000, 100 million Symbian smartphones have sold around the world including devices manufactured by BenQ, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung, Sendo, Sharp, Siemens, and Sony Ericsson.

"Reaching the 100 million milestone is not Symbian's achievement alone. We thank our customers and network operators for their support. We also thank Symbian developers for driving innovation in the smartphone market and our close network of 300 Symbian Platinum Partners, in particular our vital user interface partners in S60, UIQ and MOAP that continue to develop new software solutions and award winning applications for Symbian OS. Our combined efforts result in compelling, innovative and differentiated phones as demonstrated last month at the biggest yet Symbian Smartphone Show[1]", said Nigel Clifford.

Symbian Outlook

"We see two trends driving smartphones onward. The first is that while smartphones have their highest penetration rates in the most saturated and developed markets, the highest future growth rates are likely to be in rapidly developing markets such as China, India and Brazil," said Nigel Clifford. "The developing world will likely account for 50% of smartphone sales within five years as smartphones are a huge opportunity to fast-forward into the information era. The second is the rising youth market, a generation who are demanding the most innovative, fashionable devices and are attracted by the services they can offer."

Full article here

I'm reading: 100 million Symbian Smartphones shipped

Nokia New Year's Eve Party

"Five cities, One party"- Nokia announces the world's biggest New Year's Eve celebration in five party capitals of the world

On December 31st, Nokia will welcome the New Year in unique style - by connecting millions of music lovers from around the world as they count down the final minutes of 2006. Nokia New Year's Eve, a global music event stretching across four continents, will feature a number of international artists including The Black Eyed Peas and Scissor Sisters to entertain audiences at New Year's celebrations from Hong Kong to Rio de Janeiro. Those unable to attend in person can experience the party via television or the internet

Nokia New Year's Eve will travel from east to west, starting in Hong Kong's Ocean Terminal, followed by Mumbai's Andheri Stadium, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro and rounding off the night in New York.

It should be a good event. More info and updates as we move towards the new year can be found here:

Nokia New Year's Eve

You can also access via your mobile phone:

wap.nokianewyearseve.com

I'm reading: Nokia New Year's Eve Party

Pictures of the black N70

Taken from Slashphone It needs to be said, the black N70 looks really good. The N70 is one of the best handsets I've owned, I just never got on with the camera cover.

I'm reading: Pictures of the black N70

Accessing your PC from your phone

One of the options available on the new N80ie is support for Orb. Orb is a service that lets you browse your PC from your phone (or another PC) you can access your documents folder and browse pictures, videos etc. I would love to get hold of the S60 client and try this on my N80, if anyone can point me in the right direction? I've tried logging in to Orb using the web browser on the N80, I can view files on my PC but when I try to play a video or music file it fails.

There is another service, which I haven't been able to try out fully, yet. Avvenu seems to offer better access to more of your PC, more folders, drives, etc. It's a free service but if you pay a small fee you can have access to an amount of online storage to access data even if your PC is switched off. $29.99 gives you access to 5GB.
I only signed up to Avvenu yesterday, so I need to give it a good try. Interestingly it has an upload from phone feature, allowing you to upload pictures/videos, etc, from your phone to your PC.

As ever, with these type of services an unlimited data plan is highly recommended. I use T-Mobile Web n Walk, probably the best data plan for UK users.

I'm reading: Accessing your PC from your phone

The Cluetrain Manifesto revisited

In April of 1999, Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger posted to the Web one of the most iconic artifacts of the Internet Bubble. It's called the Cluetrain Manifesto, and parts of it are so pompous that they read like a cross between the socialist Internationale and an L. Ron Hubbard novel. Here's the document's preamble:

"The sky is open to the stars. Clouds roll over us night and day. Oceans rise and fall. Whatever you may have heard, this is our world, our place to be. Whatever you've been told, our flags fly free. Our heart goes on forever. People of Earth, remember."*

No kidding, it really says that.

The body of the Manifesto is 95 truisms about marketing in the Internet era, modestly patterned after Martin Luther's 95 Theses that sparked the Protestant Reformation. This implied equivalence between web browsing and one of the founding documents of western civilization is a priceless example of the attitudes that prevailed in the Bubble era.

At the time of its creation, the Cluetrain Manifesto created quite a stir in the online community. Many prominent tech managers signed it, and it was turned into a book.

Seven years later, you don't hear much about the Cluetrain Manifesto. And yet, it's still a very useful document.

Parts of it are silly, and parts of it are just plain wrong. But a lot of it is brilliant. Once you pare away the BS and the posturing, it's a great document on the new world of Internet communication, and much of its advice is just as relevant and insightful today as it was in 1999. Maybe more so, because the technologies involved have matured.

Most companies marketing online still ignore the Cluetrain's advice, to their detriment. Over at Rubicon Consulting, we've been trying to combine the best ideas of the manifesto with our own thinking, to create a short document that companies could use to guide their online communication. You're welcome to check out what we've written; we'd appreciate your comments and suggestions.

I know it's presumptuous to mess around with an Internet icon like the Manifesto, but the original is too flawed and too weird to be taken seriously by most companies.

What I want to do here is take a leisurely walk through the 95 points of the original Cluetrain, pointing out the parts that work and those that don't. Fair warning, this is a very long post. But I hope you'll enjoy the hike...


1. Markets are conversations.

An outstanding observation, but it needs an amendment: Online markets can be conversations. Most companies still market in the traditional way, using traditional marketing tools. They get into trouble when they take their traditional marketing reflexes into the online world. Because online media can be two-way, it's very insulting to use it in a one-way manner (for example, e-mail messages that don't allow answers, or weblogs that don't allow comments). That's as rude as refusing to respond to questions at a cocktail party. And people online often take the insult personally.


2. Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.

True. And a corollary is that because every human being is an individual, no one belongs to a single market. We're each members of a unique rainbow of different markets. Maybe you're a Volvo owner and also a fisherman. The web lets you play both roles, and lets Volvo and a fly fishing outfitter speak to you directly in each role.

In the old marketing world, we had to market to big segments like "males 18-25 years old" because mass media couldn't slice people any finer than that. When you're marketing online, mass market segments are irrelevant and inefficient because you can target much more finely.

Forget about the Long Tail – the online world is all tail.


3. Conversations among human beings sound human. They are conducted in a human voice.

This needs some translation. The web lets you have conversations with your customers. You shouldn't put those conversations in the tone of a press release. Therefore, don't let your lawyers and PR agency write your online messages. Corporate-speak stands out online like a dead fish, and can be detected at the same distance.


4. Whether delivering information, opinions, perspectives, dissenting arguments or humorous asides, the human voice is typically open, natural, uncontrived.
5. People recognize each other as such from the sound of this voice.
6. The Internet is enabling conversations among human beings that were simply not possible in the era of mass media.

See point 3. In places the Cluetrain gets kind of repetitive. You get the feeling they were stretching it to get up to 95 items.


7. Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy.

Um, okay, I guess. Maybe this sounded revolutionary in 1999; now it's kind of quaint. Like listening to speeches by the hippies in People's Park in Berkeley.


8. In both internetworked markets and among intranetworked employees, people are speaking to each other in a powerful new way.
9. These networked conversations are enabling powerful new forms of social organization and knowledge exchange to emerge.

Okay. That's a little bit pompous, but there's truth in it.


10. As a result, markets are getting smarter, more informed, more organized. Participation in a networked market changes people fundamentally.

The real changes are just starting. Most people are not deeply engaged with online conversations, so the online impact on market behavior is spotty. If you're not careful, your online conversations can be diverted by enthusiasts who aren't a good proxy for the rest of the world. Remember Snakes on a Plane.


11. People in networked markets have figured out that they get far better information and support from one another than from vendors. So much for corporate rhetoric about adding value to commoditized products.

This is just starting, and it's not always true. But there are cases in which the user community does indeed deliver better support than companies. I think the WordPress blogging tool is a good example.


12. There are no secrets. The networked market knows more than companies do about their own products. And whether the news is good or bad, they tell everyone.

Yes and no. Definitely the Web gives a much louder voice to product enthusiasts outside of companies, so word about product flaws circulates faster than it did pre-Internet. But it's just a change in speed. Back before the Internet, there were these things called newspapers and magazines that were pretty good at spreading product information quickly.

And with the application of enough money and effort, it's still possible to keep secrets. Look at Apple.


13. What's happening to markets is also happening among employees. A metaphysical construct called "The Company" is the only thing standing between the two.

Companies aren't just metaphysical constructs. They are organizations that pay employees money, and so they have a certain coercive power that markets can't match. I think there's a strain of wishful thinking in the Manifesto – because a lot of online people don't like traditional corporations, they're inclined to believe scenarios in which the corporation withers away. But I personally need to see the evidence to back up that belief, and it's lacking.


14. Corporations do not speak in the same voice as these new networked conversations. To their intended online audiences, companies sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman.

Another repeat of point #3.


15. In just a few more years, the current homogenized "voice" of business—the sound of mission statements and brochures—will seem as contrived and artificial as the language of the 18th century French court.

Well, it has been more than a few years since the Manifesto came out. Most corporations still speak in he same language, and they don't sound any weirder than they did in 1999.

Online, corporate-speak does sound weird. But in traditional media it sounds normal. The authors were making the mistake of thinking that the Internet was the future of all media. It's not – it's a series of new media that will live alongside the old ones for a long time.


16. Already, companies that speak in the language of the pitch, the dog-and-pony show, are no longer speaking to anyone.

Baloney.


17. Companies that assume online markets are the same markets that used to watch their ads on television are kidding themselves.

Wow, we go straight from a statement that was stupid to one that's very insightful. Because of its potential for personalization and direct communication, the web destroys traditional market segmentation. It creates (or maybe more accurately, it brings to light) a lot of small vertical markets in place of a few big mass markets.


18. Companies that don't realize their markets are now networked person-to-person, getting smarter as a result and deeply joined in conversation are missing their best opportunity.

That only applies to the customers who are deeply networked online – a small segment of the population at present. Come back in a generation and this statement will be much more true. For now we're in a transition.

But it sure is an opportunity.


19. Companies can now communicate with their markets directly. If they blow it, it could be their last chance.

Um, no. A company gets an infinite number of last chances until some competitor wipes it out. Unfortunately, it's very hard to predict when that will happen, so companies that misuse online marketing are playing Russian roulette.


20. Companies need to realize their markets are often laughing. At them.

Translation: Companies need to realize that a relatively small number of people online are laughing at them. But those people sometimes create YouTube videos that get forwarded all over the place, so you gotta watch out anyway.


21. Companies need to lighten up and take themselves less seriously. They need to get a sense of humor.

Unfortunately, most people aren't great at creating jokes. If they were, Robin Williams would be unemployed. I think what companies need to do is relax and act like themselves. If their reality is that they're a bit stern and somber, that's OK – as long as it's genuine.

Nothing is more pathetic than a CEO trying to pretend that he or she is hip. This is why you don't ever see Bill Gates break-dancing.


22. Getting a sense of humor does not mean putting some jokes on the corporate web site. Rather, it requires big values, a little humility, straight talk, and a genuine point of view.

OK, you're not really talking about humor at all. So why did you say to get a sense of humor?


23. Companies attempting to "position" themselves need to take a position. Optimally, it should relate to something their market actually cares about.
24. Bombastic boasts—"We are positioned to become the preeminent provider of XYZ"—do not constitute a position.
25. Companies need to come down from their Ivory Towers and talk to the people with whom they hope to create relationships.
26. Public Relations does not relate to the public. Companies are deeply afraid of their markets.

There's a nugget of absolute truth in that last point. Many companies are deathly afraid of having an uncontrolled conversation with their customers, mostly because they expect to be overwhelmed by complaints. Ironically, the best way to reduce complaints is to listen to them and respond. You can turn most complainants into fans pretty easily, if you're just polite and respectful to them. Try apologizing when you've made a mistake – it does wonders for a marriage, and it can help a customer relationship as well.

The Internet is a great tool for having this sort of conversation.


27. By speaking in language that is distant, uninviting, arrogant, they build walls to keep markets at bay.

This isn't even a full sentence, and it just repeats the previous points.


28. Most marketing programs are based on the fear that the market might see what's really going on inside the company.

That's occasionally true, but the word "most" is a gross exaggeration and hurts the credibility of the manifesto. Most marketing programs are like someone going on a first date – you try to make yourself look good, and accentuate your best qualities. Most people (and most companies) won't outright lie, and fear is not companies' greatest motivation.

Greed is.


29. Elvis said it best: "We can't go on together with suspicious minds."

Cute. Meaningless, but cute.


30. Brand loyalty is the corporate version of going steady, but the breakup is inevitable—and coming fast. Because they are networked, smart markets are able to renegotiate relationships with blinding speed.

No, no, no, no. This point implies that brand marketing is coming to an end. Brand marketing will evolve because of the Web, but well-run brands can and will develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with their customers. At the risk of over-stressing the metaphor, they can go from going steady to getting married.

I think that the manifesto went wrong on this one because a lot of the online crowd views branding as a form of pure evil; they think it clouds consumers' minds to the reality of product features. But most human beings aren't wired that way. They like being associated with a brand that shares their values, because it says something about them. The Web makes it possible to communicate values more thoroughly, so the bonds to a brand can be deeper.


31. Networked markets can change suppliers overnight. Networked knowledge workers can change employers over lunch. Your own "downsizing initiatives" taught us to ask the question: "Loyalty? What's that?"

The first two sentences are exaggerations. In particular, unless a company is selling only on price, the Internet doesn't make customers any more mobile than they were in the past. But if you are selling just on price, watch out. All the more reason to use the Internet to form deeper ties with your customers.

The third sentence is true, by the way. The way I'd put it: "Never love a company -- it can't love you back."


32. Smart markets will find suppliers who speak their own language.

I don't know what a smart market is. Markets can't be smart, people can be smart. People will indeed gravitate to suppliers who speak their language. But the outcome of this is going to be different than the online crowd expects – a lot more people speak the language of Wal-Mart than speak the language of Fry's.


33. Learning to speak with a human voice is not a parlor trick. It can't be "picked up" at some tony conference.

Yeah, okay.


34. To speak with a human voice, companies must share the concerns of their communities.
35. But first, they must belong to a community.

Yes!! Those are two of the best points in the whole manifesto.


36. Companies must ask themselves where their corporate cultures end.
37. If their cultures end before the community begins, they will have no market.
38. Human communities are based on discourse—on human speech about human concerns.
39. The community of discourse is the market.

This is all pretty good. Item 37 is overblown, and I'm not sure what 39 means, but the ideas here are powerful.


40. Companies that do not belong to a community of discourse will die.

Dang, back to the overstatement. Companies can survive without belonging to a community of discourse. For example, if they're the cheapest supplier people will buy from them even if they are rude to their customers (if there's a Fry's in your town, go there on a Friday night and try to get customer service).

But companies will get higher margins, make better decisions, and have more loyal customers if they participate in communities with them.


41. Companies make a religion of security, but this is largely a red herring. Most are protecting less against competitors than against their own market and workforce.

No. That's another gross exaggeration that hurts the credibility of the whole document.

First, not all companies make a religion of security. Second, companies want security for a lot of reasons. Competitive concerns have a lot to do with it, but so do financial regulations on stockholder lawsuits. And yes, there is some paranoia involved too.

The important point – the one the Manifesto fails to make – is that the benefits of heavy information security are outweighed by the advantages of open discourse with customers. When you're online, it's more efficient to be open.


42. As with networked markets, people are also talking to each other directly inside the company—and not just about rules and regulations, boardroom directives, bottom lines.

Uh, yeah. But that's been true since the first corporation was formed.


43. Such conversations are taking place today on corporate intranets. But only when the conditions are right.

The conversations also happen in lunchrooms, hallways, and next to water coolers. They move a little faster on intranets, but the difference is not enormous.

The benefits of intranets for driving internal conversations in corporations are substantial, but are not as great as they are for driving conversations with and among customers. Before the Internet, company employees still had lots of ways to communicate. There were even jokes about corporate gossip being the only thing that travels faster than light.


44. Companies typically install intranets top-down to distribute HR policies and other corporate information that workers are doing their best to ignore.

That's so stupid. Companies generally installed intranets to exchange e-mail. File servers and web access came later. HR policies were the almost last thing to go electronic, because HR teams are usually not very technical. Even today, in many companies you're more likely to get paper memos from HR than from just about any other company department. Paper feels more official to them.

Sometimes it seems like the Manifesto authors' main experience of corporate life was reading Dilbert.


45. Intranets naturally tend to route around boredom. The best are built bottom-up by engaged individuals cooperating to construct something far more valuable: an intranetworked corporate conversation.

A typical engineer's point of view, since they're the only ones in the corporation capable of building their own intranets.


46. A healthy intranet organizes workers in many meanings of the word. Its effect is more radical than the agenda of any union.

First sentence is good, second sentence is dumb. A union is very different from an intranet, and has very different effects. One's not more radical than the other. That's like saying a dog is more radical than a cat.


47. While this scares companies witless, they also depend heavily on open intranets to generate and share critical knowledge. They need to resist the urge to "improve" or control these networked conversations.

Oh, please. Intranets don't scare most companies witless.


48. When corporate intranets are not constrained by fear and legalistic rules, the type of conversation they encourage sounds remarkably like the conversation of the networked marketplace.

Yes, but that's because engineers and technophiles tend to dominate the online conversation both outside and inside corporations.


49. Org charts worked in an older economy where plans could be fully understood from atop steep management pyramids and detailed work orders could be handed down from on high.

Org charts are still mandatory in any corporation, because they designate who controls the salaries of whom.

There's a nugget of wisdom here, though. The Internet makes it possible for information to move more quickly, and for groups of smart people to coordinate their work directly. A properly designed company, taking advantage of electronic communication, requires much less detailed hierarchical control.

But somebody still has to write the performance reviews.


50. Today, the org chart is hyperlinked, not hierarchical. Respect for hands-on knowledge wins over respect for abstract authority.

It isn't either-or. There's still an org chart, but there's also an informal network of people who share information and sometimes agendas. But that has always been true of corporations, an intranet just makes it more visible.

Every generation thinks its parents were stupid, and in the second sentence you hear some baby boomers saying their parents had too much respect for abstract authority. Go read some books, guys. See how soldiers in World War II felt about abstract authority in the military, or how workers in 1910 felt about their bosses. Better yet, read the US Declaration of Independence and pay attention to the part where they talk about the king.


51. Command-and-control management styles both derive from and reinforce bureaucracy, power tripping and an overall culture of paranoia.
52. Paranoia kills conversation. That's its point. But lack of open conversation kills companies.

This is just posturing.


53. There are two conversations going on. One inside the company. One with the market.

There are an almost infinite number of conversations going on. The Internet can actually reduce the number of conversations, because it consolidates them.


54. In most cases, neither conversation is going very well. Almost invariably, the cause of failure can be traced to obsolete notions of command and control.
55. As policy, these notions are poisonous. As tools, they are broken. Command and control are met with hostility by intranetworked knowledge workers and generate distrust in internetworked markets.
56. These two conversations want to talk to each other. They are speaking the same language. They recognize each other's voices.
57. Smart companies will get out of the way and help the inevitable to happen sooner.

This thinking is dangerous, and not in a good sense. There's an idealized agenda in operation here, an assumption that bosses are stupid and that companies will make better decisions if the average employee talks directly to the average customer, and they then make a collective decision on what the company should do.

The reality is that bosses are sometimes stupid, and in those cases the company will indeed do better work if the bosses are bypassed. But those companies generally go broke eventually anyway.

In a well-managed company, it's important to draw a line between listening to input and making decisions collectively. Listening to input is almost always good. The internet can make for better input, meaning better decisions. That's fantastic. But making the actual decisions collectively is usually bad, because collective decisions reflect a compromised consensus. Products designed according to that process are often over-featured because they try to please everyone. An example: the Sony Clie handheld was beloved by online users but failed in the marketplace. Why? Too many features, too hard to use.

Companies are most effective when they have smart management, and that management has the authority to make clear decisions and have them carried out by the staff. If the Internet undercuts that, it's not helping the company or the customers.


58. If willingness to get out of the way is taken as a measure of IQ, then very few companies have yet wised up.

Companies don't have IQs. Their managers do. And a company manager who passively "gets out of the way" and lets the market drive his or her decisions is not doing a good job.


59. However subliminally at the moment, millions of people now online perceive companies as little more than quaint legal fictions that are actively preventing these conversations from intersecting.
60. This is suicidal. Markets want to talk to companies.

No, people want to talk to people. And it's good to enable that. But the company still has a role to play, and it needs its own decision-making.


61. Sadly, the part of the company a networked market wants to talk to is usually hidden behind a smokescreen of hucksterism, of language that rings false—and often is.

Translation: Come the revolution, the first thing we'll do is shoot all the marketing and PR employees. Spoken like a true engineer.


62. Markets do not want to talk to flacks and hucksters. They want to participate in the conversations going on behind the corporate firewall.

If you substitute "customers" for "markets," this one is true.


63. De-cloaking, getting personal: We are those markets. We want to talk to you.
64. We want access to your corporate information, to your plans and strategies, your best thinking, your genuine knowledge. We will not settle for the 4-color brochure, for web sites chock-a-block with eye candy but lacking any substance.
65. We're also the workers who make your companies go. We want to talk to customers directly in our own voices, not in platitudes written into a script.
66. As markets, as workers, both of us are sick to death of getting our information by remote control. Why do we need faceless annual reports and third-hand market research studies to introduce us to each other?
67. As markets, as workers, we wonder why you're not listening. You seem to be speaking a different language.
68. The inflated self-important jargon you sling around—in the press, at your conferences—what's that got to do with us?
69. Maybe you're impressing your investors. Maybe you're impressing Wall Street. You're not impressing us.
70. If you don't impress us, your investors are going to take a bath. Don't they understand this? If they did, they wouldn't let you talk that way.
71. Your tired notions of "the market" make our eyes glaze over. We don't recognize ourselves in your projections—perhaps because we know we're already elsewhere.
72. We like this new marketplace much better. In fact, we are creating it.
73. You're invited, but it's our world. Take your shoes off at the door. If you want to barter with us, get down off that camel!

This is the weakest part of the Manifesto, in my opinion. The authors complain about flack, posturing, and exaggeration, and then go on an exaggerated rant full of posturing. Nothing to see here, let's move along...


74. We are immune to advertising. Just forget it.

Yeah, sure. Tell it to Google.

Reality: Most people don't like advertising. That's not the same thing as being immune to it. If people really were immune to advertising, companies wouldn't do it.


75. If you want us to talk to you, tell us something. Make it something interesting for a change.
76. We've got some ideas for you too: some new tools we need, some better service. Stuff we'd be willing to pay for. Got a minute?

Good! But keep in mind that the people you can reach online are not normal customers. They'll have lots of ideas, but unfortunately they can't speak for your typical users.


77. You're too busy "doing business" to answer our email? Oh gosh, sorry, gee, we'll come back later. Maybe.

Yes. Very well said.


78. You want us to pay? We want you to pay attention.
79. We want you to drop your trip, come out of your neurotic self-involvement, join the party.
80. Don't worry, you can still make money. That is, as long as it's not the only thing on your mind.
81. Have you noticed that, in itself, money is kind of one-dimensional and boring? What else can we talk about?

Groovy, baby. Join the love-in. This is starting to feel like that old episode of Star Trek, where Spock meets the space hippies.




82. Your product broke. Why? We'd like to ask the guy who made it. Your corporate strategy makes no sense. We'd like to have a chat with your CEO. What do you mean she's not in?

Fair enough. Now that it's possible to have candid conversations online, it'll be perceived as rude not to have them. Most companies haven't realized that yet.


83. We want you to take 50 million of us as seriously as you take one reporter from The Wall Street Journal.

Believe me, every company takes 50 million customers more seriously than one Wall Street Journal reporter. But most of them haven't yet figured out how to talk to 50 million people online.


84. We know some people from your company. They're pretty cool online. Do you have any more like that you're hiding? Can they come out and play?
85. When we have questions we turn to each other for answers. If you didn't have such a tight rein on "your people" maybe they'd be among the people we'd turn to.

I agree with these. Most companies would come across better online if they allowed employees to communicate freely on the web. You can create some sensible guidelines (don't pre-announce products, label opinions as your own), and trust that most people will follow them. And if they don't, fire them.

Being open personalizes your company, helps people feel good about it, and helps you make better decisions. The benefits of this outweigh the risks.


86. When we're not busy being your "target market," many of us are your people. We'd rather be talking to friends online than watching the clock. That would get your name around better than your entire million dollar web site. But you tell us speaking to the market is Marketing's job.

The answer here is not to get rid of marketing, it's to teach marketing how to operate in this new world. Because, in reality, the engineers do have some other tasks they need to focus on.


87. We'd like it if you got what's going on here. That'd be real nice. But it would be a big mistake to think we're holding our breath.
88. We have better things to do than worry about whether you'll change in time to get our business. Business is only a part of our lives. It seems to be all of yours. Think about it: who needs whom?

Again with the posturing.


89. We have real power and we know it. If you don't quite see the light, some other outfit will come along that's more attentive, more interesting, more fun to play with.

Translation: "We are arrogant and we don't know it. We think we represent all customers when in fact we represent a slice of them. Companies would be stupid to take all our rhetoric at face value. But our influence is growing, it would also be stupid to ignore the potential we represent. We are noisy, we influence a lot of purchases, and we're increasing in number."


90. Even at its worst, our newfound conversation is more interesting than most trade shows, more entertaining than any TV sitcom, and certainly more true-to-life than the corporate web sites we've been seeing.

Well, it is to those of us who like to read and write blogs. But a lot more people watch TV. So in the real world companies will have to deal with both.


91. Our allegiance is to ourselves—our friends, our new allies and acquaintances, even our sparring partners. Companies that have no part in this world, also have no future.
92. Companies are spending billions of dollars on Y2K. Why can't they hear this market timebomb ticking? The stakes are even higher.

Well, that one's a tad dated now.


93. We're both inside companies and outside them. The boundaries that separate our conversations look like the Berlin Wall today, but they're really just an annoyance. We know they're coming down. We're going to work from both sides to take them down.
94. To traditional corporations, networked conversations may appear confused, may sound confusing. But we are organizing faster than they are. We have better tools, more new ideas, no rules to slow us down.
95. We are waking up and linking to each other. We are watching. But we are not waiting.

At this point you really expect John Lennon to stroll in with a guitar, singing Imagine...


Lessons from the Cluetrain

Don't be pretentious. Unless you're writing the Declaration of Independence for a new republic, you should leave out the cosmic rhetoric. It's ironic that a document telling people to speak like humans contains so much trippy rhetoric. (Or maybe that's how the Manifesto's authors really talk.)

Be careful with timelines. Like almost all tech commentary written in the bubble period, the Manifesto assumes that the Internet is about to take over all communication and be used by all human beings. In the real world it's growing, but other media will continue to exist alongside it for a very long time.

The Web is an accelerator more than a revolutionary. The Web speeds up conversations, and broadens their audiences. That's very important, and sometimes the increase in speed produces a qualitative difference. But our parents and grandparents were pretty clever, and most of the human principles we think we're pioneering online have actually been around for generations.

Keep it short. Ten commandments are a lot more memorable than 95 manifestos.

In that spirit, at Rubicon we've been working on a set of principles for communicating with people online, combining our thinking and what we think are the best ideas in the Manifesto. Here's our list:

1. Engage, don't sell.
2. Speak as individuals.
3. Be yourself.
4. Never lie.
5. Don't be afraid of passion.
6. Set your employees free.
7. The Internet strengthens great brands – and destroys false ones.
8. Forget about mass markets.
9. Remember that the Internet is still evolving.
10. Don't mistake the Web for the real world.

They're not nearly as colorful as the Manifesto, but I hope they'll be more actionable. You can read the details here.

____________

*As pointed out by the authors of the Gluetrain Manifesto (a satire of the Cluetrain), it's hard to have the sky open to the stars when clouds are rolling over you all the time. But let's not quibble. The Gluetrain is no longer available online, but a copy was printed at the end of a Cap Gemini / Ernst & Young document here. If you want to understand what the Cluetrain authors meant by that "clouds and skies" imagery, there's an essay here that sort of explains.

I'm reading: The Cluetrain Manifesto revisited

Carnival of the mobilist 53

It's time for Carnival 53 already. I've only just finished reading stuff from last week! Anyhow, the link to this weeks edition is here.

I'm reading: Carnival of the mobilist 53

A couple of interesting new applications for S60v3

Over on My-Symbian two new interesting applications to try out:

LCG Jukebox
Smartcom Navigator

The best thing is each application has a trial option so you can see if they offer something you actually want before you lay out any cash. Trial periods are to be appluaded. I've downloaded the apps and will play around with them later.

I'm reading: A couple of interesting new applications for S60v3

Nokia podcasting app causing phone freeze?

I downloaded the Nokia Podcast app the other week, and yesterday I decided to take a look and see what podcasts I could find. I subscribed to 29 Guide and downloaded a clip. Which I couldn't open on the phone.

A short while later, I receive an SMS football alert, which I had been receiving all afternoon with no problem. This time, I couldn't open the SMS. I had to reboot the phone three times before I could open the text. I received another SMS a short while after, from a friend this time, same problem. The only change I'd made to my phone was opening & using the Podcast app.

Usual process of cause and elimination followed, I decided to delete the app and see if that helped. After more than an hour trying to delete the application from my phone, using the built in app manager, Nokia PC suite and Y-Browser I finally managed to remove the downloaded video clip and the application. The phone just kept on freezing on me. I've never turned off/on my phone so many times since I bought it!

Finally removed all trace of the app except a 1kb file which can only be seen in the app manager on the phone, with a 'not installed' tag underneath.

Since removing the application everything has worked fine. I shall be avoiding this application for a while. More than anything the problem I had removing it has really put me off. I'm not too impressed, that's for sure.

I'm reading: Nokia podcasting app causing phone freeze?

Update to Screenshot, version 2.45

I've been reading Antony's Mobile Blog recently, the hassle he's had getting the screenshot application signed. That's all sorted now, all the information and links to download are here.

A screenshot app is always useful to have, and this excellent application is free, too.

I'm reading: Update to Screenshot, version 2.45

Symbian unloads UIQ, and the mobile apps situation gets clearer -- and uglier

As you've probably heard, SonyEricsson bought the UIQ user interface from Symbian this week. The only surprise in the deal was that it didn't happen a long time ago -- Symbian had been trying to unload UIQ for at least four years (they tried to sell it to Palm at least two times that I was aware of).

I haven't seen any online information about the terms of the deal, but at some point I hope it'll come out in a public filing. I'll be shocked if it turns out that SonyEricsson paid a lot of money. Knowing what it costs to create an operating system layer, I think it's very likely the UIQ team has been losing money.

With the UIQ acquisition, three of the top mobile phone companies now have their own operating system layers -- Nokia with S60, SonyEricsson with UIQ, and Motorola with whatever it's building on top of Linux.

Years ago, we were expecting to see the development of one or at most two operating systems that would run across all mobile devices. The idea was that that phones would become like PCs -- hardware decoupled from software, with low costs for consumers because the hardware was standardized and the cost of the OS and apps was spread across a huge base of hardware.

Instead, the mobile market is moving in the opposite direction, at least for now. Most of the major phone companies are creating their own OS layers, and they're not compatible with one another. I think this raises big questions for the mobile market:

What will Samsung and LG do? The other two big mobile phone companies don't have coherent software strategies, as far as I can tell. They specialize in copying others -- Samsung copies Motorola and Nokia, while LG copies Samsung. As the implications of the UIQ deal sink in, I think both Samsung and LG will start to feel they need software layers of their own. They could try to buy one, they could cut a deal with Microsoft, or they could try to write their own software layers in house.

None of the three options is attractive. There aren't a lot of mobile software layers left on the market to buy, Microsoft is well known for acting like a predator on its licensees, and creating user interfaces isn't exactly a well-known core competency of Asian hardware companies. My guess is that both Samsung and LG will continue to play the field by working with multiple operating systems, while they hope that mobile Linux will magically mature and solve their problems. But I wouldn't be shocked if one of them decided to take a chance and partner deeply with Microsoft.

What happens to Palm and RIM? RIM is going strong at the moment, while Palm is under moderate financial stress. But both are relatively small phone companies that rely heavily on software innovation for their differentiation. All that software investment makes their cost per unit a lot higher than the big guys. Their have to keep their products dramatically differentiated in order to maintain the price delta that funds their businesses.

Can they keep that edge as the big phone companies start adding more and more software value to their products? It's by no means impossible, and I wouldn't bet against the smart guys at either company. But they're both like small movie studios that fund their next movies directly from the profits of the last one. One major dud and the process could fall apart.

What about Microsoft? Theoretically, Microsoft should be cackling right now. Microsoft (and its then-buddy Intel) destroyed PC companies that were dumb enough to sell proprietary systems against the army of PC clones in the 1970s and early 1980s. Microsoft has heavy ties with the Asian phone manufacturing world, and should be able to help them produce devices which pair sophisticated software with commodity pricing. I think of this as the "HTC=Compaq" scenario.

But there are three problems with the scenario...

1. No IBM. In the PC world, Microsoft benefited immensely when IBM set a hardware design standard and then let everyone else clone it. Without IBM's help, Microsoft might never have created the clone PC market, and we'd be dealing with a much less standardized (and more expensive) PC market to this day. The closest thing to an IBM in mobile phones is Nokia, and it ain't about to let anybody clone anything, and certainly not for free.

2. No apps. The other key to Microsoft's power in PCs was the huge base of software applications that developed for DOS and Windows. People wanted Windows in order to run the apps, and Microsoft was the gatekeeper. In case nobody's noticed, mobile app sales for smartphones are miserably low, due to app distribution problems and the operators' unwillingness to allow truly open phones to be sold in mass volumes. If there's no big applications base, Microsoft doesn't have the leverage to force its software onto the world's phones.

3. Microsoft doesn't really "get" mobile. Although Microsoft's mobile software has definitely improved, the company still shows the reflexes of a PC company. It relies on cool technology to motivate customers, overloads its products with too many features for the average user, and counts on Moore's Law to bail it out over time (if you doubt this, check out David Pogue's review of the Zune media player in the New York Times). The mobile market rewards minimalist design in both hardware and software. I think that's not in Microsoft's DNA.

Is this good news for Symbian? Sure, in the sense that they've unloaded an irritant that complicated their relationship with their sugar daddy Nokia. Symbian seems to be on a path to try to make itself the embedded OS of the next generation of mobile phones -- kind of a super Nucleus. That's the only path its owners were going to tolerate anyway, so the Symbian folks might as well smile and make the best of it.

But there's no law of nature that says S60 or UIQ has to always run on top of the Symbian OS. In fact, as Nokia and SonyEricsson define more of their own application interfaces, and as the development of native Symbian applications continues to lag, there's very little to stop Nokia or SonyEricsson from moving their interfaces to run on top of a different OS. Maybe onto Linux, which doesn't charge Symbian's several dollars a unit licensing fee. The expense of supporting an OS layer team is very substantial, and only grows as the code gets older and you have to maintain it. That cost on top of the Symbian license fee is going to be pretty large even for a big phone company. The more units that Nokia and SonyEricsson build Symbian into, the more the Symbian licensing fee is going to bother them.

So Symbian is on a treadmill in which it will be under constant pressure to match the pricing of Linux. Unless Symbian can develop a big native apps base of its own, it'll have very little market power to keep its licensees loyal.

The most likely outcome in the near term will be a divided mobile market in which each of the major phone companies has its own operating system layer, with its own base of applications. Microsoft will continue to plug away with its Asian buddies, but without the critical mass to take over the phone market. We're looking at a minimum of five major OS layers (S60, UIQ, Moto Linux, Microsoft, Qualcomm Brew), plus smaller contenders (Palm OS, RIM). Oh, and don't forget Java.

This situation will drive independent software developers insane, because they'll have to rewrite their applications for every phone platform. This will drive a lot of the most creative software developers away from the mobile market; they'll continue to focus on creating web apps because they face lower barriers to entry, there's a single fairly unified platform, and they'll have more control over their own destiny.

Mobile phone enthusiasts like to point out how many mobile phones there are in the world, a much larger market than PCs. They say that larger market means the future of apps innovation will inevitably happen on mobiles. But if the mobile market is divided into five or more incompatible camps, and it's not easy to make money in any of them, the mobile apps market will be stunted indefinitely.

At some point, I believe one or more of the mobile operators will become so anxious to access the wealth of innovative web apps that they'll set up a fairly open garden for web apps developers. I don't know what software that garden will be built on -- maybe it'll be Adobe Apollo, maybe something else. But when that happens, I think we'll finally see a critical mass of third party mobile apps that will then force the other companies to deploy the same environment. It'll be a giant layer cake -- the web apps layer on top of the phone vendor's layer on top of the phone's native operating system.

The whole thing sounds incredibly baroque and inefficient, and it is. But it says something about how messed up the mobile phone apps market is, that this is the optimistic scenario for the future.

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PS: Thanks to the folks at AllAboutSymbian for linking to my post on Sprint's Ambassador program in the latest Carnival of the Mobilists.

I'm reading: Symbian unloads UIQ, and the mobile apps situation gets clearer -- and uglier