VoIP - threat or opportunity

According to a couple of websites, iPhone users shortly will be able to circumvent their operators' networks by using VoIP. Belgian developer Namado/Namando Telecom claims that by using their application, callers can save up to 80 per cent connecting to the internet via the terminal's wifi connection.


This is undoubtedly an extremely imteresting topic, so I wanted to learn more about the small and innovative company behind the application. Now, Namado Telecom does not exist (as this is equivalent to not being found with a homepage by google). Namando Telecom does not exist as well, nor does Namado or Namando Telekom.


The company's correct name is Nomado Telecom, and it really does exist. And I think that they have a right to being spelled correctly, as they might pose a threat to mobile operators - or a massive opportunity, depending on the point of view. And that's definitely worth being noticed.

Americans buying fewer (but pricier) cell phones

Analyst firm NPD Group and Silicon Alley Insider reported on an interesting find: consumer cell phone unit sales dropped 13% from Q2 in 2007. However, Q2 revenues have dropped only 2% from last year.

The likely cause for this? Americans are buying fewer cell phones because they are spending more money on their handsets than ever before—and using their new investments as long as they can before trading in for a new device. In fact, this year seems to be the year where more and more ‘prosumers’ purchase a Blackberry or an iPhone.

SAI notes that this study doesn’t include Apple’s iPhone 3G, and only includes Apple’s original iPhone for part of the quarter. Q3 and Q4 should yield quite different results.

Would you pay $1000 for an iPhone app?

Silicon Alley Insider points out a true gem within Apple (AAPL)’s iPhone App store. App creator Armin Heinrich’s “I Am Rich” application, worth $999.99, displays a red gem on the iPhone’s screen. And that’s about it.

Information on the app’s page says, “The red icon on your iPhone or iPod Touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were rich enough to afford this. It’s a work of art with no hidden function at all.”

Apparently, that’s what it takes to separate the rich and the poor among iPhone owners!

Update: the application has been removed as of 2:30 EST today.

This Weeks Top News

Here’s a recap of some of this week’s top news stories…

July 21, 2008
iPhone 3G Inventory Plummets
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/iphone-3g-inventory-plummets-over-weekend/2008-07-21?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&cmp-id=OTC-RSS-FW0

July 22, 2008
728 Newspapers Join AP Mobile News Network
http://mobilecrunch.com/2008/07/21/728-newspapers-join-ap-mobile-news-network/


July 23, 2008
Qualcomm Stock Soars on Nokia Settlement
http://www.rcrnews.com/article/20080723/FREE/528264349/Qualcomm-stock-soars-on-Nokia-settlement


July 24, 2008
Sprint –Nextel Sells its Towers
http://www.moconews.net/entry/419-sprint-nextel-sells-its-towers-raises-around-670-million/


Public Responds to Cancer Doctor’s Warning
July 25, 2008
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article.aspx?id=161728

Gone phishing? Again?

The iPhone is a phenomenon - many people have one, many people want to have one, some want to get rid of theirs again, and some are now warning that the iPhone can even be used to go phishing.
The Safari and Mail applications on the prestigious object reportedly puts users at a risk. By the relatively old-fashioned trick of spoofing an URL, phishers are able to redirect users to websites that are not what they pretend to be.
Interesting, as Mac OSX is very immune against most attacks. But luckily there is good (and general) advice available: iPhone users should enter the addresses of sites they wish to visit manually instead of clicking on links contained in email. Until there is an official patch from Apple to fix this problem. And maybe also after the patch is available.

1 Million... sold

According to, well everywhere you look, Apple sold 1 million 3G iPhone’s over this past weekend. Being released in 21 countries last Friday, the 3G surpassed the 250,000 units that were sold when the original iPhone was released (US only) last year. I am not surprised, due to the fact that lines we already forming 1 week before the actual release. And Steve Jobs seemed continent with the sales so far commenting that the iPhone is off to a great start around the world.

Although it wasn’t all smooth sailing…

From the problems with the activation (AT&T and O2 customers both had trouble) to a store in the UK actually having to close its doors and call the police, iPhone drama was plentiful this weekend.

Say It Ain’t So…

Mobile Entertainment reports that some people have WAY too much time on their hands. Okay, well not exactly, but the news does fit nicely into that assumption. The story comes from Geardiary, who reports that at around noon on July 4th (EST) there was already a line forming outside the Apple store. At the time, there was about a dozen or so people standing in front of the store. Apparently there was even a couple with a baby waiting in line. The article states that this could just be a publicity stunt and that these folks may have been trying to set a record for longest time in line. With the release of the 3G iPhone set for Friday, July 11th, and today being July 7th, I wonder how long that line is now…

When it comes to Apple or the iPhone, I know that this kind of behavior is just not surprising to most people. Not even the part about the couple with the baby. However, if this is not a publicity stunt, Mobile Entertainment says, “The alternative is very, very depressing.”

They took the words right out of my mouth.

The battle of the smartphones

As the smartphone debate goes on over iPhone versus BlackBerry I find myself wondering who will win the battle for the prosumer market.

I wanted to look at some stats to see if any clear trend is emerging and I found that, according to IDC , Apple's share of the smartphone market declined in the first quarter to 19.2% from 26.7% in the prior quarter and much of that slack was taken up by RIM's BlackBerry which comprised 44.5% of the market in the first quarter versus 35.1% the previous quarter.

Now, one could argue that this situation could reverse going forward given the new version of the iPhone that came out with more features, at a better price which makes these numbers inconclusive in terms of future trends.

I have done some "social research" on this subject as well, asking a cross section of SF event goers why they prefer, or should I say, LOVE their chosen device and it seems that iPhone users care more about the cool-ness factor and Blackberry users are more concerned with practicality.

There might be some predictive value in finding some global prosumer stats on how many people view themselves as cool vesus how many feel that they are practical and we assume that people use their devices as a form of self expression.

For now, I will just continue my research and base my opinion on the fact that I prefer BlackBerry....... though I may at some point be swayed by the cool- factor of the iPhone.

How much is AT&T paying so you can get a $199 iPhone?

According to analyst Yair Reiner, about $325 per 3G iPhone.

AT&T has admitted that with the new $199 iPhone, they will only earn about 10-12 cents per unit sold, but it might just be worth it if it means more consumers will purchase an iPhone.

Moconews reports that AT&T’s head of mobile, Ralph De La Vega claims that $199 is the new ‘sweet spot.’ True enough, once Motorola’s infamous Razr dropped its price from $500 to $199, handset sales doubled. Seems like the smartphone market is going the way of $200 a handset.

With more consumers owning an iPhone, that means more subscribers to AT&T. Also, with a cheaper iPhone more users will spend time downloading and using applications and other Value-Added Services, increasing ARPU. AT&T is being quite bold by putting all that faith in the iPhone’s mass consumer appeal, but time will tell whether their move was a smart one.

245,800 iPhone Stories This Week

I'm serious. Just followed a hunch and checked the actual number of online news stories/blog posts about the iPhone in the last week. Lo and behold - 245,800 stories tracked by Bloglines in the last week. 245,801 if you count this one.

It continues to amaze me just how much people love talking about the iPhone. If I was being unkind, I would suggest that people love talking about it more than they like buying it. But I'm not unkind, so I won't suggest that.

Whatever way you look at it, the iPhone story is a great story. It has everything - drama, suspense, intrigue, outrage, scandal, Steve Jobs, car chases, everything. Long may it continue.

Apple Not the Only One Who'll Reap the Benefits?

After the announcement of the 3G iPhone yesterday, the mobile advertising market will be feeling the love as well according to an article in Wireless Week. In the article, Ad Infuse, a mobile marketing company, shares that they are “seeing great engagement statistics from people who use the iPhone right now, and that is just with the first version of it.” The article goes onto explain that advertisers are definitely into mobile video and some companies have even created campaigns with the iPhone in mind.

After the July 11 release, I definitely agree that the mobile adverting market will be sending praise to the Apple Gods. With new feature and a $199 price tag, I think more people will be interested and able to purchase an iPhone. The idea that this will allow mobile marketers to reach an audience they have yet to reach is spot on.

As for these new iPhone owners enjoying all of those potential mobile advertisements, well that’s an entirely different story…

Android App Store?

You've got to love a good rumor. The Register has an interesting piece (which was swiftly picked up around the world) about the hint of a future iPhone-style app store for Google's Android platform.

The story came from comments from Android project leader Andy Rubin, speaking at the Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco.

An app store from Apple (for iPhone) or from Google (for Android) seems like a smart way to go if you are trying to give an OS/platform the best start in life. In time it will be an interesting exercise to see if Apple can bring their trademark slickness and Google can apply their trademark simplicity/smartness to buying mobile apps.

What will sell the 3G iPhone?

MoCo News today posed the question: Can Apple (AAPL) hit its much-boasted 10 million 3G iPhone sales target in 2008? While the 3G iPhone isn’t due to hit the market until June 9th, there is already pressure on Apple for a 3G iPhone, for faster downloads. But will faster speed sell more iPhones now that a large number of people own them?

There is no doubt in my mind or anyone else’s that the iPhone has made a huge impact on the industry. And everyone from LG to Samsung have gotten haptics-happy on their new handset designs due to this—and we haven’t even gotten to their SDK roadmap.

I think that the original touch-screen design and interface combined with an iTunes-ready MP3 player are what made the iPhone such a huge hit with American consumers, not its internet capabilities. We have yet to see whether they’ll hit their goal by the end of this year, and whether faster downloading is the new iPhone selling point.