• 27Mar

    What Is HSDPA?

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    What is HSDPA?

    HSDPA is an acronym for High Speed Downlink Packet Access which is a protocol for 3G of the High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) family. HSPDA is an important protocol that allows UMTS networks to run at faster speeds with higher capacity.

    HSDPA has been a part of the UMTS standard since release 5. HSDPA allows for uplink speeds of 384kbs/sec. That’s quite an improvement over the former best of 128kpbs.

    HSDPA is a big part of future networks due to its ability to increase the effectiveness of broadband networks. Not only does HSDPA improve connection speeds, but it improves problems with latency, causing end users to have a better experience overall.

    HSDPA is now so successful that HSDPA networks are being rolled out worldwide and now many USB HSDPA modems are being marketed as “mobile broadband cpnnections.” In the next few years there’s expected to be a large proliferation of HSDPA modems and networks.

    If you want to see how HSDPA works, visit Singapore. Singapore is the only place right now running HSDPA nationwide. That should change in coming years as more countries upgrade.


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  • 27Mar

    Top Ten Mobile Phone Stories of the Week - 27th March.

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    It’s Friday and that means a look at some more of the top mobile phone stories of the week.  The big news centres around speculation over the content of the Apple WWDC set for June, but we happen to love the Ulysee Nardin phone more…

    kinetic-phone.jpg

    1.  Gorgeous Kinetically Powered Phone.

    The Ulysee Nardin Chairman Kinetic (phew) comes from a team who make flash watches, and this is their version of a flash mobile phone.  This black and gold beauty has a 2.8″ touchscreen with multi-touch, a 5 megapixel camera and a special rotor system which creates energy to feed the battery.  It’s a one-off at the moment, so don’t reach for your wallet just yet!

    2.  WWDC Set for June 8th - new iPhone?

    It’s that time of the year again!  Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference has been announced for the 8th June and this is the event where the last two iPhones have been announced, so are we in for a new one this year?  All sorts of speculation can be found by following the above link.

    3.  More Sony Ericsson Woe.

    Sony Ericsson have not been having the best month.  The current president of Sony Ericsson USA has resigned and is to (more…)

    Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.

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  • 27Mar

    Egypt vs The Killer Text Message!

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    man-and-camel.jpg

    Truth is stranger than fiction, and in Egypt it’s even stranger than crazy Japanese horror-fiction. The Egyptian Health and Interior ministries have apparently announced that text messages can’t kill people.  No, not even those scummy impossible-to-unsubscribe joke delivery services.

    Rumors recently ran rampant regarding a text message which murders anyone who receives it.  Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that symptoms of the fatal SMS text message include a + prefix, like every (more…)

    Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.

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  • 27Mar

    Thumbplay Goes Back to the Well

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    peHUB reports today that ThumbPlay, a New York-based provider of mobile multimedia content, has raised $6 million in sixth-round funding, according to a regulatory filing. It had previously raised over $53 million.

    Shareholders include Brookside Capital Advisors, the public equity affiliate of Bain Capital, and Cross Creek Capital, the private equity affiliate of Wasatch Advisors, Bain Capital Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Meritech Capital Partners.

    We know the Thumplay business well and frankly, $60M to build the platform they have is crazy. The company was started 5 years ago and with that kind of financing they should be well in the black (profitable) by now.

    I've heard lots of rumors that Thumbplay was trying to sell the business, but with $60M invested, an acquiring company would have to pay a truckload of money to make it work for everyone.

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  • 27Mar

    Thumbplay Goes Back to the Well

    Industry, News No Comments
    peHUB reports today that ThumbPlay, a New York-based provider of mobile multimedia content, has raised $6 million in sixth-round funding, according to a regulatory filing. It had previously raised over $53 million.

    Shareholders include Brookside Capital Advisors, the public equity affiliate of Bain Capital, and Cross Creek Capital, the private equity affiliate of Wasatch Advisors, Bain Capital Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Meritech Capital Partners.

    We know the Thumplay business well and frankly, $60M to build the platform they have is crazy. The company was started 5 years ago and with that kind of financing they should be well in the black (profitable) by now.

    I've heard lots of rumors that Thumbplay was trying to sell the business, but with $60M invested, an acquiring company would have to pay a truckload of money to make it work for everyone.

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  • 27Mar

    App Store Downloads by Day

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    In January we added our first self-published game/application to the Apple App Store - Hooters Calendar Slider. The game went live on January 22, so we've been live for just over 2 months.

    The game is listed in the puzzle category which happens to be the most competitive category within games. The game has done pretty well, considering we have spent very little on marketing and have not gotten any love (promotion) from Apple. Over the course of two months we usually have been between the 50th and 60th most popular game in our category. We've slipped a little bit over the last week or so and at last glance, we were #75 in puzzle games.

    I've been tracking the daily downloads since we launched and I've been curious to find out if there is any fluctuations in downloads by day.

    Above, I've attached our download statistics, measured by percentage of downloads by day. If every day was the same, the chart would be flat with roughly 14.3% of downloads happening each day (100%/ 7 days).

    You'll notice that during the work week the downloads are pretty consistent, but we see decent spikes on the weekends. Somewhat surprisingly, Sunday is our best performing day. Tuesday is the worst.

    I haven't seen anyone else post day specific data and I'm curious if other developers/publishers are seeing the same trends. Is there something about the category of our game (hot bikini chicks) that makes downloads more likely on weekends or are all downloads, regardless of category, higher on the weekend?

    If you have any data you'd be willing to share, let us know.

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  • 27Mar

    App Store Downloads by Day

    Industry, News No Comments
    In January we added our first self-published game/application to the Apple App Store - Hooters Calendar Slider. The game went live on January 22, so we've been live for just over 2 months.

    The game is listed in the puzzle category which happens to be the most competitive category within games. The game has done pretty well, considering we have spent very little on marketing and have not gotten any love (promotion) from Apple. Over the course of two months we usually have been between the 50th and 60th most popular game in our category. We've slipped a little bit over the last week or so and at last glance, we were #75 in puzzle games.

    I've been tracking the daily downloads since we launched and I've been curious to find out if there is any fluctuations in downloads by day.

    Above, I've attached our download statistics, measured by percentage of downloads by day. If every day was the same, the chart would be flat with roughly 14.3% of downloads happening each day (100%/ 7 days).

    You'll notice that during the work week the downloads are pretty consistent, but we see decent spikes on the weekends. Somewhat surprisingly, Sunday is our best performing day. Tuesday is the worst.

    I haven't seen anyone else post day specific data and I'm curious if other developers/publishers are seeing the same trends. Is there something about the category of our game (hot bikini chicks) that makes downloads more likely on weekends or are all downloads, regardless of category, higher on the weekend?

    If you have any data you'd be willing to share, let us know.

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  • 27Mar

    Weekly News In Review: Alltel’s My Circle grows, MyAccount application comes to G1

    Industry, News No Comments
    Since we can't actively cover every news article that breaks (as much as we would love to), PhoneDog compiles various announcements and press releases that have been published throughout the week and places them in one easy to read article.  Enjoy!

    My Circle from Alltel expands, offers more numbers
    Effective March 26th, Alltel has increased the size of their My Circle offerings.  In regards to individual lines, My Circle 10 has been given five extra My Circle numbers; likewise, My Circle 20 has now been changed to My Circle 25.  The new plans are below:

    • My Circle 15 (replaces My Circle 10): 900 anytime minutes and 15 My Circle numbers, $59.99
    • My Circle 25 (replaces My Circle 20): 2,100 anytime minutes and 25 My Circle numbers, $99.99

    T-Mobile offers MyAccount application in Android Market
    Those using a G1 can download and enjoy a MyAccount application tailored for specific use on their devices.  The program offers the ability to view bill summaries, plan information, help guides, user forums, and pay the wireless bill, among other things.  At this time, the application is only available for G1 devices.  Via TmoNews

    T-Mobile botches launch of WebConnect modem, editor says
    In a piece in Gearlog, Sascha Segan points out what he believes to be several problems with the launch of T-Mobile's 3G WebConnect card:
    • The wrong pricing - T-Mobile's 3G network only covers about 100 million people - less than half the coverage of Verizon Wireless's.  Yet they're charging the same as Verizon, $60/month, with the same 5 GB monthly data cap.  So why not pick the carrier with the better coverage?  Meanwhile, Cricket remains the only innovator pushing 3G to Americans for a reasonable price.
    • The wrong target market - with a $60/month price point, a 5GB cap and a $200/GB overage charge, T-Mobile is clearly going for the road warrior, occasional business traveler market.  But that's not T-Mobile's market.  T-Mobile's greatest strength is among families, students, and individuals who like low prices, cute phones and great customer service.  T-Mobile isn't likely to win many businesses over from the other three carriers with a combination of poor coverage and high rates. 
    • Awful roaming policies - T-Mobile's Huawei E181 modem is a quad-band UMTS device, able to roam on AT&T's network here in the US and on many foreign networks.  T-Mobile completely bungles roaming.  First, they turned off AT&T roaming in the US.  Then, they offered no international roaming bucket plans - only an option to be charged $15 per megabyte.  That's $15,000 per gigabyte. Who wants to roam at $15,000 per gigabyte? 
    • No synergy - T-Mobile's greatest strength is their network of 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots.  The Huawei E181 comes with GPS functionality, so you'd think T-Mobile would make it easy to find a hotspot near you.  Not so - the webConnect stick comes with the GPS disabled.  Fortunately, T-Mobile says they're working on this one.
    The T-Mobile WebConnect USB modem launched on March 25th, and can be found at T-Mobile retail locations and online for $49.99.

    AT&T offering refurbished BlackBerry Bold for free
    Though the device is typically priced $299.99 new and $199.99 refurbished, AT&T is offering the refurbished BlackBerry Bold for free on its website.  A two-year contract is required, however.  If interested, be sure to act quickly - the offer appears to be ending soon.  Via BGR


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  • 27Mar

    Leaked OS upgrades for BlackBerry Storm and Curve 8900 surface

    Industry, News No Comments
    Leaked updates are becoming more and more of a norm with BlackBerry devices, and the trend continues with the BlackBerry Storm and Curve 8900 both receiving unofficial revisions.  OS 4.7.1.113 is available for the Storm 9530, and though it represents a rather strange step backwards in regards to the numeric scheme of BlackBerry updates, reportedly cures several problems users have faced with past software builds.  Improved call quality and general speed increases were noted improvements, along with the updated copy and paste function.  Several users have spoken so highly of the build that it is widely thought to be the next official release.

    In regards to the Curve 8900, OS 4.6.1.199 is available, and users are reporting speedier screen transitions, a faster GPS experience, and louder volume.  As we always warn, however - downloading and installing non-official upgrades such as these may void your warranty and leave you without a working phone.  Before you upgrade your operating system, please make sure you are familiar with the process.

    Source: PhoneArena

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  • 27Mar

    Smartphones win in Pwn2Own hacking contest

    Industry, News No Comments
    Last month, I blogged about TippingPoint's annual Pwn2Own contest, which awards $10,000 prizes for successful hacks on desktop and mobile browsers. Well this year's competition is over, and the results are in.

    While three out of four targeted computer web browsers were taken down, none of the smartphones included in the contest — which were BlackBerries, iPhones, and WinMo, Symbian and Android devices — were successfully exploited.

    According to Slashdot, TippingPoint's Terri Forslof cited one 10-second hack of a MacBook through an unpatched, yet longstanding Safari vulnerability. But even though the iPhone's Safari browser has the same weakness, the exploit wouldn't work on the mobile phone. Why? Compared to desktops, smartphones have limited memory and processing power, says Forslof, which means "a lot of [researchers'] main exploit techniques are not able to work."

    Speaking of desktop browsers, Chrome was the only one that survived. The others were hacked, and rather quickly.

    Charlie Miller, the security expert behind the MacBook exploit above, won this year's and last year's event by laying waste to Macs running Safari. Interestingly, Miller has repeatedly said that Macs were safer alternatives for typical users than Windows PCs. (Well actually, Apple Insider points out that Miller's statements describe Macs as being less secure, but since there's so little malware out there targeting it, he says, the Apple technology winds up being safer.) This is all good food for thought as we ramp up for WWDC in June.



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