Teknovis

A friend recently sent me an article describing the first application that Microsoft has developed for the iPhone. This application, Seadragon Mobile, is an imagine viewing application that allows users to view large image collections using touch-screens. It was released initially for the iPhone due to its advanced graphics hardware. The full article is Microsoft releases its first iPhone app.

The main Seadragon application is described and demonstrated in Microsoft Live Labs Seadragon. I think that it would be cool to see this in use on large touch-screens! For example, it would be a great way to explore the Sistine Chapel ceiling!

Tags: Microsoft, Seadragon

All member states within the EU must implement the number 112 for emergency calls. The idea behind this is to standardise emergency calls. Furthermore, there is an enhanced version of this known as E112 that enables the emergency services to automatically obtain the caller’s location. For more details about this see 1-1-2.

I actually had a cause to use this service once when I witnessed an incident on a motorway. It seemed to work very well, because the emergency services dispatcher told me quite accuratly where I was, although she needed me to tell her which direction I was travelling.

Anyway, I read today that Bulgaria is now E112 compliant in Europe-wide emergency number is go.

Tags: Bulgaria, E112

Another Christmas shopping article…

I noticed these Firefly mobile phones for sale in many main-street shops while I was doing some off-line Christmas shopping yesterday.

Firefly Mobile Phones

These mobile phones are designed for young children. Typically, the user (a child) is allowed to call Mum (big button with woman) and Dad (big button with man). Additionally, the user is only allowed to receive calls from numbers that are in the address book.

In terms of technology there is nothing new in these mobile phones, because they are simply very restricted mobile phones. I think that the main novelty lies in the usage of the technology to satisfy a certain market. I think that it is a great idea!

I presume that there will soon be a GPS enabled Firefly that enables concerned parents to view their childrens’ locations!

Tags: Firefly, GPS, Mobile Phone

Nokia has unveiled its latest NSeries mobile phone, the N97, at Nokia World 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. This new mobile phone certainly seems to be causing a lot of excitement!

Nokia N97

For more details see the official press release, download the data sheet, or read Nokia Announces the N97 – The Holy Grail.

I am not really a Nokia fan. I think it is because it traditionally made mobile phones (once it finished making toilet paper of course), and since I had a computer long before I had a mobile phone I found its devices weak on features.

The thing that strikes me most about this new mobile phone is that it appears very like a PDA to me! I guess the distinctions between these two types of mobile devices will continue decreasing!

Tags: Mobile Phone, N97, Nokia, PDA, Spain

I spent several years (maybe even too many) working in the area of Location Based Services (LBSs). Indeed, I first started working in this area before it become the next “killer application” area! I spent my time working on both the technical enablers of LBSs, and the commercial groundwork for a start-up company. Happy memories ;)

This morning I read an article titled Location, location, location – geo-commerce is here and now. The article starts with the usual scenario describing how LBSs will revolutionise our lives by changing the way we make every decision. It also claims that now is the right time for LBSs to make an impact. Different people have been saying this for years now, so I suppose that somebody might be correct some day! Maybe I am just to cynical!

The article focuses on two Irish companies that are currently developing LBSs for mass market consumption based on mobile phone and PDA technology:

• ICAP Media has developed an “opt-in mobile-phone marketing platform” that supplies the user with discounts that can be redeemed in nearby businesses. Unfortunately, this just sounds like location aware spam to me :(
• Tagggit has developed a virtual tagging system that allows users to leave tags in specific locations. These tags can then be read by the same user at a later stage, or shared with other users who are in the same location. This seems like a commercial application of the Stick-e Note Architecture developed by University of Kent researchers in 1997!

There are many other companies also developing LBSs in Ireland.

Tags: ICAP Media, Ireland, Mobile Phone, PDA, Spam, Tagggit, University of Kent

HTC has unveiled its latest PDA – the HTC Max. Most of the features are similar to its latest PDAs, but the HTC Max has one significant additional feature – it supports WiMax!

I have heard lots about the data capabilities of WiMax, but I have not heard of any details of any live networks. I did hear that the telcos are quite concerned about WiMax, and the “over-the-top” possibilities it offers to users.

The full details of the HTC Max are described in HTC unwraps ‘world’s first’ WiMax, Wi-Fi phone in Russia.

Tags: HTC, PDA, WiMax

I have always been a very organised person for most aspects of my life, regardless of whether these aspects are real-world or digital. Unfortunately, I am also quite a forgetful person :( So notebooks and diaries were always a big part of my life! These ingenious tools enabled me to know where I was supposed to be, when I was supposed to be there, and what I was supposed to be doing there!

So it made perfect sense for me to buy a PDA when they first became available. That was so long ago that I cannot even remember what make and model it was! I am probably one of the few people who had a PDA before I had a mobile phone! Since then I have had several, but I usually use each one for a few years. I normally wait until there is a significant technological advantage to me in having a new one. So the technological advantages that have caused me to upgrade to date are:

• The introduction of a colour screen (even if it was only 256 colours!)
• The ability to use the PDA as a mobile phone (and carry one less device)
• The ability to use WiFi (I cannot live without it now!)

Finally, I suspect the next technological advantage that will cause me to upgrade will be a touch-screen, mainly because it will only require one of my hands. The fact that they look so slick is an added bonus :)

So what do I currently use? A black HTC P3600 (otherwise known as the Trinity) running Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0. HTC actually make a lot of the branded PDAs for other well known manufacturers. This is what it looks like:

HTC P3600

I am not going to write a full review here, because there are already plenty of reviews online. Also, I do not think that it is still available to buy! Instead, what I will do is write about the features that I use most often, the useful applications that I have installed, and the bugs I have found in it that are not well documented anywhere else on the Internet!

Perhaps the single questions that I am asked most frequently about it is “Should I get one?“. My answer to this is always “Yes, if you are the sort of person that currently makes lists on paper and keeps a diary“.

In general, mobile phones and PDAs are devices that I have a strong personal interest in, and I have worked with them in the past in a professional capacity. So I expect to write about them a lot on this blog!

Tags: HTC, Microsoft, Mobile Phone, PDA, WiFi, Windows Mobile 5.0