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Tag: iphone

  • Apple's iAd Coming to Europe in December

    Apple announced it will expand its iAd mobile advertising network to the UK and France this December, with Germany to follow in January.

    According to research firm IDC, iAd has signed on over half of the top 25 leading US national advertisers in just four months, with a projected 21 percent share of US mobile display advertising revenue for 2010.

    iAd will launch in Europe with iAds from L’Oréal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier, Unilever, Citi, Evian, LG Display, AB InBev, Turkish Airlines and Absolute Radio.

    iAd, which is built into iOS 4, lets users stay within their current app while engaging with an ad, even while watching a video, playing a game or using in-ad purchase to download an app or buy iTunes content. Developers receive an industry standard 60 percent of the iAd Network revenue, which is paid via iTunes Connect. "With user engagement times averaging more than 60 seconds per visit, iAds combine the narrative quality of TV ads with the interactivity of digital for something entirely new," as Apple says.

    "We’re thrilled to add leading global brands to the iAd Network in Europe and create even more great opportunities for developers," said Andy Miller, Apple’s vice president of iAd. He added that in just four months, the company doubled the number of advertisers on the network and "thousands of developers now have a valuable new source of revenue."

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  • Pinger Aims to Bring Free Voip to iPod Touch and iPhone

    Pinger, a startup based in San Jose, California, aims to challenge Skype (and others) by offering free voice calls. They are doing so by piggybacking voip on their hugely popular TextFree application, which allows sending free text SMS messages.

    TextFree is unusual in that each user gets its own phone number, thus the 8 million TextFree users are in fact 8 million phone numbers (putting Pinger in the Top 10 US mobile carriers). For comparison, Q3 2010 Pinger distributed 1.7 million phone numbers, AT&T distributed 1.6 in the same time span.

    Their current revenue model is ad-based, showing ads while the user is composing her message. As an indicator of profitability, the startup has already been backed up by venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and others by raising more than $11 million.

    Pinger is currently serving 1.2 billion ads and sent 4 billion messages each month and is only expected to raise its numbers. As Pinger’s target audience is between 16 and 26, advertisers are already eager to participate to set buying habits and brand loyalty as these users turn into adults.

    For phone calls, users will have a limited amount of free monthly minutes, which they can increase by downloading other apps, completing 3rd party offers (a model coming from social media games) or by credit card payment. Pinger says that they are aiming to offer a worldwide service, disrupting the mobile industry and profiting from the huge markups phone carriers apply in their prices. Time will tell if they are able to make it.

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    Ruben Berenguel blogs in mostlymaths.net about productivity, time management and a little programming while he finishes his PhD in Mathematics. Don’t miss your opportunity to subscribe to his RSS feed.

  • fringOut’s “Almost-Free Calls” Coming to Android

    Two weeks after releasing fringOut that enables users to make cheap calls to any regular landline or mobile phone anywhere in the world, with rates as low as 1¢ a minute, fring announced the service is now available for Android phones.

    fring’s new service is currently available also for Nokia S60 (Symbian) devices and will soon be available on iPhone.

    fringOut’s rates for Germany, US, UK and India starts at 1¢.

    A list of rates is available at fring.com/fringOut/rates

    fring users will still be able to use other SIP service through fring (“We are sure you’ll love fringOut’s simplicity and its low prices. If for some reason, you still want to use other SIP providers, you are welcome too,” the company said).

    All the other fring features, like fring to fring calls (audio and video) are still available for free. The option to send an sms using fringOut credit is currently not available.

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  • Smartphone and Tablet Sales Ignite Advanced LCD Market in 2010

    Rapidly rising sales of smartphones and tablet PCs in 2010 will cause the global market for small- and medium-sized TFT LCD panels to expand at its fastest pace in three years, according to iSuppli.

    In its latest report, the market research firm finds that global shipments of small/medium TFT LCD panels, which are advanced types of displays used in sophisticated mobile devices like smartphones and tablet PCs, are set to rise by 28.1 percent in 2010 to reach 2.3 billion units, up 28.1 percent from 1.8 billion in 2009. This will represent the highest level of growth for the market since 2007, when shipments rose by 49.8 percent.

    “Sales of smartphones and tablets are booming in 2010 courtesy of the iPhone, the iPad and a range of competing products. Because such devices focus on delivering a high-quality user experience, many are employing TFT-LCD displays that offer bright, sharp images—a move that represents a boon for the suppliers of these displays,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, director of small and medium-sized displays at iSuppli.

    Global smartphone shipments are set to rise by 35.5 percent in 2010, according to iSuppli. Meanwhile, tablet PC shipments will grow by a stunning 787.3 percent, driven almost entirely by Apple’s iPad.

    Inspired by the iPhone 4, smartphone makers are adopting TFT LCDs using In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology. IPS supports a wider viewing angle and better picture quality in terms of presentation of color than a conventional LCD. It also consumes less electricity.

    Jakhanval said that all TFT-LCD suppliers now are making alliances or developing their own technology so that they can offer IPS displays to their smart phone and tablet customers.

    Meanwhile, a competing advanced display technology known as the Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) also is experiencing rapid growth in the small/medium display market, iSuppli’s electronic display research indicates. AMOLEDs are expanding because of the rise of the Android smart phone market.

    Growth in TFT LCD shipments will slow in 2011 and beyond as the expansion of the smart phone and tablet markets cools to more normal levels.

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  • fringOut Offers Worldwide Mobile Calls From 1c/Minute

    fring has just introduced fringOut, a new service that enables users to make cheap calls to any regular landline or mobile phone anywhere in the world, with rates as low as 1¢ a minute.

    Rates for Canada and UK are even lower — 0,6¢ and 0,7¢, respectively, US calls starts at 1,2¢ per minute.

    fring users will still be able to use other SIP service through fring (“We are sure you’ll love fringOut’s simplicity and its low prices. If for some reason, you still want to use other SIP providers, you are welcome too,” the company says).

    All the other fring features, like fring to fring calls (audio and video) are still available for free. The option to send an sms using fringOut credit is currently not available.

    The company informed that its new service is currently available for Nokia S60 (Symbian) devices and will soon be available on iPhone and Android.

    “Hundreds of millions of people have tried low-cost internet calling on their PC or through restricted mobile offerings. With the launch of fringOut, fringsters can benefit from internet calling with the convenience of mobile without cumbersome wires and cables." said Avi Shechter, Co-Founder & CEO of fring.

    "The fringOut service joins our leading video service, to create a fun, internet-rich, cost-effective mobile experience for our thriving community of tens of millions of fringsters," he added.

    fring users can choose how they communicate with their friends including using fring internet calling to other fring users and other communities, fringOut, SIP or GSM.

    A list of rates is available at fring.com/fringOut/rates

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  • Ooma Introduces New Mobile App Calling Plan Option

    Ooma announced that it is now offering a new Ooma Mobile calling plan that allows users to talk for 1,000 minutes for less than $5 per month.

    The Ooma Mobile application lets Ooma customers make U.S. and international calls from their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

    Phone calls made using the Ooma Mobile application are transmitted through the internet connection of the device (either Wi-Fi or 3G) so users do not need to use minutes from a cellular voice plan.

    Today’s new bundle extends Ooma’s calling plan offerings for Ooma customers. As always, calls to Ooma phone numbers using the Ooma Mobile application are free. Calls to other U.S. numbers remain just 1.9¢/minute without the calling bundle. Ooma Premier subscribers still have the bonus of 250 free minutes of U.S. calling every month.

    According to the company, there are following benefits of using Ooma Mobile:

    – Save on minutes: Save money by shifting your minutes to Ooma Mobile and call over Wi-Fi or 3G
    – Call overseas: Save up to 90% on international calls using your Ooma prepaid account or international calling plan
    – No coverage, no problem: Avoid roaming charges for phone calls when you have access to Wi-Fi – perfect when traveling abroad
    – Keep your caller-ID: Calls made using Ooma Mobile show the caller-ID of your Ooma account
    – Conserve bandwidth: Reduce 3G bandwidth usage by up to 60% when making a call with Ooma PureVoice technology
    – Call from your iPod/iPad: Ooma Mobile transforms your iPad and iPod touch into a phone
    – Free calling to Ooma subscribers: Call any Ooma phone number and talk for as long as you want

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  • Gartner: Android to Become No. 2 Worldwide Mobile OS in 2010

    The worldwide mobile operating system market will be dominated by Symbian and Android, as the two OSs will account for 59.8 percent of mobile OS sales by 2014, according to Gartner.

    The research firm predicts that Symbian will remain at the top of Gartner’s worldwide OS ranking due to Nokia‘s volume and the push into more mass market price points. However, by the end of the forecast period, the No. 1 spot will be contested with Android, which will be at a very similar share level.

    According to Gartner, communication service providers’ marketing and vendor support for Android-based smartphones will drive the platform to become the second-largest platform, following Symbian, by year-end 2010. This is almost two years earlier than Gartner predicted a year ago.

    "The worldwide mobile OS market is dominated by four players: Symbian, Android, Research In Motion and iOS," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner.

    "Launches of updated operating systems — such as Apple iOS 4, BlackBerry OS 6, Symbian 3 and Symbian 4, and Windows Phone 7 — will help maintain strong growth in smartphones in 2H10 and 2011 and spur innovation. However, we believe that market share in the OS space will consolidate around a few key OS providers that have the most support from CSPs and developers and strong brand awareness with consumer and enterprise customers," she said.

    Gartner expects manufacturers such as Samsung to launch many new budget Android devices in 2H10 that will drive Android into mass market segments. Other players, such as Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola, will follow a similar strategy. This trend should help Android become the top OS in North America by the end of 2010.

    "CSPs and mobile device manufacturers alike will need to revisit their platform strategies and balance the need to pursue platforms with the highest current demand against the need to maintain differentiation with unique devices," Cozza said. "CSPs will likely reduce the number of platforms they offer, to reduce their support costs and clarify their propositions to market."

    Gartner predicts that by 2014, open-source platforms will continue to dominate more than 60 percent of the market for smartphones. Single-source platforms, such as Apple’s iOS and Research In Motion’s OS, will increase in unit terms, but their growth rate will be below market average and not enough to sustain share increase. Windows Phone will be relegated to sixth place behind MeeGo in Gartner’s worldwide OS ranking by 2014.

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  • Acrobits Releases Groundwire, the First Business Caliber SIP Client

    Acrobits has released their new business caliber SIP Client, Groundwire for the iPhone. According to the company, it’s the mobile SIP client capable of replacing your desktop phone.

    Groundwire has all the features of Acrobits’ current softphone client, Acrobits Softphone, and adds some important business caliber features: it supports transfer and attended transfer, call waiting and conference calling. It also adds a voicemail waiting indicator and a programmable voicemail dialer.

    It also supports iOS4 multitasking and the original Acrobits Softphone’s Push Notification Service.

    SIP users finally have a mobile client capable of meeting all their needs, as Acrobits claims.

    Among the other features are:
    • Multi line
    • Customizable ringtones
    • HD Wideband audio through G.722
    • G.711, GSM and iLBC audio codecs.
    • TLS support for encrypted SIP
    • Bluetooth support for iPhones with OS 3.1 and higher
    • audio codec manipulation, enabling you to prioritize the codecs used and disable ones you don’t want to use
    • call recorder and player, seamlessly integrated into the call history
    • full localization (currently English, Chinese, Danish, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portueguese, Swedish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Czech and Slovak)
    • simultaneous registration of multiple SIP accounts
    • iPhone contacts integration
    • ability to generate DTMF tones while in call, to control various PBX features or automated systems (use audio, rfc 2833 or SIP INFO)
    • speakerphone support
    • configurable RTP port range
    • SIP Proxy support, VPN support
    • STUN server support, automatic service discovery using DNS SRV queries
    • quick import of accounts from major VoIP Providers, like Gizmo5, Voipcheap, TerraSIP and others

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  • CounterPath Brings Multitasking and Multi-Account VoIP Softphone to the iPhone

    CounterPath announced the worldwide availability of Bria iPhone Edition Version 1.1 for Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Compatible with Apple’s new iOS 4 operating system, Bria iPhone Edition 1.1 is a standards-based VoIP softphone that works over both 3G and Wi-Fi networks.

    Bria iPhone Edition 1.1 leverages iOS 4 to deliver to Bria users’ their most requested feature: multitasking on the iPhone. This freedom is particularly valuable for iPhone users that need to reference other applications while on a call, enhancing the device’s value as a business tool.

    The company said that when Apple releases iOS 4 for the iPad, Bria iPhone Edition 1.1 will immediately and automatically extend its multitasking features to that device.

    Bria iPhone Edition 1.1 also features support for up to eight accounts and lets users create a separate dialing plan for each account.

    According to CounterPath, the application also fully supports older devices running iPhone 3.0 “and is ideal for the growing number of SMEs, large enterprises and governments that are deploying iPhones, the iPod touch and iPads for mobile workers, many of whom require full access to their communications services while away from their desk or office. Bria iPhone Edition leverages the iPhone’s native address book and its embedded Bluetooth technology to provide a seamless calling experience while on the move.”

    “Bria iPhone Edition 1.1 takes Mobile VoIP to the next level by enabling iPhone users to take one or more of their VoIP accounts mobile.” said Todd Carothers, VP Product Management CounterPath. “Now with full multitasking and multi-account support, Bria liberates iOS 4 users by truly un-tethering them from the desktop. Bria iPhone Edition 1.1 is the latest example of CounterPath’s commitment to the burgeoning Mobile VoIP market.”

    The company also said that Bria integrates seamlessly with other CounterPath desktop and convergence solutions, as well as with enterprise and carrier infrastructure equipment from major vendors such as Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, BroadSoft, Metaswitch, Avaya, Cisco and NEC. Bria iPhone Edition also supports Asterisk-based telephony systems.

    Bria iPhone Edition 1.1’s other key features include:

    • Full SIP compliance, enabling use with any SIP-compliant server and hundreds of ITSPs that currently offer CounterPath-based services.
    o Bria iPhone Edition appears as another endpoint to service providers or PBX equipment, enabling fast, cost-effective deployments.
    • Call quality that’s superior to circuit-switched wireline and wireless voice, and based on the G.711, G.729 and GSM codecs.
    • An intuitive user interface that provides one-touch access to voicemail, call history, speakerphone and other frequently used telephony features such as 4-digit dialing.
    • Support for DTMF, which lets users enter numbers to access an auto attendant.
    • Bluetooth support, enabling hands-free calling for convenience, as well as safety while driving. (iPhone and iPod touch only).
    • Multi-call management options, including the ability to switch between, merge and split calls, all in ways that are already familiar to iPhone users so they can start using these features immediately.
    • Signaling and call encryption via TLS and SRTP, enabling enterprise-class security.
    • Optional customized branding available for enterprises and telephony providers.

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  • Vonage Mobile App Provides Free Wi-Fi / 3G Calling For Facebook Users Worldwide

    Vonage has just introduced the Vonage Mobile application for Facebook, a new service that allows users to make free mobile calls to all of their Facebook friends who have the app, anywhere in the world, directly from their friends list.

    The downloadable application is free to get and free to use. According to Vonage, the new service enhances the ability to connect with Facebook friends through the addition of voice calling.

    It is available for iPhone, iPod touch and Android devices and works over Wi-Fi and 3G /4G networks in most countries.

    “The new service is easy to use,” says Vonage. The app works with a user’s existing community of Facebook friends, so there’s no need to remember screen names or to input numbers. The application eliminates dialing – users can just click on a friend and start talking. When placing a call, the friend’s profile picture and status update display on the screen.

    "The Vonage Mobile app for Facebook is a tangible example of our commitment to deliver extraordinary value and a better communications experience for individuals and their social networks, across broadband-enabled devices, around the world," said Marc Lefar, Chief Executive Officer of Vonage.

    "This is just the start. In the future we will expand on this service to include a wide range of integrated voice and messaging services that change the way people communicate," he added.

    The application can be downloaded from the Android Market in 48 countries and from the iTunes Store in 87 countries. Users who don’t have an unlimited data plan should check with their carrier to see if any charges apply.

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