Parking App

One of the classes I took this semester was a seminar on Human Computer Interaction. It turned out to be a great and thoroughly enjoyable and interesting class. The goal for all the 3-person teams in the class was to develop a horizontal prototype of a mobile application which uses open data.

CNM Studios, the team consisting of Michael Smolle, Nemanja Dubravac and yours truly, developed the prototype of Parking App which (supposedly) provides information related to parking regulations, tariffs, garages, etc. for Austrian cities. At the end of the class we had to create a video presenting the project and I think ours turned out quite well:

I’d highly recommend you to check out this blog post which includes a longer description of our project as well as information and videos about the work by our fellow colleagues.

Mobile phone contracts for modern nomads?

While I had previously mentioned that I was looking for a new mobile phone I had totally ignored the fact that I would of course also have to think about which contract to get. At the moment I’m signed up with T-Mobile Austria where my 2-year contract is soon coming to an end. In general I’m quite happy with it though by today’s standards I’m probably slightly overpaying for the service I’m getting, especially considering I only have 100MB of data per month at my disposal.

Now the thing is that getting a new phone would also necessitate a new contract since (a) phones are heavily subsidized when you get a new contract and (b) 100MB per month certainly won’t be enough with my next phone (regardless of which model it will end up being).

However the issue I’m running into is the 2-year minimum contract. Both in 2008 and 2009 I spent several months living and working abroad where my Austrian phone was of very limited use to me. So basically out of the 22 months of my current contract I’ve spent 7 months paying my monthly fee without really using the service. That’s ~€250 literally going down the drain…

Now while I don’t have any fixed plans yet for the next 12 to 18 months I’m again very likely to spend at least half a year living abroad again. And no, I’m not particularly keen on donating another €250 to T-Mobile Austria.

Thinking about this issue for a bit I realized that my newspaper subscription has been very flexible when it comes to me being abroad. All I have to do is send a quick note telling them how long they should stop sending me the paper, regardless of whether it’s for three days or three months. It’s an on-demand service and that’s something that I really appreciate.

Of course T-Mobile Austria isn’t nearly as forthcoming and the nice call-center lady I spoke to basically said that people in my situation were out of luck. I mean seriously, how hard can it be for them to put my contract on hold for x-months, maybe charging me a small one-time or monthly fee for the service, and then simply let me continue the contract upon my return? Companies who are in the dead tree business can do this, why can’t businesses dealing with modern ICT offer a similar service?

At the end of the day looking at this situation really makes me feel like a 21st-century nomad stuck in the dark ages…

To iPhone 3GS or not to iPhone 3GS

I somehow managed to lose my mobile phone while in Nepal so I’m not having to deal with something I had hoped to be able to avoid until early 2010: Having to get a new mobile phone.

While my previous phone, a Nokia 6120, was far from perfect it got the job done and combined with my iPod touch (1st gen) I was quite happy with my mobile communication devices. However a lot has happened since I bought the 6120 in early 2008 so now I can’t but consider buying an iPhone 3GS even though I’ve been known to rant against the iPhone, iTunes, Apple, closed systems, etc. in the past.

One thing that surprised me a bit is how limited the alternatives to the iPhone are when it comes to high-end phones. I do generally keep tabs on what’s happening in the mobile phone markets but had still expected to find some hidden germ that I hadn’t heard of before. So based on my requirements (with voice, text messages, e-mail, Web browsing and Twitter representing 99% of what I do with my mobile devices) I’m currently looking at the following options:

Apple iPhone 3GS (16GB): Can’t say much more than that this is my preferred choice at the moment even though most of my previously mentioned rant reasons still hold true. The 3GS is simply an amazing product even though there are some details that I’m not too fond of. One thing I’m really going to miss compared to my 6120 is that unlocking the screen will leave me looking at my app home screen whereas I’d much prefer to see upcoming appointments, to-dos, etc. and similar information as presented on more business orientated Symbian S60 and Blackberry phones. However at the price €150 I’d pay for the 3GS with 16GB might simply prove too hard to refuse.

Blackberry Bold: Had I lost my phone 6 months ago I wouldn’t have hesitated and gotten the Blackberry Bold. I really like it’s design and keyboard and the software seems solid enough. However now I can’t help but feel that it’s lacking the application infrastructure that make Android devices and iPhones such interesting platforms in the mid- to long-term.

Nokia E75: I hadn’t paid much attention to what Nokia was up to in the smartphone segment lately but did remember that I found the E75’s form factor to be quite enticing. After reading some reviews it seems to be a really solid smartphone that could probably fulfill 95% of my requirements with ease. The one thing that is a big letdown though is the small screen size.

Nokia N900: Now this one device that I’m seriously interested in, especially after reading these hands-on comments. While I haven’t used an N900 in person Nokia seems to have gotten a lot of things right with this device, both on the hardware and software side of things. While it remains to be seen how the software ecosystem evolves compared to the Apple and Android competition I’m confident that we’ll see many interesting Maemo applications appear in the next 6 to 12 months. The one thing that kills this choice for me is the price of >€500 and the fact that it’s not offered by any Austrian carriers at the moment (and I’m not holding my breath for that to happen anytime soon).

T-Mobile G2 (aka HTC Hero): This is proving to be the hardest competitor for the iPhone 3GS and I’m quite tempted to go with the G2. I’m really impressed with what HTC did with the software and in many ways the G2 and related ecosystem contains less restrictions than fruitland. Subsequently I also believe that over the course of the next 6 to 12 months there’s a higher chance of seeing innovative apps (mostly thinking of Augmented Reality stuff here) on Android rather than the iPhone. With this and similar arguments the G2 appeals more to my geek side whereas the iPhone 3GS is better at pleasing the customer in me (who wants something that works). However after reading half a dozen reviews I can’t help but be afraid that the G2’s hardware is simply too underpowered to be a reliable platform 18 months down the road (which is the timeframe for my next mobile phone upgrade) which is quite a downside.

It’s with these thoughts in my head that I’ll make my way to the T-Mobile store in just a bit… I’ll of course keep you posted on my decision.

Signing contracts in Nepal

Today I finally managed to drag myself to a store an get a SIM card and mobile phone since only being reachable when I was online got a bit tiresome in terms of arranging meetings with people. (On a side note: I’m really quite unhappy that my regular Austrian phone is SIM locked and that the fine folks over at T-Mobile Austria don’t even have a roaming partner here in Nepal!)

Anyway, since yesterday’s attempt to get connected failed as I needed my passport and a photo (both of which I didn’t have on me) I went back there today and thought that things should go smoothly. However as it turns out one copy of my password, what the staff had told me yesterday, wasn’t enough so one of the guys working in the shop accompanied me to a copy-shop where we got another copy. Returning to the store it turns out that I’d also need a copy of my visa which they had of course forgotten to mention earlier…

However the real fun began once I started to fill out the forms in order to get my SIM card. Not being all that enthusiastic when it comes to forms to begin with I obviously ended up not filling in some of the information. So when the shop clerk subsequently inquired about my father’s name I was slightly surprised to say the least. It was only after a short chuckle on my part which was quickly ended by a very serious look by the clerk that I realized that she was serious. And to top it off the form also asked for my grandfather’s name, luckily I managed to resist the temptation to ask whether they wanted the one from my father’s side or mother’s side.

The next challenge presented itself when they asked me where I lived. Since there basically are no addresses here in Nepal you normally describe you location relative to the nearest chowk (a street corner in most cases). However I quickly realized that trying to describe where I lived was a pretty pointless endeavor. I do find my way walking around the neighborhood and manage to tell cab drivers where to go. But explaining to someone who speaks very broken English where exactly you live without actually walking or driving along the road is beyond my capabilities. So after some deliberation by the shop clerks the field, which understandably covers a third of a page, remained empty.

Next up I was asked to sign the contract at three different spots, funnily enough one signature was required to confirm the information of where I lived. Thinking I was done it took me awhile to realize that the inkpads suddenly laying on the table were waiting for me. So I confirmed the contract with fingerprints from my left and right thumb (US immigration anyone?). And just when I thought everything was over I was again asked to sign something, this time the photo which was attached to the application form.

So 30min after I walked into the store I left it being 1000 Rupees poorer, having thumbs with blue ink that probably won’t come off for a few days but proudly owning a SIM card.

Proclaiming the second coming of Klondike

My friend Igor from Handy Mobility proclaimed the second coming of Klondike in a recent posting on his blog. His argument is basically that thanks to the huge amounts of money that Google, RIM and others are throwing at mobile software developments these days it's gold rush season for mobile developers. Sayeth Igor:

"More young developers will dive into mobile. Another chance to create apps that are actually useful, without having to figure out a business model right away."

Ah, say what, again? Without having to figure out a business model right away? Good idea, really... I had thought we all learned our lesson from the bubble:

"A combination of ... widely available venture capital created an exuberant environment in which many of these businesses dismissed standard business models, focusing on increasing market share at the expense of the bottom line."

If you look closely most of the currently hip Web 2.0 sites are doing exactly the same thing. Yes, most of them aren't doing too shabby but at the same time I don't see YouTube, Digg, Facebook or whatever rolling in the big dough. None of them have been too successful when it comes to monetizing those eyeballs. Their main asset, their only asset, are the millions of eyeballs looking at their content. Therefore the main income of most of these sites is advertising. However there are only so many ads that you can display before people start migrating to other sites which means that you're losing your only asset. This in turn leads to the value of your business going down the drain.

Now, why do you think Google is spending so much money on the mobile market in general and Android specifically?

They want to increase the number of eyeballs looking at their ads.

Google has realized that there's only so many ads that you can squeeze into the currently available Web content. Turn it up a notch (or and people will start looking for alternatives. (Ever wonder why there are no ads on the Google frontpage even though at first sight this would make them a load of money?) For this reason Google is looking to tap a relatively untouched market: the mobile sector.

At the end of the day the company is betting that you will put up with a certain amount of (Google) ads in order to use services and applications running on the Android platform. Good for you, good for the people designing the service/application, good for Google. Now that's what I call a business model. However I'm not so sure whether this business model will also work for the people developing the services and applications. After all it's one thing to have an ad displayed on a Web site when you're sitting in front of a computer. But it's something entirely different to have to put up with ads on your mobile phone. I dare predict people are going to be significantly less tolerant there. So in my humble opinion people and companies will have to come up with another solution on how to make money with their mobile services and applications. Again, that's what I call a business model and without one I see little chance of anyone achieving sustainable success.

Now, here's an idea that I'm convinced will make tons of money down the road:

Develop a platform independent Adblock that runs on Android, Symbian S60, iPhone, BlackBerry, etc. and sell it for 10 bucks a pop.

How does that sound for a business model?

P.S. Igor, I briefly thought about sending you a link to this blog entry but knowing you there's a Google Alert set up for keywords such as Igor Faletski, Handi and mobscure so I'm certain that you'll read these lines quite soon... ;-)

Move over iPhone...

I'm still happy with my Nokia 6120c for now but there's a couple of *very* interesting phones showing up these days. In terms of "oh-my-god-me-wants-to-have" my favourite is the HTC Touch Diamond which was introduced earlier this week. Coming up strong in the "I'm a tool, a very effective tool" category is the BlackBerry 9000 which really looks like a kick-ass product.

Don't get me wrong, I'm lusting for an iPhone just like the next guy - especially once it shows up with 3G in early June - however I do believe that these two alternatives and especially the BlackBerry 9000 could end up being better mobile productivity tools as compared to a fancy multimedia focused fashion-gadget.

Note to self

Always bring the sheet with the PUK for your mobile phone when you're spending significant time in another country. You might wake up one morning, be tired and still a little hungover and mistype your PIN 3 times. That sucks.

Photo Of The Day: Would you like a free Windows error message with your McDonald's coffee?

This is the first installment of what could become a regular feature here: Photo Of The Day.

Every now and then I stumble across something funny, weird, strange, etc. as I go about my day and thanks to a mobile phone with a camera it's now possible to capture those moments.

The honour of being featured in the first POTD edition is an ad-display in a local McDonald's where I stopped by yesterday:

Google's Android

So, guess what. This is probably the one-millionth blog posting about the "Android" platform that Google and its partners announced today. Still, I'm set on adding my thoughts on today's developments, even if it's just for the sake of getting them out of my head.

I know some people are probably going to be disappointed that Google didn't announce a gPhone but I actually think that Android has a bigger chance of improving mobile phones than any single device would have had.

Now what exactly is Android? While there aren't any real details available at the moment the Official Google Blog gives a brief overview of what it's all about:

"Android is the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. It includes an operating system, user-interface and applications -- all of the software to run a mobile phone, but without the proprietary obstacles that have hindered mobile innovation."

The interesting thing here is that Google has teamed up with 30+ other companies to really push Android. Some notable partners are HTC, LG, Marvell, Motorola, Nvidia, Samsung, T-Mobile and Texas Instruments. I'm sure we're going to see more companies join the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) over the coming months.

I have to say that this might just be the best thing that has happened to mobile phones in a long time! As previously mentioned I've kept a close eye on the (slow) progress that the OpenMoko platform and its flagship product, the FIC Neo 1973 have made in the past months. The thing is that I really like the idea of having a common software platform for mobile phones and if executed well this development could really improve both the quantity and quality of mobile phone applications and services.

I was also interested to hear what my friends Igor and John of LiveVote.ca fame were thinking (btw, you guys should set up a poll about what people think of Android!). They both replied basically saying the same thing: show us the SDK (which should become available Monday, November 12th) and then we'll see how potent the whole thing really is.

By the way, Apple probably isn't too thrilled about the whole thing because it just mocks them and their decision to lock down the iPhone. Plus now their February date for the iPhone SDK will also look like too-little-too-late! Seems like Steve Jobs really made the wrong decision here... On the other hand OpenMoko will also have to speed up their development because otherwise they might find themselves in a race they simply can't win.

All in all I haven't felt this optimistic about the future of mobile phones in a long time. We definitely have some very interesting times ahead of us!

LiveVote Goes Public

Kudos to Igor Faletski and John Boxall from Handi Mobility for launching their brand new Live Vote service.

Now, what you're going to ask yourself is: What is LiveVote? I could of course come up with my own description but it's too late (past 5 a.m. around here) plus it's easier to copy-paste the following text from their website:

LiveVote is a simple set of tools for interacting with mobile phone users. LiveVote users can create polls and contests where anyone can participate by sending short text messages (SMS). Our service is free of charge to you and to the participants (standard mobile phone charges apply).

Does that sound like something you might be interested in? Then head over to LiveVote.ca and check it out!

I wish them the best of luck with all their current and future endeavors and I can't wait for the next time to drink a beer (or two) with them while getting our geek on about in a discussion that's most likely going to revolve around mobile phones or usability in computing. Igor and John are definitely some of the finest geeks I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! :-)

What will the perfect mobile device look like?

If you're interested in mobile phones and what these thingies could look like in the (not so) near future then I'd definitely recommend you to read this article [itnews.com.au].

I agree with most of what's being said and I'm actually thinking about getting that Neo 1973 from OpenMoko once it really hits the market towards the end of this year...