Google Steps Into Another Market: GPS for Phones

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — GPS navigation devices were the latest must-have tech toys just two years ago, and shares of device makers like Garmin and TomTom were soaring.

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A screenshot shows Google’s new mapping navigation.

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That didn’t last long. In a turnabout that has been remarkably swift even for the fast-moving technology business, those companies have suffered as competition has pulled down prices — and as more people have turned to their cellphones for directions.

In the latest blow to the business, Google announced a free navigation service for mobile phones on Wednesday that will offer turn-by-turn directions, live traffic updates and the ability to recognize voice commands. The service will initially be available on only one phone, the new Motorola Droid, but will be expanded to more phones soon.

In a briefing on Tuesday in advance of its announcement, Google said that the service might be supported by advertisements in the future. That would make driving directions the latest form of information to shift from being a paid service to one that is ad-supported.

“This is consistent with a certain pattern of Google, where they are able to build volume and usage of a product and then subsidize it with advertising,” said Greg Sterling, principal of Sterling Market Intelligent, a research firm. The losers, he said, were companies like TomTom and Garmin, along with the cellphone carriers, which offer navigation services by subscription.

Eric E. Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said that he didn’t view the new service as hurting an industry. Instead, he said, it is a boon to consumers, made possible by the increasing power of smartphones and the growing ubiquity of Internet access.

“Obviously we like the price of free, because consumers like that as well,” he said.

But analysts say that if successful, Google’s service could chip away at sales of stand-alone GPS devices and the subscription services offered by cellphone carriers.

Sales growth for those devices is already slowing. In 2007, global shipments of stand-alone navigation devices grew a hefty 131 percent from the year before, according to data from the research firm In-Stat. But the firm predicts that shipments will grow just 19 percent this year from 2008, and a price war has hurt the industry’s profits.

“With a free alternative that is just as good, I don’t see much positive growth for the likes of TomTom, Navigon or Garmin,” said Dominique Bonte, director of navigation research at ABI Research. “If it’s free and a good service, why would you pay for something you can get for free?”

Google’s announcement also reflects a broader shift toward consolidation in the gadget world.

The smartphone is already the Swiss Army knife of the digital age, able to transform into a camera, music player or game machine at the swipe of a finger. Now it is increasingly a navigation device too.

Many people still prefer dedicated GPS devices, which tend to display maps faster since the data is typically stored in the device rather than downloaded over a wireless network. But the list of smartphone shortcomings is shrinking. Smartphone users can download applications that offer spoken directions and live traffic updates. And at $100 to $300 apiece, smartphones are competitively priced with GPS units, which average about $177, according to the research firm NPD Group.

By 2013, phone-based navigation systems, which are already more popular among younger smartphone owners, will dominate the market, according to a recent report from Forrester.

The makers of navigation devices have not ignored the spread of smartphones. But Google’s move could make it harder for them to adapt.

TomTom, based in Amsterdam, introduced a $100 navigation application for the iPhone in August. The company said the program had been downloaded close to 80,000 times. Garmin recently released the Nuvifone, a hybrid of a navigational device and a cellphone that has generally received poor reviews.

“Turn-by-turn navigation on a handset is what we’re been doing with the Nuvifone,” said Ted Gartner, a spokesman for Garmin, which declined to release sales figures for the phone. “Google’s announcement reaffirms that consumers want their smartphones to double as a navigation device.”

Julien Blin, principal analyst at JBB Industry, called Garmin’s phone a “desperate move,” adding: “The Nuvifone is around $300, and you can get an iPhone for a comparable amount that can now do the same thing.”

Shares of both TomTom and Garmin plummeted Wednesday after Google’s announcement. Garmin’s shares fell 16 percent to $31.45 on Nasdaq, while TomTom’s shares closed around 21 percent lower on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.

Google’s navigation service, which for now works only in the United States, is part of a new version of Google Maps for Mobile, software that will work on the growing number of phones that run Google’s Android operating system. Google executives said they eventually hoped to offer the service on Apple’s iPhone and other mobile devices. But they said this would be up to those device makers. Apple and Google have clashed over Apple’s reluctance to approve an application that works with the Google Voice calling service.

As mobile services that involve location have become increasingly important, the underlying mapping data has become a valuable strategic asset. Google recently began creating its own digital maps in the United States, ending a contract with the map data provider TeleAtlas, which is owned by TomTom.

A year earlier, Google had chosen TeleAtlas to replace Navteq, a map data provider that Nokia acquired for $8.1 billion in 2007. Google and Nokia are rivals in mobile phone operating systems.

Wa…..60 dollars,One Phone

just 60 dollar, you can get one mobile!

please go here.

http://www.cellphonesbox.com/JINPENG-K68-Dual-Card-Touch-Screen-Phone-Gold–SZR665-_p306.html

Windows MarketPlace for Mobile: Will you shop there?

After much anticipation and amidst much fanfare, Microsoft unveiled its Windows MarketPlace for Mobile devices last Tuesday.  The Windows MarketPlace is now open for business for WM6.5 phones, with plans to make it accessible to WM6.0 and WM6.1 phones by the end of the year (NOTE: If you don’t want to wait, you can find a CAB file that can be installed to WM6.0 or WM6.1 phones at the XDA Developers forum).

Over the last year I’ve read numerous articles that discussed the Windows MarketPlace in regards to software developers, but I have not read any articles that discuss the MarketPlace in regards to end users like me!  To get a better understanding of the MarketPlace from an end user perspective I spent several hours reviewing the “MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement,” the “Windows MarketPlace Frequently Asked Questions for Customers” and the “Windows MarketPlace Frequently Asked Questions for Developers” documents that are located on Microsoft’s website.

How the MarketPlace works

According to the Windows MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement, “Applications made available through Windows Marketplace are licensed, not sold, to you.”  To license software through the MarketPlace, all you need is a Windows Live ID.  You can’t shop online from your computer just yet, but you can set up your billing preferences and view your purchase and billing history on the Windows MarketPlace website.  You can pay for software either with a credit card or by having charges applied to your mobile phone bill (if your mobile operator is set up to do this).  Online shopping from your computer will be offered sometime in the future.

Before you can license software you’ll be required to sign off on the Windows MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement.

MarketPlace Mobile client

You can browse and purchase applications directly from your Windows phone through the Windows Mobile MarketPlace client.  After you open up the client, you will login to your Live ID.  Then you can browse available applications by selecting the “Showcase,” “Most popular,” or  “What’s new” options on the Home page.  Tapping the “View All” option (at the top right hand side of the screen) allows you to refine your search to paid, free, or the newest applications that have been added to the MarketPlace.

The mobile client also lets you browse by category, and you can manage applications you’ve licensed through the MarketPlace.

When you purchase a license to use an application, the application is downloaded and installed directly to your device from the MarketPlace.  If you remove an application or perform a hard reset, you can download and install the application again by opening the Marketplace client on your windows phone, and going to the My Applications page (see screenshot below on the right).

Tapping the Menu option on the lower right hand side of the screen allows you to return to the Home screen or to Search for specific applications.

The Marketplace Mobile client is touch friendly and easy to use. 

Licensing Applications

You can tap any application you see to learn more about it or to purchase and install it to your phone.  Applications are installed directly to the Windows phone’s main memory.

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Windows MarketPlace for Mobile does not issue or use activation codes (4).  Instead, applications are associated with your Windows Live ID account, are licensed to specific devices and can only be installed from the Windows MarketPlace.  You can install applications on up to five different devices at a time.  Activation and registration codes that have been purchased in other places are not supported in the Windows MarketPlace.

Trial Software, which are described as “limited functionality” versions of applications, will be available for free. (5)  This is different than most trial software that is downloaded from other places, where the software are fully functional versions that time out after some period of time.

Are the benefits compelling enough to get your business?

From an end-user perspective, the benefits of shopping at the MarketPlace include:

Convenience:  One-stop shopping for software from a Windows phone just doesn’t get any easier or faster than using the Mobile MarketPlace client. (well, it could be one-stop shopping once more developers get on board).

Secure Backup:  All applications that are purchased in the Marketplace are automatically backed up to your account and you can download and reinstall the software to your Windows phone, as needed. (6)

Microsoft certification:  All MarketPlace applications go through a rigorous certification process by Microsoft to ensure the best user experience on their Windows phones, and applications are backed by a simple return policy. (7)

Simple Refund Policy:  Credit card purchases come with a no-questions-asked refund policy as long as a refund is requested within 24 hours from time of purchase and you don’t ask for more than one refund a month. (8)

Will MarketPlace restrictions leave you cold?

I hold many personal reservations about my loss of control over applications that are purchased through the Marketplace.

shopping in cellphonesBox.com

Would You Like a Cell Phone, Concept Phone or CLIPit for Christmas?

According to reliable sources, the cell phone was invented by Dr. Martin Cooper, formerly with Motorola, who branded the “first portable handset” the Dyna-Tac. Supposedly Cooper made the first cell phone and placed a call in April, 1973 to his rival at Bell Labs.

Motorola Dyna-Tac

His Dyna-Tac only weighed 2.5 pounds and measured 9 x 5 x 1.75 inches. (Stick that in your pocket.) Ten years later,  Motorola released the first cell phone to the public.

Have you ever asked yourself “why do cell phones or mobile phones look the way they do?” Why are most cell phones candybar, clamshell, slide or swivel shaped?

To answer that question, check out Google, which shows over 4.5M listings for “cell phone design evolution.” While you could easily spend the rest of the year reviewing cell phone schematics and learning more about the innards of a cell phone, I’ll decrease the learning curve for you.

The evolution of the cell phone video:

Did you notice the similarity of cell phone design until around 2006-2007?

As we approached the introduction of the iPhone and other smartphones, the form factor or shape of mobile devices didn’t change significantly, but the display size and color resolution, the physical keyboard and added functionality did.  The definition of “mobile” itself changed.

Because the iPhone and similar devices performed more like a computer, the phone function, as well as user engagement, remarkably changed. Mobile phones, unlike the previous 20 years, were no longer “talking devices.” They became multi-functional mobile computers.

Since 2007, cell phone designers and manufacturers have been designing and manufacturing more advanced mobile computing devices. In fact, Nokia’s Gian Cioletti in his podcast interview with me on MobileBeyond said that Nokia no longer sells smartphones. Nokia sells mobile computers.

So making phone calls is only one function of “mobile phones” Why do mobile devices still look so much alike? Why are they rectangular? Why can’t cell phones look like they aren’t even cell phones? Why do you have to hold one in your hand?

A developing trend called “concept phones” has emerged from designers and and handset makers in the past couple of years. In many cases, concept phones don’t resemble mobile phones at all. Some look like coffee table decorations, others like necklaces. Shapes, sizes and functionality differ.

To whet you appetite, check out the Motorola KRE-8 Concept Phone for D.J.’s.

Time to throw away your midi keyboard?

Nokia wants you to buy multiple mobile devices. Need a new pair of stylish glasses…and a mobile?

Nokia ClipIT Mobile Device

Yanko Design would like you to sample its Nokia CLIPit concept mobile device. No SIM necessary, just your finger print.

All of the CLIPit’s data is “in the cloud,” accessible from CLIPit, other cell and land line phones and your car kit. Your fingerprint, different from all six billion humans on Earth, identifies you as the owner.

A steel touch screen at the top of the unit has light emitting diodes installed in the pad for dialing, sending and receiving text messages and navigating through your music library.

You may hold CLIPit during calls or put it on a table, without Bluetooth, and CLIPit’s speaker phone automatically turns on.

While you’re listening to your unlimited music library, hang CLIPit around your neck and insert the ear phones. Everyone will think you wearing a necklace made of turquoise and steel. When you’re on the go, clip CLIPit to your clothes, car dashboard, bike, friend, dog or wherever.

But where’s the screen?

Philips developed a technology called “Lumalive” letting you put CLIPit on a three inch piece of cloth. The lower layer in the cloth contains OLED’s which produce a color display in the upper layer. Want a larger screen? Say 12 inches? Attaching CLIPit to “smart fabric” touch-sense and LumaLive technology produces a 12-inch laptop display. When you’re through, fold the cloth, store it and away you go. Totally mobile.

Mohammad Zamani, one of CLIPit’s designers, is still positive about a 2010 release date. So you’ll probably not have a CLIPit from Santa under this year’s Christmas tree. But next year, when someone asks you what you want to Christmas, don’t say “post-it,” say “CLIPit.”