iPhone 2.0 from Apple - Are you ready for the future?

Few days back, on March 6, Steve Jobs made an announcement which made everyone sit up and take notice. It focused on something called iPhone 2.0, based on which Apple has planned its moves for the iPhone.

As we all know, the iPhone is what it is today, because it stands out from other phones. In fact, we can’t even categorize Apple iPhone as just another phone. It’s almost like a handheld computer in which you can make calls. So, Steve Jobs has stated that he considers the iPhone to be a platform. Or even better, a multipurpose, handy device meant for both computing and communication. This is what the idea of iPhone 2.0 is based on.

Steve plans to categorize the mobile phone market into two main categories – ordinary mobile phones and the iPhone. While the ordinary mobile phones can be used for calls, text messages (SMS), MMS, songs, radio, and mobile TV, the iPhone platform, as it’s called, will offer superior mobile web browsing, email, instant messenger, multimedia applications, and other things that you can run on a PC.

Ever since its release, iPhone has got 28% of the smartphone market in the U.S. under control which is amazing. As we all know, the U.S. smartphone market is generally dominated by Blackberries and the iPhone is slowly changing that.

Steve Jobs has also mentioned that the next version of iPhone will support Microsoft Exchange Server. Now, this is a very significant move on the part of the iPhone. The reason is quite obvious. Microsoft Exchange Server is the system used to manage applications like email, address book, calendar, and more for big companies around the world. With the iPhone supporting this server, most companies will switch from Blackberry to the iPhone. And that should make Steve a happy man.

Categories: Apple iPhone.

0 comments.

Make free calls from your mobile phone - Says Fring

Alright people, here’s yet another way to cut down your mobile bill. Fring, a start-up, has come up with what could be called the mobile version of Skype. This way, you can make phone calls and send text messages free of cost from your mobile phone.

Fring is based on peer-to-peer internet technology, just like Skype. It uses peer-to-peer internet technology to activate a call from a mobile phone to another over the internet. Both the caller and the receiver need to have the Fring application in their mobile phone in order to be able to use this service. You can also chat with your friends right on your mobile phone via text messages just like you do with instant messengers. And all this, is free of cost.

You will not be charged for the air time and you will not be charged for the text messages you send via Fringe. You will just have to pay the normal data charges every month. Fring supports online communities like Yahoo, AIM, Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Twitter, and ICQ. The service is also available in six different languages apart from English, making it accessible for non-English speakers.

The only downside is, not everyone can download and use Fring. You need to have a Symbian 8 or 9 or Windows Mobile 5 or 6 to be able to use this. So far, Fring enjoys success with users from over 160 countries.

Categories: All things mobile phones.

0 comments.

What does Yahoo - Microsoft deal mean for Google?

By now, I think everyone and their mother knows about Microsoft’s proposed buyout of Yahoo! And you should, because if it were to happen, it would be undoubtedly the biggest and the most important acquisition ever made in the industry. Now, what does this deal mean for mobile industry? A lot.

Firstly, we all know that Yahoo Go Mobile is a huge success and it’s really a brilliant interface which offers you the best of browsing experiences and the best of applications. Now, if Microsoft were to integrate Yahoo Go Mobile in its Windows Mobile, it could be huge. Though you can already download Yahoo Go Mobile on Windows Mobile, hardly anyone does. By integrating it into Windows Mobile, Microsoft could simply rejuvenate its Windows Mobile market and Yahoo could reach millions and millions of users effectively.

Yahoo Maps, as we know, is the market leader and when combined with Windows Mobile, it could be a potent rival to Google Maps.

Yahoo Mail, undoubtedly, is way better than Microsoft’s mail service and if integrated into Windows Mobile, could be a huge success. Already, Yahoo Mail is used widely on the iPhone.

When it comes to Instant Messaging, both Yahoo and Microsoft have winners in Instant Messenger and Windows Live Messenger respectively. When these two merge, they could cater to a huge market and be far more effective.

Yahoo already provides the widgets for iPhone and it has been popular with users. If Microsoft could use these widgets on its Windows Mobile devices, it would make them even more compelling for the users. Most importantly, Microsoft will be in a position to tackle the iPhone competition, which already uses Yahoo widgets.

Photos and Sharing would become far more comfortable and easier for the users, as they will be able to access Flickr and Windows Live Spaces, both of which are extremely popular.

Last but not least, if Yahoo and Microsoft did come together, the search app would become far more powerful and could pose a serious threat to Google’s dominancy in the search market.

So, a lot is being speculated on this proposed buyout and it would be interesting to see the developments from now on. It will also be interesting to see what Google does to face this giant of a competition. Interesting times ahead people, watch this space closely.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Yahoo, Microsoft.

0 comments.