New devices

Computers, smartphones, laptops, netbooks and the wide variety of other mobile computing devices have become so much a part of our everyday lives that we take their existence for granted until something goes wrong. People want to be connected to the world at all times, but they do not want to be bound to a desk to do this. Small wonder then that notebook sales have slowly overtaken PC sales over the years, and as the price tag on mobile devices continues to shrink, the adoption rate will grow correspondingly.

Mobile computing devices are more affordable than ever, and have been taken up with enthusiasm by a wide range of markets, from high powered executives to developers, office workers, students and home users as a portable alternative to the deskbound PC.

Responding to demand, hardware vendors are pumping out more powerful devices at a lower price point in a smaller body. Graphics on mobile devices are becoming more powerful, software a lot more sophisticated. The social networking revolution has driven the emergence of a range of integrated software that combines tools for sharing content and information directly with networking sites.

But for all of these advances in technology two main factors have driven the true mobile workforce, who are the primary market for mobile computers: 3G connectivity and longer life batteries. Fast, always on Internet
connectivity has enabled people to work from anywhere, anytime as they can connect into office networks from any place around the globe and have the full functionality of a desktop PC without the tethers. Alongside this the invention of smaller, thinner Lithium-Ion batteries has enabled ultra portable devices to be used for extended periods of time without being plugged into mains.

Notebooks have evolved to deliver more power than ever, recently coming out standard with  64bit operating systems and more powerful processors on lower voltage CPUs, for even greater computing power that uses less battery life than ever. In fact, mobile computing has advanced to such a degree that many people now have multiple devices, from a notebook for office work to a smartphone and a netbook or tablet PC for content viewing on the go.

Further driving the trend towards mobility in South Africa is the newly available bandwidth that has been the result of additional undersea cabling. While bandwidth is still expensive in the country the prices are dropping,
which will facilitate the emergence of more 'free' wireless Internet hotspots, which will draw mobile workers into places that offer these as it will provide an alternative to using expensive 3G connectivity.

For the future of the mobile computer, once thing is certain - the trend for more power in smaller, lighter, more portable devices will continue unabated as demand for products continues to increase. The 'green' trend will also continue as laptop users want CPUs that are energy efficient in order to deliver optimal battery life, and eco-conscious manufacturers will continue their efforts to reduce the number of hazardous chemicals used in manufacture so that notebooks and laptops can be recycled safely.

One thing that will change, as a result of customers demanding more choice and becoming more conscious of the aesthetics of computing devices, will be a greater influx of 'designer' devices. The era of "you can have any colour as long as it is black" in terms of computers is over. As technology is no longer much of a differentiator when it comes to mobile computers, people have begun to focus less on the utility of a machine and more on its looks as a first consideration for purchase. With this demand for aesthetically pleasing design manufacturers are developing devices to meet this need.

From the point of view of advancing technology, we can assume that processors will continue to get faster and more energy efficient, screen technology will evolve to brighter, higher contrast ratio, more energy
efficient viewing to deliver a crisper clearer picture, and batteries will go through cycles from heavier in weight and density but longer lasting to lighter with the same efficiency as previous generations. One thing is
certain, mobile computing is here to stay, and the world will forever be changed as a result.

Cellphones give guests the upper hand

Travel these days, from luggage to laptop, is increasingly high-tech. Yet every hotel room hosts a costly anachronism: a traditional telephone.

In-room phones once produced profits for hoteliers. Today they eat into earnings as guests use cellphones instead.

Best Western Chief Executive Officer David Kong said: "Phones used to be a revenue centre, but now they're a cost centre."

The dwindling utility of the hotel room phone is part of a wider trend that has land lines vanishing from homes and workers doing business on the BlackBerry.

AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc, the big local phone companies, are losing between 10 and 12% of their lines every year to other providers, said independent telecom analyst Jeff Kagan, adding that rate would only increase.

But hotels can't hang up on their phone systems. Guest safety and security demand them, said Bjorn Hanson, a professor at New York University's Tisch Centre for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management.

"We're stuck with them," Kong said.

Applications

Guests use room phones if they need to call for help. In non emergencies, they pick up the receiver to order room service and wake-up calls.

But guests save money by using their cellphones to take or make most outside calls.

In New York City, it costs about $1.50 to make a local call from a hotel, which also might charge a fee of about $4 to connect to a long-distance carrier.

The next source of in-room revenue to vanish will be pay-per-view movies, which guests can forego for cheaper alternatives on their laptops.

Hotel companies have tried to replace the phone and continue to do so, NYU's Hanson said.

One company experimented with a handheld gadget that combined the phone's functions with lighting and climate control, Hanson said. Guests wanted it in addition to, not instead of, a dedicated phone.

Today, many big hotel chains are exploring smartphone applications guests could use to request room service and wake-up calls, Hanson said, but those efforts are very preliminary.

"It's too early to call the death of the phone," Abrahamson said.

Live Traffic conditions on your mobile phone from Garmap

Garmap, the official map provider for Garmin in Africa, and leading stolen vehicle tracking and fleet management company, Altech Netstar, have announced that after an initial trial period, Garmap Live Traffic has been officially launched and is available for installation on selected mobile devices.

Garmap Live Traffic forms part of Garmap for Mobile, a complete navigation application that turns any GPS-enabled mobile phone into a full-featured satellite navigation device, complete with voice navigation, directions, thousands of points of interest, traffic camera information and, now, lives traffic conditions for the Gauteng province.

And with over 250,000 map requests coming from Garmap for Mobile users over the last month, it would seem that the thousands of users who downloaded the application are making good use of its features.

“Traffic congestion, accidents, road works and power failures are just some of the challenges that South African drivers face on a daily basis as they commute and travel for business,” says Andrew McHenry, head of mobile for Garmap.

“People need to be able to plan their trips carefully in order to be on time and reduce the amount of stress that they could possibly experience while driving to their destinations.

“All you need is one accident on the highway to ruin your day, which is why an early warning of what the traffic situation looks like before – and even while – you drive is an indispensible tool,” he says.

Unlike many other traffic services that are currently available on the market, Garmap Live Traffic is based on live real-time data, which is constantly being fed from many different sources to ensure that the data is always accurate and up-to-date.

When users plot a route utilising Garmap for Mobile, the map, route data and traffic data are downloaded via their mobile Internet connections and delivered directly to their mobile phone screens.

“Because the system is constantly updating itself via the Internet, the traffic data that is downloaded is always current,” explains Dr. Chris Crozier, chief technology officer of Garmap.

“A lot can happen between hearing a traffic report on the radio or receiving a traffic SMS on your mobile and you actually climbing in your car and embarking on your journey.

“What makes Garmap Live Traffic so useful is that if traffic conditions change, the system updates immediately and you can adjust your route or make a call to say you’re going to be late – even before you’re stuck in traffic.”

Mahir Adroos is a general manager at a filling station in Johannesburg, who uses Garmap for Mobile on his BlackBerry. He says that while he doesn’t often have to rely on navigation products to get around the city, he found the features in Garmap for Mobile extremely useful.

“The Live Traffic feature is a huge value-add especially with all the road works going on at the moment,” he says. I know where I’m going in the mornings, so I don’t really need to be routed to work with the GPS. But I’ve included a ‘traffic check’ into my morning routine, where I use Garmap for Mobile to view the map of Johannesburg, and see where the traffic problems are and how long my potential delay will be in getting to work.

“I know you can’t always navigate around traffic problems, but what Garmap for Mobile with Live Traffic does allow me to do is plan my trip more carefully.”

Franz Erasmus is another BlackBerry user who does a lot of travelling for work. He says that having Live Traffic on his mobile phone has not only saved him time but also money.

“Garmap for Mobile has all the features of an in-car GPS, but this one you can take anywhere with you and when you’re driving, you can quickly find the most efficient route which can save you time and petrol,” Erasmus says.

“And if the Live Traffic warns you that you’re in for a delay on your route because of an accident or road works, you can quickly find a detour around the traffic so you can still be on time – or a little less late!”

For users that are worried about running up huge data bills as a result of using Garmap for Mobile, Crozier says that the application is surprisingly lean on resources.

“We’ve measured the average data usage for Garmap for Mobile users at around 1MB per month or roughly R2 per month based on out-of-bundle data rates. Our heaviest user clocked up an average of a little under 3MB per month, which is still only around R6.”

According to Joel Stransky, managing director of Altech Netstar, the Garmap for Mobile Live Traffic offering is the first product of its kind in Africa.

“Garmap’s mobile navigation application is the most advanced we’ve seen, and we are delighted to provide our traffic data to this leading company,” Stransky says.

“Not only is it going to make the lives of drivers in South Africa a whole lot easier, but it’s also going to put SA on the map again as a progressive nation of innovators. And Altech Netstar is proud to be a part of that through its subsidiary company Altech Netstar Traffic.”

Existing Garmap for Mobile users that want to enable the service can SMS the word TRAFFIC to 32541 in order to be subscribed to the service.

Users who don’t have Garmap for Mobile but would like to try the service can download a 7-day free trial of the software, with traffic enabled, by texting the word MAP to 32541 for a link to download the application.

The software supports phones with on-board GPS and can also be used on phones that can connect to a Bluetooth GPS adaptor.

Garmap for Mobile, which was recently selected as MTN’s official mobile navigation platform, is currently shipped on a variety of phones and is compatible with the Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry and Android platforms.

Live Traffic for Garmap for Mobile is a monthly subscription service. The costs are indicated below:

• 1 month - R29
• 3 months - R85
• 1 year - R299
• 2 years - R549

For more information, contact 0861 GARMAP (427 627) / support@garmap.co.za or visit www.garmapformobile.wisepilot.com

Win big bucks with Nokia

Nokia has announced the South African Calling All Innovators competition, a contest for developers to create locally relevant, best-of-breed mobile applications for South Africans. The competition, which follows on from the global Calling All Innovators, will challenge local developers to think big and win up to R1,000,000 in cash and prizes, and the chance to feature on Nokia’s new Ovi store.

Garmap announces live traffic updates on your GPS enabled cellphone

Traffic congestion on South Africa’s roads is a daily reality that motorists have to accept, at least in the short- to medium-term.

However, thanks to a partnership between Garmap, the exclusive map data provider to Garmin South Africa, and Altech Netstar, a leading vehicle tracking company, getting caught up in a queue of traffic could soon easily be avoided.

Garmap for Mobile, a mobile phone-based navigation software application – which is available in South Africa - will soon integrate live, real-time traffic conditions, alerting users to where slow-moving or stationary traffic could delay their trips.

Information collected from over 50,000 cars fitted with Altech Netstar GSM/GPS tracking devices is collected and streamed over a mobile data connection to Garmap for Mobile users. The information is displayed directly on the on-screen map, with small, car-shaped icons used to symbolise traffic congestion.

Andrew McHenry, Head of Mobile and Content for Garmap, says that while bad traffic is a fact of life, with constantly updated traffic information being fed into your navigation system, you can either avoid the worst of it by taking a detour or, if there is a major unavoidable delay, reschedule your trip.

“The Garmap for Mobile traffic-notification service is always up to date, there are no delays or 20-minute gaps between updates as with other more static solutions currently available,” McHenry says.

“You can listen to the traffic report on the radio or read traffic advisory SMS messages on your phone, but a lot can happen between the time you hear the report and the time you jump into your car and begin driving.

“Because Garmap for Mobile Live Traffic utilises data gathered from Altech Netstar’s satellite tracking devices, the traffic data is always accurate. There won’t be any nasty surprises waiting for you on your trip,” he says.

The service is still being tested but is expected to be available later this year. The test phase covers Gauteng only and will then be made available to the entire country when the service is officially launched.

“Garmap’s mobile navigation application is the most advanced we’ve seen, and we are delighted to provide our traffic data to this leading company,” comments Joel Stransky, Managing Director of Altech Nestar Group.

Garmap and Altech Netstar are currently offering Garmap for Mobile users the opportunity to try Live Traffic free during the test phase.

Existing Garmap for Mobile users wishing to do so should SMS the word TRAFFIC to 32541 to be automatically subscribed.

Garmap for Mobile, which was recently selected as MTN’s official mobile navigation platform, is currently bundled on a select range of Samsung handsets, and is compatible with Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry® and Android powered GPS enabled handsets.

The software supports phones with built-in GPS and can also be used on phones that can connect to a Bluetooth GPS adaptor.

Users who don’t have Garmap for Mobile but would like to try the service can download a 7-day free trial of the software, with traffic enabled, by browsing to http://garmapformobile.wisepilot.com from their phones.

See U2 in Concert!

U2 could win a trip of a lifetime to see the world's greatest rock band live in concert in their hometown, courtesy of BlackBerry® smartphones.

You could be one of five Vodacom customers who will win a once in lifetime opportunity to take their partners with them to see the legendary band, U2, playing live in Dublin on their 360° World Tour. To stand of a chance of winning this dream prize, all you need to do is upgrade your Vodacom contact to a new BlackBerry smartphone before 12 July 2009.

To enter the competition, simply visit your nearest Vodashop, Vodacom 4U, or Chatz Cellular store, upgrade your existing Vodacom contract to a BlackBerry smartphone, and then visit

www.blackberry-competition.co.za to complete the entry form.

Each week’s winner will be exclusively announced on The Fresh Drive on 5FM every Thursday until 9 July. The winner will be drawn from all entries to date.

This lucky Vodacom upgrader will win a BlackBerry U2 collection that includes:

- A BlackBerry smartphone – to match the one they have received in their upgrade (for their partner, mate, mum, etc)

- A selection of BlackBerry accessories for that particular model smartphone

- A selection of some of U2’s latest CD and DVD releases

- 2 BlackBerry shirts, caps and lanyards

- PLUS the weekly winner gets an additional wildcard entry into the draw for the trip to Dublin to see U2 live.

BlackBerry and 5FM will make radio history on 14 July when the five lucky trip winners will be announced on air throughout the day. One winner will be announced per show.

The winners and their partners will leave for Dublin on 22 July and will return on 26 July 2009. The winners will depart from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg - and you could be one of them!

If you're a fan of good rock music, then this concert is probably the Sweetest Thing you can imagine. The plane will Bullet the Blue Sky and head for Dublin on 22 July With or Without You, so don't miss out on your chance to be on board.

Also joining the winners on this trip of a lifetime will be a popular 5FM DJ. Expect to hear some amusing banter on air over the next few weeks as the jocks jostle for a place on the trip.

To check whether you are eligible for an upgrade, SMS “UG” to 31050 for immediate verification.

1964 Modem

Do they took a modem from 1964 and plugged it into today's Internet!

5 years after it was first created, Livermore Data Systems' "Model A" Acoustic Coupler Modem finally gets hooked up to the Internet, and travels to the World Wide Web at a whopping 300 baud.

The slow, yet beautiful, modem is encased in a hand-carved box with brass buckles and leather handles, and was given to Casey, aka Phreakmonkey, by the widow of a retired IBM engineer.