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Will This Work?

NYT: Microsoft and Huawei to Unite
It's another gamble by Microsoft. They have modest expectations of surpassing RIM for third place in the African smartphone market.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/business/global/microsoft-looks-to-africa-for-mobile-gains.xml

”Microsoft, taking aim at the world's fastest-growing smartphone market, said on Monday that it would team up with Huawei of China to sell a low-cost Windows smartphone in Africa.”
”The phone, called the Huawei 4Afrika Windows Phone, will cost $150 and initially be sold in seven countries. Microsoft's Windows Phone software is fourth among smartphone operating systems, with just 2 percent of the worldwide market in September, according to Canalys, a research firm in Reading, England.”

Will This Work?

NYT: Microsoft and Huawei to Unite
It's another gamble by Microsoft. They have modest expectations of surpassing RIM for third place in the African smartphone market.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/business/global/microsoft-looks-to-africa-for-mobile-gains.xml

”Microsoft, taking aim at the world's fastest-growing smartphone market, said on Monday that it would team up with Huawei of China to sell a low-cost Windows smartphone in Africa.”
”The phone, called the Huawei 4Afrika Windows Phone, will cost $150 and initially be sold in seven countries. Microsoft's Windows Phone software is fourth among smartphone operating systems, with just 2 percent of the worldwide market in September, according to Canalys, a research firm in Reading, England.”

What Do You Call Your Hand-held Phone?

Here's an interesting article about our hand-held phones from an international and cultural perspective.  There are differences in what we call them and how we use them.

Economist.com.

How you use your mobile phone has long reflected where you live. But the spirit of the machines may be wiping away cultural differences

TECHNOLOGIES tend to be global, both by nature and by name. Say “television”, “computer” or “internet” anywhere and chances are you will be understood. But hand-held phones? For this ubiquitous technology, mankind suffers from a Tower of Babel syndrome. Under millions of Christmas trees North and South Americans have been unwrapping cell phones or celulares. Yet to Britons and Spaniards they are mobiles or móviles. Germans and Finns refer to them as Handys and kännykät, respectively, because they fit in your hand. The Chinese, too, make calls on a sho ji, or “hand machine”. And in Japan the term of art is keitai, which roughly means “something you can carry with you”.

This disjunction is revealing for an object that, in the space of a decade, has become as essential to human functioning as a pair of shoes. Mobile phones do not share a single global moniker because the origins of their names are deeply cultural. “Cellular” refers to how modern wireless networks are built, pointing to a technological worldview in America. “Mobile” emphasises that the device is untethered, which fits the roaming, once-imperial British style. Handy highlights the importance of functionality, much appreciated in Germany.

Need IMEI Unlock Code For Samsung i637

I need the IMEI Unlock code for my Samsung i637? 

When I travel to Congo in a few days, I need to be able to use my phone with a SIM card from a local carrier like Vodacom or Zain.  AT&T works well in the capital city of Kinshasa only.

Any help would be appreciated.

Is Your Church A Tribe?

Is your church using social media to establish a better relationship with you?  Probably not.

Thank God, many church members are using social media to connect outside of that one hour on Sunday morning.  But most of that communication is outside the content of the church's mission. 

What's missing is the 'shared interest'.  So, most churches are not 'tribes'. 

Seth's Blog: In search of customer intimacy.

Many brands want deep and long-lasting relationships with their customers.

Social media makes these interactions even more likely, because it encourages customers to speak up and to connect.

Will the iPhone become Apple's Achilles Heel?

The iPhone is going to change Apple.  But it is going to be an unwelcomed change.  Mobile (cell) phone users are a bit different than the traditional Mac user.

If Apple officially opens the iPhone system, then the bad guys (virus writers) will come in the door with the good guys.  If Apple keeps the iPhone system closed, then users will continue to jail-break the iPhone to make it more useful and personal.

I am ready for a Windows Mobile vs iPhone commercial.

Security firms cannot protect the iPhone from threats | IT PRO.

The security firm F-Secure has said that it would like to secure the iPhone from mobile security threats, but cannot due to the closed-off nature of the system.

The firm already offers security technology for mobile phones with Symbian and Windows Mobile systems, and in the future will offer protection for Android.

F-Secure chief research officer Mikko Hypponen said that people have asked for iPhone protection before, but it can't be developed.

“None of the existing anti-virus vendors can make one, without help from Apple," he said.

“Apple hasn’t been too interested in developing anti-virus solutions for the iPhone, because there are no viruses, which of course, isn’t exactly true.”

He said that recent worm outbreaks targeted jail-broken iPhones, and Apple wasn’t interested in protecting these, as it didn’t approve of jail-breaking to begin with.

“So our recommendation is to avoid jail-broken phones, because it will weaken the security of a phone, whether the iPhone or any other device,” he said.

Traditional Banks Versus Microcredit Organizations, The Battle Is Coming

Microcredit organizations, like Grameen Bank, showed that rural poor people are worthy customers, too.  Now, traditional banks are beginning to fight back and use mobile technology to claim part of the rural developing world landscape.

Unfortunately, mobile technology is leveling the playing field in favor of big guys on Main Street.  The guys on "Dirt Path" will have to step it up and implement mobile technology.

In December, some pilots in mobile bank by Dirt Path will start in Uganda and Congo.  

Mobile banking holds the key to tap rural areas

New Delhi (PTI): With increasing cell phone penetration in the country, the mobile commerce space — comprising both banking services and payments — offers more opportunities for banks to reach out to the rural population.

"Mobile banking offers an opportunity for banks to reach out to the rural population and doing business in rural areas has become more viable," Divakar Goswami, who is an executive manager at global consultancy firm Deloitte Research told PTI.

According to him, in India, the penetration of mobiles is much higher as compared to that of banks, which makes the concept of mobile banking more viable.

In Kenya, DSTV Customers Pay Their Bill Via Their Mobile Phone

Africa is not all jungle and starving natives.  In Kenya, subscribers to a pay DSTV company can pay their bills through their mobile phone.

Internet via the mobile phone will propel development in Africa.  Mobile technology will surpass the internet boom. 

Multichoice, Zain in new bill payment deal

NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 29 - Mobile telephone operator Zain and pay TV Company Multichoice have entered into a partnership agreement that will see subscribers pay their DSTV bills through Zain’s money transfer service Zap.

Speaking during the launch, Zain Managing Director Rene Meza said the deal is geared towards passing the benefits of advanced technology, as well as the fast evolving world of mobile commerce, to the consumer.

“Our focus has been product innovation and development of competitive services by building up our Zap system,” he said.

Multichoice General Manager Stephen Isaboke lauded the new partnership saying subscribers will now be able to pay for their DSTV services at their convenience.

“Our customers will now conveniently pay for their DSTV services from the comfort of their mobile phones,” he said.

How has Twitter helped or hurt your blog?

How has Twitter helped or hurt your blog? <<Submitted by Guy Kawasaki, co-founder of Alltop.>>

Twitter has helped my blogs.  I have incorporated Twitter into my social media scheme.  As David Risley says, Twitter is one of those outposts to drive traffic to your landing page. 

Since Twitter is a tool of social media like blogging, Facebook, etc.; why would you add a bad or negative tool?

When will Skype Activate Mobile Video Calling?

Skype Video is coming of age.  You see it everywhere except on your mobile phone.  Skype Mobile works well over the 3G network.  But now it is time to update Skype Mobile with Video Calling.

I have a front facing video mobile phone for over two years.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to make a video call.  After AT&T advertised it Video Sharing, I tried in vain for over two hours trying to get it added to my account.  No such luck!

Mobile Video Calling could be a boom for small businesses, nonprofits, and churches.   

Could the Nokia Skype Deal Activate Mobile Video Calling?

Now back to video for a moment… Video calling usage is low for a few reasons.  First are the data costs, but I think even more importantly is that the service is operator provisioned - at least on the integrated front.  The 3rd party options work, but are also have limiting factors as they require some advanced planning on both sides to make sure everyone has the right applications and connections on either their PC or mobile.  Skype on the other hand is a fairly ubiquitous application and something you can expect to find on the other end of a lot of people’s PCs today.  I’ve even been seeing Skype on national TV lately on Oprah, the Today Show and not a commerical but in actual use as part of the show.  These are programs watched by (again) millions of people who are seeing  Skype in action.  One video call with my parents and they could easily see AND hear (Skype’s voice quality is awesome) the benefits.