Happy Monday everyone! I hope that you had a great weekend and your week is starting off well. I got some interesting statistics about mobile use cases that I thought I would share with you. I found some of the stats very interesting! I am in the process of uploading the video I shot with Heidi, aka sdngal on Friday to Sun Total Access Network, so stay tuned and enjoy your day!!
Mobile Usage Beyond Voice Compared to 800 million cars, 850 million personal computers, 1.3 billion fixed landline phones, 1.4 billion credit cards, and 1.5 billion TV sets there are now 2.7 billion mobile phones in use. Between January 2001 and December 2010, our global society will have transformed from one where 13% carried a mobile phone, to one where 70% carry one. By the first quarter of 2006, thirty countries had already exceeded 100% per capita cell phone usage (over 100% penetration rate means that some individuals in the population have more than one phone). In that same year, there were about 241 million mobile phone users in the US (roughly 80% per capita mobile phone penetration). The U.S. market is not expected to top 100% per capita penetration until the year 2013, though usage has risen rapidly, according to the Simmons New Media Study.
While 59% of people who have used a cell phone in the past 30 days have text messaged, and 49% have taken photos, less than 2% have shopped by mobile and less than 5% have used mobile GPS – indicating the relative nascency of both mobile shopping and mobile GPS in terms of becoming ingrained consumer habits.
Text Messaging Globally, about two thirds of mobile phone users are active users of SMS text messaging which means roughly 1.8 billion people are actively texting today. Globally, there are twice as many active users of SMS as are active users of email. Interesting to note, out of the 10 bestselling books in Japan in 2007, five were "cellphone novels" -- books that were written on the mobile phone, with the authors tapping out sentence by sentence via text message. In the U.S., roughly 300 billion text messages were sent in 2007. SMS is typically read within an average of 15 minutes after receipt and responded to within 60 minutes. Whereas 65% of e-mail is spam, less than 10% of SMS is spam. The Finnish Prime Minister, for example, has a voicemail greeting saying he doesn't listen to voicemail, and to please send him a text message instead. With increasing usage of SMS in both public and private sectors, text mess! aging seems to be rapidly becoming an integral part of daily life. As text messaging becomes increasingly common, different usage drivers are emerging, according to the recent Simmons New Media Study. Whereas only about 19% of text messagers say they use text messaging as a means of communication between themselves and colleagues, 62% say they use text messaging to communicate with friends, and 55% say they use it to communicate with their significant others. Consumers are also starting to differentiate how they view text messaging. On a 5-point scale, 28% of consumers who use text messaging view text messaging as a very important source of information. 37%view it as a very important source of communication and 21% view it as an important source of entertainment.
Mobile Banking A whole range of new services could become widely available in key markets as early as 2009. The rise of contactless payments made from cell phones are predicted to be commonplace by 2012. The potential for low-income consumers in the U.S. to use mobile banking has already been demonstrated in countries like the Philippines and South Africa, where mobile banking has been successfully commercialized. Interfaces can be made simpler for faster access and ease of use for this consumer segment. The age group most likely to engage in mobile banking are 25-34 year-olds (amongst those consumers who have cell phones and have used them in the past 30 days). U.S. mobile phone users seem to be increasingly comfortable making banking and purchase transactions while on-the-go. Already, 16 percent of mobile phone subscribers use mobile banking services with 60% of those people using this service at least once a week. An additional 35% of non-users described them! selves as being open to checking bank account balances and transferring funds via their mobile devices. A third of those surveyed (33%) said they would like to receive text message alerts from their financial institutions. The survey also found that the biggest barrier affecting consumer acceptance of mobile banking and commerce is security concerns over personal data.
Mobile Search Mobile Search is an evolving branch of information retrieval services that is centered around the convergence of mobile platforms and mobile handsets or other mobile devices. The previous difficulty of operating across mobile handset brands and models, not to mention limited applications, add-ons, software and graphic interface are starting to be addressed in the marketplace. The smartphone market is expected to grow at a 30%+ compound annual growth rate for the next five years globally, exceeding unit sales for laptops. The main driver of this growth has been an improved overall user experience and ease of use with mobile web, fueled by the technological breakthroughs allowing mobile web access to begin to approach the ease and speed of use of computer web access. Amidst a flurry of new mobile web capabilities – the jury is out on who is in the lead. What is clear is the increasing number of players offering an open source mobile OS which s! eems most likely to boost innovation to enable mobile interoperability. Coat-tailing the increased speed and usability of mobile web, mobile video blogging tools are proliferating for early adopters including: Kyte.tv mobile, Floobs, KaZiVu, YouTube Mobile.
Mobile Social Networks Mobile social networking is social networking where one or more individuals of similar interests or commonalities, converse and connect with one another using the mobile phone. About 50 million people, or about 2.3% of the global population of mobile users, use their mobile for social networking (including chat services and multimedia sharing). Penetration rates are forecast to grow by 12.5% over the next five years. Big social media networks all went mobile in 2007 (Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Bebo), supported by more flat rate introductions on different markets.
GPS Location-specific mobile services and applications (cell-ID and/or GPS) driven by the open Google Maps API and flickr’s geotagged photo function have potential to increase significantly as new technology makes this easier to use and offers more applications for mobile users to choose from. Geo-tagging is when a picture is taken, the location of the photographer is saved and overlaid onto services like Google Maps to produce a map of where the photographer has been. Mobile GPS usage among mobile phone owners skews decidedly younger, although the 35-44 age group indexes slightly above the market average. There is a severe drop-off for the older groups.
Given the public's growing appetite for connective technology, it's not surprising that mobile phone penetration is on par with Internet access. Approximately 80% of respondents reported owning a mobile phone, while 78% of Americans have Internet access, according to a new study by InsightExpress. Mobile phone penetration is actually spread equally across the generations. Although Gen Y (18-24) leads the pack at 85%, it is followed closely by Gen X (25-44) at 82%, younger Baby Boomers (45-54) at 80% and older Baby Boomers (55-64) at 79%.
Happy Wednesday everyone! I was reading an article byJonathan Erickson onDr. Dobbsthat I thought I would share with all of you regarding gaming and mobile devices... enjoy:
So if our (technological) future is to be a mobile one, why not throw games into the mix?
"Why not, indeed?" asks Xavier Carrillo-Costa, CEO of Digital Legends, a developer of 3D games for mobile platforms. After all, says Carrillo-Costa, with 1 GB (or larger) hard disks, 200-MHz (or more) CPUs, hardware acceleration, and the capabilities for instantly generating 300,000 polygons, a typical cell phone sounds like a better gaming platform than, say, the much less powerful Nintendo DS.
Moreover, based on installed base numbers, the market opportunities seem to favor "converged" mobile devices (like mobile phones). For instance, according to Carrillo-Costa, the worldwide installed base of the PlayStation 3 is 12.8 M, the Xbox 360 is 19 M, PlayStation Portable (PSP) at 23.4 M, the Wii at 24 M, and the Nintendo DS at 70 M, while converged mobile devices are at 118 M. In short, there's a huge space opening for games that run on mobile devices. And already, the nascent generation of 3D mobile games support features that gamers expect--sight, voice, touch, location, and the like.
Okay, I really don't think for a minute that a hard-core gamer is going to be playing Grand Theft Auto on a mobile phone nonstop for 16 straight hours. That said, it is surprising to learn that most video games on mobile devices are played at home, instead of on a park bench or in Algebra class.
But there's still some cool stuff happening. For instance, widget implementations of some console games are becoming available for mobile phones, letting gamers score points that are then synchronized/combined with the console version for a continuous gaming experience.
But what needs to happen for mobile games to evolve from a good idea to an idea whose time has come, says Carrillo-Costa, are two things:
Better controls. This might mean design and accommodation for wireless controls, like those gamers are familiar with. After all, wireless keyboards are already available for converged mobile devices (like cell phones). Or, more importantly, it might mean cell phone keypads designed with games in mind, with dual-meaning keys and the like.
Open APIs that link to consoles.
All in all, this seems reasonable--unless, I suppose, you happen to be a console vendor. However, ignoring these suggestions/requests, which really doesn't require effort or expense, is simply treading water on the part of console vendors because, in the long run, console quality games for mobile devices will be commonplace.
Bill Sheppard, Chief Digital Media Officer here at Sun passed this article on about Java TV momentum and I wanted to share it with all of you!
Sony, who had been leading a group lobbying the FCC to mandate an alternate to OCAP, has signed an MoU with the six largest cable operators to begin producing tru2way (OCAP) products. The binding MoU also obligates the cable operators to deploy a minimum of 10 million tru2way settop boxes in addition to the retail devices which will be available from Sony, Panasonic, and others. This essentially puts to rest any possibility that a non-Java technology will be established as an alternate platform to tru2way, increases the likelihood that the FCC will formally mandate OCAP for CE devices, and clears a path for DirecTV, Dish, Verizon, and AT&T to migrate to Java-based settop boxes.
Java TV momentum continues! Rock on! Enjoy your day!
I had a lovely, relaxing three day weekend and I am back to work and ready to tackle the week. Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Nandini Ramani, Director of JavaFX, to talk about what has been up in her world since JavaOne...I am going to get JavaFX loaded on my mac in the next few weeks and I can't wait to play around with all the cool applications! I will be back to update you on some other cool news and happenings later this week, but enjoy the clip and remember to enjoy your day!
This week I have been a happy blogger again. I have to admit I had somewhat of a bout with writer's block after JavaOne and it took the flip cam to inspire me again. My team is currently going through all the super cool videos we shot during JavaOne and the ones we have edited, etc. are steadily getting uploaded to Sun Total Access Network. Stop by when you get a chance. I had the awesome opportunity to chat with Chris Melissinos, Chief Gaming Officer at Sun Microsystems during the SDN Rocks party and our latest video is of our chat...check out what we have to say, the SDN Rocks party going on behind us and the guests rocking out on Rock Band! Thanks again Chris for being so awesome...you are the best! Enjoy your day!
I had this whole draft saved about the opening keynote yesterday, and unfortunately I lost it, so let me quickly summarize everything that I thought about the opening keynote:
- it was awesome to see John Gage, James Gosling and Chris Melissinos on stage doing the t-shirt toss...shirts were flung everywhere!
- the theme for JavaOne this year is Java + YOU and the opening video to show that was really cool.
- the show devices are very cool! The Kindle, The Livescribe pens and the Sentilla motes are sweet. I am not sure what I want first.
- JavaFX...I want it NOW... I will be up at Nandini's office every day until I can get it. I think it is VERY, very cool
- and of course, last but certainly not least, Mr. Neil Young. Neil took the stage and showed us what he is doing with Blu-ray and its sooooooo cool. And one of my favorite songs, Cinnamon Girl, is on the disc set. Sweet. It was very cool to see him on stage with Jonathan and Rich talking about archiving his early years and doing it with Blu-ray. So awesome and I can't wait to see all the other artists who follow suit with that.
Ok..I need to go and get ready to tackle day two. Tonight we have our AWESOME SDN party...you need to be a member of SDN to come and rock out with us, so stop by pod #190 on the JavaOne pavilion floor and get your ticket into the event of the week.
Also, sdngal and I will be shooting a video to wrap up our first two days of JavaOne and put it up on Sun Total Access Network. Oh, and, if you can't be here in person, make sure to join us for JavaOne is Second Life... we have a lot of cool things going on today including Nandini Ramani coming in world to talk all about JavaFX.
Good morning everyone!
The week of JavaOne is here. After months of hard work and dedication, the moment most of us here at Sun have been working towards is going to begin in a few hours. Yesterday, at CommunityOne the rooms were jammed packed and we had some pretty cool annoucements. I will be blogging the keynote later on this morning, but I wanted to leave you with a video that my partner in crime, Heidi Dailey, aka SDN Gal, and I made on the eve of CommunityOne...its also posted on our YouTube channel, Sun Total Access Network. Don't forget to followus on Twitter for the latest news and happenings live from the general sessions and show floor. See you guys soon...get ready for an exciting opening keynote and get ready to rock out! :-)
Happy weekend everyone! I am sure that most of us are gearing up for the crazy week that is JavaOne. Yesterday, I headed down to our Menlo Park campus because Tommy Jr. was going to be making an appearance on its way up to JavaOne and for James Gosling's keynote (which will be taking place on Friday, May 9, 2008). Tommy Jr. is based on Java and uses Java Real-Time System as the overall control coding platform.
Team Jefferson (the Tommy team who was also behind Tommy Sr.) put Tommy Jr. through his paces yesterday. He is much 'smarter" than his first incarnation and can perform several missions on a pre-planned course. He can interact with and merge with moving traffic, stop for stop signs, park, and replan a route to his objective if the way he wanted to go was blocked. Tommy Jr. is based on a Scion platform and has the stock seats inside so we were able to get inside and take a ride around campus. It was pretty cool to be inside a car and watch it move around a course with no one behind the wheel. Several executives from Rich Green to James Gosling got a ride as well and look for some video clips of those to go up on our YouTube channel, Sun Total Access Network, soon!
Alright, I have to get ready to head up to San Francisco, but before I go, please enjoy the video clip I got yesterday with Dave Hofert telling me a few cool tidbits about Tommy Jr. and look for me to be blogging a lot next week as I will be seeing and hearing a lot of cool things.
I have been holding this information as a secret for the last few weeks and I am totally excited that I can finally share it with you!
At this year's JavaOne, music legend and pioneer Neil Young will join Sun Microsystems' executives during the opening keynote session on May 6 at Moscone Center in San Francisco.
Come hear and see what Java means to Neil Young. Neil's appearance will include a special demo of a new music project.
About 15,000 people are expected to attend this year's JavaOne conference from May 6-9, and thousands will join Sun Microsystems for the second annual CommunityOne event the day prior -- on May 5. The Java platform has attracted over 6 million software developers worldwide, and powers more than 5.5 billion devices including mobile phones, smart cards, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, PCs, car navigations systems and more.
How HOT is that?! I can't wait until everyone hears what Neil and us here at Sun have been working on. Its super cool. :)
Happy Monday everyone. In between recording webinars with my partner in all things social media, Heidi, having to re-shoot videos because we were laughing too hard and planning for all things JavaOne, I was able to catch up a bit on some cool technology news. Strands, the team behind the social music site, MyStrands, have updated their Social Media Player for Symbian S60 and Java equipped phones. Picking up all the music on your device,
Strands can recommend similar artists and songs, match you up with
users that have similar musical tastes, and helps you navigate your
musical neighborhood. The cool news about this update is the inclusion of support for Last.fm, and the sending of your track information to that service too. I think that is pretty sweet and will have to test it out on my Java enabled mobile phone...stay tuned on how it works for me...its not like I need any other excuse to get more music on my phone. ;-)
Hello everyone! My friend and co-worker, Cass (who works on all things SDN) and I made a video on Friday about our countdown to JavaOne and what is going on with us... we had quite a few laughs while we were trying to do this, but we think the end result turned out well. Enjoy! Look for us on Monday when my partner in crime, Heidi, joins us behind the camera lens! Oh, and while you are here, stop by Terri's blog and see the cool video we shot with Tim Cramer and Stephen Hahn on OpenSolaris. Lots of cool stuff happening in the next few weeks...make sure to stay tuned to find out what. Enjoy your day!
I am in the SunBTV studio recording some very cool video podcasts for JavaOne...so much excitement and energy with all the people popping in here today. The day started off with Eric Klein and Jeet Kaul our VP's of Java Marketing and Engineering. These Java twins (as they refer to each other) were a great way to start off the morning and I can't wait to share with you what they talked about with me.
Other exciting news is that my fellow co-worker, Terri has joined the blogosphere at Sun. Please go and check out her blog and don't forget to wish her a happy blogday! Her area of expertise is OpenSolaris and in her personal time, all things water sports. (can you say boating, water skiing and more?!)
And if that wasn't ENOUGH goodness, my friends over in SDN land have got THREE more FULL conference passes to JavaOne to give away! How how hot is that?! All you need to do is follow them on twitter here. Winners will be picked on Thursday. Good luck everyone and keep on rockin'!
Happy Wednesday everyone! This week seems to be flying by and JavaOne is all I have been breathing and living for the last few months. I just got an email in my inbox about a pretty sweet offer from my friends in SDN...check it out: If you are not a SDN member, but have always dreamed of being one, the time has come! I have been given five (5) passes to JavaOne and will give them to the first five of you who email me at Jennifer.Winger@Sun.COM.
There are some rules, however... ;-)
1. You can not be a current member of SDN
2. You will be registered for SDN to recieve your pass
3. You can't be a Sun employee
If you fit that criteria, then you, my readers, are all waxed up and ready to ride your way to JavaOne 2008!
Please send me the following information:
First and Last Name
Email address
Country of Origin
I will let the lucky winners know the good news tonight!
I think this week has officially become my post a new blog week...either that or I just have so much to say that I can't contain it all in one posting. ;-) Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with Eric Klein, Vice President of Java Marketing, to talk about the road to JavaOne. Eric has so much energy and passion for what we are doing here at Sun and in the Java market, that I could make an entire video series on him alone (hmmmmm...that gives me an idea!) Please enjoy our latest clip on Sun Total Access Network and be sure to stay tuned to the channel because we will have many more things like this coming your way. And a big thank you again to Eric... I hope you will share the wine as the countdown to JavaOne dwindles down to zero days and zero hours! ;-)
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I will be up at Nandini's office every day until I can get it. 
Hi,
I am looking for some specific information abo...
Absolutely fantastic stats. Thanks for sharing!
...Hi there,
WIcked stats, I'm also wondering wher...