Non-Voice Apps to be Wireless Industry Boon
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Although non-voice applications are in their infancy in the U.S., consumers are embracing them at a rate that will mean significant revenues for the wireless industry, according to the results of a survey released by Harris Interactive on Sept. 23. Currently, about 40 percent of non-voice service users (excluding text messaging) pay extra for non-voice applications, and although the charges represent less than 10 percent of users' cellular bills, the ration is expected to grow.
"Currently, revenue from non-voice services represents only a small fraction of carriers' average revenue per user (ARPU)," said Andrew Roscoe, a partner with ForceNine Consulting, which conducted the survey for Harris Interactive. "However, non-voice services bring disproportionate value to carriers. These customers tend to come from segments that have higher average bills. Because non-voice services are in their early, high-growth stage, they are already having an important impact on ARPU growth, as was pointed out by several carriers in their second quarter 2004 earnings announcements."
The study also revealed that teens and 20-year-olds are the primary early adopters of non-voice services:
♦Twenty percent of younger cellular users send and receive email and browse the Web with their cell phones, compared to about 7 percent of over-35-year-old cellular subscribers.
♦Thirteen percent of younger cellular users take photos with camera phones, while only 3 percent of over-35-year-olds use camera phones.
♦Over half of younger cellular users do text messaging, compared to less than 20 percent of older users.
Dr. Barry Goodstadt, co-director of the study, noted that, "Usage of non-voice applications differs significantly among major wireless carriers. Verizon and Nextel lead in email usage, Sprint leads in camera phone usage, and T-Mobile is the leader in text messaging. The research suggests that focusing on these applications will ultimately be important for retaining higher paying cellular customers."
The survey was conducted by telephone within the United States between July 23 and 26, 2004, among a nationwide random digit dialed sample of adults (ages 18 years and over) in 1,000 households. Figures for age, sex, race, education, number of adults, number of voice/telephone lines in the household, region, and size of place were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.
Top 12 Handheld 'Dream Features'
DUBLIN, Calif. – The results of the AvantGo 2004 Mobile Lifestyle survey reveal that when it comes to device functionality, early technology adopters want to have their cake and eat it too. When asked to imagine the must-have features of an all-in-one "dream device," survey respondents chose a surprising combination of "bells and whistles" and standard options.
The September survey of 3,260 AvantGo users, conducted entirely via PDAs and smartphones, also revealed that 85 percent of Pocket PC owners and 82 percent of Palm owners said they planned to stick with the same operating system for their next purchase.
"In addition to their normal PDA features, handheld users want a device with an iPod-size memory to play and store music and other content; email functionality; GPS; phone, compact size, and a larger screen," said Neil Versen, senior director of AvantGo at iAnywhere. "Most surprising, however, is that 8 out of 10 users are sticking with the same operating system. That's brand loyalty."
The AvantGo survey revealed the following "top 12" must-have features of an all-in-one dream device:
1. Calendar/contact list
2. Easily syncs with PC
3. Great battery life
4. E-mail/messaging
5. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
6. Compact size
7. MP3 player
8. Phone
9. Large screen
10. GPS locator
11. 20 gigabyte memory
12. Camera
The calendar/contact list ranked highest among survey respondents, with 94 percent citing this as a must-have feature. Surprisingly, MP3 players (77 percent) ranked slightly higher than phones (76 percent) and GPS locators (65 percent), while more hard drive memory (64 percent) edged out cameras (63 percent) in popularity.
AvantGo, a service of iAnywhere with millions of unique subscribers, is in the exclusive position of polling a wide variety of handheld users to identify the most popular PDA and smartphone devices and brands. Additional notable findings among the tech-savvy mobile professionals surveyed include:
♦Nearly two out of three respondents said they planned to purchase a regular PDA rather than one with phone capabilities.
♦31 percent said they would be purchasing a phone/PDA hybrid, while only 3 percent would switch to a Symbian smartphone device and 4.5 percent to a RIM Blackberry device.
♦50 percent of respondents reported owning Palm OS devices, 40 percent Pocket PC devices, and 10 percent reported owning other brands.
♦More than three quarters (77 percent) of respondents reported purchasing their own current handheld device, while 13 percent received it as a gift, and only 9 percent received it from an employer.
♦Seventy percent of respondents have downloaded four or more applications, and 34 percent have downloaded 10 or more applications to their handheld device.
♦Among respondents who download PDA and smartphone applications, 15 percent spend $100 or more a year, 38 percent spend more than $50, and 58 percent spend more than $25 a year.
♦A notable 31 percent of respondents use paid location-based or travel applications such as event, restaurant and movie listings.
"Our findings seem to run counter to reports that the PDA is declining in popularity or that people are abandoning early platforms such as Palm for newer handheld platforms such as Pocket PC or Symbian," said Versen. "Furthermore, survey results indicate that location-based applications are likely to fuel the next wave of handheld functionality, while feeding users' seemingly never-ending appetite for applications and add-ons to enhance their handheld experience."
The 2004 Mobile Lifestyle Survey is based on responses from 3,260 AvantGo users. The self-administered survey was completed over a two-week period and delivered on mobile devices via the free AvantGo service. Respondents were self-selecting.
Mobile AppBuilder Professional Edition Bows
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Zeosoft Technology Group, Inc., a pioneer of mobile infrastructure software and application development technologies, on Sept. 23 unveiled its long-awaited Mobile AppBuilder 1.2, Professional Edition. Mobile AppBuilder rapidly generates customized wireless applications for PDAs, laptops, desktops, and cellular phones. Unlike other wireless application development tools that create a client application screen, Mobile AppBuilder automatically generates a complete wireless database query and update application, without writing a single line of code. The Professional Edition supports custom branding, multiple enterprise databases, and runtime license distribution.
Mobile AppBuilder Professional Edition is targeted toward small to mid-sized solution providers, system integrators, and resellers who service any vertical market. Mobile AppBuilder allows integrators and developers to create mobile wireless applications without the need for extensive development resources. A wireless database application can be produced in minutes, with no software engineering. Mobile AppBuilder automatically generates the back-end integration within the application, providing encryption, database access, wireless communication, screen generation, and application management. With Mobile AppBuilder, integrators and solution providers can improve profits by dramatically reducing their time-to-delivery, increasing production and boosting mobile solution sales.
An evaluation version is available for immediate download. Evaluation software to support cellular phones will be made available during Fall 2004. Full product details and samples of wireless applications built using Mobile AppBuilder can be accessed at www.zeosoft.com/.
QUALCOMM, MS to Enable Windows Media Streaming for Wireless
SAN DIEGO – QUALCOMM Inc., a pioneer in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, and Microsoft Corp. on Sept. 23 announced that QUALCOMM has licensed Microsoft Windows Media technology and will integrate the Windows Media audio and video codecs into QUALCOMM's Qtv video decoder solution. Consumers will be able to play back and stream Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV) content on wireless devices integrated with QUALCOMM's Qtv solution. Support for this capability in the Qtv solution will be available in the first quarter of 2005, beginning with QUALCOMM's MSM6250, MSM6500, and MSM6550 Mobile Station Modem, wideband CDMA (WCDMA), and CDMA2000 1x EV-DO chipset solutions.
The goal of this agreement between Microsoft and QUALCOMM is that high-quality video on mobile phones will soon provide the streaming video experience consumers get with their high-speed wired connections at home. The agreement also encourages developers to deliver more powerful multimedia applications, driving continued market acceptance for wireless streaming audio and video content and providing consumers new digital entertainment experiences.
Windows Media is one of the highest-quality, most secured and comprehensive digital media formats available for streaming and download-and-play applications. It is supported on more than 700 devices, from DVD players and home theater systems to car stereos and handhelds. The Windows Media audio and video codecs deliver virtually unmatched quality and compression at any bit rate, making them ideal for content delivery using wireless network data rates.
QUALCOMM's Qtv solution is a feature-rich software video decoder that enables mobile devices to stream, download and play back multimedia content. The Qtv solution is part of QUALCOMM's Launchpad suite of advanced multimedia, connectivity, position location, user interface and removable storage functionality, including QUALCOMM's gpsOne solution, a broadly deployed assisted-GPS handset technology.
Nokia Makes Strides to Secure Mobile Content
ESPOO, Finland – Nokia has launched a new barring solution for the safe and controlled usage of mobile content services as part of the Nokia Intelligent Content Delivery (ICD) solution. The barring solution is based on subscriber and mobile service recognition. It allows mobile users to control access to mobile content services: For example, parents can prevent children from accessing undesirable or unwanted services like adult content.
The solution will be available during fourth quarter 2004 as a part of the Nokia ICD solution. With the Nokia ICD, operators can offer easily accessible services with simple pricing that reflects the value of those services popular with subscribers. The ICD solution provides a rich set of service control functions that enhance the user experience, and at the same time help to fulfill the ethical and regulatory requirements of mobile content delivery.
"With the increasing amount of new mobile content services, there are inevitably services and sites which not everyone would want to access," according to Olli Oittinen, vice president of core networks marketing and sales for Nokia. "Hence, the ability to safely and securely control access to these sites is important for both operators and their subscribers, and our solution allows just that. For example, most parents would like to control which services are suitable for their children to access,"
Said Peter Robbins, CEO of the Internet Watch Foundation in the United Kingdom: "Security and control are very important factors for consumers when considering mobile content services. This is especially true of parents and corporate organizations who may wish to restrict access to certain inappropriate material online."
The barring solution maps subscriber and service profile information to meet the growing demand for filtering out inappropriate mobile content. The solution can bar user access to services based on the content service category, maximum price, or maximum size. The user's subscription data stored in the system includes a barring profile that can indicate services categories to be barred.
