Updating yesterday’s post, it looks like Apple will be releasing a new iPhone this summer, and rumor is it will have a front facing camera. Could this be the start of a real movement toward mobile video conferencing?

Perhaps this has been something simmering under my skin for a number of years – but when I saw this news headline, “Apple admits using child labour” I had a repeat vision of an old peddled story that is indicative of trash reporting at its worst. First off – child labour seems to imply (to me at least) a 7-year-old anemic, malnourished child not the 11 instances Apple reported themselves of 15-year-olds working in a factory manufacturing parts for the iPhone in China.

I’m not here to defend Apple but rather provide a personal alternative view based on personal experience – so yes this is a disclaimer that this is a personal point of view – not one necessarily shared by the Company.

10 years ago I worked in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a well-respected English newspaper, The Cambodia Daily. One Sunday, a small band of high-profile investigative reporters from the Big Smoke descended upon the little capital of Cambodia hot on the tale of a hard story: Child labour at clothing factories. As a result of the “investigation” both Gap and Nike suspended their activities in the country, which meant they also suspended the wages of thousands of people, with tens of thousands of family members dependent on the best honest wage in town.  Should Nike and GAP have pulled out? No but that’s another story. Thousands of families who relied on the clothing factory wage of $40 per month (nearly four times the wage paid to civil servants at the time) were laid-off. Families who lived on this lifeline were left with scant alternatives – perhaps other factory work but prostitution and begging were also high among those alternatives

The right of journalists and pressure groups to investigate should always be defended whether it’s to verify that strict codes of conduct are followed by large corporations or the factory conditions in developing countries that manufacturer for multinational corporations. However, journalists also have a responsibility to provide the full story – not just headlines aimed to grab attention and point the finger for the sake of readership or a personal career notch on the belt. The incident in Cambodia was a disaster for many families.

So with this latest headline trotted out, I see the danger in repeating the same bad journalistic mistake. The question of why were 15-year-olds working in these factories should be asked and what is going to be done to resolve the issue?  Child labour does happen (and no I’m not condoning child labour) and will continue to happen, sometimes because families need to survive. However, the alternatives can be much worse. To Apple’s credit they published the report that identified the instances of child labour. It’s a good example of corporate responsibility – it’s not perfect but the Company is striving for improvements:

“Apple discovered three facilities that had previously hired 15-year-old workers in countries where the minimum age for employment is 16. Across the three facilities, our auditors found records of 11 workers who had been hired prior to reaching the legal age, although the workers were no longer underage or no longer in active employment at the time of our audit.”

A rising tide lifts all boats and with improved corporate social responsibility from multinational companies, the standards in developing countries can rise.

While there are hundreds of reviews of Mobile World Congress in the news and media, I thought it might be interesting to get an exhibitor’s point of view of the event especially as the media tend to get stuck in the headlights of oncoming shiny new mobile devices from the big players in the industry and not the ecosystem that the event represents.

In general the show appeared to have more visitors (50,000) in attendance than in 2009 and as one senior executive that I talked with over lunch said “I’ve got 20 years in the mobile industry and I’m still astounded and confounded at all the companies at this event – many of which I still don’t know what they do.”

GIPS made an announcement the week prior about availability of GIPS VideoEngine on the iPhone platform, which generated a good amount of press coverage but also added to the increased amount of people visiting GIPS at the show.  The visitors (at least to GIPS stand) also appeared to be more senior in attendance and I saw a lot more lists in people’s hand of “companies to visit,”  perhaps a sign that were people were doing their homework this year.

Whereas many industry events offer free tickets, Mobile World Congress charge nearly 600 Euro per ticket and they closely guard who comes in and out of the show – even with a pass each person must show their ID too. In 2009 the mood was downbeat and 2010 it was the complete opposite. Hopefully the optimistic tone is a true reflection of where the industry is heading now and a sign of things to come.

The show for me illustrated that the sum is greater than the parts, so while the likes of Google, HTC, Samsung, Huawei and the BBC (did I mention the Beeb stopped by our stand ; ) grabbed major headlines – this only illustrated the icing layer on the cake and not all the ingredients that go into making this event a good reflection of the mobile telecommunications ecosystem.

After AT&T’s announcement last fall that they would allow VoIP applications to use the 3G network very little has happened. No applications offering such services have actually been approved by Apple to be sold in the Apps Store. Until now, that is. Today our customer Toktumi announced that their latest upgrade of the Line2 application for iPhone has been approved by Apple. This application is touted by Toktumi as “the first iPhone calling app that works over 3G, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks using the same number”. This is pretty big news. The end user can get better call quality (HD Voice), improved coverage (through WiFi), and save a lot on call charges. VoIP applications have previously only been available on Symbian, Windows Mobile, and most recently Android devices, while maybe the most popular smartphone has lacked such support.

The Line2 application offers much more than just a standard VoIP application (As opposed to e.g. iCall, which is another VoIP application fro the iPhone). In fact, I use it on my Blackberry even though there is no VoIP support on that platform. This is because RIM hasn’t opened up the development environment in such a way that it is possible to develop a true VoIP application for the Blackberry environment. That topic is worth its own post so I will refrain from commenting more on this very frustrating issue…

Here we go again- another post about mobile OS’s. But how could I resist while Symbian is bleeding and no one (Nokia) seems to be trying to do anything about it? 

Over the last several years, Symbian has been the most widely deployed mobile OS, and until recently, Blackberry and iPhone have been like flyspecks on the wall (and still are in some markets). As I have stated before, this is changing with better usability (iPhone), increased openness (Android) and the proliferation of application development (on Apple Store, Windows Mobile and Android).  It is this last point which makes me wonder if Symbian’s future is even bleaker than indicated in the latest Gartner projections (I also happen to think RIM is in trouble, especially if you read this article, but we can leave that for another post).  

Symbian has been struggling to attract application developers to its Ovi store, even though Nokia seems to understand that application availability will be a driver of mobile device sales and a future source of revenue.  One of the main problems is that developing on Symbian is really complicated. I have heard that it takes 6 times longer to develop an application on Symbian than on iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile. I was personally involved with the Symbian Signed process at GIPS and barely managed to survive. 

It hasn’t always been this way.  A couple of years ago, the Nokia/Symbian online developer community was a lively forum with lots of developer activity and communication. But today it is like entering a funeral compared to the Android forums. No wonder there is much less activity on the Ovi store compared to the Apple Store. 

So why are applications so important? Do most people even download more than 3 applications to their phone?  Does it matter if the Apple Store has 10,000 applications versus 5,000 at Ovi store? Isn’t it more important to have one smart business or personal application versus 100 different kinds of car racing games? 

Ovi might have a good selection of applications that meet people’s basic needs, but I suspect that the interest of developing new applications for Symbian will decrease dramatically with the drop in consumer demand for Symbian phones. I use Symbian, Windows Mobile and iPhone OS devices for work, and by looking what you can do on the new smart phones (such as the new Android) I am becoming  more convinced that the smart applications will play a very important role in the future.

As a frequent consumer of pop culture criticism, I am well aware that it is almost 2010 thanks to all the “Best of 2009” (or now “Best of Decade”) lists. While sometimes predictable and cliché, I look forward to reading about the albums, books, movies and band names  that unite or divide critics. It’s a good way to discover music or movies that I had previously overlooked (this year’s winner: the Dirty Projectors) and it’s nice to take a look back at the year that was.

So, in that spirit, here are some of the most relevant stories in the telecom/VoIP/tech industry in 2009:

Net Neutrality Picks up Steam

With the new administration in Washington, the regulatory climate was noticeably different than the previous 8 years. The FCC began to look into possible monopolistic behavior in the mobile telecom market and the exclusive agreements between handset manufacturers and carriers. In addition, Congress offered proposals which would set actual rules around the regulation of the Internet. Major companies like Google, Apple and AT&T were all in the mix, and should be for the foreseeable future.

Android Offers iPhone Alternative

For all of us who were searching for a smartphone with iPhone-like functionality, but with a physical keyboard, a better network and an open platform, the Droid was the answer to our prayers. Perhaps that’s why Time Magazine named the Droid the “Device of the Year”. Subsequent news of a Google branded phone only fanned the competitive flames between Google and Apple.

Mobile VoIP Makes Waves

For years, pundits have been speculating about the arrival of mobile VoIP (I am sure at least blog or article in the next 14 days will proclaim that 2010 is the year). While I wouldn’t argue that mobile VoIP is here, or that it will soon be, it was a major component of the previous 2 storylines. One of the motivating factors behind the FCC looking into mobile operator behavior is carriers’ ability to block certain types of traffic (e.g. VoIP). In addition, Google Voice, while not technically a VoIP service, drew the ire of the FCC under allegations that it was blocking calls to rural areas. Also, the recent rumors surrounding the Google Phone indicate it may be an unlocked phone that will be sold without carrier subsidy, and configured to offer free VoIP calls. While mobile VoIP may not be mainstream, it sure is having an impact on the industry.

HD Voice Goes Mainstream

GIPS has been trumpeting the cause of wideband speech since the company’s inception. While the technology saw a great deal of adoption with the launch of PC-based calling services, it wasn’t until the marketing-friendly name “HD Voice” came along that it really took off. The number of companies announcing HD voice solutions, combined with industry organizations pushing for adoption of the technology, point to a potential for mass acceptance of a new standard of voice quality.

I finally got my feet wet in Windows Mobile development this month and discovered why it’s not a popular platform anymore; it’s not very enjoyable to develop on. 

To get started, I spent a day or so downloading and installing all the needed software, which is not too bad, compared to the laborious registration and installation work involved in setting up an iPhone development environment. 

However, when I tried to run a phone emulator, it popped up a window saying there’s a gwes.exe problem and that I needed to report to Microsoft. I searched the Internet for solutions, and tried some methods suggested by developers, but none worked. Instead of dealing with the emulator, I decided to just stick to downloading the image to a phone each time and test running it there. 

The next set of problems came from the ARM assembler. It complained about some assembly code that seemed to be perfect ARM9E instructions. Like usual, I posted the problem to a developer’s forum, in this case, the official Windows Mobile Developer Forum moderated by Microsoft, hoping to get a quick answer from some experienced developers. No helped showed up, but I managed to find a somewhat awkward workaround. Since I thought it might be helpful to others, I posted it as a follow up on the forum. Several days later I saw a solid “Marked As Answer by xxx, Moderator” stamp on it. 

In contrast, Apple’s iPhone Developer Forum, provides answers to some hard technical questions quickly and, it’s always a pleasure to know many other developers in the community are exchanging ideas and trying to help. To be fair, there are also lots of active developers in the Windows Mobile Forum, but my experience was still substandard. 

This all makes me look forward to possible Android development. I would be interesting to see how Google sets me up .

So, it turns out the heavily rumored Google phone  exists, but there is much we still don’t know. I read a good piece this morning that covers the topic quite nicely, but here are what I consider the biggest unanswered questions:

1)      Can the Google phone be successful without carrier assistance? The current phone handed out to Google employees is unlocked. Most of the rumors around the phone seem to indicate that will continue to be the case. If this is true, it begs the question of how successful a phone can be that, according to Om Malik, will most likely cost $400-$600. American consumers are accustomed to buying subsidized phones bundled with service through a major carrier. While the overall cost of the Google phone might be comparable to or even cheaper than other smartphones when one considers the 2 year service contracts they usually come with, the large upfront cost will still require a major paradigm shift for people used to a $100-$200 price tag.

 2)      How will Motorola and other manufacturers of Android phones react to what appears to be a competitive offering from a current partner, and how will the move impact Android’s market share? I have said that I think the open approach Google had been following until now would prove more successful than Apple’s closed model of bundling hardware and software. Malik disagrees, comparing the Google phone launch with Microsoft’s unsuccessful strategy of competing with the iPod. He claims Microsoft rested on their laurels and launched the Zune too late in the game, and that Google needs to aggressively go after the iPhone before it gobbles up too much market share. However, I think the market for mobile devices is more closely related to the PC market than the MP3 player market. As great as the iPod is, it is an incredibly simple device. At its core, it is just a hard drive with a media player. The growth of the smartphone market can largely be attributed to the kind of functionality (web browsing, email, social networking, applications) that is typically reserved for more advanced devices like PCs. While Apple has been successful in that market, they are dwarfed by Microsoft in terms of the number of end users, largely due to Microsoft’s strategy of sticking to what they do best (software) and offering it on a variety of hardware platforms. In one sense the Google phone may be even more open if it remains unlocked because users can take it to any provider they like. In addition, this design should make it easier for developers to create apps, encouraging the growth of the Android Marketplace. However, I was hoping to see a variety of Android devices continue to proliferate. Google may still choose to offer their OS on multiple phones, but their latest move seems to be a step away from that strategy.

Speaking of carriers, there was an interesting article in the New York Times today about the impact of the iPhone on AT&T’s network.  You can read it for yourself, but the gist is that the iPhone’s poor reception may actually have more to do with the device than network capacity.

A few months ago, I wrote a post about my struggle to find a decent mobile phone. My conclusion was that I liked the iPhone’s features, but the lack of a full keyboard was a major inhibitor, and I didn’t like the religion that surrounds Apple products. So I continued with my Blackberry Curve in no hurry to get a new phone. Then a few weeks ago, I saw the first Droid commercial and knew there was a good chance I would end up buying it. Well, as fate would have it, the day after the Droid was released, my Blackberry decided to stop receiving SMS and emails. You can guess how this story ends.

Now, I could do an in-depth analysis of the phone and all its features, but there are hundreds of blogs and news articles that have already covered that ground. Let’s just say, I like the Droid. Its way better than my old Blackberry, but isn’t perfect (note to self: remember to ask if a phone will work outside the US before you buy one). However, I have been amazed at how engaged people are when they notice that I have a Droid. I have had dozens of conversations in the last couple weeks about the phone. People want to know how I like it, and especially how it compares to the iPhone. It is this last point that I find most interesting.

Right after I got the Droid, the developer of the iPhone Facebook app announced he was leaving that project due to the cumbersome App Store approval process. That same week, while I was struggling with what I can only guess was walking pneumonia, I read a piece in SF Weekly about the founders of Pystar, a company which sells low-cost computers pre-loaded with the Mac OS, and their legal battles with Apple. These two stories, combined with the consistent refrain from iPhone enthusiasts about the number of apps available through iTunes, made me realize how vulnerable the iPhone may be to competition.

As it stands, the iPhone is the unquestioned popular leader in the smartphone market (though last I checked it still trailed Blackberry). However, is it possible that Apple’s iPhone strategy could yield results similar to those for personal computers? Mac, no doubt, has carved out a very nice niche for itself. However, it still only accounts for just over 5%  of the PC market. Macs are very nice computers, but they are expensive and, Pystar aside, you can only get the MAC OS on an Apple computer. Will Android’s more open business model, where you can theoretically run the Android OS on any phone, over any network, prove more successful? Will iPhone’s supposed advantage in 3^rd party apps disappear as developers realize they don’t have to go through a long and possibly arbitrary approval process to get their apps on Android? Obviously only time will tell, but from what I have seen, Android seems well positioned to take over as leader in the smartphone market.

The gloves are off and the iPhone looks to finally have decent competition here in the US with the release of Droid today. AT&T’s exclusive agreement with Apple has pushed its competitor Verizon to develop their own phone that directly competes with iPhone.

It’s great to see a new smartphone on the market that has consumers and sour anti-Apple fans excited. It hasn’t caught the same trailblazing buzz that the iPhone created – but it’s doing a good job of getting noticed.

The advert below says it all and I must admit I would be tempted to leave AT&T/iPhone if my contract was nearly up.

Earlier this week in a timely shot across the bow, or perhaps chest puffing,  Apple announced that its  application store, now has “over  100,000 applications available” and added “the iPhone SDK created the first great platform for mobile applications and our customers are loving all of the amazing apps our developers are creating.”

The iPhone currently has 125,000 developers in its program and more than 2 billion downloads – plus it’s a global phone unlike the Droid, which is available only in the US.  However, with more phones being developed on the Android platform some predict that Android based phones will overtake Apple in market share by 2012.

However, when it comes down to it – Apple is currently the standard for smartphones and every smartphone, including Droid, is defining itself on how it compares to the iPhone. Let the applications, chest-puffing and games begin.