November 17th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Jason Harris
Nokia logo
Nokia, the current leader in global smartphone sales, is looking to step up advertising for their Nseries brand of multi-media computers. As a result, the Finnish mobile handset giant will invest $150 Million to get the word out about these connected Nseries life devices.
On a local note, Wieden & Kennedy, a local Portland-based adversing firm, has been awarded the advertising deal. Nokia and W+K are not strangers, as Wieden and Kennedy were the lead agency on a previous $260 advertising deal with Nokia on devices not including NSeries.
Nokia has an uphill battle with Nseries devices as the company recently reported a drop in profits for Q3 2008 of around 30%. With competition coming from Apple’s iPhone and Google Android devices, Nokia wants to teach the masses masses about the utility and appeal of the Nseries line of mobile handsets.
[via AdAge]
Posted in: mobile, nokia, tech news/notes
Tags: nokia, nseries, Wieden and Kennedy
November 14th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Jason Harris
For those who ride the Ferry across the Puget Sound, Wi-Fi on the ferry is a much needed link and provides a great escape during the hour-long Ferry voyage.
Today, Boingo is announcing that they have acquired the contract to run the WSDOT Ferries from Parsons Transportation Group. As a result, Boingo will offer Wi-Fi in 11 ferry stations and onboard the 15 Ferries that cross the Puget Sound. The Ferries and Terminal stations now join the thousands of other Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.
As I’ve discussed before, Boingo is a great service that offers well managed, fast, and inexpensive Wi-Fi service. Rates start at $7.95 for mobile phones worldwide, and wireless access for a computer is a mere $21.95 per month. Not a bad deal if you’re on the road.
Posted in: mobile, tech news/notes
Tags: boingo, wifi
November 11th, 2008 / 1 Comment » / by Jason Harris
One recent Saturday, I was at my my in-laws’ vacation house. I sat down this Saturday afternoon with intent of watching the University of Oregon Duck football team play. My in-laws have cable TV, but their cable package doesn’t include FSN NW, the station the Duck game was being televised on.
In a moment of disappointment, I sent out a message on Twitter about my despair. Friend and follower Brian Westbrook reminded me about Slingbox [he reviewed on KOMO-TV here]. I had WiFi, just no access to FSN. After downloading the software and entering some quick configuration information, I was watching the game within minutes! It was amazing to be able to watch the live game from my MacBook Pro.
To this point, I had heard of SlingBox, but never *got* the utility of the concept behind the technology. Being able to watch TV from my cable box from wherever I am is a powerful use of Internet technology.
I look forward to being able to review and experiment further with Sling. When I get the opportunity, I’ll report back here, of course. 
Does anyone have any related Sling stories? I look forward to the comments!
Posted in: tech news/notes
Tags: sling, sling media, slingbox
November 5th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Jason Harris
Ever use BrightKite, Shizzow, Fire Eagle, trying to find out where your friends are and how you can meet up with them, only to feel a little let down with the quality of these applications?
Personally, I’ve always longed for a Twitter-like map view that gave me presence information on where my friends are and what they’re doing. Sort of like a cross between Twitter and FireEagle, overlaid on a map.
Well, apparently I’m not the only one who wished this. The fine folks out of Espoo have introduced Nokia Friend View. After you accept friends and build up your own little social network, you can use Friend View to see where your friends are and see their last micro-blog (or Tweet) from that location.
The arrows on the map are color coded, so green means they recently checked-in at that location and grey indicates the update from the location is older.
The application uses GPS to pin-point your location, but if a GPS signal is not available (if you’re in a place with tall buildings), you can select your location manually.
Also, you can use Friend View from a web browser too - meaning you can use Friend View on your mobile or on your computer!
Watch the video below for more info:
Posted in: mobile, nokia
Tags: lbs, location based service, nokia friend view, twitter
November 3rd, 2008 / 1 Comment » / by Jason Harris
Note: This post was also included as a guest post on ReadWriteWeb.
Can mobile phones be an effective tool in the fight against AIDS? A new group of organizations believe they can.
Last week, in conjunction with the PopTech! conference, the Praekelt Foundation and partner organizations announced a new effort that will use the power of mobile messaging to help fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in South Africa. Project Masiluleke will utilize the power of the mobile phones as a low-cost way to deliver health-related information and prompt call-ins to call centers for those affected by these health care crises.
As discussed here and elsewhere before, South Africa is a country with an amazingly high mobile phone adoption rate - around 90%. Unfortunately, South Africa is also a country that has around 1000 HIV/AIDS related deaths ever day. Project Masiluleke, which means “to give wise council” or “lend a helping hand” in Zulu, aims to use the mobile phone as a communication conduit between doctor’s visits. The project’s intent is to bring those with HIV and TB into the healthcare system earlier, when the diseases can be most effectively treated and/or slowed.
Project M, as it’s being called, consists of four major components.
Drawing Perspective Patients In
First, the team behind Project M will use “Please Call Me” (PCM) messages to prompt citizens to call into a HIV/AIDS call center. Trained call center operators will provide healthcare information, counseling, and referrals to local testing clinics. Please Call Me messages are a wildly-popular SMS-like message that prompt a party to call the requesting party. PCM messages are used heavily in South Africa, roughly 25 million PCM messages are sent every day. PCM messages will be adapted by the Project M team to deliver advertisements prompting recipients to call into HIV/AIDS call centers if they are in need of health-related resources.
In the second part of the project, the Project M team will use TxtAlert, a text messaging reminder system developed by Praekelt Foundation, to send out SMS messages to remind patients of upcoming clinic visits. As it stands, only 10% of South Africans with AIDS are actively receiving anti-retroviral therapy. TxtAlert will help remind patients who are enrolled in these therapy programs to attend their visits, enhancing their care.
Reaching Out, Mobily
As a third part of Project M, a virtual call center will be initiated and built. Existing AIDS/HIV helplines will be enhanced by using teams of highly trained and committed HIV+ patients. This group of peer counselors will be made up of “gold star” patients who are knowledgeable about their about their illness and are committed to providing high-quality advice and guidance to those who are dealing with the emotional weight of an HIV diagnosis. The peer counselors will be selected and trained by NGO and government officials.
The virtual call center counselors will be available via mobile phone and will field questions remotely. Not only will the virtual call center create thousands of jobs, but those who call into the call center will be connected with a nurturing voice to help console and distribute quality information.
The fourth and final piece of Project M involves at-home HIV testing with mobile support. Unfortunately, with such a high population of HIV infected persons, the South African healthcare system isn’t fully capable of handle the tremendous load. Also, South Africans who may be HIV positive avoid the lines to get tested because of the stigma of being seen in line.
To help battle this, the Project M team will employ mobile testing stations that can conduct the blood test in one’s home, giving them privacy. Trained councilors will also be on hand to administer guidance and advice in case it is needed. The concept of an at-home test has been well received by the South African government and healthcare officials. A mobile testing solution would be welcome in rural areas where the testing resources are most needed.
Lots of Players Involved
The team behind Project M is made up of various organizations including businesses, NGOs and government agencies. The major players include the Praekelt Foundation, mobile network operator MTN, design firm frog design, National Geographic, and NGOs such as LifeLine Southern African and World-Class Advisors.
So Much At Stake
There is no doubt that the mobile phone represents a huge opportunity to disseminate information to huge groups of people quickly and cheaply. It is refreshing to see so many organizations involved with Project M including mobile network operators, mobile technology firms, NGOs and government officials, all united to help potential victims of dreaded diseases.
This time of effort and coordination, if applied to more social causes, would bring tangible change in many areas of need. We send kudos to Project Masiluleke and we will continue to track the progress of the project on an ongoing basis.
Posted in: mobile
Tags: AIDS, HIV, mobile messaging, praekelt, sms
October 30th, 2008 / 3 Comments » / by Jason Harris
Introduction
I have tried a few Nokia NSeries phones and I have been impressed thus far. With that, Nokia’s Blogger Relations Program recently included me in a trial of the Nokia E71, the Finnish mobile handset maker’s follow up to their extremely popular E61 and E61i handsets. For my thoughts on the E61i, see my review in the archives.
At First Glance
This phone, at first look, is drop dead gorgeous. It’s sleek styling includes a shiny metal case dominated by a bright and sizable lanscape-oriented screen. The phone is about the same height and width of an iPhone, yet noticeably thinner. A full QWERTY keyboard take up the bottom third of the phone’s face and are joined by a directional pad and dedicated keys for the home screen, calendar, contact list, and email application.
The E71 isn’t a touch screen phone like the iPhone, but in my opinion this is good! The E71 has actual buttons that give tactile feedback which is invaluable when composing an email or SMS message. I have never been able to get used to the iPhone’s on-screen keyboard, so I’m happy the E71 has a full keyboard.
The metal back of the E71 has been punched to create an extremely effective non-slip surface. In months of using the E71, it has never fallen out of my hand; a rarity for a modern mobile handset.
The E71 demands your attention when you see it. I have had iPhone owners tell me they like the aesthetics better than their beloved Apple device.
In the E71 box, you will find a USB cable, the handset itself and a battery, instruction booklet, a nice looking leather case and carrying strap, and a software CD. Also, Nokia includes a week of voice-guided navigation with the Nokia Maps application.
Functionality
The E71 is a loaded handset when it comes to features and capabilities. The phone features Quad-Band GSM calling and support for 3G networks. There are two versions of the E71, one for North America (that supports AT&T’s 3G network), and the E71-1 which supports 3G networks in Europe and Asia. In addition to 3G support, the E71 can also utilize wi-fi networks, has a built-in GPS chip with assisted GPS, and sports a 3.2 megapixel camera. The phone takes Micro-SD cards, allowing for massive storage capabilities.
On the software side, the E71 is fully loaded and capable. The phone comes with out of the box support for Exchange email via Nokia’s Mail For Exchange client. Along with syncing email, Mail for Exchange will also sync your Outlook Calendar items, Tasks, and Contacts.
Also, utilizing Nokia Email (currently in Beta), you can have push email from whoever your email service happens to be. I have been using Nokia Email with my Gmail account and the service has been flawless. Having my personal and work email, schedule, and tasks on one mobile handset has been a blessing.
Based on Symbian 9.2 Feature Pack 1, the E71 has thousand and thousands of applications available for download. Unlike the Apple iPhone and the corresponding iTunes App Store, there is no central authority who says which apps are “blessed” and which aren’t. This factor makes for a variety of applications available.
The native applications onboard the E71 include the fantastic webkit-based browser, Mail for Exchange, Nokia Maps, Nokia Sports Tracker, a Barcode scanner, RealPlayer software, FM tuner, podcasting application, voice recorder, and many other useful applications.
Messaging
There is no doubt, the E71 was created for messaging. This phone was made to send emails, text messages, conduct instant messaging conversations, and do it all in style at the same time. As I stated before, you can have multiple mailboxes set up so you can receive mail from all your various email sources. The on board keyboard feels comfortable and is easy to type on and the auto-fill feature makes composing messages a breeze.
The E71 supports IMAP4, POP, SMTP, and Exchange email protocols, making it very flexible when it comes to email messaging.
Performance
The E71 is by far the fastest Symbian phone I have ever used. I noted in my review of the N95 that going through menus seemed sluggish at times. This is not the case with the E71. Nokia equipped the E71 adequate memory and processing power to make this a zippy handset, even with multiple applications open at the same time. Additionally, switching applications is quick and easy. Opening messages is a snap, along with composing them. Up until my exposure to the E71, I thought the N82 set the bar for speed on a Symbian phone. Not any longer - the E71 takes the cake.
GPS performance is stellar on the E71. The GPS chip quickly locks onto satellites, pinpointing my exactly location, normally within 10 seconds of me starting the Nokia Maps application. Having voice-guided navigation on my person at all times has come in handy when trying to find a location with friends, either on foot or in a car.
The E71’s voice quality, like every other Nokia handset I’ve trialed, has been stellar. Callers say I sound crisp and clear and to me, caller’s voices sound remarkably good.
Another shining point for the E71: battery life. The phone features a tall, thin battery that takes up almost the entire back of the phone, but it provides enough juice to last me 2 days between charges, even with heavy data use. Most smartphones I’ve used require a charge each night, but this hasn’t been the case with the E71.
If there was one area of complaint with the E71, it would have to be the camera. Being spoiled by the Nseries, devices with their 5 MP cameras, I was expecting more from the E71. The 3.2 MP camera is fine for little snapshots here and there, but image quality overall leaves much to be desired. In the devices defense however, this is a “business” phone.
Conclusion
In short, the E71 is a fantastic looking device that does what any connected consumer or business person needs from a mobile handset and more. This phone will keep you in touch with the office, navigate you to your destinations, allow you to take good (not great) looking photos and upload them to Flickr, and allow you to watch your video podcasts all in one device.
This phone is definitely an iPhone competitor in terms of being an all-in-one Internet connected device. It’s user interface isn’t as sexy, but the E71 gets it done with regards to messaging and Internet access. The E71 is probably more accurately phrased as a Blackberry competitor.
The design and build-quality of the E71 is captivating. The landscape nature of the screen makes for easy reading of web content and messages.
Nokia really knocked the ball out of the park with the E71, aside from the OK image quality, the E71 deserves a look if you are seeking a modern smartphone.
The Nokia E71 lists for $500, however I saw the North American version on sale at Amazon.com recently for $345. Keep in mind this is an unlocked phone, so you are not bound by any contract to any phone carrier when you purchase the E71.
If you decide to pick up an E71, do me a favor and use the link below. It helps me out by paying part of the hosting fees for this site.
Posted in: apple, daily stuff, mobile, nokia, product reviews, tech news/notes
Tags: e71, n95, nokia, product review
October 25th, 2008 / 1 Comment » / by Jason Harris
Editor’s Note:
This post is the first in a two-part series based on: 1) The African mobile marketplace and how Africans utilize their mobile phones and 2) how organizations are using social marketing to reach this highly mobile population for social change. The series is based on a conversation I had with Gustav Praekelt, a mobile entrepreneur located in South Africa.
This post is the second in a two-part series based on: 1) the African mobile marketplace and how Africans utilize their mobile phones; and 2) how organizations are using social marketing to reach this highly mobile population for social change.
The series is based on a conversation I had with Gustav Praekelt, a mobile entrepreneur located in South Africa. In this post we explore how mobile technology is being used for social good in Africa.
The Mobile Phone’s Expansive Reach and The Massive Outreach Opportunity
Africa is an expansive and growing mobile market. With 300 million mobile accounts and more being added each day, the mobile phone presents a far-reaching outreach opportunity for marketers. However, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are also excited at the possibility of being able to send messages to 300 million people at the push of a button.
The Praekelt Foundation, a charitable outreach of Praekelt Consulting , is taking their knowledge of web and mobile technologies and finding ways to help Africa’s needy. The Foundation finds, attracts, and incubates projects to reach out to Africa’s under-served populations. Praekelt Foundation’s current projects are all health-focused, but the organization is actively seeking other avenues to assist Africa’s Mobile-based under-served people.
SocialTxt
SocialTxt is a project that utilizes Please Call Me (PCM) systems. To understand what a PCM message is, one must look at the nature of the African mobile market. In North America, the vast majority of cell phone customers pay on a postpaid basis, meaning most of us pay X amount of dollars for Y amount of minutes. However in Africa, the opposite as true, roughly 85-90% of customers utilize pre-paid SIMs to make and receive mobile phone service. In some African countries like Nigeria, pre-paid customers account for as much as 95% of the mobile market.
In these pre-paid dominant markets, when you run out of call credit, you can’t make outgoing calls or SMS messages. To get someone to call you, you might ring them once or beep them. To respond to all this traffic generated on the mobile phone network, mobile network operators invented Please Call Me messages as a way to prompt your friends or family to call you back. A Please Call Me message is merely a SMS-like message that prompts the recipient to call the number of the requester. The PCM messages are free to send for mobile customers, up to 6 per day.
PCM messages are extremely popular in South Africa, of which 30 million messages are sent a day in a country with a population of around 47 million people.
PCM messages, in recent years, have been used by advertisers and marketers as a vehicle for marketing. Praekelt and his colleagues saw the PCM system as a tool for social change. The Praekelt Foundation thereby approached a network operator about a year ago and convinced the company to work with the Foundation to conduct a trial of positive social impact advertising.
The PCM message offers 120 characters that the Foudation and it’s partners to utilize. For example, a message can be sent to encourage the recipient to call an HIV call center or medical center. The messages fill a need, as Praekelt said, “This is not fancy technology and most of the PCM message users are at the bottom of the social economic chain. These are people who don’t have TV’s, so programs such as SocialTxt give companies and groups a great way to reach these previously un-reachable portions of the population.”
To enhance the PCM message, Praekelt Foundation, in partnership with health-focused NGOs, can insert a WAP link to a mobile website or a phone number to an interactive voice response system allowing for further health-related information to reach HIV-stricken patients.
With SocialTxt, the Praekelt Foundation has teamed up with partners such as the national HIV/AIDS Call Centeres, People Opposing Women Abuse, Netcare/Vodocom Cleft Lip Campaign, and Khomanani Zithande Campaign.
TxtAlert
HIV/AIDS is a health epidemic at the forefront of Africa’s focus for health outreach. Of 33 million people in the world who are HIV Positive, 22 million of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of those 22 million, 5 million are in South Africa alone. This means, as Praekelt points out, that roughly 10% of the world’s HIV-positive population lives in South Africa.
TxtAlert is a project that uses SMS messages to remind HIV patients to go to the health clinic for their next visit. In addition to notifying patients of the upcoming appointments, TxtAlert also requests them to reschedule if they are unable to attend. These efforts are aimed at keeping patients engaged in their treatment programs and to deter them from discontinuing their HIV/AIDS treatment programs.
The Praekelt Foundation’s research found that even though most of the partner clinic’s patients were jobless, more than 90% of these patients have at least one working cell phone in their household. Naturally, SMS is a viable communication method in such a situation.
In addition to prompting patients to attend their appointments, TxtAlert is being used by health clinics to incentivize those who come to the clinic as well. After a patient attends an appointment, TxtAlert will send the patient a text saying “Thank you for coming to the clinic, remember your next appointment is coming up on “. The patient will then receive a reminder text 90 days before the appointment, 2 weeks prior and so on. Well performing patients get free airtime and cell phones as incentives for coming in.
The Praekelt Foundation and partner clinics are experiencing favorable results with SocialTxt. On average, a typical clinic will have a 15% no-show rate for patient appointments. However, when a clinic utilizes SocialTxt, those rates drop to around 3%.
Praekelt points out that a great factor about SocialTxt is that deploying the system doesn’t require vast amounts of capital and infrastructure. The main building block is an electronic patient record system and the rest is done behind the scenes by the TxtAlert software. The system is highly scalable as usage and needs rise. The Praekelt Foundation is currently working with a pilot clinic with about 10,000 users on the system. However, they are adding more clinics and will soon be up to 120,000 users on the SocialTxt system.
A third project utilizing SocialTxt will be unveiled at the Pop!Tech conference in October. Pop!Tech gave funding to the Praekelt Foundation to send out thousands of PCM messages regarding HIV/AIDs education.
Mobilisr
Mobile messaging is a far-reaching conduit for reaching a mass audience. The Praekelt Foundation, along with co-lead organization Cell-Life, is working to build an open source, high speed and highly reliable mobile messaging platform called Mobilisr.
Mobilisr could be used for health-related outreach, but also be used by governments and public-safety organizations to send out messages relating to: human rights monitoring, elections monitoring, emergency alerts, conducting public surveys, or could even be used by a group to organize protests.
Prakelt also told me that Mobilisr is enabling customers to conduct SMS voting (much like American Idol’s text messaging voting system). The problem with the existing SMS voting systems, as he explains, is that they are built on proprietary systems. Te Prakelt Foundation is working with NGO’s (such as Cell-Life) to build SMS based pledge lines and incentive systems built upon WAP sites.
Mobilisr just launched on October 1st. It will be interesting to see how the technology is employed by NGOs and other groups for social good.
Conclusion
With mobile phone technology spreading so rapidly across the African continent, there are many opportunities to reach out to Africa’s under-served population. Any vehicle that offers access to the population should be exploited. It’s a shame that many people in these groups are being ignored, even though many of them have mobile phones.
It is great to see organizations such as the Praekelt Foundation working with mobile network operators, health clinics, and NGOs to connect Africa’s under-served population with the care and services they need to be happy, informed, and perhaps more healthy.
About The Author
Jason Harris is a technology and mobile enthusiast based in Portland, Oregon. To connect with Jason or read more of his posts, check out his blog at Techcraver.com.
Photo: Paul Watson
Posted in: Interviews, mobile, nokia, tech news/notes, web2.0
Tags: Africa, AIDS, HIV, mobilizr, praekelt, socialtxt, South Africa, txtalert
October 24th, 2008 / 2 Comments » / by Jason Harris
Image Courtesy: Paul Watson
Editor’s Note:
This post is the first in a two-part series about 1) the African mobile marketplace and how Africans utilize their mobile phones; and 2) how organizations are using social marketing to reach this highly mobile population for social change.
The series is based on a conversation I had with Gustav Praekelt, a mobile entrepreneur located in South Africa.
This post is was also published as a guest post on ReadWriteWeb.
Africa: An Emerging Market?
Running Through the Numbers:
Africa is a continent which is inhabited by roughly 1 billion people. Astoundingly, the “Dark Continent” has been a fertile market for the mobile industry, with 300 million Africans currently carrying an active mobile account. This is an adoption rate of around 30% on a continent that is not known for having an affluent population.
In some African countries, mobile adoption nears 80-90%. Specifically in South Africa, which has a population of 47 million people, 42 million carry and use mobile networks.
Like the rest of the world, excluding North America, most African mobile customers opt for pre-paid mobile phone accounts. In South Africa, only 10% choose to have a service agreement with a specific mobile network operator. In some African countries, pre-paid customers account for 95-96% of the mobile customer base.
Going High Speed
More people in South Africa have 3G high speed-capable handsets than traditional wireline broadband. Praekelt says “traditional broadband is just not going to happen here.” He also added that South Africa was the second place in the world to receive an HSDPA network following only Germany. Because a strong traditional broadband infrastructure doesn’t exist in South Africa, there aren’t many Wi-Fi hotspots to accommodate wireless consumer needs. HSDPA gives customers high speed capable networks that are highly practical and portable at the same time.
Only a few countries on the African continent have 3G including Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Mauritius, South Africa, and Swaziland. In the next year however, many new countries will come on board with 3G data service. However, not all customers will be able to afford 3G handsets right away.
With adoption numbers around 30%, how many of these mobile customers are using the mobile Internet? According to Praekelt, only 1-2%. However, some mobile websites based in Nigeria are attracting up to 200,000 users. Prakelt noted that when he was recently in Lagos, he saw people with 3G handsets even though such a network has yet to be built.
Finally, I asked Praekelt how many African’s have smartphones. He replied by saying adoption is very low at around 5% at best. In some demographics, as much as 10% of mobile handset sales are smartphones. For example. his company built a mobile advertising platform that required a smartphone. The campaign, featured on a local radio show as a trial, drew 10% of 18-24 year olds.
Even though smartphone adoption may be low, 50% of African mobile customers use WAP services. Even though smartphones feature rich internet applications, most modern cell phones have browsers in them that enable users to download ringtones and use WAP sites.
Africa as An Inviting Mobile Market
Almost every African country has at least three major mobile network operators. However, initially in the 1990’s, none of the major international carriers thought Africa was worthwhile to explore as a potential market. A few key mobile network operators including Vodafone, Celltell (now called Zain), and MTN explored certain African geographies, selected markets and, as a result, cleaned up in terms of market share. In Africa, Vodafone network has 7 territories, Celltell has 10-15 territories and MTN has 21 territories. Local companies understood the emerging environment and the challenges ahead and built out wireless networks. Now they are benefiting from these early bets.
It is astounding how these mobile network operators are able to thrive in markets where average revenue per user (ARPU) is relatively low. For example, in the North American market, normal ARPU is around $60-$70 per month. But in markets such as Africa and India it is much less. AirTel in India has the world’s lowest ARPU, however, they area able to turn a respectable profit by making it up in volume with massive subscriber counts.
According to Praekelt, an inviting regulatory environment makes it possible for mobile network operators to come in and do business in Africa. Also, traditional copper phone lines take so long to get that wireless is a no-brainer to most customers who need communications solutions. The long wait for a traditional phone line, combined with firece wireless competition caused wireless phone service prices to go down, leading to success for mobile network operators.
Regarding Open Source and Mobile Handset Adoption, and the iPhone
I asked Praekelt what impact the open source on mobile movement would have in Africa. With developments such as the LiMo Foundation pushing Linux on Mobile, Nokia buying and open sourcing Symbian, and Google’s Android now on the market, how will this impact emerging markets? Prawkelt replied, “In a word: nothing”.
He expanded by illustrating that Finnish handset maker Nokia has gained such a solid footing in the mobile handset market, “almost everyone is on Nokia.”
Nokia is successful in markets such as Africa because they make such a wide array of handsets with a plethora of feature sets and price points. Nokia has a huge market share because they market cell phones that are cheap, expensive, and everywhere in between. Nokia has been able to be successful on both the high and low end of the price spectrum. Plus, Africans like Nokia handsets because they find them easy to use. Oddly enough, the Nokia E90 communicator is quite popular in Africa because it is the one phone that can do almost anything, as Praekelt points out. A very practical device, the E90 features 3G connectivity, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a large screen, adding to it’s popularity.
Additionally, application developers are attracted to the Nokia/Symbian platform because of its “openness”. For example, a programmer working on Symbian can release mobile applications and services in a non-walled garden environment, unlike Apple iPhone developers. Many African mobile users depend on functionality that is locked out by the iPhone, such as full access to the Bluetooth stack and MMS capabilities.
In Praekelt’s opinion, no one will be able to afford an Android handset. An entry-level Android handset might appeal to some Africans, but only if it’s offered at a low price but only time will tell, as Praekelt stated.
Also, looking at the iPhone, Praekelt doesn’t anticipate these devices taking off in South Africa as purchasing the Apple mobile phone requires a contract with a specific mobile carrier. Plus, at present, South Africans are unable to access the iTunes store for purchasing music and media. The iPhone will likely appeal only to extremely rich persons who are willing to pay $500 for a mobile phone.
This mentality regarding the iPhone carries over to other emerging markets as well. In areas such as Africa, India, and China, iPhone sales are not strong. This means you have 3 billion people who are overlooking Apple’s iPhone. The iPhone has been effective in advancing usability in the mobile phone industry through competitiveness, however, the platform is too closed off for many customers in emerging markets.
How Africans Use Their Mobiles: Making Easy Mobile Payments
Africa is home to the largest mobile-based payment network in the world, M-Pesa is a mobile payment system that allows users to exchange money via SMS. A cross between PayPal and Western Union, M-Pesa works with pre-paid mobile calling credit. If you wish to pay a friend or colleague, you can simply use SMS to transfer money his M-Pesa account, resulting in a credit to his calling balance. You can even go to an M-Pesa agent and get cash payments from your M-Pesa balance.
What makes Africa a great environment for a mobile payment system? It’s a matter of their economic and societal make up. Most of the one billion people in Africa do not have bank accounts. For example in South Africa, only 13 million out of 47 million people have bank accounts. Of these, only 2 or 3 million have traditional internet access that would allow them to log in to their bank account online to transfer money. For a population who deals mostly in cash, being able to transfer money via a mobile phone payment system presents a huge opportunity to them.
Leapfrogging PC’s and Going Mobile
If you look at South Africa’s mobile adoption, virtually 100% of the population has a mobile phone (actual adoption is at roughly 91%, but excluding children, it’s close to 100%). This drastic adoption has occurred just 10-15 years after the first GSM network was launched in South Africa.
Western based companies who are building their website and web presence tend to think of their mobile internet site as an afterthought. What is often forgot is formating and structuring the site to appeal to mobile internet users in addition to ‘traditional’ PC-based Internet users. Mobile websites, in Praekelt’s experience, are referred to as “the same thing” when in reality the requirements for mobile are quite different. This mentality is not relevant in mobile-heavy populations such as Africa. In a society where virtually everyone is reachable by SMS, new marketing opportunities present themselves.
Mobile customers in Africa are leapfrogging the “traditional” web and going straight for massive WAP and mobile web adoption. 3G phones are available in countries such as Ghanda, Tanzania, and South Africa. Combine this capability with inexpensive 3G data rates and a fully-capable 3G phone such as the Nokia E90 Communicator, and you have a population of mobile consumers that sees the online world through an entirely new lens. As Praekelt stated, “with these capabilities, who needs a PC with web access?”
In the markets described above, traditional DSL or cable-modem based internet adoption is relatively flat and growth is linear. However, the mobile adoption is exponential year after year.
Conclusion
The adoption numbers and usage models found in Africa point to a population who has quickly taken an enabling technology and woven it into their daily lives. The next part of this series will illustrate how the Praekelt Foundation has teamed up with social organizations and NGOs to deliver mobile-based social marketing solutions for social good.
About the Author
Jason Harris is a technology and mobile enthusiast based in Portland, Oregon. To connect with Jason or read more of his posts, check out his blog at Techcraver.com.
Photo: Paul Watson
Posted in: Interviews, mobile, nokia, tech news/notes, web2.0
Tags: 3g, Africa, android, apple, Gustav Praekelt, hdspa, hspa, iphone, limo, M-Pesa, mobile social networking, mobile web, MTN, nokia, South Africa, Vodafone, Zain
October 21st, 2008 / No Comments » / by Jason Harris
What conduit do you use to notify your employees, friends, family, or colleagues if a dramatic event occurs? My alma matter, Oregon State University, has sought out a way to alert students, faculty, and other stakeholders in the event of some sort of emergency. We have the traditional emergency alert system that the media uses, but not all college students actively listen to the radio or watch TV. This is why the university is seeking some other way to reach out students and factulty.
One tie that binds virtually every college student these days is cell phones, which is why the OSU Public Safety Office has launched an Emergency Alert System that uses text messaging to alert students, faculty, and staff when needed. The events at Virginia Tech, Delaware, and Tennessee have taught us the value of being able to alert students, faculty, and staff at the push of a button.
The software behind the new emergency alert system is the Blackboard Connect-ED Service and will be used to reach the 26,000 faculty, staff, and students of Oregon State University. To get signed up with service, this audience is asked to visit alert.oregonstate.edu and input your phone numbers you wish to receive alerts from. The service is said to cost less than $2.00 per user to implement.
This is just another way those Beavers from Oregon State are using technology!
Posted in: mobile, tech news/notes
Tags: emergency alert system, Oregon State Unviersity, sms
October 10th, 2008 / 2 Comments » / by Jason Harris
Rafe Needleman of Cnet’s Webware recently posted about web companies that he sees as “troubled” and “on the brink”. On this listed, Needleman listed Skype among these web companies who are in trouble.
My thoughts: In an economy that is on the downturn, companies such as Skype will prosper. Skype allows communication either for free (if you are calling another Skype user), or extremely cheap (if you are calling traditional landlines and mobile phones). This is an extremely attractive offer to people who want to communicate.
Skype even offers subscriptions that allows users you to make unlimited calls to North American landlines and mobiles for $3.00 a month. So, with Skype download numbers and revenues doing very well, what about this equation makes anyone think the VoIP grandaddy has any chance of being “on the brink”?
Additionally, when looking at eBay’s balance sheet, the company itself has a questionably sustainable business model. However, Skype, as an eBay subsidy, is doing very well with rising revenues quarter after quarter.
I just don’t see the basis of the argument that Skype is on the brink in this down economy.
Posted in: tech news/notes, voip
Tags: cnet, skype, voip, webware