Wireless Federation

Telecom Analysts in Europe report that social networking could enhance usage of GPS and other Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs).

Proliferation of social networking sites that allow users to exchange GPS tracks and their outdoor experiences via geotagged pictures and other multimedia content, as well as geocaching and location-based entertainment applications are contributing to the success of outdoor GPS solutions.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

The New York Times has a story today about mobile social networking applications - particularly focusing on the new hot thing, Twitter, as well as Jaiku, social image site Radar, and Kyte. While the article doesn’t break any new ground, it does mention some Helio user numbers - saying some 70% of Helio’s 700,000 users (as of the end of last year) use integrated MySpace functionality.

Mobile social networking software, also called mososo by those people who want to make everything into a cute word, has been around for a few years, with some flashes in the pan such as Dodgeball, which Google seems to have not made up its mind about, breaking onto the scene a couple years ago to start the ball rolling. Text has continued to be the killer social app, and maybe Twitter has taken that a half-step forward. Kids today like the social aspects, but some apps’ complexity turns users off after a while. So, what’s the next killer mobile social app? GPS, like Boost Loopt or Helio’s BuddyBeacon? Viral video and images? Push-to-talk? Will it continue to be simple text messaging? Integration with the top social sites only? What new innovation might break this space open finally?

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

FierceMobileContent writes…On March 23rd, MTV Tr3s launched MTV Tr3s Mobile in New York as the first bilingual mobile channel targeted at Latino youth. MTV Tr3s Mobile focus on music and features the TV channel’s playlist of popular artists, including American artists such as Fall Out Boy and Akon, at the same time a large percentage of Latino artists such as Paulina Rubi…

Wireless Mobile Telecom

 

FierceMobileContent writes…Amp’d Mobile, the pioneer of fully integrated mobile entertainment, unveiled Amp’d version Motorola phone MOTO Q last week. A MOTO Q is designed for experiencing mobile entertainment, and targeted at today’s youth market who thrive on social networking and entertainment. According to Bruce Brda, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Mobi…

Wireless Mobile Telecom

 

FierceMobileContent writes…The US-based leader in Christian mobile content, Unity In Values (UIV), announced the launch of The Mobile Word Video Community, the world’s first mobile channel targeted at Christian youth. The main purpose of The Word Video is to give young consumers the opportunity to utilize technology to stay in touch with the community and share their spir…

Wireless Mobile Telecom

FierceMobileContent writes…With the launch of a new service that offers free calls and texts provided users are willing to receive adverts on their phones, Britain’s teenagers will no longer need to badger their parents for money to pay off their mobile phone bills. Blyk, a start-up run by the former president of Nokia, announced on March 26 it has signed deals with adver…

Wireless Mobile Telecom

FierceMobileContent writes…Just when we hear too many stories about the rise of multitasking, especially among the younger generation, the fact is that having grown up with multitasking, youth are just better at it. According to a New York Times article, people generally aren’t capable of handling multitasking very well. The author argues that although we see kids and young …

Wireless Mobile Telecom

 

FierceMobileContent writes…In February 2008, European mobile operators and content providers are introducing standards to safeguard children using mobile phones. These codes are part of a recent agreement brokered by the European Commission based on the fact that the use of mobile devices to connect to the Internet is rising. To adopt and implement the codes, operators…

Wireless Mobile Telecom

FierceMobileContent writes…Just when we are reading so much about the “end of the ‘album’ conceptâ€?, the latest news from The New York Times shows that even some major record labels are signing artists to only record a few songs. The fact is that only true fans are buying full albums, many music listeners don’t think in terms of albums any more, given the situation that they …

Wireless Mobile Telecom

AN OFFICIAL report into the safety of mobile phones will warn that adults’ and children’s use of the technology is in danger of “running out of control� despite previous warnings of possible health risks.
Sir William Stewart, chairman of the Health Protection Agency, is expected to say this week that new evidence of potential health problems reinforces the need for children to use the phones only for essential calls.

He issued similar advice five years ago and is known to be concerned that it has been largely ignored. The proportion of children with phones has doubled since then as companies have promoted their use to the young. Stewart, who has barred his own grandchildren from using the technology, accepts that although there is no proof that mobile phones damage health, children need to limit their use as a precaution.

His scientists believe that if there are as yet unknown risks from mobiles, children may be more vulnerable because of their developing nervous systems, the greater absorption of energy into the tissues of the head and a longer lifetime of exposure.

Stewart, chairman of the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), was appointed by the government to monitor mobile phone safety. His guidance, to be published on Tuesday, is expected to call on mobile telecoms companies to stop targeting children.

Among the most controversial moves have been attempts to encourage their use among children at primary schools. The British firm Communic8 recently launched MyMo, a phone aimed at children aged from four to eight.

According to a report by Mobile Youth, a mobile telecoms consultancy, a quarter of primary school children now own a mobile. The figure rises to 90% among 11 to 16-year-olds, according to research by Sheffield Hallam University.

The industry has directly challenged the NRPB’s advice that children should limit their use of mobiles. The Motorola website states: “There is no scientific basis to restrict the use of mobile phones by children and this remains a matter open for parental choice.�

The Stewart report is, however, expected to advise children and adults to take a “more precautionary approach�.

It will question whether mobile phone use is in danger of getting “out of control� and say that, though the weight of evidence does not show that mobile phones are dangerous, they have only been in use for a relatively short time and the possibility of health risks remains.

Of particular concern to the NRPB is a report published by researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute in October, which showed that people who had used mobile phones for 10 years or more had an increased risk of developing acoustic neuroma, a benign tumour regarded as serious because of its position next to brain tissue.

In December, EU-backed research found that mobile phones can potentially cause cancer. The £2.2m Reflex study did not prove that mobile phones represent a serious health risk but provided worrying results in laboratory tests.

Human tissue was exposed to mobile phone radiation and the results showed that the radiation was able to damage DNA in human cells.

A spokeswoman for the Mobile Operators Association, which represents the five UK network operators, said: “It is up to parents whether they give their children phones. They must weigh up the possibility of future unknown health risks with the security benefits to children of carrying a mobile.�

Wireless Mobile Telecom