According to the annual Mobile Life Report from the Carphone Warehouse, youngsters consider their mobile phone as their best friend and choose it over all other forms of electrical entertainment. Â
The report is the latest stage of a research project started in 2006 assesing the impact of mobile phones on people’s lives. The fifth report titled, Mobile Life Report 2008: the connected world, questioned 6,000 people in the UK and US to explore the relationship adults and youngsters have with mobile and internet technology.
Mediatrust writes….Media Trust has extended its services with the launch of a unique Youth Mentoring initiative, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport(DCMS). The Youth Mentoring initiative, launched on 28th February, is the first of its kind in England and will bring together media professionals and young people aged 14-25 at risk of anti-social behaviour to work together on specific projects.
Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy Duncan, Chairman of Media Trust and Chief Executive of Channel 4 and Robert Thomson, Editor of The Times launched the initiative at ITV. High profile media companies including BSkyB, ITV, BBC, Emap, Channel 4, Turner, Disney Channel UK, Warner Brothers, IPC Media, AOL and The Times have already joined up to the scheme, pledging to promote it among their staff and drive mentor sign-ups.
Organisations working with young people at risk are naturally placed to act as the gateway reaching this group and spreading the word about the Youth Mentoring opportunity. Barnardo’s, Foyer, The Prince’s Trust, YMCA England, Crime Concern, YCTV, Fairbridge, Dalston Youth Project, Live Magazine and UK Youth are among those already committed to the scheme.
The unique initiative will give young people access to a role model who will be able to offer a range of support including personal advice, encouragement, industry insights and guidance on specific projects. The vision of the initiative is to develop the skills and employability of young people and give them the chance to change their lives in a positive way.
Unlike many other mentoring schemes, Youth Mentoring will offer a “pick ‘n’ mix� range of programmes for mentors to choose from, including one to one and group mentoring with the option of a short or long term commitment. Youth Mentoring is open to anyone in the media industry, regardless of company, job title or department. All mentors will receive training before embarking on the programme.
Andy Duncan, Chairman of Media Trust said, “Media Trust’s Youth Mentoring is a fantastic way for the media industry to reach out to young people and ultimately help them to change the direction of their lives. I personally will be encouraging staff at Channel 4 to dedicate some time to this initiative, which will be enormously rewarding for both the mentor and the mentee.�
Robert Thomson, Editor, The Times said, “The Times is proud to be associated with Media Trust’s Youth Mentoring initiative. Those of us who are privileged to work in the media industry know that it is a creative, intelligent industry that has the ability to inspire and educate. We should seize this opportunity to work with young people to help them make informed decisions about their choice of career and to encourage people to find out more about what our industry has to offer.�
The initiative, funded by the DCMS, is part of the Government’s Respect Action Plan, aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour and creating a modern culture of respect. Youth Mentoring will initially concentrate on 14 key areas in England.
Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said, “This initiative will allow professionals across the whole media landscape to demonstrate how much this industry has to offer. But more than that, the mentors will be helping young people to find a new passion, something that will rekindle their sense of self confidence and self worth. And with the right support some of these young people will end up being the journalists, broadcasters and technicians of tomorrow.�
Youth Mentoring will sit alongside Media Trust’s existing services, including Media Matching, where media professionals are matched with charities to provide pro-bono or low-cost communications support. The launch of Youth Mentoring coincided with an event to thank Media Trust’s bank of media volunteers.
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Mediatrust writes….Media Trust, the charity that brings the media industry and charities together, launched Communication for the next generation today, 23rd January. The interactive guide is aimed at charities and offers advice on how to communicate with, and market to, young people. It was launched to an audience of charities at Media Trust’s “Successful Youth Marketingâ€? seminar.
A diverse range of top media industry figures have written articles and features for the guide, offering their insight and perspectives, including Mark Frith, Editor of heat, Jamie Kantrowitz, Senior VP Marketing and Content at MySpace Europe, Kenny Campbell, Editor of Metro and Celia Taylor, Channel Controller, Trouble and Challenge. Available free to charities, this invaluable resource contains practical tips, straight-talking advice and also de-mystifies some of the digital and online jargon which is second nature to the increasingly savvy youth market. Download the Guide (5.8MB) here (right click your mouse to save the document to your computer).
Communication for the next generation has been sponsored by Virgin Mobile and funded by v; an independent charity championing youth volunteering in England.
Katie Simpson, Head of Youth Media at Media Trust said, “We contacted publications such as Nuts, heat, Bliss and online communities such as MySpace as they are perfectly placed to tell charities exactly what appeals to, and excites young people. We deliberately cast the net wide and embraced media that are not traditionally associated with charities. This guide will go a long way in showing charities how to grab the attention of young people and hopefully entertain them along the way. In turn, we hope this will lead to heightened awareness among young people and the charities gaining that all-important brand loyalty.�
Contributor to the guide Pete Cashmore, Senior Writer at Nuts, sums up the typical Nuts reader: “We men are simple folks. We like girls, we like cars, we like games in which spherical objects are kicked at nets. If any or all of those features are worked into a story in some way, the chances are we are interested.�
The guide was launched at Media Trust’s “Successful Youth Marketing� seminar for charities today at Channel 4. High profile speakers included James Fabricant, Head of Marketing and Content MySpace UK and Mark Charkin, Head of Sales for UK and IE, Bebo.
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Wirelessfederation writes….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 controlâ€? 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.
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Fiercemobilecontent writes….Performing rights organization BMI released its annual projections for U.S. ringtone sales, for the first time forecasting U.S. ringback market projections as well. BMI anticipates the 2007 music ringtone market will decline to $550 million in retail sales, down $50 million from 2006; the decline should be offset in part by ringbacks, which the organization says will generate approximately $65 million this year. BMI’s estimates are based on more than 520 million individual ringtone.
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Fiercemobilecontent writes….Mobile content and applications developer Mobio announced a partnership with Times Internet Limited, the digital wing of Indian media conglomerate the Times Group and the parent company of web portal Indiatimes, to create and distribute mobile mash-up applications. Per terms of the deal, Mobio will serve as an exclusive distribution partner with nine Indian mobile operators, developing new applications including 2007 Cricket World Cup-themed services like “Indiatimes Cricket Stationâ€? for live scores and “Howzzat!!!â€? for fantasy cricket.
“Partnering with Indiatimes enables us to reach a vast population of mobile phone users that are excited to use the handset for a lot more than simple voice or SMS functionality,� said Mobio CEO Ramneek Bhasin in a prepared statement. “We are working closely with Indiatimes to create new applications that meet the unique requirements and interests of Indian consumers who use the mobile phone as their primary Internet connectivity device.
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Fiercemobilecontent writes….A new joint study issued by consumer research firms Arbitron and Telephia reports that more than three quarters of consumers who listen to audio content via mobile device expressed a preference for free, advertiser-supported content over subscription or other premium services. According to the study–a 15-minute online survey of over 2,000 wireless subscribers conducted in February 2007–one in 16 mobile subscribers report using one or more mobile audio features in the last 30 days. Among the general mobile population, music downloaded over-the-air boasts the highest consumer awareness, although most users access mobile audio by listening to music transferred from another device.
Mobile audio users also represent a lucrative segment of the wireless demographic: 56 percent spend more than $60 a month on mobile services. “There is an opportunity for wireless providers, programmers and marketers to develop an advertising model for mobile audio,� said Telephia senior product manager Wayman Leung in a prepared statement. “Most current mobile audio users prefer the ad-supported model over paying a subscription fee. And this group is a very attractive demographic for advertisers to target as it’s comprised mainly of affluent, tech-savvy early adopters.�
However, Telephia and Arbitron say attracting new subscribers poses a considerable challenge: approximately two-thirds of “non-current� mobile audio users are “not interested at all� in accessing existing mobile audio service.
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Fiercemobilecontent writes….Premium mobile content provider Oasys Mobile announced it has engaged investment banker RBC Daniels and Associates to explore strategic options including a possible sale of the business. Oasys Mobile is seeking to obtain an equity investment or debt issuance in order to pay or refinance an $8 million senior secured debt due in June 2007, and will look to RBC Daniels to investigate potential mergers, acquisitions or strategic investments. At minimum, Oasys needs the banker’s assistance to raise enough money to satisfy its creditors–on Monday, the mobile firm filed notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission it doesn’t expect to raise enough revenue to repay its debts by the June 30 deadline.
Oasys Mobile CEO Doug Dyer told the Charlotte News & Observer he has instituted new strategies designed to transform the company’s fortunes, abandoning previous D2C efforts to focus on creating mobile content for brands including Mattel, Hooters and National Lampoon. Despite a net loss that more than doubled to $14.6 million in 2006, Oasys is forecasting profitability by the end of 2007. “We are a different Oasys Mobile than what was in the past,� Dyer told the newspaper. “We now have a seasoned management team in place and have taken steps to outline a clear strategy for revenue generation, profitability and growth.
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Digitaltrends writes….Nokia has announced three new handsets which target the music, youth, and fashion segments of the mobile phone market…but not the United States.
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Finland’s Nokia has announced three new handsets which aim at the burgeoning music, youth, and fashion-conscious segments of the mobile phone market. Although the world’s leading handset maker doesn’t seem interested in bringing the new units to the U.S. market right now, they could be a sign of things to come…and who knows, maybe a GSM-savvy U.S. provider might see some potential in the phones. After all—last we checked, the segments of the U.S. market were still into music, youth, and fashion.
The Nokia 5700 XpressMusic is a candybar-style phone which sports a “twist� design which lets users switch between four usage modes—music player, video call, camera, and smartphone—with just the flick of a wrist. The 5700 XpressMusic touts a dedicated audio chip and integrated speakers for music playback (of course, headphones and Bluetooth are also supported), along with a 2 megapixel video-capable camera, microSD storage, and video support; the phone can tap into 3G data services to download music and video over the air, and features a bevy of smartphone functions (this is an S60 device) for surfing the Internet, keeping up with your mail and messaging, and accessing location-based services. On the audio front, the 5700 XpressMusic supports WMA, AAC, eACC+, and MP4 audio (sorry, protected purchases from the iTunes store are exempt), and enables purchase of music from Internet music stores using Windows Media DRM. Expect the 5700 XpressMusic in the second quarter of 2007 at a price of €350 before taxes and subsidies.
The new Nokia 5070 will only cost €100, and it targets the social-networking-crazed youth market with messaging, synchronization, and “leisure� features aimed at younger phone users. Nokia doesn’t tout software which ties the 5070 in with popular social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook; instead, the phone offers quick access to friend’s contact and messaging details, and enables users to send quick voice messaging via Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging. The phone also sports a built-in camera (no resolution specified), integrated Web browser, an FM tuner, a stereo headset, and a selection of pre-installed Java games like Soduku. The 5070 should be available in the second quarter of 2007; it’ll be available in red or blue.
Finally, trend-concious phone users (again, outside the U.S.) might want to check out the Nokia 7088, the latest entry in the company’s L’Amour Collection of designer phones. The 7088 is the first CDMA model in the collection (which, hey, maybe means it’ll cross the pond) as well as the first slider phone Nokia’s deemed elegant enough to bear the name. Nokia touts the 7088 has having a “jewel-like� select key and a carefully sculpted directional pad, all wrapped in a metallic frame with leather-inspired textures. (Note Nokia doesn’t say they’re using actual leather.) The phone touts an integrated video-capable camera, an 128 by 160 pixel LCD display, a two-way speakerphone, voice recorder, and calendar feature. Nokia expects to roll out the 7088 to the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, China, and Latin America during the second quarter (Europe doesn’t even get to set hands on this one). No pricing information was released.
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Msmobiles writes….This one is a commercial (not free) and it seems to be more mature. Anyway if something would be not working (like unlocking during incoming phone call) - you can always demand corrections because it is a commercial program.
Screen lock and application launcher utility for Pocket PC (phones)
* Lock your screen and put it in your pocket without triggering unwanted actions
* Launch commonly used programs with the touch of your finger
* Start programs such as Pocket Outlook, Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, Pocket    Excel and Pocket Word and Skype.
* Runs on Pocket PC 2003 and Windows Mobile 5 in QVGA portrait mode only.
* iLaunch will automatically detect if Skype and Google Maps are on your device, and   prompt you to download it, if you don’t have it installed.
* There are also buttons for the camera…and of course to make calls.
Conclusion: not only Windows Mobile is more powerful than Apple iPhone in all areas (including ability to run 3rd party programs - impossible in iPhone) but also with simple programs it is possible to emulate iPhone functionality easily inside of Windows Mobile phones.
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Youth’s best friend - Mobile! (UK)
