September 3rd, 2010 / No Comments » / by Jason Harris
Starbucks has long had an iPhone application, but now the coffee company is branching out and embracing another mobile platform as well.
The Starbucks Card Mobile App for BlackBerry will allow BlackBerry users to do basic functions with their mobile phones. It is interesting to me that it has Starbucks this long to embrace BlackBerry, as RIM devices are the number 2 selling devices in North America (and strong in Europe as well). Many professional business types utilize Starbucks, so it seems the audience was there a long time ago.
In terms of features, the new Blackberry app for Starbucks will allow users to:
Check their Starbucks Card balance
Reload their card with a credit card. Alternatively, you can set up automatic reloads when your balance gets to a certain threshold.
Find nearby Starbucks stores
Check your rewards status.
Provide mobile payment in Starbucks stores in 1,000 Target locations and a few trial stores in Seattle and Northern California.
To get the new mobile app for BlackBerry, follow this link. The client is currently available for these more popular BlackBerry models: BlackBerry Bold, Curve, Storm, and Tour.
Mobilize, a conference put on by GigaOm, is an amazing mobile event. The theme this year is called “Mobile, Meet Cloud”. But the topics on the panel discussions and keynotes vary and are all interesting. This is one Silicon Valley event that is put on in an informative and interesting manner.
Mobilize is a one day event and the topics this year include: App vs. Web, The Internet Of Things, Location Services, Mobile Payments and more.
There are keynotes provided by Dr. Tero Ojanpera, EVP at Nokia in the Service group; Nicholas Negroponte, Founder and Chairman of One Laptop Per Childl and Ilja Laurs, Founder and CEO of GetJar.
So, as you can see, they’re put together quite a lineup. The one-day event takes place at the Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco, CA on September 30.
Skype has been offering Skype calling on their line of BlackBerry and Android phones for a while now. It allows you to make Skype calls (even international ones) and send Skype IMs on your Verizon mobile phone – which is very convenient. I thoroughly enjoy being able to talk to my Skype contacts whilst on the go…with no computer or headset involved.
Now, Verizon has brought this technology to a few feature phones. Thanks to the BREW platform and it’s application flexibility, Skype Mobile is now available on a few phones including: The Samsung Reality, LG Chocolate Touch, and enV Touch. This makes these cheap ($20 on contract for the Samsung) phones even more valuable to those who pick one up.
Cell phone towers are located in remote areas sometimes, in order to make sure everyone has adequate coverage. As one might expect, weeds and other vegetation make it hard for mobile carrier employees to access the towers and make necessary repairs, when necessary.
Cricket Oregon, the local arm of the national company, has taken a unique approach to weed management that is truly a “green Oregon” approach. Rather than spray with an herbicide or use heavy equipment to take care of the 10 foot high blackberries, the company has contracted with a goat farmer to come and eat everything right down to the ground.
This approach is common here in Oregon, where blackberry bushes, grasses and poison oak can grow around our rural properties and are a bear to deal with. Goats are brought in and over the course of a week or two, eat everything down to the ground, even roots in some cases. It’s a cheap way to conduct weed management and the goats are happy because they’re just munching away.
Kudos to Cricket for using this green approach and making efforts to deal with the weeds in a responsible way! Watch the video below for more details!
August 12th, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by Jason Harris
For about two weeks now, I have using a Google Nexus One on T-Mobile USA. While I love the phone and T-Mobile’s 3G network, this platform is missing one huge piece: Skype calling. You see, on all the Android phones I’ve used before, which have all been Verizon’s network, have had Skype calling.
Even my Nokia N900, which runs a Linux variant, can do Skype calling on T-Mobile (which is pure VoIP, unlike the Verizon Skype solution).
I understand the Android Skype lock-out, at least here in the United States, is because of Verizon’s agreement with Skype. That is, Verizon signed Skype into an exclusive that makes all the rest of us suffer.
However, it’s really frustrating that I have a perfectly capable phone running a very modern mobile operating system and I can’t use this piece of desirable functionality. And no, I’m not willing to sign a Verizon service agreement to do it.
So for now, I’m using Nimbuzz for Android. I have been using it for a few days and it’s a great client for it’s multiple protocol support. I’m not sure what routing and plumbing is powering Skype calls, but it allows me to call my global contacts on my Nexus One. Chats are supported too, which is great.
However, I am left wanting a better solution. I want a native Skype client and I won’t be happy until I get it. I’ve asked my contact at Skype if/when a client might be available and he won’t comment at this time. Boo!
This year – we’re doing it again. I know of one other Portlander who’s going – that’s Aaron Hockley.
So, who else might be going? Lets ride the train together! The train Aaron and I are going on leaves Portland around 12:30 and arrives in Seattle around 4:00.
Interested? Drop me a line. Comment below, email me, or call me. My phone number is on the right hand side
Ringio is a great service for small businesses that I’ve written about before. The Virginia-based Internet telephony firm is a great service that any small or medium size business can utilize to give their phone presence an extra push. With call-center like functions such as automatic attendant, intelligent call routing, and Google CRM sync, Ringio is a great option for any business.
The service has now gone public and has added some great features as well. If you have your own PBX, you can now route calls and see CRM displays via PBX extensions and via regular phone numbers. This means that an employee who may be remote or on a mobile can be accessible just as if they were in the office.
Also, with smart call-routing, a customer who calls in can have their call automatically routed to the company representative they spoke to last. Or, you can set rules to route calls based on skill sets, languages spoken or any other rule based action you wish.
The most impressive piece of functionality I saw while being shown Ringio is the dashboard that pops up when a call comes in. This screen shows the person’s name, contact information, info on last call and so on – offering the person who handles the call a rich background to build upon. The ‘heads-up display’ makes each call more beneficial for the client and the business.
Ringio is now available for anyone to sign up with. From talking to top brass at the company, they take their customers’ feedback very seriously. Ringio is a great product with a fantastic management team running the show.
The Evo 4G from Sprint is an impressive phone that won me over in the brief time I had one. The phone has a monster 4.3″ screen, a 1Ghz processor, awesome camera, and amazing 720p video recording capability. The phone comes by default with Android 2.1, the “Eclair” version of Android.
Froyo, aka Android 2.2, is out now and the carriers here in the US have been slow to roll it out to their phones. I recently became the user of a Nexus One from Google so I’ve been using Froyo for most of the week. Froyo adds home screen widgets, tethering, speed updates, one-click app dates, and some other cool features.
It appears, at least here in the United States, that the Evo will be the second phone to get Android 2.2 this coming week. Starting 3 August, Sprint 4G users will be getting the automatic update notifier and can grab Froyo then.
There is a lot of marketing spin going right now in the mobile industry here in the United States. Sprint is selling Clear’s Wi-Max service and branding it as 4G, when industry insiders are saying that no, it’s not 4G…just capable of 4G-ish speeds.
Then, the little guy of the mobile carrier bunch, T-Mobile USA has started rolling out their super-fast 3G network technology, also known as HSPA+. Last week, T-Mobile announced that the fast wireless network was rolled out to more cities, including Portland, Oregon; where I live and work.
My Nokia N900 is capable of these faster speeds, so I popped my SIM into it to try the network out. I was absolutely blown away! See the result below:
At first, I didn’t believe this score, so I tried SpeedTest to different locations up and down the west coast and got similar numbers. These speeds, on a 3G connection, are absolutely amazing.
In contrast, my Sprint “4G” card gets 3-3.5 Mbps down, if I am lucky. Normally, in the locations I frequent, I get 2-2.3 Mbps down. So, in the location I’m currently at, T-Mobile’s 3G is twice as fast as Sprint’s 4G offering.
Having this amount of mobile bandwidth makes many things possible, including really nice looking Skype video calls via 3G. Additionally, I can make these calls to anyone on Skype, whether they are on a mobile or at any computer. No need to be on a specific phone via WiFi, like iPhone and that silly Facetime stuff.
Update: Pals Ricky Cadden and Andy Abramson noted to me that the upload speeds are very poor. I have to agree..download is great, but .56 Mbps up is really slow. T-Mobile, can ya work on that ?
A few weeks ago over the weekend, notable bloggers such as Robert Scoble and a few others were going on and on about their choice in smartphones and why iPhone was better than Android and vice versa.
Here’s my take: it’s so great you have the phone you have! Debating about what phone model is right for someone else is an exercise in futility, as far as I’m concerned. Everyone has different tastes, and now there are so many choices that it’s a very exciting time.
Some folks need to message heavily on their phone, so they desire a physical keyboard. Others are really obsessed with mobile photography, and phones such as the N86 8MP will suffice (or the Droid X). Also, some folks like touch screens and running lots of mobile applications.
Luckily, as a mobile technologist I get to trial different phones and get a taste of every mobile platform. But when someone comes to me and asks for a recommendation, I don’t prothletize my favorite platform of the moment. I try to dig deep and figure out what the person’s mobile habits and desires to build up a few suggestions for them.
Just a year ago, if you wanted a decent touch experience and app selection, the iPhone was the only game in town. Nowadays, with some fantastic Android handsets and BlackBerry having a strong array of applications, there are choices for everyone and every need.
So I guess my point is this: don’t get to wrapped up in your mobile device and try to be an evangelist. If you’re pushy, you’ll turn people off. Mobile phones are like cars – everyone has a choice that is for them based on their habits and needs.
I am a technologist who constantly likes to tinker. As my love for technology grows, so does my desire to share it with those around me. My writing centers around technologies that cause real change in people's lives. I focus on the fields of mobile hardware/applications/platforms, web services, consumer electronics, and hardware/software.
The Starbucks Card Mobile App for BlackBerry will allow BlackBerry users to do basic functions with their mobile phones. It is interesting to me that it has Starbucks this long to embrace BlackBerry, as RIM devices are the number 2 selling devices in North America (and strong in Europe as well). Many professional business types utilize Starbucks, so it seems the audience was there a long time ago.
For about two weeks now, I have using a Google Nexus One on T-Mobile USA. While I love the phone and T-Mobile’s 3G network, this platform is missing one huge piece: Skype calling. You see, on all the Android phones I’ve used before, which have all been Verizon’s network, have had Skype calling.
The Evo 4G from Sprint is an impressive phone that won me over in the brief time I had one. The phone has a monster 4.3″ screen, a 1Ghz processor, awesome camera, and amazing 720p video recording capability. The phone comes by default with Android 2.1, the “Eclair” version of Android.
