More news about what is happening in Barcelona. - WM 6.5

Mobile phone maker i-mate has something special planned for Mobile World Congress 2009 Barcelona next month, according to a brief report on msmobiles.com.

Details? Um...no. Here's all we know so far:At MWC 2009 i-mate will be unveiling its brand new product - one which sees them break new grounds with a revolutionary mobile device that's like nothing else.

Details? Um...no.

Here's all we know so far:

At MWC 2009 i-mate will be unveiling its brand new product - one which sees them break new grounds with a revolutionary mobile device that's like nothing else.

The latest version of Windows Mobile? That's not revolutionary, of course, and it wouldn't exactly qualify as being "like nothing else."

So we may have to classify this i-mate rumor as shameless marketing tripe. Then again, if i-mate does come out with a slick new form factor, keyboard, touch screen, or some other amazing doodad, I'll happily be proved wrong.

And now something strange....SMS loans are becoming a national problem for Estonia

Although providers of SMS loans charge up to 1,000 percent a year in interest, almost one in every ten Estonians has applied for such a loan, reports Baltic Business News.

Only two years since that the first companies started to offer SMS loans in Estonia this has grown into a business worth at least a billion kroons.

It is believed that the market share of SMS Laen is more than 50 percent in Estonia. There are about ten companies offering SMS loans in Estonia today.

Since about 10 percent of the people who have taken an SMS loan have problems in repaying the debt, this means that also debt collection agencies have plenty of business.

“The number of small borrowers in trouble is increasing,” confirms Jaanus Laidvee from debt collection agency Julianus Inkasso. In average, customers in trouble owe between 20,000 and 25,000 kroons ($1,600 and $2,100)

Now this is really, really cool.....dual-sim? Yesssss!!

The world’s first dual-SIM capable Android powered phone is scheduled to be on display at the 2009 Mobile World Congress.

General Mobile’s Dual-Sim Handset to debut in Barcelona next month.

The announcement and a rendering are on Androidguys.com :

Looking through the specs, it seems to be standard fare for today’s phones. What’s more interesting however, is the shiny, polished package it comes in. “

AndroidAuthority is reporting the device will ship during Q3 of this year.

Cellphone Application for Farmers among Finalists from India

A cellphone application which allows farmers in Maharashtra to remotely access their irrigation pumps has earned Pune-based Ossian Agro Automation a place in the finals of the Forum Nokia’s Calling All Innovators Contest to be held in Barcelona, Spain, next month.

Livemint.com reports the contest is set for February 17, 2009.

“The remote access eliminates the need to travel, sometimes long distances in inclement weather, to check the power and turn on/off the pumps.”About 5,000 farmers have used the application, called Nano Ganesh , since its launch in September.

Interesting Camera Phone Legislation

The Camera Phone Predator Alert Act (H.R. 414) got my attention via PC World.

New York Representative Peter King (R), is the lawmaker hoping to require an audible tone to accompany all cellular phones with an installed camera that are created in the U.S.

The sound, something no doubt like a camera click or tone, would signal an image is being recoreded with the mobile device.

Any mobile phones built after the bill becomes a law would be prohibited from including any way to eliminate or reduce the volume of said noise.

And the reasoning for this legislation?

"Congress finds that children and adolescents have been exploited by photographs taken in dressing rooms and public places with the use of a camera phone."

Interesting.

Cell Phones as Credit Cards? Americans Must Wait!

A New York Times reporter is writing about the technology allowing consumers to wave a cell phone or mobile device and purchase products; replacing credit cards!
The technology has been in use for some time.

For the last five years, the Japanese have bought everything from electronics to train tickets with the mobile technology!

But cell phone owners in the United States will not be able to wave and pay with their mobile devices in the near future. The many companies that must work to bring the technology to the millions of cell phone users have yet to agree on how to split the resulting revenue.

Washington Turns to Text on Inauguration Day

The historic inauguration of President Barack Obama illustrates the power of text message. People in the nation’s capital wanted the latest updates on the historic day and turned to text for them.

While the one stat I have below is based on personal cell-to-cell messaging, it does indicate increased traffic during the events.

DC Verizon Wireless customers send 2.9 millon SMS messages in just four hours on inauguration day! It is just one of the record setting stats coming out of the historic day.

Mobile marketing can put the content people want in the palm of their hands. This week’s inauguration numbers are still being tallied and the data will be coming up for some time. But I ask you; look again at one carrier’s results!

According to GearLive Verizon Wireless DC customers sent and received 2.9 million SMS messages between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm during the inauguration.

That is more than three times the number of texts sent last week during the same four hour time frame. Think about sending the right content to the right people at the right time and place with text!