This is my opinion, but it is an informed opinion. I will also keep it short.

Palm pulled a miracle with WebOS and the Pre, but where they blew it was releasing a CDMA version first. In effect, they fixed their attention on one tiny chunk of the mobile market – the very small US market.

Palm is the only manufacturer of WebOS phones. Palm has only two such phones in the market. Those two phones are primarilly CDMA devices. Those two phones are available on a single US operator. Those two phones have a limited release on overseas carriers. Sounds like a not-so-winning formula, especially with the limitations that taking the CDMA route imposes.

A GSM version released first and followed later by a CDMA version, in my opinion, would have done much better. Think of the huge and vibrant Nigerian market. Think of South Africa, Europe and Asia – all drooling for WebOS and the Pre.

Availability to a wider market will also create a demand for more applications. Why would any developers want to invest so much in creating apps for a device or platform that has such limited availability and circulation? It is no wonder that the WebOS application catalogue is still very lean.

While Apple took a similar route with the iPhone, pushing a GSM device gave it an edge. before we knew it, iPhones were all over the place (officially or unofficially). And believe me when I say that the unofficial market is a strong one. Of course, because of network locks, the iPhone is still a bit limited. Now consider that the Pre has been largely CDMA (bad enough) and locked to a network too (double bad), and you get the picture, surely.

Palm relegated the major mobile markets to second class status. Absurd. In my opinion, Palm does not seem set to hit it big – unless they execute another u-turn. Want a wider mobile reach? Push GSM. Africa, Europe, and Asia are where mobile phones are selling like hot cake – and on these continents, GSM rules.

Related Item: Can Palm and WebOS make it through 2010?

Extracted SMS sent around by GloMobile:

Glo is at it again… Now you can send and receive a video message for FREE. Experience one of the advantages of 3G on Glo VIDEO MAILBOX. It’s an experience you’ve been waiting for. Simply dial 151 to activate and 154 to send a video message. Call 121 for any assistance.

CDMA mobile network operator, Starcomms Nigeria, has provided subscribers to its internet services with new options to pay for their subscriptions. The options include:

• Recharge cards
• SMS through direct airtime debit
• Interswitch debit/ATM cards

Subscribers who want to use these options need to register online at www.starcomms.com.

For the first time in many months, Nigeria fell off Opera Mini’s top 10 countries list, while Vietnam made its debut.

Here are other statistics from the report:

• Nokia and Sony Ericsson are by far the most popular handset brands chosen by Opera Mini users in the CIS
• Users in the top 10 countries save up to 672 million USD per month, or over 8.1 billion USD per year

Behind the Scene

Apparently, part of the phenomenal growth of mobile internet usage in Nigeria stemmed from the widespread practice of illegal free browsing, as subscribers generally by-passed network tolls (usually by tweaking certain settings in Opera Mini itself, alongsideother applications on PC).

Of recent, it has been reported that both MTN Nigeria and Zain Nigeria took steps to curb this practice, blocking off access to Opera Mini’s servers, and thus resulting in the recorded drop in usage. If the networks are able to keep hackers off their mobile internet services, we can expect to see Nigeria drop further on the Opera Mini chart.

Those rooting for illegal free browsing because of supposed high mobile internet tariffs need to explore legal options. For example, the very same Opera Mini that the hackers use to bypass network tolls deliver incredible savings on browsing because of its compression technology.

Personally, I have used Opera Mini extensively and even with my heavy usage, a 100mb bundle subscription (costing just N1, 000 per month) is more than adequate when used on Opera Mini. Even pay-as-you-go internet is made much more economical.

This is an application that already helps the subscriber cut costs by as much as 90% (that’s almost free browsing, if you really, really think of it).

Is it too much to let the network operators make that small margin just so they can keep access to the Opera Mini servers alive? In my opinion, this free browsing craze is not the product of poverty, but of gross selfishness, self-centredness and of corrupt minds.

But what do we care?

In addition to making it possible for subscribers to tweet via SMS on its network, Starcomms has also launched a Facebook and Hi5 service that works via SMS.

To get going, simply send ‘STAR’ to 33397. Cost is N8/SMS.

Subscribers can also get their Friends’ wall updates on Facebook by sending ‘FB upd’ to the same number, 33397. Same tariff.

GSM operator, Etisalat, seems to be on a roll. This time, they have put out into the market a post-paid product, Elite World.

Elite World offers the following benefits:

• one simple tariff
• the choice of one out of four minimum monthly payments (MMP) – N2,500; N5,000; N10,000; and N20,000
• added rewards on voice and data
• blackberry services
• international roaming (180 countries; 500 operators)

Added Rewards

Subscribers on the N2,500 MMP plan get N250 voice airtime and 20mb data free.

Subscribers on the N5,000 MMP plan get N750 voice airtime and 50mb data free.

Subscribers on the N10,000 MMP plan get N2,000 voice airtime and 150mb data free.

Subscribers on the N20,000 MMP plan get N5,000 voice airtime, 300mb data and USB modem free.

Tariffs

For some reason, the customer care representative that I spoke with on phone did not have the tariffs for this package available. I was directed to go down to an Etisalat Experience Centre. If anyone has the tariffs for voice, SMS and data on Elite World, kindly post.

Subscription

To subscribe, you are required to go to an Etisalat Experience Centre with two passport photographs, your ID card, and the cash for the first month of the plan you wish to subscribe to.

Symbian. Windows Mobile. Palm. Blackberry. OSX. Android. Maemo.

These are all mobile operating systems (OS). Some have been around longer than others. The new kids on the block are OSX and Android, and they are having their day. While Palm is an old platform, the complete revamp that has been executed on the OS has transformed its hitherto dated interface into something hip and up-to-date, just as obtains on the newer kids.

Symbian, the world’s most widely used mobile OS, has also undergone a revamp with the S60 5th Edition, but with not quite an elegant result as Palm. I have been “Symbian Inside” for the most of my mobile life, having used S80 (Nokia 9500), UIQ (P990, P1i) and S60 (E61, E61i, E90, E75) devices for years.

I have not hidden my position that Symbian as it currently is needs a serious facelift of its user interface to get up-to-date with current fads in the industry. I have even held that position strongly. But there seem to be those who think that Symbian is actually going to die off. I seriously doubt that. At least not anytime soon.

If what Nokia has pulled off on the N900 tablet-phone is anything to go by, those who have prophesied Symbian’s death because of what seemed Nokia’s inability to implement a fancy user interface can start recanting. Nokia has shown that they are capable.

We must note that the current fancy user interfaces are touchscreen based. Unfortunately, unless there is a massive change in the general direction of mobile users, the statistics till date shows that the majority of users prefer regular type phones with a physical keypad. In this field, Nokia still holds the fort.

I submit that Symbian is likely to remain the dominant mobile OS for a long time. Current trends suggest that Android will take the 2nd place quickly.

One of the advantages that Symbian has is what will help Android achieve this feat. Both Symbian and Android are licenced by numerous manufacturers, some of which are adding layers of services, functionality and usabilty to the underlying operatiing systems.

Already, we have multiple Android devices from HTC, Motorola, and Samsung respectively on the ground. More are on the way from Acer, Sony Ericsson, LG and others.

The other operating systems are generally mono-products – the iPhone which runs OSX is manufactured by only Apple; Blackberries are manufactured by only RIM, and Palm devices by only Palm.

The only other widely licensed mobile OS is Windows Mobile. The recently launched Windows Mobile 6.5 is a good upgrade, but leaves much to be desired. Hopefully, version 7 will bring this venerable OS up-to-speed and then we can see how things go from there.

One thing that is unarguable, however, is that exciting times are ahead in the mobile OS field. Whatever operating system you root for, the months and years ahead promise much.

GSM operator, GloMobile has finally joined the train of pre-paid internet bundle plans. Before now, Glo pre-paid subscribers could only enjoy GPRS/EDGE/3G/HSDPA at the rate of 15 kobo per kb.

Now, pre-paid subscribers have access to bundle internet packages on the Glo network.

Here are the new pre-paid packages:

All Day (24-hour) Packages

• Always Day – N500 – 24 hours. Data cap: 50mb
• Always Min – N5, 0000 – 24 hours for 30 days. data cap: 1gb
• Always Max – N10, 000 – 24 hours for 30 days. Data cap: 3gb

I called customer care to source for more information on the above-listed All Day packages, but didn’t get through. For example, I wanted to know if there are any data caps on those plans.Updated, courtesy of brym!

Bundled Hour Packages

• G100 – N6, 000 – 100 hours. 3GB data cap with validity of 1 month
• G300 – N15, 000 – 300 hours. 3GB data cap with validity of 3 months

The Bundled Hour Packages simply limit the user to a cumulative number of hours. It does not seem that there are any data caps on these packages.Updated, courtesy of brym!

Flexi Packs

• G Leisure – N5, 000 – 30 days, 8pm to pam everyday + all day during weekend. 3GB data cap
• G Work – N6, 000 -30 days, 8am to 9pm. 3GB data cap

The Flexi Packs simply limit the user to a cumulative number of hours. It does not seem that there are any data caps on these packages.Updated, courtesy of brym!

Activation

To get started, simply text “activate” to 127 from your Glo line.

Brief Review

I pulled out my Glo SIM this morning, loaded N500 to test out the Always Day package. I received a set of instructions right after texting the required code and successfully subscribed within minutes.

I used it successfully on both my smartphone and on a USB modem connected to a PC. No problems either way, so you can “rule your world” whichever way you want.

I found the Glo 3G internet connection still quite stable and more responsive than MTN’s. This is an excellent move by Glo. The variety of packages is also good, though the fact that some of them cost just about the same sort of spoils the treat.

Hopefully, Glo’s new pre-paid internet bundles will take some pressure off MTN’s over-subscribed 3G network, especially seeing that Zain still limits 3G to postpaid (contract) lines.

Starcomms subscribers no longer need internet access in order to tweet. All they need is their Starcomms line and phone. SMS tweets cost N10 per SMS.

To register for the service, send: “reg username password” to 33399.

Anyone tried it out yet?

When NITEL was recently put up for sale for the umpteenth time, I expressed the absurdity of Globacom’s interest in purchasing NITEL. Both NITEL and Globacom are national operators – and they are the only two. It simply would be counter-productive to allow such a purchase take place. We would simply return to a state of monopoly.

Thankfully, the NCC (Nigerian Communications Commission) and BPE (Bureau of Public Enterprises) have taken steps to ensure that such a purchase does not happen. Excerpts from the news item:

For instance, Globacom was told that by virtue of its Second National Operator (SNO) licence, it cannot buy NITEL as a whole unit, as this “would leave Globacom with two SNO licences and would hence, be anti-competition”. Chigbo Anichebe, the spokesperson for the BPE, explains, “Because of Globacom’s SNO licence, they will not be allowed to also bid for the domestic fixed telephony lines, as they already have the licence to operate their own.” The company cannot also bid for SAT-3, as applies to Etisalat and MTN.

“The Nigeria telecom operators, that is, MTN, Etisalat, Zain and Glo shall not be allowed to purchase the mobile arm, M-TEL, since they presently hold Digital Mobile Licence and General System for Mobile (DML/GSM) licences. To the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the purchase of M-TEL by any of the present GSM licence holders would present competition challenges and will conflict with regulatory guidelines and licensing conditions.”

Interestingly, the CEO of one of the operators was quoted as saying, “We are surprised that the BPE and NCC could do such.”

I am at a loss as to what exactly is surprising about these decisions. Why would an operator want to hold two GSM licences? To what purpose? Why would a sane regulator allow an existing national operator to take over the only other national operator?

Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, the president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, summed it up well when he said, “Globacom is already a second national carrier and the firm has the licence to operate the same services as NITEL. The telecoms sector must have sanity, when a company gets really too big and too powerful with a large coverage, that can affect competition in the industry.”

Good move by the NCC and BPE.

Source: 234next.com

Smartphones are the buzz these days – those super-phones that allow you install a gazillion native applications and let you run scores of them simultaneously. Devices running one of Blackberry, Symbian, Android, OS X, and Windows Mobile are being pushed at consumers from all sides. The pitch, more or less, is that you can do more on your phone.

The question is, Do you really need to do more on your mobile phone?

While I appreciate the value of capable smartphones, it is still my position that unless you need the capabilities they offer, you do not need one.

I once read the interview of the CEO of a large ICT form in Nigeria on the pages of a technology magazine. He was the proud owner of a Nokia 9500 Symbian smartphone at the time. When asked what activities he carried out on the mobile beast, he listed – wait for it – phone calls and text messaging. When prodded further if he did anything else beyond those, he added that he takes pictures of his kids once in a while.

For the benefits of those who do not know what the 9500 is capable of (I still have my old unit), I ran both my personal and office mail on mine, accessed web server accounts on the built-in web browser when out of reach of my PC, used Yahoo Messenger, edited Word and PowerPoint documents with it, read PDF files, took pictures, sent and recived faxes, downloaded files from the internet, beamed files via infrared and bluetooth, and studied the Bible, as well as preached from it.

Oh, yes; I must add that I made a few phone calls and managed SMS on the venerable 9500.

While I do not expect that everyone – even most people – would use a capable device like the 9500 as intensive as I did, if all someone does is voice calls, SMS and picture taking, he does not need a smartphone.

As a matter of fact, even if someone adds basic email management to that list, he does not need a smartphone. I have a low-end Nokia 1680 (costs about N10, 000) which handles basic POP/IMAP email and attachments over a GPRS/EDGE connection. And it handles it well. If he needs a touch of class to go with that, how about a Nokia 8800 Gold Arte instead?

Do you really need a smartphone? Perhaps what you need is a cameraphone, or a music phone? If you think you need a smartphone, what are the activities that you need one for?

Just a heads-up. Having your Zain line provisioned for internet and getting settings sent to your phone used to be a harrowing experience (see: Mobile Data and User-friendly Configuration). It looks like those days are over.

This morning, I popped a Zain SIM into a phone, and within moments, I received a couple of settings for WAP, MMS and internet, accompanied by text messages that congratulated me for having had the line provisioned.

This user-friendly provisioning system used to be a preserve of MTN and Etisalat. If Zain has just joined the club, as it seems, that leaves only Glo as the only “Old School” networks on the block as regards internet provisioning and configuration.

Anyone else has any reports and/or experiences with this on Zain?