Just over a week ago, we published information that our app for Symbian, MeeGo and Java phones has been downloaded over 6,000 times.

As at that times, it still carried the old “Mobility Nigeria” branding – logo and name. We have since modified it to bring it up-to-date in terms of branding.

The app is now called the “Mobility blog” app and carries the current logo and look.

You can easily find it by searching for “Mobility blog” in the Nokia Store or using any of the direct links in the sidebar of this blog.

The Mobility blog app is available for Java, Symbian and MeeGo devices. Android users can expect an app for their platform very soon

Of course, for everyone regardless of the OS you use, Mobility blog loads a mobile-friendly version when you visit it on any mobile.

This morning, we are glad to announce the completion of our transition from a national brand to a global brand. As such, we will be dropping the “Nigeria” in our name and simply be called “Mobility” from now.

Our URL stays the same at www.mobility.com.ng.

Months ago, we began this transition, and we are delighted at the progress that we have made till date. Because we are based here in Lagos, Nigeria, you can be sure that we will continue to carry Nigeria-specific content. But as a truly global brand, we will now also carry content from a wide diversity of countries.

You know the way we roll – we get better and better. Tell your friends and colleagues. At Mobility, we cover all things mobile!

The debate as to how useful tablets are to us has been raging for a while now. The argument is that a tablet neither provides full PC functionality nor is it truly as capable as a smartphone.

I have been using an iPad tablet for several weeks now. I also use a netbook, have access to a personal desktop PC, and have an array of smartphones at my disposal.

In addition, Dayo has had a Samsung Galaxy Tab around for sometime and I have had some hands-on time with it. This certainly gives me a broader view of the subject at hand than most users have.

So, what are my thoughts on the subject?

In a nutshell, a tablet is really neither here nor there. It is an expensive novelty that does everything without excelling at any.

You can make a call on the Galaxy Tab, for example, but it is not as convenient as making a call on a smartphone. holding that 7″ guy to your ears is bound to get you a recommendation to see a shrink. Of course, you can use a set of earphones as Dayo does, but that isn’t as natural as simply using a phone for calls.

The iPad has a good web browser with AJAX support, yet because of the touch nature of the display, I find that I cannot drag and drop widgets in WordPress for example. I have to switch to my netbook or desktop to do that. Now, that is annoying. Start here; switch there to do this; switch back to complete the task. Why not just use my netbook from scratch?

Text entry and manipulation on tablets is good, but comes nowhere close to typing on a full netbook/PC keyboard, or on the keyboard of the Nokia E7 for example.

Watching movies on tablets is cool, but at best it is just as good as doing so on a netbook. You don’t want to hold a tablet in your hands all through a 1 hour 45 minute flick. Trust me.

The only area that a tablet (at least the ones I have used) seem to have an advantage over nebooks and many smartphones is in the area of battery performance. Both the iPad and the Tab perform well in this area, not running out of juice till you are well at home in the evening. Most netbooks don’t last more than 4 hours, and many modern smartphones don’t make it through a work day.

In addition, a tablet is always-on just like a smartphone is. This is another edge that tablets have over netbooks and PCs. Yet, the smartphone is superior to the tablet in that and similar aspects.

Do You Really Need A Tablet?
In my opinion, most people do not. A tablet suffices for most basic computing tasks of the average person. However, once you step beyond basic needs, there is little practical justification for having a tablet.

For now, people with more than basic mobile computing needs are better off sticking with a smartphone and netbook combination. Between those two devices, all of your needs are taken care of.

Oh, do pardon me, but if you are into making a good impression, an iPad, Galaxy Tab or PlayBook in hand at that executive or business meeting certainly won’t hurt your image.

Android is an open-source cutting-edge mobile platform that has gained momentum in recent years. Developed by Google based on the Linux kernel and Java, it offers virtually limitless opportunities because of its open-source license.

In the mobile world, it is no news that Android is here to stay. It is the fastest growing mobile computing platform at the moment and is likely to remain so for some time.

Opportunities for Android app development abound and if you have been thinking of becoming an Android developer, an opportunity is here.

Fasmicro’s MASTERs is a workshop that will bring core experts across the globe to Nigeria. The maiden edition will be held in Owerri in February 2011. The MASTERs will comprise of two modules, independently delivered, as follows –

• Module I: Mobility Computing & Android App Development
  Feb 14-16, 2011
• Module II: Embedded Systems -FPGA, Microcontroller –PIC and SX, and CAD
  Feb 17-19, 2011

Module I is a hands-on Android course designed to provide essential skills and experience with developing applications on Android mobile platform. Throughout the course, participants will develop real-life applications, which can serve as basis for their future Android projects. Eclipse and Android SDK are used as the development environment throughout the class.

The goal is that after this workshop, participants can develop real life-applications or where applicable, introduce relevant courses in their tertiary institutions.

You can obtain more details about registration on the MASTERs 2011 webpage.

Help Mobility Nigeria earn some referal income: If registering for the event, please include our name (Mobility Nigeria) and our email address (mobility[@]mobilitynigeria.com) during registration.

I was invited to attend MTN’s Life Enrichment Seminar with featuring David Plouffe – US President Obama’s campaign Manager. The seminar held at the New Expo Hall Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos yesterday evening. This article includes a few pictures (you can click through to the full sized images, but take note that file sizes are in the range of 1.5mb and above).

Mr. Plouffe spoke about how innovative use of internet and mobile technologies is becoming increasingly required for success in business, politics and other endeavours. He gave examples of how the Obama campaign organisation deployed these technologies to get to the man on the street during Obama’s election run.

It was a lovely event with absolutely beautiful music supplied by the Laz Ekwueme National Chorale, a highly respected African choral group. Ali Baba was there too and he kept us cracked up all the way.

I got busy too taking pictures, as well as recording video and audio clips of various parts of the event with my Nokia N8. Of course, I also met a couple of new contacts that just fit into our plans for Mobility Nigeria in 2011. Hint – expect roadshows taking us to several cities across the country to educate and inspire individuals and organisations to harness the power of mobile technology. A proper article on this is coming soon.

Since 2001 when GSM mobile services took off in Nigeria, I have owned and used more phones than I have been able to keep track of. I say that because there was a period that I was not keeping strict count and so do not have records of some more obscure devices. Even at that, my official records presently stand at 48. My current device is the Nokia N900. But I also have in active service a Nokia 3600 Slide, and a Sony Ericsson W302.

48 devices, from basic to mid-tier all the way to the princes of the smartphone world. What I was doing with all those devices? In one word, Playing.

To break it further, I am passionate about mobile technology. I consider it a leverager in many ways (I once ran my entire webhosting business on a Nokia 9500, and my smartphones still play a key role in my work), so I set out to try out every possible manifestation of GSM mobile technology.

I have used Siemens devices (if any of you remember those), Alcatel, Ericsson (no; not Sony Ericsson), NECs, Sagems, and long-gone brands such as TelMe. Of course, I have used piles of devices by the major brands too.

From my archives dated 5th February 2008. Clockwise from the clamshell - Nokia 9500, Nokia E61i, Sony Ericsson P990, and Nokia E61

Okay, here is the point, I do not believe in throwing theories around. I also determined to make money from the mobile industry in some way. As such in order to become something of an authority, I decided I needed to handle as many as possible.

Understand that the mobile web and mobile data in general have been my primary area of interest. At the stage when all we had was CSD (GSM dial-up), there were myriads of possible configurations for different brands, so I set to try out as many. Then came GPRS and WAP 2.0. I set out to explore those too. On and on, as newer technologies and services showed up, the fragmentation among mobile devices meant that I needed to explore across brands and platforms.

In addition, when we started MobilityNigeria in 2008, we needed fresh content on a regular basis. Again, I made the commitment to use one stone to kill two birds. My high rate of turnover on phones would be good for an online mobile resource like MobilityNigeria.

Now, you don’t want to live like that. It is expensive and not always as convenient as people may think. For example, I had to keep transferring/syncing contacts and files again and again. It didn’t always work out right across platforms.

I burnt thousands of Naira playing with CSD back in the day. I still burn thousands on 3G/HSDPA till date, but at least now it is generating me good cash. Perhaps, I also ought to sit down and calculate the total value of all the mobile devices I have owned. Who knows?

The good thing is that my investments in mobile technology have paid off handsomely.

Talk to me
Let me do a bit of marketing here: if you run a small or medium-scale business and you are interested in how you can deploy mobile technology to give you an edge, you should be talking to me. Others – if there are any others – may throw theories at you, but I have walked the talk. I have consistently applied mobile technology to my business and have come off smiling.

Anyway, you don’t want to live out experimenting like I have done. What you want to do is piggy-back on what I have learnt and use that information to make wise decisions in purchasing the kind of mobile phones best suited to your work (and life in general), so you can get on with life. Or enhance productivity at work. Or lower your operating costs.

It will be less expensive for you, less traumatic, and you’ll get it right the first time. Give me a call.

The way forward for me
Back in March, I wrote The dilemma of a mobile enthusiast and a few associates responded that they doubted if I could use any phone for a year. Watch me. I am done with the life of high phone turnovers.

I picked the Nokia N900 that I use now because it meets my needs, and I intend to keep it. Minus a device failure or an accident, that will remain my primary device till April 2011 when I will go mobile shopping again just to stay current.

But I am done buying phones for review/test purposes. MobilityNigeria already has an agreement with one retailer for loan phones. I hope we can seal more of those kind of deals.

Another Plea for Review Phones
Here is another plea to GSM networks, phone retailers and manufacturers to make available loan phones for review. Send us a phone to use for two (2) weeks and then return to you. We can even sell it for you after the loan period and put the money in your account, if you so wish.

In return, we offer you visibility on MobilityNigeria, the largest, most vibrant and most authoritative online resource on GSM mobile phones and services in Nigeria.

Wanna play? Contact us.

PS: Did I mention that in addition to all the other practical reasons that I gave for spending so much on phones, I also do it also because I absolutely love to? I didn’t? Sheeesh.

When looking at mobility, the default point of focus is the mobile phone, be it a featurephone or smartphone. Yet, in the last few years mobility has gradually assimilated netbooks, mini notebooks and tablet PCs. As a matter of fact, some of these new mobile devices now have wireless radios and modems built-in.

At Mobility Nigeria (and our sister company, Alireta), we are of the opinion that it is time we expand the scope of this website to cover these devices. For example, here at the office, we use an Acer AspireOne netbook that is the size of a small hard-cover notebook – smaller than the typical desk diary and very mobile. Some netbooks come smaller than that.

Nokia’s new netbook (the 3G Booklet) has further narrowed down the gap between computers and smartphones. More manufacturers are pitching in this direction as well. It is just a matter of time before they become more mainstream mobile devices.

We have created a section for netbooks, mini notebooks, and tablet PCs in the MobilityNigeria Forums. Users and visitors can post news items and discuss these devices, as well as find help with issues they may face with them.

Do you have a netbook or tablet PC? Have you played around with one? What is your take on their place in mobility?

Here at Mobility Nigeria, we predicted sometime back – and have stood our ground – that mobility is the future of personal computing.

With last week’s announcement by Nokia of the Booklet 3G (Nokia’s own take on mini Laptops), we just might be inching closer and closer to true mobility in the PC world. The Booklet 3G is essentially a netbook – a mini laptop, but a little bit more.

One of the things that the Nokia Booklet 3G brings to the PC world was included in Wikipedia’s list of the seven things that a mobile can do that a PC cannot do – the ability to stay connected all the time. See our article on that, The Modern Mobile Phone is Inherently Superior in Capability than a Laptop or Desktop PC.

The new device from Nokia will have always-on connectivity, thanks to a built-in 3G/HSDPA modem and a SIM card slot. With this inclusion, Wikipedia’s list has been reduced to six and the PC has taken one more step towards becoming truly mobile.

Battery life does not make it to Wikipedia’s list, but I think that one of the advantages that a mobile has over the laptop is the fact that its battery life lasts much longer than that of a laptop – many times going for more than 24 hours before running out. This, my humble opinion, is part of what true mobility entails. The Nokia Booklet 3G, while still not offering battery life that is at par with mobile phones boasts an impressive 12hrs of battery life. More and more, battery life is increasing on laptops, thus making them all the more truly mobile.

As we become more and more mobile, one wonders, “Will the mobile phone replace the laptop PCs or will the PCs become 100% mobile to the point where mobile phones are no longer needed?”

My thinking is that both will compliment each other to give a truly mobile experience.