If you ever wanted to know how i-mode looks on your phone, check out the german i-mode Simulator.

Via Bernd Roethlingshoefer

Into Thin Air (Forbes Magazine)

Now the same kind of destruction, courtesy of the omnivorous Internet, is engulfing the local phone monopolies and even threatens the cell phone industry. It promises to transform the phone system with new competition, plunging prices and a passel of new features. This next wave begins with "Voice over IP," which means zapping phone calls over the Internet (or private networks built like the Internet). It continues with "Voice over Wi-Fi," Wi-Fi being a free wireless on-ramp to the Net.

And Vinton G. Cerf , adds:

"Our business models will have to change; we have to rethink our network. [...] The things the telecom industry sells may become an adjunct to what's on the Internet."

Via Forbes’ Perspective on the Demise of Traditional Telecom Business from the Wireless Weblog

TagandScan

TagandScan is a service for your mobile phone that enables you to mark real physical locations with an electronic tag.

Tags
Tags automatically contain the time and location where and when the tag was made. They also can contain a title, description, and a photo.

Grid
Each tag is saved in one of many private or public grids. Grids help organize tags and control who can detect them. You can create as many private grids as you want.

Scans
You can scan for tags by proximity and keyword and can display them on a map.

The service is currently only available in the UK. Very interesting;)

Via Coin-Operate

I recently started my own Japanese kanji course (only available on Sharp GX-20 phones now) with Kanji of the Week.

So this article comes in handy: Language E-Learning on the Move

User location when using browser functions and making phone calls from mobile phones
Based on a survey conducted by Video Research Ltd in July 2002






Via Shaping the Future Mobile Information Society (www.itu.int/futuremobile)

The Network is the Game, Social Trends in Mobile Entertainment by Amy Jo Kim is not totally new stuff, but a bright roundup of what KAYWA believes in.

Some Excerpts:
which should make you curious

Connected Communities are changing

From Place-centric to People-centric
From PC-centric to Cellphone-centric

Social Trends in Mobile Communications

1. Mobiles stay connected to their social network via cellphone
2. Mobiles self-organize into fluid, loose-knit groups
3. Mobiles seek out quick, casual entertainment experiences
4. Mobiles love to share & discuss photos with their friends
5. Location is an integral part of mobile identity

For young people living a mobile lifestyle:

• Cellphones aren’t itty-bitty GBAs; they’re enhanced communication devices that are part of their identity
• They maintain and initiate relationships through their cellphones, and want services that amplify that ability
• They’re willing to pay for communication services (e.g. messaging, moblogging) that serve as lightweight entertainment & self-expression

WiFi, WiMAX and 802.20: The Disruptive Potential of Wireless Broadbandconcludes that new 802-based BWA technologies have the potential to create new broadband services that transcend existing business models for DSL, cable and 3G. While this vision is at least five years away, report author Monica Paolini warns that service providers need to start positioning themselves today to take advantage of it.

Via ITU Strategy and Policy Unit Newslog