UPDATE
I uploaded two recent pictures I had already blogged but not yet deleted on my phone. If you like them, you can vote for them by sending an SMS.

Send MMSD 01390 per SMS to 44544
or send MMSD 01393 per SMS to 44544!

***

A marvelous marketing idea to drive MMS and SMS traffic. It's obvious though that this is only possible, because the three institutions are partly or fully state-run. I cannot imagine that the Post would or could offer this together with either Orange or Sunrise.

The first MMS stamps of the world

Die Schweizerische Post, Swisscom Mobile und das Museum für Kommunikation präsentieren: Die ersten MMS-Briefmarken der Welt! Machen Sie mit beim grossen MMS-Briefmarken-Wettbewerb "Swiss mobil - Ein Land unterwegs". Die besten vier Motive werden als echte Sonderbriefmarken produziert und es winken zahlreiche weitere tolle Preise. Wählen Sie den Hauptgewinner per SMS

Send your MMS to de@mms-stamp.ch. You can than vote for the best picture MMS by SMS. The best four MMS will become real postage stamps. So far the selection is rather meager, so please join.


See also:
The first MMS stamps in the world (Swisscom Newsletter).
Btw, they have RSS too now.
and
Tomorrow, February 15, 2005 the digital stamp "WebStamp" will be released by the Post.

Programming Converged Networks: Call Control in Java, XML, and Parlay/OSA . From the introduction.

Telecommunications networks are being radically transformed in many ways. One of the most important transformations is from being closed systems that are owned, operated, and programmed by a few companies, to being open systems that allow, in principle, anyone to develop new programs and offer new services to users.
This transformation represents a major development in the evolution of networks. If fully or even substantially completed, it will be a key to realizing the tremendous potential of telecommunications and the Internet today. This ongoing transformation is the context and motivation for this book.

[...]

Finally, this book is about APIs for converged networks. Converged networks consist of—and can take advantage of—multiple underlying technologies, such as packet networks (like the Internet), circuit-switched networks (like the telephone network), and wireless networks. The promise of converged networks lies not in their ability to interconnect different networking technologies per se, but that with the help of open, standard APIs, they can provide a wide range of connectivity options and innovative and advanced services to end users.

Via Ericsson

Everything becomes data - it always was, I know - these days:

Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging, New Way to Instant Message

Nokia today introduced their new service which allows users to send voice clips over their cell network. The service, called "Nokia Xpress audio messaging" will allow users swap audio messages with an easy to use menu that records and sends your message with a few clicks.

"During studies, consumers perceived Nokia Xpress audio messaging as a quick and natural way of communication," adds Pinomaa. "It was especially popular among young people as they were very creative when sharing audio messages with others."

In "3G will bring sea change in biz models; users a key sales channel"* there are some interesting predictions for the future:

“Our research into the distribution channels for mobile content has indicated that the peer-to-peer model will gain traction over the next five years, with users essentially becoming resellers of content to others in their social environment,” explains Daniel Winterbottom, research analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media, publisher of Mobile Media, and author of the strategic report on mobile content business models. “But interoperability issues caused by the rollout of incompatible DRM systems will basically shackle what has the potential to be a very significant revenue stream.

Torsten Brodt mailed me that the Insights into Mobile SPAM, the world's first collaborative empirical study is out now:

The number of mobile messages and respective services shows tremendous growth rates with high profit margins. No wonder, the industry increasingly invests in rich media messaging and derivative business models. However, the growing concerns about unsolicited messaging - so called mobile spam - put these opportunities at risk.
[...]
Conducted in November - December 2004, the study analyzes perceptions based on 1'659 completed consumer surveys and 154 surveys from professionals.

Find here the Table of Contents as PDF (L.C.).

According to Maria Cristina Brugnoli of Telecom Italia Learning Services, technological trends strongly favour the spread of mobile learning. However, at the moment the current offering of mobile learning services is extremely weak.

This is how the new MOBIlearn Newsletter starts. A bit later in "Towards a Task Model for Mobile Learning" it is stated:

The new emphasis in education is on supporting the learner, in collaboration with peers and teachers, through a lifetime of education, both within and outside the classroom. There is a natural alliance between learning as a lifelong activity and personal mobile technology, so that it is becoming feasible to equip learners with powerful tools to support their learning in many contexts over long periods of time.

I do believe that the magic tool we are all searching for is already here: it's the mobile enabled weblog. The weblog is so far the only thing which is personal and if you want to support learning in many contexts over long periods of time, the tool must be personal. It is impossible to have something which is too strongly tied to a school or university as people will leave schools and universities one day.

At the same time, however, the success of mobile learning will depend to a significant extent on synergies with non-learning services like logon services, navigation services, payment services - many of which are likely to be provided by telecommunications. This means that mobile learning content service providers need to work closely with the mobile telecom operators.

This already happened, see - attention self promotion - KAYWA mobile on Orange.


Mobility, Mobile Learning and Future Markets
For more information contact Maria Cristina Brugnoli, Telecom Italia Learning Services S.p.A.
Email: UE001864@guest.telecomitalia.it

MOBIlearn User Trial at the Uffizi Gallery
For more information contact Elena Murelli
Email: elena.murelli@unicatt.it

Mobilearn Newsletter, 6th Issue (PDF)
I made this local copy, because the letter is not available on the MobiLearn Site itself yet.

I already spoke about the new mobile version which is ready to check out for everyone.

You can now see some screenshots here:
Mobile Portal and new Mobile Version of all Weblogs
Les weblogs Kaywa intègre le portail d’Orange
Pictures from Netzlernen.ch

KAYWA on ORANGE
KAYWA is also available directly via Orange World (Switzerland), which means you can be online as long as you want on all KAYWA weblogs by paying CHF 5.- per month for the GPRS flatrate (Orange Express) and CHF 5.-/month for Moblogger. So for CHF 10.-/month you can now use posts via internet email and comment any KAYWA blog via GPRS instead of using SMS.

If you want to MMS as well, you have to pay a bit more. Take the example of 20 MMS per month, which is - according to recent statistics - 5 MMS more than the european, american average. We also suggest you always go for a good picture quality which means more than 30 KB per picture (maybe you later want to print out the pictures which is easy with KAYWA).

Instead of spending CHF 20.- for the MMS alone, you choose the Orange World option for CHF 9.- which includes flatrate GPRS, 20 MMS and 20 SMS. Together with the CHF 5.- per month for Moblogger you are now at CHF 14.- altogether (GPRS, MMS, Moblogger account).

So you finally come to a total of CHF 14.- per month and if you like to have a Premium you have CHF 18.- per month which is still ok compared to an average of over CHF 80.- of monthly telephone costs. And as mentioned above you even get some additional 20 SMS for all the stuff that doesn't belong on a non-password protected weblog.

With your friends you can now interact from the web and from the mobile seamlessly at a very reasonable cost. Imagine all the scenarios which become possible and you must be amazed.

If you are an Orange Customer, you find KAYWA at:
1) http://wap.orange.ch
2) Go to Kiosk on the Orange World
Orange World » Channels » Kiosk
3) Fun & Leisure
4) KAYWA Weblogs

Otherwise go directly to:
http://home.kaywa.com/mobile

[Crossposted at http://blog.kaywa.com]

A stripped-down phone in Japan looks like this:

The main features of the 700i series include:

Videophone
700i users will enjoy all the benefits of videophone, as well as Chara-den™ animated avatars that can be shown in place of the caller's image.

Music player functions
Memory cards stored with music files can be inserted into 700i phones for playback.

ChakuUta and ChakuMotion
High-quality music or audiovisual clips (up to 500 KB) can be stored in 700i phones for playback or ring tones / videos for incoming calls. The phones also handle up to 100 KB of ring tone files.

Deco-mail
HTML mail can be decorated with different backgrounds, text colors/sizes and photos, as well as animations downloaded from i-mode sites. Deco-mail templates are preinstalled on all models.

Megapixel cameras
Each 700i model has a camera with effective resolution exceeding one million pixels.

G-GUIDE™
700i phones come preinstalled with G-GUIDE™ to obtain detailed information about TV shows, including G-Code® to program video recorders quickly and easily.

NTT Press Release: NTT DoCoMo to Introduce New FOMA 700i Series

Via dottucomu

Mobile Spam is still something rare nowadays - at least in my case-, but it's clear that it will invade our mobile devices soon. Like blogs/RSS can be an answer to email (spam), mobile blogs/RSS* could be the answer to SMS (spam).

Mobile Spam is to a mobile handset what email spam is to an e-mailbox.
It is defined as unsolicited commercial messages, which

• try to sell something to the user or
• ask the user to call a phone number, which may be a premium-rate service or
• destroy or change handset settings or
• are simply messages of a commercial nature that are considered threatening, or intruding upon a user's privacy.

from http://www.mobilespam.org

Via MediaMundo| Dienstraum

I saw that some time ago (2003), now I rediscovered it again through egger-loser:

Nokia Content Syndication Program (NCSP)

Take advantage of Nokia's Content Syndication (NCSP) service to monitor content updates and releases from Forum Nokia. Use the form below to generate custom XML/RSS feeds to track the content, tools, and SDK's you are interested in.

Interestingly, they offer no ATOM-Feed.