Why Nokia bought a photo and video sharing site

The common sense view of Nokia is that it is a mobile phone manufacturer. Those who look a little closer note that is about as close to the truth as describing it as a rubber boot manufacturer (which it once was...).

The deal to buy Twango (click here for report) is extremely revealing. Nokia is clearly positioning itself as a media company - the definition of which stretches by the day.

The Twango deal (an image and video sharing site with fantastic mobile accessibility) makes obvious sense when you also consider that Nokia is the world's biggest manufacturer of cameras (yep, the ones integrated in your converged handset).

They also believe themselves to be manufacturers of computers (yep, once again, that converged device somewhere very close to you right now).

And the appetite to see themselves as a media company is clarified when you note that Gerard Wiener, is the company's vice president of multimedia mergers and acquisitions.

A Nokia phone user can snap photos or videos while at a sporting event and have those images integrated with their online photo collection at Twango's Web site. It works the other way too - so you can view images from your pc on yoru mobile (a la Orb).

And all deployed through your (Nokia) Widset for fast internet access perhaps? And with Nokia Adservice ads against it?

Make no mistake, Nokia is in the game.

Google's grand plan to take over phone and TV too

Scott Monson (from Orb) shared the following link with me; a fascinating discussion of how google is buying up network fibre left right and centre and acquiring vast tracts of land - and what it's all pointing too.
The argument is that google's grand plan means their share price is undervalued - by about eight times... click here for the post on pbs.org

3 X-Series: Activating Orb

Another update on progress with my X-Series (3's ground-breaking fixed-price mobile internet package.
I finally got around to playing with Orb on it last night (attempts to install orb at work having failed due to the security issues around turning a networked pc into a broadcast device...)
At home it worked a treat. Within seconds I was viewing all the images I have on my pc on my mobile - and each one automatically optimised for the mobile browser.
A proper jaw-dropping moment.
Documents were quick and easy to access too.
Can't wait to trial with videos.

My lovely new phone, er, computer, er...

Since I made such a song and dance about 3's fixed-price mobile internet access (describing it as the single most important digital development of recent times, and being quoted across the blogosphere for saying as much...), I thought I'd better share a few of the realities now I have a Nokia N73 in my sweaty paws - and the Gold X-Series package.
Setting up Orb has been an adventure in internal IT limitations (our XP build, I believe - have asked internal IT to resolve asap).
But Skype was up and running in an instant (used it yesterday, too) and I've set up a useful homepage for myself, created using google's personalised homepage for mobile.
Access to my home email was a doddle - sending or receiving - and I found myself checking my home email and sending replies from my phone/computer last night in front of the Chelsea game.
ebay is fine - but the text a little small. I used it to check my latest buyer had recieved their goods and was happy with the outcome.
There's an awful lot to discover on the X-Series N73, it's pretty much like getting yourself a new PC - with a new-to-learn operating system.
But the more I get to grips the more I like. Already it's meant I didn't turn on my home (fixed line) pc last night. Is this a glimpse into the future?
I'll bring you more on how it changes my internet use and the uses I find for it as regularly as I'm able.

Someone asked me this morning how much hassle it was having to text-type in all your usernames and passwords etc
Made me wonder how many people 'typed' before they were forced to do so by the desirability of accessing content on the internet via a pc.
People seem ever adaptable - provided the end result is what they want.

The apple i-phone is about to land

The clever money among informed sources is that apple's much speculated mobile is actually on its way this time. There's even talk of firm orders being placed for 12m of the little white jobs with a Taiwanese manufacturer.
Expect to see it in March next year.
I've seen discussions where there is a suggestion that Apple will take the brave decision to make this a telephone. ie a communication device rather than convergent with its I-pod. The argument goes that they could take an innovative lead in making devices connect with each and communicate with each-other in an intuitive way, rather than build their own I-pod killer.
Hmmm. I don't see anti-convergence working - not now there is talk of 20GB of storage on next generation phones, and security systems which recognise the phone's owner, and lock as soon as you move more than a couple of feet away from it (being launched in Japan right now).
I'm a firm believer in the convergence cause. Every objection I've seen can be overcome with either online storage accessible via mobile internet, or orb networks solutions.
There's a reason nobody carries a filofax anymore...

Why 3 has changed the world

Further thoughts on 3's ground-breaking fixed-charge mobile internet announcement of last week.
It's a no-going-back moment. All other operators will have to follow. If they won't, they'll lose market share - and rapidly.
For example; when I rang 02 to say I was ending my contract and going to 3 to take advantage of this deal, the chap on the other end of the phone was so impressed with the 3 offering he took himself off to their website to sign up too.
The deals with eBay, google, yahoo, orb networks, sling media etc are unlikely to be exclusive, either (can you imagine eBay doing an exclusive deal with one network with only 14 million users globally? No? Me, neither).
So all the networks must change and change fast - and they will ALL have great offerings.
3 has a headstart because it's that handset-changing contract ending time of year. Nice timing 3.

3 accelerates mobile web in the UK

Sounds to me like 3 may have hooked up with orb.com (see post below, oh and here's the confirmation)... given that their new package appears to include the ability to access your home pc from your mobile.

The BBC reports that you'll also be able to make free internet calls from 3 mobiles (via a deal with Skype).

You'll be charged a flat-rate monthly fee (can't find anywhere saying how much!)

Here's the '3' webcast on the subject

And here's the full 3 promo for the X-series:

And me? I've just done another deal with 02 for 12 months - a company which had to have its arm twisted to let me have a 3G phone for less than £140 and which has a set data price!

Anyway, 3 looks the way ahead. Interesting that they describe themselves, not as a mobile network service provider or operator, but as a mobile media company.

Perhaps those who couldn't quite believe the predictions that mobile web would outstrip fixed web within two years can start to see the sense now? (See previous post).

Right of this minute, I think this is the single most significant digital development I've heard of since I started this blog.

The implications include:

a) the massive potential acceleration of mobile internet

b) A solution to the mobile memory problem (see post on orb.com, below)

c) A solution to potentially off-putting run-away data charges (though it remains to be seen how much 3's set price is

d) An answer to the 'problem' (for network providers) of free internet calls and access which would inevitably be made through wifi connected mobiles accessing the internet.

And of course (a) takes us rapidly to Tomi T Ahonen's conclusions about how websites will inevitably be designed for mobile as their primary access point within two years. Two years? Perhaps he'll have a recount.