3G -- Not that long ago there were mobile companies banging on about how we would all be making video calls to our friends and colleagues thanks to high-speed mobile. In theory it was true but it was tough going trying to actually connect to someone else with video and that was even if you were on the same network and both using the same mobile handset. Things have improved a bit since the over-puffed days when 3G was first unleashed. But it was only this week that this reporter actually saw someone making a video call. Unfortunately he was walking across the road at the time with the phone held in front of him. It didn't seem consistent with long-term survival. Of course, almost all new handsets are now 3G compliant and, for enhanced data services it certainly makes a difference. But the grand vision of all of us making video calls on our mobiles has never come to fruition. Instead it seems we've embraced video on the web, courtesy of services such as Skype. Now, oddly we may see that boom in mobile video via the next generation of handsets, but it will be via applications that piggyback on next generation smartphones such as the iPhone or windows mobile devices, at the same time using the cheapest connections available. That means bypassing the network, going via WiFi wherever possible. If the mobile networks wanted video calling to make them money they should have made it cheaper a long time ago. » more

Friday, May 09 2008
by Ralph Averbuch

Quick Online Tips - If you have to spend the majority of your day working online, you may appreciate the advice on offer over at Quick Online Tips. Similar to Lifehacker, postings are focused on attempting to find simple ways to make your online life that little bit easier. At the top of the site there's a 'popular' link which shows you the postings rated most useful by users of the site and broken into relevant categories, such as computer or blogging tips. You can sign up to the RSS feed to keep informed of new postings. » read more from the archive
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