Guy Kewney

Its traditional for the mobile operators to stay away from Barcelona. Well, it may become traditional; this is, after all, the first time we have had a 3GSM Congress that wasnt in Cannes, France. But they certainly did stay away from Cannes, so its a safe bet that the new tradition will catch on. 3GSM […]

HTC, once known as High Tech Computer, is now Britains newest mobile phone maker. Yes, were talking about the inventor of the first successful Pocket PC—the iPaq. Of course, the corporation is still based in Taiwan; but it now has a London (ish) office. And so we had a good party to celebrate, and all […]

What do phone company managers dream about? Terminators. Not good dreams. I know exactly what these nightmares are. They involve regulators. Horrible, fierce regulators with multiple language qualifications, legal knowledge and the full billing details. And whats the worst thing that could happen with phone company billing details? Yes!—they could be published. Thats exactly the […]

Could we really lose our addiction to mobile phones? Im pretty certain were hooked. Really, truly certain. But … the trouble with being certain is that you can remember other times when you were certain, and turned out to be wrong. For example, Ive been pretty sure that there never will be an adequate MP3 […]

Feedback can be useful. Without it, your virtual motorbike can come off the road, and youll never know. With a good actuator, however, you can tell when you hit the lamppost, because it hurts. Welcome to the world of haptics, the new thing in feedback technology—and mobile phones. “There are three or four different types […]

Ever watched one of those “games” where you swat a penguin, and its mutilated cartoon body bounces along the snow? For Penguin, read “mobile operator” and you have a great idea of the pickle were in. Right now, stocks in mobile networks are worth money. You can buy, and sell them. And of course, people […]

When we were kids, and PCs were “microcomputers,” we all believed in recipes. These days, the mobile world is trying equally hard to believe in mobile television. So the question of thirty years ago has resurfaced: What on earth would you actually use a home computer for? enquired baffled friends, not even trying to hide […]

When someone starts trying to imply that mobile phones are faster than home broadband, either that person is ignorant, or youre being teased. When Rene Oberman, CEO of T-Mobile here in Europe, starts explaining that theres a “whole new world” of Internet access because T-Mobile will move to an exciting new technology called HSDPA next […]

Reality just cant match perception for importance, as supermodel Kate Moss is discovering. And so is Intel. More to the point, so is Bluetooth, although the typical Bluetooth supplier isnt worried about what goes up the Bluetooth nose; theyre more concerned with what gets up the nose of the general public. And its really odd […]

In Spain, theyre getting ready for the start of the round-the-world Volvo yacht race. Satellite communications are what make it all possible. Say that to the typical landsman, and youll probably get approving nods: “Yes, safety…” and thats almost entirely wrong. The need for safety in blue water navigation did, indeed, start the satellite business […]