Verizon Wireless, the number one U.S. mobile carrier, unveiled their new pre-paid mobile options recently.  While American mobile data seekers might be happy to find an option to get online sans a multi-year contract, some perspective is needed in this case.

With Verizon’s new pre-paid mobile data option, customers must first by a $130 EVDO USB modem in order to first access Verizon’s reliable and speedy EVDO data network.  Then, Verizon charges you according to the following schemes:

• Daily: rates are $15 for 75MB (20 cents a MB)
• Weekly: rates are $30 for 250MB (12 cents a MB)
• Monthly: $50 for 500 MB (10 cents a MB)

So, for the ability to get online wherever you happen to get a cell phone signal, you look at paying quite a bit.

For comparison, I pulled up some data from 3, a UK-based 3G mobile provider.  On 3 UK’s site, I see that for a mere £29.99 (roughly USD $50) , you can get 1GB of data for use in your mobile computer.  This includes the dongle and bandwidth – unlike Verizon where these items must be purchased separately and at much higher costs.

The point here is that the US mobile market is vastly more expensive than the UK equivalent, especially with regards to mobile data.  It should also be noted that the US only has 4 major nationwide carriers and, in my opinion, collusion is driving up prices to be way too high.

Perhaps with more market forces driving prices lower, these extraordinarily consumer unfriendly practices will soon be a thing of the past.  I hope so, as a US-based mobile customer.

Recently the research firm ComScore has affirmed what we have seen on the streets : touch-based phones are selling like hotcakes.  According to the figures, touch-based mobile phone adoption grew at an alarming 159% year over year between August 2008 and August 2009.

What phone is leading the way?  The obvious answer is the Apple iPhone, claiming the top touch-screen device spot for users aged 13+.  The iPhone accounted for almost 33% of all touch-screen purchases in the time frame.  The second place device was the LG Dare, claiming a mere 8.7% of the touch-screen phone market.

ComScore’s Mark Donovan doesn’t expect this fast moving smartphone adoption trend to continue, although it might look a bit different going forward.  According to Donovan, additional touchscreen devices will be sold with more and more running the Android operating system.  With all the Android devices including the HTC Hero, Motorola CLIQ (known as DEXT internationally) and the Droid, this Android prediction is not hard to fathom.

It is astounding to note that, as of August 2009, there are 23.8 million touch-phone users in the United States, up from just 9.2 million touch users in August 2008.  This is a huge market opportunity that is just now being realized.

A year ago, it used to be that the iPhone was main touch phone to pay attention to, with many wannabees vying for the rest of the market.  However, with Android now maturing and seeing vast hardware support from multiple manufacturers, along with some great new touch devices from Nokia including the N97, XpressMusic 5800 and N900 tablet, it is apparent that touch devices are here to stay with continued growth being a sure thing.

(Photo Credit: Daniel^1977)

A story circulated around the blogosphere recently that showed mobile web user’s frustration with trying to use their mobile devices to access the Internet. First, the good news: mobile web usage is increasing by about 34% up to 57 million users as of July, 2009. However, it seems that the user experience was poor, with many mobile web users ending up frustrated.

Why all the disdain towards surfing the web on their mobile devices? In the study, users cited reasons such as slow web page loading times, text and images appearing too small due to poor web site formatting, and mobile websites crashing on a routine basis.

So, is all lost for those trying to build and enhance the mobile web?  The answer, from Taptu’s perspective, is an emphatic No!

First off, if you look at the how the Gomez study was conducted, there are some fallacies that should be pointed out.  For example, as our CEO Steve Ives points out, the story that got so much attention earlier this week states:

Unlike some other mobile studies, the Gomez report did not differentiate between regular cell phone and smartphone users.

This means that the firm conducting the study treats an iPhone user (who gets desktop results from Safari search) as equivalent to a RAZR user (who gets an unspecified mix of mobile results plus transcoded desktop results plus actual desktop results)   So it’s impossible to tell whether the problem is “slow mobile Web sites” or “fast desktop sites loading slowly over a wireless link”.

As you may already know, your normal ‘desktop’ web sites (those intended for viewing on your regular computer) are very large sites that have a lot of data.  Downloading all these images, advanced scripts, and text over a wireless link is a slow and frustrating experience.

A more exhaustive survey would have queried more device users and separate categories of devices – probably resulting in more positive user experienced based on the device.

Web authors and website managers should take note – this study shows a high degree of frustration from mobile users.  With more and more mobile customers adopting smartphones, mobile web usage is going to continue to skyrocket.  For the sake of your customers and users, enhance your site(s) for the mobile web.

For those seeking the web’s best mobile-friendly content, look to Taptu. We are constantly indexing and seeking out the greatest content that is specifically formulated for you to use on your mobile device.  We believe the mobile web is an exciting place and we’re striving to show you the best content the mobile web has to offer.

(Photo credit: Flickr User adactio)

Cloud computing is a  that describes a model of computing where by your data is kept on servers that are outside your control and out on the Internet (hence, in the cloud).  According to Wikipedia, cloud computing is:

Cloud computing services often provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

Cloud-based services are ideal with devices such as Netbooks and mobile handsets because the mobile devices have little computational horsepower, meager storage, and are typically connected to the ‘Net via data connections, either Wi-Fi or 3G data networks.

The promise of cloud computing for users lies in the assumption that our data is safely held in professionally-managed data centers somewhere in the world.  But as recent events show, this isn’t always the case.  Last week, Microsoft/Danger lost millions of Sidekick users’ data in a botched storage area network upgrade.

Microsoft is supposedly working around the clock to bring back the data.  But, as it stands, millions of Sidekick users are without their contacts, photos, emails, notes, and other valuable data they depend on when utilizing their mobile devices.  Because the Sidekick uses RAM to store all this data, any user who power cycles or lets the battery run out on their device will lose all their data until Microsoft/Danger can recover it – if at all.

What is the lesson here? If you have a device you care about that contains data you find valuable, you must seek and constantly update your backups.  If you rely upon hosted services to house your data in the cloud, I suggest seeking ways to backup your phone’s data locally as well.

For example, iPhone users are in luck because of the way iTunes is structured.  In addition to the availability of Apple’s MobileMe service, the iPhone/iPod Touch is automatically backed up each time you sync your phone with iTunes.  Likewise, Nokia N Series and E Series users have access to some Ovi services that back up your photos/contacts and other data, but if you want a local copy of these types of data – Nokia users must use PC Suite on a regular basis.

There are services for many platforms that allow you to backup and maintain your data and I suggest you evaluate our options.  Blackberry users have online and offline backup options and using Google’s mobile web services, you can backup your contacts to their services as well.

Don’t take the Sidekick data loss and assume this type of catastrophe couldn’t happen to you.  With mobile devices becoming a part of our daily lives, there are likely contacts, photos and videos you care about.  Take a minute to back up and ensure your data is safe! 

(Photo credit: Flickr User kevindooley)

AT&T released its version of a femtocell this week, called an AT&T MicroCell.  What is a MicroCell?  Basically it is a little unit that plugs into your broadband router that acts as a mini-cell phone tower.  That is, a MicroCell is a repeater for the AT&T mobile network that utilizes your broadband Internet connection to channel mobile phone calls and mobile data connections.

So, in effect, by using a MicroCell, you are helping AT&T patch weak spots in their network by lending them bandwidth from your Internet connection.  The added irony in all this: if you’re an AT&T customer who opts to use a MicroCell, you pay either pay$150 for the device or get one for $100 (with a $450 rebate) and then pay an additional $20/month to your bill.

This equation simply does not make sense and  continues the backwards thinking that exists in US based mobile carriers.  To be fair, I must point out that AT&T isn’t alone in charging for their femtocell enhancement, Sprint charges $20/month for their device and Verizon Wireless has a similar box for $250.

In my opinion, as a cellular subscriber, if you can adequately demonstrate that your mobile network provider’s network is weak in your home or business, that mobile network operator should grant you a femtocell free of charge.  Not only would this promote loyalty and reduce churn of mobile customers, but would help out your surrounding neighbors as well, as femtocells work for quite a ways surrounding the repeater.

What are your thoughts – would you pay to host a mobile carrier’s signal on your Internet service that *you* pay for?

In the mobile phone world, the iPhone from Apple has definitely set the bar with regards to touch interfaces.  Apple, with their multi-touch capabilities, has set a new paradigm with regards to user interfaces and user experience on mobile handsets.  We have seen other players in the mobile industry try and replicate Apple’s success, but have come short.

Nokia has appeared to be a sleeping giant when it comes to touch interfaces.  Over the last year, we have seen the Nokia XpressMusic 5800 and the corresponding S60 5th Edition come to the market.  And now, the Nokia N97 is the flagship Nokia model with its large 3.5″ touch screen.

These two handsets have been modest entries into the touch market and it appears with recent announcements from the Finnish handset maker that they have finally embraced the touch user interface and are putting their engineering talent behind it.

The Nokia N900 Tablet

As discussed before, the Nokia N900 Tablet/Phone takes some of the best features of the Nokia N97 and marries them with the popular, yet niche, features of Nokia’s Internet Tablet line.  With the N900 we get the expendable Linux-based Maemo 5 operating system tied in with a 5Mp Camera with Carl Zeiss Lens, 3.5″ touch screen, 32GB of onboard storage and a slide-our keyboard.

If you watch the demo video provided by Nokia, you’ll see they’re featuring the touch interface front and center.  The N900 from Nokia is all about creating media and sharing it with those in your social circle online.

Nokia X6

The X6 is a brand new device category from Nokia.  This X6 device is made for media consumption with its 3.2″ screen.  It also features 32GB of onboard memory and a 5MP digital camera.

But, in a huge step for Nokia, the biggest news out of Nokia World (in my opinion), is the Nokia X6 features a capacitive touch screen.  Whereas the N97 and 5800 XpressMusic features a resistive touch screen that requires ample feedback to register a keystroke or tap, the X6 will be more user-friendly – like the iPhone which also features a capacitive screen.

With its advertised 35 hours of music playback and customizable homescreen, the X6 represents a new venture for Nokia in the touchscreen phone market.

What do you think? Do these new handsets excite you?  Or is Nokia just trying too hard and coming up short?

It is interesting to see all the changes that are occurring in the handset market.  The iPhone’s effect is starting to ripple and its time for other innovators to start showing us their stuff.  Does Nokia have any chops?  You tell me.

We have been working hard at Taptu to refine our application on the iPhone and iPod Touch platform.  We believe our app is a great addition to the touch web and brings all the highlights of touch-friendly content to your fingertips.

With that in mind, we’ve released a new version of the application into Apple iTunes App Store.  There are a few notable changes.

User Interface Improvements:

These include a few minor changes to make it easier to utilize all the functionality of the Taptu Search Application. The most notable change is that the “Orbital” function is now an actual button.  This feature was present in the last version of the application, but many users missed it because it wasn’t visibly noticeable as a click-able (tap-able) button.

Now, if you click on the button in the upper right – you can see the awesome functionality which lets you refine the scope of your search by just searching images, twitter, and so on.  Also, you can see related search terms based on what you enter.

Finally, we’ve implemented a new Settings tab in the App that lets you refine how the Taptu Search App behaves.  The new tab will allow you to set user preferences in the App, without having to go to the iPhone’s settings bar.

Other Changes

We have also made an effort to tidy up the Sharing options. As before, you can still share out your results via email and SMS, or on your favorite social network such as Facebook or Twitter.  We just cleaned up the interface a bit.

In another change, if you launch the App after having it closed – it will load up the last search you executed.  This change is a direct result from user feedback we’ve attained since the App debuted in July.

Please Give Us Feedback!

As you can see, this minor update addresses a few of the concerns our users have given us since the launch of our iPhone/iPod Touch application.  In fact, two of the changed items mentioned above came about because of feedback I’ve received from our user community.

So, the bottom line is – we’re here and we’re listening.  So please connect if you have issues, comments, or concerns about our application.  We’re always looking for ways to make our applications and service better!

To grab the latest version of the Taptu iPhone App, follow this link.

Get in touch with us by emailing me at jason <at> taptu <dot> com or via our Twitter account.

Jason

US Community Manager – Taptu

In using the Taptu Search App on your iPhone or iPod Touch, you’ve seen that we have done away with traditional search engine results and given then a new visual representation that utilizes the beautiful touch interface that is native to the iPhone.  We’ve done away with result lists and replaced them with visual ‘cards’.

We think it’s a pretty novel way to surf through search results. Each result is presented in a card format. You can flick horizontally through the cards, in order of relevancy.

This interface is brand new and is something we at Taptu have been working hard on. In fact, it’s a key differentiator between our search results and other options available on the mobile web.  Granted, flicking through search results may not be a way to research your college thesis, but flicking is a fun and functional way of navigating search results on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

As always, we’re looking for ways to improve our apps and core search service.  If you have feedback, please reach out to us by leaving a comment below, via Twitter.

We spend a lot of time looking at iPhone apps these days and it’s very clear that the user experience can be the difference between someone buying an app or not.

Marc posted about the importance of creating the right impression within the App Store . I wanted to write here briefly about how the app itself then needs to continue with creating the right impression through its UX.

As example, lets take the simple ‘converter’ app – you know, the one you download because you need to convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade, or Miles to Kilometers? It could be seen as a ‘boring utility’ by many, but user experience design can still make one app stand out over another.

I’ve downloaded a couple of converters and one that I really liked was Convertbot. With Convertbot the designers have really crafted the user experience. They have considered everything from the icon onwards and made it feel seamless and clean to use.

When you start the app, the loading screen is a metallic/industrial-feeling ‘shutter’ with animation – this then leads nicely into a main screen which maintains the industrial feel and where users simply spin a wheel of icons to choose what type of conversion they want to make – length, weight, etc.

Putting that in the context of other converter apps its clear to see that Converbot user experience is more considered from a design perspective.

Take a look at the two screens here from two different converter apps. This is the main screen where the user chooses their conversion and enters what they want to convert.

Convertbot keeps it very simple – the user just flicks the wheel to select what they want to convert. Convertbot also reduces complexity by offering the user either the wheel or the keypad – depending on the context they are in. This reveals the complexity as needed rather than attempting to fit everything onto one screen.

As you all know, we’re really excited about the utilizing the touch interface to it’s fullest extent.  To this end, we’ve taken a project of ours, The Music Cube, and ported it to the iPhone.  Our new application is now available in the iTunes App store.

How does The Music Cube work?  It’s a fun game whereby you analyze an image puzzle and try to guess the artist/band/song  based on the visual image(s) you see.  It’s challenging, addictive and works  well on the touch interface. So if you have an iPhone or Touch and love music then give it a spin.

Music Cube on the iPhone was a little side project here at Taptu.  As linked above, the desktop web version was produced a while back and proved so popular we just couldn’t resist porting it to the iPhone.  When so many Taptuans rally behind an effort, its hard to hold them back.  Our lead engineer on the project was Telmo Menezes (since crowned King of Open GL) with Matt and Marc on the design side.

Astonishingly, the Music Cube iPhone app was pumped out in just four weeks.  Pretty cool, I think!

The intent of the Music Cube is to provide a fun game to pass the time while you’re waiting in a line, riding the bus, or otherwise have a few spare moments to challenge your music knowledge.  Also, if you get stuck, you an always rely upon Taptu Mobile Search to help guide your way

Be sure to check out upcoming versions of the Music Cube app for additional, more challenging questions.