Technology Update

Amid rumors that just won’t die, the eternal vigil
or wait for the Google Box rages on. Google protests
it is not building a Google Box. If you believe them,
your next question should be — why the hell not?

Recent fury about a Google Box was again unleashed at
the latest CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas
this year when a rumor spread that Google would be
unveiling a Google Box. Causing its stock price to rise and
Google watchers’ hearts to drop when there proved to be
no substance to the rumor.

For now Google seems content to ‘piggy-back’ on other
systems. It has announced it will be partnering with
Motorola to place the Google icon and search on certain
Motorola cell phones. So close, yet so far.

Google still insists it is not building a Google Box.
But does it really matter what Google wants… Internet
users want their Google Box and they will get it in one
form or another. It might not even come from Google.
Their lost!

If you haven’t been following the Google Juggernaut, you
may be wondering what’s all this buzz about a Google Box?
Simply put: it’s a rumor/hope/dream that just won’t die.

What are consumers, customers, Internet users (everyone
on the planet) all clamoring for?

They are clamoring for a newly minted integrated ‘all-in-one’
portable handheld device, with a Google OS (operating system)
and an RSS powered Google Browser (via the Firefox model)
that’s an Internet/Phone/Laptop/XM Radio/Ipod Video/TV/GPS/
and last but not least a Search Engine.

If such a device is built it would finally bring the
Internet (screaming and kicking) into our future wireless
universe. It would be our dream technotopia device. One that
would meet all our electronic/communication needs and place
them firmly in the palm of our hand.

It would place all the World’s Information, Videos, TV shows,
Music, a Billion Web Sites, and Aunt Sally neatly in the palm
of your hand. It would deliver all this with the Google Brand
Name, quite frankly who else would you trust with your Aunt
Sally?

Not only should Google Build it, they should give it away
for Free or next to Free, make it affordable to the lowest
income demographic on the planet. It would simply be good
business. It would simply be a better return on its
shareholder’s money.

Technically such a device or Google Box could be built right
now. The resources and expertise are available, just might
take a hefty down payment to give birth to this baby.

Is such a venture realistically feasible for Google to undertake?

As we see from their offer of providing free broadband Wi-Fi
services to the lucky residents of Mountain View, in the
heart of Silicon Valley, it is not that far-fetched. It is not
such a leap of faith that someone at Google may be musing at
the possibility of a world-wide wireless system delivered on
a Google Box.

Advertising is Google’s Bread and Butter. Consider the
Google Box as just a virtual version of your morning
newspaper. It would be the perfect vehicle to carry all
that Google delivered advertising. Delivered to everyone
anywhere in the world. Advertisers would be lining up around
the world for a piece of that action.

Actually, if you really examine the implications of such
a delivery system. Google must build that Google Box or
lose out to others who will build such a delivery device…
it just won’t have the Google name.

How far are we from such a delivery system? How long will we have
to wait for the eternal Google Box? Don’t hold your breath
but have you heard any good rumors lately?

The author runs a modest website on Bizware and Business Solutions, including a section on VoIP Phone Services.
VoIP Phone Service
Why not visit his site and get a few Free Marketing Tools
for your business. Titus Hoskins Copyright © 2006. This article may be freely distributed if this resource
box stays attached.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, the walled garden is a term used to describe the situation where carriers control all content that goes to their device. Being able to sell directly to consumers is a very costly service that few can afford.

The walled garden is dealing some serious blows to the industry right now. Depending on what carrier you’re with, even if you buy a game from a site that sends you an SMS with an html link to get the game, some carriers will go as far as to block this SMS link or the download. This makes absolutely sure that the games can only be purchased through their deck. The fact that these small start up game developers aren’t able to sell directly to the consumer, means that they have an incredibly hard time getting their games out. This process is really stifling industry growth.

Let’s just say that you are one of the lucky publishers who gets their game onto a game deck. The only way to sell your game on that deck is to hope that somebody knows of your game and is looking for it specifically, or that they will select your game based on its catchy title. If the title is your only selling potential, then you better make sure that the game is called “Aabaa’s Adventure” because chances are that the customer won’t be searching through the entire game deck. Too bad for the developer who makes an amazing game but calls it “Zworf” (I don’t know why you would call it that anyways).

Okay, so you’ve got a good game and it has a catchy name at the beginning of the alphabet. What other problems will you incur? Firstly, the waiting times to get your game on a carrier’s deck are incredibly long compared to the time it takes to actually develop the game. It’s common for a game that took 3 months to develop to wait 8 months before their game is on the deck. This causes serious cash flow issues.

Speaking of long waiting times, let’s just say you accidentally shipped the game with a bug. We all know this would NEVER happen (wink), but just hypothetically what if? It would take a relatively long time to get your game updated because you have to go through the bureaucracy of the carrier system. Not only that, but everyone who has the unupdated games will have to repurchase the software because their carriers will demand they buy the game again.

It’s obvious why carriers are so reluctant to give up the market to more direct to consumer publishers. Although the revenue they make from game sales is relatively minor to their other competencies; carriers still receive huge revenues from controlling all content that moves through their phone. It is very hard to convince them to give up these profits in exchange for better gaming. This is not to say that it will never happen. Developers such as Gameloft have negotiated with carriers to be allowed the right to offer direct to consumer sales off their website in exchange for a limited time of exclusivity on the carrier’s game deck. These developers have demonstrated that negotiating direct to consumer sales can be a very successful part of a developer’s business strategy. We will never see the end of the walled garden in North America until the mobile game industry bands together and forces carriers to open their decks. Europe and Asia have pioneered this movement and America can benefit from similar action.

QuicklyBored is a blog that reviews mobile games as well as reports on the mobile games industry. Visit us at http://www.quicklybored.com

Short Message Service (SMS) is on the edge of becoming a big-time player in the wireless technology. SMS has grown in popularity far beyond anyone’s initial expectations. SMS is a smart and trouble-free method to interact with our friends living even in farthest corner of the world. In the age when science is dominating the world, SMS via our mobile phones is a boon of technology.
Every phone has a fixed limit of number of characters that can be written. Some have it at 160, while others allow you to type 190 characters on a single page. As soon as the message is delivered, we get the delivery report. The instant delivery of message depends on the network of the company whose mobile connection we have. SMS is similar to paging but SMS messages doesn’t require the mobile phone to be active and within range. SMS’s are sent via an SMS center.

Merits of SMS:
1. Cost effective: The wonderful feature of text messaging is that it is inexpensive. While an international call can cost you several dollars, an SMS will do the same job in a significantly smaller amount.

2. Comfort- SMS is perhaps the most convenient way to communicate. It allows you to chat with your friends and relatives anywhere anytime.

3. Express your opinion- SMS is an excellent way to state your choice in matters of public concern. You can also get a chance to win numerous contests happening on TV.

4. Spontaneity- Another significant feature of text messaging is the speed with which it connects us to people. It reaches its target in a few seconds. Messages can be written and sent while you going to the office, sitting idle in a bus or even watching television.

There are a few drawbacks of SMS:
Some people become addictive to text messaging specially children. It may contribute to your mobile phone’s monthly bill.
SMS’s are prone to failure due to network problems.

Short Message Service