cover story


supporting capability is not just a differentiator, it’s an order qualifier. Just look at what the iPhone 4 is packing when it comes to video supporting technology that can boost considerably a mobile video and TV experience.


The device comprises a 3.5- inch screen based on the new Apple Retina display that has 960 x 640 pixels. As a degree to which this will boost video, this is four times as many pixels as the iPhone 3GS and 78% of the pixels on an iPad which itself has a 9.7-inch screen. Not to be outdone,


competitors are offering products with more advanced video supporting screen technology in particular organics light emitting diode (OLED) display technology. Compared with LCD, OLED displays provide brighter pictures (especially under sunlight), improved contrast ratio for clearer images, wider viewing angles, faster response with moving pictures, longer life, and lower power consumption. OLEDs have most notably seen use in the Nexus One from Google and Samsung Wave of which Mark Mitchinson, Vice President Samsung Mobile UK & Ireland, described as providing access to an abundance of quality apps, through “a screen that really has to be seen to be believed. The screen is fantastic for displaying 720p HD video decoding and recording capabilities.” Note: HD; over mobile. The dreams of 2000 coming real. Or maybe not.


End of data deals


The first signs of trouble at the video mill came on 2 June 2010 when on the eve of the official launch of the iPhone 4 in the US AT&T revealed details of a new data plan that would end the era of the ‘all you can eat’ data tariffs . Said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We’re breaking free from the traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ pricing model and making the mobile Internet


content2mobile


more affordable to a greater number of people.” Customers had the choice of going for either a $15 per month entry plan or a $25 per month plan with 10 times more data. Current smartphone customers-more or less iPhone 3G and 3GS users-were not required to switch to the new plans, but new customers—those with the more video capable and hence bandwidth using iPhone 4—will be obliged to. Not long after, O2, who like


AT&T had the initial exclusive rights to the iPhone, introduced new tariffs that said CEO Ronan Dunne would give customers more choice. “We’re providing customers with generous clear data bundles that give customers freedom, “ he explained. “This enables us to provide a better overall experience for the vast majority of customers and to better manage demand.” Dunne noted that based on current usage patterns, 97% of O2 smartphone customers would not need to buy additional data allowances, as the lowest bundle (500MB) provided at least 2.5 times the average O2 customer’s current use. Current at the time did not include the iPhone 4.


On 1 July, mobile video pioneer 3 also introduced new pricing that it said would give more of everything for everyone. Moreover, 3 believed that its new pricing models would be the forerunner of the flat-rate mobile plans it believes will underpin the widespread consumer use of smartphones. The new pricing plan offered a monthly allowance of 1GB of data from £25 a month representing, said 3, watching up to 30-minutes a day of YouTube video each month.


The pain of strain But why the panic? Well basically the networks just wouldn’t have been able to cope with vast numbers of iPhone 4 and other smartphone users taking full advantage of what was in their hands. Price premium would serve to deter some users from clogging the network and avoid complaints (and possible discounts and refunds) from the key business data user segment. Also the higher fees could provide revenue that may be invested in network upgrades. Well, potentially.


It seems odd that after all these years of trying to get people


to use mobile networks for video applications the operators were now turning them away. But anecdotal evidence suggests that strain issue is real and present. There have been numerous complaints from iPhone 3G users in San Francisco and New York that network quality has been poor. Furthermore at last year’s IBC, virtually all mobile video demos were undertaken using Wi- Fi instead of the 3G network. One unnamed source went as far as to suggest that even the dedicated mobile cell for the show could support only ten concurrent mobile video sessions. Try building a business on that. So has the industry come to a full stop, at least for streaming video delivered over telecoms networks? In the face off between technological


advancement, users’ demands and business efficiency come down very on the side of the latter? Simple retrograde deterrents would suggest yes. However, there are more subtle,


sophisticated approaches that the industry can take to make sure that users’ insatiably desire for mobile video can be satisfied cost-effectively.


Nokia N8 smartphone 6 september 2010


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16