Written on 29th June 2009
2 COMMENTS Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
Today, Nimbuzz are celebrating and with good reason. The Dutch startup has become the first social messenger to see their application preinstalled by a Tier 1 Global Mobile Network, in this case, O2 Germany.
Its with thanks to an initially agreed partnership with Toshiba in February that the application was initially incorporated. With 25% of the 85 million mobile users in Europe, the deal is somewhat of a coo for Nimbuzz who will see their application pre-installed by one of the worldsleading mobile players, with potential for further integration into international markets.
Accessed via a central icon on the home screen the app integrates seamlessly (more…)
Google’s Android mobile operating system finally showed its hand as a serious competitor to the iPhone today.
At a press event in London, manufacturer HTC unveiled its new Android-powered Hero handset. While the previous two Android devices, the G1 and the Magic, were a little ugly and underpowered, the Hero manages to combine sleek good looks with serious power.
Boasting a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, AGPS, digital compass, gravity-sensor, 3.5mm stereo headset jack and expandable MicroSD memory, the hardware is way ahead of previous Android handsets. It’s Teflon-coated to stay clean too.
It’s not the spec that’s important here though, it’s the evolution of Android that goes with it. (more…)
Written on 22nd June 2009
3 COMMENTS Martin Bryant, Co-founder, Social Media Café Manchester
While mobile access to the web has become a lot easier in recent years, writing a blog post on a phone is still a pain. With tiny keyboards and small screens, most phones weren’t built to be blogging machines. It’s much more convenient to blog on the go using something every phone is designed for – your voice.
This year has seen the rise of instant mobile podcasting. Two British-born apps are at the forefront of this new movement. They both allow you to publish audio direct from your phone to the web, but how do they compare?
While the tech blogosphere goes iPhone 3.0 crazy today, here’s a reminder that there’s a lot to be excited about elsewhere in the mobile world too.
Layar is a new ‘Augmented Reality Browser’ for Android phones. Forget everything you’re used to about searching the internet, Layar throws that all away. By holding your phone in front of you and looking through its camera lens you can actually see the world ‘through the eyes of the internet’.
Imagine you want to know which houses in your area are for sale – just hold up your phone and Layar will point out which ones around you are on the market and how much they are. Phoning the estate agent is just a touch of the screen away.
Next to being an Internet Entrepreneur I also consider myself a true mobile worker. I started my first company in a bar in Amsterdam and started my second company, HubHop – a WiFi hotspot provider – so I could work anywhere with WiFi.
Being a mobile worker requires good preparation. I bought a TUMI bag years ago to protect my Powerbook/MacBook Pro. As you might know the TUMI has lots of hidden pockets in which you can store stuff. I decided to compile a list of things that every Mobile Worker should have in his bag to turn any place into a temporary office. Built on years of experience I hope it is useful for you:
1: Gadget Kit
Laptop (with DVD player for long flights), iPhone/iPod, Digital Camera.
2: Emercency Back-up Kit
USB Stick, Spare Keys, Laptop Lock, Spare Batteries (laptop, phone + other stuff), one or two rewritable CDs or DVDs, Food (stuck in meeting, airport or traffic!), Original Laptop Installation CD/DVD.
3a: Cable Kit
Ethernet, Monitor/projector adapters, Airplane Power adapter, Adapters for Phone, Laptop and Other Gadgets, Spare iPod/iPhone Headset.
3b: Cable Kit
The most important cable you might want to pack is a cheap power extension cord. I have one that is almost 4 meters long and it is my most used gadget. Most places have wireless internet but the power sockets are always inconveniently hidden somewhere. A simple extension cord gives you a lot more freedom!
4: Medical First Aid Kit
Aspirin, Sleeping pills (lethal dose to escape boring meetings), Cough Suppress Pills (Mints/Drops/Anything that works for you), Bandages. (Optional: tampons and/or condoms).
5: Personal Hygiene Kit
Toothbrush and Toothpaste (Take mini set from plane or hotelroom) and/or Mints and/or Chewing Gum, Toothpick and Floss, Nail file and Nailclipper, Comb, Small Mirror.
6: Papers
Passport, Businesscards, 3 ballpoints, 1 Permanent Marker, Notebook (moleskine), Book or Magazine (for when batteries are empty (inevitable) and you are bored), 4 Paperclips (to eject disks, sim cards from iPhones or poke between teeth when bored).
7: Assorted Tools Kit
Leatherman/pocket knife, Screwdriver, Tie rips, Ziplock Bag (for storing liquids such as drinks, beauty products and vomit), small umbrella.
Written on 3rd May 2009
0 COMMENTS Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
Vic Gundotra is a former General Manager of Platform Evangelism at Microsoft, and had been with the company for 15 years. In June 2007, he left Microsoft for Google and in this interview with Tim O’Reilly during Web 2.0 Expo, he explains why.
This is obviously a fake. No baby would want to be seen with an outdated piece of technology like that. A baby would obviously go for a Palm Pre or maybe an iPhone.
So how old do children have to be to earn a mobile device? My oldest daughter is 7 and she is probably one of the last ones in her classroom to get a phone. If I didn’t think she’d lose it I’d buy her an iPhone. Really! She already knows more about my iPhone than I do.
Will our future children get their first phone when they are born? As a kind of welcome gift? What do you think?
As you know, the Next Web Conference is next week in Amsterdam and there are a lot of cool things going on. To complement the main days (April 16 & 17), there will be three smaller events on the first day: Mobile Dev Camp, Music & Bits and The Current Web. On April 15 Mobile Dev Camp is teaming up with Music & Bits to talk about the future of music and mobile in the heart of the city at Spaces (Herengracht 124-128). While each event will have its own track, we’re taking care to schedule things so you can combine the two events.
This Mobile Dev Camp will be a BarCamp-styleunconference, which means that you the attendees create the schedule. Want to host a discussion, run a workshop, demo your product or even just sit in the corner and code – you’re welcome to do it all! As with all Mobile Dev Camps the main goal is to bring together developers and, ultimately, create new mobile applications. To give you some added encouragement, Forum Nokia is sponsoring the Hackathon and giving away some Nokia 5800 XpressMusic devices for the best Web Runtime widgets. Vodafone and The Next Web are also essential sponsors.
Next Web Conference ticket holders get priority signup to the event, though we will open once the signups to everybody soon. We only have a limited amount of space, so watch your inbox in the next few days for the signup and be sure to sign up quickly!
For more information please check out the Mobile Dev Camp site.
Written on 24th February 2009
4 COMMENTS Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
Mozilla Labs have revealed an awesome feature which will be made available on the mobile version of Firefox aka Fennec.
The mobile browser will be able to sync tabs you were using your mobile with the tabs on your desktop so technically it should be a breeze switching between the two… whether it is a breeze, we’ll have to wait and see.
Of course if you’re an Opera user, you can already do this.
Written on 18th February 2009
5 COMMENTS Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
Google have just announced the available of their mobile app for Windows Mobile users. To download the app, visit http://m.google.com on your phone and away you go.
The application is designed to make searching on your windows mobile faster and slicker, with direct access to your favorite google apps direct from the Today screen. Pocket PC users can add the Google Mobile App to their start menu via Settings: Menus or even configure a device button to trigger the app.
Written on 29th June 2009
2 COMMENTS 
Today, Nimbuzz are celebrating and with good reason. The Dutch startup has become the first social messenger to see their application preinstalled by a Tier 1 Global Mobile Network, in this case, O2 Germany.
Written on 24th June 2009
Google’s Android mobile operating system finally showed its hand as a serious competitor to the iPhone today.
While mobile access to the web has become a lot easier in recent years, writing a blog post on a phone is still a pain. With tiny keyboards and small screens, most phones weren’t built to be blogging machines. It’s much more convenient to blog on the go using something every phone is designed for – your voice.
While the tech blogosphere goes iPhone 3.0 crazy today, here’s a reminder that there’s a lot to be excited about elsewhere in the mobile world too.
Written on 8th May 2009
Written on 6th April 2009
Mozilla Labs
The Next Web Blog is closely associated with The Next Web Conference which is held annually in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. At this event speakers from all over the world come together to talk about, and show off, the future of the Web. (More info 
