Skype bids to bridge mobile phone-computer gap

VoIP supplier Skype is calling for network operators, software providers and device makers to work together to help Skype's 405 million users consolidate their communications media on a single mobile device.

The move has the potential to revolutionize enterprise communications.

Skype's call follows research it commissioned that found smartphones and netbooks are not yet the same thing in users' minds.

The survey of 3,000 mobile users in the US, Japan, Spain and the UK showed most do not download applications to mobile devices, and most want more control over how they work with their device.

The study found

. 62% do not yet see their mobile device as an extension of their computer

. Only 23% feel that they have more or the same level of control over their mobile device as they have over their computer

. 70% have never downloaded an application to their mobile device

. 67% want to be able to choose their mobile applications rather than have their carriers choose for them.

Respondents in Japan, the US and the UK felt they had the least control over their mobile devices versus personal computers, and fewer than one in three had downloaded an application to their mobile. Read More>>>

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Apple iPhone OS 3.0 Ups Ante on Mobile App Development

By Lawrence Walsh

The iPhone OS 3.0 beta released today will make the mobile device more adaptable to new applications and users ranging from games and personal use to business productivity solutions.

Apple made available the beta version of its iPhone OS 3.0 and updated software development kit (SDK) to registered developers to begin work on a new and vast array of applications for the popular multifunction mobile phone.

The new iPhone OS 3.0 and software development kit (SDK) includes more than 1,000 APIs (application programming interfaces, In-App Purchases; peer-to-peer connections, a new application interface for accessories, access to iPod music library, and new connections to Google Maps.

Apple made the new version of iPhone OS 3.0 available to developers to begin their preliminary work on new applications, ensuring a full set of new entertainment, informational and productivity applications are available when the OS becomes generally available this summer.

Mobile applications are among the fastest growing segments of the channel and application development community. Following Apple’s lead, other smartphone manufacturers and software platforms have or plan to launch application stores. Those vendors include Microsoft, Nokia, Palm and BlackBerry. Read More>>>

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