Voice Quality Isn't What It Used to Be

Most people, despite the reliance placed on their mobile phones, likely would say there are times when call quality isn't very good and calls get dropped. Most users of business-grade IP telephony and consumer VoIP might also agree that there are times, especially on multi-party conference calls, when quality also is not good, despite the measures taken to control each discrete set of resources.

Unfortunately, for all the good things that loosely-coupled systems make possible (faster innovation, greater creativity, lower end user prices), one of the downsides is inability to control session quality end-to-end.

The old AT&T monopoly might not have been so good at innovation and pricing (slow innovation and high prices) but it was very good at ensuring high quality.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Is Mobile Device Market Becoming the PC Market?

The phone device market is turning more and more into the PC market, says Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

What she apparently means is that devices are becoming commodities where software and services do not create as much differentiation as once was hoped.

On the other hand, that might be good for consumers who will find they get more power and utility from newer devices without paying higher prices.

"Some, including me, thought that apps and services would help vendors add value to hardware," says Milanesi. "It seems to me though, that the popularity of Android is not going to allow that to happen."

Perhaps oddly, what Milanesi is suggesting is that "open" platforms, though generally considered a better way to foster innovation than "closed" approaches, might need to be re-thought.

She says Apple and Research in Motion provide alternate examples, where suppliers can innovate and capture the returns. She also seems to be suggesting that the separation of ownership of operating systems and hardware is not necessarily the best way forward for device suppliers.

The healthier financial approach would be to feature an "open" approach to applications on "closed" platforms (operating system and hardware bundled).

2Q10 Earnings season comes to an end. One main theme: margins pressure

Rep. Dingle OpposesTitle II Reclassification

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission Rep John Dingell (D- MI) said that the chairman should abandon his effort to reclassify broadband.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski apparently responded that while he looks forward to working with Congress to a update the Communications Act, the Commission cannot wait for Congress to complete its deliberation.

Virtually all observers expect protracted legal action should the FCC reclassify broadband access as a regulated Title II service.

Dingle Opposes Broadband Reclassification

Best Buy to Sell Branded 4G Mobile Services

Best Buy will offer its own branded mobile broadband services using the Clearwire. network. The deal is noteworthy to the extent that Best Buy is the first major wholesale customer that is not an investor in Clearwire.

Best Buy has tried selling its own branded communications services before, in particular broadband and voice services for small businesses. That effort was modestly successful, one might argue.

Best Buy hopes to fare better with consumer-focused communications services, namely mobile gadgets.

Best Buy partners with Clearwire for 4G service - Rethink Wireless

Cars are Where People Listen to Music

Though it might seem that MP3 players are the dominant way people consumer music, the car stereo is the most popular device to listen to music, followed by the home stereo and the PC, Forrester Research says.

About a third of U.S. adults regularly listens to music on a MP3 player, and eight percent listen on their mobile phone. Many observers have suggested that the iPhone is the next-generation replacement for the iPod. The usage statistics so far do not generally support that contention. Most people seem to use their MP3 players.

The Data Digest: Which Music Devices Do People Use

Android 2.2 for Evo 4G

The version 2.2 update for the Android operating system will start to be pushed out to Sprint Evo devices the week of August 3 or so.

Android 2.2 brings with it a number of new features, including the ability to turn the phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot, improved performance, and new widgets for the home screen.

Android 2.2 comes to Evo 4G next week

Location-Based Apps Still Early on Growth Curve

A new analysis by Forrester Research can be viewed as an excuse not to dive into location-based services, or location-based advertising, at the moment.

Only about three percent of people surveyed by Forrester Research say they use location apps, such as check-in apps, frequently or at least once a week.

Some 84 percent of respondents say they don't even know what the apps are.

None of those findings should surprise anybody, at this point. LBS still is in its infancy. Not many people use any new device or application, at first.