HTC Thunderbolt Near Launch

Amazon Says Kindle Beats iPad

The thing about investment bubbles is that the irrational exuberance occurs because there is a genuine sense that big things are possible. Since 2010, there has been some sense that an Internet bubble is forming, that expectations are unrealistic. Of course, that is the excessive side of the belief that something big is afoot. We probably have both at the moment: a time when some truly new and big things are coming, and the near certainty that valuations are too rich and that too many firms will be funded.

Teens Text Because it is Faster than Voice, Also More Fun

It would come as no surprise that teens and many younger users have a preference for texting rather than calling. In 2010 a Nielsen survey suggested that the overwhelming reason SMS resonates with teens is that it is easier than making voice calls.

About 22 percent of teens surveyed said texting was easier than making a call, while 20 percent said it also was faster than making a voice call. Voice activity has decreased 14 percent among teens, who average 646 minutes talking on the phone per month.

While voice consumption rises and peaks at age 24, only adults over 55 talk less than teens. Teen females, who are more social with their phones, average about 753 minutes per month, while males use around 525 minutes.

In 2009, teens texted instead of calling because it was fun. They still think it is fun. But beyond that, it also seems to be seen as a better way to communicate.

U.S. Teen Mobile Report: Calling Yesterday, Texting Today, Using Apps Tomorrow | Nielsen Wire

Calling from Inside Gmail

Since the third quarter of 2010, users have been able to launch voice calls using Google Voice from inside their Gmail accounts, and at this point, calls to destinations in Canada and the United States are free. Separately, Google has created a Google Voice iPhone app, while other firms obviously have created their own mobile apps for "over the top" calling.

Developments such as these are examples of voice becoming a feature embedded in applications, as well as voice becoming a "mobile app" and a "browser app," as many proponents of "voice 2.0" have suggested would increasingly become the case.

Apple iPhone Cartoon Lampoons HTC Evo

Warning: this is funny, but there are several "F bombs." Also, despite the cartoon, I vastly prefer, and use, the HTC Evo, not the Apple iPhone, though there are six active iPhones in the immediate family (100 percent of my children and their "significant others.")

fonYou Mobile: Cloud Telephony for Mobile Service Providers

Most mobile executives are likely resigned to the idea that, at some point, they will have to offer their own "over the top" voice services. A firm named fonYou Mobile offers a "Cloud Telephony" service that allows mobile operators to offer their end customers over-the-top voice services such as an online activity register, smart address book, advanced call control features or visual voicemail, accessible through web and mobile phone browsers as well as smartphone and Facebook applications.

Service features include the ability to blacklist unwanted calls or SMS, set up different voicemail greetings for different callers, manage contacts and messages online, forward voicemails as emails, or set up call forwarding services at different times of the day.