Image by Getty Images via Daylife

It looks like the new BlackBerry Storm is way behind the expectations and doesn’t offer the same experience the direct rival iPhone offers. Here is a video showing how the BlackBerry Bold is way faster than the Storm. Thanks Alec for pointing this out.

What will business users choose?

Technorati Tags: BlackBerry Bold, blackberry storm, iphone, luca filigheddu, rim

Image via CrunchBase

For those asking themselves what’s going on at GrandCentral, the “one number for life” service acquired by Google last year, today Google announces Vocito, a desktop UI for GrandCentral and, this time, for Mac users only.

It’s basically an apple script which integrates into Address Book or the popular launcher Quicksilver. In general, any application which supports the “tel:” URLs can be used with Vocito.

I installed it and as soon as I try to make a call from my Mac Address Book, I’m requested to insert my GrandCentral userid and password.  At that point, nothing happened (and no error messages), but it’s probably because I tried to call an italian number… The behavior should be the following: it calls my GC number and the remote number and connect them together.

I’ll check it out again to see how it really works. Finally something new from GrandCentral. You can download it at this link.

Related articles by Zemanta

• GrandCentral, Where Are You?
• Grandialer, an iPhone app for GrandCentral

Technorati Tags: Address Book, call, Google, GrandCentral, luca filigheddu, vocito

Image by tyfn via Flickr

Mobile phones vendors know very well that the number of available market segments is really huge. Nokia alone releases a lot of different models of mobile phones in order to try to address very specific target markets.

The point is that different people have different ways to use their mobile phone, i.e. some features can be very important for someone but less important or even useless for someone else.

What are the top 10 features I look for when I buy a mobile phone? Here is my top 10, what’s yours?

1) Battery life

When I am on the go or even in my office, I use my mobile phone intensely, both for voice, email and internet browsing. The point is that while I’m traveling, sometimes I cannot find a power supply so easily and battery life is critical for me. Ok, I could buy a secondary battery… but it’s not always cheap neither convenient (you have to buy a new recharger too).

2) Signal Strength

Been reachable is critical for me, too. Most mobile phones have a very good reception nowadays, but places like basements could be a challenge for the best ones too.

3) Speed

Do you like waiting a couple of seconds to see the SMS editor finally displayed on your screen? I don’t. My mobile phone must be very very fast.

4) Build quality

I use it intensely and some of the latest mobile phones I owned were not great in terms of build quality. It must be solid!

5) 3G

Do I need to say more?

6) Wi-Fi

A great way to get hi-speed data transfer and save money at the same time. Great while you are on the go.

7) Big display and high resolution

If you need to deal with email and internet browsing every day, this is a must have.

Easy navigation

A wheel or a pad is very important when you need to browse emails or messages.

9) 3rd party apps

The availability of 3rd party apps for the applications I use the most on my Macbook is a must as well. Gmail and Facebook #1 priority!

10) A good Camera

To be honest, I didn’t really know what feature to choose as #10. Anyway, a good camera always in your pocket is not that bad. Unfortunately this feature is not usually available together with the previous ones…

Technorati Tags: luca filigheddu, Mobile phone, top 10 features, Wi-Fi

Image via CrunchBase

If you spend much time on Facebook and don’t want to switch tabs of your browser too many times, Fmail brings Gmail straight to your facebook account.

It works really well and all your folders and contacts are properly imported. Unfortunately you loose all the ajax features you are used to.

If you want to try it out, just search for Fmail on Facebook. You are also prompted to match your Gmail contacts with your Facebook friends, something I find very useful.

Check it out and leave your comments here. Do you like this approach or you prefer to use the original GMail?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Zenbe: Email Aggregation Socialized
• Fmail Brings Gmail to your Facebook

Technorati Tags: facebook, Fmail, gmail, luca filigheddu

Image by thomcochrane via Flickr

The popular Israeli Mobile IM/VoIP service Fring is slowly introducing banner Ads inside their mobile clients. It seems not all the users are affected, but only a selected group. 

I don’t really know if it will work, anyway praises to Fring to be one of the first players to introduce this approach in the mobile VoIP space. However Fring is not alone since Talkster is another player which announced a similar strategy at the beginning of this year, despite the approach is different (ads into the call stream).

I think 2009 will be a “show me the money” year so I bet many players in this space will launch similar or alternative initiatives pretty soon.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Fring Trials Ads On Free Mobile Chat/VoIP Application
• Fring: Ads Are Coming!
• Report on Low Cost & Mobile VoIP

Technorati Tags: Advertising, fring, luca filigheddu, mobile voip, talkster

Image by hooverdust via Flickr

I just got a Nokia E65 for my wife. Yesterday I wrote a post where I was asking for advice since I had to quickly find a new 3G phone with a very good signal strength.

According to the advices I got, the Nokia E65 turned out to be a very good choice. Moreover, just by chance my sister-in-law just bought that phone two days ago and the performance in the basement of our house was great (I’m always speaking about the signal reception).

Unlike all the Nokia N series I got from the Nokia Blogger program, the built quality is way better, very solid plastic and very well designed keyboard. It’s pretty clear it’s an E-series, designed while keeping in mind a typical business usage. 

I’m playing with it right now (and syncing my wife’s address book) and after a couple of hours of usage, it’s definitely a thumb up.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Review: the tiny and super-stylish Nokia E51
• New Nokia E66 and Nokia E71 go a little more business casual
• Nokia “Dora” to replace E65

Technorati Tags: luca filigheddu, Nokia, Nokia E65, symbian

Image via Wikipedia

I’m looking for a new mobile phone for my wife and the must-have features are:

1) 3G (must be used with Three)

2) very robust signal reception

After the birth of our second son we moved downstairs in a cellar-like floor, with many windows but underground, so the signal reception is not that great. Different mobile phones had quite different behaviors in terms of signal strenght:

Nokia N93: 1-2 bars, overall good, but now broken

Nokia N95: unusable

Nokia N73: unusable

Nokia 6120: 1-2 bars, not bad but the N93 was better

Any idea on the best 3G mobile phone in terms of signal strength? I look forward to your comments and recommendations! It doesn’t have to be a Nokia, whatever brand is fine.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Pros and Cons of Using a Mobile Phones
• Don’t Leave Home Without a Charged Cell Phone

Technorati Tags: 3G, Cell Phones, luca filigheddu, mobile phones, signal strenght

Technorati Tags: jeff pulver, luca filigheddu

In a nutshell, according to this agreement, Junction Networks has been selected by edgeBOX to be the preferred voice provider for their “office-in-a-box” solution. edgeBOX is “an integrated device aimed at the SMB market and including a full-fledged IP-PBX, wireless access point, router, file, e-mail and VPN server”.

In this story what caught my attention is the following paragraph:

Calls between edgeBOX extensions, whether on-premise or around the world across Internet connections, will incur half-cent-per-minute charges. 

What? IP to IP voice calls are not FREE? Guys, I love this. Praises to Junction Networks and edgeBOX for this brave choice! While someone could see this as a downside of this service, I look at it as a great innovation and potentially the beginning of a new era for VoIP.

On-net VoIP calls have always been offered for free, without any charge. To my knowledge, every VoIP service out there doesn’t charge for IP to IP calls. This could work in the past, but in times where there is a new VoIP service coming out every day and when you offer SMB services to companies whose traffic is mainly on-premise, how can you make money and make your customers happy at the same time? 

This is a great way to lower monthly fees and avoiding long term contracts, something companies don’t always want to deal with. Small companies sometimes don’t trust on VoIP services completely, thinking quality could be an issue. With this approach they don’t feel to be bound to a certain service for a long time, so it definitely helps to shorten the sales cycle. And, we are not talking of a fortune, it’s half-cent per minute

For more information about this new collaboration, take a look at the official press release.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Who Killed the VoIP Revolution?

Technorati Tags: Business, critical links, edgebox, junction networks, luca filigheddu, VoIP

Lee Dryburgh, man behind the eComm conferences, hosts a private dinner for everyone involved in this space, a sort of kick-off meeting for the upcoming eComm Conference taking place on March 3-5 2009 at the San Francisco Airport Marriot.

Only 80 seats are available and 50 are taken already. If you want to attend, please get in touch with Lee through the eComm Facebook group.

The aim of the dinner is to simply be a light-weight social-networking
gathering of those interested in emerging communications. By
light-weight I mean zero organisation except for lets meet at this
time and place for dinner. The hotel informs me that the charge for
the three course meal including two alcoholic beverages will be 75.00
USD/head. It’s cash only but the hotel have informed me they can
provide individual receipts.

The room is booked for 7pm.

Unfortunately I cannot make it this time (next trip to the Bay Area should be in January), but I wish all the friends and colleagues attending a pleasant and enjoyable time together.

Related articles by Zemanta

• eComm 2009 Call for Speakers

Technorati Tags: dinner, ecomm, lee dryburgh, luca filigheddu