Today TNS launched Mobile Life 2011, the largest ever global research study into today’s mobile consumer. Mobile Life is the result of more than 25,000 hours of interviews with over 34,000 respondents in 43 countries. It provides a complete understanding of consumer experiences with mobility today and insights into how this will change tomorrow. The findings highlight that as “static” functionality such as SMS and still imaging become commoditised, growth will be driven through further demand for social functionality and new demands for video calling, streaming and sharing services:

Mobile becoming the preferred channel for social networking

The number of mobile web users visiting social networking sites grew from 30% to 46% globally, and from 26% to 50% in emerging markets, leapfrogging much of the developed markets.Only 18% of consumers globally managed to upload photos or video directly to the web from their mobiles, during the same period, but a further 44% would be interested in doing so in future.Consumers in emerging markets are more likely to want to upload content (49%), but more than half (55%) do not have the ability to do so. All inclusive data plans (like Blackberry Internet Service) is a key enabler for these markets.

“With mobiles increasingly becoming the primary device for internet access and communication, particularly in emerging markets, entertainment and multimedia features are a key requirement for engaging with consumers,” said James Fergusson, Managing Director, Global Technology Sector, TNS. “Handset manufacturers need to ensure that entertainment offers, particularly mobile music, gaming, pictures, video and social networking are available and easy to access. Many are missing a trick in not bringing more smartphones to market in high-growth countries.”

Apple and Google continue to win the platform war, delivering better access to rich media.

Further findings from the TNS Mobile Life study show that content and service offerings are also playing an increasingly important role in terms of operating systems, with consumer loyalty supporting the continued growth of Android and iOS systems. Google’s operating system – Android, as well as OMS and Tapas – have gained 24% share in the past 12 months, growing from 9% to 33%**. This loyalty is due, in part, to Apple’s and Google’s ability to keep pace with consumer’s content demands, particularly with regard to social networking and rich media functionality. For example: Over half of Apple (56%) and Android (52%) customers access social media via their mobiles daily, but this figure drops to 44% and 41% for Windows Mobile and Symbian, respectively.51% of Apple and 49% of Android customers are “very likely” to stay with that operating system, while that figure drops to 30% and 31% for Windows and Symbian.

Emerging Markets Very Vrand Conscious

After looking at the data there are a few thing that stand out when looking at emerging vs developed nations – in developed countries users are more interested in ease of use and input method, whereas emerging country users tend to focus predominantly on the brand name.

This is most evident in another study by World Wide Worx where it was found that Blackberry is the most aspired-to brand in SA with 24 percent of consumers saying it will be their next phone, while Nokia still has the biggest market share. Blackberry is also gaining significant market share in SA because of very good pricing, especially with its low data costs and newer cheap handsets. In a data deprived SA where users require always on connectivity and access to their social networks, Blackberry is quickly becoming the commodity handset in SA.

Khaya Dlanga sums up perfectly what is happening with Blackberry in SA:

Could not have said it better myself.

The folks over at Pingdom put together this great infographic which details the growth of Firefox, the great alternative browser which is becoming the mainstream now. At present Firefox has a nearly 30% market share, and growth seems to have levelled off now – we are looking at you Google Chrome. Where Firefox was always a lightweight secure browser, it has quickly become very powerful, and the number of add-ons are mind boggling.

Looking at worldwide stats, South Africa is not doing to well adopting Firefox (or any modern browser for that matter). Like we mentioned before, SA is still one of the top countries still running IE6, and that is not a good thing. And remember – friends dont let friends use IE6. Get them on Firefox, Chrome, hell, even Internet Explorer 9 if they are Microsoft only…

The few of us who regularly reinstall everything on PC already know the process – reinstall Windows, then head over to every website to install all the apps you use. For example, you head Apple.com and download iTunes. You head to Mozilla to get the latest Firefox, same for Chrome, same for Skype etc. What a mission! Of course, you can go and store the installer files on a flashdisk, but that does not ensure you get the latest versions of the software.

Ninite is a tool that has been around for a while already, both on Windows and Linux. I tried out the Windows version, and I have to say from now on it will be part of the procedure of setting up a new machine. Provided you have an internet connection, Ninite is a treat to use. Head over to Ninite.com and then just choose the apps you want to install on your machine. The list is quite large, but all the essentials are there like browsers (yes the latest Firefox and Chrome is there, just not IE9?), instant messengers, media players, antivirus etc. You tick the boxes you want, and then you get a small file that you run from your machine.

Just like that Ninite starts downloading the latest installer files for all those apps, and installs them for you – you just sit back and wait. No need to click next, confirm, next, OK etc. I chose my apps, and 15 minutes later everything was installed. Brilliant.

You can also use Ninite to keep all your apps up to date – you can keep that installer file on your machine, then just run it every few weeks. If there is a new version of any of your installed software, it will get it for you.

Another cool feature is that URL’s to Ninite can be shared – so if you want to help someone get the right apps to install on their machines, you can just send them a written out URL like:  http://ninite.com/dropbox-skype. The user will then instantly get Dropbox and Skype.

Only one part bothered me about Ninite – it needs to get IE9 as well on its list of browsers. While many people do not like Internet Explorer, I believe its a necessary install, even if its just for the security enhancements.

If you want to try Ninite, head over to http://ninite.com/

While not close to Facebook’s 600+ million users, professional-focussed social network LinkedIn just hit 100 million users, with around 71 million users who actively use the site. Interesting fact – of these users, 79 million job changes have been tracked so far. Whether LinkedIn had anything to do with this is not known, but clearly LinkedIn has become the defacto online CV building tool. Recommendations and contributions to group show a person’s knowledge and experience in a way that potential employers can easily assess. The infographic gives a good overview of LinkedIn’s current userbase:

In keeping with its ongoing commitment to foster innovation in Africa, Google is announcing the launch of Umbono, its new technology incubator, which will be based in Cape Town, South Africa.   Bringing together seed capital, Google mentorship, angel investors, local tech stars, entrepreneurs and business leaders, the Umbono programme will help selected start-up teams transform their ideas into companies.

As part of its goal to strengthen the web ecosystem across Africa, Google hopes that Umbono will further encourage the growth of the developer community and support the country’s already flourishing tech sector.

“The South African tech scene is incredibly dynamic, particularly in Cape Town,” said Luke McKend, Google South Africa Country Manager.  “We’ve seen some terrific start-ups come from this environment, companies like Yola, MXit and Twangoo (click here to see Bandwidth Blog’s interview with them).  Google’s latest investment with Umbono is a great extension of our overall strategy in the region to strengthen the web ecosystem.”

For six months, teams will enjoy free office space and bandwidth, in addition to the US$25,000 to $50,000 in funding they’ll receive from Umbono’s panel of angel investors and Google.  Throughout the programme, teams will not only benefit from local connections, but also from the extensive mentorship network of Google experts who can provide guidance on issues ranging from product design and commercialisation, to legal incorporation and valuation.

“Our mentor base is a key component of the Umbono programme,” said Johanna Kollar, Umbono Programme Manager.  “Our experts – Googlers from around the world who are volunteering their time – are passionate about technology in Africa and will be able to help teams with the challenges they face, whether it be on the product, business or technical front.”

Community integration is essential to successful incubator programmes, and Google is collaborating with the Silicon Cape Initiative and the Bandwidth Barn, Cape Town’s premier IT networking organisation and original business incubator, respectively.  These local leaders will ensure that Umbono’s teams are well positioned to succeed.  “Google’s Umbono programme is a welcome addition to Cape Town’s tech scene – there’s a lot of talent and enthusiasm for technology here, and many just need that window of opportunity,” said Justin Spratt, board member for Silicon Cape.

Applications will be live on the Umbono website from March 22nd, and the programme is open to all South African residents.  The deadline for first round applicants is April 15, 2011, but the website will continue to accept applications from interested candidates.

To learn more and apply, go to www.google.co.za/umbono.

Dropbox has been available for a while now,  but there are still some people out there that do not know about it, but also it is still a best of breed solution. So here is quick primer on all things Dropbox.

Like many people these days, I work across many machines in a typical workday. While I might have a Windows 7 machine at the office, I have a Mac at home and I backup all the computers to a Windows Home Server in the cupboard.

I have a few “essential” folders that I always want to have access to (things like finances, insurance info, passport copies, contracts etc.), regardless of which computer I am working on, and yes it can become a hassle having to keep them all in sync, especially if you have to walk around with a flash disk to each computer. And the best way to do it is with DropBox.

Multiplatform

Dropbox installs as a simple app on your Windows, Mac or Linux machine and then keeps track of all the folders you drop into it. Now at first you only get 2GB of space for free, if you want more you have to pay for it. But as a method to keep essentials like word, excel and PDF docs, it works great. I installed Dropbox on my Macbook first, and it just creates a simple Dropbox folder into which you throw your documents. Then as soon as you find an internet connection, it simply uploads those files to the Dropbox server, which can then be accessed from any web browser, you just need to log in. (Imagine being in a foreign country and needing some document – you can just pop into a internet café…)

Keeping it all in sync

But the true beauty of Dropbox is the syncing ability. I installed Dropbox on my work machine, a Windows 7 workstation. You install dropbox, give it your login details, and just like that it downloads all your documents to that machine as well (luckily it work well with proxy networks as well). It just hides in the system tray and informs you if any files have changed every now and then. But the syncing is where it gets interesting – any change I make to a document gets uploaded to Dropbox, and then gets changed on all my machines that use Dropbox as well. In your window it just marks the updated folders with a small green tick if everything synced. It turns blue while updating.

I also have a Windows Home Server at home, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that Dropbox installs on it without any problems. While it might not give a WHS add in, you can install it using Remote Desktop. So now my documents are backed up instantly on that server as well, because it has an internet connection.

Sharing files:

Sometimes you need to share files to many people, but email is not the best platform. You can use dropbox to enable a “public” folder. You can then enable which people can access it, and then send them a URL directly to a file. This is particularly handy for larger file sizes – like say recordings of a meeting, which might be too big email. If you have a team of people who are working on a project, you can also set up folders that get shared with only the people you trust. If one of the teammembers changes a file, it automatically updates other machines which are part of the team.

What about bandwidth?

Now you might wonder about bandwidth usage, especially with SA’s current broadband problems. Dropbox is pretty smart in that first looks for another dropbox machine on your local network, and then gets the file locally, without using the internet. And it always just uploads or downloads files that were altered, not your entire dropbox.

Accessing your dropbox from your smartphone

Then the cherry on the cake is that your dropbox can be accessed on your smartphone as well (currently on iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry). Just install it from the relevant appstore, and login again. And just like that you have access to your dropbox. Now this was the initial reason I started using Dropbox – I wanted some way to get access to my essential documents from anywhere using my iPhone. And it works a treat. You do however need a internet connection, but you can also select favourite files that gets stored locally on your phone. For example –  I mark my insurance papers, passport documents etc as favourites. That way I can access them even away from a 3G connection.

What would I like to change about Dropbox? Nothing really – but I do wish they can make more enterprise friendly products. I would think that policies to prevent users on a corporate network from sharing files using the public folder is just one example.

I am very impressed by Dropbox – it covers in the cloud backup of my documents, keeps my documents in sync on a variety of machines, and gives me access to my files from anywhere, be it from my smartphone or even a internet café.

Give it a go here. Dropbox is free up to 2GB of storage, but they sell 50GB for $10 a month as well.


Disclosure: I was in no way, shape or form given anything for this review. I just find it a great product. (This post was previously posted by me on Mail & Guardian Techleader, but just got a few updates. There are alternatives available, but they do not come close to Dropbox for sheer ease of use and multiplatform compatibility. Yes, an oldie but a goodie!)

Yossi Hasson, CEO SYNAQ – passionate entrepreneur and geek. SYNAQ is the leading provider of open source email and collaboration applications for small businesses delivered via the cloud. At SXSW to discover what’s happening in the tech world, and obviously, to buy the iPad 2.

It’s 08:00 AM, freezing cold and my first Day in Austin, Texas for SXSW and while heading to the Austin Convention Center we decide to make a little detour stop visit to a rumoured “Apple Pop-up store” at a discreet location. (Apple was rumoured to be building a temporary store 2 blocks from the convention center just in time for the start of SXSW – this store sold iPad 2′s only). Thinking the store would open at 9 and expecting a long queue, we arrived at the location and found… well, 1 guy. Sweet John (see pic) and a corner store that had been “blacked up”. Sweet John told us that the store would only be opening at 17:00 but that he was here for the long haul (And had been waiting since 6:30 that morning)… so, we decided – what the heck and lets wait it out as well.

And so the Apple iPad 2 journey began. Myself, Justinus Adriaanse and Graham Bradford (all South Africans) decided to camp out the apple store for 10 hours to be one of the first to get an iPad 2. By 08:30, our suspicions that this may be the correct location was confirmed when a large FedEx truck arrived delivering small “iPad sized” boxes in the thousands. Speaking to one of the delivery guys, they commented that they can neither confirm or deny that this may be the Apple store [score].

By 11:00 there was still no more than a handful of people waiting in line but by about 14:00 o’clock the line started developing at a rapid rate, spanning across the building. The general vibe was very festive with people sharing food, making friends and really enjoying their time. Reporters from various websites began coming through interviewing the South African contingent on why in the hell they would travel 30 hours only to camp out the Apple store in the freezing cold. We got interviewed by CNN Money, Mashable, TechCentral, Reuters and a couple of others and featured on the front page of CNN Money.

Minutes before the opening an army of blue T-shirt wearing Apple employees announced themselves on the street putting up blockades and handing out little tickets to each person entitling them to a maximum of 2 iPads. Moments before opening the doors they began cheering, taking pictures and building the crowd up as if one were at a rock concert. When opening the door, we were greeted by 2 lines of Apple employees, cheering, high-fiving and congratulating the “lucky few” who were able to get their hands on the iPad 2.

It was the first time for me to ever experience a product launch of this nature, the hype and build up that goes into it, entering into the store I had an adrenalin rush and never thought i’d ever be one of “those” fan boys caught up in the brilliant artful trickery that makes Apple, well Apple. But there I was, Credit Card in hand happily waiting to spend a small fortune on a small little, for all practical purposes, pretty redundant device.  (more…)

How nice – up until now SA did not have proper online traffic reports as they happen, and only recently did these services become available on GPS navigation devices. However there are many people who rely on online services to quickly figure out a route to their destination. While other countries have had traffic conditions built into Google Maps, SA has not been so lucky so far. Luckily Tomtom has stepped up  - they are making their actual live HD Traffic service available to anyone with a browser. While the interface is nothing fancy, it works well enough.

I tried it out this morning, and it seems spot on in its traffic reports. You can see what distance a traffic jam might be, or what kind of delay it puts on your trip. Things like accidents and roadworks are included as well. I did a quick route plan from Stellenbosch to Cape Town, and sure enough it made a diverted route for me, that minimizes delays.

I think a few people might be wondering why TomTom would make this data freely available – I think its a reminder to people what a great tool live traffic would be on a GPS device. While planning the route I keep thinking it would be a great feature to have on my GPS or phone… Smart move Tomtom. So does the Tomtom app for iPhone have Traffic reports?

If you want to go try it out - http://routes.tomtom.com