In many countries old school telcos are under fire from new competitors. For instance AT&T in the US is fighting threats from VOIP services provided by both large scale (almost as monolithic) providers such as Comcast but also the likes of Skype, Vonage and MagicJack. Although there are some issues (what happens when there's no power, 911 calls and quality) providers such as Skype offer as wide a range of services for a fraction of the cost (I've spent less in a year on my Skype account than even Comcast wanted per month for a landline)

Even the cash cow for many Telcos - Mobile - is under threat. Unlimited data plans and fairly ubiquitous hotspots in Starbucks, Borders, McDonalds or FON coupled with mobile versions of Skype and other VOIP clients has the potential to threaten voice revenues (and of course embedded messenger solutions eat into Texting revenues).

Although I still can't quite get over the US habit of charging me to receive a mobile call (as well as charging the caller) I'm not too disappointed with the quality or cost of the service - though T-Mobile really does need a 3G data network soon as GPRS/EDGE isn't that spectacular (coming from Australia I really miss my Three 3G data plan).

The thing that kills me with mobile though is roaming and international calling. Back in the last century before planet wide partnerships and telco empires (eg Vodafone/Verizon or T-Mobile in the US, UK, Germany etc) you could see reasons for the telcos to charge like a wounded bull but in these days of cheap and ubiquitous alternatives making the experience of roaming painfully expensive (and difficult) is just stupid.

I'm traveling in the UK at the moment with a T-Mobile phone. It's taken me a week to get a SIM unlock code (ironically for 10 quid I could have walked into one of a dozen shops and had my phone unlocked in minutes) so I was left with the option of either using their roaming rates or finding an alternative. Although the phone claimed to recognize and log me in to T-Mobile Hotspots I wasn't even able to use my "unlimited" data plan here. I ended up borrowing an unlocked phone and a pre-paid SIM with data at one pound a day (not from T-Mobile so they lost out there - just because I was annoyed with them!) and I used Skype for most calls.

The day that a telco realizes the value of not being seen to gouge a customer who wants to show loyalty and use their service in countries where their logo is commonplace... I'll switch. Especially if they can come up with a solution that allows me fairly seamless communications without needing to resort to Skype or similar to get a better deal eg a local number that people can enter my US number as an extension and get redirected so neither they nor I get penalized for making calls in country and international calls are shipped over their backbone so I don't get penalized for phoning home.

Looking at what these companies claim the cost of acquiring a customer is trying to recover that from my in a week when I'm overseas is silly. After this trip I have lost any loyalty towards T-Mobile and when my contract expires (or is economically viable to break) I've no real reason to remain a customer.... an unintended consequence of short sightedness.

At little late with the news (but Michael's posting prompted me to follow up) - it looks like Facebook have made another one of their leaps to keep the other Social Networks wondering what they need to do to keep up.

Last year Facebook opened up their platform. It gave app developers the chance to write and deploy viral apps that any Facebook user could add to their profile and interact with. Sadly that has resulted in an increase in Facebook spam (hint: I don't want to battle your virtual vampire or send you a pixilated pina colada) but over time hopefully ranking of apps and increased user awareness (just like for any other sort of spam) we'll start to see some really useful apps turning up on the platform.

Well, they've now taken it a step further. They have opened up a JavaScript driven API that allows anyone with an HTML page to embed a Facebook app on their site.

Essentially it means that as a site developer you now have access to the Facebook infrastructure to build your own niche social network - saving you time and effort, giving you a robust, scalable platform, and giving Facebook potential new users as people sign up to take advantage of your network.

TechCrunch call it a clever move. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the first really cool use of this extension to the platform.

I mentioned the very cool BigScreen Pictures the other day, well in related and very exciting news a DelicateGenius has a couple of licenses for both the Photo and Weather apps to give away.

The competition ends on Jan 30th so you'd better hurry... but even if you don't win check it out (there's a free trial for all-comers)

What with my UMPC and my new phone and my laptop I have a lot of places to consume blog posts. The problem is that it's very easy to get very out of sync and confused very quickly - especially throwing in reading on the web on a bunch of machines in various places.

Admittedly with a lot of the blogsphere you're not sure if it's deja vu because you're reading the same post twice or because a meme has suddenly popped and everyone is writing about the same thing!

I've tried a bunch of different solutions over the last year to try and manage it. Google Reader, Bloglines, RSS Bandit, new the Origami Experience (which has such a good RSS reader on the UMPC platform I hate to be without it! It's coming soon Steve), Outlook, IE, Viigo ... and while they're all good in their own ways it comes down to keeping in sync, being able to flag things for follow-up and just making good use of my time and attention.

The other day I saw on Brads blog that NewsGator was making it's clients free. That was the most ridiculously good bit of news for managing my problem! Greg Reinacker explains why they made the change, but it quickly makes it the best solution for Windows, Mac, Mobile and Web users.

I now have NewGator Go! on my phone, Newsgator Desktop on my UMPC to keep that in sync, Newsgator Inbox running in Outlook for when I'm at the laptop and when I'm sitting at someone elses computer... NewsGator Online of course!

I can now read, clip and stay synchronized over pretty much any device I use. The only exception is on my UMPC where I can't clip posts to follow up later - must ask someone about that...

Looking to the future, like Steve I'm keen to see Fav.or.it ... I just hope it supports my mobile, distributed, attention disorder, reading and posting syle!

One of the things I wanted in my perfect phone was GPS, but sadly my new Shadow doesn't have it built in.

The reason was simple. I'm new to the US and even still get lost in Redmond. Also after living in Australia for a decade I find my internal sense of direction is out of whack (it took me about 2 years to trust it after I moved to Aus)

Luckily there is a solution. Navizon have a small app you can download to your phone that uses cell towers, wifi access points and, if you have it, GPS to triangulate your location. Once it has that information it lets you navigate and record your trail (including options to export to Google Earth or as a CSV). You can geotag where you've been and share the information with buddies (or see where they are right now).

As it happens I also have a Bluetooth GPS device so I can pair that with the phone when I really want accuracy but it's good enough to locate the hotel I was in based on the 13 WiFi access points and 7 Cell Phone towers it could locate just from my room!

The application is available as a native Windows Mobile application and they also support iPhone, Blackberry and Nokia S60 devices. They even have a desktop app if you don't have WiFi or GPS on your phone.

This software relies on a community of users who contribute data to the system (WiFi and Cellular towers) when they have a GPS device. Not only do non GPS phone users get the benefit of that data but users who have a GPS device get to take part in the Navizon rewards program - each cell tower or access point you provide GPS coordinates for earns you points and those points translate (once you've got enough) into dollars via PayPal. You can even refer folks and earn a percentage of their points (they don't lose out, your bonus is in addition to their credit!)

One thing it doesn't do it let me post my location to Twitter (nice to do when I get off a plane - helps me remember where I am when I wake up in a strange hotel!) but I've send them a feature request for that ;)

It only feels like minutes ago I was writing that I was looking for a new phone. Then today my Wizard started turning itself off every 10 minutes. Opened it up and noticed the battery was a little warped and probably about to turn into a lump of toxic goo - not sometime I wanted in my pocket, or on a plane with me tomorrow.

So, on the way home I popped into my local T-Mobile store and (thanks mostly to FrankArrs glowing recommendation) picked up a shiny new sage Shadow.

It's very strange not having a touch screen after all these years, and not only is there no "full" keyboard the letters are not arranged as on a normal phone but spaced out over the 20 keys ... so I'm having to re-learn the old T9 style tapping out of emails as well.

That said, it took maybe 20 mins once I got home to get the phone set up, connecting to the WiFi at home, syncing with Exchange, GMail and my Live account.

I then turned to the AllShadow site for some background reading which pointed me at the modaco forums for some more hard core tweaks. TinyTwitter was the first app loaded (expect to see some funny tweets from me until I get used to the keyboard). The best bit was having a conversation with one of the folks responsible for the Neo interface - every day I'm reminded just how many smart people I'm lucky enough to work with.

The coming days are going to be a learning experience. Like any new toy I don't expect to be proficient straight away, but I think this is going to be something I become very happy with in a week.

Going back to my wish list the camera is lower spec that I'd like, there's no GPS and music means I'll need to buy a Micro-SD card and an adapter if I want a 3.5mm jack for headphones... but bang for the buck it's one sweet little phone...

Of course, much as I like the interface I'll have to try PointUI out on it now ;)

Although there's been a bit of news recently about Dave Winers new FlickrFan product for the Mac Mini it's not the break-through technology that folks have been touting it as. It's pretty neat and certainly offers some value to the very small Mac Mini user base.

But there's nothing new under the sun. Before I left Australia I was running some of the BigScreenGlobal add-ins for my Media Center (news, weather etc).

Today a DelicateGenius and FrankArr both gave me the scoop on version 2 (that's right, the second generation) of the BigScreenPictures app which lets you use Media Center (either the Media Center Edition version of WinXP or the functionality included in Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista) to display a photostream from Flickr (and other data sources) on your high def TV.

I guess because it's running on Microsoft technology and Niall doesn't have quite the same blogsphere presence BigScreenPictures (which doesn't have quite the same catchy name as FlickrFan I'll admit) probably won't get as much attention, thought it certainly deserves it. Give it a try, and while you're there check out some of their other great apps.

I'll leave the last word to Loren Feldman.

A couple of months ago I finally took the plunge and got a new toy - a Samsung Q1 Ultra UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) running Windows Vista.

I'd been looking for a better solution for a lightweight device that was easy to take on the road with me but that would do a better job of email than my phone, and could also connect to the corporate network and allow me to demonstrate Silverlight apps and other things that I often need to do when I'm out of the office.

As a bonus I wanted something that I could use to read ebooks and catch up on RSS feeds as well as email, but I didn't want to have to carry a whole slew of devices.

The tipping point that got me to go and get one wasn't a huge frustration with the current tools I had available but rather a sneak preview of the next generation of the Origami Experience that was announced yesterday at CES.

While the original was pretty good the integrated RSS reader in the new version was enough to push me over the edge. The added bonus of the Picture Password app helped clinch the deal as I'm not convinced fingerprints are the way to go and hated the thought of entering my password on the Q1U's dinky little keyboard.

While I love the Q1U I think it's a second generation device of a platform that's going to need to get to third or maybe fourth to be really fantastic.

The complaints aren't big things, it's mostly down to horsepower and stamina.

My machine is configured with Vista and, as everyone knows, it does take more resources to run smoothly. The fairly low spec CPU does an okay job of basic apps but in conjunction with only 1GB of RAM and a 4800rpm HDD it's quite easy to get it thrashing. I'm wondering if I dare brave opening the case up and trying to fit extra RAM and/or upgrade to a SSD... maybe one day!

Even with the underpowered processor the battery life isn't stellar. I suspect a lot of that might be (ironically) down to the disk thrashing that goes on but I'm starting to think I need a bigger battery.

My other gripe is the keyboard. Although it seems like a great idea the keys are actually harder to use than on my Wizard - I'd much prefer a slide-out keyboard or similar (in fact I think I'll end up getting a fold-up bluetooth keyboard... which will drain the battery as well!).

That does lead me on the the hidden peril of UMPCs.... on their own they are small and lightweight, but throw the power brick, and a spare keyboard and maybe a mouse and a USB hub and whatever else into the bag as well and it does take up a fair about of packing room!

That said, the Origami Experience is pretty fantastic and inking in Vista opens up a whole new dimension in ways to get things done.

Hopefully with the interest that Nokia, Intel and Cononical (Moblin project), and even apparently Apple are showing in this space we're going to see rapid steps to the next generation of devices.

For now if you're thinking about a UMPC I recommend checking out sites like jkOnTheRun, UberTablet or UMPC Buzz as well as the Origami Project site.

It's been a long time since my first mobile phone - a venerable old Motorola MicroTAC but it really set the tone for many features that I consider to be valuable in a communications tool today.

Of course compared to today's phones there are many features I'm glad we've moved on from, though when it comes down to it the basic functionality is pretty hard to innovate much beyond while the form factor remains close to what the world thinks of as a phone.

Since then I've had many phones - StarTAC, Nokia 6110, 6310, 7650, 3650 and a trusty 8210, Sony Ericsson T610, Motorola A1000, Sony Ericsson P910, LG U8120 and LG U890 (I worked on TV shows that were sponsored by phone networks... it helped provide a never-ending supply of phones and paid for calls!). Then I got my iMate K-Jam (AKA HTC Wizard / T-Mobile MDA) and for a long time it's been good.

The trusty Windows Mobile device has seen me through a bunch of projects, kept me in touch (phone, email, IM and now Twitter) and since joining Microsoft it's been used to dogfood upgrades and patches to help work out the kinks before you get them. With PointUI it now even looks as cool as the new HTC TouchFlo devices (at, at least on the home screen, gives the iPhone a run for it's money!)

Time however hasn't been kind to the Wizard. The battery doesn't last 24 hours, the screen gets confused if it should be in landscape or portrait (the micro-switch doesn't always switch!) and it's generally starting to show its age.

It's time for a new phone.

But when I look around the market I find that my expectations are maybe a little hard to satisfy. Even if I'm willing to compromise on a couple of things on my wish-list there's still no one phone that leaps out and says "buy me!"

So, what does that wish list look like - and can you help me find the ideal new companion?

• Windows Mobile. A combination of loyalty to my employer, but more so I can be sure of connecting to our Exchange server with all the various security protocols in place.
• A real keypad. One of the disappointments with the Wizard is trying to dial quickly. A physical keypad means you don't have to wade through an on-screen menu with no tactile feedback just to make a call. I'd like a full keyboard as well but as long as it's got T9 or smart auto-complete I can live with it.
• A decent camera. I don't need 10MP with 25x zoom... but I do need 2MP or better, ideally with a lens cover (or some way of cleaning it) and if possible a flash. Responsive camera s/w would be a real bonus as well
• WiFi, 802.11b and g. There are some great phones out there (eg Samsung i620 or HTC Touch Dual) that are crippled because there is no WiFi.
• GPS. Not essential (if I only have to drop one thing it would be this) but I love being able to locate myself using Windows Live Search or track where I've been.
• Good battery life. Let me go 48 hours without desperately needing a charge. I want to be able to do email, check twitter etc without hearing the beep-beep-beep of a dead battery. And that includes being able to turn off the radios and play solitaire and listen to music on a flight from Seattle to Heathrow, and still have enough juice to call my brother when I land.
• On the subject of music... if I can converge my iPod and my phone in the same way I converged my PDA and Phone with the Wizard I'll be very happy That of course means I want a standard headphone jack (3.5mm) as well as good stereo bluetooth support.
• Ideally the screen and input functionality will be good enough to write quick notes to myself, dash off emails and respond to comments on my blog.
• Which leads me to web browsing. Compared to Safari on an iPhone or Opera on other mobile devices PocketIE really needs a workover. Apart from the circa 2000 UI on Windows Mobile Professional devices (SmartPhones are a little better) web browsing is the more compromised experience on these devices.
• Ideally upgradable. Windows Mobile 6 is okay, but I know I'll want Windows Mobile 6.1 or 6.5 or 7 or whatever comes next...

Annoyingly one of the best devices for most of these, apart from the critical email access question, is the Nokia N95 8GB. Most of the Windows Mobile devices don't quite get there at the moment, thought the HTC S730 is pretty darn close. If the Touch Dual or i620 had WiFi they'd be very strong contenders (I love the idea of the smaller slider, or even a clamshell, form factor) but with the other things I'd have to give up they don't quite make the cut.

I guess my Wizard will last a couple more weeks... in the meantime I'd love some suggestions what should replace it. Michael thinks the Samsung SCH-i760 is pretty cool and Frank can't make up his mind between a Treo, Tytn-II or Shadow ... no wonder I'm confused ;)

I was pretty excited with the December update to the Xbox360 Dashboard that provided some additional codec support but after using it for a while I'm less sure that it's solved my problems.

For a start the big downer is that, unlike with a Media Center, I still can't use the system to view archived DVDs - that means we still have to expose the physical media to scratches if our daughter wants to watch Barbie rather than have her able to stream it from a remote location (or she has to use the Media Center in the living room which does support DVD Library mode).

The other frustrating thing is that some archived content still refuses to play back - though it's encoded with the same codec as content that's fine. It also appears that I need to be logged in to play back content (though this may be a limitation brought on my my current Gamertag not being US) - which means if my daughter is watching something she still gets messages popping up from folks who think it's me logged in.

Here's hoping the next Dashboard update brings some more Media goodness (though I am questioning the value of a noisy and power hungry Xbox360 as a component in our home entertainment setup.... maybe a dedicated Media Center extender would be better).

In the meantime we're supplementing support with TVersity. This transcodes on the fly the content we're having codec issues with (it runs on the Windows Home Server where the content is archived) and is pretty reliable. Again, it currently doesn't support archived DVDs and it's not a native WHS add-in (but there are enhancement requests being considered for both). For Wii users TVersity (like Orb) provide a very good Media Experience using the built in Opera browser to render a Flash user interface - on the Xbox360 TVersity etc are limited to the simple folder hierarchy and text listing.