next2friendsblog.com

Here is a brief tutorial on how to download and install Next2Friends onto your mobile device:

Downloading and installing Next2Friends is easy! In case you miss it in the tutorial navigate to this link from your mobile:

www.Next2Friends.com/m.html

And see my coming tutorials on how to use the various services Next2Friends has to offer. Start doing great things with your mobile like Live Video Streaming with Next2Friends Live or quick and easy uploads to your profile with Next2Friends Snap-Up. See why the revolution will be televised…and mobile!

Real Life,

Real Time,

Real People,

www.Next2Friends.com

Hans Erik
Content Marketing Director
Hans at Next2Friends dot com

Dell and Ericcson have announced that they will be teaming up to bring HSPA connectivity to the laptop world. Laptops made by Dell will begin appearing on the market in the 2nd quarter of 2008 with tri-band modules made by Ericcson that can access many of the mobile HSPA networks throughout the world. HSPA, or High Speed Packet Access, is a global term that encompasses improvements in UMTS protocols.

There is a growing feeling that the traditional separation between internet providers and mobile network providers will continue to blur. This announcement further pushes the point that in the coming years, we will access the internet from a variety of devices, through a variety of portals. Indeed, the ability to access media-rich internet through a robust connection from virtually anywhere will increasingly drive adoption.

The future looks very promising for Social Mobile sites such as Next2Friends that are positioned right at the intersection of Mobile Technology and Social Networking. Not only will more robust networks mean enhanced video streams from services such as Next2Friends Live, but greater connectivity could revolutionize the way we work, play, and socialize.

By 2011, it is estimated that 200 million laptops will ship and Ericsson hopes that half of those will feature HSPA connectivity.

Real Life,

Real Time,

Real People,

www.Next2Friends.com

Hans Erik
Content Marketing Director
Hans at Next2Friends dot com

What WiMAX Will Mean

Yesterday Sprint and Clearmobile announced that they will be teaming up with the support of Google, Intel, Comcast, Time Warner, and Brighthouse Networks to create a WiMAX network. WiMAX networks are greatly improved wireless data networks that promise to deliver at speeds far greater than even cable or DSL currently can. This will have a tremendous effect on just about every aspect of how we interact with the Internet. Suddenly Mobile Devices will be multi-media, internet kiosks, delivering everything from movies to social networks to phone calls. And add to that the enormous surge in users the Internet will see as greater numbers of people gain access through their mobile devices. In developing countries mobile access to the Internet will be the only point of access for millions of people who can’t afford a laptop or personal computer. This trend has already begun.

What WiMAX Will Mean for Next2Friends

A Live Broadcast from Mobile to Next2Friends

The exciting twist in this tale is that Mobile Social Networks like Next2Friends are sitting right at this crossroads. Fusing Mobile Technology with the Internet is easily the next chapter in the Internet’s biography and the promise of more robust networks will write this story. And here is why Next2Friends Live will thrive on a more robust network: Next2Friends Live is completely scalable. Unlike our competitors we do not utilize buffered streams. Our broadcasts are completely, totally and truly live from mobile. And as the amount of data the network can pass inflates, so does our video and audio quality. My Nokia N95 already can shoot 30 frames per second video, there is no reason that with a greater data pipeline on the scale that WiMAX is promising, Next2Friends Live can’t soon broadcast full 30 frames per second video with CD quality audio or greater. And then it’s anyone’s guess what comes after that…of course we have a few ideas:)

Real Life,

Real Time,

Real People,

www.Next2Friends.com

Hans Erik
Content Marketing Director
Hans at Next2Friends dot com

A few things have inspired me to write on this subject. First, my mounting frustration with Time Warner Cable as my internet connection intermittently comes in and out. Second, the numerous reports (here and here) on the explosion of mobile phone use throughout the world. And third, the announcement that Nokia Siemens and Pirelli Broadband Solutions are teaming up to create a box to enhance 3G signals in buildings.

Nokia and Pirelli’s Plan

The plan appears to be to release boxes that would amplify 3G signals inside homes and offices using the new Femtocell technology. The boxes would be installed in the space where you are trying to boost your connection to the network, much like a modem or a WIFI device. I would have questioned the need for such a device a few weeks ago but as I struggled against intermittent internet service through my cable modem I was left trying to figure out alternative ways to connect to the internet at extremely work-critical times.

When Wireless Providers Become Internet Providers

My 3G connection in New York city is about as fast as a slow DSL connection and left with no other choice I found myself researching what it would take to turn my phone into a wireless modem. It didn’t quite work and didn’t save me from a trip up to Starbucks (I have an older Apple laptop without Bluetooth) but it got me thinking. Wireless network providers are truly beginning to compete with cable, DSL, and satellite internet providers. And their competitiveness will only improve as 3.5G and 4G networks come online.

Not only will these more robust networks mean great things for the growing list of useful mobile platforms and applications like Next2Friends, but there are indications that internet access might skip over PC’s and Laptops entirely in developing countries and go straight to mobile. All this is a little bit off into the future, but perhaps not that far off. At the very least I foresee a future where wireless providers at least augment our ability to connect to the internet. But really, I just wanted to save myself a 20 minute walk up to the coffee shop.

Real Life,

Real Time,

Real People,

www.Next2Friends.com

Hans Erik
Content Marketing Director
Hans at Next2Friends dot com

The list of companies that seem to support the notion that the next step for Social Networking will be to fully integrate with Mobile Technology just keeps growing. Today Nokia and T-Mobile announced a partnership aimed at increasing the availability of new Internet Services and personal social communities on mobile devices.

The collaboration is supposed to drive Mobile Social Networking by offering easier access to T-Mobile’s Web ‘n Walk services and Nokia’s Ovi services. The Web ‘n Walk service offers users access to their preferred internet and messaging services while Ovi encompasses Nokia’s music, maps and game applications.

There is little doubt that Mobile Technology will see explosive growth in the coming years. Reports come out almost daily confirming that the Mobile Technology is spreading rapidly. There is even evidence that Mobile Technology might supplant many of the ways that people utilize their personal computer. And in many developing countries mobile infrastructure may be the first and only way that people can access the internet.

So it is not surprising that two of the major players in the Mobile world are forging an alliance aimed at fueling internet and data usage growth. What is surprising is that their vision seems a bit limited. One of the largest phone manufacturers and one of the largest service providers team up and all they do is offer a sort of user cross-pollination utility swap?

But that may be where Social Mobile Networks such as Next2Friends come into play, driving the integration of Social and Mobile in truly innovative ways. The ability to create media-rich blogs from a mobile device, the ability to stream live video and the seamless integration between a user’s profile and their mobile device are the kinds of applications that will truly drive internet and data usage from mobile.

Real Life,

Real Time,

Real People,

www.Next2Friends.com

Hans Erik
Content Marketing Director
Hans at Next2Friends dot com