THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET IS IN YOUR HAND

Two rapidly emerging technologies are increasing access to the Internet via mobile phones worldwide. Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is currently the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. More than 80 per cent of the global mobile market (close to three billion people), use the standard, according to the GSM Association. The widespread prevalence of GSM makes international roaming between mobile phone operators very common, enabling subscribers to use their mobile phones in many parts of the world.

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) provides wireless data over long distances; it is an alternative to cable and DSL. WiMAX is gaining a strong foothold in developing countries, providing low-cost, high speed Internet connectivity for handheld devices. It is touted as being effective in providing "nomadic connectivity", with the expectation that it will provide broadband access to places where it has been economically unviable. As a result, the future of the Internet is widely predicted to be dominated by handheld devices as opposed to traditional computers. This provides unprecedented opportunities for open and distance learning, as more people in remote locations gain access to online libraries, online communities and online learning.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMAX

SMART PHONES PROLIFERATE

The mobile phone has become a lot "smarter" in recent years. There is a growing range of "smart phones" on the market, including the Apple iPhone, the BlackBerry and the Motorola Q. Most smart phones offer full email capability with the functionality of a personal organiser. Some also feature:

• a QWERTY keyboard, 
• a touchscreen, 
• built-in camera, 
• global positioning satellite (GPS), 
• media software for playing music, browsing photos and viewing video clips, and
• Internet browsers.

Introduced in June 2007, the Apple iPhone was named Time magazine's Invention of the Year in 2007. The average Apple iPhone user is an avid email reader (not writer) under age 30, browses the Web heavily and may carry a second phone, according to a report by research firm Rubicon. The survey of iPhone users also found that the smart phone is displacing the notebook computer - more than a quarter of iPhone users say they often carry their smart phone instead of a notebook PC. But the iPhone may not be smart enough: almost half (43 percent) of users strongly supported making changes to the iPhone.

The growing use of smart phones is changing how we live and work. Some organisations have been prompted to create smart phone etiquette rules, admonishing users not to check for messages or make phone calls at funerals, during movies or on dates, and warning them not to type while they drive. Apparently these devices can't always make their users smart.

www.corporateicon.com/morearticlesbycorpicon.html
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphones

ONLINE VIDEO ENHANCEMENT

If you have a low-quality video from a cell phone, digital camera or webcam, a free web application can clean it up for online posting. FixMyMovie enhances videos to up to four times their resolution, fixes poor lighting exposure, and stabilises and smooths low frame-rate videos. Named one of PC World Magazine's "101 Fantastic Freebies" of 2008, FixMyMovie also provides one-step sharing of videos from mobile phones.
www.FixMyMovie.com