Uncool Mobility

GoEverywhere: Symantec's SAAS Workspace in the Cloud

Interesting play by Symantec on another cloud-based application and storage service (similar to MobileMe, Mesh, etc.)

GoEverywhere: Symantec's SAAS Workspace in the Cloud.

MobiComp + Danger = WM7?

Microsoft to expand mobile business with MobiComp - Mobile Marketer - Legal/privacy.

Wondering what role Mobicomp services will play in adding services such as backup/restore and social networking tools directly to Windows Mobile.

Beyond the iPhone: NYT review of mobileme

The NYT has an in-depth review of MobileMe which is worth reading.

One of the key points for me was this line:

"MobileMe is the usual Apple value proposition: you might be able to find less expensive versions of its features online — various sync, backup and file-transfer sites — but none have the integration, polish and automation of Apple’s offering."

Startup vendor Synchronica wins distro deal

Email gateway vendor Synchronica announced a worldwide licensing agreement with a Chinese electronics and handset manufacturer, rumored to be TCL, for Synchronica's Mobile Gateway. (Cross posted at my enterprise mobility blog).

The push email and PIM synchronization software will provide Synchronica a revenue share of 20 percent of all revenues earned by the manufacturer for the service, with a minimum of $1.00 per handset per year.

TCL - known for producing Alcatel handsets - expects to ship about 16 million devices in 2008. The Synchronica client will also be downloadable to existing smartphones and should theoretically have a larger addressable market than the new devices.

This marks the success of emerging competitors who target markets where mobile subscribers are unlikely to have PC access and include backup/restore functionality with lightweight, standards-based messaging clients.

Synchronica is also showing that mobile application startup vendors are moving beyond operators as a channel as device manufacturers are forced to respond to RIM, Apple, and to a lesser extent Nokia and WM devices in bundling value-added services to handsets.