iPhone 4.0 launches in UK as O2 caps data downloads

Posted on by John Helmer
Queue for the launch of iPhone 4.0 in Brighton

Queue for the launch of iPhone 4.0 in Brighton

Clearly not everybody knows about ‘The Apple Effect’. While I was taking this picture outside the O2 shop in Brighton, a bystander asked me what the queue was for. I told him it was for the new Apple iPhone 4.0, which is launched today in the UK. ‘So is that free or what?’ was his incredulous reply. Er, no. There is no free lunch – not this year anyway – as George Osbourne, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer was at pains to tell us this Tuesday, though perhaps not in so many words. In tune with the new spirit of austerity and restraint we also learned recently that O2 is putting a cap on data downloads, replacing its previous ‘unlimited’ data contracts, for all new and renewed iPhone contracts. Though the download limits are fairly generous, those eager early adopters queuing up for their new iPhone’s will be getting a marginally less good deal than iPhone users have enjoyed previously. Although they will of course enjoy a more richly-featured handset. Continue reading →

Not the only store on the block

Posted on by Alex Blackman
Mobile Phone App ChoicesThough Apple arguably achieved a significant first with the launch of its App Store in July 2008 it is certainly not the only company currently with their own App store (interestingly the word ‘App’, coined by Apple, was accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary as long ago as 1985). Since its launch, the App Store has enjoyed tremendous success. There are now over 100,000 Apps in the store, which logs over 10,000 downloads a day. But the market for smartphone apps is heating up. So let’s take a look at some of the contenders who are going to be snapping hard on Apple’s heels. Continue reading →

ALPSP Seminar – Richard Padley speaks on The Future of Academic Publishing

Posted on by Richard Padley
The Future of Academic Book Publishing was a one-day seminar which provided a unique opportunity for those attending to consider both the present situation facing academic and scholarly publishers of all shapes and sizes, and the likely direction for the business of academic book publishing in the immediate future. For those who were unable to attend, or would like to listen in full again, you can listen to a recording of eBook readers and the Future of Other New Technologies and view the accompanying slides below. If you would like to view the slides or listen later at your own leisure I have made the accompanying slides and an mp3 recording of the presentation available here.

Focus on technology not devices, says mobile publishing symposium

Posted on by John Helmer

Report from the Semantico Online Publishing Symposium on Mobile and Cross-platform Delivery

The inaugural Semantico Symposium was held recently in London to discuss implications of the shift to mobile for publishers and information providers. An invited audience of publishing industry leaders debated the issues under Chatham House rules, covering the following three themes:
  • Devices and technology
  • Business models
  • Future strategy options
Continue reading →

Optimise your WordPress site for smartphones – the quick way!

Posted on by Alex Blackman
Web traffic from mobiles is estimated to be growing eight times faster than that from UK PCs (Deloitte, 2009). Gartner predicts that by 2013, mobiles rather than PCs will be the most common web access devices. As this trend continues, the challenges for companies wishing to make their sites not only functional but also usable and even aesthetically pleasing for users of mobile devices becomes ever more pressing. So here’s one good piece of news for those whose blog or website, like the Discovery Blog, is based on WordPress: a plugin that does the job simply and well. Continue reading →