by Branimir Parashkevov

More than an year has passed since the publishing of the first SMS-novel. It was created in Finland and it was called The Last Messages.

The entire narrative consists of mobile phone text messages, describing the life of a fictitious IT-executive in Finland who resigns from his job and travels throughout Europe and India, keeping in touch with his friends and relatives only through text messages. The author, Hannu Luntiala, has created around 1000 messages and replies of the main character . The author has left errors in the SMS messages, too so they look even more authentic.

“I believe that, at the end of the day, a text message may reveal much more about a person than you would initially think,” said Luntiala, who also is head of a company that keeps databases on people living in Finland.

by Martin Koppel
For most of the people Web 2.0 is just a buzzword – round corners, a bit childish web design but nothing too special. But there are some key elements that make Web 2.0 different from yesterday’s web (Web 1.0). Major difference is that Web 2.0 websites allow users to do more than just retrieve information – people are able to create their own content and be part of democratic and organic web.

Main keywords for Web 2.0 are openness, collaboration, dynamic, interactive, context sensitive services, third party content. Vast majority of the Web 2.0 doesn’t have a good business model behind it, although recently we have seen a bit more of the ones that do. There is also a tendency that services with a business model tend to move away from Web 2.0 ideology (openness, third party content, content sensitivity). I think that Google AdSense is the best example of Web 2.0 with a great business model.

But what comes next?

I’m not talking about major buzzword Web 3.0, but we may call it Web 2.5 at least . We are going to see business models behind wikis, podcasts etc, so that third parties would also be able to earn revenue. We already have some great examples in that field, but this will become a MUST feature in near future. I believe that creating opportunities for third parties is the next phase in the web and it is almost here.

Context sensitivity, third party content and long tail are creating opportunities for everyone who has ideas, knowledge and will to do something. Everyone will be able to benefit from their knowledge and experience, and what’s most important – the business doesn’t have any borders or limits. One is definitely sure, mobile services are involved as well.

Marino Bresciani

YouTube Blog reports on a new channel called called Mobile Tricks posted by Google Mobile

It is a original way for readers to show what they do with their own cell phone. and you can start watching the video embedded above of with a guy who’s a bit obsessed with them. He’s fabulous!

They’re asking for all kinds of tricks, from the useful to the completely ridiculous, and they can be with or without Google Mobile products. Among all of these, the ones I liked the most were:

• Free dating advice
• Portable X-Ray
• Unknown caller

by Chilldor

The phones today are so full of all kinds of technical gadgets and functions that sometimes the manufacturer cannot list all the options in the product specifications. Similarly, the motion detector in Nokia N70, N95 and 5500 has gone unnoticed by the greater public. It is true, though, that Nokia has not yet had means through which the motion detector could be well advertised (like the automatic turning of the interface in iPhone).

There are numerous ideas on how to implement the motion detector. For example, it has been suggested that the motion detector could be used to detect falling – when the mobile phone senses a sudden movement downwards, it sends out a signal – an SMS. Thus the family members of the elderly people could get the warning – falling down may cause a serious trauma to the elderly. In case there is no trauma, the owner presses the button “all right”, and the warning is not sent.

There are also some game situations where controlling with a motion detector fits like a glove. Moving the billiard cue, turning the steering wheel … These ideas are empowered by the success of Nintendo Wii (they use motion sensitive game controllers).

Enthusiasts have already come up with several (mostly entertaining) applications for motion detectors. For example, Lightsaber – a strip of program that allows you to feel like Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, using the mobile phone as a lightsaber. Another program called RotateMe should automatically turn the interface together with the phone (just like in iPhone).

The most recent program using the motion detector is NiiMe, which allows to use N95 instead of the computer mouse.