Verizon’s Palm Mobile Hotspot Option is Now Free
Some people thought it was an April Fool’s joke when numerous websites announced that Verizon’s mobile Internet tethering option, via Palm WebOS phones Pixi and Pre Plus, dropped from US$40/month to nothing — especially given the beating Palm’s stock took recently, dropping to as low as US$4/ share. However, I think Verizon has another strategy in mind: capture the interest of all those people about to buy an Apple iPad.
As someone who just picked up a Palm Pre Plus last week in order to build mobile apps for the company’s WebOS platform, I’m more than happy about this. (What’s more, if you’re already paying for the tethering option, Verizon will credit you in your latest bill.) Consider: I already have two phone numbers — one for my iPhone, with which to build & test my iPhone SDK apps. So having to pay for a calling plan plus a cellular data plan plus tethering (since AT&T doesn’t offer it for the iPhone) gets expensive and means I spend over $1000 per year just to be able to test my Palm WebOS apps.
Now it’s easy to think that Verizon might be wanting to clear out their Palm inventory, but the beautiful thing about this deal is multifold: My wife and I work online a great deal (me almost entirely) and we travel locally a fair bit, so having the Mobile Hotspot means almost always having an Internet connection on the go, at no extra cost. What’s more, when I line up for an Apple iPad WiFi-only model (for develop apps, yet again) later this morning in Palo Alto, I know I’ll be able to connect online immediately.
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Nokia and Vodafone Team Up for Robust Integrated Mobile Services
Nokia has reached an agreement with the worlds top mobile operator Vodafone that will soon pave the way for Nokia handsets loaded with an integrated Nokia and Vodafone Services. The accord promises to give Nokia and Vodafone customers more range of services that include communication, internet services, and high speed 3G and 3G broadband mobile browsing experiences.
Once these Nokia handsets are released, mobile users would have instant one-push-of-a-button access to a string of mobile services from Nokias Ovi site, which is a portal to various social networking tools such as mobile photo sharing, music downloads mobile games and maps. Some of these Nokia handsets would be released exclusively for Vodafone as agreed upon by both companies.
Vodafone Global Chief Marketing Officer, Frank Rovenkamp believes that the agreement was a logical step for improving Vodafones services to its million of customers. Likewise, Nokias Executive VP and General Manager Anssi Vanjoki say that they are excited to work with Vodafone. The partnership would enable the company to provide its customers a more robust mobile service that they can access anywhere, anytime.
“Web2.0 is all about social networking and enabling people to connect with each other in new ways. Bringing location and context awareness to web2.0 services is the next stage in the web development and Nokia multimedia computers enable people to participate to their favorite internet services on-the-go,” says Vanjoki.
Either this partnership would lead to success for both mobile companies or it will just result to nothing but mere tool for media mileage remains to be seen. Both companies are industry players. And it is but expected that once two major players team up; the results should be for the greater good of the mobile consumers.