With the iPhone’s music capabilities and Safari browser, you’d think there’d be lots of music sites launching iPhone-friendly versions letting you stream tunes to your iPhone. However, it seems there may be a problem here in the UK preventing such services.
It’s been exposed by the BBC’s Radio Labs blog, in a post about the Beeb’s iPhone podcast site (which we’ve covered before). After complaints that some UK users couldn’t play the streaming podcasts, the BBC investigated, and discovered that the problem was related to users trying to stream over O2’s EDGE network:
“After a lot of emails and rooting around for info, it seems O2 have a proxy server that replaces content on the fly to speed up web-over-EDGE performance. This includes downgrading images, and removing any references to Mp3’s - hence the lack of a play button. In the States, there’s no such proxy, so although its slower, US users get the full playback experience.”
Ouch. It works fine over Wi-Fi, but the news isn’t good for Music 2.0 sites looking to target UK iPhone users when they’re not within range of a hotspot.
(via BBC Radio Labs)
Until recently, anyone wanting a constant log of their every movement had a simple choice - never leave the house and mark your location on a sketch of the front room or commit a minor offence and get security tagged.
Owners of Symbian S60 (series 2 & 3) handsets with a GPS device now have a third option thanks to 3DTracking.
This free service lets you track one handset (i.e. your own) and features the ability to display your movements on a Google Map that you can stick on your website to let everyone know exactly where you are at all times.
You will need a compatible handset and some kind of GPS receiver - either external or built-in, plus a working internet connection (GPRS, 3G, EDGE or wi-fi). To publish your custom Google Map you will need to sign up for a Google API key.
What you do with this is up to you, but the service has already tracked the progress of marathon runners and a record breaking four-week swim down the Thames.
Despite already having widespread 3G and HSDPA networks in the UK, Vodafone is apparently rolling out a nationwide EDGE network as well.
Pocket-Lint claims to have confirmation from a source within Vodafone saying that the EDGE network will be rolled out as the current 2G base stations are replaced.
It’s not industry-shaking news but shows that Vodafone is keen to encourage more customers, including those not owning 3G/HSDPA handsets, to get on the web more (EDGE promises faster mobile internet speeds than current GPRS networks).
Apparently there’s already EDGE connectivity on the Vodafone network in Southampton and Nottingham, although other places are sure to already have it.
The news is also quite timely for Vodafone, considering that the iPhone is EDGE-enabled and O2 has been forced to roll out a EDGE service in time for the iPhone’s launch last week.
Another snippet of news from Digitimes today, this time related to the heavily-rumoured Google Gphone:
Although market rumors previously stated that Google is likely to use an EDGE solution developed by Texas Instruments (TI) for its planned handset, recent developments indicate that Google is also evaluating the possibility of launching a 3G handset initially.
What is up with these companies thinking that non-3G handsets are a good idea; Apple not getting it was bad enough, but now Google too?! Let’s hope it really has seen the light, even if it does, as the story suggests, result in the Gphone slipping into 2008.
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