“Vodafone Mobile Clicks is an international, high profile contest for the best mobile internet startup. The best mobile internet startup is selected by a professional jury in three different jury rounds.”

Portugal, for the first time and with the Mobile Monday chapter joins this competition, which started today.

The price for the big winner is very actractive, 150.000 euros for the best internet mobile startup in Europe. The grand final will be at the PICNIC event, in Amsterdam this summer.

More details to come…

Last April we had a meeting in Lisbon, with some of the MoMoPT members and the crew that organized the previous events and we’ve decide to stall the project after portuguese holidays (August).

But a major event and news brought us from the grave and you should expect tomorrow more news. Meanwhile the site is up again, but you might face some things that are not fully working. Just like the subscription box above and the (older) mailing list.

Thanks for you support!

After a long time stalled, Mobile Monday Portugal will return this April at full steam! We’re sorry, but the past year has been full of changes for both of us (Diogo and me), so that only this year we have time and will to continue with the local chapter.

Stay tunned for more details and info.

I have to say that I’m surprised on what I saw but I confirmed it. Hands-on knows that most of the new game, application, etc ideas will come from small companies and individual persons. The main problem here is that most of them could get access to funding, help and finally access to the market.

I have to say it, congrats to them and I hope this can help smaller Portuguese companies to rise above our market and difficulties and to reach a global market.

Here is the original add:

App developers…do you need support? The Hands-On Mobile Developer Network (HDN) is a partnership program to help you wherever you need it. We offer funding, marketing, PR, guidance, access to new mobile markets, and much more!
http://developer.handson.com

Don´t miss out on the Mobile World Congress next February. A lot is going to happen even a App event called App Planet.

* Application developer conferences focused specifically on the most influential mobile platforms in the market. There is going to be:
* An interactive apps exhibition
* The App Lounge for networking and business development
* Dedicated, day-long track panels and keynotes (for Silver, Gold and Platinum pass holders only)
* The App Garage, showcasing cutting-edge GSMA initiatives in the mobile applications space

And you can hear and tall to:

* Ben Verwaayen, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent
* Chang Xiaobing, Chairman and CEO, China Unicom
* Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
* Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google
* Guo Ping, Chairman, Huawei Communications
* Tadashi Onodera, President and Chairman, KDDI Corporation

* César Alierta, Executive Chairman and CEO, Telefónica
* Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone

Go here for more informations: http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/index.htm

Since I moved to the Netherlands I’ve seen that the dutch use there cellphone for everything. Check schedules on trains, buses, planes, hear music (for the internet), play games and share the results, share videos, pictures… well you get the picture. Data is were the operator will have there future revenues as it passes from the minutes we spend talking. And here the operator already know this, in the agreement you do with them you get the minutes you talk, unlimited data and if you want 1000 sms. This costs about 27 or 31 euros per month and, ohh, it came with the cellphone of your choosing. I did it and now I’m a proud owner of a HTC Hero, no extra cost and no software alterations.

So what does this differs from Portugal? Well unfortunately everything. Here the operators differentiate themselves by the cellphones and services they offer, not by the 91, 96 or 93 prices. In other words you can call whatever you want to other operators and you don’t pay more them you pay when you’re calling your own network, this because it’s included in the minutes you got in the contract. The operators here have steamed lined their profits, not like in Portugal were someone pays normally about between 20 to 40 euros per month and the data in not included, and you’re using pre-paid.

I can understand the position of the Portuguese operators but if we look closely a dutch get more out of his operator them a Portuguese and the dutch earns much more then a Portuguese. In other words we’re paying more and getting less.

But where comes the data in all of this? Well it’s everywhere, social networks like Facebook updates, skype, Qik, Twitter, Foursquare, GPS, Google maps, email, downloads, augmented reality, music and video streaming and for the data that will feed the almost unlimited applications that exist out there.

And yes, you can have everything in your cell (smarphone), working and inputing and outputing data. Basicly it lights up your cell light a Christmas tree and then you have to see if you can handle being connected 24/7! Believe me it can be a… well hard to keep up.

First of all I must apologize for this too long silence, but there has been some changes. I’m moved to the Netherlands to do a Master on New Media and VD has been busy. But the good thing is that were back and we plan to do regular updates on the site with information and return to the events.

First of all I would like to ask our community to participate more and even came and talk to us with ideas or to help, if needed. We have been focusing on the areas that we felt were important but we haven’t hear what you want to talk about. Tell us, we can bring to you the top movers and goes from outside Portugal and within.

Secondly with me in the Netherlands I can help companies come here and present there services, products and innovations to one of the most advanced markets in the mobile area. For example the next meeting here is about Mobile Health, if there is any company in  Portugal interested in attending or participating please come and talk to me, dcp@mobilemondayportugal.com. If you’re interested in doing this in another country I can also help, check our hub of Mobile Monday’s chapter spread out in the world here, http://www.mobilemonday.net/.

Thirdly we are going to recommence the bi-monthly events with a theme, we hope to do at lest 2 before the next summer. We want to improve what we did the last time so we’re looking for sponsors and media partners to help us. If you’re interested or know someone who might help us, talk to us.

Finally there are a lot a news circling around the mobile area, new innovations are coming, and for that I’m glad to be a part of it.

Here is a report on The future of mobile application storefronts.
It’s was made available to the Mobile Monday community.

Please download it here, http://www.wirelessexpertise.com/research_detail.php?research_id=5.

You will need to register and after that you will receive an email with the link to download the report. You also have other interesting reports there.

I know that I’ve been writing a lot about cellphones and technologies, but I read an article about the japanese cellphones and I got intrigued.

The japanese are way ahead of any cellphone company in the world, they were leaders in the second and third generation cellphones and they still are in front of the innovation pack.

In 1999 they could already read their emails on cells, photos in 2000, full track music download in 2002, electronic payments in 2004 and TV receptor in 2005… just to say some!

So my question is how can’t I have one? And when?

Where is the trick part, their cellphones can’t work in our countries, they are to advanced and their brands haven’t made it out of their own turf. And if you’re thinking in Sony Ericsson, forget it, it’s not 100% japanese.

But this made the Japanese a little cranky, how can they have the best and most advanced cells in the market and not make it in the fertile American and European market?

Luckily they are working on the answer to that and they are taking the example of the Iphone as a path to follow. NEC, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba and Fujitsu are preparing to come out of the Japonese market and this time to make an impact, a lasting impact. Some analysts event say that this is their last effort to do so and if they can’t do it they should close their international ambitions.

In my opinion they have to resolve some problems between what the Japanese developers consider a cellphone and what the Americans and Europeans think. In Japan the cellphone although it has a very advanced hardware the software is still very primitive. Even their interface with computers is difficult or nonexistent because most Japanese use their cellphone as computers. Also, because of their hardware the cellphones are a little big and all are shell models.

I believe that most of the japanese companies can re-enter the market, they have two roads. Or they can, in the beginning, downgrade their cellphones, less innovations and gadgets. And after getting some grip start to launch new cellphones with the right prerequisites for these markets. So, slowly growing and with the pace of the market. Or they can just develop a highly developed cellphone with all the gadgets and innovations and hope that the americans and europeans will catch allow. What they can’t do is to export their existing cellphones!!!

Either way, we are going to hear from them in the future!!!

I few days ago I say all the news around the new announcements by Apple. I knew there was something cooking in the company, or Steve Jobs wouldn’t be there.

So he presented new things to the market, including the the Ipod Nano with camera. At first I was a little mad because I bought my ipod Nano a few months ago and now I want the new one, marketing I know.

But also a few months ago I say on the internet a lot of talk about a “Iphone Nano”, smaller version of the Iphone. So it got me thinking, the only thing the new Ipod Nano doesn’t have is the capabilities to do phone calls. The rest, the standard equipment that a normal cellphone has is there.

So this again got me thinking… What I believe Apple does, and very brilliantly, is that year after year is presents to the market their innovations but when they are presenting them, they are already on the verge of new innovations.

I might be wrong about this but I believe that after going against the high end cellphones, Apple is turning its guns to the medium end cellphone, that cost around 200€. This target is where the real money is and a cheaper Apple phone would make a lot of people, that thinks that the Iphone is expensive (in europe it can go has high has 600€), buy the new Iphone Nano. And turn the operators on it self, because a lot of the cellphones they sell are around that price. In their end they could just end as a service provider of call and internet.

If this happens, companies like Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson would be hit hard. So now that Nokia is out of its protective mode and Sony Ericsson is due to launch a cell that would save Sony reputation with the Walkman, I believe the times that lay ahead are very Interesting. At least I hope so!