3G Hardware slammed by Mobile Operators

Computer Weekly reports that a number of European mobile phone operators declared 3G handsets unfit for market because they are unreliable, buggy, expensive and offer limited services. They were speaking at the UMTS Deployment Congress in Amsterdam last week. A number agreed that 3G handsets were unfit for sale to customers and that none of them could adequately perform all the functions they were intended for.

CW says that some complained of buggy handset software, while others said no handset could deliver all the features promised by 3G - high speed internet access, clear voice, video telephony and smooth handover between mobile phones.

Hakan Dahlstrom, head of mobile networks for Sweden at TeliaSonera, said: 'Some handsets are good at handovers, like Motorola. Others are good at internet packet data switching, but at the moment no single handset is good at everything.'

Richard Fletcher, director of 3G showcase applications at Manx Telecom, said: 'A two-hour battery life may be enough for a trial, but not for commercial usage.'

Associated Link: Computer Weekly article

User Interviews - Analysis Simplified
Source: Webcredible, 6 January 2009
 
You’ve conducted your user interviews, but now you need to make sense of all that information you’ve gathered.

Why Products Fail
Source: ComputerWorld, 5 January 2009
 
Most gadget and software makers don't understand what users want most: control.

How to Design Websites for Mobile Phones
Source: stemkoski.com, 3 January 2009
 
Tips from Ryan Stemkoski's web design blog.

Pioneer of Cyberspace honoured
Source: BBC, 2 January 2009
 
A professor who invented a forerunner of the world wide web has been made a dame in the New Year Honours.

2008 in Review: Developments that rocked the world of User Experience
Source: Catalyst Resources, 1 January 2009
 
A look back at 2008 highlights some of the key developments that rocked the world of user experience.

2008: The Year Online
Source: MIT Technology Review, 31 December 2008
 
The business of social networking, cloud computing, and a flaw in the fabric of the Internet top the most notable stories of 2008.

Shoveling through the Spamalanche
Source: UN, 30 December 2008
 
A ‘Spamalanche’ of 3,000 emails will be waiting in your inbox by the time you get back to work. What can you do besides 'delete all'?

New guidelines boost Web Access
Source: BBC, 29 December 2008
 
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has announced a new standard to make sites more accessible to older and disabled people.

Measuring Emotional Engagement
Source: UN, 27 December 2008
 
New applications of electroencephalography (EEG) provide the means to gather detailed information on a user’s emotional relationship with a brand or service.

UXalliance thrives on Research strengths
Source: UN, 24 December 2008
 
The UXalliance provides clients with access to over 220 user experience professionals and 40 test labs worldwide.