While SMS has been slow to take off in the US, it has been growing at incredible rates across the globe for many years now. According to some sources, it is estimated that over two trillion messages will be sent worldwide this year.

Aside from drawing attention to this awesome statistic, the overview of the 2008 Global Mobile - data and content markets report draws the interesting conclusion that “the most popular services are usually
communications-based not entertainment, not information, but communications.”

We tend to agree with this and would add that wi-fi everywhere and convenience (both in
terms of ease of use and accessible pricing) are key to such wide adoption, which is why we are so keen on getting our hands on devices like the 3 Skypephone in this country.

The 3 Skypephone is available in the following countries.

Australia	Austria	Denmark	Hong Kong
Ireland	Italy	Sweden	United Kingdom

Purchase a phone in any of these countries and you will be able to use it to make free Skype-to-Skype calls. You can also use it to make calls to non-Skype users if you set-up an account for billing.

According to Popular Science a German industrial design studio is working on walking robots that will either bury themselves until they detect heat or roam around scouting for trouble. With a brother who is a firefighter out West I’d be happy to know these creatures are detecting and extinguishing fires before they get out of control. They look like a cross between a hard hat and what we used to call Rollie-Pollies (Pill Bug of the genus Armadillidium) because they can roll into a ball to protect themselves in their ceramic body. They’re much bigger than their inspiration. These bugs are the size of a large dog and will weigh as much as 200 pounds. They are equipped to operate without remote assistance with GPS, feelers, infrared and heat sensors. Hope we see these soon in the U.S. especially after last year’s wild fires in California.

Wouldn’t it be great to see an announcement like this headline that applied to NYC, LA, Chicago or Washington, DC?  Hong Kong’s government shows remarkable foresight by investing in free wi-fi in all of its 30 government buildings and expanding it to over 2,000 hotspots by 2009.  This is exactly the kind of action that the U.S. needs to take after EarthLink just announced they were pulling out of an agreement to build a 135 square mile wi-fi network in Philadelphia.  Just like fiber optic networks such as FiOS aren’t going to build themselves, free wi-fi isn’t going to happen without some help in our free market.  For an excellent analysis of the issue, check out this article in the New York Times.

This is exactly the kind of story that made me start TECHwishes.  Skype petitioned the FCC to open cell networks to all devices citing the 1968 Carterfone decision. That decision freed consumers from having to lease a phone from AT&T by allowing them to attach any lawful device that didn’t harm the network. It not only allowed less expensive phones but it also paved the way for fax machines and modems!

Those circumstances sound remarkably like today’s where new products like 3’s Skypephone would offer us free Skype to Skype calls if they had the airwaves to do so. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and the rest have no desire to allow the phone because it would obviously effect their ability to charge by the minute. In fact, the handwriting is on the wall because the big players have recently announced new plans that offer unlimited calling for around $100.

The request was made more than a year ago but FCC Chairman Kevin Martin just responded at a wireless trade show by saying “In light of the industry’s embrace of this more open approach, I think it’s premature for the commission to place any other requirements on these networks.” According to the AP, EBay and other companies have expressed disappointment with his remarks. Looks like I’ll have to travel to Europe if I want a Skypephone anytime soon.

The british telecommunications regulator Ofcom issued a new policy on Thursday announcing cell phones can now be used on UK registered flights once they have reached an altitude of 3,000 feet or higher.  Their own Executive Summary acknowledges the potential for “air rage” but leaves it to the airlines to manage the possible discomfort and anti-social behaviour.

This is one use of technology that Europe can keep for itself!  If you’ve ever taken the train from DC to NYC you’d know what a nightmare it can be sitting next to a teenage girl calling every one she knows and using “like” every third word.  Amtrak now has quiet cars because passengers demanded it.  Planes will need a cell phone section and cell phone detectors in the “lavatories.”

OK, so it’s not 3G which we’re very eager to see widely available in the U.S. but these announcements claim they can double the speed of existing EDGE networks.  The most exciting thing about this news is that this can be done with a simple software upgrade without any new hardware.  This gives those of us which own EDGE phones (i.e. the iPhone) hope that manufacturers like Apple will release new firmware to make our web surfing faster.  

Nokia Siemens says their upgrade achieves speeds to 592 kbps and will be available 3Q 2008.  Both companies are working to double this again to up to 1.2 Mbps.  Engadget confirms our suspicion there will be many places that will not see 3G for many years to come. Hopefully now the wait will be less painful.

NetworkWorld.com reports that Intel researchers modified existing 802.11 equipment with a data rate of about 6 Mbps to connect as far as 60 miles away.  Intel has a project they call the rural connectivity platform (RCP) which aims to get internet services in remote areas.  One unit they tested was even powered by a solar panel and gave a Panama village internet access for the first time.  They plan to sell RCP units in India later this year.  Given the lack of broadband coverage across the U.S. they should be able to market them here as well.

Australian accents make almost anything more interesting.  Watching this video makes me want a Skypephone now!  If I were going to Europe this Summer I would pick one up at Heathrow Airport and call all my Skype friends at home to share my trip with them.  That would be so much more fun than a “Wish You Were Here” postcard. 

This week’s two biggest winners in the FCC’s spectrum auction were Verizon and AT&T.  Together they agreed to pay more than $16 Billion for the rights to the new airwaves.  Many of us were hoping that Apple and Google might have won part of this auction but neither of them won a single new license.  See this article in the Washington Post for more details.