Just say no, to Yxes

It was just a matter of time before security became an issue on mobiles.

Latest incident:

Platform: S60 3rd Edition FP (Feature Pack) 1
Handset: Typically - Nokia (check here) and some LGs (KT610, etc)

Advice: Don't click on something you DON'T understand (or don't even want to).

Why?
It will destroy your contact / address book after trying to pass itself on to everyone in it via an SMS. It's fairly aggressive - it will exec on every phone reboot.

There is an SMS cleaner that Nokia provides, although its not clear, if it has been updated to address this particular incident.

Thankfully, my N71 is safe (but its successor, the N76 is not)! But, that's probably due to its age ... dunno if that's a good thing ... sigh!

Usage metrics and retention curves for the iPhone

Ever wondered ...

Is Paid better than free?

If so, how much?

What are the current CPMs like

Key metrics to track for iphone usage / usage curve of an iphone app

All these answers, and more, here, ...

Mobile is at 10x subs over line services ...

Medianama reports the latest subscription numbers:

Subscribers (Oct 2008)
– Mobile: 325.73 Million (up 10.42 Million)
– Broadband: 5.05 Million (up 150,000) / Statewise List of Broadband Subscribers
Subscribers (Oct 31st ‘ 08)
– Wireline: 38.22 Million (down 130,000)
– Teledensity: 31.50%

Internet pop distrib

They say its according to comScore, Dec 2008.  Have not been able to determine if its actually the case.  Look at it as an unverified data point.



The numbers according to them

1. China: 179.7 million

2. United States: 163.3 million

3. Japan: 60.0 million

4. Germany: 37.0 million

5. United Kingdom: 36.7 million

6. France: 34.0 million

7. India: 32.1 million

8. Russia: 29.0 million

9. Brazil: 27.7 million

10. South Korea: 27.3 million

11. Canada: 21.8 million

12. Italy: 20.8 million

13. Spain: 17.9 million

14. Mexico: 12.5 million

15. Netherlands: 11.8 million

-- source


If one takes the proportions (not the values) to be reflective -- then one can infer ...

--  US ratio of internet pop to actual pop is roughly at 59%. 
-- interesting to see this data trended over quarterly or half-yearly - would expect

---- US and Europe growth to have plateaued

---- China and the rest of BRICS to show some growth

-- given that the baby booming generation in the US will start retiring over the next couple of years
-- the web must evolve from its pro-20-to-30 something image - into something meaningful for the newly-retired generation
-- otherwise it risks alienating a significant chunk of its existing user base

--  obv, il8n, is going to take center stage in the next few years
--  the focus of the web will change as we move into a user-based dichotomy of the 20-30-somethings  and 'post-career' bunches
--  if this doesn't happen, the US base may actually start diminishing as users will start seeing less and less value out of this medium -  with users moving to other options such as the mobile and other 'targeted' offerings.  In a sense, the web is targeted primarily at a 'consumer' who has money and wants to spend it.  Even most of the 'social cause' and non-profit establishments on the web target such people.

--  other country bases will actually start leveraging their size (and reach) and that will affect the flavor of the 'vox populi'
--  most of the current web-celebs will start fading - countdown has already started
--  may even start seeing a new brand of politics - web, global, and 'representative' of a significant-sized 'focus group' that will make demands different from those espoused by their 'real-world' representatives, e.g. NRIs, travel, insurance, working styles, minority rights, etc.


... more later ... too tired right now.