Next Trip: Djurdjevac - Barcelona

Itinerary

Event: Mobile World Congress

My role: insider who is outsider ;)

10:00 - Start - by car: Djurdjevac - Zagreb
Parking lot: friends house
13:00 - Zagreb airport Pleso - coffee
15:15 - flight Zagreb - Vienna
19:45 - flight Vienna - Barcelona
Arrival: Terminal 1- at 22:10
23:00 Checking-in at Catalonia Albinoni


***** Zagreb to Barcelona *****

Flight 1 Monday, February 15, 2010

Departure: 15:15 Zagreb, Croatia - Pleso
Arrival: 16:20 Vienna, Austria - Vienna International
Airline: Croatia Airlines OU5440 e
Aircraft: Canadair Regional Jet
Operated by Austrian

Change of plane required. Time between flights = 3:25.

Flight 2 Monday, February 15, 2010

Departure: 19:45 Vienna, Austria - Vienna International
Arrival: 22:10 Barcelona, Spain - Barcelona, terminal 1
Airline: Austrian OS395 e
Aircraft: Fokker 100
Operated by Tyrolean Airways

Hotel


THE CATALONIA ALBINONI IS LOCATED IN PORTAL DE L*ANGEL, A WIDE PEDESTRIAN AND COMMERCIAL BOULEVARD IN THE CENTRE OF BARCELONA, JUST A FEW STEPS FROM PLACA CATALUNYA AND THE CATHEDRAL. THE BUILDING HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE LIST OF THE CITY. THE HOTEL STILL PRESERVES ITS ORIGINAL NEOCLASSICAL FACADE, WHICH FEATURES ROMANTIC AND BAROQUE MOTIFS. THE ENTRY HALL LEADS US TO THE INTERIOR COURTYARD WHERE WE CAN ADMIRE THE ORIGINAL MARBLE STAIRCASE. *** BREAKFAST IS AVAILABLE AT A COST OF 15 EUROS *** THIS PROPERTY WAS BUILT IN 1998 AMENITIES- AIR CONDITION - GST RMS SATELLITE TELEVISION ALARM CLOCK DIRECT DIAL TELEPHONE HAIRDRYER IN ROOM TELEVISION IN - ROOM SAFE TEMPERATURE CONTROL MINI BAR **FEES MAY APPLY TO ABOVE AMENITIES**

Shout'em comes with Android demo

Croatia is a hotbed of mobile startups right now. One to argue with me ? ;D

Proud to write about people that stand behind Shout 'Em.
It is an app made by croatian startup Fiveminutes that was showcased at the recent Mobile 2.0 event in Barcelona.

Shout'Em is platform on which you can easily start mobile social networking service ( hosted solution ) .
Now, how not to be proud when it is the first croatian start up coming in the mobile space in a big way.
To me , it sounds uber-cool mobile app ( still, I would like to see it on a handset and not emulator-only ). I have exchanged mails with them and soon to have meeting with them :)

The best of all, they already build Android demo ( see in emulator ).

Viktor Marohnic, one of the founders, wrote a post about his experience with Mobile 2.0 event:

We were one of 10 startups selected from 70 to give five minutes pitch. On top of that we were selected with two other startups to present our business plans in more details in front of the same group of investors. So that make it 3 from 70. Not bad :)

They could be creating mobile tool which will make life easier for all those people starting small social networks all around the world ( to make a bit comparison ; in a desktop and full browser world we have forums, newsgroups, twitts etc. ).
Interesting is here it could become one of the first apps to prove viability of Google's Android platform.

Hope they make through all obstacles and become global app.

First Google Android Devices

Under the Mediterranean sun of Barcelona. Webphone dejour but SMS will rule them all ;)

Unusual suspects like british ARM and Texas Instruments got us first glimpse into practical prototype of Android mobile operating system.
It's not fancy release like iPhone's launch ( thank you ) , but it is of equal importance, IMHO ( although we have seen some of these interfaces few months ago ).

View full gallery. Still rough on the edges but it's no rush , the style will come later with handset makers and ''the switchers''.
( I like this one, tricorder someone ? ;))

The new mobile interface philosophy is beign seeded by Webkit SDK ( thank you iPhone ) . It's a magic carpet for mobile phone- programmable ( fluid ) interface. A webphone DNK.

Smartphone, indeed. Websmartphone ? Webphone ? What gives ;)
Is it finally smartphone for the ordinary people and mass market phones ?
I hope so, but let's wait.

It's a smartphone with ''mirror'' ( touchscreen aka iPhone ) and smarthphone with good ol' buttons. The hybrid approach, just like it should be.
There is plenty of room ( mobile screen ) for advertisers as well ;))

There is a plenty of icons. Someone for buried apps in the phone – those never used ? Could be an issue for some people. Power features might be used by individual preferences ? Yes, but the one thing should be straigtforward – a call.
Simple phone call.

But I have a trouble and doubt of how much progress is made when I see ''applications '' folder. Yes, it's nice for Google. Pure Google trojan horse into the handset. Gmail , Maps and other icons are in the one-button reach ( game-set-match for them ) and in the same ''game level'' like SMS.
But is it illusion made by product designers who put close observation onto current phone usage ? Will this all appeal to average users and be used by them ?

Where's search ? I can't see straigtforward ''search '' feature or something similar ( mashups ) ? Contacts folder with social networking ? Too much expectations, I shouldn't be so pushy ;)) It's not a sinn.

I would suggest only one keyword: connectivity.

I think it's the crucial ingredient for success ( too be truly useful ) of Android platform along the good battery time, IMHO. Android phones will be hungry of being alllways on. Not just allways connected to the internet, but those connection should be fast.
That means only one- fast mobile network services ( HSDPA or UMTS ). It's not something Google can do much about. It's a long, long road.

The mobile carriers will need to create special flat rate plans for Android phones. So, even if we have agile and proactive Google and its partners, I don't see that much agility on the carriers side nor mass enthusiasm among the average users.

Not until the Web on the mobile phone becomes ''status'' issue ;)) Status like ''I am important'' with that thing in my hand and ''status'' like Facebook presence ( mobile edition ) and super-light-fun-apps as well.

Time to wait. Time to explore and think more. Nobody knows...
One thing is for sure, ''the switch'' is going on.