Wi-Fi Alliance Pushes P...

Smartphone and tablets owners are clamoring for access to more Wi-Fi on the go, or so a new study from the Wi-Fi Alliance claims. Out of 1,000 US-based smartphone and tablet owners, 87% of them indicated that they wanted greater Wi-Fi availability for their mobile devices, and 85% said they preferred Wi-Fi over cellular data “for at least one common online activity.” That’s all well and good (and not a surprise in the slightest), but what would these people actually do in order to gain access to more Wi-Fi hotspots? Well, 72% of respondents said they would be willing to pay their wireless service providers more and 70% said they would switch providers just to get access to them. With carriers pushing smartphones and the wireless data access that accompanies them like crazy, network congestion and management issues can lead to some downright flaky user experiences. That’s where the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Passpoint program comes into play. Simply put, the Passpoint program (which the working group announced last February ) aims to make the process of transitioning from a mobile network to a Wi-Fi access point as frictionless as possible, most notably by stripping out the need for users to whip out their login credentials. Instead, a user’s mobile device will be able to connect to a secure Passpoint-friendly network without the user having to lift a finger thanks to some nifty authentication techniques. There’s a pretty extensive list, but some of them (like SIM authentification) seem to have drawn more attention than others. The idea of a Wi-Fi network allowing access because of a device’s SIM card is not only thoughtful, it also helps to blur the line between that Wi-Fi connection and the carrier’s own wireless data network. Assuming the hand-off works without a hitch, users get a better data experience without having to do anything, although plenty of the specifics (how users are billed, when carrier partners will implement Passpoint, etc.) are still up in the air. Of course, the carriers get something out of this too. The more users they’re able to offload onto their privately-owned or authorized Wi-Fi hotspots means they’ll be able to ease the strain on their own wireless data networks. Beyond that, there’s some more concrete financial gains to be had — carriers could more easily bolster their the strength of their offerings by lighting up new Wi-Fi hotspots in needed areas, not to mention the possibility of inking roaming deals with other Wi-Fi networks that could be pitched subscribers with the promise of quick and easy access. The Wi-Fi Alliance is expected to kick things off more officially in June with the launch of their certification program for mobile devices and wireless infrastructure equipment.

Crocodoc Debuts HTML5 D...

Y Combinator alum Crocodoc is debuting a new technology today that aims to bring an enterprise-grade HTML5 document embedding service for Microsoft Office and PDF files, to web-based products. Crocodoc launched in 2010 to kill off Acrobat. The startup’s initial Flash-based technology allowed you to upload a PDF, and receive a version of the same document in your browser, which you can then share with coworkers and annotate with notes, highlighting, text, and a pen tool, with changes that show up to other users in real-time. Last year, Crocodoc launched this technology in HTML5 for mobile embedding. Today, Crocodoc is debuting a new version of this HTML5 embedding technology specifically designed for the scale and demand of consumer and business web and mobile applications. The startup says that using Crocodoc, documents can be embedded into any web or mobile app using a simple iFrame or JavaScript library (no plugins, downloads, or desktop software required). The technology features fast, crystal-clear rendering, and advanced security, including 256-bit document encryption, on-premise storage options, and multiple deployment options including SaaS and private cloud. Customers can also customize the appearance and behavior of Crocodoc’s viewer and access built-in commenting, highlighting, and drawing tools. Already, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Yammer, and SAP are using the startup’s document embedding technology. For example, Dropbox uses Crocodoc’s HTML5 document viewing solution to allow their users to view documents in their web browsers and mobile devices without having to download large files or use desktop software (you can see an example here ). Via LinkedIn’s Recruiter product, Crocodoc enables recruiters to upload candidates’ resumes in Word and PDF format without having to download files and open them using desktop software. Founder Ryan Damico explains that licensing the technology was an afterthought last year, but the company become inundated with requests from companies to use the embedding technology. The startup saw a larger opportunity to go after a licensing model with companies like Dropbox and others. Crocodoc has raised funding from Y Combinator, Paul Buchheit, Joshua Schachter, Dave McClure, Steve Chen and XG Ventures.

Don’t Hold Your Breath ...

Of all the peculiar gimmicks a smartphone manufacturer could lean on to make a device stand out, 3D always seemed like one of the most pointless. Sure, it sounds great in theory — who doesn’t want fully immersive video and apps — but actually using it on-the-go can be a completely different story. As it turns out, Samsung is right there with me. In an effort to combat some of the more fanciful Galaxy S III rumors floating around, the company told Engadget today that they have no intention to release a 3D smartphone any time soon. Here’s the full quote, just to make it clear: Although Samsung Electronics is constantly exploring new technologies for our mobile devices, we have no immediate plan to include displays featuring 3D technology in our upcoming smartphones. Word of a 3D-capable Galaxy S III first surfaced back in December thanks to a report Korean news outlet ETNews, at which point the claim quickly started making the rounds. Samsung’s denial on this front shouldn’t be a shocker, seeing as rivals HTC and LG both gambled with 3D handsets last year, neither of which managed to gain considerable traction. That of course doesn’t mean that 3D as a trend is going anywhere — Samsung still churns out 3D televisions and YouTube just announced more pronounced support for 3D content — but at least in the mobile space, 3D seems like a technology relegated to the fringe. Though Samsung seems keen on quashing outlandish rumors as they come, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from spreading questionable new information. Most recently, a supposed invitation to a Galaxy S III event on May 22 in the UK features what may or may not be half of the forthcoming handset. To absolutely no one’s surprise, it looks absolutely nothing like any of the other leaked images that have surfaced before, which means it’s either a) the real deal or b) absolute crap. I’m leaning towards the latter personally, but I really hope that Samsung starts offering details soon instead of just shooting down peculiar claims.

Mobile Devices: 25% of ...

According to Marin Softwar's report "The State of Mobile Search Advertising in the US: How the Emergence of Smartphones and Tablets Changes Paid Search," for the month of March 2012, mobile devices will account for a quarter of paid-search clicks by the end of the year.

Smartphones and Tablets...

Marin Software expects that by December 2012, mobile devices will generate a quarter of all paid-search clicks.