It says something about the array of fancy new innovations vying for your attention at Mobile World Congress that some incredibly cool developments can pass you by entirely. How – for example - did I manage to miss the unveiling of Sagem Orga’s ‘SIMFi’, which claims to be the world’s first SIM card with on-board Wi-Fi?

Maybe it was the firm’s rather uninspired press release? Or maybe I just automatically switch off when the subject turns to SIM card technology? Either way, I missed a trick because SIMFi is exciting. Very. And its impact could be massive.

It’s a simple enough concept. The firm has managed to embed a WLAN modem into a standard-sized mobile SIM card, effectively turning any mobile phone that uses the SIM into a Wi-Fi hotspot. How they managed to cram all this into something the size of a postage stamp I don’t know. Anyway, this allows the handset to become a tethering tool that can connect devices such as laptops to the Internet using HSPA without having to faff around with USB dongles, embedded modules and the like.

In this respect, the technology can be seen as a competitor to portable Wi-Fi hotspots such as Novatel’s ‘MiFi’ and 3 UK’s identically-named product, both of which launched last year. But while these products do the same thing, they exist as standalone products. SIMFi, by contrast, delivers the same functionality inside the phone itself, which means you’ll end up taking a Wi-Fi hotspot with you everywhere you go.

There are multiple use cases for this technology, and many more are likely to emerge as mobile networks become faster and more reliable. In theory at least, it means a clunky old Nokia could be used to wirelessly enable a whole household.

It’s early days and Sagem Orga was light on details around pricing and availability. One assumes the cards are not cheap to produce and they’re also likely to represent a serious drain on battery life. Then there’s the issue of what this means for mobile operators, which are unlikely to be keen to distribute SIMs set-up to allow third-party devices to access their networks – especially in the current climate of data network capacity meltdown.

Interestingly, Telefonica worked with Sagem Orga on the prototype showcased in Barcelona, and it was noted in the press release that SIMFi will “enable Telefonica to broadcast HSPA Internet access through Wi-Fi to notebooks and netbooks.” Seems the Spanish operator giant is at least planning some trials, which could give us some ideas around possible business models.

Whisper it, but we could be looking at the next killer app.

mablott@gsm.org

The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Member

Related articles by Zemanta

• Wi fi SIM (wanderjahre-computing.blogspot.com)
• SIMFi Transforms Any (SIM) Phone Into a Wi-Fi Hotspot [Cellohones] (gizmodo.com)
• Are You Ready to Turn Your SIM Card into a Wi-Fi Hotspot? (geardiary.com)
• Weeny SIM Wi-Fi hotspot is here! But why? (go.theregister.com)

What’s this now?

The Mozilla Foundation is the non-profit organisation that runs Firefox – the most widely downloaded on-line browser in the world. Fennec is the mobile version of Firefox that the Mozilla Foundation is preparing for smaller devices – not just mobile phones, but also PDAs and other mobile computers.

Although it should be noted that it has been preparing Fennec for a long time now, and some of us would actually quite like to see it get released some time soon, please.

Fennec on Nexus One:

The Firefox for Mobile facebook group posted these images over the weekend:

Fennec on Nexus One

Fennec on Droid

They show Fennec running on the two most advanced Android devices currently available: the Droid and the Nexus One.

What we think?

Yay, more teasing! I’m a huge fan of Firefox on both my Mac and my PC, and I’ve been using it for years. It has an unparalleled community of developers who create great apps and add-ons for the browser – which would be a fantastic boost for the mobile version. I appreciate that the Mozilla Foundation is taking its time with this, and making sure it’s perfect. But come on, already.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Mozilla Firefox Mobile could head for Android OS (ubergizmo.com)
• Firefox Mobile for Android launching “late this year” (mobilecrunch.com)

Click for a larger view

To enter, all entrants need to do is pick up scratch cards with their purchases of Heineken and scratch off the code, enter the code into their mobile phone and send it to 1.441.300.HK4U!

Prizes include 2 Heineken branded Sony 40″ Bravia TV’s, Heineken Sub Zero refrigerator and 20 VIP invitations to attend the Champions League VIP viewing party! Each invite allows the winners to bring 3 friends.

So look out for scratch cards when you shop for your Heineken!

For more information on CTEXT Products and how to get your campaign going, click here. Or contact us via e-mail.

About Burrows Lightbourn Ltd

Established in 1808 and with 4 stores and a wholesale warehouse, Burrows Lightbourn is Bermuda’s biggest wine and spirits merchant. In addition to their flagship store on East Broadway (the eastern continuation of Front Street) they also have branches on Harbour Road in Paget Parish, Water Street in St George and on Main Road in Sandys Parish (Lopes Liquor Mart).

Visitors wishing to take alcohol back to their country of residence can purchase it duty-free and make significant savings over the retail price. Bermuda’s laws dictate that your bounty is delivered to your cruise ship or to the airport (you pick it up on departure) but the store provides this service free of charge.

Burrows Lightbourn also offer a full beverage catering service for weddings, parties and other functions. They can supply tables, chairs, glassware and bar staff.

And the bezel is smaller.  Everyone hated the iPad’s huge bezel.

Okay, they’re not actually putting this thing into production yet (these are just concept UIs).  But, bottom line, Apple’s not likely to have the gigantic two-year lead in the tablet market they had in cell phones.

And via The Chrome Source, here’s a video of an interface:

Related articles by Zemanta

• Google Chrome OS tablet concept revealed (telegraph.co.uk)
• Chrome Web browser sidekick will have a complete media player (robbiz1978.blogspot.com)
• Why Do Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod not Use Adobe Flash? (chris.pirillo.com)