Vodafone didn't quite make its 360 service go live today (at least when we checked): presumably bugs and overwhelming demand caused a stuttering start. But it has made the announcements and named the first phones. Ian Scales reports.
Vodafone's 360 service, launched today in Europe, is an attempt to offer some of the functionality of the smartphone/download apps store combination as a mobile network service from the operator (rather than controlled by an Apple or a Google).
So the core of the thing is its 'People' service which merges contact books across the range of services users are tending to use these days: things likeFacebook, Live Messenger, Google Talk (Twitter and others to follow soon, claims Vodafone).
360 also offers a back-up service which we think is going to become a crucial requirement in a world where more and more complexity and individualism is being invested in the handset. The ability to keep an up-to-date copy of the handset in the cloud will become a 'must' as users realise just how much they time and money they plough into their tiny devices with their videos, pics and of course apps. Lose or break the device (much easier to do with a mobile than with a laptop, remember) and the back-up copy will be there to pour into the new one.
More important yet, that copy of the data makes it a breeze to update the phone to the next iteration on the same platform - so good for stickiness as well.
The contacts facility is also available to the user from a laptop or home computer - another linkage which is sure to become crucial in these applications.
The 360 service is to be supported initially by two Samsung handsets that are tailored to give the best 360 experience (so the others presumably only give 180) and these are based on OMAP and LiMo OS.
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