Technology patented by telecoms giant Vodafone

The mobiu is gaining more interest in the media and why not!

With the SIM assured technology patented by Vodafone the Mobiu is the only access key that provides two-factor authentication that leaves no footprint on a PC. In the same way that mobile phones are connected to each other during a call, users can create an unbreakable private network where they can share data.

Posted earlier today on Sky News

Gadget Lets You Take The Office Anywhere
Updated:00:46, Wednesday June 25, 2008

The ability to access your work from anywhere has taken another step with the launch of a new device.

Mobiu's USB deviceThe Mobiu is a USB storage device which uses technology patented by telecoms giant Vodafone.

Plugging the device into a computer brings up a simple interface which allows people to access files on a remote server using pre-installed software.

This means that when the device is removed from a computer, no trace of that activity is left.



The Mobiu has a SIM card inside it, and if it is lost or stolen, it can be deactived straight away.

Adrian Burholt, CEO of the Key Revolution, which is behind Mobiu, said that the device responded to customer need.

He told Sky News Online: "What worries people is concerns over their data.

"We found that people like the idea of something in their pocket that reassures them that their data is safe and no-one else can get their hands on it."

He said that ease of use was also very important for people, adding: "We've designed it so anyone can pick it up and use it."

Mobiu enters an increasingly crowded marketplace for remote working, and with services such as Microsoft's Live Mesh on the horizon, which allows computers to synchronise and share information across the internet.

Stuart Miles of Pocket Lint said that the Mobiu launch was similar to U3 sticks, which came on the market last year.

These USB devices also carry data and software, though do not have the same SIM-card style security.

He told Sky News Online: "A U3 drive is like your desktop being carried around."

If you are in the education sector in the UK and you would like to find out out more about how the Mobiu could benefit you, please contact us

Why do new products wear you out?

Leibson's Law: It takes 10 years for any disruptive technology to become pervasive in the design community. (http://www.edn.com/blog/980000298/post/710019871.html)

With Airsound and the Sonic Soundscape we have found that many people like listening, we get some rave reviews, but there is a lot of resistance. From the "Hi Fi buff" that doesn't believe its possible (and has their own listening chair so they can be the only one in the room that can hear the stereo properly), to the manufacturer that hopes that there wont be a disruptive change in the market.

As humans we don't like being wrong. If you consider yourself an expert and have invested with thought and your pocket you buy in emotionally to a solution. It is then difficult to change your mind. A reviewer turned up to a Soundscape presentations with the intention to write “it doesn't work”. At the end of the presentation he suggested that he wouldn't write the review – all well and good, but he was not prepared to be positive.

We work to identify the “innovators”, the people who will buy. They are not often located where you think they will be. In the last couple of weeks we have been preparing to take on a new product called Mobiu, a PC on a stick. One of its key benefits is that it has a SIM card (Chip and pin). This is the only way of accessing online hosted space. The first thing we do is to get feedback from different people. Its always a bit of fun finding out “who wants one.” Innovators change with each project as buying habits and emotions are different for each product you purchase. Doing this helps identify potential barriers.

In today's IT security market there are many types of encryption that are used to make online security safe but accessible. I don't for instance have online bank access as I can't remember the long passwords and don't want to put them on a pin board. The ultimate safety is not to have access. With the Mobiu there is no access, unless you have the SIM card. In asking the first few IT specialists the first feedback was “.... and what encryption is being used?.... if it hasn't got XYZ encryption it wont work”. This may help us identify the “special Hi Fi buff” who is locked into the solution of their choice.

Peter Gabriel and B&W have recently launched a high quality download club. One of the major papers reviewed saying that they have never paid more than £250 for speakers and couldn't tell if it was high quality or not – complete disinterest!

Online bloggers are saying that they want this service – but from a larger company. Clearly Peter Gabriel and B&W, despite being well respected are not large companies.

New products can wear you out if you approach everyone in the market all at once. You will meet a lot of Hi Fi buffs or complete disinterest when searching for your innovators.