Category Archives: Mobile Messaging
Point-and-Chat mobile social networking is somewhat creepy
I got a confusing release in from a company called PoKos today – which seems to vary between being a slightly creepy social network that involves taking pictures of people you don’t know, and being a marketing channel for retailers and brands. Continue reading
What’s the story with Skype’s BlackBerry client?
Rating: Only Verizon users can have it apparently
You kind of assume that something is available and get a nasty surprise when it’s not. This is what has just happened to GoMo News over access to Skype from a BlackBerry smartphone. It’s possible to get the official client app from Skype but only if you happen to live in America and are a Verizon Wireless customer. How bizarre is that? We’ve even had official confirmation from RIM itself that this is the case. So, naturally, GoMo News decided to investigate the alternatives. They do exist but one of them – iSkoot – has recently been withdrawn. Shades of a conspiracy theory here, perhaps? Continue reading
Can mobile phones help to save chocolate?
You might not be aware, but we’re heading towards a global chocolate crisis. I’m not kidding – a combination of factors is driving a massive decrease in the amount of cocoa beans being grown. Today, three bodies have announced the launch of a mobile phone program designed to provide essential information to Ghanaian cocoa farmers. Continue reading
Mobile advertising and marketing hot news: mobile web, SMS and Red Bull
Welcome to the Wednesday round-up of mobile marketing and advertising stories from GoMo News! The MMA and IAB have decided to tackle the way in which people measure how effective their mobile web ads are, Red Bull has won over Virgin Mobile in South Africa, and much more… Continue reading
América Móvil and Synchronica continue their grand mobile messaging alliance
Global telecoms group América Móvil may be the greatest friend that mobile messaging company Synchronica has ever made. The two companies have been rolling out high-end services to low-end phones in Móvil operators around the world – and today sees the announcement of a new deal with América Móvil’s Porta Ecuador. Continue reading
Swype vs. Swiftkey: the mobile text speed test
I encountered a new app yesterday – it’s called Swiftkey. It has taken the concept of predictive text and bumped it up to the next level. Instead of just predicting the word you’re currently typing, it also predicts the next word you’ll type. You just tap the correct prediction, and it puts the word in automatically. If the predictions are correct, it massively increases the speed at which you type. If it’s not right, then you’re still typing no slower than usual. I decided to put it through it’s paces against my favourite text input app – Swype. Continue reading
N2manager app makes money out of SMS
Rating: Admirable business model if your app is free
One of the key benefits of having an ‘Open’ mobile OS like Android is that the user can readily change the parts of the system or even UI that he or she doesn’t like. A classic example here is SayMyName from Tom Tasche which uses text-to-speech conversion to indicate (from the addressbook) who is calling. The snag is that consumers don’t want to pay for such utilities, reasoning that they should have been built-in in the first place. So what’s the point of creating a better ‘SMS Manager’ utility for all versions of Android, when the payback should be zero? Well, N2manager seems to have found the answer by hooking up its users with cheap SMS/texting. Continue reading
US wakes up to benefits & dangers of common short codes
Rating: CTIA & MMA band together to ensure public confidence
It appears that the US market has suddenly woken up to the advantages of deploying common short codes – especially for mobile marketing. Consequently, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has joined forces with the US based CTIA – the wireless industry association – to streamline the [...]
Deutsche Telekom launches SpecialOffers with mobile advertising company Out There Media
Looks like Out There Media has arrived or launched its services in Germany with the German Telekom. I found this press release below and it looks like its an mobile advertising request service. It sounds like a service that offers users special offers and freebies without any cost or service agreement. You get SMS messages and MMS messages with special offers in and users can decide whether or not they would like to react. The service is free and I will be signing up later on today and will report back on the servcie in greater detail.
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Mobile social networking and location: drop a “glyph” with goGlyph
Location-based social networking developer goGlyph has released a free application for iOS users today. Also called goGlyph, it allows you to drop messages, or “glyphs”, at your location, and check what other glyphs have been left here. Continue reading
Android Froyo users still waiting for SMS bug fix
Rating: Dangerous for those with illicit relationships
Although the issue was highlighted here by the BBC some four days ago [January 7th], there’s still no news on when and how Google intends to fix a bug in the Android OS that sends text messages to the wrong recipients. That could prove disastrous for anyone carrying on an illicit relationship if the text went to their current partner. While the bug was first reported months ago [June 28th 2010] it appears that Google has only just managed to confirm the bug’s existence. Continue reading
Synchronica picks up Indian phone maker
Not content to merely ink deals with mobile operators, mobile messaging company Synchronica has nailed a deal with a Top 10 device manufacturer in India. The contract will see the companies working together to provide a low-tech Blackberry-like device to Indian consumers. Continue reading
Xmas Day 2010 was smartphone city – official
Rating: Vodafone has the stats to prove it
Anyone who was in doubt that 2010 was the Year Of The Smartphone can have their doubts officially dispelled by stats which Vodafone has just produced. The demand for data on Vodafone’s network on Xmas Day (December 25th) was a massive 70 per cent higher than on the same day in 2009. According to Vodafone, consumers across the UK used almost 35,000 GB of data which is the equivalent of downloading almost 9 million songs in one day. As Guy Laurence, CEO with Vodafone UK, put it, “Christmas Day has proved that 2010 was the year of the smartphone.” Text held up nicely, too. Continue reading
Mobile sport: Saracens Rugby uses MePlease for mobile marketing
London’s Saracens Rugby Football Club has announced that it is launching into mobile marketing, using the MePlease SMS-based platform. It has already run several competitions during matches with MePlease, and reports that it was entered by 9% of the people attending.
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