MWC: Beoble.me - German answer to foursquare and loopt

Beoble.me ist ein Location Based Service, in Form einer Kombination aus Flirt/Dating-Plattform und Friendfinder/“Biertrink-Radar“ unter dem Motto “Who’s up tonight?”

MWC: when is an application an advertisment? When it’s Canvas, the facebook app from mobile IM master Colibria

When Colibiria announced the Canvas application for Facebook in early Febraury, GoMo News reported on it. But I have to admit that I didn’t get it what it’s really about. It’s a Facebook application that allows you to access your mobile contacts list from the social network itself. You can send them SMS or IM them, and use VoIP to call them (see the full report here). At the time I pondered about how much money its possible for an operator to recoup by sneaking their core functions into an on-line social network… but that’s not really what this service is for. This service is really a massive advertisement for Colibrias Rich Communications Suite (RCS).

MWC: Sony Ericsson pushes for open source, mobile content creation - based around social communities

How many buzzwords can you count in the headline for this article? I interviewed Christopher David, Sony Ericssons Head of Developer and Partner Engagement, Content & Services, Creation & Development (damn, that’s a long job title). He was very enthusiastic about a new service coming from Sony Ericsson (SE) called CREATIONS - and while it is genuinely interesting, it also genuinely ticks a lot of boxes on the marketing committees list of “what’s hot in mobile”.

MWC: Flirtomatic keeps it clean for US networks, isn’t all that impressed with the iPhone

I’ve always been interested in Flirtomatic. It’s one of those mobile services that pops up again and again when people talk about success stories in the mobile industry. But my interest has always been from afar. But today I got to sit down with Gary Cohen, Head of Flirtomatic for North America, and we got talk about some of the specifics for the service - like what it needs to do to stay sweet with operators, and where intends to go from here. I’ve always wanted to know more about the nitty gritty of how Flirtomatic actually works, and Gary answered all of my questions.

Location-based social network Gypsii goes multi-national with Telefonica

It’s one of the simple facts of working in the mobile industry - if you really want mass pick up of a service, it’s mostly the operators that need to do it. Location-based social network Gypsii has taken this to heart, and is getting in on the ground level with massive Latin American operator Telefonica for an international social networking deal.

What do you call a mix between voice messaging and mobile social networking? Bubbly!

Mobile messaging experts Bubble Motion has announced a new social network based around its voice messaging platform. Called “Bubbly” it combines mobile social networking with voice messaging to create a “Voice-Blog” service.

Mobile advertiser InMobi expands into Thailand with exclusive deal

One of the biggest mobile ad networks in the world, InMobi has been showing a talent for getting exclusive contracts. Originating in South Africa, the network has made massive strides in non-First World countries - and for the past few months it has been winning big contracts in America and Australia. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to stop it’s other global efforts, as todays exclusive with Thailands largest mobile social network shows.

For those who want to make mobile calls from Facebook, Colibria presents Canvas

Here’s an interesting convergence - messaging expert Colibria has launched a Facebook application that will allow users of the social network to call and message their mobile contacts right from Facebook.

More good news for independent mobile application stores - Mobango shows 500% download increase

Mobango is an interesting blend of services - it’s a mobile social network, user-generated content hub and application store all rolled into one. Mobango allows its subscribers to post and share mobile content completely for free, including mobile games and applications. And it is reporting a surge in use over the last year.

Further adventures of TV and mobile devices: now we’ve got a GRAMMY social networking app

Further adventures of TV and mobile devices: now we’ve got a GRAMMY social networking app
Not content to simply have the GRAMMY music awards on the weekend, CBS has an entire week of programming. GRAMMY week is seven days worth of events leading up the music awards - and at the end you get to watch the largest music promotional event in the US on television. But app developer Diversion Media wants more than that, and is releasing the first official GRAMMY iPhone application.

Massive SMS based mobile social network closes another $12 million in funding

If you’re not based in India, you probably won’t have heard of SMS GupShup. Nevertheless, this is probably the largest mobile social network in the world - and it works off the back of old, reliable SMS. And today it has announced the securing of $12 million in funding - in addition to the roughly $25 million it has already gotten.

The irresistible draw of mobile apps: staunch mobile web advocate Flirtomatic launches an iPhone application

If you wanted to show someone that it’s possible to take a concept, launch it on mobile, gather an audience and make money from them - you could do worse than to use Flirtomatic as an example. The mobile social network is dedicated to connecting people who to flirt, chat and maybe meet up, and it has proved adept at making sure that the service is always profitable. But Flirtomatic has had a rocky relationship with mobile applications, so now that it has announced the launch of an iPhone app, it’s worth looking at why.

InMobi nabs mobile advertising deal for Jumbuck social network

Mobile advertising agency InMobi is rolling out the global good news recently - back in December it claimed to be the largest advertising agency in South Africa. Today it has rolled the globe around for news in Australia, where it has grabbed a chunk of on-deck advertising with Australia’s largest telecoms operator, Telstra.

2010 – The Year of Cloud Services

Fancy being a DJ? Try new iPhone app Soundtrckr

You find that most people who listen to music also love to share their music. A new iPhone app called Soundtrcker is combining playlists, location and social networking to allow users to “broadcast” radio stations to one another.

Mobile News for Leaders