Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Google, Yahoo Start Your Mobile Search Engines

NeoMedia acquires search oriented patents.

This all evolves from Howard Rheingold's Smart Mobs book.

Howard you are a true visionary. If you want to see the future, get his book.

A cpl yrs ago I bought his book and realized how powerful this wave would be. At the time there was only one company that was public to invest in, Barpoint. Barpoint was bought out and name was changed to LoyaltyPoint.

I contacted the new owners of Barpoint at the time and tried to convince them the IP they had would be very valuable some day.


FT. MYERS, Fla., Apr 12, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (NEOM), an innovator in mobile marketing services and patented technologies providing automatic links to Internet-based information, today announced the acquisition of four search-oriented patents issued in the U.S. and pending in Europe and Japan from LoyaltyPoint Inc. (LYLP) of Atlanta.

Official press release

This is what Howard wrote a few years ago.

From Smart Mobs, "Barpoint allows users of existing cell phones, pagers, and wireless computers to swipe a barcode with a portable reader or use a telephone to call an automated service and enter the barcode of any item through the keypad.

The Barpoint service then provides pricing information and offers to complete an electronic order for the item. This simple capacity might set the stage for significant shifts in power between consumers, retailers, manufacturers and online merchants. For example, widespread use of wireless handheld devices could turn every bookstore on earth into a showroom for Amazon.com
"

You will also see that Symbol Technologies (barcode people) took a stake in Barpoint years ago.

More explanation of how this relates to mobile search here .

One patent that I find very attractive was announced in Oct 03'

This could be a BIGGIE.

October 14, 2003 - BarPoint.com (www.barpoint.com), an online and wireless product information and shopping service technology provider, announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office allowed BarPoint a new patent. The patent application covers BarPoint's method for linking a billboard or signage to information on a global computer network via manual information input or by use of GPS

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Vangorilla...

To me, the GPS patent will turn out to be one of the key patents in the future for NeoMedia. When the brands I use know I'm in the area - and I allow them to send me coupons/info - I can decide while in the area if I should stop by. Imagine being near a Starbucks and getting an SMS for a 30% off latte? I can imagine needing a map to a known address but I don't know where I am. It's no problem now. You are totally right when you say Howard Rheingold is a genius. After reading the book a few times, I was left with a feeling of great anticipation for what's coming in the very near future. Your recommendation to read Seth Godin also helped to understand the big marketing picture.

As always, thanks!

Walden