I came across this company, AerialTextPhilly and their unique text message (SMS) marketing program.
By entering this program, you're giving A LOT of permission and have the chance to earn money by receiving texts.
With AerialTextPhilly, your advertising messages are sent directly to targeted customers through text messaging, one of the hottest communication tools available.
Sales, promotions and other marketing initiatives can be delivered directly to consumer’s cell phone without the need for expensive printing or filming.
To enter click HERE .
In fact, we'll pay you 15 cents for each message that you receive. You're never obligated to use any of the promotions that we send you.
We'll pay you 15 cents for every message you receive.
Your account page will show how many messages we've sent and display your balance. When your account goes over $10, just click a button and we'll cut you a check and put it in the mail.
So that means in 66 plus days I might get $10 (based on 2 texts at .15 per day) to cash in?
You'll never get more than two messages per day.
AerialTextPhilly will never bombard you with messages...we promise.
I still haven't decided if it will work. One thing that turned me off right away on their website, "We are not a scam.....really"..
If anyone tries this and finds the texts/service useful, let me know.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Mobile Avertising Comes Alive When..
Mobile Advertising Comes Alive When…
- We get higher wireless speeds (I use 4INFO SMS for my search functions because its faster than using my Sprint web service). I learned how to get creative with my SMS search requests this way. How bad is that, I have to adapt to the only type of mobile search engine out there. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? When can I use my cell phone to tap into some wi-fi hotspots just to surf? I might even buy a decaf latte too.
- All websites become mobile compatible. Turn off the graphics for your mobile version, they just slow the transfer speed and keep users from returning. A perfect example, MyYahoo. From the people that think they are ahead of the curve, their site takes forever to load on my phone. I stopped using Yahoo and use Google “text version” for news instead.
- QWERTY keyboards are designed into all cell phones (just imagine if you had to use your cell phone keyboard for your PC. It would take you twenty minutes just to TYPE www.google.com, let alone do a search. I don’t know how anyone texts or even surfs using a regular cell phone keyboard. Maybe I’m too impatient.
- The Yellow Pages becomes a standard search function on the cell phone. That’s THE CATALYST. If the Yellow Pages were offered on my mobile, that would be the consumer app that starts the ball rolling. Remember, the search engine was the consumer app that attracted advertising. I pay $1.25 just to have an operator give me a local phone number.
- GPS feature is adopted into search queries. Just because I type in a zip code to get results for a certain query, doesn’t mean the results are helpful. That’s one less thing to type to start with.
- We get higher wireless speeds (I use 4INFO SMS for my search functions because its faster than using my Sprint web service). I learned how to get creative with my SMS search requests this way. How bad is that, I have to adapt to the only type of mobile search engine out there. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? When can I use my cell phone to tap into some wi-fi hotspots just to surf? I might even buy a decaf latte too.
- All websites become mobile compatible. Turn off the graphics for your mobile version, they just slow the transfer speed and keep users from returning. A perfect example, MyYahoo. From the people that think they are ahead of the curve, their site takes forever to load on my phone. I stopped using Yahoo and use Google “text version” for news instead.
- QWERTY keyboards are designed into all cell phones (just imagine if you had to use your cell phone keyboard for your PC. It would take you twenty minutes just to TYPE www.google.com, let alone do a search. I don’t know how anyone texts or even surfs using a regular cell phone keyboard. Maybe I’m too impatient.
- The Yellow Pages becomes a standard search function on the cell phone. That’s THE CATALYST. If the Yellow Pages were offered on my mobile, that would be the consumer app that starts the ball rolling. Remember, the search engine was the consumer app that attracted advertising. I pay $1.25 just to have an operator give me a local phone number.
- GPS feature is adopted into search queries. Just because I type in a zip code to get results for a certain query, doesn’t mean the results are helpful. That’s one less thing to type to start with.
Hypertag Begins Global Expansion
I've talked about Hypertag before HERE . A great concept and looks like they are implementing.
From NetImpertaive.com Hypertag beings global expansion .
Mobile marketing technology company Hypertag has begun the first phase of its global expansion with the announcement of four international partnership deals.
Hypertag , offers Hypertags, are short-range wireless devices, which send information to mobile phones via infra-red or Bluetooth
Some THINGS Hypertag can do.
From NetImpertaive.com Hypertag beings global expansion .
Mobile marketing technology company Hypertag has begun the first phase of its global expansion with the announcement of four international partnership deals.
Hypertag , offers Hypertags, are short-range wireless devices, which send information to mobile phones via infra-red or Bluetooth
Some THINGS Hypertag can do.
Who Should Build The Digital Divide?
Interesting read. Very Smart Mobby.
From Wharton Should cities be in the business of broadband? .
The city of Philadelphia's grand experiment to blanket its 135 square miles with wireless high-speed Internet access is being closely watched by municipalities across the U.S. that are pursuing similar initiatives.
Should Internet access be viewed as city infrastructure, like telephone poles or city streets?
So one reason cities may want to make wireless broadband available is that it improves the attractiveness of the downtown in a way that no individual business can."
While that question won't be answered anytime soon, Hunter says the cost of Wi-Fi is cheap enough that it is unlikely to become a big boondoggle. It will only cost $10 million to cover Philadelphia with Wi-Fi access. "This is not a big bet and the payoff could be significant," says Hunter. "It seems to be a worthwhile social investment."
From Wharton Should cities be in the business of broadband? .
The city of Philadelphia's grand experiment to blanket its 135 square miles with wireless high-speed Internet access is being closely watched by municipalities across the U.S. that are pursuing similar initiatives.
Should Internet access be viewed as city infrastructure, like telephone poles or city streets?
So one reason cities may want to make wireless broadband available is that it improves the attractiveness of the downtown in a way that no individual business can."
While that question won't be answered anytime soon, Hunter says the cost of Wi-Fi is cheap enough that it is unlikely to become a big boondoggle. It will only cost $10 million to cover Philadelphia with Wi-Fi access. "This is not a big bet and the payoff could be significant," says Hunter. "It seems to be a worthwhile social investment."
Do You Know The Way To?
Where is all of this leading? Why the fascination with maps?
It started with Google acquiring Keyhole. In my opinion, one of the best things Google could have purchased. The data with that acquisition is enormous.
Yahoo came out with their Smart View interactive map tool.
Amazon offers their mapping search tool called A9
Microsoft unveils MSN's Virtual Earth mapping tool.
SOHU, China's leading online media company aquires Go2Map today.
So what's next? Mobile search? But mobile search won't really be search per se, it will be navigation.
What two things are required for navigation, where you are (GPS) and a map
It started with Google acquiring Keyhole. In my opinion, one of the best things Google could have purchased. The data with that acquisition is enormous.
Yahoo came out with their Smart View interactive map tool.
Amazon offers their mapping search tool called A9
Microsoft unveils MSN's Virtual Earth mapping tool.
SOHU, China's leading online media company aquires Go2Map today.
So what's next? Mobile search? But mobile search won't really be search per se, it will be navigation.
What two things are required for navigation, where you are (GPS) and a map
Friday, May 27, 2005
A Popular Primate?
Anytime I can be on the same page as
Drudge Report ,
Tommy LaSorda ,
Robert Scoble ,
Arianna Huffington ,
John Battelle , and
Larry Kudlow
I'll take it.
Did I drop enough names? :)
To see the LIST .
Drudge Report ,
Tommy LaSorda ,
Robert Scoble ,
Arianna Huffington ,
John Battelle , and
Larry Kudlow
I'll take it.
Did I drop enough names? :)
To see the LIST .
Killer App Phone?
From Wired News Carriers dally on Wi-Fi phones .
There was a time when high costs ensured that cell phones were only used by people out of the range of a fixed-line phone
Now, mobile-phone manufacturers are looking to add another feature that could prompt customers to ditch their land lines. A new generation of handsets will allow people to make ultra-low-cost calls using their cellular handsets over wireless broadband networks.
Developers of software for so-called dual-mode phones, which can switch automatically between traditional cellular and wireless broadband networks for voice calls, are aggressively pushing the technology to carriers. So far, no U.S. carrier has announced plans to deploy a dual-mode Wi-Fi phone.
The Phone .
Who can implement this? Who has this technology?..Stay Tuned
There was a time when high costs ensured that cell phones were only used by people out of the range of a fixed-line phone
Now, mobile-phone manufacturers are looking to add another feature that could prompt customers to ditch their land lines. A new generation of handsets will allow people to make ultra-low-cost calls using their cellular handsets over wireless broadband networks.
Developers of software for so-called dual-mode phones, which can switch automatically between traditional cellular and wireless broadband networks for voice calls, are aggressively pushing the technology to carriers. So far, no U.S. carrier has announced plans to deploy a dual-mode Wi-Fi phone.
The Phone .
Who can implement this? Who has this technology?..Stay Tuned
Location, Location, Location
I thought this was interesting in that it could set a precedent. If pinpointing the physical location was that important for a search on a PC, what kind of impact will it have for mobile search?
From CNet.com Google loses round against Digital Envoy .
A lawsuit accusing Google of misappropriating trade secrets from geo-location specialist Digital Envoy may proceed, a district court in Northern California has ruled.
Digital Envoy's geotargeting patent
The two companies had a licensing agreement as far back as 2000 that relied on Digital's IP technology to pinpoint the physical location of Web visitors for Google so that it could better serve sponsored search results.
From CNet.com Google loses round against Digital Envoy .
A lawsuit accusing Google of misappropriating trade secrets from geo-location specialist Digital Envoy may proceed, a district court in Northern California has ruled.
Digital Envoy's geotargeting patent
The two companies had a licensing agreement as far back as 2000 that relied on Digital's IP technology to pinpoint the physical location of Web visitors for Google so that it could better serve sponsored search results.
Crazy Like A FOX
I'm not surprised FOX is the first major TV to do this. FOX know what the 18-35 yr old market wants. Throw in Juilett Huddy, Heather Nauert and you got my permission to market
I'm still waiting to see their business channel.
From Variety.com FOX unit wired for mobile .
Fox is upping its commitment to the wireless space, establishing a cross-company unit located in its TV studio
Fox has been one of the most aggressive media companies in the mobile space after its success with cell phone voting for "American Idol." It's the only film studio to sign a multiyear license with a wireless content company, Sorrent, and has produced four shows for cell phones -- one based on "24," another using footage from "The Simple Life," and two original series.
I'm still waiting to see their business channel.
From Variety.com FOX unit wired for mobile .
Fox is upping its commitment to the wireless space, establishing a cross-company unit located in its TV studio
Fox has been one of the most aggressive media companies in the mobile space after its success with cell phone voting for "American Idol." It's the only film studio to sign a multiyear license with a wireless content company, Sorrent, and has produced four shows for cell phones -- one based on "24," another using footage from "The Simple Life," and two original series.
Will It Be The Wallet?
Another story that involves the merger of cell phone and wallet. I'm still think you will see more service providers buy into credit card companies.
From BusinessWeek.com $5,000? Put It On My Cell .
I expected this to happen and a lot more HERE .
DoCoMo's next big move: Phones that double as credit cards
In the beginning, the cell phone was a phone -- handy for making calls but little else. Then manufacturers added cameras, e-mail, music, and even television to their phones, making the gadgets an essential part of daily routines.
Now, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. (DCM ) wants to entrench the once-humble cell phone even deeper into consumer lifestyles by turning it into an electronic wallet
From BusinessWeek.com $5,000? Put It On My Cell .
I expected this to happen and a lot more HERE .
DoCoMo's next big move: Phones that double as credit cards
In the beginning, the cell phone was a phone -- handy for making calls but little else. Then manufacturers added cameras, e-mail, music, and even television to their phones, making the gadgets an essential part of daily routines.
Now, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. (DCM ) wants to entrench the once-humble cell phone even deeper into consumer lifestyles by turning it into an electronic wallet
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Your Next Computer
Sometimes it takes mass media to recognize a revolution taking place.
From Newsweek.com Your Next Computer .
There are 1.5 billion mobile phones in the world today. Already you can use them to browse the Web, take pictures, send e-mail and play games. Soon they could make your PC obsolete.
Technology revolutions come in two flavors: jarringly fast and imperceptibly slow. The fast kind, like the sudden ubiquity of iPods or the proliferation of music-sharing sites on the Net, seem to instantly reshape the cultural landscape.
The slower upheavals grind away over the course of decades, subtly transforming the way we live and work. The emergence of mobile phones around the world has been slow but overwhelmingly momentous.
Now maybe some will realize why having the operating system and the search/location engine for this "next computer" is critical for their survival.
From Newsweek.com Your Next Computer .
There are 1.5 billion mobile phones in the world today. Already you can use them to browse the Web, take pictures, send e-mail and play games. Soon they could make your PC obsolete.
Technology revolutions come in two flavors: jarringly fast and imperceptibly slow. The fast kind, like the sudden ubiquity of iPods or the proliferation of music-sharing sites on the Net, seem to instantly reshape the cultural landscape.
The slower upheavals grind away over the course of decades, subtly transforming the way we live and work. The emergence of mobile phones around the world has been slow but overwhelmingly momentous.
Now maybe some will realize why having the operating system and the search/location engine for this "next computer" is critical for their survival.
Proxim's D-Day Could Pave The Way
From Unstrung.com Proxim faces D-Day .
Struggling wireless kit vendor Proxim Corp. (Nasdaq: PROX - message board) is planning to make an announcement on its future today, Unstrung has learned. The firm has been trying to put together a buyout deal but looks to be staring bankruptcy in the face, according to sources.
Proxim -- formerly second only to Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board) and Symbol Technologies Inc. (NYSE: SBL - message board) in enterprise wireless LAN equipment sales -- has struggled to keep pace with rivals in this fast-moving market over the last couple of years
Know what company or industry should gobble this company up?
Struggling wireless kit vendor Proxim Corp. (Nasdaq: PROX - message board) is planning to make an announcement on its future today, Unstrung has learned. The firm has been trying to put together a buyout deal but looks to be staring bankruptcy in the face, according to sources.
Proxim -- formerly second only to Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board) and Symbol Technologies Inc. (NYSE: SBL - message board) in enterprise wireless LAN equipment sales -- has struggled to keep pace with rivals in this fast-moving market over the last couple of years
Know what company or industry should gobble this company up?
NBA Needs The Dough
From Charlotte.com NBA could cash in on uniform prestige .
The National Basketball Association, which bans advertising on team uniforms, may consider easing that ban, a move that could open a new revenue stream as the average player salary approaches $5 million a year
The NBA has the most restrictive uniform advertising policy of the four major North American team sports. The National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League allow uniform makers to include a logo.
I'm waiting for advertising on the side of thoroughbred horses next.
The National Basketball Association, which bans advertising on team uniforms, may consider easing that ban, a move that could open a new revenue stream as the average player salary approaches $5 million a year
The NBA has the most restrictive uniform advertising policy of the four major North American team sports. The National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League allow uniform makers to include a logo.
I'm waiting for advertising on the side of thoroughbred horses next.
Desperate Telcos Need IPTV
From Red Herring.com Desperate Telcos Push IPTV market .
U.S. telcos are rolling out IPTV services faster than carriers around the world as a result of the fierce cable battle in the U.S. market, a panel of industry executives said Wednesday.
The competition between U.S. cable companies and telcos to dominate the digital pipeline into homes is driving carriers to roll out IPTV defensively to avoid losing customers to cable. The result is that U.S. carriers are making massive investments in an industry in which too many operators are fighting over too few customers.
Cable companies could do one thing and have the Telcos for lunch. Know what it is?
U.S. telcos are rolling out IPTV services faster than carriers around the world as a result of the fierce cable battle in the U.S. market, a panel of industry executives said Wednesday.
The competition between U.S. cable companies and telcos to dominate the digital pipeline into homes is driving carriers to roll out IPTV defensively to avoid losing customers to cable. The result is that U.S. carriers are making massive investments in an industry in which too many operators are fighting over too few customers.
Cable companies could do one thing and have the Telcos for lunch. Know what it is?
What Does Wayne Gretzky Have To Do With The Next Google?
From Wayne Gretzky, one of greatest hockey players ever, said "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been". Startups could learn a lot from this quote.
From Today's IBD.com Startups search for Google-like success .
In the past 18 months, blinkx, Become.com, IceRocket, Accoona and Zoom Info are among the search outfits that have sprung up.
All are scrambling to match the success of Google, the most-used search engine and one of the most successful companies in the short history of the Internet
How long will it take for the market to realize there will be more mobile devices connected to the Internet than PC's? That is where the next Google will be found.
For example, 4INFO and their SMS search is far better than Google's in this emerging space.
Here is The Next Google .
From Today's IBD.com Startups search for Google-like success .
In the past 18 months, blinkx, Become.com, IceRocket, Accoona and Zoom Info are among the search outfits that have sprung up.
All are scrambling to match the success of Google, the most-used search engine and one of the most successful companies in the short history of the Internet
How long will it take for the market to realize there will be more mobile devices connected to the Internet than PC's? That is where the next Google will be found.
For example, 4INFO and their SMS search is far better than Google's in this emerging space.
Here is The Next Google .
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Personalized Marketing With RFID
From The Standard.com Target marketing via RFID to debut in Seattle .
Some cafes and retail stores in Seattle next week will begin individually marketing products and services to bypassers in Seattle using RFID (radio frequency identification) technology.
Users of the personalized marketing system carry an active RFID tag roughly the size of a stack of four credit cards. When the tag comes within 100 feet of a transmitter sending low frequency signals at 126 kilohertz, the tag transmits a unique identification signal to a receiver connected to a monitoring and execution server.
Substitute the "stack of four credit cards" with a cell phone. Combine an RFID tag inside (it could be a credit card or passport) with the GPS function and you get personalized advertising.
Some cafes and retail stores in Seattle next week will begin individually marketing products and services to bypassers in Seattle using RFID (radio frequency identification) technology.
Users of the personalized marketing system carry an active RFID tag roughly the size of a stack of four credit cards. When the tag comes within 100 feet of a transmitter sending low frequency signals at 126 kilohertz, the tag transmits a unique identification signal to a receiver connected to a monitoring and execution server.
Substitute the "stack of four credit cards" with a cell phone. Combine an RFID tag inside (it could be a credit card or passport) with the GPS function and you get personalized advertising.
A Juggernaut...Me Thinks So
From ZDNet.com Unstoppable? The Microsoft media juggernaut .
This story ties it all together. A great read.
There is one missing piece that completes this puzzle.
This story ties it all together. A great read.
There is one missing piece that completes this puzzle.
Free Voice?....Yes, Very Soon
Oliver Starr points out where things are headed and it should be a wakeup call to some.
From Daily Wireless Skype Boss says voice will be free .
Speaking at the VON Europe 2005 conference today in Stockholm, Zennstr�m said the fact telephony has morphed from a network to a software application 'is a game changer'
The question is who benefits from this game changer?? A disruption this big will have many winners and losers.
Stay tuned.
From Daily Wireless Skype Boss says voice will be free .
Speaking at the VON Europe 2005 conference today in Stockholm, Zennstr�m said the fact telephony has morphed from a network to a software application 'is a game changer'
The question is who benefits from this game changer?? A disruption this big will have many winners and losers.
Stay tuned.
Bill Gates Really Does See It
I asked readers to find the one sentence in this story that would cause some major tech companies to panic.
Two people got it right.
I'm back again with another clue. This story puts the pieces together.
All that is needed now is "one thing" and the score will be out of reach for many.
Let me know if you think you know what the "killer app" will be and how it will function.
Two people got it right.
I'm back again with another clue. This story puts the pieces together.
All that is needed now is "one thing" and the score will be out of reach for many.
Let me know if you think you know what the "killer app" will be and how it will function.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Richard Parsons, You're Sitting On A Goldmine
This story hit a nerve. I've been talking about how AOL could become a powerhouse with the right thinking and the parent company (Time Warner) wants to spinning it off. Instead of building AOL up before you spin it off, the idea is to just spin it off now.
AOL is on pace to set another record for most customers lost in single year. How do they plan on staying business, by making it up with volume?
Hey Richard Parsons, you're sitting on an enormous untapped resource. Don't you see it?
Twenty million cell phones with your product already on them and you want to spin it off? Before you've had a chance to work with that and see what your options are?
Google and Yahoo are beating themselves up trying to get on the phone and YOU'RE ALREADY THERE!
Knock Knock, it's opportunity at the door.
AOL is one foot from the finish line and they want to quit. AOL is at 211 degrees and just needs one more. Creative guys will understand that line.
The chance to tap into the next advertising boom (the mobile phone) and you want to quit now? Ask Google is they would like to have twenty million screens at their disposal.
From The Register Time Warner mulls AOL float .
I have a couple of ideas HERE .
With a couple tweaks and some creativity, you are right back in the race.
Before you give in to Google and Yahoo, why don't you see what you can do with
this huge opportunity. Ask someone on the outside to explain it to you if you don't see it.
AOL is on pace to set another record for most customers lost in single year. How do they plan on staying business, by making it up with volume?
Hey Richard Parsons, you're sitting on an enormous untapped resource. Don't you see it?
Twenty million cell phones with your product already on them and you want to spin it off? Before you've had a chance to work with that and see what your options are?
Google and Yahoo are beating themselves up trying to get on the phone and YOU'RE ALREADY THERE!
Knock Knock, it's opportunity at the door.
AOL is one foot from the finish line and they want to quit. AOL is at 211 degrees and just needs one more. Creative guys will understand that line.
The chance to tap into the next advertising boom (the mobile phone) and you want to quit now? Ask Google is they would like to have twenty million screens at their disposal.
From The Register Time Warner mulls AOL float .
I have a couple of ideas HERE .
With a couple tweaks and some creativity, you are right back in the race.
Before you give in to Google and Yahoo, why don't you see what you can do with
this huge opportunity. Ask someone on the outside to explain it to you if you don't see it.
Games Without Frontiers
A good story that hints at where advertising dollars will flow to, but it misses the big ticket.
From MediaWeek It's Game On .
The games console has journeyed from the geek’s bedroom to the family’s front room.
Hiding underneath millions of TV sets across the country, games consoles are poised to emerge as the next key advertising medium, an influential channel for targeting mostly young and affluent people.
Close, but not the true big picture...anyone see it?
From MediaWeek It's Game On .
The games console has journeyed from the geek’s bedroom to the family’s front room.
Hiding underneath millions of TV sets across the country, games consoles are poised to emerge as the next key advertising medium, an influential channel for targeting mostly young and affluent people.
Close, but not the true big picture...anyone see it?
Had Fun IronMan Racing
I'm back from Disney and the Florida Half IronMan race. The race was fast, and the heat became a factor.
I'll never be satisfied, but I'm happy with the RESULTS .
My bib number was 925.
I have found thatIronMan races are one of the best places to meet entrepreneurs. Many of these people (like myself) push themselves as hard physically as they do mentally.
The race season is just starting and plenty more to come. If you would like to get your company's name exposed at these races, let me know. I'm a big guy, so there's plenty of advertising space on my body.
I'll never be satisfied, but I'm happy with the RESULTS .
My bib number was 925.
I have found thatIronMan races are one of the best places to meet entrepreneurs. Many of these people (like myself) push themselves as hard physically as they do mentally.
The race season is just starting and plenty more to come. If you would like to get your company's name exposed at these races, let me know. I'm a big guy, so there's plenty of advertising space on my body.
Monday, May 23, 2005
4INFO Interview
I use this service so much I figured I would give them a shout out.
4INFO is a text message info retrieval tool. I find their responses are quicker and much more extensive than Google's SMS.
Just send a text to "44636" or just type in 4INFO, and your phone might recognize it.
What info/services does 4INFO allow via SMS requests?
4INFO (44636) currently offers mobile SMS search services across local business 411, weather forecasts, sports scores, movie times, stock quotes, flight listings, price lookups and horoscopes.
We also have some fun searches like drink recipes – try searching for “shot” or “vodka tonic.”
How do you generate revenues from this “free” service?
4INFO (44636) generates revenue from transaction partnerships and sponsors. When you search for ‘mlb’, at the bottom of the scoreboard result screen is a special offer to buy discounted baseball tickets from stubhub.com. There’s a lot of interest from advertisers that are looking to reach our demographic, so there will be a lot more fairly soon.
Are there any new services you plan to unveil?
A couple of services in the near future include driving directions and fantasy sports. There are a ton more after that.
What separates 4INFO from Google’s 46645?
4INFO (44636) is focused on providing info for the “on the go” lifestyle. Our mission is to provide relevant, accurate, fast search results to the mobile user. General Internet search is not of interest.
We realize that texting long queries is suboptimal. We designed our patent-pending search algorithms to accurately provide results even with fairly short terms like city abbreviations (e.g. mtn view ca or 94035 instead of Mountain View, CA) or weather (‘w la’ instead of ‘weather los angeles’).
Here are some interesting things 4INFO (44636) does:
4Replies: frequently after the user sees a short list of restaurants, they will want more, so if they reply with ‘1’, we’ll send more. This is also useful if they want to buy game tickets or learn more about their daily horoscope.
4Menus: when we get something fairly ambiguous like ‘nyc,’ we try not to guess the users intention. Our system is smart enough to know when it doesn’t know. We will return a menu like “Reply w/num of choice: 1.Movies 2.Sports 3. Weather 4. Stock Quotes”
Some interesting capabilities that others don’t have:
Sports: we know that a lot of our users are into getting the latest sport scores even when they are supposed to be paying attention at a meeting or class. A search of ‘bulls’ will return Chicago Bulls scores or ‘mlb’ will give the latest Major League Scoreboard.
Flight Lookups/Updates: what can be more “on the go” than trying to find out if your flight is leaving on time while sitting in a cab. With 4INFO (44636) our users can text their airline and flight number or something like ‘delta atl jfk’.
What do you do with the data that gets created (mobile campaigns?)
We use it to make our service more accurate and useful. After we implemented our service, we learned that our users got tired of repeating the same searches over and over. So the 4INFO (44636) engineers fixed it. For example, if our system sees that a user frequently searching for ‘weather nyc’, if they enter ‘w’ our system will return the 5 day forecast in New York city.
4INFO (44636) will not engage in spamming our user with a flood of promotional text messages. We will not sell personal information to anyone. We are more interested in loyal users that are as passionate as we are.
Describe 4INFO in one sentence.
4INFO Inc. (www.4Info.net), a leading mobile search service, allows users to quickly, easily and affordably find relevant information on their mobile devices. 4INFO provides local directory and real-time information services, including sports scores, weather, flight information, movie times stock quotes, horoscopes and price lookups. 4INFO’s investment partners include U.S. Venture Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. 4INFO is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.
4INFO is a text message info retrieval tool. I find their responses are quicker and much more extensive than Google's SMS.
Just send a text to "44636" or just type in 4INFO, and your phone might recognize it.
What info/services does 4INFO allow via SMS requests?
4INFO (44636) currently offers mobile SMS search services across local business 411, weather forecasts, sports scores, movie times, stock quotes, flight listings, price lookups and horoscopes.
We also have some fun searches like drink recipes – try searching for “shot” or “vodka tonic.”
How do you generate revenues from this “free” service?
4INFO (44636) generates revenue from transaction partnerships and sponsors. When you search for ‘mlb’, at the bottom of the scoreboard result screen is a special offer to buy discounted baseball tickets from stubhub.com. There’s a lot of interest from advertisers that are looking to reach our demographic, so there will be a lot more fairly soon.
Are there any new services you plan to unveil?
A couple of services in the near future include driving directions and fantasy sports. There are a ton more after that.
What separates 4INFO from Google’s 46645?
4INFO (44636) is focused on providing info for the “on the go” lifestyle. Our mission is to provide relevant, accurate, fast search results to the mobile user. General Internet search is not of interest.
We realize that texting long queries is suboptimal. We designed our patent-pending search algorithms to accurately provide results even with fairly short terms like city abbreviations (e.g. mtn view ca or 94035 instead of Mountain View, CA) or weather (‘w la’ instead of ‘weather los angeles’).
Here are some interesting things 4INFO (44636) does:
4Replies: frequently after the user sees a short list of restaurants, they will want more, so if they reply with ‘1’, we’ll send more. This is also useful if they want to buy game tickets or learn more about their daily horoscope.
4Menus: when we get something fairly ambiguous like ‘nyc,’ we try not to guess the users intention. Our system is smart enough to know when it doesn’t know. We will return a menu like “Reply w/num of choice: 1.Movies 2.Sports 3. Weather 4. Stock Quotes”
Some interesting capabilities that others don’t have:
Sports: we know that a lot of our users are into getting the latest sport scores even when they are supposed to be paying attention at a meeting or class. A search of ‘bulls’ will return Chicago Bulls scores or ‘mlb’ will give the latest Major League Scoreboard.
Flight Lookups/Updates: what can be more “on the go” than trying to find out if your flight is leaving on time while sitting in a cab. With 4INFO (44636) our users can text their airline and flight number or something like ‘delta atl jfk’.
What do you do with the data that gets created (mobile campaigns?)
We use it to make our service more accurate and useful. After we implemented our service, we learned that our users got tired of repeating the same searches over and over. So the 4INFO (44636) engineers fixed it. For example, if our system sees that a user frequently searching for ‘weather nyc’, if they enter ‘w’ our system will return the 5 day forecast in New York city.
4INFO (44636) will not engage in spamming our user with a flood of promotional text messages. We will not sell personal information to anyone. We are more interested in loyal users that are as passionate as we are.
Describe 4INFO in one sentence.
4INFO Inc. (www.4Info.net), a leading mobile search service, allows users to quickly, easily and affordably find relevant information on their mobile devices. 4INFO provides local directory and real-time information services, including sports scores, weather, flight information, movie times stock quotes, horoscopes and price lookups. 4INFO’s investment partners include U.S. Venture Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. 4INFO is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.
The "One Thing"
In my best Curly from City Slicker impersonation I say it's all about "one thing".
What is that one thing that changes this prized fight?
From USA Today Cable, phone companies duke it out for customers .
At stake: the future of the Living Room, which has come to symbolize the long-anticipated convergence of phone, TV and high-speed Internet. The Bells' embrace of video is good news for consumers, says Dominic Endicott, a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton.
There is one thing that changes the playing field. Any guesses?
The answer lies in that one paragraph above.
What is that one thing that changes this prized fight?
From USA Today Cable, phone companies duke it out for customers .
At stake: the future of the Living Room, which has come to symbolize the long-anticipated convergence of phone, TV and high-speed Internet. The Bells' embrace of video is good news for consumers, says Dominic Endicott, a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton.
There is one thing that changes the playing field. Any guesses?
The answer lies in that one paragraph above.
Do As I Say, Don't Do As I Do
I found this story and who is telling it quite ironic. Here's an old school news organization talking about how to adapt to a new medium. They still haven't figured out that paid news subscription doesn't work in todays market, and yet they are telling others how to adapt.
From WSJ ONline New Media, Beware .
But all you masters of the new-media universe, beware: You only need to look at the established players to understand how easy it is to trip and fall. Today's upstarts quickly become tomorrow's incumbents, defending their position from the next wave of entrepreneurs with a good idea and a bit of venture cash.
Just look at Yahoo Inc.: The company pioneered Internet search only to let its lead slip to Google, which found a potent mix of combining search with online advertising.
From WSJ ONline New Media, Beware .
But all you masters of the new-media universe, beware: You only need to look at the established players to understand how easy it is to trip and fall. Today's upstarts quickly become tomorrow's incumbents, defending their position from the next wave of entrepreneurs with a good idea and a bit of venture cash.
Just look at Yahoo Inc.: The company pioneered Internet search only to let its lead slip to Google, which found a potent mix of combining search with online advertising.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Cable Is Quite Able
Nice ponderings.
From TechDirt.com Would Comcast buy its way into the mobile market? .
All of the cable guys these days are looking at ways to offer mobile phone service on top of their TV, broadband and phone offerings. Time Warner has been the most vocal, as stories of their mobile plans popped up every few months all last year until it was confirmed that they were doing an MVNO deal with Sprint.
However, the cable guys have been so thrilled with the success of their bundling strategies that adding another service to the mix only seems better.
I ask here ,would they even need to?
Or they could do this .
There is one thing cable companies could do to upset this cart...know what it is?
From TechDirt.com Would Comcast buy its way into the mobile market? .
All of the cable guys these days are looking at ways to offer mobile phone service on top of their TV, broadband and phone offerings. Time Warner has been the most vocal, as stories of their mobile plans popped up every few months all last year until it was confirmed that they were doing an MVNO deal with Sprint.
However, the cable guys have been so thrilled with the success of their bundling strategies that adding another service to the mix only seems better.
I ask here ,would they even need to?
Or they could do this .
There is one thing cable companies could do to upset this cart...know what it is?
This Is Getting Interesting
From Electric News.net Roundups .
The Financial Times reports that chipmaker Broadcom, is attempting to secure an injunction stopping Qualcomm, its larger competitor, from selling a variety of mobile phone chips that it claims infringes its patents.
The papers says the litigation is a new stage in an intellectual property war between chip companies trying to grab a share of the potential profits from third-generation mobile phones.
Is 3G really the end all?
The Financial Times reports that chipmaker Broadcom, is attempting to secure an injunction stopping Qualcomm, its larger competitor, from selling a variety of mobile phone chips that it claims infringes its patents.
The papers says the litigation is a new stage in an intellectual property war between chip companies trying to grab a share of the potential profits from third-generation mobile phones.
Is 3G really the end all?
Will Goofy Say Aloha?
I'm off this weekend for the Florida Half IronMan race on Sunday.
This is "only" a half IronMan, and the racing style is much different. The full IronMan is total endurance, a slow and steady with some sprinting on the bike. A half Ironman is a total sprint for four and a half hours. The trick is balancing your aerobic/anaerobic threshold. When it gets out of balance, call it a day.
My bib number is 925 and race updates are HERE .
If any of you happen to have seen the IronMan World Championship on TV a couple weeks ago, this race in Disney could allow me to get there in October.
Would love to race in Kona .
This is "only" a half IronMan, and the racing style is much different. The full IronMan is total endurance, a slow and steady with some sprinting on the bike. A half Ironman is a total sprint for four and a half hours. The trick is balancing your aerobic/anaerobic threshold. When it gets out of balance, call it a day.
My bib number is 925 and race updates are HERE .
If any of you happen to have seen the IronMan World Championship on TV a couple weeks ago, this race in Disney could allow me to get there in October.
Would love to race in Kona .
IPTV Another Disruptive Technology
I said this was a technology to watch a while back and gave my insights I Want My IPTV . There are a lot of applications that come from this.
Businessweek.com has a great story about it today The Real Meaning Of IPTV .
Today, amid the hard-fought battle for the living room, the hottest topic in the world of communications and networking is the emergence of IPTV
ME TV. Why is it superior? Because it means a service provider can deliver a much more personalized entertainment experience to customers.
Because the network is extremely secure and has the ability to synthesize all sorts of information regarding the consumer's preferences, it's an excellent platform on which to add e-commerce, advertising, and other capabilities.
See where this is going? What would be the best way to play this space, TV's, chips for set top boxes, operating software for programming OR the recurring delivery theme.
Remember I said yesterday that cable companies could dominate the wireless communications space by doing one thing? See who holds the cards here?
Businessweek.com has a great story about it today The Real Meaning Of IPTV .
Today, amid the hard-fought battle for the living room, the hottest topic in the world of communications and networking is the emergence of IPTV
ME TV. Why is it superior? Because it means a service provider can deliver a much more personalized entertainment experience to customers.
Because the network is extremely secure and has the ability to synthesize all sorts of information regarding the consumer's preferences, it's an excellent platform on which to add e-commerce, advertising, and other capabilities.
See where this is going? What would be the best way to play this space, TV's, chips for set top boxes, operating software for programming OR the recurring delivery theme.
Remember I said yesterday that cable companies could dominate the wireless communications space by doing one thing? See who holds the cards here?
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Can't We All Get Along?
Remember the days before the car phone and the cell phone? It seems hard to imagine how we functioned without them.
There’s another development coming that will have us asking another question in a couple years. Remember when we had to hang up the call because we knew we would lose the signal? “Let me call you back, I’m gonna lose you”.
There are a couple things still missing with our mobile communications technology, speed and a constant connection. Soon this changes.
Applications like VoIP (voice over Internet) are shaking things up in the wireless and landline world. VoIP on a cell phone is useless if the signal gets dropped. Just because it’s cheap doesn’t make it functional. What makes it functional is constant connection. This application, however, is the catalyst that will force the service providers to change their business model. It could also create and destroy some businesses and business models.
We are seeing the introduction of VoIP services from the Vonage’s, Skype, Yahoo IM, and even cable companies. Service providers, at the same time, will be trying to increase their revenues with 3G. 3G will give us faster speeds, but will it eliminate dropped calls?
At the same time a quiet development is taking shape that could eliminate the service providers altogether. Pay attention service providers.
Microsoft , Symbian, and Palm’s latest offerings that include Wi-Fi, should have the service providers sweating a little. I can see the control shift already. See where this is going?
But I wonder, why is it an either/or, but a why can’t they compliment each other?
Each technology has its pluses.
Could this be a functional, cheap, Iridium concept? This is one phone number, anywhere in the world?
Could I have one phone that functions at home/office through my broadband (Wi-Fi), and when I become mobile I use the cell tower AND Wi-Fi hotspots? Is there technology that would allow my cell phone to be continuously looking for the best and fastest signal? Could you have broadband for mobile apps and calls never get dropped?
How hard would it be to create one ubiquitous hotspot with Wi-Fi bases? NOT VERY.
Stay tuned for my thoughts on this monster idea.
All these ponderings are not new.
This concept was designed and being implemented by an organization called Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA).
“Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology provides access to GSM and GPRS mobile services over unlicensed spectrum technologies, including Bluetooth and 802.11. By deploying UMA technology, service providers can enable subscribers to roam and handover between cellular networks and public and private unlicensed wireless networks using dual-mode mobile handsets. With UMA, subscribers receive a consistent user experience for their mobile voice and data services as they transition between networks.”
Some of the participants include: Alcatel, British Telecom, Cingular, Ericsson, Kineto, Motorola, Nortel, O2, Siemens, Sony and T-Mobile.
All those problems discussed above are solved and your killer app phone can be introduced.
However, there’s one problem. Just because some of the biggest telecom companies create an organization to dominate the next generation of technology, that doesn’t exclude them from abiding by the intellectual property laws.
There is patented technology out there that provides a system that enables Mobile Carriers and Internet Service Providers to identify and authenticate the mobile user, thereby creating a platform for revenue sharing between the synergistic companies and increased revenues for them by delivering new added services such as two way real-time video conferencing
It could also provide significant savings to Mobile Carriers in additional frequency spectrum and infrastructure equipment by offloading capacity to the Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) and IP networks while providing additional sources of revenues providing newly services such as real time two way video conferencing, fast internet connection and VoIP.
See the cable company’s role now?
Wouldn’t this “switch” always provide the best continuous signal?
Wouldn’t this provide broadband for the mobile device?
Wouldn’t this make the cell phone truly functional and open up many applications?
Wouldn’t this be “THE” infrastructure for mobile communications?
Would love comments on this one.
There’s another development coming that will have us asking another question in a couple years. Remember when we had to hang up the call because we knew we would lose the signal? “Let me call you back, I’m gonna lose you”.
There are a couple things still missing with our mobile communications technology, speed and a constant connection. Soon this changes.
Applications like VoIP (voice over Internet) are shaking things up in the wireless and landline world. VoIP on a cell phone is useless if the signal gets dropped. Just because it’s cheap doesn’t make it functional. What makes it functional is constant connection. This application, however, is the catalyst that will force the service providers to change their business model. It could also create and destroy some businesses and business models.
We are seeing the introduction of VoIP services from the Vonage’s, Skype, Yahoo IM, and even cable companies. Service providers, at the same time, will be trying to increase their revenues with 3G. 3G will give us faster speeds, but will it eliminate dropped calls?
At the same time a quiet development is taking shape that could eliminate the service providers altogether. Pay attention service providers.
Microsoft , Symbian, and Palm’s latest offerings that include Wi-Fi, should have the service providers sweating a little. I can see the control shift already. See where this is going?
But I wonder, why is it an either/or, but a why can’t they compliment each other?
Each technology has its pluses.
Could this be a functional, cheap, Iridium concept? This is one phone number, anywhere in the world?
Could I have one phone that functions at home/office through my broadband (Wi-Fi), and when I become mobile I use the cell tower AND Wi-Fi hotspots? Is there technology that would allow my cell phone to be continuously looking for the best and fastest signal? Could you have broadband for mobile apps and calls never get dropped?
How hard would it be to create one ubiquitous hotspot with Wi-Fi bases? NOT VERY.
Stay tuned for my thoughts on this monster idea.
All these ponderings are not new.
This concept was designed and being implemented by an organization called Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA).
“Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology provides access to GSM and GPRS mobile services over unlicensed spectrum technologies, including Bluetooth and 802.11. By deploying UMA technology, service providers can enable subscribers to roam and handover between cellular networks and public and private unlicensed wireless networks using dual-mode mobile handsets. With UMA, subscribers receive a consistent user experience for their mobile voice and data services as they transition between networks.”
Some of the participants include: Alcatel, British Telecom, Cingular, Ericsson, Kineto, Motorola, Nortel, O2, Siemens, Sony and T-Mobile.
All those problems discussed above are solved and your killer app phone can be introduced.
However, there’s one problem. Just because some of the biggest telecom companies create an organization to dominate the next generation of technology, that doesn’t exclude them from abiding by the intellectual property laws.
There is patented technology out there that provides a system that enables Mobile Carriers and Internet Service Providers to identify and authenticate the mobile user, thereby creating a platform for revenue sharing between the synergistic companies and increased revenues for them by delivering new added services such as two way real-time video conferencing
It could also provide significant savings to Mobile Carriers in additional frequency spectrum and infrastructure equipment by offloading capacity to the Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) and IP networks while providing additional sources of revenues providing newly services such as real time two way video conferencing, fast internet connection and VoIP.
See the cable company’s role now?
Wouldn’t this “switch” always provide the best continuous signal?
Wouldn’t this provide broadband for the mobile device?
Wouldn’t this make the cell phone truly functional and open up many applications?
Wouldn’t this be “THE” infrastructure for mobile communications?
Would love comments on this one.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
Last week it was Microsoft with their mobile OS.
Yesterday Nokia and Symbian unveiled their Smartphone .
Today HTC, Taiwan's High Tech Computer, introduces World's first 3G phone based on MS Mobile 5.0 .
Also today Palm introduced their new Smartphone .
They all have one thing in common and they all lack one key function...
What is the common element and what are they all lacking that keep them from being true killer app phones?
Any guesses?
Yesterday Nokia and Symbian unveiled their Smartphone .
Today HTC, Taiwan's High Tech Computer, introduces World's first 3G phone based on MS Mobile 5.0 .
Also today Palm introduced their new Smartphone .
They all have one thing in common and they all lack one key function...
What is the common element and what are they all lacking that keep them from being true killer app phones?
Any guesses?
Gee, No GPS.
From Cnet News.com Microsoft touts real-time location service .
Rajesh gets it.
Microsoft is making the package available in the United States through cell phone operator Sprint, which has integrated the MapPoint Location Server into its network and sells handsets with GPS (Global Positioning System) location capabilities.
Combine a GPS function and MS new mobile OS and things start to heat up.
I see a little bead of sweat on Google's brow.
Want to know the companies/applications that will play a role in this?
Rajesh gets it.
Microsoft is making the package available in the United States through cell phone operator Sprint, which has integrated the MapPoint Location Server into its network and sells handsets with GPS (Global Positioning System) location capabilities.
Combine a GPS function and MS new mobile OS and things start to heat up.
I see a little bead of sweat on Google's brow.
Want to know the companies/applications that will play a role in this?
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
The Question To Ponder For The Day
From the book Smart Mobs.
The telecommunications giants of the previous wired epoch have staked their claims to the future in the form of expensive licenses for slices of the electromagnetic spectrum- the high stakes, still iffy 3G era of mobile telephony. At the same time that the 3G dinosaur seems stalled in a mire of financial and technical difficulties, a nimble breed of mammal seems to be multiplying rapidly down there in the grassroots.
What is the one thing that cable companies can do that would shut service providers out of the medium?
Imagine if you knew the company(s) that were involved with this.
The telecommunications giants of the previous wired epoch have staked their claims to the future in the form of expensive licenses for slices of the electromagnetic spectrum- the high stakes, still iffy 3G era of mobile telephony. At the same time that the 3G dinosaur seems stalled in a mire of financial and technical difficulties, a nimble breed of mammal seems to be multiplying rapidly down there in the grassroots.
What is the one thing that cable companies can do that would shut service providers out of the medium?
Imagine if you knew the company(s) that were involved with this.
You Say Tomato I Say Tomato
Sometimes when you're looking for one nugget you find another. I think credit cards in the cell phone is a big event coming.
From GlobeandMail.com Will that be cash or wallet phone? .
People take three things with them when they leave the house: their wallet, their phone, and their car keys or house keys,” says Nathan Rosenberg, Virgin Mobile Canada LLC's chief marketing officer.
“They haven't really seen the link between the phone and the wallet". I talk about my credit card/cell phone ideas here .
Virgin Mobile, for example, is scheduled to start a pilot program over the next few months that would let its subscribers download a bar code to their cellphones.
There's a battle going on with the barcode scanning ability that I've talked about before. I even stated some suggestions for Virgin and how they could become a mobile music powerhouse here . I don't know how they could be starting a pilot program while still in suit.
The story is getting interesting. It's a little sad that Canada has to be first adopter of this technology though.
p.s. I haven't announced "the" story yet because I'm hoping it gets picked up in some of the tech rags today.
From GlobeandMail.com Will that be cash or wallet phone? .
People take three things with them when they leave the house: their wallet, their phone, and their car keys or house keys,” says Nathan Rosenberg, Virgin Mobile Canada LLC's chief marketing officer.
“They haven't really seen the link between the phone and the wallet". I talk about my credit card/cell phone ideas here .
Virgin Mobile, for example, is scheduled to start a pilot program over the next few months that would let its subscribers download a bar code to their cellphones.
There's a battle going on with the barcode scanning ability that I've talked about before. I even stated some suggestions for Virgin and how they could become a mobile music powerhouse here . I don't know how they could be starting a pilot program while still in suit.
The story is getting interesting. It's a little sad that Canada has to be first adopter of this technology though.
p.s. I haven't announced "the" story yet because I'm hoping it gets picked up in some of the tech rags today.
Monday, May 16, 2005
A Huge Gasp Is Heard This Morning
There's a news story that came out this morning that will have many companies gasping as to how their business will be affected. Yes, some should be worried, very worried.
This story will also open some enormous business opportunities.
No, it's not the MSN desktop search story, that pales in comparison to this disruptive one.
Don't post the story as a comment because I won't confirm or deny it there publicly.
Email me at vangorilla at aol dot com if you think you found it and why it's so big.
I am looking for guys that get "it".
This story will also open some enormous business opportunities.
No, it's not the MSN desktop search story, that pales in comparison to this disruptive one.
Don't post the story as a comment because I won't confirm or deny it there publicly.
Email me at vangorilla at aol dot com if you think you found it and why it's so big.
I am looking for guys that get "it".
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Shows You How Easy Ubiquity "CAN" Be
From Yahoo news.com When is a baked-bean can a Wi-Fi network antenna? .
Is using an empty baked-bean can to grab a Wi-Fi signal from a mile away high technology? The answer is yes if you're an entrant in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair being held this week in Phoenix.
With every disruptive technology there are winners and losers.
Who benefits from ubiquitous wireless broadband? And who should be changing their entire business model to accomodate it?
Is using an empty baked-bean can to grab a Wi-Fi signal from a mile away high technology? The answer is yes if you're an entrant in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair being held this week in Phoenix.
With every disruptive technology there are winners and losers.
Who benefits from ubiquitous wireless broadband? And who should be changing their entire business model to accomodate it?
Friday, May 13, 2005
PDAs Mobiles And GPS
From Yahoo Business.com Cell Phones and PDAs .
MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2005--Aside from commercial or marine applications, most global positioning systems (GPS) are installed in cars--helping people get from point A to B while driving. But a new breed of navigation systems is about to change this as millions of consumers will soon get driving directions via their cell phone or PDA.
What is a necessity for this to work? There is one key component for implementation.
MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2005--Aside from commercial or marine applications, most global positioning systems (GPS) are installed in cars--helping people get from point A to B while driving. But a new breed of navigation systems is about to change this as millions of consumers will soon get driving directions via their cell phone or PDA.
What is a necessity for this to work? There is one key component for implementation.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Microsoft's New Mobile OS?
From SunSentinel.com Microsoft launches new version of Windows for cell phones .
NEW YORK -- Microsoft Corp. unveiled Tuesday a new version of its Windows operating system for mobile devices that unifies the platform for cell phones and Pocket PC handheld computers.
There's one sentence in this story that could have enormous consequences, do you see it? Stay tuned.
NEW YORK -- Microsoft Corp. unveiled Tuesday a new version of its Windows operating system for mobile devices that unifies the platform for cell phones and Pocket PC handheld computers.
There's one sentence in this story that could have enormous consequences, do you see it? Stay tuned.
Monday, May 09, 2005
The Pondering Never Stops, But The Blogging Will Take A Short Break
While the blogging will take a short break, the pondering will be working overtime.
When I read Smart Mobs, I knew another industry was being created, perhaps the biggest ever. I wanted to be a part of it, because Phase2 of the Internet would be more exciting and lucrative than Phase 1. I also know that Phase 2will create new companies, and also have a profound impact on the current tech giants.
After speaking with Howard Rheingold I started offering some of my ideas to him. Howard suggested that I become a contributor to his blog, which I did, and I enjoyed it. However, all I did was blog Smart Mob related news stories, but that didn’t offer a way to express MY ideas.
While this blogging was going on, I was getting in touch with Microsoft, Google and other companies I felt would be interested in my ideas. Back then, only Robert Scoble from Microsoft listened. Scoble suggested I start a blog. He thought the ideas I presented and the interesting questions I raised would get more attention in a public forum
Hence, The Pondering Primate.
Pondering and writing are my passion. Pondering leads me to endless ideas, ideas I feel are invaluable to the right companies. I offered ideas to search engines, operating system companies, media companies, advertising agencies, brands and service providers. I have shared only a fraction of these on my blog.
As a result of this creativity, opportunities are being presented to me. These opportunities will take some time to review.
So while the blogging will take a short break, the pondering will be working overtime.
I can still be reached at vangorilla at aol dot com
Thank you Howard , Robert and John for the doors that you have opened.
When I read Smart Mobs, I knew another industry was being created, perhaps the biggest ever. I wanted to be a part of it, because Phase2 of the Internet would be more exciting and lucrative than Phase 1. I also know that Phase 2will create new companies, and also have a profound impact on the current tech giants.
After speaking with Howard Rheingold I started offering some of my ideas to him. Howard suggested that I become a contributor to his blog, which I did, and I enjoyed it. However, all I did was blog Smart Mob related news stories, but that didn’t offer a way to express MY ideas.
While this blogging was going on, I was getting in touch with Microsoft, Google and other companies I felt would be interested in my ideas. Back then, only Robert Scoble from Microsoft listened. Scoble suggested I start a blog. He thought the ideas I presented and the interesting questions I raised would get more attention in a public forum
Hence, The Pondering Primate.
Pondering and writing are my passion. Pondering leads me to endless ideas, ideas I feel are invaluable to the right companies. I offered ideas to search engines, operating system companies, media companies, advertising agencies, brands and service providers. I have shared only a fraction of these on my blog.
As a result of this creativity, opportunities are being presented to me. These opportunities will take some time to review.
So while the blogging will take a short break, the pondering will be working overtime.
I can still be reached at vangorilla at aol dot com
Thank you Howard , Robert and John for the doors that you have opened.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Forbes Interviews Microsoft's Scoble
Microsoft's evangelist Robert Scoble gets interviewed by Forbes. A summary of the interview can be found here.
What I found interesting is his background.
For a moment it sounded as if Robert Scoble was channeling Dustin Hoffman as Rain Man as he described how he once memorized over 6,000 product SKUs while working as a manager of a camera store.
Cameras and barcodes. Maybe he would be the guy that would recognize a "killer app" that combines these two when he sees it.
Hey Robert, maybe you can get Billy G to take a look at your version of a "killer app".
What I found interesting is his background.
For a moment it sounded as if Robert Scoble was channeling Dustin Hoffman as Rain Man as he described how he once memorized over 6,000 product SKUs while working as a manager of a camera store.
Cameras and barcodes. Maybe he would be the guy that would recognize a "killer app" that combines these two when he sees it.
Hey Robert, maybe you can get Billy G to take a look at your version of a "killer app".
The New American Business Model
After seeing Microsoft's announcement this week, I started pondering again. Could we be seeing a new way America does business?
I discuss how Microsoft is buying and licensing their intellectual property (patents) in my post here .
Is this the New American Business Model?
The Dot Com Bubble created and destroyed many business models. Strangely, however, the failure of many destroyed companies is playing a key role in the New American Business Model.
Many of these failed businesses left behind a plethora of intangible assets (patents and an abundance of intellectual property). In many instances, these patents are languishing because bankrupt companies and/or individuals lack the capital/capacity to pursue licensing deals, let alone patent enforcement.
Outsourcing by American businesses has moved manufacturing and services to countries with cheaper labor. However, American intellectual property is not outsourced and is being aggressively enforced. Hence, a new business model has developed in the venture capital and technology world. The pure patent play.
When one of the smartest guys in tech world and former chief tech officer at Microsoft (Nathan Myhrvold) starts a business you take notice. But when Microsoft starts backing a good portion of his project, then I want to get involved too.
To see what I'm talking about, do a Google on "Intellectual Ventures".
Do you see where this is headed? Intellectual Ventures is buying up patents/IP that Nathan and crew see that will/have significant value. Then Microsoft opens up their intellectual property library and licenses it out. This is another indirect way of dominating in the technology world for Microsoft.
They look like the good guy by offering up their IP for companies to create new businesses. They generate licensing revenues at the same time.
Microsoft can also afford to hire the best patent attorneys and see what companies are infringing on their patents and notify accordingly. What is a company going to do, fight Microsoft in court?
What bugs me is that Microsoft is behind the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an organization that is dedicated to stopping patents that were issued recklessly. Isn't it more of a "I wish we would have thought of that" that really bothers them?
Microsoft got their hand slapped by the courts because they felt MSFT had a monopoly in the operating system world. Isn't the EFF trying to prevent a monopolistic like atmosphere in the world of IP? And Microsoft is backing this organization. Interesting.
Intellectual property is created in America, sold in America, and now aggressively being enforced in America.
The New American Business Model is being created, and all businesses will have to factor this into all decisions.
I discuss how Microsoft is buying and licensing their intellectual property (patents) in my post here .
Is this the New American Business Model?
The Dot Com Bubble created and destroyed many business models. Strangely, however, the failure of many destroyed companies is playing a key role in the New American Business Model.
Many of these failed businesses left behind a plethora of intangible assets (patents and an abundance of intellectual property). In many instances, these patents are languishing because bankrupt companies and/or individuals lack the capital/capacity to pursue licensing deals, let alone patent enforcement.
Outsourcing by American businesses has moved manufacturing and services to countries with cheaper labor. However, American intellectual property is not outsourced and is being aggressively enforced. Hence, a new business model has developed in the venture capital and technology world. The pure patent play.
When one of the smartest guys in tech world and former chief tech officer at Microsoft (Nathan Myhrvold) starts a business you take notice. But when Microsoft starts backing a good portion of his project, then I want to get involved too.
To see what I'm talking about, do a Google on "Intellectual Ventures".
Do you see where this is headed? Intellectual Ventures is buying up patents/IP that Nathan and crew see that will/have significant value. Then Microsoft opens up their intellectual property library and licenses it out. This is another indirect way of dominating in the technology world for Microsoft.
They look like the good guy by offering up their IP for companies to create new businesses. They generate licensing revenues at the same time.
Microsoft can also afford to hire the best patent attorneys and see what companies are infringing on their patents and notify accordingly. What is a company going to do, fight Microsoft in court?
What bugs me is that Microsoft is behind the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an organization that is dedicated to stopping patents that were issued recklessly. Isn't it more of a "I wish we would have thought of that" that really bothers them?
Microsoft got their hand slapped by the courts because they felt MSFT had a monopoly in the operating system world. Isn't the EFF trying to prevent a monopolistic like atmosphere in the world of IP? And Microsoft is backing this organization. Interesting.
Intellectual property is created in America, sold in America, and now aggressively being enforced in America.
The New American Business Model is being created, and all businesses will have to factor this into all decisions.
What If.....
I have been pondering with the idea that service providers could one day be in big trouble. I mean with Wifi/Wimax being adopted everywhere (Starbucks, airports and even an entire city like Philadelphia), what happens if you can just hop from hotspot to hotspot with your "cell" phone. Would you even need a service provider?
I'm not a tech hardware guy by any stretch, so I would love input on this one.
I keep reading more and more about VoIP and WiFI, but does that only include voice? Couldn't data do the same thing?
Could cable companies place WiFi/WiMax hardware all throughout the country and create an entire network on the ground?
Is there technology that allows a phone to jump from hotspot to hotspot? What if you could use your service provider for voice, and when you wanted to surf the phone would automatically look for a hotspot (for broadband). Can this be done?
Could the service providers and the cable companies work together?
I can take my phone (I don't know if it would be my Uniden or my Treo) and I am connected through the WiFi in my house. When I leave my house, my Treo is constantly looking for hotspots and keeping me connected to receieve calls. Not only will this prevent dead spots (provided adoption is everywhere I go) but I would think mobile surfing using broadband would open up a ton of applications on my mobile phone.
Just like laptops have included a WiFi chip that allows Internet access, couldn't this be done with cellphones too? Could cellphone manuf include a WiFi/WiMax chip that would look for hotspots?
Do we even need 3G if we can do this?
What would the costs be to setup a national hotspot? Does Wimax facilitate this quicker? The license fees versus rollout of Wimax equipment..which is cheaper?
Is this the Iridium project but only on the ground? One phone number, one phone, everywhere?
GPS is being adopted by service providers, but I wonder, how can hot spot owners locate you this way? Does this feature stop VoIP from being adopted?
A new standard for WiFi, 802.11n is coming and that will allow speeads up to 200 Mbps. That would be plenty fast for data.
What I'm wondering is how many/close do WiFi/WiMax spots have to be in order to make this work. How many "spots" do you need in order to handle large volume of users (Manhattan would need how many per block). Could there ever be such a demand on a hotspot that calls/data couldn't get through?
I'm thinking of an event like the Superbowl where millions come into a town and the hotspots are overloaded.
Lots of pondering, hopefully I get some answers from people in this field.
I'm not a tech hardware guy by any stretch, so I would love input on this one.
I keep reading more and more about VoIP and WiFI, but does that only include voice? Couldn't data do the same thing?
Could cable companies place WiFi/WiMax hardware all throughout the country and create an entire network on the ground?
Is there technology that allows a phone to jump from hotspot to hotspot? What if you could use your service provider for voice, and when you wanted to surf the phone would automatically look for a hotspot (for broadband). Can this be done?
Could the service providers and the cable companies work together?
I can take my phone (I don't know if it would be my Uniden or my Treo) and I am connected through the WiFi in my house. When I leave my house, my Treo is constantly looking for hotspots and keeping me connected to receieve calls. Not only will this prevent dead spots (provided adoption is everywhere I go) but I would think mobile surfing using broadband would open up a ton of applications on my mobile phone.
Just like laptops have included a WiFi chip that allows Internet access, couldn't this be done with cellphones too? Could cellphone manuf include a WiFi/WiMax chip that would look for hotspots?
Do we even need 3G if we can do this?
What would the costs be to setup a national hotspot? Does Wimax facilitate this quicker? The license fees versus rollout of Wimax equipment..which is cheaper?
Is this the Iridium project but only on the ground? One phone number, one phone, everywhere?
GPS is being adopted by service providers, but I wonder, how can hot spot owners locate you this way? Does this feature stop VoIP from being adopted?
A new standard for WiFi, 802.11n is coming and that will allow speeads up to 200 Mbps. That would be plenty fast for data.
What I'm wondering is how many/close do WiFi/WiMax spots have to be in order to make this work. How many "spots" do you need in order to handle large volume of users (Manhattan would need how many per block). Could there ever be such a demand on a hotspot that calls/data couldn't get through?
I'm thinking of an event like the Superbowl where millions come into a town and the hotspots are overloaded.
Lots of pondering, hopefully I get some answers from people in this field.
Scanbuy A Breakout Company In 2005
From Fortune magazine 25 Breakout companies 2005 .
Bargain hunters have a new ally: the cellphone. Soon it will be easy to walk into a store, point your camera phone at the bar code on a product, and within seconds find the same item online for a comparable or better price.
Consumer bar-code technology, already common in Japan, is about to hit the U.S., says Olivier Attia. His 13-person company, Scanbuy , offers what he calls scancommerce software, which links any bar code to the Internet via camera phones.
(The square code—above left—is designed to be especially phone-friendly.) The Nokia Series 60 and other phones can read the codes; they connect users to Amazon or PriceGrabber websites.
I think GPS will play a e huge role in this ability. I explain how here .
Before rushing to the mall, customers must download ScanZoom, Scanbuy's free software, to their cells.
I just don't see people downloading software to the phones yet. In order for mass adoption, in my opinion, the application has to be on the phone already, or an incentive has to be so great for people to take the time to download.
I also don't see price comparison being that big with your cell phone. Will you compare prices on cereal, books, DVD's, TV's, cars? As the price of the item goes up, the more time I will take in making my purchase. So there's an inverse relationship between price and the impulse to buy.
Scanbuy makes money by selling decoding technology to handset makers and by taking a cut from online retailers when goods are purchased via ScanZoom. Attia says he'll know he's arrived when "the sign outside the store reads no pets, no food, and no bar-code scanning." — Julie Schlosser
If you want to create a killer app from barcodes, allow the phone to scan a barcode and retrieve information about the product, not just a Froogle like application.
I did an interview with Scanbuy here .
The 25 List .
Bargain hunters have a new ally: the cellphone. Soon it will be easy to walk into a store, point your camera phone at the bar code on a product, and within seconds find the same item online for a comparable or better price.
Consumer bar-code technology, already common in Japan, is about to hit the U.S., says Olivier Attia. His 13-person company, Scanbuy , offers what he calls scancommerce software, which links any bar code to the Internet via camera phones.
(The square code—above left—is designed to be especially phone-friendly.) The Nokia Series 60 and other phones can read the codes; they connect users to Amazon or PriceGrabber websites.
I think GPS will play a e huge role in this ability. I explain how here .
Before rushing to the mall, customers must download ScanZoom, Scanbuy's free software, to their cells.
I just don't see people downloading software to the phones yet. In order for mass adoption, in my opinion, the application has to be on the phone already, or an incentive has to be so great for people to take the time to download.
I also don't see price comparison being that big with your cell phone. Will you compare prices on cereal, books, DVD's, TV's, cars? As the price of the item goes up, the more time I will take in making my purchase. So there's an inverse relationship between price and the impulse to buy.
Scanbuy makes money by selling decoding technology to handset makers and by taking a cut from online retailers when goods are purchased via ScanZoom. Attia says he'll know he's arrived when "the sign outside the store reads no pets, no food, and no bar-code scanning." — Julie Schlosser
If you want to create a killer app from barcodes, allow the phone to scan a barcode and retrieve information about the product, not just a Froogle like application.
I did an interview with Scanbuy here .
The 25 List .
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Brands Taking Longer To Adapt And Adopt
This really isn't that surprising. Brands have always played "catch-up" when a new media was introduced. I'm sure brands had a hard time dealing when TV advertising replaced radio advertising too.
This time though, the introduction of the Internet created even more variables to contend with because it is a faster delivery media.
What happens when brands have to adapt to the new media of those four square inches?
From NewMediAge.com Brands admit to poor performance with new media channels .
Despite three quarters of big brands recognising the importance of online advertising in their marketing mix, most believe they aren't best utilising new media channels available to them.
I show how advertising has changed here .
70% of brands said they felt overwhelmed by complex digital technologies, and that there were 'not enough hours in the day' to stay on top of developments in the space.
This time though, the introduction of the Internet created even more variables to contend with because it is a faster delivery media.
What happens when brands have to adapt to the new media of those four square inches?
From NewMediAge.com Brands admit to poor performance with new media channels .
Despite three quarters of big brands recognising the importance of online advertising in their marketing mix, most believe they aren't best utilising new media channels available to them.
I show how advertising has changed here .
70% of brands said they felt overwhelmed by complex digital technologies, and that there were 'not enough hours in the day' to stay on top of developments in the space.
Suggestion For Google Lab Guys
I get Google alerts emailed throughout the day. Some days the mail can be pretty overwhelming, but I read every of them.
My suggestion is this. Can Google offer a "stop email delivery" service for this? Can I stop my email for a determined amount of time, and deliver when I request it? This is the same concept of stopping your mail when you're out of town.
When I check my mail via my Treo and I'm traveling, the mail gets so backed up from just from my Google alerts, and I miss seeing the email that requires immediate response.
Just a thought.
My suggestion is this. Can Google offer a "stop email delivery" service for this? Can I stop my email for a determined amount of time, and deliver when I request it? This is the same concept of stopping your mail when you're out of town.
When I check my mail via my Treo and I'm traveling, the mail gets so backed up from just from my Google alerts, and I miss seeing the email that requires immediate response.
Just a thought.
Microsoft Changes Its Spots
I'm trying to get a handle on this. Microsoft is now licensing their intellectual property. Microsoft is also on a patent filing binge too. On the other side of the coin, they are backing an organization (EFF) that is against some pretty broad patents.
Is this the "new American business model" ? Buy up IP and license it out?
You can't produce IP with cheap labor in another country. More companies are enforcing their IP (Ampex, Research In Motion, Intergraph). Plenty of pondering has been done already on this.
I will have a story on this soon and what I think is happening.
From WashingtonPost.com Microsoft to offer technology licensing .
Usually known for closely guarding the rights to its technology, Microsoft touts its new program as a bid to help startups by giving them access to fruits of the company's research and development arm.
"If we pull this off, if we're able to collaborate effectively ... we can create new companies and new jobs," said David Harnett, senior director of Microsoft's Intellectual Property Ventures
Is this the "new American business model" ? Buy up IP and license it out?
You can't produce IP with cheap labor in another country. More companies are enforcing their IP (Ampex, Research In Motion, Intergraph). Plenty of pondering has been done already on this.
I will have a story on this soon and what I think is happening.
From WashingtonPost.com Microsoft to offer technology licensing .
Usually known for closely guarding the rights to its technology, Microsoft touts its new program as a bid to help startups by giving them access to fruits of the company's research and development arm.
"If we pull this off, if we're able to collaborate effectively ... we can create new companies and new jobs," said David Harnett, senior director of Microsoft's Intellectual Property Ventures
Cell Phone : World Changing
I just like the title of the blog from the start, World Changing.
From World Changing.com The rise of participatory panopticon .
You may not be aware of it, but the cameraphone in your pocket is the harbinger of a massive social transformation, one already underway.
This transformation could be at least as big as the ones triggered by television and by computers, as the base technology -- mobile phones -- fills a new niche, different from both of these earlier technologies. TV is a “passive reception” medium; computers are an “active engagement” medium.
Mobile phones can be thought of as a “passive engagement” medium, available for connections and interaction without requiring user attention.
A few universities and activist groups are experimenting with applications allowing cameraphones to read bar codes, functioning like mobile networked bar code scanners. Users can snap a photo of a bar code on a product and get back information from a variety of websites on whether the product was produced sustainably, whether the company making it behaved ethically, even whether there's a better price to be had at a different store.
From World Changing.com The rise of participatory panopticon .
You may not be aware of it, but the cameraphone in your pocket is the harbinger of a massive social transformation, one already underway.
This transformation could be at least as big as the ones triggered by television and by computers, as the base technology -- mobile phones -- fills a new niche, different from both of these earlier technologies. TV is a “passive reception” medium; computers are an “active engagement” medium.
Mobile phones can be thought of as a “passive engagement” medium, available for connections and interaction without requiring user attention.
A few universities and activist groups are experimenting with applications allowing cameraphones to read bar codes, functioning like mobile networked bar code scanners. Users can snap a photo of a bar code on a product and get back information from a variety of websites on whether the product was produced sustainably, whether the company making it behaved ethically, even whether there's a better price to be had at a different store.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
AOL.... DOA or AOK?
I’ve been attacking Google and Microsoft lately for their inability to create a good mobile search application. Google is more creative than the rest, and it’s their “space” to lose at this point.
Microsoft is still working on their “Long-Gone” project” and if their attempts at mobile search are anything like their search on a PC, Bill Gates better get padded pants for another ass-kicking from Google.
But wait! Could there be another player in mobile search? Is there another “has-been” that is coming out of retirement and wants to give the “kids” a run for their money?
What company has already made their presence with a platform on the cell phone? What company has a foothold in both the PC and the cell phone? What company has a media conglomerate to provide endless consumer applications?
Quietly this company gained a foothold on 20 million cell phones and they are sitting on a mobile search platform.
To understand how search on the PC became so big we have to look at Google.
How did Google become so successful? They took a free consumer application and advertisers funneled money into it.
So who is this “has-been” that could be a serious threat to Google?
Who is this company? Their logo is a running man, very appropriate. PC’s and laptops don’t run, but the cell phone is always in motion.
When they unveiled --- Find Me they opened up an enormous can of worms for mobile search.
When you have 24 million users, you should expand the services you can offer to these people. These people carry cell phones too.
When AOL introduced their “Find Me” service, they (maybe they don’t realize it) created the perfect platform for mobile search. They have the perfect user base, the backing of a monster media conglomerate (Time Warner), and they are already on 20 million cell phones with their mobile AOL IM.
AOL with their mobile IM, and their “Find Me” application, has created a mobile search platform. They combine location based services (LBS/GPS) with a quicker way of mobile internet surfing (SMS/IM)
Does anyone else see this?
The only form of mobile search now is through an SMS request. Google and 4INFO offer this service. Internet surfing on a cell phone is too slow and there isn’t a true mobile search engine.
So that leads me to ask.
Why can’t you send an SMS request through an instant message?
By sending an instant message to a special username of AOL, can’t you let them resolve the query? Instead of sending an IM to an AOL member, you’re sending an SMS/search query to an AOL server requesting/doing a search. Instead of typing in 46645 (GOOGL) or 44636 (4INFO), AOL has created the short code for you with a special username.
Let AOL label this username as MOBLSRCH in our buddy list. AOL could automatically add this name when you download or reboot. AOL establishes an easy way to start a mobile search when you IM MOBLSRCH.
The “Find Me” buddy application is the GPS function, and the buddy list with MOBLSRCH creates the search window. They already have their own mobile search application on 20 million plus cell phones. Will they capitalize on this? Do they even know what they have?
Initiate an IM w/ MOBLSRCH and in subject box type “dominos” or “pizza”. AOL recognizes your location and sends back the closest Dominos or the pizzerias in your closest proximity. Could AOL “sell” these keywords to these companies? Would Domino’s pay to be included in this search? I discussed the googol possibilities here.
Include a map (with GPS function), address, phone number and website (if possible) in the search requests.
Could AOL make MOBLSRCH a group on your buddy list? If I’m AOL , in this group I would include “stock, sports and news”. MBLSTOCK, MBLSPORTS, and MBLNEWS are other “buddies”. You can send an IM to MBLSTCOCK for a quote on “GOOG”. Send an IM to MOBLSPORTS for the score of the “Yankees” game.
Do you see the endless possibilities? I do.
AOL has the Time Warner media conglomerate behind it. That includes magazines like Fortune, Money, People (already doing an SMS alert), Sports Illustrated (doing swimsuit screen savers), Time, Business 2.0 (one of my favs), Golf, Ski….TV stations like TBS, WB , HBO. Movie giants like New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers.
If Time Warner can’t figure out to make mobile advertising campaigns from this, I will be amazed. SI and People are already getting creative with their campaigns. The question I would ask them is “why didn’t you promote these mobile campaigns through your sister company AOL?”.
Looks like Time Warner has some cash to play with too. Hmm sell Google stock and fund the next search engine?
I see an endless supply of movie trailers, ringtones, screen savers, and alerts than can be created and delivered to the cell phone from this media powerhouse.
I see AOL turning a neat consumer application into a must have on the cell phone. Texting will be much easier w/ the Mobile AOL IM than looking for cell number on your phone to initiate the conversation.
I also see AOL offering the ability to store your mobile searches on your PC for when you get home. All search queries made under your username will be saved when you login on a PC or Laptop. AOL can call it “Things I Looked At Today”. I would call them “Electronic Post-Its”.
This is a good start in combining the physical world with the electronic one.
AOL is sitting on a perfect mobile search application and has 20 million plus people that could adopt it overnight.
Microsoft is still working on their “Long-Gone” project” and if their attempts at mobile search are anything like their search on a PC, Bill Gates better get padded pants for another ass-kicking from Google.
But wait! Could there be another player in mobile search? Is there another “has-been” that is coming out of retirement and wants to give the “kids” a run for their money?
What company has already made their presence with a platform on the cell phone? What company has a foothold in both the PC and the cell phone? What company has a media conglomerate to provide endless consumer applications?
Quietly this company gained a foothold on 20 million cell phones and they are sitting on a mobile search platform.
To understand how search on the PC became so big we have to look at Google.
How did Google become so successful? They took a free consumer application and advertisers funneled money into it.
So who is this “has-been” that could be a serious threat to Google?
Who is this company? Their logo is a running man, very appropriate. PC’s and laptops don’t run, but the cell phone is always in motion.
When they unveiled --- Find Me they opened up an enormous can of worms for mobile search.
When you have 24 million users, you should expand the services you can offer to these people. These people carry cell phones too.
When AOL introduced their “Find Me” service, they (maybe they don’t realize it) created the perfect platform for mobile search. They have the perfect user base, the backing of a monster media conglomerate (Time Warner), and they are already on 20 million cell phones with their mobile AOL IM.
AOL with their mobile IM, and their “Find Me” application, has created a mobile search platform. They combine location based services (LBS/GPS) with a quicker way of mobile internet surfing (SMS/IM)
Does anyone else see this?
The only form of mobile search now is through an SMS request. Google and 4INFO offer this service. Internet surfing on a cell phone is too slow and there isn’t a true mobile search engine.
So that leads me to ask.
Why can’t you send an SMS request through an instant message?
By sending an instant message to a special username of AOL, can’t you let them resolve the query? Instead of sending an IM to an AOL member, you’re sending an SMS/search query to an AOL server requesting/doing a search. Instead of typing in 46645 (GOOGL) or 44636 (4INFO), AOL has created the short code for you with a special username.
Let AOL label this username as MOBLSRCH in our buddy list. AOL could automatically add this name when you download or reboot. AOL establishes an easy way to start a mobile search when you IM MOBLSRCH.
The “Find Me” buddy application is the GPS function, and the buddy list with MOBLSRCH creates the search window. They already have their own mobile search application on 20 million plus cell phones. Will they capitalize on this? Do they even know what they have?
Initiate an IM w/ MOBLSRCH and in subject box type “dominos” or “pizza”. AOL recognizes your location and sends back the closest Dominos or the pizzerias in your closest proximity. Could AOL “sell” these keywords to these companies? Would Domino’s pay to be included in this search? I discussed the googol possibilities here.
Include a map (with GPS function), address, phone number and website (if possible) in the search requests.
Could AOL make MOBLSRCH a group on your buddy list? If I’m AOL , in this group I would include “stock, sports and news”. MBLSTOCK, MBLSPORTS, and MBLNEWS are other “buddies”. You can send an IM to MBLSTCOCK for a quote on “GOOG”. Send an IM to MOBLSPORTS for the score of the “Yankees” game.
Do you see the endless possibilities? I do.
AOL has the Time Warner media conglomerate behind it. That includes magazines like Fortune, Money, People (already doing an SMS alert), Sports Illustrated (doing swimsuit screen savers), Time, Business 2.0 (one of my favs), Golf, Ski….TV stations like TBS, WB , HBO. Movie giants like New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers.
If Time Warner can’t figure out to make mobile advertising campaigns from this, I will be amazed. SI and People are already getting creative with their campaigns. The question I would ask them is “why didn’t you promote these mobile campaigns through your sister company AOL?”.
Looks like Time Warner has some cash to play with too. Hmm sell Google stock and fund the next search engine?
I see an endless supply of movie trailers, ringtones, screen savers, and alerts than can be created and delivered to the cell phone from this media powerhouse.
I see AOL turning a neat consumer application into a must have on the cell phone. Texting will be much easier w/ the Mobile AOL IM than looking for cell number on your phone to initiate the conversation.
I also see AOL offering the ability to store your mobile searches on your PC for when you get home. All search queries made under your username will be saved when you login on a PC or Laptop. AOL can call it “Things I Looked At Today”. I would call them “Electronic Post-Its”.
This is a good start in combining the physical world with the electronic one.
AOL is sitting on a perfect mobile search application and has 20 million plus people that could adopt it overnight.
The Next Real Estate Market To Invest In.
Experts have said the real estate market is frothy and values are hard to find. I have discovered some real estate that is going to be invaluable soon.
Want to know where it is?
Oceanfront property? No it's four square inches.
From The NY Times.com As cellphones bulk up, how much is too much? .
There is a digital land rush going on, driven by rapid advances in technology that make it possible to put more and more tools of higher and higher quality into phones.
The recognition that talk is only part of the cellphone's future -that it is becoming a personal window into an evolving blend of communications, computing and media - has the existing players in the cellphone market scrambling, and new entrants looking for a way in.
In surveys of cellphone users, respondents say there are three things they always take with them when they leave home: wallet, keys and cellphone.
The wallet will merge into the cellphone with a contactless credit card application .
MasterCard, Visa, and American Express are in trials with Nokia and Motorola for this feature. One reason why I stated credit card companies and service providers should get together.
Yes those four square inches will be very valuable to the companies that figure out how to make a consumer friendly application and the advertisers that get permission.
Imagine if search engines had to get permission to advertise when you did a search on your PC. Would advertisers get creative to reach you?
They will have to now.
Want to know where it is?
Oceanfront property? No it's four square inches.
From The NY Times.com As cellphones bulk up, how much is too much? .
There is a digital land rush going on, driven by rapid advances in technology that make it possible to put more and more tools of higher and higher quality into phones.
The recognition that talk is only part of the cellphone's future -that it is becoming a personal window into an evolving blend of communications, computing and media - has the existing players in the cellphone market scrambling, and new entrants looking for a way in.
In surveys of cellphone users, respondents say there are three things they always take with them when they leave home: wallet, keys and cellphone.
The wallet will merge into the cellphone with a contactless credit card application .
MasterCard, Visa, and American Express are in trials with Nokia and Motorola for this feature. One reason why I stated credit card companies and service providers should get together.
Yes those four square inches will be very valuable to the companies that figure out how to make a consumer friendly application and the advertisers that get permission.
Imagine if search engines had to get permission to advertise when you did a search on your PC. Would advertisers get creative to reach you?
They will have to now.
The Single Most Important Medium People Have
From The Feature.com Why mobile advertising will be more important than TV advertising .
Another great story from Mike Masnick.
In a sign that advertisers are finally recognizing that mobile spam doesn't work, one big advertising agency outlines the challenges in making people want to get mobile advertising.
You have no way to interrupt because they can choose what they can do. The opportunity is if you can create some content that they want to engage with, they can do that all of the time from anywhere
In other words, the whole mindset behind the entire advertising industry needs to change from one that's about getting as many eyeballs on the ad as possible to getting people to actually want to see the ad.
I don't know of it's "wanting to see the ad" or it's getting an advertisement in addition to the info you request. It's a tradeoff.
As Robertson says: "we are rapidly getting to the point where the single most important medium that people have is their wireless device. It's with them every single moment of the day." The challenge, which Robertson appears to see clearly, is figuring out a way to include advertising in that context
Another great story from Mike Masnick.
In a sign that advertisers are finally recognizing that mobile spam doesn't work, one big advertising agency outlines the challenges in making people want to get mobile advertising.
You have no way to interrupt because they can choose what they can do. The opportunity is if you can create some content that they want to engage with, they can do that all of the time from anywhere
In other words, the whole mindset behind the entire advertising industry needs to change from one that's about getting as many eyeballs on the ad as possible to getting people to actually want to see the ad.
I don't know of it's "wanting to see the ad" or it's getting an advertisement in addition to the info you request. It's a tradeoff.
As Robertson says: "we are rapidly getting to the point where the single most important medium that people have is their wireless device. It's with them every single moment of the day." The challenge, which Robertson appears to see clearly, is figuring out a way to include advertising in that context
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
The Cell Phone Can Do It
From The New York Times.com The cellphone's potential as a search tool gets tapped .
Nothing really new in this article that hasn't been discussed in detail on PP.
Search engines like Google and Yahoo are betting that most consumers will catch on to what Mr. Goyal has already figured out - that mobile phones can search the Web when a computer is not nearby
"This is a chicken and egg problem that is going to go away," he added, as soon as Web developers realize "there are 1.2 billion phones out there that can connect to information."
Would Google and MSFT take a closer look if they could tap 1.2 billion PC's?
Nothing really new in this article that hasn't been discussed in detail on PP.
Search engines like Google and Yahoo are betting that most consumers will catch on to what Mr. Goyal has already figured out - that mobile phones can search the Web when a computer is not nearby
"This is a chicken and egg problem that is going to go away," he added, as soon as Web developers realize "there are 1.2 billion phones out there that can connect to information."
Would Google and MSFT take a closer look if they could tap 1.2 billion PC's?
Monday, May 02, 2005
Is That A Jingle In Your RFID Tag Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?
From RFID Weblog Jingle in an RFID tag .
When you buy something at the shops, would you want to hear an advertising jingle for the product ring out across the store as the cashier scans your purchase?
Florian Wesch, a computer science student from Durlach in Germany, has worked out a way to store a tune on the radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags now attached to most goods.
When the tag is scanned at the checkout, it would send the tune to be played by the tag reader.
I see lots of advertising opportunities here. Wave your RFID reading cell phone and hear a song on your phone. Wave the reader to see if you have won a prize, sound notification.
The full article .
When you buy something at the shops, would you want to hear an advertising jingle for the product ring out across the store as the cashier scans your purchase?
Florian Wesch, a computer science student from Durlach in Germany, has worked out a way to store a tune on the radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags now attached to most goods.
When the tag is scanned at the checkout, it would send the tune to be played by the tag reader.
I see lots of advertising opportunities here. Wave your RFID reading cell phone and hear a song on your phone. Wave the reader to see if you have won a prize, sound notification.
The full article .
Verisign Gets Creative
From PR Newsire Verisign to sponsor first-ever industry contest for EPC and RFID development .
Like the innovative software and Web applications that promoted world-wide Internet
growth, the contest is aimed at driving a new generation of network
applications that help companies store, share, and secure RFID-generated data
over the EPC Network.
The Electronic Product Code (EPC) and radio frequency identification
(RFID) hold great promise for the automation of product identification within
the supply chain.
The next stage of RFID development requires data sharing among multiple partners. Tags and readers are merely the hardware used to put information into a network that can then store, share, secure and distribute that information intelligently to users upon demand.
Verisign will provide a domain address for an RFID tag. That's almost like a barcode that is directed to the Internet, isn't it?
Like the innovative software and Web applications that promoted world-wide Internet
growth, the contest is aimed at driving a new generation of network
applications that help companies store, share, and secure RFID-generated data
over the EPC Network.
The Electronic Product Code (EPC) and radio frequency identification
(RFID) hold great promise for the automation of product identification within
the supply chain.
The next stage of RFID development requires data sharing among multiple partners. Tags and readers are merely the hardware used to put information into a network that can then store, share, secure and distribute that information intelligently to users upon demand.
Verisign will provide a domain address for an RFID tag. That's almost like a barcode that is directed to the Internet, isn't it?
Four One One, What City And State Please?
After thinking about last weeks 2 big stories in the mobile space, I realized service providers could play a much bigger role in mobile search. There are a couple obstacles to overcome.
When it comes to mobile search there are two things I want on my cell phone. I want the Yellow pages (of the city I am in), and a map.
Your 411 call gets you to a phone number and or address of a business/person.
The operator performs a “search” of their own within the cities yellow pages.
411 is the universal yellow pages.
But, with all this information, how can service providers dominate mobile search?
Service providers tell cell phone manufacturers what software/platform to put on specific models. In the future this could be a search window or a toolbar.
They have the GPS coordinates that allow location based services (LBS). This provides location and eliminates the user from saying “Manhattan”.
They have access to the yellow pages data of every city directory, but up till now, the feedback is in oral form from the operator.
What they don’t have.
1. A search function
2. A way to resolve the query in data form
When I type in pizza in the search window, they don’t have the technology to resolve that. Using Google on the cell phone doesn’t work for mobile search. It isn’t mobile search. I want the closest pizzeria displayed on my cell phone, not the origins of making a pizza.
They also do not have Internet enabled yellow pages.
What they need is.
1. The Internet yellow pages
2. A search engine resolver application that recognizes keyword/queries..ie pizza, Starbucks, plumber
How do the Yellow Pages get enabled for the Internet?
A search engine (Google) could solicit/request data from every small business. However, I realized it’s way too big of a task and some of the listings probably don’t have email let alone a website …ie ( plumbers, contractors, service cos).
So let’s start from the top down, by letting the yellow pages listings come to them
Yellow pages should start to offer a mobile yellow pages database. This way, one could get an operator provided phone number and a business listing in their Sprint mobile search.
The mobile search engine resolver identifies the keyword, matches up the GPS coordinates and provides relevant search results.
The race for cell phone real estate is on.
When it comes to mobile search there are two things I want on my cell phone. I want the Yellow pages (of the city I am in), and a map.
Your 411 call gets you to a phone number and or address of a business/person.
The operator performs a “search” of their own within the cities yellow pages.
411 is the universal yellow pages.
But, with all this information, how can service providers dominate mobile search?
Service providers tell cell phone manufacturers what software/platform to put on specific models. In the future this could be a search window or a toolbar.
They have the GPS coordinates that allow location based services (LBS). This provides location and eliminates the user from saying “Manhattan”.
They have access to the yellow pages data of every city directory, but up till now, the feedback is in oral form from the operator.
What they don’t have.
1. A search function
2. A way to resolve the query in data form
When I type in pizza in the search window, they don’t have the technology to resolve that. Using Google on the cell phone doesn’t work for mobile search. It isn’t mobile search. I want the closest pizzeria displayed on my cell phone, not the origins of making a pizza.
They also do not have Internet enabled yellow pages.
What they need is.
1. The Internet yellow pages
2. A search engine resolver application that recognizes keyword/queries..ie pizza, Starbucks, plumber
How do the Yellow Pages get enabled for the Internet?
A search engine (Google) could solicit/request data from every small business. However, I realized it’s way too big of a task and some of the listings probably don’t have email let alone a website …ie ( plumbers, contractors, service cos).
So let’s start from the top down, by letting the yellow pages listings come to them
Yellow pages should start to offer a mobile yellow pages database. This way, one could get an operator provided phone number and a business listing in their Sprint mobile search.
The mobile search engine resolver identifies the keyword, matches up the GPS coordinates and provides relevant search results.
The race for cell phone real estate is on.
Another Physical World Connection Company
Backed by Hewlett Packard, Mobile Bristol is another player in the physical world connection space.
From PicturePhoning.com ,
Active Posters are standard printed advertising posters that would be found on hoardings, at bus stops, outside cinemas or the Underground. Unlike standard posters, they have special "barcodes" printed on them.
These are read using standard camera phones and link the poster to online content, applications and services. For example, one could "click" on a poster to download music, buy tickets to a show, order a taxi or answer quiz questions. Each active poster can have its own unique barcode, so the service offered can be specific to a particular location.
For example, a shop near to a particular bus stop could offer a special discount on an advertised product. The special barcodes can link any printable surfaces such as books, magazines, leaflets and stickers in addition to certain types of digital display screens to on-line content in all kinds of urban/suburban/rural situations."
From PicturePhoning.com ,
Active Posters are standard printed advertising posters that would be found on hoardings, at bus stops, outside cinemas or the Underground. Unlike standard posters, they have special "barcodes" printed on them.
These are read using standard camera phones and link the poster to online content, applications and services. For example, one could "click" on a poster to download music, buy tickets to a show, order a taxi or answer quiz questions. Each active poster can have its own unique barcode, so the service offered can be specific to a particular location.
For example, a shop near to a particular bus stop could offer a special discount on an advertised product. The special barcodes can link any printable surfaces such as books, magazines, leaflets and stickers in addition to certain types of digital display screens to on-line content in all kinds of urban/suburban/rural situations."
Next Stop : The Cell Phone
From Seattle Time.com How searchis redefining the Web- and our lives .
So where does search go from here? Some experts say the technology will jump digital boundaries from the browser to other platforms. Its next stop is the cellphone; in the future, television.
Search will play a huge role in cellphones and mobile devices, said Jim Voelker, chief executive of InfoSpace, the Bellevue company that is launching a mobile search engine this year.
"It's going to become very easy to get any kind of information and data you want where you want it," he said. "The device increasingly knows where you are and what you like to do when you're there."
John Battelle, a co-founder of Wired magazine whose book on the search industry is due out Sept. 12, said he expects that search and TV eventually will merge. The things you search for, the Web sites you visit and the history of programs you watch could influence which ads come over your TV.
So where does search go from here? Some experts say the technology will jump digital boundaries from the browser to other platforms. Its next stop is the cellphone; in the future, television.
Search will play a huge role in cellphones and mobile devices, said Jim Voelker, chief executive of InfoSpace, the Bellevue company that is launching a mobile search engine this year.
"It's going to become very easy to get any kind of information and data you want where you want it," he said. "The device increasingly knows where you are and what you like to do when you're there."
John Battelle, a co-founder of Wired magazine whose book on the search industry is due out Sept. 12, said he expects that search and TV eventually will merge. The things you search for, the Web sites you visit and the history of programs you watch could influence which ads come over your TV.
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