Digitize Your Content With MindMatics

From TMCnet.com MindMatics gives companies ability to digitize their own content

MindMatics, the industry's leading mobile solutions specialist, has launched a Mobile Content Management System (mCMS) that allows companies to digitize their own content for widespread mobile distribution.

This provides companies with greater leverage and control of their existing content (such as ringtones and photos), opens up excellent new revenue channels, and helps them avoid licensing out their content to third parties for distribution.

Main beneficiaries of the system will be logo and ringtone portals as well as television stations, film studios, publishers and production companies, as well as any company that has large amounts of home-owned content

Another Form Of A Physical World Hyperlink

From Business 2.0 blog Laser tattoos for fruit
Article from C/Net Soured on stickers? Try Tattooed fruit
pear is just a pear, except when it is also a laser-coded information delivery system with advanced security clearance.

And that is what pears--not to mention organic apples, waxy cucumbers and delicate peaches--are becoming in some supermarkets around the country. A new technology being used by produce distributors employs lasers to tattoo fruits and vegetables with their names, identifying numbers, countries of origin and other information that helps speed distribution. The marks are burned onto the outer layer of the skin and are visible to discerning consumers and befuddled cashiers alike.

This is another "identifier" and could be used as a physical world hyperlink with the right creatvity

The process, government approved and called safe by the industry, may sound sinister. But it was designed with the consumer in mind: laser coding could mean the end of those tiny stubborn stickers that have to be picked, scraped or yanked off produce

ScanBuy Getting Press

From Chicago tribune.com ScanBuy aiming at cameraphones

ScanBuy wants to turn your camera phone into the smartest shopper you know. Say you're in Neiman-Marcus shopping for yet another pair of flip-flops but you're pretty sure you can get them cheaper somewhere else.

I just don't see price comparison being the big ticket for physical world connection. Will you really click on those flip-flops and do a price compare? You're in Nedless Markup already, you're not price conscious.

Clicking on a barcode and getting offers on other products made by the flip-flop co, that might be a different story. Click on a Jimmy Buffet CD to get a ringtone, but do a price compare on the CD?

Why will advertisers get behind a service that minimizes their margins? Ask yourself next time you're shopping, "would I really go to another store to save x amount for this?"

ScanBuy is one of my physical world connection companies.

This is great technology, but in my opinion there are better applications to come from it.


Whip out your ScanBuy-enabled camera phone and take a picture of the flip-flops' bar code and wait a few moments: ScanBuy will tell you the name of the store where you can get the same flip-flops at a lower price, on the Internet.

Just before press time, we received a ScanBuy-enabled phone here in the dank, dark depths of Tribune Tower, so we haven't been able to test the technology in the real world yet. But something with such a high coolness factor deserves the Tribune twice-over, so look for our review soon.

Qmobile Gets Financing

From RCRNews.com Qmobile gains $5m in new funding

RESTON, Va.-Qmobile Inc. snared $5 million in a Series B round of financing, the content provider and mobile marketing company said Monday.
The Grosvenor Funds led the round, with previous investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Draper Atlantic also participating.

Qmobile, which offers downloadable content and operates a text message-based chat service, said it will use the capital to expand its operations and invest in marketing and business development activities.

Google SMS Offers Stock Quotes

From Google Weblogs Preview of Google SMS service

Google’s SMS text-messaging service now supports stock ticker symbols. It also delivers a wide range of Google Q&A information, and results from Google Local.

If you haven’t tried it on your cell phone, and are curious about the type and formatting of the SMS results, Google has put up a demo page(they took it down) that reveals what Googling over SMS looks like.

I tried it, it's fast. Looks like Google is giving 4INFO a run for its money.

Some other ideas to try.

Local : hospital San Jose CA
Phonebook : 2122269817
Driving directions : pasadena CA to santa monica CA
Movies : batman begins 94043
Weather : weather dallas tx
Stock quotes : tgt
Q&A : population of Japan
Glossary : define prosimian
Froogle : price mp3 player
Zip code : 94043
Area code : 650
Calculator : 160 pounds * 4000 feet in calories
Help : help
Tips : tips

Bango And Crisp Wireless Team Up

From Symbianone.com Bango and Crisp Wireless answer entertainment call for mobile content delivery

Mobile content delivery innovator, Crisp Wireless, and mobile internet enabler, Bango, today introduced an end-to-end software solution that answers the entertainment industry’s call for a solid, proven method of commercializing mobile content anywhere, immediately

The two companies have enabled mobile content delivery for major brands including NBC, AOL, Hearst Corp., News International, Universal Music and Dennis Publishing

Mobile users don’t recognize international boundaries so it’s vital that a mobile content service works well in all countries and brands can collect payment for their content no matter where the user is located, said Ray Anderson, Bango CEO

“The value of Bango’s carrier relationships, and their vast array of content provider relationships affords our customers a strong global partner for content delivery solutions,” said Boris Fridman, CEO of Crisp Wireless

Making The Most Of 30 Seconds From TiVo

I think this is a great idea that could help the 30 second ad and start a new way to advertise on TV.

From Yahoo News TiVo upgrade allows instant response to TV ads .

Digital video recorder maker TiVo Inc. on Monday upgraded its television recording service to let about 1 million of its subscribers instantly respond to specially coded advertising, the company said

For years, TiVo has offered long-form commercials that are downloaded discretely to TiVo set-top boxes for viewers to view once they click over to a special area, or "opt-in."

In addition, ads embedded with special "tags" will pop up as small pictures, sporting branded logos, even when users are fast-forwarding thought those commercials. However, TiVo says the changes will not affect the way users normally view shows, and will not force them to watch any ads they choose to ignore.

Motricity Lands Vodafone CIO And $30m

From BusinessWire.com Vodafone CIO joins Motricity

Motricity, the world's leading mobile content and solutions provider, today named former Vodafone executive Tony McAlister as chief information officer with responsibility for the company's technology initiatives and overall management of IT resources. McAlister brings over 25 years experience managing technology including telecommunications, content delivery and e-Commerce

This comes right after Motricity snags $30m and hires 140

The funding round was led by Advanced Equities Inc., a venture capital investment bank based in Chicago. Previous Motricity investors also participating in the round include Technology Crossover Ventures, New Enterprise Associates and Intel Capital.

I love their motto "Someone is going to create the Amazon, the eBay, the Google of mobile content," Wuerch said. "We believe that is us."

Definitely one to keep an eye on.

Vonage Chooses Their E9-1-1 Partner

From BusinessWire.com Vonage selects TCS for VoIP E9-1-1 service

July 18, 2005--Vonage, the leading provider of broadband phone service, has selected TeleCommunication Systems a leading provider of precise location and wireless data technology, to provide critical Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) technology components for Vonage's Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) customers

Under the new agreement, TCS will deliver ALI (Automatic Location Identification) steering, call routing, call center and other services enabling Vonage to meet the new E9-1-1 requirements for interconnected VoIP Service Providers

Or maybe they chose them because of this

See how it's all coming together?

Barcodes And The BBC

From Digital Lifestyles info.com Barcodes on the beach with BBC's new mobile content service

The BBC has teamed up with Hewlett-Packard Labs and Gavitec to provide a digital collaboration based around the BBC TWO series, Coast.

The trial will allow roving ramblers to reach for their phone and call up site-specific extra audio and WAP content from the programme using "visual triggers" and their mobiles phones.

Gavitec is one of the Physical World Connection companies

The system employs data codes - which look much the same as your average barcode on a tin of beans - and hikers with Series 60 camera phones will be able to read these codes and connect directly to BBC content.

Less well-equipped trampling travellers can access a rich WAP site by texting COAST to 81010, while harassed parents may be able to earn some peace by letting their kids take part in the SMS text quiz provided

Broadband In Your Car

Om Malik finds a great piece on getting satellite broadband in your car.

If you happen to be one of those who cannot be away from Broadband/Internet for even a nano-second, there is some good news. RayStat, a Virginia based company has come-up with an antenna technology (called SpeedRay) that delivers broadband to your vehicles via satellite broadband connections.

While this is not new - RVs and other larger vehicles can still get satellite broadband - the company is working on a new small foot print version of its SpeedRay antenna, that will make it work in say your Honda Accord. The company hopes that automakers will build the antenna right into the car

Here's what I'm picturing. Honda Accord, one of the highest selling cars, now becoming Wi-Fi hotspots. Add a Wi-Fi antenna along with this satellite and you have ubiquitous computing. Think of what could happen next

Established in 1997, RaySat™, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and supplier of in-motion, low-profile, phased-array satellite antennas for the commercial, railway, OEM and aftermarket automotive industries.

Is That A Buzz In Your Pocket, Or Are You Mobile Marketing?

Mobile marketing, it's coming. A great idea that doesn't involve the slow speeds of wireless or optical character recognition (code reading).

From NY Times.Com A cellphone, a movie lobby and a message

This summer, moviegoers walking through theater lobbies in three cities might have felt a sudden vibration in their cellphones, the work of a nearby Bluetooth promotional kiosk.

The technology behind this comes from WideRay WideRay's customers include TeliaSonera, Electronics Boutique, General Motors, Nokia, and Microsoft

Last month, 20th Century Fox signed a deal with Loews Cineplex Entertainment to distribute movie trailers, ring tones and pictures through kiosks in three Loews theaters, in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The promotional material can be picked up by anyone with a cellphone equipped to handle Bluetooth, a form of short-range wireless transmission

Downloading a full-length movie trailer from the kiosk takes about 30 seconds, and there is no fee from the phone's service provider.

The Fox promotion is limited by the number of Bluetooth-compatible phones, which, according to industry analysts, account for 10 to 15 percent of the market. The Gartner Group, a research firm, predicts that by 2008, 60 percent of all cellphones will be Bluetooth-enabled.

US SMS Use Rises

From Digital Lifestyle SMS usage rises in the US

Us in UK-land have long been fans of SMS messaging, with button-pushing Brits banging out 3 million text messages every hour, with 2.5 billions text being sent in January 2005 alone.

In the States, it's a different story, where network inoperability has held back the medium, but new figures show that SMS is finally make an impact in the USA, as messaging soared 59% last year.

In my opinion, it will be the mobile marketing tool at first because every phone has the ability to use text messaging versus Internet and camera phone.

The figures emerged in the June 2005 edition of Informa Telecoms & Media's World Cellular Data Metrics, which pointed out that the value of the US mobile data market has increased by around 80 percent

Service providers have to bring down the walls so texting can be done on a universal platform.

SMS traffic looks set to rise as operators like T-Mobile roll out attractively priced "unlimited texting" tariffs.

Just like in Europe, texting in the US has also been boosted by cheesy TV shows offering interaction via SMS.

Magazines Losing Eyeballs To Internet

From AdAge.com Magazines report slim gains in ad pages

Magazines made slim gains in ad pages for the first half of the year, rising 1.8%, to 114,345.6, compared with the same period last year, according to the Publishers Information Bureau

Meanwhile Internet advertising grew 8.2% in the first quarter alone

Want to know how magazines can get those eyeballs back?

Ask me

Disneyland Uses Cameraphones

From PicturePhoning.com Disneyland parks use cameraphones for interaction

As its prototype theme park hits the half-century mark today, The Walt Disney Co. is facing some critical challenges.

"Almost everything Disney does today is passive, while kids today expect everything to be interactive," said Martin Lindstrom, a brand expert and author who has consulted for Disney.

Disney is counting on the Internet, cell phones, digital projectors and other technology to make its parks more appealing to Gen-Y while maintaining the nostalgia that appeals to baby boomers.

... Cell phones will play a role in parks of the future. A game, for instance, could require guests to take a particular picture with their camera phone to activate an animated clue.

Why couldn't you make the clues informative as well as interactive?

Sprint Offers SMS To Landline Phone

From pdaBlast.com Sprint offers text messaging to landline phones

Sprint PCS is offering a preview of an upcoming service that they offer. From July 12, 2005 to October 12, 2005, Sprint PCS subscribers will be able to send a text message to a landline phone at standard domestic text messaging rates! They will use a text to speech technology to read the message to the person that answers the phone.

When the person answers the home phone, they will "hear" the text message you sent and can reply back to you with one of the available responses. You will also receive a text message on your Sprint PCS Phone when a response is sent back to you.

Because this is a limited time offer it does seem likely that Sprint will be charging for this service after the preview period.

Q Tag - A Service For Advertisers And Consumers

Q Tag is an interesting company that I like to think of as an electronic Post-It for customers and a search engine marketer for advertisers. I had a chance to get more info on the company and their service.

What is a Q Tag?

a qtag is an icon or “tag” (seen or heard on any print, broadcast, outdoor or display advertising) that can be used by consumers to learn more about a product. When consumers want to remember a special offer or learn more about a product that they’ve seen on an ad, they can use their mobile phone to text the special text code displayed on the qtag to 78247 (QTAGS on the dial).

Then, at the consumer's convenience, he or she can log into a personal and completely confidential qtag website to view information on all the tags they've texted. Here's the "Post-It" concept. Post the product, and review at a later time.

You see it. You like it. You don’t want to forget it. So you qtag it.

Adding a qtag is analagous to displaying your toll-free or www address. A qtag is just another way for a customer to connect. Here's the search engine marketing aspect. A qtag is directing people to the company's website.

The best part is that your personal information would remain anonymous to the advertisers. No one knows your mobile phone number or e-mail address, so no spam.

I would find a way to work permission into this so advertisers could utilize this data appropriately.

How does an advertiser register/costs?

Displaying qtag keywords is easy. Advertisers choose a 9 character word/phrase -- and it could be anything...their brand name, a model number, some catchy word. The beauty of it is that unlike URL addresses which need to be catchy and/or easy to remember, keywords don't need to be anything in particular because a consumer "fires and forgets".... they only have to remember long enough to text it AND advertisers can change the URL at any time.

Advertisers subscribe to the qtag - about $30 per month, and they pay for usage (only as it happens). For example, if an advertiser was displaying the keyword 'pizza', and there were 100 'pizza' s sent to 78247, the advertiser would be charged 100 x approximately $0.40 (the costs range on volume).

We are presenting qtags to advertising agencies throughout the States and in Canada (our service goes live there in the Fall 2005). Some of the advertiser's that are getting more familiar with qtags include Ford, LandRover, BestBuy, Dominos, Toyota, a few broadcasters (both TV and radio), Media companies, Publishers

We are offering qtags for free (no subscription or usage) to all non-profits.

Contact them

Warner Music Does SMS

From Telecoms.com Warner makes ring tone offering

Warner Music Group has announced a partnership with mobile entertainment company Mobileway to incorporate wireless branding into its CD packaging.

SMS Short codes are starting to make products interactive indirectly...full interaction is coming

Using five digit short-codes (SMS) on CD packages, album posters, artist web sites and online banner ads, consumers in the U.S. will be able to access ring tones from WMG from their mobile phones.


Additional content such as screensavers and wallpaper will be made available by short-code later this year. The service costs US$1.99 for each polyphonic or monophonic ring tone and US$2.49 per music tone and voice tone download

There are more creative and direct ways of accomplishing this, stay tuned.

Yoo-Hoo I'm Over Here

From PromoMagazine.com Brand managers struggle with product launches

Marketing executives are frustrated with having limited resources for product launches, despite the importance of new products to profits. Are these the same people buying all those annoying pop-up ads on the Internet?

Fully 87% of senior marketing executives believe their companies' success depends on new products, but only 32% believe their company excels in product launches

The survey also found that 91% of believe many brand managers aren't skilled in product launches.

Want to launch a product successfully? Hire a creative mind and then find a way to reach the potential customer at any time of the day.

TV Via Internet

From SignOnSanDiego.com For TV via Internet, future is now

Six-month pilot project rolled out to about 9,000 Time Warner customers; 'savvy PC users' here reason S.D. was chosen

In what is billed as a nationwide first for a cable company, Time Warner Cable is letting its customers in Mira Mesa and Tierrasanta watch television over their home computer's high-speed Internet connection.

The pilot project ushers in what some experts believe is the future of TV – television over the Internet.

Ultimately, they predict, Internet protocol television, or IPTV, could deliver more channels, offer custom features, such as local weather or sports scores, and allow viewer interaction.

Do you see the advertising opportunities?

People have indicated they want to be able to watch TV on all of the devices in their homes