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Archive for May, 2009
AT&T Navigator named ‘Consumer Navigation App of the Year’
May 19th
The TeleNav-powered AT&T Navigator has been named 2009 ‘Consumer Navigation Application of the Year’ by consulting company Frost & Sullivan.
According to AT&T, Frost & Sullivan chose the AT&T Navigator due to its wide array of features including integrated speech recognition, 3D moving maps, traffic alerts with one-touch rerouting, estimated time of arrival calculation, pedestrian mode, location-based city/state auto-suggest and an accompanying pre-planning website.
“AT&T Navigator has set the pace in the industry with an evolving and comprehensive set of capabilities,” said Jeanine Sterling, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “As a best-in-class solution, it provides advanced features that offer far more than just navigation and mapping functionality.”
“It’s terrific to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan for our AT&T Navigator service,” said Mark Collins, vice president of voice and data products for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “AT&T Navigator has been a big hit with our customers since its launch last spring. It was our top-performing application in 2008 and continues to top our apps leaderboard in 2009.”
Meanwhile, Frost & Sullivan predict that by 2013 annual revenue generated by mobile carriers for location-based applications will reach approximately $3.3billion – in the consumer sector alone. Whilst he number and variety of LBS products is expected to continue increasing at a rapid pace, the consultancy expect navigation services to retain the main chunk of market share.
Citi Launches CitiFX Pro Mobile
May 19th
Citi today announced the launch of CitiFX Pro Mobile™, a mobile version of CitiFX Pro, Citi’s online foreign exchange (FX) trading platform for active individual and small institutional traders. CitiFX Pro Mobile™ is accessible via portable digital devices and mobile phones including the iPod touch and iPhone.
“CitiFX Pro clients can now access their accounts and trade anywhere in the world at any time through their desktop, internet or mobile device,” said Sanjay Madgavkar, Head of Citi FX Pro. “The addition of CitiFX Pro Mobile™ to the CitiFX Pro platform is yet another way Citi is giving our individual and small institutional clients real-time access to the FX markets, allowing them to trade more effectively and better manage their risk exposure.”
To celebrate CitiFX Pro’s mobile trading capability, CitiFX Pro applicants in the United States who open an account between May 18th and June 18th (and meet certain conditions) will get an Apple Gift Card valued at $300. The gift card can be used towards the purchase of an iPod Touch or iPhone or any other Apple product. Details and conditions of the offer are available at http://www.citifxpro.com/lp/gift-card.aspx.
CitiFX Pro offers clients the ability to access state-of-the-art trading capabilities in more than 130 currency pairs in addition to award-winning research and FX market commentary free of charge and 24-hour personal customer support. CitiFX Pro also offers unlimited FDIC coverage on US dollar margin deposits.
To learn more about CitiFX Pro and sign up for an account visit www.citifxpro.com
Where Is Payforit Today?
May 19th
The future of mobile payments initiative, Payforit, is set to be discussed at an AIME Knowledge and Networking seminar sponsored by Dialogue Communications, later this week. The seminar, taking place at the Grange Fitzrovia Hotel, London, on Thursday at 6.30pm, will be hosted by AIME’s Andrew Darling and see speakers from O2, Three, AEI Mobile and Dialogue discuss the evolution and growth of Payforit over the last two years.
Since its inception in 2006, there have been a number of new developments including Web Payforit and Single Click, and a growth in the scope of purchases made through the mobile internet for both mobile content and also services like mobile tickets and donations as well as online for vouchers and credits. This has allowed Payforit’s position in the WAP billing landscape to grow in importance. The seminar will address this progression along with the impact that it will have for operators, API’s and content/service providers, as well as looking at potential factors, which may have hindered Payforit’s growth, and what can be done to remedy this.
Guiom Peersman, managing director at Dialogue said: “Dialogue has been an important force in the development of Payforit since 2006, and was the first to go live with a Payforit customer, as well as the first API to implement and lead the way with both Web Payforit and Single Click, opening up opportunities for new markets.
“However there is still plenty more we can do to increase the success of Payforit, as well as build on brand awareness. That is why this seminar is important, as it will allow us to look at how it works today, address the needs of Payforit and look at ways to perfect the buying experience for consumers further.”
For more information www.dialogue.net/news_and_media/events/2009/04/where-is-payforit-today.html or to register for the seminar visit http://www.aimelink.org/KN/payForIt.aspx
SMS Text Service – A Quick Fix to Reach Youth Audience
May 19th
Leading mobile marketing firm www.txtlocal.co.uk has witnessed a surge in organisations adopting an SMS strategy to target the 16 to 24 market. Every organisation from big brand names such as L’Oreal to SME’s, Councils, Churches and Sports Clubs are all turning to mobile in a bid to engage with youth audiences.
Txtlocal MD, Darren Daws claims that text has always been a popular medium for targeting youth’s, however, he claims it is growing in popularity as marketers realise its potential in reaching this sector. “This year we have seen a real growth in the number of SME’s adopting a mobile strategy and we expect this trend to continue during 2009 as Marketers realise the huge potential in targeting the 16 to 24 sector by mobile phone.”
Daws continues, “Overall, it makes sense to target the 16 to 24 sector by text, this group have grown up in the new media digital age, they are also the biggest users of SMS and MMS. The mobile is a way of life for this audience.”
These views are demonstrated by Islington Council who use SMS to communicate with youth audiences in campaigns such as their drug & alcohol awareness and local sports initiatives. The council teamed up with local organisations such as Arsenal football club and Access to Sports to deliver a program of events for youths in the area. People could text HEAT to 60777 for a program of events on offer and a schedule was relayed back. Laura Hales of the Council claimed that sms has worked well for the council “We are pleased with the results from our SMS campaigns; the tactic generates a greater response than other mediums.”
Religious organisations including a number of Churches are also moving towards a text messaging strategy to engage youth audiences. Jamie Anderson of The Commonwealth Church at St Marks reports “The response to our text campaigns has been overwhelming; we have definitely had an increase in attendance at our events.”
Many Churches also use SMS to communicate with parishioners with daily prayers sent by text or messages of support to parishioners who may be going through tough times. Whatever the cause a quick text is a personal way for a Church to keep in touch with a large volume of people, quickly and easily.
Theatres are also benefiting from SMS marketing to target youth audiences. The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester use SMS to target students with special offer promotions for events at the Theatre. Marketing Manager Vicky Bloor claims “Mobile marketing is a great way to target the student & youth market with special offers & promotions.” Bloor continues “We have had great results from using text marketing, with many recipients making a box office booking directly after receiving one of our promotional text.”
Reports published in Marketing Week’s Interactive magazine suggest that Mobile Marketing offers huge opportunities for marketers during 2009 particularly in targeting the 16 to 24 group. Everyone from big brands to local businesses will need to at least explore the potential of integrating mobile into their marketing strategy in an attempt to deliver a more targeted and interactive approach.
The Ericsson free laptop spam scam chain thingy
May 18th
I saw a press release about this the other day, but didn’t think anyone would be stupid enough to get involved – that is, until someone forwarded me the email believing they’d get a free laptop.
So here’s the deal. An email pops into your inbox saying something along the lines of “Ericsson are distributing free laptops for their brand promotion. They are hoping to increase their popularity and sales with this campaign”, and then goes on to say you should forward it to eight people and you’ll get an Ericsson T18 laptop (a what? Yes exactly – the T18 was an ancient Ericsson flip phone from way back when – pictured right). Oh, and copy in anna@ericsson.co.uk to make sure they know you’re busy promoting their non-existent laptop.
Of course it’s all total bollocks. There is no such promotion, no T18 laptop, and apparently no-one at Ericsson with an email address of just ‘Anna’. In fact, this particular version of the chain mail has been floating around since 2007 (with the original version surfacing in 2003) – so goodness knows how many disappointed people there are out there.
Anyway, here’s the official word from Sony Ericsson’s press team, dated 12th May 2009:
Sony Ericsson has been made aware of an online email campaign claiming that Ericsson will give away a free laptop computer to users who forward the promotional information. The same campaign includes a photograph of the Sony Ericsson logo and mentions an Ericsson contact name and email number.
Sony Ericsson confirms that this email campaign is a hoax. In addition, Sony Ericsson confirms that the Ericsson contact name does not exist.
All competitions and promotions involving Sony Ericsson are run through official channels such as Sony Ericsson’s website or Sony Ericsson’s partners’ websites. Please be wary of any competition or promotion that appears to come from outside of Sony Ericsson or Sony Ericsson’s partners official channels. Examples of these include via spam emails or SMS.
Please do not reply to or forward the email if you receive it.
UPDATE: Hat-tip to Lee for the details on the 2003 version.
Vopium brings mobile VoIP to Android handsets
May 18th
After the recent launch of their application on the iPhone and BlackBerry application stores, Vopium are bringing VoIP to Android users – including the new HTC Magic handset – with the launch of Vopium on the Android Market.
Once downloaded and installed, the Vopium app integrates with the handsets address book and seamlessly re-routes international calls via the best available method (including Wi-Fi, 3G, and GPRS) to the Vopium gateway – giving savings claimed by the company of up to 90%. New users also get 30 minutes of talk time and 30 international text messages free.
Vopium CEO, Tanveer Sharif said “Vopium on Android adds another string to our bow and means that even more people across the world can now easily make cheaper international calls whilst also enjoying the same high call quality they are used to experiencing through their operators.”
Finalists announced for Femotocell Industry Awards
May 18th
The finalists for the first Femtocell Industry Awards – recognising those companies who’ve achieved outstanding achievements within and contributions to the femtocell industry have been announced.
The winners will be announced at a gala awards dinner on 24th June 2009 at Femtocells World Summit in London, and are beig judged by a panel of analysts, journalists and industry experts, headed up by Professor William Webb, Head of R&D at Ofcom.
According to Femto Forum Chairman Simon Saunders, the awards will boost the progress of the rapidly evolving industry. “The number of nominations that we received from across the femto value chain has been phenomenal. I congratulate the finalists and look forward to the awards ceremony when the industry will come together and celebrate its achievements so far.”
The finalists for the Femtocell Industry Awards 2009 are:
1. Femtocell or femtocell network element design and technology innovation
• Bewan Systems – Femtocell residential gateway
• ip.access Ltd – nano3G
• Motorola Inc – Digital picture frame
2. Femtocell service (commercial, prototype or demo)
• ip.access Ltd – Facebook virtual fridge notes
• Softbank Mobile Corp – IMS-based Femto trial
• Ubiquisys Ltd – Podcast sync
3. Progress in commercial deployment (vendor or ecosystem)
• NEC Corporation – Commercial contracts and live trials
• Softbank Mobile Corp – Metro area trial
• Starent Networks/Airwalk Communications/Cellcom/Mavenir Systems – Multi-vendor femtocell solution
4. Significant progress or commercial launch by a large carrier
• Softbank Mobile Corp – Launch
• Sprint Nextel Corp – Launch
• Vodafone Group Services Ltd – Trial
5. Significant progress or commercial launch by a small carrier
• Cellcom – Launch
• Chungwa Telecom Co Ltd – Launch
6. Contribution to femtocell standards (individual or company)
• Alcatel Lucent – General contribution to femtocell standards
• Nokia Siemens Networks – General contribution to 3GPP femtocell standard
• Taka Yoshizawa – Contribution to femtocell management standardisation
7. Enabling technology (components, subsystems, modules etc.)
• Epitiro – Femtocell test suite
• Kineto Wireless Inc – Femtocell gateway controller
• picoChip Designs Ltd – Optimized system-on-chip solution
8. Social vision – use of femtocells for social / economic / environmental development
• Alcatel Lucent – Consumer research into femtocell usage patterns
• Sagem Communications – Ecodesign
• Softbank Mobile Corp – Niimi project
9. Award for individual contributions to Femto Forum activities
• Chris Cox of ip.access – For coordinating the FemtoZone at Mobile World Congress
• Chris Fenton of Telefonica-O2 – For achieving architectural consensus in the Network & Interoperability working group
• Taka Yoshizawa of Thomson – For leading the Management subgroup to completion of TR-196
• Aya Mukaikubo of Softbank Mobile – For wide-ranging contributions to the Marketing & Promotion and Regulatory Working Groups as well as the Services Special Interest Group
• Dave Nowicki of Airvana – For leading the business case modeling work to an outstanding conclusion
• Alan Law of Vodafone & Chris Smart of picoChip – For coordinating the interference management white paper
Nokia unveils three new low-end handsets
May 18th
Nokia 2730
Aimed squarely at the emerging markets, Nokia have just unveiled three new low-end handsets – the Nokia 2730 classic, Nokia 2720 fold and Nokia 7020.
The trio of handsets all come with the ability to access the mobile ‘net – with the 2730 classic sporting 3G for faster access – and all three look like they’ll retail at under €99 (before operator subsidy) when they become available later in the year.
Nokia 7020
Glancing through the specs quickly, first up is the aforementioned 3G-enabled 2730 classic (pictured, left). In a nutshell it’s a 3G-enabled basic browsing handset – don’t expect much else – although you do get a 2 megapixel camera and the usual basic phone features for your €80.
Next is the 2720 fold. A flip phone with ‘exciting mirror-effect design’, it’ll be around €55 and available from Q3, and sports easy access to email, calendar, Internet connectivity and file sharing applications. Email can be activated by completing a simple three step set-up process, and in select markets will be offered with Nokia Life Tools.
Last but not least is the 7020 (pictured, right), described by Nokia as “a fashionable fold phone that uses light, color and metal finishes to convey personal style, you will never miss a thing with the stardust effect when you get a call or message, or tap twice to have the cover light up”. Nokia have thrown a 2-megapixel camera into the mix as well for your estimated €90 before subsidies and taxes. Oh, and it’s pink.
3 kill off ’3 Like Home’ cheap roaming
May 15th
Not sure whether this is old news or not, but the first I heard of it was when I got a text to my 3 handset just now, informing me that the ’3 Like Home’ discounted roaming service will be closing from 30th June 2009.
The offering, which gives 3 UK customers the same prices and access to their bundles on foreign 3 networks as they’d get in the UK, was available in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland and Sweden. For example, a voice call from Australia back to the UK would be 12p/minute (or 20p/minute depending on your bundle choice) if you were out of inclusive minutes. Data was charged at 10p/meg assuming you had an Internet bolt-on.
3 claim the service is ending because ‘we’re reviewing all our EU roaming rates, and by removing 3 Like Home we’ll be able to offer more competitive prices in non-3 sister countries’. The operator also said it’s to help customers accidentally straying onto non-3 networks in the participating countries – and ending up with a whopping bill.
The new ‘EU-friendly’ roaming rates haven’t beeen published yet, but as soon as they are I’ll be busily dissecting them.
Half Of All U.S. Mobile Phone Users Access Mobile Content On A Weekly Basis
May 15th
According to a new study released by research and consultation firm Frank N. Magid Associates, 51 percent of mobile phone users access content using their mobile phone on a weekly basis. What’s more, mobile content users spend about the same amount of time with content (39 minutes), as the average user does texting (38 minutes) or talking on their mobile phone (44 minutes). Consumers are no longer just using their phones for communication. Instead, these adopters of the mobile lifestyle are using their phones to keep in touch with and manage the entertainment, news, and social information critical to their lives.
Looking deeper, entertainment content is just as popular as utilitarian content. However, entertainment content, such as mobile games, music, and social networking activities, is accessed for longer periods of time overall than utilitarian content (such as news, weather and sports scores). Behaviors fall out expectedly along demographic lines — 80 percent of mobile social networking is among 12-34 year olds, while news consumption is dominated (79%) by 18-54 year olds.
“Young people are driving a lot of the mobile content usage,” according to Vicki Cohen, Executive Vice President. “Anything entertainment oriented is a draw for the younger demo — games, music, movie times, entertainment news — it all exhibits a big opportunity for companies targeting younger demographic groups.”
The tween and teen markets are significant revenue opportunities. Twelve to seventeen year-olds are particularly interested in consuming mobile content; seventy-two percent do so weekly. Of these, fifty-two percent buy content regularly, while only 39 percent of all content users do the same.
Non-users of content say that they are most significantly put off by the cost of accessing mobile content; however, content relevancy is just as important. Fifty-two percent of non-users (versus 22% of users) state that they do not feel a need to access mobile content when they are away from more traditional content outlets.
“Lack of familiarity with mobile content and no clear perception of value are the primary barriers for non-users, who are more likely to be older Americans. The perception that it has to do with the handset isn’t entirely true,” says Jill Rosengard Hill, Senior Vice President. “41 percent of those who don’t have a smart phone are accessing mobile news, music, and playing mobile games.”
When it comes to income, however, there is a distinction between those who are more or less likely to access mobile content. Consumers living in households earning more than $100,000 per year are more likely than less affluent users to use mobile content. These users are about three times as likely to access business-related information and about twice as likely to access news and/or online shopping on their phones.
The online survey was fielded in January 2009 and includes a representative national sample of 4,000 U.S. wireless customers between the ages of 12 and 64. The sample is balanced by age, gender, ethnic background, and geography. The report which is available for purchase highlights perspectives from iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile users; Mobile Web users; Mobile video users; Mobile gamers and all advertising demographics.
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