Xobni for blackberry is now available
The Much awaited Xobni Mobile for BlackBerry has been launched and made available for blackberry users by Xobni.
According to the company, the app reinvents the address bookâ€, which automatically creates rich profiles for every contact, a person can ever communicate with, regardless of whether they’ve been manually added to the native address book.
Xobni Mobile for Blackberry can be downloaded via the Xobni website and very soon it will also be available on Blackberry App World. Xobni is also launching Xobni One, a service that links information between Microsoft Outlook and mobile versions of Xobni for a more comprehensive and up-to-date address book.
According to Xobni CEO Jeff Bonforte, Xobni Mobile automatically builds and maintains the fastest, most complete and smartest address book a person would have ever used.
The launch is expected to be an important milestone for the company, and the company has made it even more compelling by powering it with Xobni One. This new service will prove out to be the foundation for all their future products.
Xobni Mobile is compatible with the Blackberry Tour, Curve 8900, Bold and Storm handsets. The cost of standalone app is $9.99, however Xobni Mobile with Xobni One costs $6.99 plus $3.99 per month or $39.90 per year.
Mobile apps to generate $1.6 billion revenue this year: Study
According to a new study conducted by the Yankee Group, mobile applications are expected to generate nearly $1.6 billion revenue in the United States in the year 2010.
There are several factors in the report which show the increase in the shipments of smartphones, and more application stores including the expensive ones. Though Apple iPhone users and AT&T subscribers download more applications than anyone else, the research organization has predicted that Android will be the next breakout smartphone application platform.
According to Carl Howe, director of anywhere consumer research at Yankee Group, Boston, MA, two factors drove the company to increase their forecast, the first one was an increase in the percentage of apps that consumers were willing to pay for- up from 18 percent in August to 30 percent in January- and an overall increase in average paid application price from $1.99 in August to $2.85 this year.
The 2009 forecast of the company was $343 million, but that was using the prior paid app ratio of 18 percent with an average price of $1.99.
iPhone App now Child’s Play
Kindle Entertainment, an independent production company has come up with an iPhone app version of the CBeebies pre-school show ‘Big and Small’. It will be available in the Apple Store from April 1.
It has been developed by Ace Games in partnership with Kindle. The application features video clips and songs from the series, as well as sound effects from the two main characters, Big and Small.
According to Kindle, the company has targeted the iPhone as a key emerging platform for Big and Small as parents who own the devices often share them with their children. The app features voice of Lenny Henry and Imelda Staunton. the aim of Big and Small is to open young children’s minds to a variety of outlooks and encourage them to appreciate that people have many different ideas and opinions.
3UK launches Disney on Demand
On Demand Group and The Walt Disney Company UK have agreed a deal to provide subscribers with on-demand access to entire episodes of hit television shows via 3 UK’s first ever mobile TV subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service.
Under the terms of this deal, Disney will offer hundreds of episodes to subscribers on the 3 network in the UK, including ABC Studios award winning live action series ‘Lost’, ‘Desperate Housewives’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and more.
According to the CEO of On Demand Group, Tony Kelly, the company is pleased to help one of the world’s premier media companies to create its presence in a new medium. He is of the opinion that the Walt Disney Company UK’s arrival on 3 mobile demonstrates the tremendous potential for fully managed on-demand services that offer full control to subscribers however they chose to watch.
Buongiorno Enters Gaming Market
Buongiorno, the world’s biggest mobile entertainment company, has announced its entry into the online and mobile ‘skill games’ market in Italy. The company seeks opportunities in business with the launch of WINGA, which includes a set of skill games, including slot machines, roulette, black jack and baccarat, plus casino, poker and bingo.
The company expects to launch WINGA by the end of Q2 2010 as it has secured a license to operate in the gaming business from the State Monopoly. In order to launch its commercial activities, as soon as the regulatory framework in those countries allows it, the company is also monitoring the evolution of regulatory procedures in other markets where it is already successfully operating in the B2C segment.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Andrea Casalini, the company sees a major opportunity opening up at the international level. After Italy, their target is the developments in gaming regulations in Europe.
Effects the FCC broadband plan have on mobile marketing
The Federal Communications Commission, FCC has submitted a National Broadband Plan to Congress which is expected to be very promising for mobile marketing and commerce.
The aim of this plan is to connect all corners of the nation while transforming the economy and society with the communications network of the future a robust, affordable Internet.
According to an FCC spokesman, mobile is essential to the future of broadband. These days Americans access the Internet from devices they carry around with them wherever they go very commonly.
In order to make sure that mobile grows into the next great platform for innovation in America, the broadband plan recommends making 500 megahertz of spectrum newly available over the next 10 years and 300 megahertz in five years.
FCC is of the opinion that if these steps are not taken, we will put ourselves at risk of limiting the potential of mobile broadband. At the same time if we take proactive steps now, America will be ensured as the home of the worlds best mobile broadband networks in the decade. it will also protect the country’s global competitiveness.
Epsilon joins hands with Netsize to integrate messaging campaigns
Epsilon International, Global email marketing services provider has partnered with Netsize, a mobile communications and commerce enabler. This partnership will enable integrated e-mail and messaging campaigns. Under the deal, the Epsilon clients will be able to leverage the latest technology for opt-in mobile marketing services including SMS communications across Europe.
The feature-rich marketing solution of Epsilon can be used to complement existing e-mail programmes or as a stand-alone mobile messaging service. The company is also looking forward to provide consulting services for clients to help them best utilize and incorporate the mobile offering into their existing marketing initiatives. Even the clients will have the ability to deploy scheduled, triggered and interactive personalized SMS campaigns.
This will be a web-based platform and will include fully-integrated list and campaign management functionality.
According to the Managing Director of Epsilon International EMEA, Mobile marketing is evolving rapidly into an essential channel as client service expectations grow and marketers learn to harness the power of this highly personal real time communication.
