International Rescue launched on iPhone

On 03.16.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

UK-based fleet tracking, traffic and navigation provider, Trafficmaster has launched the first ever international mobile phone travel emergency and concierge service. Under this a user will be offered 24/7 access to a team of travel experts located in more than 40 countries, who will be available in case of an emergency.

Travellers can now get connected to Trafficmaster personal assistants in the UK at the press of a button. These assistant have exclusive access to in-country local teams and will be able to provide a liaison between the user, the police, British embassies, border controls and emergency services.

Apart from this, they will also help in locating a restaurant or a hotel or cash machine. The calls will be charged at normal UK landline rate.

According to Trafficmaster Chief Executive, Tony Eales, following on from launching International Rescue on Blackberry, Symbian and Windows-based mobile phones, the company is delighted to be able to offer this on iPhone. It is a fantastic service that offers peace of mind, security and local knowledge to all travelers.

The application costs £20 a month or £65 for an annual subscription. It can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, or from the Trafficmaster website.

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Aerosmith drummer challenges fans to “Hit Hard” competition

On 03.16.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

Rock solid rhythms of Aerosmith’s legendary drummer, Joey Kramer is unbeatable. However now iPhone users can challenge their drumming skills on Kramer’s recently launched iPhone application “Hit Hard”. This move has come after celebrity Services Company Paid Inc. collaborated with Kramer to challenge iPhone fans drumming skills with a new application.

According to Keith Garde, President of Paid Inc. Boston, Aerosmith and Joey Kramer have always been about connecting with their fans in the most cutting-edge ways and this new application is another step in that direction. It consistently continues to support the band in reaching their fans in whatever platform, technologies and methods they are using.

The application also has a different feature for those users who do not want to compete with Kramer’s beat. These users can create their own beats in a freestyle play. Each level in the game has a mock lesson where users can tap the correct sequence to match his beat. Players who will be able to finish all the levels of the game can enter the high score contest for a chance to win a prize from Kramer.

According to Garde, though the application is currently available only for the iPhone and iPod touch, the company is looking forward to expand it into other smartphone platforms.

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AdMob used to boost Battle Bear App Store ranking

On 03.15.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

In order to boost up the ranking of its Battle Bears iPhone game, the SkyVu Pictures ran a mobile ad campaign via the AdMob ad network.

According to Benjamin Vu, founder of SkyVu Bellevue, CA, the company’s major update to Battle Bears was released during a very competitive holiday season. The company launched a weekend burst campaign for the iPhone game, with the help of AdMob, which catapulted both the company’s paid and free versions back into the top 50.

Basically SkyVu Pictures is an animation studio specializing in computer generated animation for commercials ads and entertainment projects. The campaign aimed at pushing Battle ears Free into the top 100 overall free applications.

The ad campaigns not just increased the daily volume of the application by 1000 percent but also increased the daily paid download volume of the application by a stunning 300 percent. Even the ranking of the free application improved from 150 to 59.

According to Johanna Werther, manager of product marketing at AdMob, San Mateo, CA, Battle Bears came to the company with the goal of pushing the app into their Top 100 Free Apps, driving downloads and boosting the ranking of its paid version. By displaying Battle Bears ads within AdMob’s network of mobile applications, users had the opportunity to easily download the application and the results for Battle Bears were Strong.

Battle Bears is a one-person shooter game in which the player has to control a renegade teddy bear hidden behind sandbags while he shoots at the enemy teddy bears.

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Hearst’s announces entry into iPhone apps with LMK

On 03.15.10, In Mobile Marketing, By Editor

Heart’s LMK launched various categories of iPhone applications covering a variety of topics including Lady Ganga, cupcakes and baseball players. These category specific applications known as LMK (“Let Me Know”) are priced starting at $0.99.

These applications can be easily downloaded from Apple’s App Store as well as through LMK.com and can be used on the iPhone and iPod Touch. LMK expects to expand its offering on a monthly basis.

The company has set up huge goals for itself which include expanding the aggregate service to other mobile platforms such as Google’s Android phones, or hand-held devices including the various e-Readers or Apple’s iPad. All these service are expected to reach the customers in April.

According to President of LMK, New York, Michael Gutowski, the company saw an interesting market opportunity to break through the clutter of Internet search results and build mobile products that curate, package and deliver the most authoritative content on subjects that matter to consumers.

This resulted into the introduction of LMK, a dynamic delivery platform now powering topic-specific iPhones applications, aggregating and presenting the most current and relevant facts, stories , photos related to each topic.

This platform is currently supporting over 70 iPhones apps and the company is all set to leverage it to support thousand of digital products.

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The Bellperre Nero Gold

On 03.08.10, In Mobile Phones, By Editor

Bellperre has continued its lineup of luxury handsets through the launch of its tailor-made NERO GOLD ‘Brushed Steel, Precious Buttons’ mobile phone. The Bellperre Nero Gold (100 x 44 x 15,5mm) is now available in high polished solid silver or gold buttons.

The shiny buttons are meant to capture the light, to create a great design with the unique combination of black crocodile shiny patent leather combined with brush steel metal and shiny gold buttons.

According to Bellperre, the handset includes only luxury leather, pure steel, hard wood, sapphire crystal, precious gold and diamonds.

There is also a 2-inch TFT display made of sapphire crystal that can offer a 176 x 220 pixel resolution. In addition, the Bellperre Nero Gold also features Windows Mobile as its operating platform and includes Bluetooth 2.0 capabilities, as well as a camcorder and a video player.

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Backflip looks bush league

On 03.07.10, In Mobile Phones, By Editor

The Motorola Backflip which came out this weekend for AT&T looked like a standard mid-range Android device. According to the critics it is completely bush league.

While the Backflip is loaded with AT&T’s bloatware, the default Google is completely replaced with Yahoo. AT&T is doing business so it cannot be blamed for blindly copying Android but you can blame them for not allowing you to delete those carrier apps or install apps that don’t come from the Android Market.

According to Phandroid, programs cannot be installed from other app stores even if an individual puts them into his microSD card while it’s connected to his computer. This could be AT&T approach to ensure that the Backflip Android experience isn’t tainted by bad apps but it goes directly against what the company said it planned to do with the operating system.

Last year the AT&T Mobility’s CEO,  Ralph de la Vega opined that, the Android is liked as an operating system on its own, however the company wants to make sure that the company as well as the customers have the option to put applications on that device that are not just Google applications. Therefore when the G1 came out and T-Mobile launched it, it’s primarily a Google phone.

The company wants to give customers the choice of other applications on that device and not just the same Google applications.

Eric Zemen of Phonescoop added to the scene by mentioning on his Twitter stream that the MotoBlur on his Backflip gave him the option to set up myFaves at a time when myFaves is an exclusive calling feature of T-Mobile.

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The uber-classy ‘Ulysse Nardin Chairman Cellphone’

On 03.07.10, In Mobile Phones, By Editor

In an attempt to compete with luxury cellphone market leader Vertu, watchmakers Ulysse Nardin have launched a cellphone named the Chairman.

The most appealing feature being; the same way that an automatic watch receives power from the force of a rotor, the Chairman uses the kinetic energy of the moving rotor to supply supplemental power.

Specifications of the Ulysse Nardin include a 2.8-inch multitouch screen, 5-megapixel camera, biometric fingerprint unlocking, WiFi and an extensive mail.

The phone is available in several versions: Rose Gold, Rose Gold & Blue, Rose Gold & Steel, Stealth Black and Steel & Blue trims.

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Xperia X10 Features + Launch

On 12.04.09, In Mobile, By admin

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is the first Android phone from Sony Ericsson. The Xperia X10 sports an 8-Megapixel camera, 3G HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as a specially developed user interface that sits on top of the Google Android 2.0 OS. The Xperia X10 comes with a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen and a 1GHz Qualcomm snapdragon processor.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Key Features:

OS: Android 2.0
Size: 119 x 63 x 13 mm, 135 g
Display: 4″ 65K-color TFT capacitive touchscreen, 854 x 480 pixels
CPU: Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz processor
Memory: 1GB storage, 256MB RAM, microSD, 8GB card included
Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash and face detection
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack

The phone is expected to hit the market in January 2010.

This phone was code named Rachael by Sony Ericsson before it was given its current name: the Xperia X10.

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Samsung launches Bada mobile platform

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor
Samsung hopes to extend its app store offering to a wider range of handsets, including less sophisticated feature phones and entry level smartphones.
The Korean technology giant said Bada — which means “ocean” — was a new addition to the company’s mobile ecosystem and would give users a “fun and diverse mobile experience”.
Samsung said it chose the name to “convey the limitless variety of potential applications” that can be created using the new platform, and to demonstrate the company’s commitment to “a variety of open platforms in the mobile industry”.
It also offers mobile operators an easy-to-integrate platform that can be used to provide “unique and differentiated services to their customers”, said Samsung.
“By opening Samsung’s mobile platforms we will be able to provide rich mobile experiences on an increasing number of accessible smartphones,” said Dr Hosoo Lee, an executive vice president at Samsung. “Bada will be Samsung’s landmark, iconic new platform that brings an unprecedented opportunity for operators, developers and Samsung mobile phone users around the world.”
Samsung’s current smartphone range runs the open-source Symbian operating system and the Google-backed Android platform. Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner, said Samsung’s decision to develop and use its own platform for entry-level smartphones was its attempt to “differentiate its products from the competition.”
But Geoff Blaber, an analyst with CCS Insight, questioned Samsung’s thinking: “The big question is, does the mobile phone world need yet another operating system?,” he said.

Samsung hopes to give users a ”fun and diverse mobile experience” on a wider range of handsets, including less sophisticated feature phones and entry level smartphones via its newly created mobile platform dubbed “Bada”. Bada means Ocean in Korean.

Samsung said it chose the name to “convey the limitless variety of potential applications” that can be created using the new platform, and to demonstrate the company’s commitment to “a variety of open platforms in the mobile industry”.

It also offers mobile operators an easy-to-integrate platform that can be used to provide “unique and differentiated services to their customers”, said Samsung.

“By opening Samsung’s mobile platforms we will be able to provide rich mobile experiences on an increasing number of accessible smartphones,” said Dr Hosoo Lee,  executive vice president at Samsung. ”Bada will be Samsung’s landmark, iconic new platform that brings an unprecedented opportunity for operators, developers and Samsung mobile phone users around the world.”

One can’t help but ask – Does the world need another mobile operating system?

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M-Pesa launches in UK (Kenya)

On 10.13.09, In Mobile, By Editor

Vodafone’s group company, Safarikom has launched m-pesa, it’s mobile money transfer and payment service at selected outlets in the UK.

Kenyans in the UK  can now send money to their friends and family in Kenya through M-pesa UK, direct to their mobile phone wallets.

Western Union, Provident Capital Transfers and KenTv were involved in a small pilot before the commercial launch of this service.  A total of 19 outlets with high local kenyan population were selected to trial this service.

To send money using M-PESA, the sender in UK will be required to identify themselves and furnish the agent with the recipient’s name, Kenyan mobile number and the amount being sent in Sterling Pounds. This will be converted at current rates and sent in Kenyan Shillings.  Neither party is charged a registration fee.

A transaction fee ranging from £4 to £6.90 will be charged though.

Following authorisation by the Central Bank of Kenya, Safaricom shall be increasing the locations in the UK from which money can be sent to M-pesa customers as well as launching services across other popular remittance corridors

Currently, the maximum amount that can be sent internationally per transaction through M-pesa is £250 while the total allowable per month from a single sender in the UK is £1,000.

“The successful take-up of M-PESA in Kenya has clearly demonstrated the demand for easily accessible, secure cash payment services in emerging markets,” said Nick Hughes, Vodafone’s Head of International Mobile Payments. “Our partnership with Western Union allows M-PESA subscribers to receive international remittances and builds on the demand we have already seen domestically in Kenya.”

“This program aligns a global leader in money-transfer services, the world’s largest mobile operator group, and arguably one of the most impressive success stories in mobile money,” said Matt Dill, Senior Vice President, Western Union Digital Ventures.  “In offering M-PESA users the opportunity to receive funds from abroad for the first time, these three companies are changing the way money moves around the
globe.”

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said: “We wish to invite Kenyans living in the UK to take advantage of this service, which presents a real innovation on our M-pesa menu. Through strategic partnerships with Western Union, Provident Capital and KenTV we are giving them an opportunity to convert across two currencies into M-pesa and send money affordably without any hidden costs – directly to the mobile phone of the recipient.”

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