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DOCOMO To Launch Siri-like App For DOCOMO Smartphones In Japan

Thomas Oppong — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:24:06 +0000

NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan’s mobile operator and provider of integrated services centered on mobility, has announced that it will roll out a voice-agent application, called Shabette Concier™, that enables customers to obtain a wide range of information and perform diverse tasks simply by speaking into their DOCOMO smartphones next month.

The application, which launches March 1, is for select DOCOMO smartphones running on Android™ 2.2 or higher, and will be available for free (packet communication charges may apply when downloading or using the app).

In response to a verbal question, the app analyzes the inquiry and then provides an answer using information mined from leading content providers, such as Wikipedia, in addition to official content on DOCOMO’s dmenu™ portal site for smartphones. Smartphone tasks, such as creating an email or setting an alarm, also can be carried out by voice commands without having to look at menus.

Voice processing is handled not in the smartphone itself but rather in the cloud via a mobile network-connected server, assuring speed and accuracy regardless of the smartphone’s specs.

The Siri-like voice-activated service launch coincides with Apple’s plans and support for Japanese, and a number of other languages including Chinese, to its virtual personal assistant for the iPhone 4S next month.

Barclays Bank Launches Pingit, A PayPal Alternative In UK

Thomas Oppong — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:03:28 +0000

Barclays bank has launched a PaPal alternative Pingit in UK, a mobile payment app that allows customers to transfer money via their smartphone. The Pingit app, available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android smartphones, allows accounts to be associated with mobile numbers. Each transaction is protected by a five-digit passcode, which is set by you, and payments can be between £1 and £300 with a maximum of £5,000 per day.

The app requires a bank customer to link their current account with their mobile number, this enables payments to be sent directly to that account with just a phone number for reference. To send funds, you can download the free Barclays Pingit app (available on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry) or sign-up receive mobile transfers by registering online.

“Barclays Pingit could revolutionise the way people send and receive money”, claimed Barclays chief executive Antony Jenkins at the launch. “For friends splitting the cost of dinner, repaying a borrowed £10 or people sending money to a son or daughter at university, it’s free, quick, convenient, secure, and easy to use. You can send and receive money in seconds, without having to enter account details.

Sending money
You can send up to £300 a day to family, friends and small businesses using just a mobile number, as long as you have a UK Barclays current account. Soon everybody will be able to use Barclays Pingit to send money even if their current account is with another UK bank.

Receive money
Anyone with a UK current account can register to receive payments, so you don’t have to share your bank details when asking someone to send you money. If you don’t have a Barclays current account or simply want to receive payments from other Barclays Pingit users, you just need to register online at www.barclays.co.uk/pingit.

Pingit is available to current account customers of all the other UK banks.

Why Start-ups Should Focus on Mobile Marketing and Small Businesses

Guest Author — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:50:53 +0000

These days an online presence is an essential part of any business. The internet provides a forum to engage customers not only through your company webpage but social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. By garnering lists of loyal customers and interested parties, businesses can mobilize their customer base to market their company and benefit from direct feedback.

In addition to social media, many believe that the evolution of mobile phones represents the next great marketing tool for small business owners. The ability for customers to connect and browse to the internet from anywhere in the world represents infinite possibilities for creative advertisers. Commonly referred to as mobile marketing, such strategies are currently being developed by both businesses small and large in order to gain an edge on their competitors.

Mobile phones have become an indispensable item for most individuals. They rely on them for planning, organization, socializing, finance, and keeping abreast of local and world news. According to statistics from the International Telecommunication Union, over 5 billion people across the world subscribe to a cell phone plan. In the United States, 90% of adults own a smartphone. Unlike traditional computers, cell phones are light and portable and always close by.

As a result, marketing to a potential customer directly through their cell phones is far more efficient than delivering an advertisement through radio, television, or internet ads. Currently, approximately one-tenth of all searches for online products is done through mobile phones. As mobile bandwidth improves and devices become more intuitive and web friendly, smartphones will represent a much larger share of the total web traffic. In fact, even today over 95% of new mobile phones are equipped with a capable web browser. Statistics indicate that over 70 million consumers use their phone to browse the web daily in the United States alone.

Experts believe that as mobile phones garner a larger share of internet web traffic, more and more purchasing decisions will be influenced by businesses who market to this demographic. The distinction is important given that mobile web browsing offers a vastly different experience than tradition internet usage. For example, a website that utilizes bandwidth intensive graphics and complex animations may work well with desktops or notebook computers, but is a poor design for a mobile phone with limited bandwidth and a smaller screen. Many websites must design specialized apps that condense content to cater to mobile users. Custom mobile apps with desirable features can even be sold to provide an additional income.

Mobile marketing also provides flexibility and instant gratification. A restaurant, for example, could provide the ability to make a reservation through a mobile app, or connect to users through popular review sites such as Yelp. Simply having a presence boosts the stature of your business, as consumers are more likely to patron companies that offer are accessible and offer discounts through mobile phone notifications. Text messaging a limited time promotion can deliver immediate response and urgency from your customers. Research from the group Mobile Marketing Watch estimates that 7 out of every 10 consumers respond to text messages, whereas only 3 out of 10 consumers were likely to patronize advertisements sent via email.

It is important for small businesses to recognize the current shift in technology and how it will influence the way consumers connect. Not only are mobile phones increasing in processing power, but wireless internet is getting faster and more comprehensive. This provides consumers with the freedom to stay connected the way they want regardless of their location, which will result in more individuals choosing to purchase tablets and smartphones in lieu of traditional computers. The businesses that market to these users will eventually be advertising to a much larger base, and do so more efficiently by utilizing social media. Unfortunately, less than 7% of small businesses have optimized their webpage for mobile users. A vast majority still believe that traditional online advertising reaches a broader base.

Internet commerce is at a critical juncture. The paradigm is quickly shifting from traditional online advertising to mobile marketing, social media, and text message promotions. In order to ensure your business isn’t left behind, it is essential that you optimize your websites for mobile browsing, and provide apps and features that make it easy for customers to make purchases, provide feedback and spread the word.

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Cell Phone Expert where you can
different types of cell phones by provider and/or brand.

Google Apps Browser Is A Great Way To Access All Your Google Mobile Apps

Thomas Oppong — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:02:54 +0000

A lot of people use Google products and services on daily basis. Others have signed on to a few they access constantly.Google has build official mobile versions of some their products, but not all of them are optimized for your mobile device. G-Whizz! Apps has created a Google apps browser to help you access and use your favorite Google products on you smartphone.

If you are an avid user of Google apps, Google Apps Browser will be perfect for you. You have access to over 20 apps right on your smart phone including Google+, Google Docs, reader, Google Voice, Gmail, plus Facebook and Twitter. You can send free text messages, track your schedule with Google Calendar, get driving directions and stay up to date with Google News.

Google Apps Browser 1.5 introduces Smart Tab management which dynamically reorders tabs based on the most-used Google Apps and adds new dedicated Browser and Google Apps search tabs.

Almost all the Google products and features have been covered by the Google Apps Browser. You can Check your Gmail, chat with your friends, You can even keep in touch using Facebook, follow your friends on Twitter, obviously you should be able to connect with friends on Google+, receive chat alerts for Google Talk, send free text messages, watch YouTube videos, find cool pics with Image search, view your favorite photos in Picasa. Google Apps Browser has also integrated with Instapper to make it easy post to Instapaper and Read It Later, you can follow your favorite sites with Reader, access your Google docs files and documents on your mobile device.

Other things you can do with the Google Apps Browser is to discover the perfect restaurant with Places,
track your schedule with Google Calendar,stay up to date with Google News. Almost every Google product you can think of has been covered.

Mobiqui: The Importance of Mobile Internet Presence for Businesses

Guest Author — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:13:10 +0000

According to recent studies, more and more now people are using smartphones to surf online. For instance, over Christmas 2011 alone 18.3% of net traffic came from smartphone users according to IBM. In addition, ForeSee estimates that up to 38.0% of smartphone owners now use their mobile device for shopping. Hence for business owners, it has never been so important to develop a net presence that accommodates these users.

How to appeal to customers that are more likely to visit your site using an iPhone than a PC?

Mobiquity was established in April 2011 to help businesses establish a presence that targets the growing mobile web audience.

More specifically, it does this by helping businesses develop applications that play to the strengths of smartphones. For instance:

They developed an application for WeightWatchers that enables users to scan the barcodes of food items and find out the nutritional information.
They developed an app for York Hospital in Maine that enables people to found out appointment waiting times or refill prescriptions.
They developed an app for Sony that lets users stream TV and movies.

In particular, these applications demonstrate that it isn’t the point of the mobile web to recreate a desktop experience.

Instead, the goal is to create an app that is convenient enough for smartphone users to use on a daily basis.

Given the growing mobile web audience, it could hence be worth thinking about how to incorporate an app when you redevelop your website then!

Michael Smith

Tech Essentials For Every Business

Thomas Oppong — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:21:29 +0000

Every business relies on essentials tools and resources to make work easier, to make business process more efficient, to increase personal productivity and generally to accomplish tasks associated with your business for growth. Tools like word processors, spreadsheets, internet access and email are basic requirements now for every business to succeed.

Office suite: Productivity and customer relationship management tools are crucial tools for the success of every business. Office tools enables you to save time and deliver awesome customer service. Make sure your office suite is enhanced with calender, address book and email management functions. It makes work easier faster. You can also simplify you communication if you integrate these tools in your office productivity tools.

Financials: The finance of every business is the oxygen that sustains the business. Without money to run the basic operations of the business, you could go bankrupt soon. It is therefore important to invest in financial tools and software to keep a close eye on your income, expenses, and track how much money is coming in to your business. Other crucial uses of preferably secure cloud applications include the management of billing, inventory and payroll. Quickbooks, Mint, Expensify, InDinero, Feshbooks and Teaspiller have been useful for personal and business finance management.

Productive smartphone: Smart phones have proven useful and effective for both voice and data communication. Invest in a productive iPhone, Blackberry or Android phone to have access to a wide range of business and productivity tools and apps that can make work even easier whilst you are on the move. Take advantage of the thousands of business apps at the appstore and android market to make you work smarter when you travel.

Internet Apps Internet apps including Skype, cloud fax services, cloud storage apps including Box.com, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Evernote are now mostly used by entrepreneurs to run their businesses and to increase personal productivity. Genuis Scan, Office plus and other productivity apps have will also be useful for your business.

Image credit: pleasetakemycard.com

i’m Watch: This Wrist Watch Is Touchscreen And Runs On Android

Thomas Oppong — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:08:56 +0000

i’m Watch offers a touch-screen, high-resolution display, a Bluetooth connection to the user’s smartphone and a 4GB memory card. Calls, text messages, email, music, photos, videos and the Internet are all accessible through the Android-based device, which is available in several versions. Billed as the world’s first real smartwatch, i’m Watch is Multi-tasking, touchscreen, can be dragged, swipped and pinched.

I’m Watch will be on display at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. An app store for the watch is due to launch around the same time, and the SDK for developers is available now.

Shipments will begin in January.

i’m watch – Enjoy The Future from im watch on Vimeo.

Square’s Card Case Lets You Pay By Saying Just Your Name

Thomas Oppong — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:49:09 +0000

Square, a mobile payments startup founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey released a new version of its Card Case app earlier this month that allows users to pay for goods at certain stores just by saying their name. The app lets users make purchases with their smartphone without taking the device out of their pocket or purse.

How it works
The app uses the geo-fencing technology in Apple’s iOS 5 operating system to recognize when a user is within 100 meters of a Square retailer and, when a user is in range, automatically opend the user’s Square account for that merchant, so long as the “automatic tabs” feature has been enabled for the establishment.
With her Square “tab” already open, the user can then pay for her merchandise just by giving the cashier her name.

Merchant cards can be synced with a business’ Twitter stream. By integrating business’ Twitter streams into the app, users can see if there are any additional deals or discounts. Users can also tweet at a business with any questions, comments or feedback.

“You can pay without ever reaching for your purse, taking out your wallet, or even your phone,” said Megan Quinn, director of products. “It requires no new or unusual customer behavior — you don’t have to wave your phone, or preload money.”

8 BBM Alternatives You Should Know

Thomas Oppong — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:16:06 +0000

Blackberry Messenger (BBM) is a combination of services that can be used with groups of contacts. It allows you to send SMS/MMS-like messages to your contacts without requiring a data plan provided your phone is equipped with Wi-fi. The service is available only to Blackberry users. Blackberry users experienced outages this month and most users could not access the service for days.

If you are an avid user of the BBM service,there are a number of alternatives out there that function exactly like the BBM. Some of the applications can even function across all major platforms and offer complete functionality to your smartphone.

Whats App Messenger: The application utilizes push notifications to instantly get messages from friends, colleagues and family. Switch from SMS to exchange messages, pictures, audio notes and video messages with WhatsApp users at no cost. WhatsApp Messenger is cross platform and available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia

GroupMe: GroupMe is a group messaging and conference calling service that lets you stay in touch with groups of people via mobile phones. It’s a free service that allows users to create and manage groups that, in effect, create an SMS-based chatroom.

LiveProfile: It is an IM app for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices. It is totally free and looks quite similar to BBM.

Beluga lets you send and receive instant updates, location info and photos, all via push notification, with NO TXT messaging fees.

PingChat!: Ping allows you to connect to friends using a Ping! ID, something akin to a BBM pin, but easier to remember because you can pick it yourself. Once you’ve shared your ID, or found friends via email, Facebook or Twitter, you can send text messages, photos, videos, voice memos, contacts and map locations. PingChat! is available on iOS, Android and BlackBerry, and is ad-supported.

Cnectd lets you chat across iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Symbian devices. In addition Cnectd allows you to find new friends in your area, share media with your contacts and more. Cnectd alerts users of new messages instantaneously ensuring that you’re always Cnectd!

Kik Messenger is a real-time cross-platform instant messenger application for iOS and Android. And now available for your Blackberry. You see when messages are delivered and read and even when your friend is typing, giving your chats an undeniably instant, face-to-face feel.

ChatPlus is an iPhone and android chatting service which allows you to chat with your friends without having to pay for text, photo/video/voice, handwriting and location.

PepsiCo Selects 10 Tech Startups For Its Incubator Program

Thomas Oppong — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:05:17 +0000

PepsiCo has announced the 10 start-up companies, which will make up the inaugural PepsiCo10, an innovative incubator program that matches technology, media and communications entrepreneurs with PepsiCo brands to activate pilot programs in digital media and social marketing.

PepsiCo10 is a programme created to discover and support up to 10 emerging and innovative technology companies, and to give them an opportunity to deliver brand-led programmes in the UK, whilst receiving support and guidance from industry-leading mentors.

Among the selected 10 start-ups are gaming platforms for consumers in restaurants, amusement parks and retail stores; mobile couponing solutions, a still mostly unrealized consumer engagement point for consumer packaged goods companies and retailers; and niche social networking platforms that bring consumers together around common interests, such as music, TV and sports.

Chosen from more than 130 innovative technologies submitted, the 10 winners will work with some of PepsiCo’s leading brands in the U.K.

Selected PepsiCo10 partners include:

Place-Based and Retail Experiential Marketing

AisleBuyer: Mobile shopping platform aimed to improve users’ in-store retail shopping experiences by leveraging SmartPhone technology to unite the best features of both ‘bricks’ and ‘clicks’ retailing.

TableTop Media: First pay-at-the-table and digital promotion tabletop platform that uses a Ziosk™ seven-inch wireless touch screen device to provide guests at casual dining restaurants with an interactive and convenient ordering and check-out experience.

Mobile Marketing

MyCypher: Dynamic mobile platform that allows artists worldwide to create new music in real-time by turning every mobile phone into a microphone.

Zazu: Mobile alarm clock and calendar reminder that orally provides users with calendar details, weather, email and news, allowing them to start the day with the information they need to make the right decisions.

Social Media & Marketing

BreakoutBand: Social music experience for teens that allows them to form virtual bands with friends, create original songs and compete to top the song charts.

FanFeedr: Real-time personalized sports feed platform, which allows users to pick favorite teams and players, and supplies them with the most-up-to-date collection of relevant news, videos, tweets, scores and information.

Tongal: Online platform that combines crowd-sourcing and performance games to harvest content from a worldwide community of creators for businesses’ campaign concepts, taglines, slogans, pitches, commercials, music videos, instructional videos, short films, animations and other rich media.

Digital Video and Gaming

Evil Genius Designs: Interactive technology provides mobile game play and entertainment to guests waiting in lines at amusement parks, arenas, conferences and more.

Miso: Social platform that allows users to ‘check-in’ to their favorite television shows to earn points and unlock virtual badges, share what they are watching and see what friends are viewing, and engage with content throughout the course of a program.

MotiveCast: Loyalty- and reward-based mobile gaming solution that uses augmented reality and location-based services to allow brands to discover and deeply engage with consumers in branded, fun, rewarding and highly interactive game play.