The global economic model that arose over the past two decades that allowed low-wage earners in developing countries to service high-wage earners in developed countries becomes increasingly unsustainable as the wage differential between the served and the servers declines and as technology puts increasingly powerful devices directly into consumers' hands. The conundrum faced by those trying to service developing nations is that there is little wage differential between the served and the servers yet developing nation consumers can't afford state-of-the-art information devices such as Apple's (www.apple.com) iPhone, Android (www.android.com) smartphones, or RIM (www.rim.net) Blackberries.
Google (www.google.com) SMS, announced on June 29, is a suite of services intended to meet Africa's needs. Among this suite of services are the following applications:
- Google SMS Tips (6001*): an SMS-based query-and-answer service that enables users to have a "web search-like" experience--Google says users can enter a free form text query that its algorithms restructure and to which Google responds;
- Google SMS Search (6006*): news sports, stocks, horoscopes, glossary, currency converter, religious texts, translations, flights, Q&A, calculator, and local time;
- Google Trader (6007*): an SMS-based application that helps buyers and sellers find each other--people can find, sell, or buy any type of product or service.
These services are free of charge from Google. Carrier charges are 110 UGX for SMS Tips, while charges for SMS Search and SMS Trader are 220 UGX each. (1 Uganda Shilling [UGX] = 0.0004746 US Dollar [USD]) (*These services are currently supported by MTN Uganda [www.mtn.co.ug/] only.)
Google provided two search examples--one pertaining to the use of urine to control weevils, the other explaining the proper use of condoms—both examples address life and death issues faced by citizens in developing areas. Despite citing an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (www.itu.int) report that shows that Africa has the world's highest mobile growth rate, Google reports that mobile phones are owned by only one-third of the population. Internet penetration is even lower--only one sixth the penetration rate of mobile phones.
Google reports that its Tips and Trader applications are the fruits of partnerships with Grameen Foundation (www.grameenfoundation.org/), MTN Uganda, Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative (BROSDI) (http://brosdi.or.ug/), Straight Talk Foundation (www.straight-talk.or.ug/), and Marie Stopes Uganda (www.mariestopes.org.ug).
-Stuart Whitaker
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
COMSCORE BEHIND COMMON SHORT CODE MEDIA MONITORING
Comscore (www.comscore.com) announced that it has been selected through Wireless Media Consulting (WMC) (www.wmcglobal.com) to monitor common short code (CSC) promotional materials for CTIA.-Stuart Whitaker
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
XTIFY / INTUIT EXTEND LOCATION-BASED SERVICES CONTEST
Xtify (www.xtify.com) and Intuit (www.intuit.com) have extended the deadlines for their location-aware business application contest. The contest, announced in April, is intended to showcase applications that integrate Xtify's location-based services capabilities with Intuit's Platform as a Service. Intuit's Platform as a Service allows developers to make their web applications available to millions of Intuit users. Xtify's capabilities allow developers to integrate location based features into Internet applications.
The Intuit / Xtify Application Contest will provide up to $ 12,500 in prize money to the top location applications for two prizes: one determined by a panel of judges, and one based on user adoption of entrant applications. The deadlines are:
- August 24: applications must be completed and published;
- November 2: winners will be announced.
The Xtify API allows Web applications to utilize location data tracked by a thin client running on BlackBerry, Google Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian OS smartphones. No plans have been announced for Apple iPhone compatibility. Judges for the contest include:
- Ed Zander – Recent CEO and Chairman of Motorola
- Jeff Samberg – Managing Director of Acadia Woods Partners, LLC
- Alex Chriss – Business Leader of Intuit Partner Platform, Intuit Inc.
- Andrew Weinreich – CEO of Xtify, Inc.
Xtify launched the beta version of its location based platform in 2008. A thin client on users' cell phones pushes location data to Xtify's servers on a periodic basis. Website developers can write to Xtify's API to access the location of participating users and reflect that location in content displayed to that user. Xtify says it is able to know where users are throughout the day and whether they are on the Internet. Users must opt-in to each service for Xtify location sharing. Users control with whom and when their location information is shared.
MeetMoi (www.meetmoi.com), a location-based dating service, and SeeMyWhere (www.SeeMyWhere.com), a social network, have implemented the Xtify technology. MeetMoi offers a free service that allows users to review "matches" and respond to messages initiated by other users. A premium service offers unlimited messaging and other features.
Andrew Weinreich founded meetMoi in 2006, and founded Xtify in 2008. Xtify is privately held, funded by Acadia Woods Partners and ETF Venture Funds (www.etfventurefunds.com).-Stuart Whitaker
The Intuit / Xtify Application Contest will provide up to $ 12,500 in prize money to the top location applications for two prizes: one determined by a panel of judges, and one based on user adoption of entrant applications. The deadlines are:
- August 24: applications must be completed and published;
- November 2: winners will be announced.
The Xtify API allows Web applications to utilize location data tracked by a thin client running on BlackBerry, Google Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian OS smartphones. No plans have been announced for Apple iPhone compatibility. Judges for the contest include:
- Ed Zander – Recent CEO and Chairman of Motorola
- Jeff Samberg – Managing Director of Acadia Woods Partners, LLC
- Alex Chriss – Business Leader of Intuit Partner Platform, Intuit Inc.
- Andrew Weinreich – CEO of Xtify, Inc.
Xtify launched the beta version of its location based platform in 2008. A thin client on users' cell phones pushes location data to Xtify's servers on a periodic basis. Website developers can write to Xtify's API to access the location of participating users and reflect that location in content displayed to that user. Xtify says it is able to know where users are throughout the day and whether they are on the Internet. Users must opt-in to each service for Xtify location sharing. Users control with whom and when their location information is shared.
MeetMoi (www.meetmoi.com), a location-based dating service, and SeeMyWhere (www.SeeMyWhere.com), a social network, have implemented the Xtify technology. MeetMoi offers a free service that allows users to review "matches" and respond to messages initiated by other users. A premium service offers unlimited messaging and other features.
Andrew Weinreich founded meetMoi in 2006, and founded Xtify in 2008. Xtify is privately held, funded by Acadia Woods Partners and ETF Venture Funds (www.etfventurefunds.com).-Stuart Whitaker
Friday, June 26, 2009
iPhone Matures: Hardware and Software
Apple (www.apple.com) has delivered an updated version of its iPhone, the new 3GS, and of its iPhone operating system, the OS 3.0.
Significant enhancements offered by the new 3.0 OS:
- support for cut and paste;
- support for search through all information on the phone, including address book and email;
- use of the phone's location capabilities to help find lost phones;
- allows users to remotely erase phone contents and to remotely invoke a message on the screen.
Enhancements offered by the 3GS:
- as much as twice the browsing speed;
- a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus;
- video recording with easy upload to YouTube and MobileMe;
- voice recognition that allows users to use their voice to call people in their address book.
While the iPhone itself is now capable of connecting a computer to the Internet (tethering) and sending MMS messages, you can't do so today on AT&T's network.
With over 50,000 applications available for the iPhone, most applications have to be marketed to be successful, and assistance in the form of visibility from Apple is extremely important to an application's success. Apple is highlighting applications in seven categories: working out; around the house; going out; managing money; traveling; getting things done; fun and games.
-Stuart Whitaker
Significant enhancements offered by the new 3.0 OS:
- support for cut and paste;
- support for search through all information on the phone, including address book and email;
- use of the phone's location capabilities to help find lost phones;
- allows users to remotely erase phone contents and to remotely invoke a message on the screen.
Enhancements offered by the 3GS:
- as much as twice the browsing speed;
- a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus;
- video recording with easy upload to YouTube and MobileMe;
- voice recognition that allows users to use their voice to call people in their address book.
While the iPhone itself is now capable of connecting a computer to the Internet (tethering) and sending MMS messages, you can't do so today on AT&T's network.
With over 50,000 applications available for the iPhone, most applications have to be marketed to be successful, and assistance in the form of visibility from Apple is extremely important to an application's success. Apple is highlighting applications in seven categories: working out; around the house; going out; managing money; traveling; getting things done; fun and games.
-Stuart Whitaker
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mobile Health: The Really Big Mobile App
With traditional information services facing steep pressure, businesses in telecommunications and information services are looking to find significant growth opportunities. While there is much discussion about the number of applications that have been developed for the Apple iPhone and other smartphones, the vast majority of applications aren’t profitable for their developers. The most popular smartphone applications reported by Apple are in the games and entertainment categories. MHealth applications, on the other hand, hold the promise of real profitability, though the number of successful mHealth applications will be far fewer in number than the total number of smartphone applications. Successful mHealth application development will require an understanding of a complex environment involving health care needs, technology, and reimbursement.
The US health care system is much maligned, even in the US, because it reportedly costs twice the cost of health care in other developed nations on a per capita basis and delivers no better, and sometimes worse, health care than that delivered in other developed nations. The late US senator Everett Dirksen reportedly said “a billion here and a billion there, sooner or later we’ll have real money.” A billion dollars is small change in US health care today, which costs an estimated $ 2.2 trillion each year, or 16% of the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The US wireless association, CTIA (www.ctia.org), launched an industry-wide wireless health initiative in April 2009, that includes industry events, education, and device certification. As part of this initiative, the CTIA held a briefing in the US on Capitol Hill on June 24th with experts describing both the problems as well as wireless-based solutions.
Speakers at the mHealth briefing were notable medical and policy experts including US Representative and Member of the 21st Century Health Care Caucus Adam Smith (D-WA-9); Chief Medical Officer of the West Wireless Health Institute and Chief Academic Officer for Scripps Health Eric Topol, M.D. and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Fellow Dan Fletcher, PhD.
CTIA says that mHealth solutions today use off-the-shelf applications and technology such as text messaging and mobile voice to prompt patients to take medication, follow a certain diet, engage in physical activity, check their glucose levels, take their blood pressure, detect cardiac arrhythmias and more. By making healthcare more personal and individualized, mHealth solutions are expected to significantly improve the medical community’s ability to resolve epidemics, reduce medical errors and expand preventive healthcare.
In addition, mHealth can make a tremendous impact on chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure, diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the US, more than 45 percent of Americans suffer from at least one of these diseases and approximately a quarter of the population has multiple conditions. According to Richard Adler’s Health Care Unplugged: The Evolving Role of Wireless Technology report, if patients suffering from chronic conditions agreed to have their doctor monitor them remotely via mobile wireless applications, (i.e., monitor patients’ health and track and guide self-care beyond the doctors’ offices), the savings would amount to $ 21.1 billion per year by reducing emergency care, hospitalization and nursing home costs. mHealth would allow the millions of Americans living in remote, rural areas to “visit” the best doctors’ offices in the country, eliminating healthcare disparities based on geographic location and economic differences.
The CTIA says Congress needs to ensure that healthcare reforms encourage the implementation of mHealth solutions and are made accessible to millions of Americans, especially for preventive care. For example, a definition of “meaningful use” should be broad enough to include mHealth solutions, and revisions to Medicare be implemented to add mHealth solutions as being covered services subject to reimbursement. These kinds of policies are critical to the medical and wireless industry’s efforts to bring better healthcare services to millions of Americans.
-Stuart Whitaker
The US health care system is much maligned, even in the US, because it reportedly costs twice the cost of health care in other developed nations on a per capita basis and delivers no better, and sometimes worse, health care than that delivered in other developed nations. The late US senator Everett Dirksen reportedly said “a billion here and a billion there, sooner or later we’ll have real money.” A billion dollars is small change in US health care today, which costs an estimated $ 2.2 trillion each year, or 16% of the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The US wireless association, CTIA (www.ctia.org), launched an industry-wide wireless health initiative in April 2009, that includes industry events, education, and device certification. As part of this initiative, the CTIA held a briefing in the US on Capitol Hill on June 24th with experts describing both the problems as well as wireless-based solutions.
Speakers at the mHealth briefing were notable medical and policy experts including US Representative and Member of the 21st Century Health Care Caucus Adam Smith (D-WA-9); Chief Medical Officer of the West Wireless Health Institute and Chief Academic Officer for Scripps Health Eric Topol, M.D. and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Fellow Dan Fletcher, PhD.
CTIA says that mHealth solutions today use off-the-shelf applications and technology such as text messaging and mobile voice to prompt patients to take medication, follow a certain diet, engage in physical activity, check their glucose levels, take their blood pressure, detect cardiac arrhythmias and more. By making healthcare more personal and individualized, mHealth solutions are expected to significantly improve the medical community’s ability to resolve epidemics, reduce medical errors and expand preventive healthcare.
In addition, mHealth can make a tremendous impact on chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure, diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the US, more than 45 percent of Americans suffer from at least one of these diseases and approximately a quarter of the population has multiple conditions. According to Richard Adler’s Health Care Unplugged: The Evolving Role of Wireless Technology report, if patients suffering from chronic conditions agreed to have their doctor monitor them remotely via mobile wireless applications, (i.e., monitor patients’ health and track and guide self-care beyond the doctors’ offices), the savings would amount to $ 21.1 billion per year by reducing emergency care, hospitalization and nursing home costs. mHealth would allow the millions of Americans living in remote, rural areas to “visit” the best doctors’ offices in the country, eliminating healthcare disparities based on geographic location and economic differences.
The CTIA says Congress needs to ensure that healthcare reforms encourage the implementation of mHealth solutions and are made accessible to millions of Americans, especially for preventive care. For example, a definition of “meaningful use” should be broad enough to include mHealth solutions, and revisions to Medicare be implemented to add mHealth solutions as being covered services subject to reimbursement. These kinds of policies are critical to the medical and wireless industry’s efforts to bring better healthcare services to millions of Americans.
-Stuart Whitaker
Saturday, June 20, 2009
CTIA TO HOST MHEALTH POLICY FORUM
The CTIA (www.ctia.org) is hosting a forum on June 24, 2009 on mobile health (mHealth) solutions for America’s health care crisis. The CTIA believes that a significant part of the solution is something that more than 270 million Americans use daily – it’s their mobile wireless services. Speakers will be from the US Congress, the Obama Administration, and medical and policy experts.
-Stuart Whitaker
-Stuart Whitaker
TARGUSINFO PROMOTES WIRELESS CNAM.
TARGUSInfo (www.targusinfo.com), based in Vienna, Virginia, reports that it launched the first commercial wireless Caller Name (CNAM) service in the US. CNAM, also referred to as Caller ID, was introduced by MetroPCS (www.metropcs.com). Based on their analysis and experience, TARGUSInfo believes that regional wireless carriers with 18 million subscribers can generate an additional $12.3 million per month in gross revenue with a 30% penetration of subscribers choosing Wireless CNAM (WCNAM) as a value added feature (assumes $1.99 per month per subscriber).
| Potential WCNAM Monthly Revenue | ||||
| Penetration | 5 M | 15 M | 30 M | 50 M |
| 10% | $1.0 | $1.5 | $3.0 | $5.0 |
| 15% | $1.5 | $4.5 | $9.0 | $15.0 |
| 20% | $2.0 | $6.0 | $12.0 | $20.0 |
| 35% | $3.5 | $10.5 | $21.0 | $35.0 |
| Source: TARGUSinfo | ||||
Thursday, June 18, 2009
MOBILE SEARCH EXPLOSION
ComScore (www.comscore.com) reported that the number of people who sought local information on a mobile device grew 51% from March 2008 to March 2009.
-Stuart Whitaker
-Stuart Whitaker
Thursday, June 11, 2009
UK sees launch of directory assistance with mobile numbers
UK ICO GIVES TACIT APPROVAL TO MOBILE DIRECTORY SERVICE. Following years of effort to provide mobile numbers through directory assistance (DA), Connectivity (www.connectivityltd.co.uk) has begun the launch of its new UK DA service, 118800. The service is available online now (www.118800.co.uk) and, according to the web site, will be available in the future in the UK by dialing 118800.
While mobile listings are commonly included directory assistance databases in some northern European countries, databases in many other countries--including the US--have only a small fraction of total mobile listings. A European industry-wide effort to develop a mobile listing service never gained much traction--in part because of conflicting interests within the industry--though there have been other recent introductions, including Swisscom's Connect 1811 and Belgacom's "mailbox" service. An effort in the US being spearheaded by the CTIA, which had selected Qsent (subsequently acquired by TransUnion), ran into vociferous opposition from many parties, including Verizon Wireless and US legislators.
To use Connectivity’s online service, users are prompted at the home page to enter a first name, surname, and town. The service doesn't give out phone numbers to enquirers, but says that if it finds the subject of the search, 118800 will text the enquirer's details to the subject and charge the enquirer 1 GBP. The subject won't be charged anything by 118800, though standard mobile network charges apply.
Connectivity reports that its listings come from companies who collect mobile numbers from customers in the course of doing business and have been given permission by customers to share those numbers. Connectivity reports that it is regulated by PhonePayPlus (www.phonepayplus.org.uk) and the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) (www.ico.gov.uk). PhonePayPlus informed us that they regulate phone-paid services but that there had been no issues involving Connectivity's service. The ICO issued a statement to us saying Connectivity had discussed their proposed service and that the ICO provided advice on compliance with the Data Protection Act (DPA) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). The ICO statement said, furthermore, that it understands that Connectivity's service will possess the following characteristics:
- it will be privacy friendly;
- it will only connect people when the recipient agrees to take the call;
- it will not divulge subject's number;
- it will not use numbers where there is any doubt about whether the consumer was happy for their information to be used by this service;
- it will allow subjects to opt-out;
- it will make opting-out as easy as possible.
We tried the service out, first by entering our mobile phone online in their database--address Russell Square, London WC1B 5BE. We confirmed the entry with the code we received via SMS from Connectivity. However, when we searched for our listing, it wasn't found. We were prompted to narrow our search to an area or borough in London, which we did, but still to no avail, with no further explanation. We also tried the service out by searching for Connectivity's CEO Raj Raithatha and marketing director Shona Forster. No luck there either, and no explanation.
The BBC (www.news.bbc.co.uk) reports that the company has 15 m numbers and that the service has angered privacy campaigners.
Connectivity, which is privately held, has received investments from 3i (www.3i.com) and DFJ Esprit (www.dfjesprit.com).
-Stuart Whitaker
While mobile listings are commonly included directory assistance databases in some northern European countries, databases in many other countries--including the US--have only a small fraction of total mobile listings. A European industry-wide effort to develop a mobile listing service never gained much traction--in part because of conflicting interests within the industry--though there have been other recent introductions, including Swisscom's Connect 1811 and Belgacom's "mailbox" service. An effort in the US being spearheaded by the CTIA, which had selected Qsent (subsequently acquired by TransUnion), ran into vociferous opposition from many parties, including Verizon Wireless and US legislators.
To use Connectivity’s online service, users are prompted at the home page to enter a first name, surname, and town. The service doesn't give out phone numbers to enquirers, but says that if it finds the subject of the search, 118800 will text the enquirer's details to the subject and charge the enquirer 1 GBP. The subject won't be charged anything by 118800, though standard mobile network charges apply.
Connectivity reports that its listings come from companies who collect mobile numbers from customers in the course of doing business and have been given permission by customers to share those numbers. Connectivity reports that it is regulated by PhonePayPlus (www.phonepayplus.org.uk) and the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) (www.ico.gov.uk). PhonePayPlus informed us that they regulate phone-paid services but that there had been no issues involving Connectivity's service. The ICO issued a statement to us saying Connectivity had discussed their proposed service and that the ICO provided advice on compliance with the Data Protection Act (DPA) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). The ICO statement said, furthermore, that it understands that Connectivity's service will possess the following characteristics:
- it will be privacy friendly;
- it will only connect people when the recipient agrees to take the call;
- it will not divulge subject's number;
- it will not use numbers where there is any doubt about whether the consumer was happy for their information to be used by this service;
- it will allow subjects to opt-out;
- it will make opting-out as easy as possible.
We tried the service out, first by entering our mobile phone online in their database--address Russell Square, London WC1B 5BE. We confirmed the entry with the code we received via SMS from Connectivity. However, when we searched for our listing, it wasn't found. We were prompted to narrow our search to an area or borough in London, which we did, but still to no avail, with no further explanation. We also tried the service out by searching for Connectivity's CEO Raj Raithatha and marketing director Shona Forster. No luck there either, and no explanation.
The BBC (www.news.bbc.co.uk) reports that the company has 15 m numbers and that the service has angered privacy campaigners.
Connectivity, which is privately held, has received investments from 3i (www.3i.com) and DFJ Esprit (www.dfjesprit.com).
-Stuart Whitaker
Thursday, June 4, 2009
SONY ERICSSON ENTERS APP STORE MARKET
Sony Ericsson (www.sonyericsson.com), which reports that it began delivering online content in 2003, announced that it will consolidate its Fun & Downloads service into its PlayNow "arena," through which it will begin making applications available. Applications will initially be available in 13 countries that support PlayNow and to the 38 Sony Ericsson phones that are compatible with the PlayNow platform. The app store is being powered by Lithuanian developer GetJar (www.getjar.com). Users with accounts can download content to their phone and computer. Those without accounts may purchase content via premium SMS.
-Stuart Whitaker
-Stuart Whitaker
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