The New York Times: Impulse shoppers, watch out. Your cellphone might soon get you into trouble. A company called ShopText has introduced a system that lets people buy products instantly using text messages, a process that eliminates the need to go to a store or even visit a Web site. For instance, a woman seeing an ad for a pocketbook […]
SMS Shopping
Mobio Mobile
MobileCrunch: Mobio, which we’ve covered previously, is launching the public beta of its mobile application platform today. They’re pitching themselves as a “lifestyle platform” to consumers, where you can access all kinds of data on the go, such as restaurants, weather, and flight schedules. However, to developers, Mobio is a mashup platform, enabling developers to weave together all kinds of […]
Mobile Network
Springwise: Sonopia works with Verizon to handle calls and data transfer, and lets anyone from a rock band to a church group set up their own mobile network brand. In return, the mini carrier will receive 3-8% of revenues generated by the customers they sign up. Brands create their own calling plans, get a co-branded website and are able to […]
Where’s my Starbucks?
CNET: Coffee behemoth Starbucks has launched a new cell phone-based service that lets you efficiently locate the nearest store and feed your addiction get your caffeine buzz on. Starting today, when you send a text message with the ZIP code of your location to the number “MYSBUX” (697289), you’ll receive another text with the addresses of the three nearest Starbucks […]
“I’ve lost my keys come home”
IT Sneak: New website TextMeOuttaHere.co.uk will, for a pound, send its users a text message at a prearranged time to help them lie and cheat their way out of an awkward situation. Having seen “over 1000 excuses sent in its first month”, founder Emma Kane was moved to say: “Britain’s mobiles phone users are obviously a devious lot.” Sneak, for […]
Hidden Clue
BBC News: Japanese firm Fujitsu is pushing a technology that can encode data into a picture that is invisible to the human eye but can be decoded by a mobile phone with a camera. The company believes the technology will have spin off implications for the publishing industry. “The concept is to be able to link the printed page into […]
Cellblock
CellBlock: Every minute of the day, countless millions of people walk around with camera phones in their pockets. The photo quality and phone networks improve daily. Yet relatively few people use their cell phone camera feature because, until now, there hasn’t been much reason to. Cellblock is changing all that, in a big way. When a member starts a cellblock […]
t+ diabetes Mobile Phone
Mobile Digest: When you thing of the extra functionality a mobile phone offers, it’s usually in the area of entertainment. But a new diabetes management for mobile phones could change that. Around three million people in the UK suffer with diabetes and need to maintain healthy blood glucose levels, limiting the onset of long-term, debilitating complications, including heart disease, kidney […]
Mobile Phone Ads
New York Times Online: People often say they do not like advertisements, but that may change if the ads start lowering their cellphone bills. Cellular phone carriers like Verizon, Sprint and Cingular, now the new AT&T, are beginning to test and roll out advertising on mobile phone screens, and by next year, cellphone advertising is likely to be more common. […]
SMS Your Wine
Springwise: After encountering a great wine in a restaurant or at a friend’s house, instead of vowing to remember the name and vintage, Dutch consumers can now dash off an sms to BuyYourWine.com. The online wine seller will then get back to them with a price and delivery details. In the US, WineZap offers a similar service. If someone emails […]