Nokia joins mobile wallet plan

Reuters reports that Nokia, the world's biggest handset maker, and wireless-service operators have solidified a global initiative to turn mobile phones into wallets.

Nokia, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, will embed a wireless chip into its phones.

MasterCard, is also involved in the initiative.

Trials are set to start in October.

I believe that we will see more and more of such functionality come up. However, due to the cost of new phones with new chips, SMS payments systems will not go away. As a matter of fact, I believe that within next 6-12 mounts we will see explosive growth of SMS payments in the US.
- Klem

Text-messaging as public art

Text to Screen (Txt2Screen) applications have been around for a while. MESSAGEbuzz has an add-on text to screen module for our core Spearhead messaging portal application.
It has been used in Bars and Clubs. Response was good, but filtering was a nightmare. People tend to text in statements that I would not dare to repeat in front of my parents.

However, some people see it differently.

Concordia professor Jason Lewis views text messaging as art. “We wanted to explore ways that cell phones and PDAs could be used as venues for creative expression, entertainment and interactivity.”, Lewis said.

Lewis, an assistant professor in Design and Computation Arts and the Graduate Certificate Program Director, presented his latest project to a packed auditorium in the final installment of this year’s Defiant Imagination lecture series at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on March 22, 2006.

His exhibition invites you to send text messages to giant projection and LCD screens around the world that normally are reserved for commercial interests. The text is processed using visualization software and a stream of interactive moving text is created. The result is art.

I believe that text to screen can be a great addition to any bar, club or conference venue.... but please review the messages before you put them on a screen.

News from MESSAGEBuzz

I am finally back.... Its been a bit crazy here at MESSAGEbuzz. We been running new campaigns, developing new mobile sites and writing few small monitoring J2ME application. I want to let everyone know that without WURFL I would tear off few remaining hairs that I still have left.

What is WURFL?

The WURFL is an XML configuration file which contains information about capabilities and features of several wireless devices.

It is a great collection of the device information that will make your mobile websites look and work much, much better.

Take a look everyone - it truly is a good thing. - Klem

RSS to text messages

MESSAGEbuzz is happy to announce a release of a new product called Feed2Me. Feed2Me converts RSS and ATOM feeds to text messages.

How does it work?

After opening an account with MESSAGEbuzz, Feed2Me allows anyone with RSS feed to convert their posts into text messages. Their feed is assigned a keyword. Anyone can then subscribe to the feed by texting assigned keyword to 35350. Anyone that subscribes will receive a text message each time the feed is updated.

Owner of the feed can format text messages in multiple ways. You can include or exclude title, publishing date, description, message prefix and sufix, and sponsored by fields.

Here are some samples of different formats of the same post:

Sample 1

From MESSAGEbuzz: SMS and Farming
Farming has gone high tech in the last few decades. Soil analyzers, GPS positioning and satellite imaging...
STOP2QUIT

This message contains prefix, title and description fields

Sample 2

SMS and Farming
Farming has gone high tech in the last few decades. Soil analyzers, GPS positioning and satellite imaging among others, have...
STOP2QUIT

This message contains title and description fields

Sample 3

SMS and Farming
Farming has gone high tech in the last few decades. Soil analyzers, GPS positioning and satellite...
Sponsored By: Celledia
STOP2QUIT

This message contains title, description and sponsored by fields.

We are really happy that this product has finally been released. Maybe our fearless leader will let us out of the basement now....but again .... I am not so sure about that. - Klem

SMS and Farming

Farming has gone high tech in the last few decades. Soil analyzers, GPS positioning and satellite imaging among others, have all been used to increase the yiellds.

Now Text messaging is starting to be used as well

Farmers in parts of central Queensland can now receive their local weather details sent via text message. In a new project in the Gindi farming area, a network of 13 automated weather stations has been established to gather data for grower use. The stations measure temperature, relative humidity and wind speed.

MESSAGEbuzz has began working with KC Enterprises, an irregation automatization company that provides irrigation systems to farmers. We have enabled their systems to send a text message to their field operatives, whenever the systems reports loss of water pressure, loss of signal, etc.

I see a huge potential in enabeling any type of monitoring device with SMS capabilities. - Klem

SMS Poets Wanted

To celebrate World Poetry Day, T-Mobile UK is inviting Brits to become the country’s first ‘Txt laureate’ by texting the best romantic SMS poem to win cash prizes of up to £1000.

Lysa McIntyre, T-Mobile’s Head of Beyond Voice, said: “Lovers clearly adore the joy of text – and every day millions of love messages are sent and received across the UK. It means romantic poetry is flourishing, even though love letters are a thing of the past, and we want to find and preserve the best in our competition to find the UK’s Txt laureate.”

I like that. Poetry should be flourishing and if that means in only 160 characters so be it - Klem

Bluetooth Marketing

Asian food brand called " Go-Tan" tested a Bluetooth marketing campaign in a Dutch supermarket.

Anyone walking within a 100 yards distance who has an open Bluetooth connection, received a message indicating the discounted Go-Tan products available in the store.

Bluetooth and proximity marketing, as well as GPS location based marketing is expected to gain bigger prominence in mobile arena.

We are exploring it - Klem

Interesting Cellphone usage statistics

Cellular News has a good article concerning usage of cellphones by Americans.

Here at MESSAGEbuzz, we collect lots of cellphone and text messaging statistics. But take a look below at some of the good ones.

24% of cell-using adults report they often feel like they have to answer their cell phones even when it interrupts a meeting or a meal.

22% of cell owners say they are not always truthful about exactly where they are when they are on the phone. Younger users are much more likely to say they are not always honest about where they are: 39% of cell users ages 18-29 say that.

Fully 65% have taken a step to personalize the phone in some way, such as by changing the wall paper or adding ring tones to the phone - that explains all the bad ringtones that I hear around me

40% of landline users between the ages of 18 and 29 say they are very likely or somewhat likely to give up their landlines and go cell-only. That compares to 19% of landline owners 30 and older who are pondering a similar switch to cells.

These are just a few examples..... and no, I do not have home landline. - Klem

Text messaging blocked in Cambodia

AP reports that text messaging will be blocked during last weekend's local elections in Cambodia, where the government is imposing a two-day "tranquility period".
Voters were being inundated with campaign messages.

Since you heard me rant and rave about lack of text messaging in US political campaigns, story above shows something just opposite...

Sometimes less is more.

Klem