IMIMobile Buys Mobytec

IMImobile, hich provides converged mobile and online technology platforms and managed services, has announced the acquisition of Mobytec, whose technology platform powers the award-winning Mobyko social aggregation service. As a result of the deal, Mobytec will be offered by IMImobile as a revenue-generating, fully managed, white label service for mobile network operators. Mobyko will continue as an independent company offering mobyko.com branded services.
Mobytec empowers the phone book for digital social lives. Users can synchronise and store social media content such as contacts, photos, texts and videos, from their mobile phones, in a single, secure online hub, and share rich media content with friends across online and mobile ecosystems. The platform integrates with social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter; aggregating live feeds, synchronising events, downloading profile photos to the contact address book, and displaying the latest Tweets from friends. 
For operators, Mobytec is a carrier-grade, fully managed service, and a ‘sticky’ interface between online and mobile activities in the expanding consumer social aggregation sector. By positioning the mobile address book as the natural hub for consumers’ online and mobile activities, says IMImobile, Mobytec presents a compelling revenue-generation and customer retention proposition.
“We believe that social aggregation tools are going to play an increasingly important role in the operator/consumer relationship,” says IMImobile CEO and Founder, Vishwanath Alluri. “Applications that add value to the customer and provide operators with a converged service, bridging the gap between online social networks and the mobile phone, are vital. Mobytec’s proven ability to deliver a world class user experience, combined with IMImobile’s robust and scalable back-end infrastructure, provides a powerful proposition within the market.”
The acquisition represents another step in IMImobile’s growth plans, following the acquisition of dx3 technologies, the M2Y platform from Nokia Siemens Networks, and the recent launch of IMEXmobile in the UK.

Tosh Phone Comes With Nimbuzz

Nimbuzz has revealed that the native, preinstalled version of its Nimbuzz mobile social messenger application is available on the Toshiba TG01 handset, which launched with O2 Germany last month.
Accessed via a central icon on the home screen the app integrates seamlessly onto the handset. The three companies have worked closely together to deliver lifestyle communications features on the Toshiba TG01, enabling users to contact all their friends across multiple networks from one place. Local social networks such as StudiVZ, are incoporated in the client alongside all of the major global communities, such as Facebook, MySpace, Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, GoogleTalk and AIM.
“Software enriches the value chain for the mobile ecosystem,” says Nimbuzz CEO, Evert-Jaap Lugt. “Users, who are looking for a device that fits their lifestyle, operators, looking for new ARPU magnets, and handset manufacturers looking for a value add to differentiate, all profit from Nimbuzz’s mass market solution. Adding 900,000 new users a month, we welcome all O2 customers and TG01 users to Nimbuzz.”

Flirt-words Are Go

Mobile and online dating service Flirtomatic has announced the launch of its Flirt-word service. The new service gives users the opportunity to buy the rights to a certain word for a 24-hour period, giving them the chance to be ‘hot’, ‘cool’, ‘London’ or anything else for the day.  
For the last six weeks, Flirtomatic has given users the ability to profile search, generating over a million Flirt-word searches. Now it’s expanding the search by giving users to chance to buy targeted exposure and attach themselves to a word in order to be found quicker by other users.
Buying a word makes users appear at the top of every search of that specific word, much in the same way as a sponsored link appears at the top of results in any of the major search engines on the web. For example John might buy the exclusivity to the word ‘London’ and if anyone performed a search on Flirtomatic for the word ‘London’ John would appear at the top of the search results for 24 hours.
Noting that some words are going to be more popular than others and to account for this, Flirtomatic has built an automated pricing adjustment system.The price of words will be calculated on a day-to-day basis in relation to customer demand. So the most sought after words should naturally move to a higher price point. In addition, the Flirt-words service will automatically produce banners promoting users and their exclusive word across the network. For example one could read – “Look who’s ‘hot’ today”.
“We know that users love to advertise themselves on the site and the Flirt-words service gives them a new and targeted way to get instant exposure,” says Flirtomatic CEO, Mark Curtis. “Think of it as Google Adwords for the flirtatious.
“It’s an extremely interesting experiment for us, and as the majority of our users seem to realise the value of screen real-estate on mobile, it seemed like a natural progression in profile search capability. It’s a simple concept over perhaps a bidding system, but let’s see what our users think of it.”

NeuStar Makes IM Move

NeuStar has unveiled the NeuStar Subscriber Growth Service and its corresponding Best Practice Guidelines, which are designed to enable participating mobile operators to increase their mobile Instant Messaging (IM) subscriber uptake by up to 40% each year.
The Subscriber Growth Service has been created to help participating operators improve existing mobile IM services considerably and capitalise on the huge market for mobile IM, which, according to comScore’s March 2009 Mobile Market Report, grew by 83.3% in 2008 in Western Europe. Operators who adopt the Subscriber Growth Service will work with NeuStar’s Strategic Services team throughout the process of launching, marketing, and running an IM service, and will receive consultancy on how to build successful new IP business models, based on NeuStar’s track record of increasing the level of subscriber uptake.
With access to the only database of real-time subscriber IM behaviour on the market, NeuStar says it is able to tap into each operator’s subscriber base to break down which users are engaging with mobile IM, which handsets they use, how regularly they communicate via IM, and how much they spend, and help the operator use this information to optimise the service. By analysing each of the mobile IM services that it has launched since 1999, NeuStar has created the market’s first Best Practice Guidelines and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with the aim of supporting operators to effectively launch, market, and drive additional IM services to their subscriber base.
“With the Subscriber Growth Service, we can work hand-in-hand with our customers, providing a consultative, analytical service tailored to their market that will deliver long-term business benefits and allow operators the privileged, granular view of subscriber experience they need to increase uptake and profitability,” says Guenter Krauss, Senior Vice President and General Manager of NeuStar Next Generation Messaging (NGM). “We believe that we can increase an operator’s IM subscriber base and help them to generate incremental revenues from compelling next generation messaging services.”
Building on NeuStar’s established relationships with operators worldwide, the Subscriber Growth Service will help participating operators to substantially grow their existing subscriber bases, by advising them of the best handsets and price plans, customer lifecycle management and user experience, throughout the lifecycle of the service. With only 19.2% of mobile IM users aged between 18 and 24 years old, and 20.3% aged between 35 and 44 years old, NeuStar says it has the internal data and real-time analysis capabilities to advise operators how to effectively launch and market a range of IM services to affluent age groups beyond the youth segment. By harnessing this data and analysing IM activity on a daily basis, NeuStar says its customers will be able to develop a loyal base of mobile IM users and also pave the way for new presence-enabled services.
As an example, NeuStar says its data on IM usage suggests that in many instances, users prefer accessing IM via a downloadable client, as opposed to a mobile web-based service, because it delivers a better user experience.
“It is this type of data that we will feed back to our customers to help them develop the very best IM services, drive subscriber uptake and ultimately increase retention,” says Krauss.

BuzzCity Launches Community Translation Service

BuzzCity, which provides of global wireless communities and consumer services, has launched a community translation service across its mobile social network, myGamma. The new feature enables myGamma users to help expand the network’s reach to include smaller language communities and speakers of regional dialects. In addition, these new audiences create unique marketing opportunities for businesses through BuzzCity’s advertising network.
The peer-reviewed service encourages existing multi-lingual members to create a comprehensive list of myGamma navigational terms and instructional messages. Once developed, a team of volunteer translators will maintain and update the list based on popular consensus, incorporating feedback from users. The entire collaborative translation process takes place over mobile Internet wiki-style pages hosted on myGamma.
BuzzCity says it has already seen strong demand and participation from users who, since the beta version was introduced in April, have helped increase the number of languages and dialects available on myGamma from 14 to 77. There are over 1,400 registered translators, focusing predominantly on the African, Indo-Aryan and Austronesian languages.
“The rapid adoption of our community translation service demonstrates the willingness of our members to help connect new communities to the myGamma network,” says BuzzCity CEO, KF Lai. “Collectively, these communities account for a large number of people whose primary language is not catered for by other media. As consumers, they also represent a significant part of mobile advertising’s long tail. The service is a real example of a community working to benefit its users. We have been delighted with the response since it launched and look forward to its ongoing development – which will not only benefit the users directly but those wanting to reach them.”
The service is designed to provide localised mobile content to people previously left unconnected due to linguistic barriers. By opening myGamma to wider audiences, BuzzCity says its advertising network also benefits from increased inventory, making the network a more attractive proposition for marketers. In addition to providing an effective channel to reach minority markets, which may otherwise be left untapped, the number of niche monetisation opportunities will also increase as more languages are added to the network.

itsmy Launches Social Browser Games Division

Mobile social media brand itsmy has created an in-house division dedicated to mobile social browser games in Munich, Germany
itsmy games becomes the brand’s fourth social media division, joining mobile rich media advertising, mobile social TV and the 2.5 million user-strong social networking service, itsmy.com
A first trial of three mobile social browser games, including ‘itsmy Graffiti’, ‘itsmy CrazyBee’ and ‘itsmy WaterBalloon Battle’, proved successful, with more than five million mobile mini games played within the last three months.
Gofresh, the company behind itsmy, says the success was achieved in two regards. Firstly, for the mobile social network, games act as a ‘friends connector’, as all games have to be played with or against other people. For itsmy the social multiplayer games – even though the basic version is free of cost for users – are a new revenue generator.
A team of five developers and creatives will be led by Gofresh CTO, Jukka Saarelainen, who has more than 10 years mobile experience. The games will be distributed within itsmy.com and other worldwide mobile social portals and networks. The goals for the unit are the release of up to 50 mobile social games, and to be profitable by Q4 2009.
“Mobile social networks have a new level of communication: mobile social games,” says itsmy.com Creative Director, David Mayerhofer, Creative Director. “These fulfil a whole range of human desires, like self-expression, communication, being entertained and staying connected with friends and family. We are ready for taking this challenge with our new unit.”
You can access itsmy.com via your mobile browser at http://m.itsmy.com

peoplesound Launched as an iPhone App

Buongiorno has launched an iPhone app version of its peoplesound mobile social networking service. Buongiorno says the peoplesound application is the first social network to concentrate on true relationships between real friends. At any one time, a user’s ‘friends list’ is limited to 20 friends only, creating a more personal network for a more personal device.
peoplesound  is available free of charge at the Apple App Store for use on all 3G and 2G iPhone and iPod Touch devices. iPhone users can access all peoplesound features with a mere touch of their finger, to update their status, upload photos, and simultaneously share these quickly and easily with their 20 friends.
According to a recent comScore M:Metrics study, 15% of iPhone and Smartphone users connect to social networking sites “almost every day”, while the percentage of people connecting through less advanced handsets is just 3.6%.
You can join peoplesound online or via your mobile's browser at: http://m.peoplesound.com

INQ Reports Heavy Data Usage

INQ Mobile, maker of the “Social Mobile” handset, has released data on usage of the INQ1 on the 3UK network. The company’s handset was built from the ground up with social media and Internet services at its core. This close integration of applications and easy to use interface means, the company says, that for the first time, consumers are using an entry-level priced handset, often on a pay-as-you-go tariff, to access data at levels typically reserved for much more expensive Smartphones.
An average of 65% of INQ1 customers are using Facebook, with the majority of users accessing the service once a day or more. This level of mass market data usage on a well priced slider device means higher margins and ARPU for carriers because it is paired with lower subsidy and network load costs, the company notes.
The high usage of email on a non-QWERTY device surpassed all expectations. 30% of INQ1 customers are regularly using email, which shows that if it is easy enough to use, people will access email, even on standard 12-key devices using T9. This number also confirms that email can penetrate into the mass market, and not be restricted to high-end, expensive Smartphones. The email service for 3 UK is provided by SEVEN, and takes advantage of the INQ API to provide customers with tightly integrated push email.
Windows Live Messenger usage is 3-4 times greater than on other 3G phones on 3’s UK network, with around 50% of INQ1 customers accessing the service every month. Skype usage is also high, at 19% of the INQ1 base.
“The iPhone and Blackberry are great devices, but it is important to remember that (according to Gartner), Smartphones only make up 12% of the market,” says INQ Mobile CEO, Frank Meehan.
“We see a huge opportunity to provide an Internet and social networking experience on a handset that costs operators a fraction of what they’re paying for higher end phones. Consumers with an INQ1 can get unlimited data, Internet and texts on a £15 pay as you go tariff. And now we have seen that they are actually using the phone to access data services like Skype, Windows Live Messenger, email and Facebook at an astonishing rate.”
INQ says it is also seeing strong numbers in the Hong Kong market, which launched with the INQ1 in March 2009. 50% of INQ1 customers regularly use data services on a level that is four times higher per subscriber than the typical 3G user base. Facebook usage is also three to four times higher than the average on other 3G devices on the 3 Hong Kong network.

Flirtomatic Reveals US Usage Figures

Mobile and online flirting service Flirtomatic has revealed some of the initial patterns it has been seeing since its US launch in earlier this year. 
Flirtomatic’s US push began in February, and since then, it says, numbers have been growing strongly from an initial test marketing push, giving clear evidence that demand is there. Users in the US are logging into the service over five times, and sending 26 messages, daily. Both stats, the company says, are surprisingly similar to the UK user stats, given the early stage of the service there, and overall user numbers. Anecdotally, it adds, it seems that people in the US love flirting with Brits and vice versa, which is delivering critical mass earlier than expected. Also so far, 36% of US users are enjoying Flirtomatic on an iPhone.
As part of Flirtomatic's push forward, the company is aiming to build long-term, profitable relationships with US operators. To this end, it has hired Gary Cohen to cultivate the growth of the service in the country, and establish Flirtomatic with US operators.
Cohen has spent 14 years of his career with US mobile network operators, including US West Cellular (now Verizon Wireless) and AT&T Mobility, building high performance sales teams, opening new markets and innovative channels of distribution.

Wadja Unveils Cross-platform Labelling System

Wadja.com, the mobile web, media and messaging service, has launched a labelling system that it says is the first to allow users to tag online content across all social networks and platforms. Using the system, people can apply labels to any online content, such as contacts, images, emails and even Twitter conversations. 
The service is powered by Twitter’s API and works by assigning a specific Wadja label to content, allowing users to create a live archive of everything related to that label. In addition, Wadja users can now import Twitter streams into their Wadja profile and reply or re-tweet via Wadja.
“We’ve introduced another way for our users to interact with each other,” says Wadja Managing Director, Alex Christoforou. “Labelling is already a popular method of organising online content, but it does not allow interaction or sharing across different social networks. We believe the web should be about collaboration, yet a lot of social networks put up barriers to external communication. Wadja is different and our new service brings people closer together.”
Wadja’s platform gives users the capacity to receive and label messages from networks such as MySpace, LinkedIn and Gmail, whilst multimedia files from Flickr, YouTube and Picasa accounts can be managed via Wadja’s profile interface.
To explain how the system works, Wadja uses the example of a typical user, let’s call him Scott, who receives a message from John and Sarah in his inbox about the Glastonbury Festival. Scott labels this email ‘Glastonbury 2009’ and likewise, labels his contacts – John and Sarah – ‘Glastonbury 2009’ as well.
After the concert, Scott uploads his videos and photos from the event as ‘Glastonbury 2009’ as well. So far, the label content for ‘Glastonbury 2009’ contains an inbox message, two contacts and numerous media files.
Scott can also add more than one label to content or data source. For example, Sarah may have the label ‘Glastonbury 2009’ as well as ‘co-worker’, creating a new relationship and connection between two totally unrelated Meta sources.
Other friends searching through Scott’s profile and browsing Wadja will see the relationship between communications, people and media through the lens of the labelling system. Activity feeds will surround the label and Twitter’s API will support each label conversation to add a ‘real time’ feeling to Scott’s archive and social filing process.

SpinVox Survey Reveals Tweeting Habits

SpinVox has conducted a survey among Americans, Brits and Canadians that use the ‘Ping through SpinVox’ service to post Twitter updates to reveal the places from where people now tweet and the resulting new slang that is emerging in the Twittersphere.
SpinVox says the Ping through SpinVox voice-powered social network service has been taken up by thousands of Twitter users who want to break free of the need to have access to a keyboard or broadband connection. Users simply speak their updates.
Many users report that the freedom to speak their Twitter updates enables them to tweet from some unusual places. The survey found that while most SpinVox speak-a-tweet users (84%) admitted to tweeting in public while travelling, some preferred more privacy, with 23% reported tweeting from the privacy of the bathroom.
Speaking a tweet during fitness was reported as a regular part of the routine of those using a treadmill (13%) or jogging in the park (25%). Some of the more common places reported for tweeting through SpinVox included shopping (37%), while cooking (17%) or when enjoying outdoor events such as music festivals (8%) and waiting in line to get into events such as football games (5%).
Not only has voice-powered tweeting seen SpinVox users communicating from unusual places but the phenomenon has created many more new words which are being picked up and learned by VMCS, SpinVox’s automated speech-to-text conversion system, as people start to use them in their everyday conversations. As such, the company says, they represent the `Voxgeist` of the way people actually speak today.
The top 10 Twitterverse-related slang words and phrases found in the SpinVox Voxgeist are currently:

1. Hashtag: a way of marking an event or common theme e.g. “I’m off to Mobile Geeks of New York #MGoNY”
2. #Follow Friday: a weekly event, where you recommend your favorite Twitterers to your followers.
3. Dabr: a mobile web interface for Twitter.
4. Twetiquette: appropriate behaviour when using Twitter.
5. Twitpoll: a survey/question posed on Twitter
6. Tweetdeck: one of the most popular desktop interfaces for Twitter.
7. Twhirl: a smaller, less intrusive desktop interface for Twitter
8. Mashable Effect: the result of @mashable, aka Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable.com, re-tweeting your site/blog address and causing it to overload with web traffic.
9. Tweetup: a meeting organized on Twitter.
10. Twestival: a charity event organized using Twitter

There’s more information on updating Twitter or multiple social network sites simultaneously using Ping through SpinVox here.

Xtract Offers Social Links Software as a Service

Xtract has announced that from today, it is offering its flagship social intelligence product, Social Links, as a service, while still fully supporting the software licensing model. Xtract says that the Software as a Service (SaaS) version, called Social Links On-Demand, enables mobile operators to cash in on the social networking phenomenon for targeted, viral marketing on a pay-as-you-go service model.
Social Links uses social network analytics to enable companies to leverage social intelligence in marketing. Social Links utilises anonymised subscriber transaction data to generate customer insight based on social intelligence, predict the behaviour of subscribers (e.g. for churn management and product up-sell/cross-sell) and to understand the network of influence between subscribers. Social Links is based on analytics that dig deep into the granular communication patterns between subscribers to draw accurate profiles and targeting. The solution has been deployed by top-tier mobile operators worldwide, and won several industry awards
The On-Demand model means minimum upfront investment and no operational hassle. Xtract estimates that Social Links On-Demand is 74% faster to set up than traditional in-house implementations and offers 39% faster payback time.
Social Links On-Demand combines software, hardware, implementation, customer support, operations and maintenance in a bundled service, hosted by Xtract. This means that operators don’t need to invest upfront in software licenses or hardware platforms. The solution is delivered via a service level agreement that best suits each operator’s business needs, dependent on the number of subscribers served, or the amount of data or level of security required. All data is processed anonymously, and customer transaction results are processed in a way that complies with data security and privacy regulations.
Marketing and campaign managers are provided with a secure, browser-based graphical user interface which they can use to view social intelligence dashboard reports and graphs; create Social Links analytics runs; define campaign targeting; configure and export target lists; and, view their community dynamics.
“Efficient analysis is key to leveraging the power of social networks and eventually monetising them through relevant content and advertising,” says Julien Theys, Mobile Industry Analyst at Screen Digest. “An on-demand solution can provide access to social network intelligence that is light, flexible and financially less cumbersome than traditional software licenses. It is therefore ideally suited for operators who prefer not to invest heavily in in-house analytics and database marketing solutions and resources, especially in the current economic climate.”

Graffiti a Hit with itsmy.com Users

Mobile social network itsmy.com has revealed that its Mobile Social Browser Game, ‘Graffiti’,  which allows users to seek out their friends and then leave their names – known as ‘tags’ – on their friends’ mobile Internet profile pages.
Graffiti launched in March 2009 in the UK, Italy and the US for the 2.5 million members of itsmy.com’s mobile community, and within eight weeks, users had left more than 1.5 million tags on personal profile pages. The basic version of the game is free, and, the company says, works with every mobile phone browser in the world.
“Mobile social games are a new way of communication for our users, and a new revenue generator for the company,” says itsmy.com CEO, Antonio Vince Staybl. “The various kinds of mobile browser games we launched in the last months clearly show the users’ acceptance of mobile payments, and thus are an excellent alternative to advertising for us, especially in the current economic situation.”
A recent user survey conducted among 1,000 itsmy.com users showed that around 61% of mobile game players already found new friends during a game session, while 95% liked the ideaof staying in touch with old friends by playing a game on their mobile phone.
itsmy.com’s mobile browser game in-house unit plans to launch of up to 50 multiplayer and mini games for mobiles during 2009. You can find itsmy.com on your mobile at: http://m.itsmy.com

Wadja Offers Branded Social Networks

Wadja.com, the mobile web, media and messaging service, is offering to provide brands and organisations with the capacity to build their own dedicated, branded mobile social network, powered by the Wadja platform.
Wadja says it will offer its full portfolio of web and mobile services to any brand’s customers, including personal profile creation, direct messaging, free text messages, mobile-to-PC contact synchronisation, and multimedia storage and sharing. Brands can also take advantage of Wadja’s contextual SMS advertising service, MessageAds, to unlock the marketing potential of the messages sent by the network’s users. The ability to track users’ interests and even integrate feeds from other networks such as Twitter brings a host of additional benefits for organisations partnering with Wadja, the company says.
“By providing brands with a fully customised social media platform, brands can better understand their audiences, and build a community of advocates that both caters for existing customers and attracts new ones,” says Wadja Founder and Managing Director, Alex Christoforou.
Wadja says that what it is doing is totally unique, in offering a comprehensive white label mobile social network.
“For marketing teams, ithis takes social media outreach to an entirely new level, quickly and easily,” says Christoforou. “By retaining various channels for monetising the service, it can even become a source of revenue.”
Another feature from Wadja is Shortcode messaging, which allows users to update their web profile on the branded social network via a text message. Brands can also utilise the potential of Wadja’s hosting and content sharing features, such as Google Locations, which helps users stay informed about their friends’ current location via profile updates ,and Mediabox, which allows users to upload, share and even images and multimedia files. Brands can customise their new networks by adapting the language, alphabet and specific cultural considerations for each market.
The first customer for the new offering is Crewparty, a UK-based travel supplier which specialises in cruises for singles, which plans to target potential customers via a new, branded community.
The existing Wadja network launched in the UK last year and currently supports over 4 million users both on the web and via mobile.

eBuddy Launches on Android

Web and mobile Instant Messaging (IM) platform eBuddy has launched eBuddy for Android, a free IM application that enables users with AIM, Facebook, ICQ, Google Talk, Yahoo! or MSN Windows Live Messenger to have multiple chats in one interface, and which, the company says, provides a high quality, fast and reliable ‘on-the-go’ chat experience.
The eBuddy for Android multi-language IM application is available as a phone download via Android Market.
Features include eBuddy ID, which provides a single one log-in to access multiple IM networks; new message notifications in the Android status bar; emoticons for every IM network; buddy list grouping, profile viewing and account management; auto reconnect; the ability to receive offline messages, and to to run in the background. The application is compatible with Android 1.1 and 1.5 (Cupcake).
“eBuddy Mobile Messenger has been downloaded over 20 million times and is one of the world’s fastest growing mobile IM services, with over 5 million unique monthly users,” says eBuddy CEO and Foudner, Jan-Joost “JJ” Rueb. “We believe the global market for Android-powered phones and applications is primed for exponential growth, and we’re excited to give eBuddy users and Android enthusiasts around the world access to eBuddy whenever and wherever they want.”

Clickatell Pushes Self-service Messaging

Mobile messaging firm Clickatell has revealed that it’s mobile messaging solution is being used by three mobile social networks - Brightkite, mig33 and Mobiluck - to deliver text messages to millions of their community members around the world.
Brightkite’s location-aware mobile service helps people connect with friends and share real world experiences. More than 2 million people use Brightkite’s free service every month to meet people, keep track of friends, explore and discover new places, and annotate places with notes and photos.
mig33’s mobile community has more than 18 million users globally, providing a choice of communications and entertainment services for users to connect with on their mobile phone.
“Clickatell has been a good partner over the past four years in helping us build our global community, so we can deliver the kind of service our customers deserve and have come to expect,” says mig33 CEO, Steve Boom. 
Mobiluck is a mobile, location-based social network with 1 million mobile members and 5,000 new people joining daily from all over the world. Mobiluck allows people to find nearby people, places and events, sorted by distance. In just a minute, people and businesses can create a free mobile webpage in order to be easily found on the mobile web. Mobiluck is available on all mobiles and PCs, in all countries, on all operator networks, and without any download. Members receive free Clickatell-powered SMS alerts to inform them of interesting events such as nearby friends or recent profile views. “
To use Clickatell’s mobile messaging self-service website, developers and marketers simply create an account, enter a credit card number to buy future message quantities and then select their desired social networking messaging solution. There’s no heavy software installation, long purchase processes or complex implementation, the company says, and in a matter of minutes, organizations of all sizes can rapidly deploy SMS-based mobile social strategies and campaigns.
Clickatell's mobile messaging solutions include seven API choices and developer tools,  and provide one central point to quickly integrate new SMS capabilities into existing or new offerings. The company can reach more than 775 networks in more than 200 countries around the world.
There’s more information about Clickatell’s messaging solutions for mobile social networking here.

Virgin Joins Bebo Open Mobile

Virgin Media has become the latest mobile operator to join Bebo’s Open Mobile program, with the launch of Mobile Messaging and Mobile Internet services.
Launched in February, Bebo Open Mobile is a global program for mobile operators, handset makers and software developers to support the customizable delivery of the Bebo social networking experience to mobile users. The initiative offers a suite of tools and according to Bebo owner AOL, has achieved significant international adoption.
“Virgin Media’s decision to embed Bebo in their customer experience plays to both of our strengths and joins two great brands,” says Sean Kane, VP Mobile at AOL People Networks. “In partnership with Virgin Media, we will be able to deliver great mobile content to more users in the UK.”
Virgin Media and Bebo have launched a customised version of the Bebo mobile site with Virgin Media navigation, support for mobile advertising and customized Virgin Media features. Virgin Media has also pre-loaded bookmarks and other Bebo services on Virgin Media mobile phones so that Bebo mobile services are available immediately to phone buyers. As a result of these activities, the number of page views to the Bebo mobile site from Virgin Media’s mobile customers has already grown by 14% from February to March.
Virgin Media’s mobile customers can also now receive alerts and updates through the 22326 (BEBO) Shortcode. Using the Shortcode, Virgin Media customers can update their Bebo profile, participate in mobile content such as polls, and interact with friends. Bebo and Virgin Media are also working to further embed the Bebo experience and content on mobile devices sold to Virgin Media customers.

I Think, Therefore IM

Mickael Remond, CEO of Instant messaging (IM) company ProcessOne, argues that mobile operators should do more to push mobile IM services

Today’s mobile landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, and in order to gain market share and remain profitable, operators need to change their approach. Traditionally, operators have seen text messaging as their ‘cash cow’ so have tended to drive it more than other services. But with mobile handsets becoming increasingly sophisticated, users are demanding more feature-rich services. Mobile Instant Messaging (IM) is a great opportunity for operators, but not enough is being done to encourage its widespread adoption. There are a number of factors that operators must address in order to successfully increase adoption levels.

The challenges
The first challenge operators face is a lack of consumer awareness. Recent research from TNS, commissioned by ProcessOne, showed that 60% of mobile users would send fewer text messages if they were better educated on how to use mobile IM. This shows that there is a demand for mobile IM.
Most consumers are aware of IM, and at some point, have used it on their PC. But many are unaware of the benefits of having it on their mobile phone. Consumers have the basic knowledge to use IM, but they need to be educated on how to access it on their phone.
Another challenge facing mobile operators is network interoperability. Texting and mobile voice calls only took off when users were able to communicate cost-effectively with each other, irrespective of which network they were on. The same needs to happen with mobile IM, as users will want to communicate with friends and colleagues using a single IM service, rather than having multiple accounts for different networks.
Another possible reason for the slow adoption of mobile IM is confusion around pricing. The research by TNS found that 40% of the mobile users surveyed would prefer to pay on a pay-per-message basis. This is not surprising, given that text messaging is traditionally billed in this manner, and as a result, consumers are used to, and comfortable with, this billing approach. Consumers are also aware, however, that IM usually involves a larger volume of messages than texting, which can give the perception of it being more expensive.

Rising to the challenge
By taking the time and effort to clearly educate and convey the benefits of mobile IM, operators can begin to influence adoption levels. The first hurdle to address is the lack of consumer education. Operators need to discount any uncertainty that customers may have about it and actively promote the benefits, such as no character restrictions on messages, which can be a major frustration for text messaging users.
Mobile IM can also enable group chat, where users talk to a number of contacts at the same time, rather than engaging with each individually, saving time and money. In addition, users can send multimedia files much more easily using mobile IM.
The next challenge to tackle is network interoperability. Historically, when mobile phones were first introduced, it was cheaper to speak to contacts if they were on the same mobile network. But this needed to change in order for text messaging to be successful, and it is clear that interoperability will once again be a key factor in driving mobile IM adoption. If operators clearly highlight that mobile IM users can cost-effectively communicate with contacts, irrespective of what network they are on, they stand to attract new subscribers, as well as retain existing ones.
To go one step further, operators aiming to get the maximum benefit from mobile IM services should consider developing their own mobile IM client. Traditionally, IM services have been driven by providers such as MSN and Yahoo! But by creating their own-branded mobile IM service using ‘open’ platforms, operators can ensure network interoperability, while using their own branding to take advantage of the opportunity to sell additional services to their subscribers.
Lastly, to help speed up adoption of mobile IM, operators needs to show clearer pricing models that demonstrate its cost effectiveness for the consumer. Evidence shows that consumers are willing to use the service if it is priced correctly, so there is plenty of room for mobile operators to develop innovative pricing options. These could include flat-rate or micro-billing for add-on IM services such as file downloads, helping to increase ARPU (average revenue per user). 

Take action
Although mobile IM is a great opportunity for operators, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before adoption becomes widespread. To help drive adoption levels, operators must tackle challenges such as education, pricing and network interoperability. Once they have established their user base, they can harness this demand to expose new business opportunities and increase revenue and drive profits. If the operators do all this, they can expect to see the benefits on the bottom line. 

cellity Ports Communicator to the iPhone and G1

cellity has optimized its free Communicator mobile communication suite for the iPhone. It will enable iPhone users to synchronize and manage contacts from social networks and other sources (Outlook, webmail providers etc.) at one central interface, using the iPhone or the Safari Browser on the Mac.
cellity is also extending its service, with the integration of the Google Android G1 handset. iPhone and G1 users will profit from cellity's growing range of products which aggregate social network messages, and from recently included address sources, such as the evaluation forum, QYPE.
“Increasing mobile data volumes require intelligent solutions which concentrate all relevant messages and contacts from the mobile device, social networks and webmail accounts at one central interface - like the address book 2.0.”, says cellity Founder and CMO, Sarik Weber. “iPhone and G1 users can download the new cellity Communicator in the iTunes App Store and Android App Store. The user will always have an updated version of the software, because updates are being made right away.”

WeFi Launches fring Add-on

WeFi, the creator of the first open community-based global wi-fi network, and mobile Internet community fring have launched the WeFi add-on for fring that gives users mobile access to a database of 20 million wi-fi access points worldwide. The database is growing at the rate of over 1 million access points per month.
The WeFi add-on for fring provides users with easy and free access to millions of wi-fi hotspots from their mobile devices. Wefi says the alpha test of the service has been particularly popular with business and pleasure travellers, enabling them to easily find wi-fi connections from their mobile device, saving time looking for somewhere to log on, and providing affordable Internet access both locally and while roaming internationally.
“fring is a natural partner for WeFi, helping to realize the full benefit of mobile wi-fi access,” says WeFi CEO, Zur Feldman. “Our current users, and the millions of new users we will reach via fring, will enjoy easy and free access to hotspots without having to manually insert their location, and will be able to use this free Internet for interacting with friends and data-hungry services such as streaming music."
The WeFi add-on currently works on hundreds of Symbian and Windows Mobile devices with the latest version of fring, which can be downloaded or upgraded here. A full list of supported handsets is available here.
To locate and access millions of hotspots from these mobile devices, users simply select the WeFi add-on from the add-ons tab within fring. Users can locate their wi-fi hotspot location automatically using their handset’s GPS capability, or manually, by typing in any address worldwide.
Developers can create their own add-ons using fring's developer site, where they’ll find the fring API documentation, code samples and open source add-ons (twitter and last.fm) which they can use to leverage their current web expertise to create their own mobile Internet applications. 

Say Hello to HelloTxt

Buongiorno has announced the launch of HelloTxt, a status update aggregator for the social media market. HelloTxt enables users to post their status updates just once and have them appear automatically on all of their networks, enabling them to keep all of their friends up-to-date across different social networks. It also enables users to read friends' updates from the main microblogs and social networks at the same time. Status updates can be posted via the web, email, or from a mobile phone, and can include photos and video content.
The concept of HelloTxt was first developed in late 2007 by Fabrizio Giordano and Raffaele Rasini, and shortly after, it was spotted by Buongiorno Chairman and Founder, Mauro del Rio, who included it in Buongiorno’s 2.0 mobile content product portfolio.
HelloTxt’s success among developers and bloggers has been immediate, the company says. In 10 months, it surpassed 30,000 registered users, relying purely on word of mouth for promotion.
HelloTxt aggregates over 45 social networks/microblogs, including all the usual suspects. On average, says Buongiorno, users aggregate four. The number of status updates is increasing at the rate of around 8,000 per day. 65% of all status update are made through web and mobile, and 35% of them come from third party applications using the open HelloTxt API.
HelloTxt appeals to an international audience of committed social networkers, with users coming from the UK, US, Italy, Spain, France, Sweden and elsewhere. As of today,  HelloTxt enables users to read status updates from their contacts, no matter which network they are using, via the ‘Friend's Status’ page. Currently, the ability to aggregate all sources to read from is only available for Twitter, Facebook, Identica and BrigKite, but the ability to write and send out status updates is compatible across 45 social networks/microblogs.

Nimbuzz Hits 10m on GetJar

Independent app store GetJar has revealed that VoIP, presence and IM (Instant Messaging) provider Nimbuzz has achieved 10 million downloads on its network. GetJar says that Nimbuzz achieved this milestone through strong brand recognition, an award winning application design and by effectively using GetJar’s Pay-Per-Download service to gain prominent visibility and significantly increase its downloads.
Nimbuzz is a mobile social messenger, combining IM, (geo) presence, and VoIP. The free app supports communities including Skype, Windows Live Messenger (MSN), Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, GoogleTalk and AIM, and social networks including Facebook and MySpace.
The GetJar pay-per-download solution is a cost-per-acquisition (CPA)-based service that enables developers and brand owners to bid for premium catalogue placement per download and set their own maximum daily budgets.
“As consumer’s recognition and use of app stores to personalise their mobile begins to soar, gaining visibility within an extensive app store, filled with tens of thousands of apps, is a challenge for companies in the mobile space,” says Nimbuzz CEO, Evert Jaap Lugt. “We have always looked for ways to differentiate our brand from competitors, and GetJar’s Pay-Per-Download (PPD) service presents an opportunity to do just that. GetJar is our top outside source to increase mobile downloads and using their PPD service has exponentially increased our download rate since we started working with them two years ago. To be specific, GetJar PPD lets us acquire users at 10% of the cost of any CPM banner campaign we have ever undertaken internationally.”

Buongiorno Unveils peoplesound

Buongiorno has announced the launch of peoplesound, a mobile-centric social network. peoplesound is the final version of the beta phase blinko, and the result of a dialogue with users and bloggers that, the company says, led to “a true alternative social network”. peoplesound can be accessed via the mobile Internet, and also offers text-based notifications and free text messaging between users.
The network is specifically designed for the mobile phone with a closed network of friends. As such, says Buongiorno, it differentiates itself from the majority of social networks born for the web, where relationships are widely spread among people that barely know each other, and where updates are often retrospective or predictive.
peoplesound is accessible on the mobile at: http://m.peoplesound.com (or m.pplsnd.com), and immediately enables users to send free SMS texts to their ‘20 favourites’. and to follow up to 10 Channels. The Channels are being developed to deliver social networkers with precisely what they are interested in: sharing. For instance, sharing a song just listened to, or gossip and news generated by the peoplesound Channels. The peoplesound Channels provided by Buongiorno offers updates on music and sport, as well as on local and national events. They are a work-in-progress portfolio with relevant updates and content to be implemented over the coming months. Users can contribute by emailing: channel4me@peoplesound.com.
“The meaning of peoplesound truly reflects the project’s philosophy: a social network characterised by genuine relationships and empathy among people”, says Buongiorno’s Mauro Del Rio at Buongiorno. “peoplesound is the result of extensive R&D and related enhancements, made possible thanks to the valuable contributions of the over 300,000 users, during the beta phase of blinko. The aim is to communicate and share our most important moments anywhere at anytime, with the people we really care about.”
peoplesound is a free service: users only pay the usual Internet traffic costs related to the operator, according to their tariff plan, as well as the standard network cost for SMS status updates. Buongiorno says it is working with “the main mobile operators worldwide”, to guarantee users the most convenient tariffs. Users can subscribe via the mobile site, or on a PC at: www.peoplesound.com

Flirtomatic Celebrates Miss World Success

Mobile and online flirting service Flirtomatic has revealed that almost 1,000 people have entered the Miss Great Britain 2009 competition via their mobile, with a further 2,000 people signing up to become judges for the competition, interacting with contestants for the chance to take part in the selection process as part of the Face of Flirtomatic competition.
Since the competition began on 23 March, more than 3,000 contestants have sent over 10,000 virtual gifts, been rated more than 100,000 times and received 1 million messages, all to try and win a place in the final of Miss Great Britain on 12 May.
According to Flirtomatic, 30% of entries (900) have come from normal, everyday girls, who perhaps wouldn’t have taken the time and effort to go through the traditional mode of entering by attending auditions. 70% have come from guys looking to be judges in the Flirtomatic competition, keen to see if they can uncover the next Miss Great Britain.
The Miss Great Britain contest has been around since 1945 but this year’s contest is the world’s first to accept entries via mobile. Combining the popularity of online social networking with a physical event has proved highly successful with both the female and male users on Flirtomatic, the company says.
“Our users, both male and female, have responded to this competition in a way that has completely surpassed our expectations,” says CEO Mark Curtis. “Whenever we try something new like this, we very quickly find out whether it’s going to be a success, simply from the way our users react. It’s true that a beauty contest, isn’t really going to rock the world, but it’s been a bold move for us to interact in such a way with an offline event. This is a physical, traditional event that began 64 years ago and we’ve pulled it into the mobile, online world. One of our aims for this, was to try and give mobile a sense of relevancy in the real world, to see if we can successfully take the work of a social network offline and I hope we’ve achieved the beginnings of that.”
The Face of Flirtomatic competition ran from 23 March until 19 April and was only open to UK users. Any girl with a Flirtomatic profile has the chance to win the Miss GB Face of Flirtomatic competition and book their place in the final of Miss Great Britain 2009 on 12 May at Café de Paris in London.

Mobile Advertising Recession-proof, says BuzzCity

BuzzCity, which provides wireless communities and consumer services, has announced the results of its quarterly Global Mobile Advertising Index. According to BuzzCity, the results show that the global recession is having little to no effect on mobile advertisers or user habits. The Index documents the growth of mobile Internet advertising and represents inventory sold across the BuzzCity Mobile Advertising Network in more than 200 countries globally. It indicates growth in the number of users accessing the mobile Internet, in spite of declining public confidence in the economy and security in the job market.   
In the first three months of 2009, the BuzzCity Advertising Network delivered 8.5 billion paid advertising banners, an increase of 11% over the previous quarter. The top 10 countries by the number of paid advertising banners delivered in each are:

1. Indonesia: 4.4 billion (23% growth)
2. India: 842 million (+16%)
3. United States: 527 million (+38%)
4. South Africa: 428 million (-8 %)
5. Egypt: 162 million (+8 %)
6. Romania: 161 million (+9 %)
7. China: 130 million (+67% )
8. Philippines: 125 million (+8 %)
9. United Kingdom: 113 million (+54 %)
10. Bangladesh: 112 million (-16 %)

Growth and usage of the mobile Internet in the first quarter was particularly strong in China (67%), the UK(54%), the US (38%) and Indonesia (23%). The UK is in the Top 10 for the first time and joins Romania in representing Europe, suggesting an increase in off-portal activity and the prospect of more advertiser interest. Italy, Spain, Sweden and France all recorded double digit growth on the Q4 2009 figures. Similarly, Egypt’s rise to 5th place is the result of steady growth in usage and advertiser interest since it first appeared on the Index in April 2008. 
“Despite a very challenging economic environment advertisers are clearly moving more of their advertising budgets to the mobile Internet, says BuzzCity CEO, KF Lai. “Competition for advertising dollars has never been more intense, but the mobile Internet’s superior ROI has made this media a part of many marketer’s plans.”
The advertising industry has more reasons for optimism.
BuzzCity tracks the growth of the network and by extension, the growth of the mobile Internet in more than 200 countries around the world via advertisements placed on more than 2,000 publisher sites.

Vodafone NZ Joins Bebo Open Mobile Program

AOL People Networks has unveiled Vodafone New Zealand as the next mobile operator to join Bebo's Open Mobile Program, which offers the mobile industry a suite of tools to provide their customers access to the Bebo social networking experience. Through the Open Mobile Program, Bebo is working with operators, handset manufacturers and mobile software developers to help them promote, distribute and monetize mobile social media.
Vodafone New Zealand is deploying Bebo Open Mobile Messaging, enabling it to offer SMS messaging to customers through the 2802 Shortcode. Users will receive Bebo SMS alerts directly to their mobile phone, and will be able to update Bebo profiles, add photos to their gallery, give virtual gifts and interact with friends. Bebo Open Mobile Messaging is available to all Vodafone’s mobile customers.
Beboers can now choose to get SMS txt updates sent free to their Vodafone mobiles and for 20c per text, update their pages directly via SMS when they’re out and about. Vodafone New Zealand customers can sign-up for this service immediately through the mobile section of the Bebo website and the Bebo mobile Internet site.
“Text messaging is a primary lifeline for everyone and everything that Bebo users want to connect with on their phones,” says Bebo Global Head of Mobile, Bebo, Sean Kane. “Mobile Messaging drives great value for operators and users worldwide as it unites ubiquitous text messaging with the Bebo community and the content they care about.”
Vodafone is the second carrier in New Zealand to join the Bebo Open Mobile Program after the announcement of Telcom, and building on the announcement of other operators, including 3 Ireland, O2 in the UK and all major Canadian mobile operators.
A month ago, Bebo revealed that January mobile page views grew by 44% and text messaging traffic by 13% month on month following the launch of Bebo Open Mobile. AOL People Networks says it expects to make further announcements regarding Bebo Open Mobile Partners and initiatives in the US and Internationally throughout 2009.

3 Ireland Launches Bebo Open Mobile

3 has become the first Bebo Open Mobile Partner in Ireland, launching the Bebo Open Mobile Messaging and Media toolkit, which enables customers to connect directly to friends by text and watch free video content on Bebo from their 3 mobile.
Launched in February, Bebo Open Mobile is a global programme for mobile operators, handset makers and  mobile software developers. The initiative offers a suite of tools to support the delivery of the Bebo social networking experience to mobile users.
From today, 3’s customers in Ireland have access to Bebo Open Mobile Internet. This is a a 3 version of the Bebo mobile Internet platform with 3 navigation, support for direct promotions and a range of customized features. They can also access Bebo Open Mobile Messaging, enabling 3’s customers to receive Bebo SMS alerts and updates on their mobile phones through the 51231 Shortcode, and to upload photos to Bebo through the 53231 Shortcode. Additionally, 3 customers can update their Bebo profiles, add photos to their gallery, give virtual gifts and interact with friends through the short code
Finally, 3 has deployed Bebo Open Mobile Video in Ireland. This enables 3 customers to enjoy video content on their mobile and share content with friends on Bebo.
“At launch, 3 will be the only mobile operator in Ireland that offers this full Bebo content social networking experience,” says 3 Sales Director, Elaine Carey. “Innovation and value is what we at 3 strive for and the speed at which people are subscribing to Bebo applications shows it’s also exactly what our customers demand.”

Unified Messaging Service Launches in Africa

ForgetMeNot Africa (FMN Africa), which delivers unified messaging for telecos, has announced that it is launching its Message Optimiser service throughout Africa. The service will be publically demonstrated for the first time in Africa at East Africa Com on 1 and 2 April in Nairobi, Kenya. 
In November 2008, LonZim plc acquired a controlling interest in FMN Africa. LonZim has established a strong presence in both the communications sector and financial services technology in the region, through its investments in Celsys, and Paynet, both of which offer strong synergies with FMN Africa and further opportunities to enhance LonZim's portfolio of investments.
Message Optimiser (MO) enables carriers to immediately provide cost-effective comprehensive unified messaging services, including email, Instant Messaging (IM) and SMS, without the end user requiring any Internet access, device upgrades, or application downloads.
With an implementation cycle of a matter of weeks, the company says, carriers can quickly enjoy additional revenue streams, monetizing channels previously unavailable to them, and offering a unique differentiator point; an array of value-added messaging services to their entire customer base. Since it does not require a data contract, Message Optimiser allows operators to increase ARPU and reduce churn amongst its pre-pay customers. 
End-users benefit from the simplicity of ForgetMeNot’s Handset Initiation technology, which turns even the most basic mobile phone into a smarter, Internet-capable, multi-channel messaging device, providing two-way email and two-way IM for both pre-pay and post-pay users alike. Handset Initiation technology is becoming vital, not only for developing nations where PC and Internet access is very low, but also in allowing users globally to have access to email and IM without the need for more expensive Smartphones, a PC or Internet connection.
“In today’s maturing mobile markets, mobile operators are increasingly focused on customer retention and service differentiation,” says FMN Africa CEO, Jeremy George. “Message Optimiser meets both needs, offering a new revenue stream from their existing subscriber base, while offering customers a unique service.”

Twitter is Go on Vodafone

Vodafone UK has signed an agreement with Twitter that will allow its customers to send updates to, and receive SMS notifications from, the messaging network of the moment.
As of today, Vodafone customers will be able to receive text messages from people they choose to follow via SMS on Twitter and send text messages to a dedicated Shortcode, 86444, for their ‘tweets, @replies, or to follow someone on the go. When receiving a text message from Twitter containing a URL, customers will be able to click on the link and access the webpage directly from their mobiles.
The SMS updates posted on Twitter will be free of charge for the first few weeks from launch; after that, they will be part of customers’ bundles. After the free period, regular charges will apply to customers without bundles, but all text message updates sent from Twitter will remain free of charge.
“We are delighted to be the only operator in the UK today to offer Twitter on SMS to our customers,” says Al Russell, Vodafone UK’s Head of Vodafone Internet services. “Since we made social networks on the move both simple to use and great value, customers have flocked to using these services, which have exploded in popularity.”
Twitter’s Director of Mobile Business Development, Kevin Thau, adds:
“Mobile texting extends the power of Twitter's real-time network in a simple but significant way. Twitter is the messaging network you didn't know you needed until you experience it over SMS.”
Vodafone says the new service is easy to use on any mobile device and offers fast mobile access to one of the most popular social networks in the world. Twitter joins a long list of social networks available through Vodafone live! since December 08.
Vodafone adds that since it began including mobile Internet access in its price plans, giving customers unlimited access to the mobile Internet, social networks have topped Vodafone’s popularity charts for the most visited sites on mobiles.

Sybase 365 Seals Asian IM Deal

Sybase 365 has announced an agreement to resell Microsoft Windows Live Messenger services to its mobile operator customers in South East Asia, providing them with a simplified way to offer Windows Live Instant Messenger for Mobile to millions of mobile subscribers. The agreement builds on the five year collaboration between the two companies on services including Windows Live Hotmail mobile.
“This agreement is a natural extension of our ongoing partnership with Microsoft,” says Howard Stevens, Senior Vice President, International Operations at Sybase 365. “Our goal is to continue to provide a win-win situation for our customers, be they mobile operators or the independent software vendors, by providing value and revenue for all parties. We are excited to be a part of bringing one of the Internet’s most popular services to millions of mobile devices around the world.”
As consumer demand continues to build for mobile messaging services beyond text, Sybase 365 believes the next logical areas of focus are multi-media messaging (MMS) and mobile Instant Messaging (IM) services. The company notes that the Windows Live community is already one of the largest on the Internet with more than 550 million users, and says it will continue to grow as it becomes more readily deployed on mobile devices worldwide.
Sybase 365 operator customers offering the service include Singapore’s StarHub and Malaysia’s DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd. DiGi recently launched the country’s first integrated IM mobile client allowing subscribers to access Windows Live Messenger and other IM services on their mobile phones. 
The service is being offered initially in Southeast Asia, and will be rolled out in other countries throughout the year.

Mobile Social Networking Meets Mobile Advertising

The Association for Interactive Media & Entertainment (AIME) is staging an evening seminar in London on Thursday 2 April, entitled: ‘Mobile Advertising and the rise of Social Networking: what does it mean for Brands, Agencies and Service Providers?'
The event considers the sweet spot between mobile social networking and mobile advertising, with many people suggesting that not only will ads fund social networking on mobile, but also that it will be one of the key drivers of mobile advertising, due to the popularity of these sites, with their high engagement and repeat usage.
It will examine the mobile advertising marketplace, and the impact that social networking is having, looking at how things have improved in the value chain, making cross-platform integration of campaigns a viable proposition for brands, agencies and content providers. It will also look at the delivery of key metrics from the market and examine the impact of initiatives from both service providers and mobile network operators to improve the measurability of mobile advertising.
Speakers include Nandi Gurprasad, VP of Alliances at Bango; Peggy Anne Salz, Founder and Chief Analyst of MSearchGroove; Dusan Hamlin, Joint Managing Director of Inside Mobile; Matt Dicks, Commercial Director at Flirtomatic; and Mark Brill, Chairman of the Mobile Council at the Direct Marketing Association (DMA).
Key themes to be explored include:

• Is advertising content? 
• Brands in social media advertising – listen first, then join in the conversation.
• If social networks have become the new ‘water coolers’, incubating new micro audiences with differentiated tastes, what makes advertising too intrusive in this new environment? 
• What's the 'next big thing' in mobile advertising - mobile for the masses?
• Is it just about advertising messages? What kinds of mobile services suit mobile advertising? 
• Measuring success and understanding which types of campaigns work. 
• Are social networking services the ultimate channel for the 'long tail'?
• What is 'social currency' and how do you convert it into revenue? 
• Moving media spend into new channels like mobile.

The event takes place at the Grange Fitzrovia Hotel, London W1W 5NB, from 18.30 – 20.30, followed by networking drinks. It costs £50 to attend the event for AIME members, or £80 for non-members.  
You can register for the event here.

Flirtomatic Takes Beauty Contest Mobile

Mobile and online flirting service Flirtomatic has announced that in conjunction with its sponsorship of Miss Great Britain 2009, it is launching the ‘Miss GB Face of Flirtomatic’ competition.
It’s the first time in the history of Miss Great Britain that girls will be able to enter the competition via their mobile, using Flirtomatic. The Miss GB Face of Flirtomatic competition is the penultimate round, giving girls their final chance to enter and win Miss Great Britain 2009.
Girls can sign up by texting GB10 to 84500 or by visiting www.flirtomatic.com. After uploading an authentic picture, Flirtomatic then sends each girl a gift icon to put on her profile and they can be viewed via the web or mobile in the ‘Face of Flirtomatic’ league. The 20 girls who Flirtomatic deems to be most active with other users will be selected from the league and go through to a final judging round. One girl will be crowned the Face of Flirtomatic and win a place in the Miss Great Britain 09 competition, competing against 11 other pre-selected girls.
Flirtomatic is also offering a little something to its male users.  It wants people to interact with the competing girls as much as possible by chatting, rating them and by sending Flirtograms and ‘Super Snogs’. The 10 users, male or female, who interact most with the girls, will be selected as judges in the final judging round for the Face of Flirtomatic. The 10 judges will also each win two VIP tickets to the final of Miss Great Britain on 12 May, and find out if they helped to discover the next Miss Great Britain.
The Face of Flirtomatic competition runs until 17 April and is open to UK users only. Any girl with a Flirtomatic profile has the chance the to win the Miss GB Face of Flirtomatic competition and book their place in the final of Miss Great Britain 2009 on 12 May at Café de Paris in London.

ebuddy Celebrates 10m GetJar Downloads

Independent mobile app store GetJar has revealed that the web and mobile messaging service eBuddy has reached a landmark 10 million downloads of the eBuddy Mobile Messenger social networking application utilizing GetJar’s site.
GetJar says that eBuddy skyrocketed to this milestone due to strong consumer demand, and by employing its advertising download service to gain maximum visibility on the site and significantly increase downloads.
“Getting noticed within a premier app store filled with tens of thousands of apps is a big challenge for companies in this space,” says Jan-Joost Rueb, eBuddy CEO and Co-founder. “We’re always looking for ways to distance ourselves from the competition, and GetJar provides that opportunity through an unprecedented, effective advertising option. GetJar is our number one external source for downloads, and our partnership with GetJar has exponentially increased eBuddy’s download rate in less than 20 months.”
eBuddy has held the No. 1 download spot on GetJar for 34 weeks since first launching in November 2007. The application is available in 37 languages and offers two versions of its mobile client, the popular J2ME version, eBuddy Mobile Messenger, and the mobile Internet browser version, eBuddy Lite Messenger. eBuddy Mobile Messenger features a sleek user interface and an eBuddy ID which allows the user to create a single, unique ID which can be used to log-in and access all of their IM accounts simultaneously.
The GetJar pay-per-download advertising service enables developers and brand owners to generate downloads of their apps and/or drive traffic to their mobile sites. They can bid for premium catalogue placement per download and set their own maximum daily budgets. Geo-targeting and reporting also allows clients to focus and fine-tune their campaigns to ensure maximum ROI.

Wadja Relaunches Mobile Site

Wadja.com, the mobile web, media and messaging service, has re-launched its mobile social networking site with a new design and refreshed structure. Packed with new features that merge mobile and the web, Wadja says it has sought to create a more ‘real’ social network for users; one that is designed to move with them and bring both online and offline benefits.
Fuelled by the launch of 3G Smartphones like the iPhone and BlackBerry Bold, Wadja’s redesign comes at a time when UK mobile web use is taking off. UK mobile web users have the greatest tendency to visit a social network through their handset with 23% (2 million) doing so on a regular basis#i].
“The redesign helps to bring people together both online and offline across all communications channels, whilst adapting to your personal needs and changing environment,” says Wadja Founder and Managing Director, Alex Christoforou. “Both the mobile and web user interfaces have been overhauled and improved: we’ve added AJAX to page loads, (and) removed a lot of the clutter from our CSS and style sheets, as well as making the site more scalable to prepare it for future advancements.”
New features include Google Locations, an innovative mash-up of Google IP Locations and Loki Location API, which allows users to opt-in to keep their friends updated on their current location. Wadja says this feature is set to explode into a richer mobile location system and ultimately to be incorporated into Wadja’s mobile contextual advertising service, MessageAds.
Also new is Mobile Synchronisation. Using a syncML protocol application, users can keep all their contacts in one place by merging mobile and online contact lists. This feature also offers two-way synchronisation, so new contacts are added, whether the update occurs on the handset or online. Users can also transfer contacts from one mobile to another.
Wadja is compatible with a broad range of handsets from Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung and Motorola, as well as the iPhone.

Buongiorno Updates blinko with "20 favourites" Feature

Digital entertainment firm Buongiorno has unveiled the latest version of its mobile social network, blinko, which enables user to select 20 people with whom to share “constant and meaningful relationships, in total privacy, based at the same time, on timely and up-to-date information.”
A recent survey conducted by HPLabs and Cornell University found that in reality, each individual is in regular contact with about 20 people, who represent their key points of reference in everyday life. This means, says Buongiorno, that any social network contains two sub-sets: one packed with acquaintances with whom we have little genuine interaction and the other, more select but with whom we interact more fully. blinko has decided to concentrate on this subset.Thanks to an exclusive SMS notification service, blinko allows users to use their mobiles to share and interact with their 20 favourite contacts, without necessarily having to start a mobile Internet session. User can also send up to 30 free text messages a day to their circle of 20 favourites.
In addition, users can follow up to 10 Channels. These offer a constant update on music, sport and film, as well as national and local events. News from blinko Channels can be commented on and shared with a user’s 20 favourites direct from their mobile.
Buongiorno notes that the social network phenomenon has changed significantly in recent months and, just like every mass phenomenon, is developing along lines different from those expected initially. Users of social networks started to use them only on the Internet, often building up huge and endless networks of acquaintances, consisting of people who, in most cases, do not know one another directly - or with whom no genuine, concrete and continuous relationships exist. The repercussions in terms of privacy and overcrowding have led many people to rethink the practical utility of such extended and non-selective networks. Buongiorno says its response is a new strategic approach, which radically changes the social network’s boundaries and allows privacy problems to be minimized, thanks to personalized management of the number and type of SMS notifications.
“We are convinced that the future of social networking will be increasingly more mobile, and blinko represents a truly innovative platform, in technological and strategic terms,” says Buongiorno Chairman, Mauro Del Rio. “Therefore, it is the ideal choice for all those who want to communicate with their select circle of friends, in an enjoyable and appealing way. It has always been our mission to offer real added value for mobile communications, and we believe that blinko will allow everyone to create their own private social network to stay in touch with their 20 favourites."

Friendplay Launches Mobile-enabled Social Network

Friendplay has announced the global launch of its mobile-enabled social networking service, Friendplay.com. The service encompasses many Web 2.0 features, including blogging, forum posting, a ‘Friends Referral’ Program, group creation, live chat, and photo and video sharing. Friendplay.com is also fusing its social networking services into a mobile Instant Messaging (IM) service called Friendplay IM (im.friendplay.com) and conventional WAP & mobile web at: www.friendplay.com.
The service also enables users to manage access levels to uploaded personal information, photos, videos and other content. Privacy settings can be applied for individual photo albums, limiting access to specified users.
Friendplay.com mobile enables users to stay connected on the move, using any Internet-ready mobile phone. Friendplay also has a Friend Finder engine to get more accurate match/friend results based on search criteria, and sends out the Match List to members via mobile.

Bebo Open Mobile Drives Traffic

Bebo has revealed that its January mobile page views grew by 44% and text messaging traffic grew by 13% month-on-month following the launch of Bebo Open Mobile. The growth in page views has been seen across both Core Partners and Standard Partners of the Bebo Open Mobile program.
On February 2 this year, Bebo announced O2 UK as its first Core Bebo Open Mobile partner and reported over a 60% monthly increase in Bebo page views on its network in December 2008. On February 25, 2009, Bebo announced the extension of the Bebo Open Mobile program to all major operators in Canada, including Fido, Rogers Wireless and Virgin Mobile Canada and announced that Canadian traffic to the Bebo website grew by 43% in January as a result.
Bebo Open Mobile is a global program for mobile operators, handset manufacturers and mobile software developers. The initiative offers a suite of tools to support the delivery of the Bebo social networking experience to mobile users, and, says Bebo, it has achieved considerable industry adoption.
“This growth is a positive early indicator that we’re delivering our users and Bebo Open Mobile Partners a compelling mobile experience,” says Bebo’s Global Head of Mobile, Sean Kane. “Mobile social networking is a fast-moving market and empowering our partners to innovate in a flexible and mutually beneficial way helps us all win.”
Bebo Open Mobile packages the company's mobile services into a single integrated program for mobile industry partners. It offers members access to Bebo’s global user base and the tools to deliver the Bebo mobile social networking experience over mobile networks, on devices and through rich media.
To date, Bebo has announced the availability of Bebo Open Mobile tools for  mobile Internet, mobile messaging and mobile applications. Bebo Open Mobile Internet enables  partners to rapidly deploy features on the Bebo mobile site, including customised navigation, mobile advertising support and enhanced statistics. The Bebo Open Mobile Messaging toolkit provides scalable and feature-rich two-way messaging directly to Bebo Open Mobile Partners through the messaging interfaces most commonly used by Bebo members. The Bebo Open Mobile development API toolkit enables Bebo Open Mobile Partners to create innovative applications, widgets and other interfaces to directly serve the Bebo community.
Bebo says it expects to make further announcements regarding Bebo Open Mobile partners and initiatives throughout 2009.

Wadja Powers Twe2 Twitter Alerts

Wadja.com, the mobile web, media and messaging service, has announced that it will power free Twitter SMS alerts from Twe2, the international Twitter SMS service. Last year, free text message updates from Twitter were stopped in the UK – but this new partnership between Wadja and Twe2 sees the service reinstated.
Wadja.com has made its new application programming interface (API), which includes its text messaging (SMS) services, available to Twe2 to allow users to interact with other Twitter users for free through this medium. UK traffic to Twitter rose by almost 1,000% in the last year and is now in the top 100 websites in the UK.
The new service offers free Direct Message and @Reply alerts by SMS to Twitter users both in the UK and worldwide. It will also include Wadja’s MessageAds contextual ad platform for SMS messages, which launched in December last year.
“This partnership marks a shift in the way many social media platforms do business,” says Wadjacom Managing Director, Alex Christoforou. “We believe in open and transparent content sharing as part of creating a financially-viable social network. Making our API available to Twe2 is an opportunity to expand the profit potential of both Wadja and Twe2, while offering a free service to Twitter users. Many other social networks fall short of leveraging such opportunities because of their content sharing restrictions.”
The API service from Wadja enables other platforms, like Twe2, to access its SMS capabilities and offer them to their audience. Services available  include free SMS messaging, which enables any member of Wadja to send free individual text messages to their friends. Using the new API, other websites can offer this service. It also includes SMS Plus bulk messaging, which offers cut-price text messages sent simultaneously to large groups. By offering this service through its API, Wadja says it has expanded its potential as a marketing tool.

Pelephone Selects Emoze

Israeli mobile network Pelephone has chosen Emoze to provide mobile email and social network messaging to its 2.4 million active users.
Pelephone subscribers will be able to read and reply to email and Facebook messages, check their calendar and keep their contacts intact on whichever mobile device they choose. Pelephone will make Emoze available on a wide variety of mobile devices from standard Java-enabled handsets to Smartphones.
The Emoze embedded client will enable all Pelephone users to get their emails, contacts, calendar and social messaging on their mobile device in real-time and fully synchronized with their PC or laptop. Users will be able to access business and personal email accounts via the Emoze client.
“Pelephone has joined the messaging innovators by extending Emoze to its millions of customers, ensuring that communication on-the-go is always a great user experience,” says Emoze CEO, Eitan Linker.

Flirtomatic Deploys Social Links

Online and mobile social networking and flirting service Flirtomatic has deployed Xtract’s ‘Social Links’ social intelligence service to deliver improved customer insight for. Social Links analyses the social networking influence and behaviour patterns of members. Flirtomatic will apply this intelligence to create more compelling services for each customer segment, and targeted, relevant and personal marketing and promotions, via web and mobile.
Social Links provides Flirtomatic with a dashboard-style view, containing 3D profiles of its members. The 3D profiles comprise basic demographic data, behavioural data and social networking influence information. Influential community members can be targeted with campaigns, resulting in viral take-up throughout the community via word-of-mouth marketing. This approach works two-fold, because influential members have both direct pull over purchasing decisions, by recommending products to their friends, as well as the indirect pull of  wanting to imitate or mimic their friends' purchases.
Having gained this new level of customer insight, Flirtomatic says it plans to expand its use of Social Links later in 2009 to build a third-party advertising revenue stream. The attraction for third-party advertisers is the strength of the community, as well as the ability to pinpoint accurately described segments and influential members with relevant ads.
“The early results from customer segmentation are very insightful and exciting,” says Flirtomatic CEO, Mark Curtis. “We can now see considerable potential, as the business scales, to directly improve our revenues through a sophisticated view of our customers, their behaviour and the pattern of their relationships. Xtract's tool hands us an effective, powerful CRM solution.”

Mobitsu Launches UGC Platform

Mobitsu has announced the launch of its service-based platform of the same name, which enables people to make money from their mobile phone by uploading user-generated content. Mobitsu members can earn up to £1 each time an item is downloaded or bought.
Members using the service can publish content on any subject matter in the form of videos, ringtones, MP3s, software, photos, games and screensavers. This content is then immediately available to the rest of the community for their entertainment, download or purchase. Mobitsu provides integrated technology that will detect which formats a mobile phone or device can support and will then convert the content on the fly to accommodate the delivery. 
The concept offers some unrivalled benefits, says Mobitsu. The company believes it will play an important role in the launch of unsigned artistes and bands, as the service is not only able to provide exposure but also the ability to make money from their work.
Signing up to the service is free and anyone can preview all downloadable videos, graphics, ringtones and audio on the website, as well as view member profiles and photos.
There are currently 16 different categories on the site, including Unsigned Artistes, Games, Hobbies, Sports & Recreation, Music, Movies and TV, as well as categories covering Love and Romance. 
Members can download or buy all media uploaded by other members, and use the site’s other features, including chat rooms and forums. Members can also message and text each other. SMS messages are sent through Mobitsu in order to protect the recipient's mobile number.

BuzzCity Launches myGamma Developer Platform

BuzzCity has launched its myGamma Developer Platform, opening its API to third party developers to integrate their applications with its mobile social networking service, myGamma. myGamma now has 3.2 million members and provides users with various resident applications, including chatting, blogging and photo-sharing tools.
The myGamma Developer Platform allows developers to create social networking applications that leverage the growing popularity of the mobile Internet, providing developers with seamless integration with myGamma and direct access to members.
“Our users certainly want to do more with their mobiles and this will mean more applications,” says BuzzCity CEO, KF Lai. “Our recent surveys clearly show users wanting to communicate, exchange and transact. By providing this platform, developers get direct access to our members and create better opportunities to generate revenues.”
BuzzCity says it expects to see yet more engaging and useful applications developed as a result of the launch of the platform. It says that insights into user activity suggest that utility applications like job alerts or cheap fare alerts will prove just as popular as fun activities such as virtual snowballs and water-bombs. BuzzCity also expects more advertisers to use the Developer Platform to deploy applications as an alternate means of reaching mobile Internet users.
“We're seeing a tectonic shift in business models, as social networks make the move from meeting place to marketplace,” observes Peggy Anne Salz, Founder and Chief Analyst of MSearchGroove, a knowledge resource that provides analysis and commentary on mobile search, advertising and social media. “The end-game is about more than simply allowing users to stay connected via mobile communities; the ultimate winners will be companies such as BuzzCity that successfully provide developers with a complete platform to create, distribute, promote and monetize their apps and content.”

Genaker Unveils Genaker2200 Software Suite

Genaker, which develops SIP-based applications, has announced the launch of its Mobile Rich Communication Suite (RCS) of software, Genaker2200. The software allows any Java-based device to be used with a new generation of new communication services, including buddy-lists, Instant Messaging (IM), and the ability to start multi-media calls from any phone.
Genaker says that its software is a standard SIP/IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) client that provides the user with an interface that has all the basic Java functionality of a high-end device. genaker2200 allows service providers to increase their target user base, expanding beyond Smartphone users to target users of low-cost phones, including pre-paid customers.
genaker2200 also introduces the company’s new ‘Content Buddies’ concept. Content buddies are advanced IMS applications that connect the mobile and the web worlds, bringing social network interaction and web content to the rich communication clients. Genaker says that these buddies, that can be available to any devices connected to the IMS cloud, open a new spectrum of micro-subscription services to service providers.
According to ABI Research Senior Analyst Nadine Manjaro “RCS will enable interoperable rich communication regardless of device or network and will include in-call multimedia sharing, conversational messaging and presence-enhanced contact management for mobile and fixed customers.”

MWC: Social Call

Our last meeting of the day was with INQ Mobile, the Hutchison-Whampoa-owned handset maker that released its first, and so far only, handset, the ‘Social Mobile’ in the UK in November, describing it at the time as: “the world’s most advanced social networking mobile phone.”
As regular readers will know, we don’t spend a massive amount of time covering handsets – we figure there are enough gadget sites to do that - but I was interested to know what makes a social networking phone a social networking phone, and INQ Marketing & Strategy Director Jeff Taylor was on hand to explain.
There’s more to the phone, in fact, than meets the eye. Taylor told me that the device nothing less than an attempt to help mobile networks move the majority of their users onto data plans.
“The operators have pretty much failed to sell the mobile Internet,” Taylor told me. “So rather than loading more and more features onto high-end devices, we set out to launch an affordable one that makes it easy for regular people to use the mobile web.”
At £79, or free on a £15 per month contract with 3 in the UK, the phone is certainly affordable. But what is it about the phone that makes it easier to use the web?
“The key barrier to uptake is that the customer has to learn new behaviours,” says Taylor. “So we have built the mobile web into the places the customer goes.”
This breaks down into three areas: the address book, the inbox, and the idle screen.
The address book lists all the user’s contacts, and against each, he can see whether they are on Facebook, Instant Messenger or other communications services. If the contact in question is on Facebook, the user can get straight to their Facebook page with one click, without the need to launch an application. If the friend calls, the phone will automatically retrieve his Facebook photo and assign it to his contact entry.
There’s one inbox for everything, including emails, texts, Facebook updates and IM messages. Each has its own folder, but the user can see everything at the top level.
The idle screen has several widgets, updating things such as the weather and Facebook status updates every 20 minutes or so. Thanks to a traffic management system, says Taylor, the phone does not pull down large amounts of data to do this.
After the UK launch, the phone was rolled out in Australia and Ireland, with Hong Kong and Italy next on the list. Other devices are also planned, and Taylor says the company is offering the handset to non-Hutchison networks. Most tellingly, he says, INQ is seeing “incredibly high activation” of the data service among users.
What I liked about the phone was the thought process that’s gone into the design and, in particular, the user interface. It reminds me of a story I heard about someone being asked if they ever used the mobile web and replying that they didn’t. When questioned further, it transpired that they went on the operator’s portal several times every weekend to check the football scores, they just didn’t realise that was the mobile web.
The more seamless, transparent and idiot-proof the networks can handset-makers can make the process of accessing data online from your phone, the more people will do it, to the benefit of everyone in the mobile marketing value chain. Who knows, Taylor and his colleagues at INQ might just achieve their aim of moving the majority of users on to data plans, no matter how unlikely that might seem.

MWC: Fun Text Launches Facebook-to-mobile MMS App

Mobile messaging service provider Fun Text has unveiled a solution that lets users send content from within Facebook to mobiles via MMS. The solution also gives operators a branded presence on Facebook and other social networks.
The service provides a branded application, with a range of animations, videos, ecards emoticons, virtual gifts to pokes that can be sent Facebook-to-mobile as well as Facebook-to-Facebook.
Fun Text notes that currently, mobile networks are largely an access portal to browse Facebook from mobiles or to send photos from mobiles to Facebook. It says its solution opens up the other direction of sending from Facebook to mobiles and creating a branded presence for the operator within the Facebook platform. The rich-media nature of Facebook is based around sharing images and graphics and so an MMS-based application has far more appeal than sending SMS, the company says.
“We recently worked with a client who, in one month, acquired hundreds of thousands of Facebook users sending several million messages to mobile and to other Facebook users,” says Fun Text Business Development Director, James Pycock. “The return on investment from a limited marketing spend was exceptional and key brand values were also enhanced by the application”.
The solution can offer free as well as billed messaging, and the web application is unified with the mobile messaging applications that Fun Text currently provides for operators. Fun Text delivers MMS content messaging for Sprint, T-Mobile and 3, and offers direct interfaces to MMSCs and SMSCs. It provides integrated access across clients (Java, Symbian and Brew) as well as WAP and web store fronts. The service is offered from the messaging menu of many handsets and displays managed galleries of online professional content for fun, social and emotional messaging.

O2 Becomes Bebo's First UK Open Mobile Partner

Social media network Bebo has revealed that O2 has become the first UK operator to receive Bebo Open Mobile Partner status. Launched last week, Bebo Open Mobile is a global partnership program for mobile operators, handset manufacturers and mobile software developers. The initiative offers Partners a suite of tools to support the delivery of the Bebo social networking experience to mobile users.
As a Bebo Open Mobile Partner, O2 will become the first UK operator to benefit from access to the program’s mobile Internet, messaging and media technologies. O2 will collaborate with Bebo to offer exclusive mobile content to its users, as afforded by its Bebo Open Mobile Partner status.  
Specifically, O2 and Bebo are today announcing the deployment of two services. Bebo Open Mobile Internet: O2 and Bebo have launched an O2 version of the Bebo mobile platform with O2 Active navigation, support for mobile advertising and a range of customised O2 features
Bebo Open Mobile Messaging: O2 is the first operator to deploy the Bebo Open Mobile Messaging tools. O2 customers can immediately receive Bebo alerts and updates on their mobile phones through the 62326 (MBEBO) Shortcode. Additionally, O2 customers can update their Bebo profiles, add photos to their gallery, participate in special offers and interact with friends through the Shortcode.
The two companies soft launched the O2 version of the Bebo mobile platform in late December. They report that the site has experienced over 60% growth in traffic in just four weeks.
“We know how important social networks are to our customers, and have seen huge traffic growth to Bebo and other social networking sites over our portal,” says O2 Head of Content at O2, Antony Douglas. “Becoming a Bebo Open Mobile Partner will further enhance the experience for our customers.”

Itsmy.com Rolls Out New Services

Mobile social network itsmy.com (http://m.itsmy.com on your mobile), has introduced a raft of new services for its 2.5 million users. The services described by itsmy.com as: “social games, location based broadcasting and open personal pages", are optimized for over 3.500 mobile phone models and browsers, and are mobile web-based, so do not require any application downloads.
Itsmy.com says that mobile browser-based social games are the new revenue generators for the mobile business witha clear added value for the customer: have fun while playing games wherever you are and meet new people in a very entertaining and easy way. Playing mobile games like ‘Snowball Fight’ or ‘Hide and Seek’ is free, but users can pay for extra features, such as a snowball shield or invisibility feature.
The location-based broadcasting feature enables users to show their friends the hottest spots, greatest shops and best pubs in a chosen city by uploading a picture or video to their personal mobile site. For all phones without GPS on board, the user’s location or preferred place can be updated manually pictures and videos can be tagged with the user’s  comments.
Open personal pages allow users to add unlimited features to their mobile homepage, including the ability to call or text friends with a single click. Users can also read the latest updates from their friends, add RSS news feeds, set location alerts and add links to favourite mobile services.
“Location-based services are really cool features for our users, but we don’t see LBS as a stand-alone business case,” says itsmy.com CEO, Antonio Vince Staybl. “Even more, location as a new parameter will help (in) boosting almost every mobile service in the future from search over content to communication”.
Itsmy.com will be showcasing the new services in Hall 7, stand A48 at Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona next week.

You Want Video? Get Veedio

Cystelcom Sistemas, which supplies 3G mobile video solutions, has announced the launch of Veedio, a mobile social networking platform for 3G mobile operators that integrates with social networking and video sharing functionality via video calling. The platform enables operators to offer subscribers seamless interaction with their social networks via any 3G device. With Veedio, the company says, operators can easily deploy valued-added 3G-to-web video services such as instant video uploading to websites, and the creation of private video chat rooms.
Cystelcom notes that social networking communities and video-sharing sites have taken the world by storm and have changed the way people communicate and share information. Social networks have become some of the most heavily used websites in the world, and their popularity can be attributed to the easy-to-use communication experience these sites provide, and the fact that social networks are the number one platform for creating and sharing content.
But, says Cystelcom CTO David Ramirez:
“Currently mobile-to-web video services in social networking are somewhat limited and don’t always work well. While some sites support mobile services like uploading multimedia, most of these services are restricted to specific phone brands and models, and usually require you to install software and follow a series of steps to upload video, or tend to have problems related to mobile browsers.”
Cystelcom says that Veedio improves the mobile social networking communication experience by adding more functionality to social networks. By bridging communication between mobile users and web users, Veedio seamlessly integrates any 3G device with personal networks, giving mobile users live bidirectional, mobile-to-web communication.
“This means mobile users can instantly record, upload and share video in real time directly from their 3G phone to their social networking sites without having to use cumbersome methods,” says Ramirez.
Users can also can create private multi-party video chat rooms and invite their friends whether they are on a PC or a mobile. These rooms enable up to six people to chat simultaneously via bi-directional video calling between web users and 3G devices. Users simply invite friends to participate and they automatically receive notification via SMS or email with instructions on how to enter the room.
Veedio also supports additional revenue-generating services, with risk-sharing business models such as ad-supported free content and location-enabled services.

Bebo Launches Bebo Open Mobile

Bebo has announced the launch of Bebo Open Mobile, a new global partnership program which will offer the mobile industry a suite of tools to provide their customers with access to the Bebo social networking experience. Through the Bebo Open Mobile programme, Bebo will work with operators, handset manufacturers and mobile software developers to help them promote, distribute and monetize mobile social media.
Bebo Open Mobile partners will benefit from access to Bebo’s over 50 million-strong user base and will collaborate with the social network on tailored content and social networking experiences.
Bebo Open Mobile packages the company’s mobile services into a single integrated program for mobile industry partners. It offers members the tools to deliver the Bebo mobile social networking experience over mobile networks, on devices and through rich media.
There are three elements to at launch. 
Bebo Open Mobile Internet offers partners the ability to rapidly deploy features on the Bebo mobile site, including customized navigation, mobile advertising support and enhanced statistics. Bebo Open Mobile Messaging is a toolkit that provides scalable and feature rich two-way messaging directly to Bebo Open Mobile partners through the messaging interfaces most used by Bebo members. Finally, the Bebo Open Mobile Development API toolkit empowers Bebo Open Mobile partners to create innovative applications, widgets and other interfaces to directly serve the Bebo community.  
“Bebo Open Mobile is a new way to expand the power of social networking to program members,” says Sean Kane, Global Head of Mobile at Bebo. The Bebo Open Mobile suite of tools is designed to move mobile communication and user relationships forward by delivering a simple and more ubiquitous experience to users. A rapid and global shift towards mobile social networking consumption is in progress and Bebo is committed to leading the way.”
Bebo says it expects to make further announcements regarding Bebo Open Mobile partners and initiatives throughout 2009.

IRL and GeoMe Fuse Mobile and Web-based Social Networking

In Real Life (IRL), which claims to be  the only presence-based social networking company that adds presence to social networks and social media, and GeoMe, a mobile service that allows users to explore, share and connect via messages on a map, have announced  the creation of a central platform for location-based social networking services on both mobile phones and the web. IRL says this is the first time a web-based social network has partnered with a mobile, location-based social network, providing full access privileges across the two communities of users.
The partnership extends the services of the IRL Connect web-based social networking platform to the mobile, and brings GeoMe's expertise in delivering location-based solutions on mobile to the web. The combined platform features a social network toggle that allows IRL Connect and GeoMe members to seamlessly cross between communities. The companies say that both services bring the best of the mobile and web worlds to users, for an optimal social networking experience where they can access and exchange information and find friends online with the minimum of effort, rather than the walled garden format of many of today's mobile social networking services.
IRL Connect and GeoMe work with OpenSocial to exchange data between the mobile and the web. Users will have only one login to view their messages on both platforms. Furthermore, IRL Connect will be branded to fit the GeoMe brand and create access to the IRL Connect platform through Geo-Me.com.
“Many competitors have their main focus on the mobile and then try to extend their service to the web by themselves, creating a web solution that is half-baked,” says IRL CEO, Frank Schuil. “By allowing aggregation with external parties, such as GeoMe, it is easier to grow our user base and give IRL Connect users the opportunity to explore the world of mobile social networking using the GeoMe platform. IRL Connect and GeoMe bring their own strengths in developing this central platform so that we can deliver the best experience and the best of both worlds to our users.”
GeoMe is launching its public beta in February. IRL Connect members will be able to access the GeoMe service on mobile and on the web in Q2 2009.