Have You Got the Nimbuzz?

Nimbuzz has announced the UK launch of its application of the same name, that provides mobile users and online communities with free calls, chat and more. Nimbuzz says it offers an all-in-one solution for free mobile VoIP calling, conference calling, instant messaging, chat and group chat, and photo and file sending across multiple Instant Messaging (IM) communities, including Skype, MSN, Google Talk, Yahoo!, AIM, Jabber and ICQ, plus 23 social networks, including Facebook and Myspace.
Once users download the Nimbuzz application for the mobile and register as a new user, contacts from their selected IM communities are aggregated into a single contact list, with icons indicating real-time presence, showing which contacts, from which communities, are online or offline.
“Everyone loves Skype (on the PC). But when it comes to the mobile, we believe we offer a better solution,” says Nimbuzz Chief Marketing Officer, Tariq Dag Steinberg Khan. “Nimbuzz works across all the major communities and on more than 500 handsets worldwide. With this new release, we now also have a genuine free mobile VoIP solution that works on more than 90 handsets including Nokia, Samsung and LG.”
The Nimbuzz mobile VoIP application works worldwide on Nokia Symbian Series 60 devices when connected using a 3G or wi-fi network, with a Windows Mobile offering due for release in June. iPhone is not currently supported,but, the company says, is an important product under development. For GPRS/EDGE connections, or when using Java-enabled phones, Nimbuzz also offers its “hybrid-VoIP” solution, as used by Skype, for making international mobile calls at local dial-in cost, in 50 countries. 
Nimbuzz is free to download and, the company says, easy-to-use, but it adds that data usage is subject to network operator rates when used on the mobile, unless using a flat-rate data plan.
“The good news is that mobile data costs are coming down dramatically,” says Khan. “Flat-rate data plans didn’t exist last year in Europe, now they’re everywhere. This makes using Nimbuzz the closest thing to free communication there is.” 
On the social networking front, Nimbuzz brings voice and mobile chat to social networks. The new six-button ‘Communicator’ widget brings free calling, chat, text and voice messaging, and file sending to social networks, email signatures and personal websites or blogs. There’s also a ‘buzz/ feature which alerts friends offline to join users online for a call or chat.
Funded by Mangrove Capital Partners, the original Skype investor, and staffed by award-winning developers and industry experts, Nimbuzz says it is bringing to the mobile and to social networks what Skype pioneered for the PC. Nimbuzz has already attracted more than 500,000 registered users, with 25% active per month, and is generating more than 1 million logins per week, despite the product still being developed.
“Our users drive our development, so even with what we think is a great product, it always feels like we’re in beta,” says Khan. “The truth is, we wouldn’t be innovating fast enough if we weren’t,” adds Tariq. “With users from 176 countries, it’s easy to see why. There is remarkable consumer appetite out there, worldwide, and the industry tailwinds are picking up pace. We are grateful for our pre-launch momentum and look forward to announcing some exciting new products, features and strategic partnerships with key operators and social networks over the summer.”
To download Nimbuzz Mobile, click here, or visit m.nimbuzz.com on your mobile. To download Nimbuzz widgets, click here.

It's Official: Social Networking Goes Mobile

Research just published by Nielsen Mobile reveals that one in four members of UK social networks use their phones to network. 44% of UK mobile phone subscribers belong to an online social network. Of this group, 25% use their mobile phone for social networking-related activities.
Around 812,000 Britons each month, or 1.7% of all UK mobile subscribers, visited a social networking website using their mobile during the first quarter of 2008. Facebook is the most popular site for mobile social networking, being visited by over 557,000 Britons from their mobiles, or 9% of all UK mobile Internet subscribers. In second place is MySpace (211,000), followed by Bebo (162,000), Windows Live Spaces (109,000), and Flixster (90,000).
“Social networking is already a global phenomenon, and mobile could be the next big thing in the space,” says Nielsen Mobile Client Services Manager, Kent Ferguson.
“Large numbers of people are interacting with their social networking profiles while they’re on the move. There could be increased consumer demand for mobile social networking driven by the flat-fee price plans offered by the leading operators that give subscribers unlimited mobile Internet access.”
The most popular mobile social-networking related activities are sending messages and mail (55%); reading messages and mail (47%); viewing photos (33%); uploading photos (29%); and adding friends (21%).
The four most popular social networks on the mobile are also the four most popular on the PC. Travel social network WAYN has the strongest performance on the mobile compared to the PC, ranking 7th on mobile Internet compared to 21st on PC Internet
“The increasingly competitive nature of social networking online is being replicated in the mobile space,” says Alex Burmaster, European Internet Analyst at Nielsen Online. “The leading players remain the same but networks such as WAYN and Faceparty have considerably improved on their PC ranking in the mobile world. In an effort to differentiate their offerings and pull ahead all the networks are looking to what the mobile medium can offer – particularly when it comes to attracting 15-24 year olds, a group highly representative amongst social networking addicts.”

ShoZu Expands

ShoZu has expanded its mobile social media service to Photobucket, Dailymotion, Friendster, Twitter and seven additional Web 2.0 and Mobile 2.0 communities. With these 11 new integrations, ShoZu now enables mobile users to interact with their choice of 36 social networks from a single screen on their handsets, reducing the time, effort and money required to upload images, update social profiles and check friends’ latest posts from the phone.
Photobucket is one of the most popular photo sites in the US, while according to Comscore, Dailymotion is the second largest  video sharing website worldwide with 36.2 million unique visitors. Friendster is a global social network that ranks as the 35th most highly visited website on the planet, while Twitter is the micro-blogging service 
Other additions to ShoZu’s roster include photo-sharing site Twitpic; photo and video sharing community Cellfish; interactive personal video ‘dashboard’ Seesmic; and online storage site Ipernity. They join ShoZu’s existing integrations, which include Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Google Picasa, Moblog.uk, and the major web blogging platforms such as Blogger and TypePad.
ShoZu notes that its service extends today’s burgeoning social media movement from the web to the mobile world where users spend the majority of their time. Users can send photos or videos to their favourite community with a click, or mass-publish any photo or video to multiple communities and/or email addresses simultaneously, without opening a mobile browser, creating multiple messages, and paying multiple data upload fees from their wireless carrier. 
Other features unique to ShoZu include the ability to have friends’ photostreams, status changes and social network invites sent directly to the handset in the background without mobile navigation or download downtime; send photos at blog quality or full resolution; upload video clips of up to 10 minutes in length; and exchange two-way commenting and messages between the mobile and web.
ShoZu’s free mobile client is currently pre-installed on newer Motorola and Samsung phones and downloadable to nearly 340 additional handset models. A complete list of compatible phones is available here. 
“People today often belong to more than one online social media site, including social networking sites, personal blogs and media storage and sharing sites,” says ShoZu CEO, Mark Bole. “In addition, different social media sites are popular in different parts of the world. Our goal is to provide mobile access to the broadest possible range of communities from the ShoZu service, so that users need only one tool to stay connected on the go. This latest batch of additional sites to our service gives users more choice than ever before. Also, be on the look out for another batch of new destinations added in the upcoming weeks.”

Flirtomatic Hands Mobile Search Brief to LBi Netrank

Online and mobile flirting site Flirtomatic has appointed SEO (Search Engine Optimnisation) and online brand specialist LBi Netrank to help develop its mobile marketing strategy by ensuring the site performs well in mobile search. Flirtomatic is LBi Netrank’s first mobile search client.
LBi Netrank will initially undertake an audit of Flirtomatic’s web and WAP (wap.flirtomatic.com) sites to identify which areas of the site need to be adapted to improve its positioning within mobile search rankings and to increase the volume and quality of mobile search traffic. The majority of users are already visiting the site through their mobile devices; the audit is designed to help Flirtomatic further cement its position as the leading mobile flirting site.
Alongside the audit, LBi Netrank will offer Flirtomatic ongoing mobile search consultancy and campaign management to help the company keep up to speed with any changes to mobile standards and the search engines’ mobile strategies. 
As the mobile Internet market starts to mature, LBi Netrank believes there will be a concerted shift towards a ‘one web’ philosophy, as brands realise the need to service as many access channels as possible with one service, in order to drive cost efficiencies. Brands need to be aware of these changing standards in order to increase their reach in the digital landscape, the company says.
“We have been overwhelmed with the popularity of the Flirtomatic site on mobile, and already have over 300,000 mobile members,” says Flirtomatic CEO, Mark Cuurtis. “ Page views last month were 115m. With added mobile search effectiveness we are sure that the site will continue to grow and attract further users. LBi Netrank has demonstrated significant innovation and expertise in the ideas they have proposed. We’re looking forward to working with their team and taking our user numbers to the next level.”
Lucy Allen, Managing Director at LBi Netrank adds:
Mobile search is going to get very big in 2008 as handsets, ad targeting and people’s confidence in mobile internet grows. There are big opportunities for brands like Flirtomatic to jump in and dominate their competitive space, and we are excited to be part of that process.”

Buzzd Completes Funding Round

Buzzd, a location-based mobile city guide and social network, has completed its Series A funding round, led by Greycroft Partners and Monitor Ventures. The company will use the funds raised for product development and distribution. Monitor Ventures’ Fern Mandelbaum will join Buzzd Co-founders Nihal Mehta and Deepen Shah on the firm’s Board of Directors.
“Monitor and Greycroft have successfully guided digital media start-ups from seed to success,” says Mehta. “We are excited to have partners who will roll up their sleeves and really work with entrepreneurs.”
The New York based-startup answers the question, “What’s going on around me right now?” delivering location-sensitive, premium editorial event and venue information, along with up-to-the-minute reviews and ratings from friends and other members of the Buzzd community.
Users can also browse and search continuously-updated event feeds, which include pricing, location, and event details, as well as first-hand ratings and reviews posted from the venue by other members. Events and venues are available nationally and aggregated through partnerships with CitySearch, Flavorpill and TimeOut Magazine, with plans to roll out more content partnerships in local markets. User-generated feedback (aka ‘buzzes’) for real-time activity about venues and events is aggregated at the top of event listings throughout the platform.
Buzzd has also revealed that it has signed up Hornitos Premium Tequila as an advertising partner. Through the partnership, Buzzd members can buy their friends Hornitos drinks and redeem the codes delivered via SMS at hundreds of bars, in association with BuyYourFriendADrink.com. Buzzd says the partnership demonstrates a new way for brands to interact with consumers via the mobile device. Available only in limited beta since February 2008, the service has already won international recognition at the Mobile Monday Global Peer Awards and Nokia's Mobile Rules 2008.
Users can register for Buzzd by texting JOIN to 96321, or visiting http://buzzd.com/m from their web or mobile browser.
To see a demo of the Buzzd service, click here.

phling! Achieves Java Verified Status

Oxy Systems, which develops advanced platforms for mobile applications and services, has revealed that its award-winning phling! MusicLounge solution has been ratified by the Java Verified Program.
Being Java Verified ensures that phling! has met stringent quality standards following industry- recognized test criteria. For consumers, this accreditation is assurance that phling! is an application of the highest standard and will work across numerous devices.
“We are delighted to have met the strict testing process to achieve accreditation from the Java Verified Program,” says Oxy Systems VP of Marketing, Graeme Smith. “2008 will be a defining year for the mobile music industry and we intend to continue our expansion both domestically in the US and Internationally across Europe.”
Oxy Systems’ phling! MusicLounge transforms mobile music from the traditional solo listening experience into a music-based social experience. Providing real-time mobile access to a subscriber's own PC-based music and media collections, it also offers access to new music and the opportunity to share and discover, all in a social networking environment and all from the mobile phone.   
While listening to music, phling! users can browse other users’ profiles, their music libraries, and what they are currently listening to and exchange messages via personal bulletin boards. Users can also view song ratings, submit song ratings, find the most popular songs, what’s been most recently played and find out who has recently joined the global, cross carrier, international phling! community.

phling! Interview.  Read. 

BuzzCity Reports Mobile Ad Surge

BuzzCity, which provides global wireless communities and consumer services, has released the myGamma Global Mobile Advertising Index, which it says demonstrates the popularity of its myGamma mobile social network. BuzzCity also reports a growth in demand for its service in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which the company says will surprise both the global mobile community and digital advertising industries. BuzzCity believes the growth is a result of changes in mobile operator business models,  offering affordable and understandable mobile data packages.
The myGamma Global Mobile Advertising Index shows advertising page views in the first quarter of 2008. The top 10 countries are as follows:
1. Indonesia: 654 million (up 13,328% on Q1 2007)
2.  India: 577 million (up 1,522%)
3.  South Africa: 426 million (up 418%)
4.  USA: 132 million (up 917%)
5.  Kenya: 79 million (up 424%)
6.  Romania: 57 million (up 446%)
7.  Bangladesh: 53 million (up 305%)
8.  China: 37 million (up 6,053%)
9.  Brunei: 35 million (up 221%)
10.  Pakistan: 35 million (up 814%)

BuzzCity’s myGamma mobile social network service operates on an ad-funded model as the  primary source of revenue. Ads are served on myGamma and on more than 2,000 publisher sites globally. BuzzCity tracks the growth of the network and, by extension, the growth of the mobile Internet in more than 70 countries around the world.
The company recently announced plans for a US office. Traffic in the US has grown more than 900%. BuzzCity expects page views in the US to grow to more than 100 million per month in the next quarter.
In Q1 2007, the myGamma banner network served just over 260 million banners in its top 10 countries. In Q1 2008, the Top 10 countries served more than 2 billion ads, a growth of 800%. The Top 10 also saw some new entrants, with Indonesia, China and Pakistan replacing Thailand, Nigeria & Malaysia.
“In Q1 of 2008, we served more than 26 million banner advertisements to Egyptian users,” says BuzzCity CEO, KF Lai. “This is a growth of 5,400% against the first quarter of 2007, when we served only 490,000 impressions. During this period, Saudi Arabian traffic grew by nearly 900% to 22 million banners. In both cases, increased mobile penetration and healthy competition among carriers invariably sees more consumer activity on the mobile Internet. We are only going to see more of this, everywhere.”

Comverse Brings Czech Mates Together

Telefonica O2 Czech Republic has selected Comverse Mobile Instant Messaging (IM) to enable its 5 million users to enjoy mobile IM with the ICQ community on their mobile handsets.  Comverse’s presence-enabled IM application supports and enhances a wide range of differentiating communication and content services. Comverse handset clients ensure the best possible PC-like “always-on” user experience, with a chat-like interface showing dialogue history, contact presence indication, and multimedia capabilities, including pictures, audio and video. “We are pleased to be the first operator in the country to introduce Instant Messaging into the mobile environment to responsively meet growing consumer demand,” says Jan Karas, Director for Residential Segment Marketing at Telefonica O2 Czech Republic. “In order to make the service easy to use, we are launching the mobile IM service with ICQ, a personal communication tool that is popular with our users, and we are providing the ICQ community an affordable and compelling mobile experience that is similar to the familiar PC experience. Benny Einhorn, President of Comverse EMEA, notes that the Comverse Mobile IM solution currently powers mobile Instant Messaging for operators around the world, giving tens of millions of users convenient mobile access to wireless operator-based IM, as well as to the most popular IM communities. He says: “The flexible, hosted option benefits operators with quick time to market. The clear roadmap to Comverse Converged IP messaging solution gives operators an edge that ensures that they can continue to meet business and technology needs as they evolve in the converging communications arena.”

Now There's a Bright Idea

London-based mobile solutions integrator Infinite Solutions has announced the launch of Brightpod, which, the company claims, allows mobile users to truly realise the potential of their mobile handset, for the first time. Brightpod is a  mobile entertainment portal which is available online as well as on mobile, and offers users the chance to access all their favourite services in one place.
The portal integrates mobile entertainment content including videos, games and applications with instant messaging (IM) and online shopping. One of the key features of Brightpod is its ability to offer multi-platform IM (with chat rooms), on the majority of mobile handsets. Users can use their existing IM account on, for example, MSN or Yahoo! directly from their mobile.
Brightpod has been developed for the mobile phone within a Java application that has the look and feel of a Flash-based website. According to Infinite Solutions, this means that users experience virtually the same quality on the mobile device as they would on the desktop. Brightpod uses a “leading” payment service that ensures a secure method of making payments via the mobile phone and also offers age verification. Users complete a simple registration process, during which they are advised not to pass out personal information, and for additional security, the service offers a limited personal profile available for view.
“With the massive growth of social media and networking sites in recent years, the next logical step is for users to demand accessibility from their mobile phones,” says ISL CEO, Duncan Ward. “Brightpod really takes this to a new level, as users have this fantastic functionality straight to their mobile device. Being able to use your existing instant messaging account on your mobile as if you were in front of your PC is very exciting, and saves users swapping between sites.   Brightpod encompasses all that the modern mobile user has ever wanted from the device.  In addition we are able to offer the latest mobile content such as ringtones, games and applications at vastly lower costs than the leading providers.”
You can check handset compatibility and download the Brightpod application form the Brightpod website.

Mobyko Plays to the Gallery

Mobile back up service Mobyko has launched its dynamic online gallery for storing and sharing mobile photos, videos and texts, from the mobile phone.
Mobyko’s wireless snap and send feature enables the instant upload of mobile photos, videos and texts to a user’s digital gallery. The service also provides a rich suite of intuitive tools within each user’s gallery, enabling the user to create albums and slideshows with a simple drag and drop mechanic. Every mobile experience can be captured and displayed in a fully customisable interface.
Using the Mobyko gallery, you can instantly transfer photos, videos and texts from mobile to web; share mobile photos and videos with friends online; view mobile photos and videos in full size; easily organise photos, videos and texts into albums; and add descriptions to individual photos, videos and texts. Mobyko notes that the gallery is not restricted by handset or network; it can be accessed and enjoyed by virtually anyone. 
“We wanted to give every mobile user the tools to ensure that they would never again lose a mobile moment, whether that be a classic video of a friend making a monkey out of themselves on a night out, a moving text from a loved one, or that once in a lifetime celebrity photo captured on your phone,” says Mobyko CEO Julian Saunders. “Your mobile life can be fleeting. However, with the Mobyko gallery, users can not only be sure that their mobile memories are safe, they can also share them with friends and family, quickly and easily."
For a live demo of the Mobyko gallery, click here. 

Itsmy.com Hits a Million

Mobile social network itsmy.com has clocked up its 1 millionth registered user. The ad-funded mobile community gives every user a free personalisable mobile homepage with a unique mobile web address (myname.itsmy.com) to give out to their friends, which Gofresh, the company behind itsmy.com, says is the main reason for the fast viral growth. Users can sign up via their mobile phone’s browser.
Gofresh says it has identified two distinct types of user groups within the community. Active content creators are registered users with a full profile who upload content. Downloader-surfers do not need to register. They use the community to watch Mobile TV, download videos and pictures and surf within the community. The total number of users, embracing both types, has reached 2.5 million by 1 April 2008.
80% of users are from US and Europe. The leading states in the US are California and Texas; the leading cities, Detroit and Cincinnati. The fastest growing countries in Europe are the UK, Ireland, Italy and Spain. Users browse more than 300 million mobile Internet pages each month. To date, more than 5 million videos, pictures and wallpapers have been created and uploaded. Users have more than 4.5 million WAP sites, including personalised homepages, “about me” pages and group galleries.
“Our users get 24/7 entertainment with an advanced networking aspect,” says  Gofresh COO, Sabine Irrgang. “Everybody can make a personal choice – heavy communication or creation of the coolest personal homepage or uploading favourite videos.”

CTIA: BuzzCity Announces US Launch

BuzzCity, which develops global wireless communities and consumer services, has announced its launch in the US. The US office will be headed up by Ramy Yared, the company’s Director of Americas. 
BuzzCity operates the world’s largest wireless community, myGamma www.mygamma.com. Since launch, myGamma has developed a strong following in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and was recently voted ‘Best Mobile Social Networking Service’ at the Global Mobile Awards 2008 in Barcelona.
BuzzCity has partnerships with more than 2,000 publishers, and provides members with access to more than 300 online merchants. In addition, BuzzCity now has several hundred ad clients and serves 1 billion ads per month throughout myGamma and its network of partners.
BuzzCity says it has put particular focus on building a uniquely user-friendly interface for myGamma.  It notes that 20% of the company’s budget is spent on R&D, resulting in an interface and technology that maximizes small screens and limited processing power to create an intuitive and vibrant experience.
“Entering the US market is the next natural step in the evolution of our company,” says BuzzCity CEO, K.F. Lai. “It is a challenging and exciting market opportunity that we are well positioned to seize. On- or off-portal, mobile social networks are just starting to gain traction in the US, but no one has yet been able to develop the ‘killer app’ to attract mainstream users. The successful implementation and growth of myGamma throughout the world has demonstrated that we understand how to build a service that appeals to the mass market.”

BING Sings

Mobile entertainment company Buongirono has released statistics on the performance of its mobile social networking solution, BING. BING launced initially in South Africa and Austria in June 2007, and has since rolled out in an additional nine territories, including the UK, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Vietnam.  According to Buongiorno, over 20 million messages are currently exchanged each week on BING, with 1.2 million user logins each week.
The BING application blends SMS and Instant Messenger (IM) functionality in an open Java software service that allows for real mobile-to-mobile chat for friends which is entirely free of charge. A key benefit of the service, says Buonogiorno, is that it can operate irrespective of mobile operator and handset model anywhere in the world. Also, unlike traditional SMS, BING allows users to communicate with as many friends as they like at the same time.
The application has a core target group of 16-18 year olds, but Buongiorno says it is resonating with a broader demographic of young urban people, for whom social networking on the move is very important.
Buongiorno says it will be investing €10 million (£8 million) in designing an upgrade of BING that will allow the company to further capture the mobile social networking trend. Buongiorno notes that according to eMarketer, social networking is expected to attract advertising amounting to over $2.1 billion (£1.1 billion) by 2008, representing an increase of 75% since 2007, in a market where consolidation is already taking place.
“It is important for Buongiorno to capture value generating developments in the industry, and the enormous popularity of social networking obviously represents a huge opportunity for us,” says Fernando González Mesones, Head of Global Marketing, Product & Supply at Buongiorno. “It is our goal to become one of the most recognized global brands in mobile social networking.”

MIG Wins Payforit Brief

Mobile interactive services provider Mobile Interactive Group (MIG) has been appointed by Flirtomatic  for the provision of Payforit services, for mobile payments within the Flirtomatic mobile Internet portal, which is one of the UK’s largest.
Flirtomatic signed up for MIG’s Payforit solution, MIGPay, in August 2007 and, says MIG, the consultative approach it taken with Payforit has enabled Flirtomatic to deliver a seamless billing solution for the its users.
“Flirtomatic is one of the largest off-deck WAP portals in the UK, therefore it’s essential to integrate with the new Payforit payment scheme to increase consumer confidence when purchasing products and services via mobile,” says Flirtomatic CEO, Mark Curtis. “MIG and Flirtomatic have worked closely over the past three months to refine the service and to ensure Flirtomatic customers are happy with a unified, cross-network purchasing experience.”

itsmy.com Launches in Italy

Mobile social network itsmy.com has announced its launch in Italy, after a two-month beta test. According to Gofresh, the company behind itsmy.com, the test period revealed that Italian mobile community users surf more and for longer than the rest of Europe. A unique mobile session in Italy is almost 18% longer than the EU-wide average for itsmy.com users.
More than 1 million registered itsmy.com users worldwide can now choose between English, German, Italian and Spanish versions of their mobile community. The next localisation of itsmy.com will be a Japanese version.
Gofresh says the interest in mobile networking, from Bolzano to Palermo, shows a clear emphasis on private and public communication. Browsing profiles and finding friends ranks second, followed by self-expression with personal homepage creation. The European average shows an equal distribution of these three fields of service. 
Gofresh, says it aims to become the market leader in off-portal mobile communities in Italy in 2008.
“Our proprietary mobile content and communication platform enables us to easily localise and customize itsmy.com, but much more important for us is to reach the Italian people with their favourite topics and interests,” says Gofresh CTO, Jukka Saarelainen.
You can access itsmy.com by pointing your phone’s browser at: http://mobile.itsmy.com 

Flirtomatic Proposal Pays Off

UK-based mobile and online flirting service Flirtomatic reports healthy interest in a virtual engagement ring promotion it ran at the end of February. Flirtomatic launched the promotion to give its female members the opportunity to follow leap year tradition and propose – via mobile - to the man of their dreams.
During the promotional period, which ran from 26 February to 2 March, 14,278 virtual engagement rings were bought and sold online at a cost of around £0.40 each. The figure was significantly higher than the 10,000 Flirtomatic had predicted.
The limited edition ring was part of the site’s value-added services (VAS) section, which includes a range of virtual gifts, from flowers and chocolates to champagne bottles and ‘Supersnogs’ - that users can purchase to send to the object of their affection. 
“The continuing popularity of VAS has demonstrated a clear appetite for users to pay for additional features relevant to the Flirtomatic experience,” says Flirtomatic CEO, Mark Curtis. “The popularity of the leap year proposal ring shows that social networks seem to be evolving to a point where there’s a definite interest in seasonality. We saw this at Christmas too, where our ‘Frosty’, Supersnog and Mistletoe gifts became bestsellers almost overnight.
The virtual gifts were introduced in April 2007, along with other services, including the option to purchase credits to reveal who has rated a member’s profile highly. Users can also bid to have their profile displayed on the opening ‘Look at Me’ screen. 
“VAS opens up an extremely powerful advertising medium to brands, with sponsorship of relevant gifts and features enabling intimate engagement with consumers as they communicate with each other,” says Curtis. “We’re currently in discussions with a number of brands to develop seasonally-tailored sponsorship opportunities.”

3BILL in Profile Heaven

3BILL, the mobile division of Symbios Group, has acquired Profile Heaven, a UK social networking platform aimed at 15-24 year olds. The company has not disclosed terms of the purchase for the site,  www.profileheaven.com  which in 2006 won a UK Website of the Year  award for Best Community Site
3BILL believes that the acquisition of Profile Heaven will benefit users of the site, allowing them to stay connected to their friends through a range of new, free applications and services that are planned as part of a re-development of the site. These services will make it easier to keep in touch, enabling members to access the site using a mobile phone when they do not have access to a PC. 3BILL will use its own software and content platform to integrate the mobile features to enhance usage of the site as well as offering higher levels of social interaction between users.
The site will be extensively improved over the coming months with a re-launch planned for early summer. 3BILL says the improvements will include a wide range of previously unseen web and mobile applications specifically tailored to deliver an extremely rich web and mobile experience to the site’s well-established and fast growing community. The site will also be re-branded as part of the re-launch.
“This is a natural step for our business within the exciting social networking channel, especially at a time when analysts remain bullish about the market,” says 3BILL CEO, Martin Montague. “Users accessing social networks are on the increase too. I believe we can create a unique and exciting proposition that will become a benchmark for the next generation of users and social networking sites.”

Crisp and Adaptive Team Up for Child Security

Crisp, the online child protection technology specialist, has established a partnership with  AdaptiveMobile to offer its next generation anti-grooming software to mobile phone network providers.
AdaptiveMobile, which provides mobile subscriber protection for enterprises and individuals, has added Crisp’s anti-grooming technology to its offering to further protect young people increasingly engaged in Internet-based conversations via mobile phone handsets.   
Crisp’s technology will build upon AdaptiveMobile’s existing Inappropriate Content and Parental Control systems. AdaptiveMobile provides the ability to control inappropriate access to SMS, MMS, email, Instant Messenger (IM), web and WAP services.
The addition of Crisp’s technology to AdaptiveMobile’s portfolio will enable mobile operators to expand the social networking capabilities of their networks, while at the same time delivering a more responsible offering to customers.
Adaptive points out that by the age of 15, more than 90% of children own a mobile and that 23% of three to six-year-olds use a mobile phone. Mobile Internet use has also seen a steep increase since 2003, with 21% of mobile users accessing the Internet on a mobile phone or PDA, compared to just 5% five years ago.
Crisp’s technology does not restrict Internet access, but uses an innovative approach to identifying potentially-inappropriate IM and social-network conversations, which can put young people at risk from online predators. Crisp makes sure parents are aware of unsuitable relationships, while still giving children their online privacy. Parents are only alerted to dangerous relationships via SMS text messages.
“The opportunities for online conversation have increased dramatically as advanced mobile phone technology is offering similar quality Internet access to a home PC or laptop,” says Crisp Thinking CEO, Andrew Lintell. “Quite simply, this means a device that may have been bought by parents to provide extra security could in fact offer abusers a direct link to children.”
Lintell notes that Oonline groomers aim to isolate their victims and normalise their actions, adding that these tactics can be even more effective when a young person is using a device to communicate in more private and remote locations than when they are using a PC. 
“Crisp’s technology goes so much further than website ‘blocking and locking’” says Lintelll. “Without taking away young people’s freedom to explore the Internet, their parents can be safe in the knowledge that our systems are keeping an eye on who they are talking to, and more importantly, what is being said.”
AdpativeMobile CEO Lorcan Burke says the company felt that it was important, with the growth of Mobile IM to find a solution to the growing dangers of grooming using mobile platforms. 
“It is important to realise that the busiest network time for phones owned by children is 10pm, which is generally when they have gone to bed,” says Burke. “This fact alone demonstrates how exposed young people are to potential threats. Crisp’s technology will play a major role in preventing unscrupulous and calculated predators establishing any kind of relationship with our children.”

LinkedIn Goes Mobile

Professional network LinkedIn has launched a mobile Internet version of its site for its 19 million members.
LinkedIn members can access the site on their mobile devices at http://m.linkedin.com. The current release is a beta product with the final version expected later this spring. The beta is available immediately in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese, with additional languages to follow.
Using their mobile’s web browser, LinkedIn members will be able to search LinkedIn profiles, including photos and bio information; research the mutual contacts they have with other professionals; issue invitations to connect; and receive updates about their connections while on the go.
“Let's face it, every professional today is carrying a wireless device," says LinkedIn CEO, Dan Nye. “Many of these professionals are on the move, attending conferences, sales meetings and client events. Making LinkedIn available on mobile devices responds to both these business realities and will be great for our users.”

Outcast Unveils BuzzMyGoat.com

Online and mobile media production company Outcast TV has launched Buzz, which it describes as “the world’s first fully-featured mobile narrowcasting platform”.
Buzz is a media personalisation engine which enables brands and consumers to create highly personalised video content for web and mobile users. The first commercial application of the technology is BuzzMyGoat.com, a fun service allowing people – and brands – to communicate via personalised video.
BuzzMyGoat.com enables users to customise and send comedy clips that communicate a wide range of personal messages – from chat-ups to wind-ups, Happy Birthdays to marriage proposals. The platform uses “groundbreaking” technology which allows the seamless integration of audio and video segments in an almost limitless number of combinations. The resulting videos are highly-personal and delivered to recipients via WAP. 
Outcast says that BuzzMyGoat represents the first of many possible applications for the Buzz platform. It adds that major brands and publishing houses have already taken note of the system’s unique potential for delivering a bespoke and highly-personalised route to market, merchandise and promote products or talent.
“Imagine having a Hollywood actor urge you by name to attend his latest film in a short mobile video,” says Outcast TV CEO Justin Wickham. “The possibilities are endless for brands to use this technology imaginatively to communicate to a mass market in an extremely individual way.”
Wireless application development, mobile billing and messaging solutions company Tanla Mobile  has been selected by Outcast TV to provide the platform for BuzzMyGoat. “We chose to partner with Tanla Mobile because their level of experience in delivering mobile applications and content platforms is unsurpassed in the industry,”says Wickham.

Informa Sees Bright Future for Mobile Social Networking

Mobile social networking is already an established service in some regions, but in 2008 and beyond, new features are attracting larger numbers of users and permitting new business opportunities, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. The analyst says that mobile social networking is now a global phenomenon, with expansion in all directions.
Informa has just published its report, ‘Mobile Social Networking: Communities and Content on the Move’. The 270-page report assesses social, business and technology factors in the mobile social networking equation. The research concludes that the number of mobile social networking users exceeded 50 million, approximately 2.3% of the global mobile user population, on December 31 2007. Some of these users were registered in multiple mobile communities, engaging with friends, having fun and sharing their passions with others.
With only low investments from mobile network operators, says Informa, the growth in users and community registrations will continue at a compound annual growth rate of 30-50%, depending on the type of community and the region. By 2012, there will be around 12.5% penetration of mobile social networks among mobile users globally in the most conservative scenario; approximately 23% in the high growth scenario. 
“Mobile Social Networking is approaching or has reached critical mass among mobile subscribers in South Korea and Japan,” says Christine Perey, Independent Analyst at PEREY Research & Consulting, and Author of the report. “The US, the Nordic countries and Western Europe are experiencing high growth and other geographies are following. Much of the recent additions have been responses to new WAP-based services, which offer engaging communities and exciting features with low obstacles to entry. Both off-deck and on-deck, the latest mobile community platforms are providing rich media experiences that users want on their mobile handsets.”
In 2006, Mobile Social Networking revenues exceeded $1.5 billion (£750 million), and more than doubled in 2007. The revenue growth will accelerate in the next two years, but after that point, much depends on mobile network operators’ policies, and the interests of users. By 2012, revenues generated from all business models in this industry is forecast to reach $28.9 billion in the most conservative scenario and $52 billion in the high growth scenario.
Over the next 24 months communities which foster friendships will continue strong growth in users and revenues, Informa belives. Entertainment community segment revenues will overtake in some regions in 2010. Other community segments focusing on productivity, fame and social shopping are beginning to emerge on mobile platforms, diversifying the offers and attracting people of different socioeconomic and demographic profiles to Mobile Social Networking services.
“This report is the first of its kind, to keep the hype to one side, and truly focus on what is under the covers of online communities globally,” says Nagappan Arunachalam, Chief Marketing Officer, NewBay Software. “It explores the role of the different players, involved in the value chain of user generated content including the innovative software vendors, trusted operators, and the trendy social networks. This is a hot area at the moment; it is great to see such a comprehensive report that deals with the facts.”
You can get more information and order the report here.

Just BlogIt!

SMS services company Esendex has launched BlogIt, a free service that enables bloggers to update their blogs from their mobile phones via SMS. Most blog update services are email- or web-based. Blogit enables bloggers to post entries via text message or email, opening up the ability for blogs to be updated using almost any mobile phone.
According to research from BlogPulse, of the 70 million plus blogs that are tracked across the globe, only around 1% are updated each day. Esendex describes BlogIt as “a simple-to-use tool that makes mobile blogging a reality, helping bloggers keep their sites fresh without having to wait for access to a PC”.
One of the first trialists for BlogIt is Bowes Wine, an independent online wine retailer. Owners Caspar and Victoria Bowes replaced their online newsletter with a blog in November 2007 and now use BlogIt to keep their website up to date while on tasting trips and tours.
“BlogIt is ideal for Bowes Wine, as it helps us keep the site up to date with the minimum of fuss,” says Caspar. “Naturally, our passion is tracking down the best wines we can find, which means we’re not always at a PC. BlogIt solves this problem and keeps us engaged with our readers and customers.”
BlogIt works with Blogger, Typepad, WordPress and any blog that can support email posting or the MetaWeblog or Blogger APIs. To use the service, you first need to sign up with Esendex via the company’s website and register your blog details. Then when you want to post, just text the copy to 07786 204255. You can choose during the sign-up process to post BlogIt entries immediately, or save them to your Drafts folder.
At this point in time, BlogIt does not support Categories, so if a post has to be assigned to a particular category in order to appear on the front page of your blog, it won’t appear until you can get to a PC and assign a category to it. (This somewhat scuppered our plans to file a short version of this story via SMS yesterday and then follow up with this longer one today, but never mind.)
But Esendex Managing Director Adam Bird told Mobile Marketing that this is a feature that several trialists had been asking for, and that it would be given priority in the development of the next release, adding that Esendex’s typical release cycle is monthly.
As soon as we hear that category support has been added, we will let you know.

3 and O2 Team Up to Form EyeVibe

Mobile networks 3 and  O2 are joining forces to launch ‘EyeVibe’, a mobile video community that combines 3’s ‘SeeMeTV’ and O2’s ‘LookAtMe!’ services into a single community, enabling any UK mobile subscriber with a video-enabled handset to share and earn cash from their mobile video clips.
Both the LookAtMe! and SeeMeTV platforms were created by mobile applications company, Yospace. By bringing them together, 3 and O2 aim to unite hundreds of thousands of users and their content into a single community, bringing together the best features of both.
“We have been working hard to not only combine these two communities, but also to develop community features that will thrive under this operator-supported open access model,” says Yospace Chief Technology Officer, Dave Springall. “Our plan for 2008 is to make EyeVibe the biggest and brightest mobile community in the UK.”
Members of the EyeVibe community will be able to access a vast library of video captured from mobile handsets, and will also be able to interact using messaging, voting and comments. Because EyeVibe is open to all, it means that members can for the first time invite their friends to enjoy the benefits of being part of the community.
Since the launch of SeeMeTV and LookAtMe!, users have paid for more than 32 million video downloads, earning a combined total of over £800,000 for users who have submitted more than 60,000 clips. The services currently generate 28 million mobile page impressions per month.
The launch of EyeVibe will be backed by a multi-media marketing campaign across Yospace parent company Bauer’s UK consumer magazine, radio, Internet and TV platforms.

Buongiorno Backs Bing

Mobile entertainment company Buongiorno has revealed that it plans to roll out its mobile social networking service, ‘Bing’ in several new territories, including Australia, New Zealand, India and Indonesia. The move comes off the back of successful trials in Austria and South Africa, where collectively, 380,000 registered users are sending more than 5 million messages per week and registering over 850,000 downloads.
Buongiorno says the application will provide the best aspects of both SMS and Instant Messenger to provide an innovative, more interactive, open Java software service that allows for real mobile2mobile chat for friends, and is entirely free of charge for everyone.
According to Buongiorno, a key benefit of the service is that it can operate irrespective of mobile operator and handset model, anywhere in the world. In addition, Bing enables users to communicate with as many friends as they like at the same time.
The application will have a core target group of 16-18 year olds, but will also target users aged up to 28, using the tagline: ‘Your mobile room for good friends’. 
“It is important for Buongiorno to be aware of all developments in the industry, and the enormous popularity of social networking obviously represents a huge opportunity for us,” says Fernando González Mesones, Head of Global Marketing, Product & Supply at Buongiorno. “It is our goal to become one of the most recognised global brands in mobile entertainment and instant messaging is a part of that.”

Clip In Touch Gets Personal

Clip In Touch, which develops personalised content solutions for web and mobile messaging, has announced the launch of its latest family of personalised messaging solutions. Designed with an easy-to-use interface, the solutions allow mobile phone and web users to create video messages with a personal touch. With just a few clicks, users can mix video, music, text and images to make the personal appear professional, the company says. The completed message can be sent either over the web, mobile phone network or both.
Clip In Touch says it developed its solutions to address consumers’ ever-increasing demand for more personalised content. Using its services, the company says, users can express their true thoughts and not feel restricted by standardised messages. Users can either create messages from their own unique video, music and text content, or choose from a large pool of ready made templates that can be used or edited to give a personal look and feel.
The company adds that as part of an operator’s service offering, its technology can provide a solution to meet today’s exponential growth in personalised content. Operators will also have access to Clip In Touch’s ready-made content repository. As the new service is inter-operable between different networks, including J2ME, BREW, WAP, Windows Mobile platforms, service providers can enable users to create and send personalised messages at any time, from anywhere.
“We have always believed that truly personal content in mobile communications will prevail,” says Clip in Touch Co-founder and CEO, Rami Reshef. “Current industry initiatives have enabled web and personalised content to enter the world of mobile communications. The time has now come to offer users innovative and creative solutions that truly address their need for unique personal expression. At Clip In Touch we offer a comprehensive line of products that is able to address these needs exactly.”

Australian Launch for PeerBox

Nareos has revealed that its PeerBox mobile social networking service has established a firm presence in Australia by partnering with Australian telco, Information Dialling Services (IDS).  IDS will promote PeerBox through marketing partners including GDN (Global Distribution Networks), and says it expects to enroll thousands of new users every month. The partnership comes on the heels of the recently-announced partnership with online entertainment site, Metacafe.
PeerBox provides a one-stop shop for mobile content, providing entertainment, communication and creative outlets to users anytime and anywhere through their mobile phones – all within a social networking framework.
“I am glad to be able to offer our exciting service in the Australian market,” says Nareos CEO, Alexander Lazovsky. “By partnering with IDS, we are bringing the best of user-generated content and social networking to the mobile devices of Australian customers. They will now be able to enjoy content shared by our global user community, share their own videos and images and socialize, right on their mobile phone.”
Bridget Holland, General Manager of IDS, adds:
“We are thrilled to be the first to bring on-the-go entertainment and social networking to Australian mobile users. PeerBox is a great addition at the cutting edge of existing SMS-based consumer offerings.”

Mobile Social Networking Under the Spotlight

BuzzCity, which provides global wireless communities and consumer services, has revealed the results of worldwide research conducted with users on its ‘myGamma’ portal into how and why people use mobile social networking. The survey was conducted in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, North America and Western Europe and showed significant trends in an emerging market sector that are consistent across all markets, looking at when, why and how users access mobile social networking services.
Mobile social networkers are addicted to their sport, with 90% accessing the service more than once a day. In fact, half use the service at least five times a day. For the majority of users (62%), each session lasts between 30 minutes and one hour, which shows that most mobile social networkers access the site long enough to check messages from friends and see what their group is up to. In Thailand, nearly three quarters of respondents spend more than one hour online in any one session, while in the US one in five logs on for less than five minutes. BuzzCity says the time spent on the service in one session may be influenced by market forces, such as the popularity of flat-rate data packages in Thailand.

How users access the service
The research showed that although nearly all (91%) members access the site and the mobile Internet primarily via their mobile, most are not actually on the move when they log in, with an average of 80% accessing the site while at home, at work or at a desk. “Most users access the social networking site from their mobile phone, which re-affirms our numerous observations that mobile phone usage tends to be closely personal, even intimate, and this ‘personal use’ continues as people use the mobile Internet to extend their social networks,” says BuzzCity CEO, KF Lai. “However, what will be interesting to those in the telecommunications industry is the high proportion of users who are stationary while using the service”.
The study found that Romanians, Thais and Kenyans are the least likely to surf on the go, while in India, South Africa, the UK and Nigeria, surfing while out and about is more common.   

Why users access the service
The most cited reason for logging on to myGamma was to communicate with friends, with 75% wanting to ‘meet’ their friends in the chat rooms, take part in networking activities or leave messages for one another. Members have an active ‘virtual’ life and nearly three in five communicate with myGamma friends as much, or more often, than with their real friends. However, about 44% of users in Nigeria, Romania and the UK say they spend less time with their online friends than with real ones. 

M-commerce
While m-commerce is not the primary reason for using myGamma, 35% of members have made a purchase online, with South Africans and Thais being particularly prolific buyers. Rich media content, such as games, ringtones and wallpaper images, is popular. Virtual goods are a fast rising sales item and are used as a networking tool in the form of gifts for online friends. Interestingly, users are over three times as likely to make a purchase when provided with special offers as with direct advertising. Kenyans are the least likely to buy anything via their mobile, with only 14% ever having purchased goods this way, which may be due to the lack of a robust billing method.
BuzzCity says the research has given the company a unique insight into the behaviour of mobile social networkers, particularly in the fast-growing markets of Asia and Africa, where wireless communities are emerging as a part of everyday life.
“This research has revealed that consumers’ mobile social networking habits around the globe are linked by similar behaviour, despite living in different parts of the world; they are united by a desire to connect with each other,” says Lai. “And instead of a computer, more and more of them they are choosing to do this via the most personal of devices, their mobile phone.
“What we find really exciting is that members not only use the service to network, but also to buy goods and services. This augurs well for our advertisers and merchants, who will benefit from the influence of social networks on members, and the power of referral and recommendation. In the future, as our service evolves, we are looking forward to seeing more interesting advertiser campaigns, creating a dialogue mediated by a network of friends, all powered by a multi-sided market like myGamma”.
BuzzCity has just been shortlisted for ‘Best Mobile Social Networking Service’ at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards 2008.

Miyowa Hires de Kruijf

Miyowa, which specialises in mobile Instant Messaging (IM) client software, has announced the appointment of Jos de Kruijf as Chief Operating Officer and President. de Kruijf will report to Pascal Lorne, CEO and Co-founder of Miyowa. de Kruijf has been involved in the company as a board member since December 2006. He will now lead Miyowa’s product planning, customer operations, sales, strategic partnership, and design and development teams.
de Kruijf has extensive entrepreneurial experience within the IT industry and an impressive background in management of top-flight companies such as Adobe and  Nortel Networks. After founding Software.com Europe, he built Openwave EMEA from the ground up. More recently, he was Managing Director, European Operations of Desktop Standard. Prior to joining Miyowa, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager at mobile email company, Seven Networks International. 
“I decided to join Miyowa because its technology is one of the most promising in the mobile industry,” says de Kruijf. “Its track record and client list are already very impressive in the mobile IM and presence space, which is effectively still only in its infancy. This sector is set to grow further and mature in 2008. I will do my utmost to strengthen Miyowa to bolster its world leading position.”
Miyowa CEO and Chairman Pascal Lorne adds:
“Since its creation in 2003, Miyowa has had four fantastic years and the future looks set to be even more promising.  This second phase of growth will see Miyowa reinforce its team with all the necessary experience and skills. We welcome Jos, whose background and high-level experience with mobile operators will be key in our continued success.”
Miyowa plans to reinforce its sales team in the coming weeks by hiring area sales managers in Europe and Asia.

JuiceCaster Launches Mobile Video Search

Juice Wireless, which specialises in mobile social networking, has launched Mobile Video Search (MVS), which it says is the first search application for accessing user-posted videos on wireless devices. MVS forms part of Juice Wireless’s core mobile social network, JuiceCaster, which launched in December 2006, comes in free and paid-for versions. JuiceCaster has almost 60,000 users and, the company says, is growing at the rate of 20,000 users per month. 
A free service, MVS lets anyone with a video-capable mobile instantly watch desired videos on-demand by texting keywords to the shortcode 84462. The search tool then immediately sends a reply with links to the requested content. MVS works on over 95% of video-capable phones, ranging from high-end devices such as the iPhone, Blackberry, Treo and Windows Mobile devices to mass market phones such as the Motorola Razr family of handsets.
This gives individuals worldwide instant access to informative, entertaining, commercial or personal JuiceCaster videos, delivered directly to their cell phones. Business owners, college students, garage bands, travellers and aspiring artists can quickly and easily mobilize and share their content by creating a free JuiceCaster account, uploading videos and tagging them with search keywords, the company says.
“MVS is the next revolution in mobile search, combining the immediacy of wireless environments, the power of video and the value of search into one, easy-to-use solution," says Juice Wireless CEO, Nick Desai. “MVS now enables anyone, from consumers to big-brand names to share, influence, educate and make others laugh, all through tagging their mobile content with simple keywords and making it available to anyone with a video-capable mobile device to see."
In addition to enabling users to communicate with each other effortlessly, regardless of their location, MVS also forms a connector between mobile devices and social networks, such as MySpace and Facebook. Immediately after  a consumer posts a video from the phone using JuiceCaster, viewers can see the content and comments across multiple social networking sites, as well as on mobile phones powered by any wireless operator.
JuiceCaster offers a free WAP version, which is available by sending the word JOIN in an SMS to 84462. In addition, the subscription-based, downloadable BREW and Java versions of the solution are available on select local and international wireless operators.

phling! Partners With EuropaMP3

Oxy Systems has announced that its phling! MusicLounge service has extended its relationship with EuropaMP3.com to enable music fans to listen, share and discover indie bands using their mobile phone and virally spread their favourites through the MusicLounge social networking environment. Oxy Systems says the phling! MusicLounge offers wireless subscribers the first fully integrated mobile music social networking service. 
This new form of mobile music distribution enables up and coming bands to showcase their work to a growing network of music aficionados, who also use the MusicLounge to provide real-time wireless access to their own PC-based music, media collections and Internet Radio, as well as access to the music of their friends. phling! enables bands to promote their music, gigs, news and events directly to their fan base via their mobile phones.
With 2,000 artist members, EuropaMP3 is one of Europe’s leading catalogues of un-signed music talent. The opportunity for these bands and musicians the ability to virally spread their music via the mobile significantly enhances the platform’s appeal.
“The phling! MusicLounge service turns a subscriber’s mobile phone into much, much more than a basic music player,” says EuropaMP3.com’s Bernard Barut. “Quite simply, phling! unlocks the potential of the mobile as a new promotion and distribution channel.”
EuropaMP3.com recently announced its wikisik music widget service that enables bands and their fans to add songs to their own websites using the wikisik code. phling! helps bands to promote their music and drive fans to EuropaMP3.com to obtain the wikisik widgets.
“phling! is the first fully integrated mobile music social networking service,” says Oxy Systems President and CEO, Mike Krasner. “Uniquely, phling! enables users to not only listen but share and discover music as well, all while they are on the move. Partnering with music sites like EuropaMP3.com offers our subscribers access to up and coming bands and ensures our community continues to grow.”
Currently deployed with Oxy Systems partner, The Edipresse Group, the phling! MusicLounge is available to subscribers of Switzerland's three leading carriers, Orange, Swisscom Mobile, and Sunrise for 7CHF per month. To sign up, users simply text EDI Music to 979. 
Anyone in the UK on an all-you-can-eat web data package can download phling! today for free here.

GyPSii Celebrates Nokia Accreditation

GyPSii, the geo-location and social networking platform and service for mobile phones and other Internet-connected devices, has revealed that the Symbian version of its GyPSii application has been accredited by Nokia for its N95 and 6110 Navigator mobile phones.
GyPSii combines a social networking platform, location-based news, and services such as search and friend-finder, and user generated content-creation and sharing, in a web-based application. 
Designed specifically for use on a mobile phone, the GyPSii platform is already compatible with Windows Mobile devices. With the addition of Symbian and Nokia support, GyPSii is now available on the vast majority of mobile phones and almost any Internet connected device. GyPSii for Nokia and Windows Mobile is available for download at the company's website  www.gypsii.com.
“Consumer demand for mobile location based services is rising dramatically, and widespread handset compatibility is key to any company wishing to launch new and exciting services such as GyPSii into that market,” says GyPSii CEO, Dan Harple. “Symbian is the dominant handset operating system, and Nokia the dominant handset manufacturer - as demonstrated by its increase in global market share to 39% and sales of some 111 million devices in Q3 of 2007 alone. Adding Symbian capability, accredited by Nokia, to the GyPSii platform is therefore a major breakthrough and milestone endorsement." 
Bena Roberts, Chief Mobile Search Analyst at BKI Media says that geo-location is nearing the tipping point.
“It's the connector that is currently missing from the mobile search, data and UGMC market,” she says. “But soon it will, without a doubt, be the backbone of the mobile communication ecosystem. Knowing where your friends are, how to meet them, where they have been and what they thought of it, will transform the mobile interface from a passive device to an active, addictive tool."
GyPSii integrates a wide range of location-specific functions and services into a single easy-to-use interface that works on GPS and non-GPS-enabled devices alike. These functions include user-generated content, friend finding and sharing, and also Point-of-Interest (POI) proximity search for immediate surroundings, maps and directions. 

Neustar Reveals Interactive Framework Vision

NeuStar, which provides next-generation messaging, addressing, and network infrastructure to some of the worlds leading mobile network operators and ISPs, has unveiled its vision for Interaction Framework (iF) services, which the company says will enable mobile users to manage their identities, profiles, and social interactions within one simple-to-use, integrated, and secure framework.
NeuStar's iF services will allow users to control their mobile communications experiences with ease, bringing together a user's presence-enabled contact list, profile and identity in a single application.
NeuStar says its introduction of iF services will benefit mobile phone users, mobile operators and developers. Mobile users will have one central point through which they can access all presence-enabled contacts from phone numbers to email addresses, Instant Messaging (IM) addresses, and identities from various web and social networking sites. Users can manage their identities and provide information on their communications preferences at any time. Further, users can set different identities for different groups, and can restrict access to certain information to trusted contacts, for example.
Mobile operators will be able to presence-enable and integrate existing mobile services such as text, IM, work and social networking, and gaming. As users start to access new services, operators can integrate them into the framework quickly and easily, says NeuStar, giving users faster access to services from one single trusted point on the device, and driving increased use of services.
For developers, whether they are building a new capability or augmenting an existing one, they can be assured that their services will be integrated into a framework that can be accessed by more than half a billion mobile users worldwide. NeuStar points out that its existing mobile IM solutions are currently live with more than 30 operators globally, and says it will be launching a developer program to support this community.
“Our iF services represent the natural evolution of mobile IM today,” says Allen Scott, General Manager of NeuStar Next Generation Messaging. “We are developing an advanced communications environment that will enable operators to extend their services and launch new ones easily, thus making the user experience simple and intuitive."
According to Scott, NeuStar's iF services aim to give people total control as to who contacts them and when. Simply by looking at the mobile phone's contact list, a user will see if a particular person wants to communicate and if so, by what means.
“The value for the mobile industry is immense. We are developing an environment that enables all players to enhance how people interact, and to roll out new mobile services quickly and easily. The iF environment takes presence information and other prominent features of mobile Instant Messaging and integrates them into any and every mobile application. The iF services are NeuStar's latest contribution to making the Internet experience mobile in the best possible way for the consumer."
NeuStar’s mobile IM customers include Vodafone, 3, Orange, Telecom Italia, Turkcell and Beeline. Building on its success and experience in the market since 1999, NeuStar has developed its services, working with operators and their users through focus groups, user forums and research campaigns to provide a service that meets operators' demands and service models.

ZYGO Secures Additional Funding

ZYGO Communications, the UK-based mobile social networking service, has announced the completion of a second round of business angel funding.
The Company’s ZYGOHubs service is designed to allow groups of people to stay in touch. It uses a dedicated phone number to allow a group of people to communicate easily with each other by SMS and the web. Messages sent direct to a group’s ZYGOHub number are instantly and simultaneously received by every person in the group, and everyone in the group can send messages back to their group in the same way. The service is extremely simple to set up and use, the company says. Within minutes, messages can be sent between groups of friends and colleagues as easily as if they were in the same room together.
The service works on any GSM phone, requires no additional installed applications, and can be set up from the mobile or via a web interface. ZYGO has developed a group text facility, group voicemail and conference calling. 
ZYGO provides brand owners with a mobile social advertising platform to reach clearly defined groups of consumers. For advertisers seeking a way to communicate with their consumers via the mobile, there are few simple channels, the company says.  ZYGO has developed an advertising engine that inserts targeted communications, links, promotions and content into each message that the group sends. ZYGO therefore offers a different mobile marketing opportunity which is about engaging with consumers and not being intrusive, for example, through push SMS.
ZYGO says the angel funding will enable it to launch its new consumer-facing ZYGOHubs Beta service and expand its current platform. The company will be actively engaging with brands to deliver targeted group advertising and will continue to grow its customer base and gain traction and insight with its core target audiences.
“At a time when advertisers and marketers are seeking new ways to engage with audiences through mobile marketing, ZYGO offers a way to extend the brand interaction to highly targeted groups,” says Marc Mendoza, an investor in ZYGO Communications, and Managing Partner at media buying agency, MPG. “I am very excited to be one of a number of investors who see the potential offered by this service both for brands and consumers.”
This latest round of angel funding comes from seven investors drawn from a range of backgrounds in advertising, telecommunications, new media and business. It includes a second round of investment from Richard Brennan, a former Executive Vice President of Global Brand Marketing & Products for the Orange Group, and current chairman of ZYGO.

myGamma Expands

BuzzCity, which develops  global wireless communities and consumer services, has announced the deployment of its ‘myGamma’ mobile social networking service in Denmark and the Netherlands. myGamma is now available in 60 countries globally. myGamma was recently votedBest Mobile Social Networking Service  at the Asia Mobile Awards 2007  by the GSMA, the global trade association for mobile operators.
"We’ve focussed our attention on a unique set of users, the unwired, for whom the mobile Internet is more than just a source of information, but a personal channel of expression," says BuzzCity CEO, Lai Kok Fung. "Launching myGamma in new communities not only adds value to our members but also to our advertisers."
myGamma users are typically the emerging middle classes in developing countries, and blue-collar workers in developed countries.
These additions to BuzzCity’s European offering are part of the company’s continuing efforts to expand myGamma’s global community and diversify advertising opportunities for its advertisers. Since January 2007, BuzzCity’s advertising service has delivered more than 5 billion advertising pageviews and more than 125 million clicks across more than 3,000 advertiser campaigns.
BuzzCity’s continued monetisation of WAP traffic has earned it a place on the shortlist of Red Herring’s Global 100 selected from top companies from Europe North America, and Asia.

ShoZu Adds Media Delivery

ShoZu has added media delivery features to its service, enabling consumers to have friends’ latest Flickr photos, as well as the top YouTube videos, sent directly to their handsets. The company says the upgrade turns ShoZu into the first two-way mobile social media service, allowing users to keep in touch with their Flickr social life and newest YouTube entertainment on the go by signing up for automatic content feeds to the phone.
Other social media delivery options will be added to ShoZu in the near future, allowing users to access new site postings without the need to open a mobile browser. These offerings extend ShoZu’s one-click image upload capabilities, which enable users to publish photos and video clips from the handset to dozens of Web 2.0 destinations with a single click.
“Social media has been moving from the web to your pocket, but until now the only practical way to interact with your preferred social network, personal blog or photo- or video-sharing site from the handset has been to send photos and video clips captured on the phone to the site of your choice,” says ShoZu CEO Mark Bole. “Now we can push content from those sites down to the phone so that users can stay in touch wherever they are. This bridges the gap between users’ mobile and online worlds, and it substantially extends our leadership in the mobile social media space.”
For users of Flickr, anyone with a ShoZu-equipped phone can now request that new Flickr photos posted by friends be sent to their phone as they are published. Users can receive a collective feed of the latest photos from all of their friends as well as individual feeds from specific friends. Each feed is delivered in the background, with no download downtime or other interruption to phone activities, using ShoZu’s patented technology, and is announced with a popup message on the phone idle screen. 
Flickr users with the ShoZu application on their phone can also both receive and respond to friends’ comments on their own Flickr photos directly from the handset, set the application to automatically add geotags for images captured with a GPS-enabled phone, and have those GPS-tagged photos automatically appear on their Flickr map.
Also new is the ability for ShoZu users to receive YouTube’s ‘Featured’, ‘Mobile’ and ‘Most Views’  videos as feeds delivered automatically to the phone. ShoZu will deliver a thumbnail and description of up to 10 clips with each feed, enabling users to click on the videos that interest them to begin streaming from the YouTube site.   
For users without unlimited mobile data plans, the new Flickr and YouTube content feed options include cost controls, making it possible to set weekly limits on data delivery by megabyte. A 1MB limit will typically accommodate 100 photos or video thumbnails, fitting easily into the typical 4MB or 8MB monthly data package. The ShoZu application itself is free of charge, available either as a download from the ShoZu website, or pre-installed on a variety of handsets.
These latest enhancements add to the ability of ShoZu’s Share-It service to extend today’s burgeoning social media movement from the web to the mobile world. ShoZu’s proprietary data replication technology makes two-way content exchange between the mobile and the web as easy as sending or receiving a text message, the company says.
ShoZu users can send photos, videos and text from the handset to their favorite social media sites with a single click. Other capabilities unique to ShoZu include the ability to send video clips up to 10 minutes in length; to transmit high-res photos at full resolution to yield print-quality images; to add descriptions and tags to individual images from the phone before or after uploading; and to exchange two-way commenting and messages between the mobile and the web. 
The Share-It service is currently available on 278 handset models. A list of compatible phones is available opn the ShoZu website.

Enter the Bango Button

Bango has unveiled ‘Bango Button’ which enables anyone publishing a social website, media sharing site, forum or blog to make their content available to mobile phone users worldwide at the push of a button. 
The Bango Button bridges the gap between the PC and mobile worlds by using the simplicity of the Internet, opening up the world of content to mobile users. Bango says that Bango Buttons are perfect for popular sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Bebo, Friendster, LinkedIn, Blogger, Orkut and WordPress.
A Bango Button can link directly to photos stored on a PC website, automatically resizing them for different mobile phones and presenting the download page. This removes the need to make them mobile-ready or have them located on a mobile website. 
To create a “Get On My Mobile” Bango Button, go to www.bango.com/button, and insert the generated code into your site, next to the piece of content you want to share.  When users click on your button, they get a unique URL which they can enter into their phone browser to get the content on their mobile. Optionally, a charge can be assigned to a piece of content to create a revenue stream for the content creator.
Californian electro-pop band, Moonlife is using Bango Buttons on its website to make free and paid-for content available to fans on their mobiles. Band member Claudio Tinnirello says:
“Bango Buttons on our site at www.myspace.com/moonlife make it easy for our fans to get wallpapers and ringtones on to their mobile. They'll even be able to get a map of where we'll be playing, making it easy to find the venue."
According to research firm Yankee Group, 33% of all Internet users regularly access social networking websites. “An increasing number of consumers want anytime, anywhere access to their online communities and the content that lives there,” says Jill Aldort, Yankee Group Senior Analyst. “Unfortunately, sharing that content across platforms is far from seamless. The recent buzz around open platforms is just that - still buzz for now.”
By overcoming the technical challenge of getting digital content into the hands of mobile phone users, Bango says it will enable many more people to publish content to mobiles. After a successful beta program involving thousands of users, the wider PC community now has a chance to test drive the Bango Button. 
“I can link a Bango Button to a party photo on my Facebook site and let my friends easily get it on their mobile,” says Bango CEO Ray Anderson. “It’s difficult for them to find the same photo on the Facebook mobile site because they have to go to the home page of the Facebook mobile site and navigate around to find the photo they want.”
A Bango Button can also link directly to a mobile website or to mobile versions of popular PC sites such as YouTube or Flickr. Bango Buttons can also be embedded in emails and easily sent to friends.

NeuStar Delivers Mobile IM for 3 in Macau

NeuStar has revealed that it has facilitated the rollout of Windows Live Messenger with 3 Macau as part of 3’s X-Series brand, building upon the success of the Mobile IM (Instant Messaging) service with 3 Hong Kong.
Expanding on its successful partnership with the 3 Group in Europe – specifically in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Italy – NeuStar worked with 3 Hong Kong and 3 Macau to implement and launch the popular mobile IM service. As a result of these new partnerships, 3’s subscribers are able to access Windows Live Messenger to communicate with friends and family from their mobiles.
“Innovative operators like 3 Hong Kong and 3 Macau have recognised the value of providing Mobile IM services to their users and giving customers new and innovative ways to communicate,” says Allen Scott, General Manager of NeuStar Next Generation Messaging. “We are delighted that our successful relationship with 3 is being strengthened in Asia.”
Scott points out that NeuStar is now working with more than 30 operators worldwide to make mobile Instant Messaging a reality.
“This year, we have seen many leading operators successfully launch these services to their user bases,” he says. “Mobile IM is poised to become a truly mainstream service in 2008.”
NeuStar has a long-standing relationship with 3. It implemented the rollout of 3 UK’s Windows Live and Yahoo! Messenger services. 133 million messages were sent across the 3 network via Windows Live Messenger in June 2007 alone.
NeuStar notes that it works with more operators worldwide than any other company offering Mobile IM services. The success of the Windows Live Messenger service on 3’s network, it says, is further proof that mobile consumers will readily adopt familiar services that are easy to use and suitable for the mobile environment as operators make these services available.

Miyowa Ramps Up

Miyowa, which specialises in mobile instant messaging (MIM) services, has revealed that its MIM solution will be compatible with 700 devices by June 2008 and 1000 by year end 2008. The company says its MoveMessenger solution is becoming compatible with more than 50 new terminals per month.
Miyowa currently serves 20 mobile operators across the globe. Offered under white label, its MoveMessenger client has become the reference point for many tier one and two mobile operators, thanks to its ease of deployment and reliability. Miyowa will also propose an embedded version of its universal client technology to handset manufacturers, in order to ease the deployment of mobile instant messaging, and its adoption by end users.
“Miyowa’s mission today is to deploy a quality MIM service to the largest number of terminals while reducing the porting costs and time to market for operators as much as possible,” says Miyowa CEO, Pascal Lorne. “Our database of mobile phone characteristics seamlessly integrates with existing and future releases of our client software, ensuring that we can get our software out to end users as quickly as possible.” 
Miyowa says it will soon announce a major agreement with a big platform name in order to accelerate the deployment of MoveMessenger in Asia.
Miyowa is exhibiting on stand L09 at the Mobile Asia Congress in the Venetian, Macau, from 12 - 15 November.

The 3 million Mash Up

Gofresh has revealed that its ad-funded US and European mobile content community itsmy.com, which has almost 1 million registered mobile phone users, now connects more than 3.1 million items of mobile content items its user-personalised mobile mash up service.
In just five months, the company reports, 400,000 users have linked 3.1 million free mobile contents in the off-deck community. The most popular mobile mash up items are user-generated videos, followed by user pictures and mobile blogs and diaries. Links to other cool mobile content sites show the highest growth rates. 64% of all mash up content is already tagged.
Authentic user-generated content (UGC) is not just a buzz word for itsmy.com, says Gofresh, but a business philosophy. itsmy.com allows users only to upload real and authentic UGC. An automated alert system has been set up for users to report content non-compliance with itsmy.com´s strict publication guidelines.
To get involved in the mobile mash up, brows