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Mobile

Ribbit Mobile Launches in Beta, Competes with Google Voice

by Michelle Lentz on March 2, 2010

In the last few months,  I’ve completely converted over to Google Voice. There are a few people, mostly family and old friends, who still have my original cell phone number. However, since I won’t pay for visual voicemail from Verizon – but I expect visual voicemail – I needed an app to handle that on my Droid.

Most calls go to my Google Voice voicemail. With GV, I’m sent a text message – and an email – transcribing the voice mail. I’ve come to rely on this. For non-GV calls, I’ve been using YouMail. However, you have to pay extra for the transcription and I’m one of those Web 2.0 consumers who expects things to be low-cost or free. YouMail notifies me of new voice mail via SMS, but I still have to call into the service. I am aware that Google Voice gives me the option to forward my phone to my GV Voicemail, but it never seemed to work and people would complain.

So along comes Ribbit Mobile today. (Ribbit is part of salesforce.com.) It’s launched in an invite-only beta, so I logged into my account. As far as I can tell, Ribbit Mobile is another Google Voice. It does almost everything that Google Voice does, finding you at different phones, assigning specific settings to different callers, and more.

I’m using some basic settings – literally, my original mobile number now forwards to my Ribbit Mobile voice mail. That’s it. I ran some tests as well – it transcribed fairly well. Better than Google, to be honest, whose transcriptions often leave me laughing. I receive a text message with the transcription, just like with GV. I can also receive an email.

There are some nifty widgets – for example, I plugged in a widget to my iGoogle page that allows me to access the Ribbit Mobile site, including all my voicemails and settings. They are also offering a nice Adobe Air desktop client and a conference call desktop app.

Ribbit Mobile is in beta, so it is missing some things. Apparently all of their developers use iPhones, because there is a lack of apps for Android, WebOS, or RIM, just to name a few. We don’t all have iPhones, you know. It also seems like you can call from the web, but you’re stuck using your computer’s microphone. This works great if you’ve got a headset – after all, you’re calling from the web and not using your mobile minutes. I don’t think. GV, on the other hand, calls my specified phone and the number, which occasionally does use mobile minutes. I don’t think you can choose a new number with Ribbit Mobile either, which is one of the neat things about GV. I’m stuck with my current, original mobile number.  Finally, the only way you can import contacts is via Plaxo. I refuse – absolutely refuse -to add yet another social network (specifically one I don’t like) to the too many of which I am already a part. I would love to be able to import my contacts from Google, which really doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch.

It also looks like Ribbit Mobile might eventually offer a premium, or business-grade, level that includes more features. I suspect that will cost around $30/month (because you aren’t paying enough for your mobile service as is). I am honestly not sure if, as part of the beta, I will have continued access to the full feature set or if they’ll take it away from me after 30 days. I’ll let you know.

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Cheers!
Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

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BlackBerry to Launch its Own Twitter App

by Kristen Nicole on February 12, 2010

BlackBerry is developing a Twitter app to run on its mobile platform, giving BlackBerry users a more integrated and dedicated tool for managing their tweets. Currently still in private beta, the app is still under wraps and in need of additional development. But the fact that Research In Motion, BlackBerry’s parent company, is creating an app for the popular microblogging service indicate’s its interest in social media and the mobile app economy.

While still ahead of Apple and Android in some regards, BlackBerry has yet to make a splash with a mobile app marketplace. A great deal of effort has been put into Apple and Android’s mobile platforms, growing their marketplaces as opportunities for developers and publishers.

As BlackBerry phones ar still well distributed amongst smartphone users, it would be in BlackBerry’s best interst to find a way in which it could incorporate a better mobile app experience. Contending with the device-specific capabilities of Apple and android mobile phones, BlackBerry has a ways to go. But at least appealing to its current user base means that the company recognizes its existing market share and the potential therein.

BlackBerry plans on making its Twitter app far more integrated than any third party Twitter app currently available for BlackBerry phones. The offering of a Twitter app from BlackBerry itself means that more options that are specific to the BlackBerry device can be incorporated. This could increase its appeal to BlackBerry users, creating a more loyal customer experience.

The benefit of doing this is, of course, the ability to better integrate a Twitter app with other aspects of the phone. Other BlackBerry apps, for instance, could be combined with the BlackBerry Twitter app, enhancing both apps duly. This is a tactic other platforms are already using, including Nokia and Google.

Nokia has its own phones, devices, apps and marketplace, giving it a unique vantage point for implementing various tactics around controlling its aspect of the mobile industry. Google has its own apps that span the web and mobile devices, along with a mobile platform and an app marketplace. The ability to reach the various access points for a mobile app gives these companies better mechanisms for serving their consumer base.

As companies look to corner the market based on their ability to appeal to consumers, the use of convenient services makes for a great offering to customers. Better integration with the tools those customers already have could mean a higher retention rate and monetization options for the companies.

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Motally is Totally About Mobile Analytics

by julieblaustein on February 8, 2010

By Julie Blaustein

Wednesday, February 3rd  I attended the kickoff of Motally’s moChats. Motally plans to hold a moChat the 1st. Wednesday of every month at their cozy headquarters in SOMA.  MoChats are casual talks designed to share insights about successful mobile development and optimizing mobile sites and apps through analytics. Analytics is what Motally provides, not only for mobile devices on the iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms but also for the Apple iPad.

Pizza and drinks, including adult beverages, were served while sitting around a projector and chatting about Motally. Many features were discussed including the 2-way communications, user statistics such as unique users, page views, top referrers, top devices etc.  Also discussed was their search tracking feature.  When someone does an internal search on a mobile website, the website publisher can track what happens after the search to determine whether an action took place.  For example, say an individual searches for pizza on a mobile website and then later makes a phone call to place an order.  This is the type of data that is captured by Motally’s analytics and is particularly useful for sites that have strong search functionality. In fact, Yelp,  the local search and review site is one of its customers. Other clients include Fandango, IAC , Portable Zoo, and Verve Wireless.

Connect with Motally on Twitter at and keep up with them and all the excitement at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona February 15-18th or if you are in Barcelona, Motally will be at RIM’s App Planet in Hall 7, booth 7B26. You can also join them at the next Motally moChat on Wednesday, March 3rd.

The Motally Team at the AppShowcase/Buzzworthy Event.

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AT&T Going After Yelp with New Mobile Project Buzz.com

by Kristen Nicole on January 27, 2010

Yes, companies are still working on finding the best way to push location-based mobile advertising. AT&T is getting ready to launch buzz.com, which will be a location-aware mobile search tool. Complete with recommendations from friends and the service, along with polling options and access to reviews, Buzz.com is something of a Yelp competitor. As location-aware apps and options on mobile phones increase in popularity and feature sets, AT&T is hoping to get in on the good fortune.

Location-aware mobile advertising has been on the horizon for years now, with companies aiming to integrate several phone options into the mobile ad structure. Getting businesses to participate by offering mobile coupons or other rlevant discounts has been a huge part of the struggle, leaving companies such as AT&T with few incentives to offer mobile users.

The rapid growth of mobile app markets and the increased adoption rate of smart phones has made all of the above far easier, especially as consumers are now turning directly to their phones in order to find information and directions to nearby venues.

The idea of tapping into one’s social graph to receive the best information is also a tactic that has already been employed by other services, but for AT&T, Buzz.com is aiming to be a step above the rest. While Buzz.com won’t be creating its own social network, it will turn to existing connections through email and social networks, most likely Facebook and Twitter.

The ability to do so has also helped companies like AT&T fulfill their desire to create a useful application based on a mobile user’s location. As AT&T already has YellowPages.com, it’s also likely that the phone service provider will also tie in some of its data to the new Buzz.com project. Building on existing databases in this way also makes i easier for AT&T to implement Buzz.com.

As I mentioned yesterday, several companies are building businesses and mobile apps around a user’s location. Mapping tools, search layers and filters, and other location-aware features have made GPS into a power-feature, bearing several methods for helping consumers navigate their surroundings. It seems as though most mobile apps can be wrapped in a location-aware setting, giving rise to a more tangible connection between mobile users and their device.

For advertising purposes, the encouragement around location-aware mobile apps means big money. Having the ability to better target consumers means getting even more information on things like their location and purchasing activity. What some of these mobile apps are doing is creating a rather exact profile of individual users, making it far easier to dig into demographic data and create marketing opportunities that are highly personal.

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Aloqa and Location-Aware Mobile Apps to Drive the Market?

by Kristen Nicole on January 26, 2010

Popular mobile app Aloqa has a presence across all of the major smart phone platforms, from iPhone to Android, BlackBerry and Nokia. A recent update to the location-based mobile app has added some useful layers to its GPS maps. From real estate to local hot spots, Aloqa is building out its service by adding more filters to appeal to the needs of more users.

One of the new layers includes a real esate search, which displays nearby homes and apartments for sale or for rent. Seeing as this is a relatively popular task utilized by mobile users, it makes sense that Aloqa would want to combine it with its existing features. Other real estate-specific services offer the same option, but they are not always combined with a full-fledged location-aware service for things outside of real estate.

Another new layer shows local restaurants that have an option for take-out, which can really streamline the foodie hunt process. Many location-based restaurant finders don’t have many such filters, or focus on things like making a reservation or reviewing the ambiance. The third new layer offers a list of hot spots that other Aloqa users frequent when they’re in a particular part of town, giving a crowd-sourced approach to location-based recommendations.

Adding such filtered layers to location-based mobile apps is a growing trend, with the bigger providers getting in on the fun. Google and Microsoft have both focused resources on the growth of their map layer catalogs, creating a new market for niche apps. In some ways, this is creating a market for app-specific apps, giving a sub-categorization of a rapidly growing industry.

We saw similar sub-categorization with web-based apps, particularly those found on Facebook. Some took a platform approach, enabling cross-platform interaction for a single app. Others took an advertising approach to this strategy, creating options for the monetization of such apps.

As mobile GPS-based apps are growing quickly in major mobile app marketplaces, it is clear that focused efforts to support this will be in the best interest of device manufacturers and developers alike. Though one issue to address for added app layers is the ability to successfully drill down into a person’s needs, the current approach to all-inclusive apps is still relatively new.

Eventually we may see the parsing out of mobile, location-aware apps. Those with stringent selections over what type of locations it will help you find will have their own level of success, likely creating an additional app or layer to work with the all-inclusive apps. This will become a more clearly defined space as those ouside of phone manufacturers begin to offer their own mobile devices that are centered around location-awareness, such as Garmin has begun to offer.

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