09 December 2006

Telecom 2.0

Without a doubt, "social phone apps & services" are amongst the most interesting areas within the 2.0 zone. And I expect this category to explode in 2007.
The intelligent phone segment has reached a level of critical mass in many markets. Furthermore, some (open source!) databases and some solution providers are making it much easier now to port apps and content to more mobile phone operating systems. Interfaces are getting (slowly...) better. "Digital natives" are often preferring their mobile connectivity above web based communications - and they are exploring all new phone features (mms, video, games) that "digital immigrants" have been consistently ignoring. But the biggest boost will come from location based apps, that now seem to become an integal part of the smartest new handsets.
Location based services will thus reach our back pockets, anytime, anywhere - "socializing" communications and content much further than we even can imagine today.

Some of the companies in the list below are blasting away traditional telecom business - in fact, like Skype, or potentially, like Jajah and Rebtel. Others are - at least for the time being - potentially good ARPU drivers.
I'm sure that the list below is only a very small representation of what's going on in the world. Making these apps & services available for many phones in many countries is a very complex thing, so many of them are only available locally, or still virtually invisible because they're targeting only the relatively still small segment of people with the most advanced phones. Others fail to grow to maturity - and visibility - because the telcos still think that they have to play an active role in offering them thru semi-closed portals, and/or because the telcos still take too big a chunk of the (premium) revenues to successfully monetize these initiatives. On the other hand, I also see many cool wap concepts from the beginning of the century making a comeback. Wap push will explode next year.
Another thing is that many of these companies are European, often originating from smaller (Scandinavian!) markets. For them it's hard to prove the viability of their concepts. And if they do succeed in that in their home market, it's hard to
internationalize their business, and reach a massive audience.
A funny aspect of this sub-sector is that many of the entrepreneurs behind them, probably coming from the telecom sector, don't seem to know what's presently driving New Web business. They for instance invest heavily in richly designed front-ends, and endless explanations of how their thingies work, where Web 2.0 companies all go for optimizing the Lightness of their interfaces, and for encouraging their users to 'find' all features themselves, or to teach each other on how to use them.
Finally, I am aware that I've largely ignored everything that's presently happening with and around VoIP. And that I've lost track of most new cool apps that recently have been developed within the Skype ecosystem. If you know of any source that comprehensively aggregates knowledge on these subjects of the Telecom 2.0 category, please let me know.

3jam - One to many texting - Communicate
Anothr - Manage & read feeds in Skype messenger - RSS
Bitbomb - Web2SMSs reminders - Office
Blogtalkradio - Host your own phone-in talkradio show online - Audio
Bluepulse - Internet 2 cell phone - Software
Busythumbs - Post & share text & photos from cell to blog - Publish
Byoms - Personalized IM search agents on your cell - Search
Callthefuture - Place future phone calls - Communicate
Celljournalist - Sell your scoops live - News
Cellpedia - Search for mobile phones - Search
Cellswapper - Swap out or in a mobile phone contract - Economy
Cingularmusicid - Have music recognized thru your cell - Audio
Clicktoscan - Scan, store & share documents with your phone camera - Images
Clicmobile - Mobile social software - Software
Connectmeanywhere - Mobile & landlines over IP - Communicate
Crickee - Send & receive sms for free - Communicate
Dodgeball - Hook in with your mobile & meet friends - Community
Dsimobile - Start an mvno network - Ecommerce
Egress - Mobile RSS reader - RSS
Enablr - Transcribe podcasts, Text2Snailmail… - Audio
Eqo - Call, text & IM your buddies on your mobile - Communicate
Ether - Set up your call center, make money - Economy
Filemobile - Store, organize, share & blog your media - Publish
Flurrymail - Your email on your current mobile phone - Communicate
Fotochatter - Publish & share photo on web & cell - Images
Fring - Call for free on your 3G cell - Communicate
Frucall - Mobile price comparison - Ecommerce
Funambol - Mobile OS project - Software
Gearon - Social mobile network around your cellphone's contacts - Community (Stealth)Gizmo - Call Gizmo friends for free, or pay low rates - Communicate
Glue - Publish & share your website's content on mobile devices - Publish
Grandcentral* - Get 1 phone number for all your calls - Communicate
Hotxt - Skype for sms - Communicate
Hullo* - Integrates soft, cell & landline phones - Communicate
ICQphone - Call at low rates - Communicate
Imobio - Store, share & rank your mobile photos online - Images
Invitika - Organize, report & share events thru your cell - Community
Iotum - Sorts & processes calls on relevance - Communicate
Iskoot - Call people on your online buddylists - Communicate
Ispott - Mobile treasure hunt - Game
Jabbin - PC2PC voip (Jabber client) - Communicate
Jabphone - Messenger2phone - Communicate
Jaiku - Social phone directory showing where you are (Nokia S60 2nd ed.) - Community
Jajah - Free phone calls, glocally - Communicate
Jangl - Hide your cell phone number (Stealth) - Communicate
Jumpclaimer - Inform your relatives about your whereabouts thru sms - Communicate
Juvino - Reroute your mobile calls and texting - Communicate
Jyve - Find, meet & interact with Skype users - Community
Kaywa - Publish & share multimedia on web & cell (Stealth) - Multimedia
Linknsurf - Track & share blogs on your mobile - Publish
Loquendotts - Text2sneeze - Communicate
Lowlandsguide~** - Explore the lay of the Lowland Festival with this mobile app - Geo
Mabber - Mobile messenger - Communicate
Meetmoi - Mobile dating - Date
Melodeo - Listen to, share, discuss & create podcast playlists, on your cell - Audio
Mixd - Text & send pix & vids to groups of friends - Communicate
Mobango - Discover & share mobile media - Multimedia
Mobileglu - Web services to your mobile - Portal
Mobilereporters~ - Upload & share your video - Video
Mobilicious - Mobile social bookmarking - Bookmark
Mobitv - Get tv & radio on your cell & laptop - Video
Moblee - Opt in to offers direct to your mobile - Ecommerce
Mobsaver - Price comparison thru your cell - Ecommerce
Mobspray* - Create & share graffiti in places thru mobile2RFID - Game
Mophone - Store & share mobile content - Multimedia
Mozeo - Text cast to & chat with your own group on your cell - Communicate
Mozes - Share information & people thru your mobile - Community
Mozesmob - Mobile Q&A - Knowledge
Myfoodphone - Monitor & modify eating habits with your camera phone - VAS
Mygamma - Mobile community - Community
Mynumo - Create, share or sell mobile content - Multimedia
Nimbuzz~ - Free mobile community calls, chats, IM - Communicate
On2go - News & alerts on your mobile - News
Partysync - Meet & sms people - Community
Pheeder - Alert all your friends with 1 phone call - Communicate
Photocrank - Add graphics & caption to your cell cam photos & share them - Images
Pixpulse - Upload & share photos and videos on your mobile - Multimedia
Planzo - Arrange meetings & events online & thru sms - Office
Playtxt - Socialize, flirt thru sms - Community
Plusmo - Fast, customizable way to get the web on your phone - Portal
Pocketfuzz - Create & sell your own ringtones - Audio
Posticky - Place, access & share notes (also mobile) - Office
Pushy*~ - Personal portal; also mobile - Portal
Rabble - Create it & share it mobile - Community
Rebtel*** - Call international at local rates - using your cell phone - Communicate
Resellular - Get out of your cell contract, or take over a contract - Economy
Rminder - Text2phone reminder service - Office
Saki - Mobile community - Community
Sharpcast - Synchronize all photos online & mobile - Images
Shazam - Have music recognized thru your cell - Audio
Shozu - Upload & share photos, videos & text on your mobile - Multimedia
Sky-click - VoIP call center solution - CRM
Skylook - Record & store all Skype communications - Communicate
Skype - Call, conference, messenger, file sharing - Communicate
Smartpox - Sema-encode & share URLs, phone numbers & email addresses - Identity
Snapvine - Send audio files to & communicate with your friends, on your cell - Audio
Socialight - Share pictures & notes with your cell phone - Collaborate
Soonr - Mobile2web & v.v. - Communicate
Spinvox - From voice to text to mobile or email - Communicate
Splashblog - Publish & share mobile photos - Images
Splashdata - Mobile tools for media, payments, shopping… - Software
Stufflinker - Mobile and web bookmarking - Bookmark
Supcast - Publish your media online thru your cell - Publish
Swarmteams* - Solutions to set up & manage mobile One2- or Many2Many community communications - Software
Talktrust - Call anonymously - Communicate
Tapgad - Get & reply to email thru sms - Communicate
Tapuxmobile* - Mobile fun & community content & apps - Software
Teleflip - PC2Text - Communicate
Textamerica - Mobile blog - Publish
Textmarks - Customize your own sms info service - Communicate
Textpayme - Mobile P2P micropayments - PSP
Tictap - Price comparison for mobile - Ecommerce
Tiggdo - Personal mobile portal - Portal
Traincheck - Get an sms with the next 3 departure times - VAS
Treemo - Post, manage & share media online & mobile - Multimedia
Twttr - Share where you are thru your cell phone - Communicate
Txtmob - Share sms messages with your friends - Communicate
Umundo - Upload & share mobile videos and pix - Multimedia
V4s - Add voice to your email - Communicate
V-enable - Mobile speech search - Search
Vicito - Group text service - Communicate
Vizrea - Upload & share (camera phone) photo content (Subm. By Mac) - Images
Watchmedoing - Upload & share mobile videos - Video
Waymarkr - Turn your mobile into a life phlogging wearable - Images
Widsets - Create widgets to get web2phone - Software
Widsets - Create mobile widgets - Software
Wikipediamobile - Wap version of Wikipedia (by Sevenval) - Publish
Winksite - Create & share mobile content - Multimedia
Xanco~ - Mobile phlog & vlog - Publish
Youmail - Record unique voice mail recordings for anyone that calls you - Communicate
Zaptxt - RSS to email, sms, messenger - RSS
Zemble - Communicate, collaborate & connect thru group text - Communicate
Zingku - Text2website content sharing - Community
Zlango - Icon language for sms - Communicate
Zyb - Store, manage & share your cell's data - Store
Zypsy - Post & get matches for classified ads thru cell & email - Marketing

I am aware that a number of the Web 2.0 websites in my Big Lists must have added mobile services since I last visited them. Please send me an alert if you find one.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Checkout Phonezoo (www.phonezoo.com) as well.

Anonymous said...

Hi Bob,
Here is some fresh news about Crickee!

First, 40,000 loadings by more than 40 nationalities since September 12, 2006.

Second, last week we've launched Crickee 2.0.
Always in 10 languages, Crickee 2.0 is:
“A World First”: From now on you can send your unlimited and free SMSs to anyone having adopted Crickee or not, from your mobile or from the web!
The Crickee Web: Without installing anything on your PC you can as of today, you can send as many SMS/Text Messages as you wish to as many as mobile numbers around the world. Your addressee will answer from his mobile, should he have or not Crickee and you'll read from him on your PC or Mobile.
The Crickee Mobile: Another "World First": Again we have reduced by a factor of 10 the consumption data when Crickee is idle.
And some more great User Interface enhancements: Unless you download Crickee on your mobile, Bob, you won't experience it !
Always the same motto: Crickee the more it's free the less you pay !
Thanks for your interest and your support!
Crickeely, LVG

Anonymous said...

www.jaduka.com is another one for your list.

Anonymous said...

I wrote a short entry on Phonezoo.. They take ringtones and turn it in a creative product and earn money with ads.

 
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