Archive for August, 2008
I love Skype for its free Internet calling services, complete with IM and SMS and conference calls that make it easy to keep up with friends and colleagues and new business contacts around the world. With a user base of over 300 million people, chances are good that I can make a Skype connection rather than pay for a phone call — as long as I’m on a computer connected to the Internet. But making mobile calls with Skype has been a challenge. So I took another look at iSkoot (www.iskoot.com) a San Francisco-based company that offers free software to run Skype on mobile phones.
“Everywhere in the world, we see a lot of room for growth based on the number of active Skype users.”
iSkoot does its best to make it easy for users to download and install the Skype software. Once you sign up with your name, phone number and Skype address on their web site, and select your phone model from a drop down menu, you can get the software delivered right to your mobile via SMS. The list of supported cell phones is growing fast, but Blackberry, Palm and other smart phones still dominate. The web site also makes it clear that while the Skype software and iSkoot features are free, you will still be using airtime minutes while you are talking on a mobile Skype call – the savings come mainly from turning expensive international mobile calls into local calls.
I spoke with Jake Martin, Senior Director of Marketing at iSkoot to find out more about how iSkoot is reaching users and what other mobile services are in the works. Here are some highlights from that discussion:
Q: About how many people are using iSkoot around the world and what are your plans for growth?
A: We have hundreds of thousands of users today, including individuals who download our software from the web site and consumers who buy a phone that has iSkoot already built in (like the Skypephone offered by 3 in the UK). Obviously getting phone manufactures and carriers to build iSkoot into the handset before it is sold makes it a lot easier for consumers to take advantage of the service, so increasing the number of phones that come with iSkoot is a big priority. We are definitely committed to making iSkoot downloads compatible with more and more handset models and spreading the word to individual users as well. Everywhere in the world, we see a lot of room for growth based on the number of active Skype users.
Q: Do you have plans to offer new services beyond what is available from Skype?
A: Absolutely. iSkoot software and our network technology platform lets mobile phones take advantage of some of the most popular features of social networking services like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or Twitter. We expect to have a lot more services coming out soon.
-MJ
August 14th, 2008
Mozes.com is a web site that is geared to connect users with their favorite bands with the ability to send and receive exclusive content from bands and friends in your “mob” or mobile list. I logged on and quickly noticed a bunch of bands I liked in the Rock and Christian genre’s. I played along and text the keyword ‘Copeland’ for example to Mozes (66937). What I got in return after opting into the bands mob was a free Copeland wallpaper almost immediately! I’ve received several more wallpapers from bands such as All
That Remains and Kings of Leon as well as ringtones from P.O.D. and Lovedrug. Bands have the ability to update their mob on such things as a tour kick off, offer tickets, or send content via text. Since it’s free to
join as well as send and receive content, I predict small independent bands will also use this as another opportunity to expand beyond their town by offering incentives to gain a bigger mob.
To give it a try, create an account on their website by providing your phone number, nickname, birth date, and of course, password. For music fans, the second step is perusing through the list of bands in your chosen genre and texting a band’s listed keyword from your phone to Mozes (66937). You’ll receive an immediate response with directions to join a mob and more info on what the incentive is for doing so.
Here is something else to keep an eye on; it looks as though Mozes is expanding from music to sports and live events content and updates via text too. Keep texting!
–Cloud
August 6th, 2008
Text messaging is continuing to slowly embed itself in the daily business of companies and industries. The pizza industry could greatly benefit from SMS messaging more than any other food industry because pizza is almost synonymous with delivery, and text messaging provides a quick, open means of communicating with hungry customoers. Papa John’s, Domino’s and Pizza Hut, which are the leading pizza retailers both nationally and internationally, are using SMS delivery systems in great, innovative ways; helping their customers get the pizza they want when they want it.
Papa John’s offers an interesting service which we previously wrote about in June (article here). Their service is based on user-created “Favorites”. By setting up a customized meal as a favorite in their online Papa John’s profile, users can save the legwork of going through a menu and picking out the food that they want. Papa John’s appears to aim for speed in their offering, underscored by their focus on the Favorites aspect of the service. Papa John’s also offers mobile coupons and savings to their customers which they provide in a convenient location in their front menu.
Domino’s service is relatively simple, and seems to be more based on variety than Papa John’s service. Domino’s offers choices of Pizza, Chicken, Bread, Drinks, Salads, and some Extras (sauce, dressing, etc). While the choices of food are relatively limited, Domino’s offers a great variety within each kind. Beyond bulding their own pizzas, users can choose between multiple toppings and styles. Like Papa John’s they offer coupons to the user on the front page of the mobile menu, which is a great service and encourages customers to save money.
Pizza Hut’s mobile ordering service is chock full of options and choices for delivery. Users can choose from Pizza, Pasta, Wings, Sides, Desserts, and Beverages. Similar to Papa John’s SMS offerings, users can also set up logged Express Checkout choices on the mobile website, so that they can simply refer back to a previous order for inspiration in a pinch. While Pizza Hut offers such a huge variety of different kinds of food, it can be somewhat of a drawback, as they don’t successfully show how easy it is to order using SMS on their website and seem to focus only on online ordering. Also, when signing up as a member, Pizza Hut forces you to sign up for coupons, rather than simply presenting the option. Contrary to Domino’s, they offer a great variety of different kinds of food, but they also lack a variety of selection within each kind of food.
These three companies still have bugs and shortcomings to fix within their SMS delivery services, but with time and with new ideas, SMS could transform the way that we think of delivery. In the meantime, it serves as a fast, easy way to get a delicious pizza.
- JPK
August 5th, 2008
