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Comment by Jeff Judge on May 22, 2009 at 11:16am

Great post Tim. Just wanted to let everyone know that my company (Interactive Mediums) makes has a product called TextMe (http://textme.net) which makes it really easy to implement this type of alerting functionality, and a whole lot more. We also crank on mobile applications for clients.

Comment by Tim McQuillin on May 22, 2009 at 11:03am

Chicago-based housing developer cuts costs via SMS
By Jordan Crook

May 22, 2009


Text-message reminders
UAS Properties, a housing development company recently used mobile to save company costs and provide a quicker, simpler way to stay in touch with tenants and perspective renters.

The company was founded in 2001 based in Chicago. UAS hopes to provide affordable housing through development and renovation in Chicago and surrounding communities.

“Text messaging is a cheaper and more efficient way to reach a lot of people,” said Atukwe Newell, managing partner at UAS Properties, Chicago, IL. “We use EZ Texting in both our leasing business and our property management business.

“In both cases it was a much more efficient way to get out information,” he said.

Managing over 800 rental properties, UAS spends a great deal of time communicating by phone to collect rent payments, and maintain and renovate units and usually receives over 150 calls a day from potential renters.

Whether it’s caring for current customers or communicating with potential new ones, UAS has to stay in contact with a large number of people daily.

However, phone calls are time-consuming and economically inefficient. So UAS implemented EZ Texting for both aspects of the business, property management and leasing.

During this economic slowdown, UAS often deals with late payments.

Instead of making dozens of tedious phone calls, UAS sends rent collection notifications through EZ Texting.

These text messages give renters a number to call to make their payment automatically by phone.

On the leasing side of its business, UAS provides potential renters with a texting update system.

With permission, UAS sends text messages with new listings that fit the customer and any price reductions available.

The texts normally go out around lunchtime when phones quiet down a bit. UAS claims that only minutes after the messages are sent, their phones ring off the hook with prospective business.

The potential renters on the texting list can opt-out at any time and will not receive text messages after 60 days. This is the only form of communication between UAS and customers during that period.

The plan seems successful as Mr. Newell estimates $140,000 in savings, traded up for a texting bill of less than $100.

“Mobile is all about real time,” Mr. Newell said. “Within a few minutes we can coordinate when we’re getting responses.

“Mobile is more effective for the volume of communication we have,” he said. “We believe it stands out a little more, if you are looking for an apartment it is a lot more efficient to get updates, a text message a day as opposed to having updates fall into your spam box or checking a Web site.”

Editorial assistant Jordan Crook assistscovers ad networks, advertising, content, email, media, messaging, legal/privacy, search, social networks, television and video. Reach her at jordancrook@sbcglobal.net.

Comment by Nicholas Paredes on May 13, 2009 at 4:50pm

I agree the WebOS could be quite cool. We will have to wait and see, however.

Don’t miss Mobile Monday if you’re in Amsterdam! It sounds great…

Comment by Floyd Webb on May 13, 2009 at 3:51pm

Why Palm’s WebOS Could Shake up the Netbook World
From LapTopMag.com

Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Toshiba. Nearly every PC manufacturer is looking to cash in on the growth of smart phones by either bringing out their own devices or by potentially acquiring an established player like Palm or Research in Motion. This week the hot rumor is that a Dell-Palm marriage could be on the horizon, and I do think the idea has merit. Although the eagerly anticipated Pre device would certainly give street cred to any potential suitor, it’s the WebOS itself and its potential beyond smart phones that makes Palm an especially tempting target. Here are five reasons why its OS could shake up the netbook world.

1. WebOS is the most attractive and intuitive Linux OS. Ever. Yes, distributions like Ubuntu and Linux Mint look nice, and I’m sure Android will make some waves in the netbook arena (Asus is rumored to be working on a system) but WebOS is far and away the most consumer-friendly mobile OS I’ve seen. It just looks polished and slick–and no offense–doesn’t feel like you’re using Linux. Given that Microsoft is considering selling crippled netbooks with a Starter edition of Windows 7 that can run only three apps simultaneously (presumably in the hopes of upselling to a premium version) Dell or another PC manufacturer would be wise to either inquire about licensing WebOS or acquire Palm outright.
2. It’s touch friendly. Rumors of a touch-enabled Apple netbook are rampant. And ASUS will be launching the Eee PC T91 this year, which will add a touch interface on top of Windows XP. I believe the WebOS would be a welcome alternative to those choices and the still unproven Windows 7 (at least when it comes to touch). The activity card paradigm, where you could shuffle or just whisk away apps, would be welcome on a 7- inch or larger screen. Plus, there will be a built-in app store for touch friendly apps, which as far as I know Windows 7 won’t have at launch.

Comment by Nicholas Paredes on May 13, 2009 at 10:45am

Bruce, I went to the Android Developer meeting last night, and I do expect Android to both develop and to mature. It is lacking so much at this point though. The iPhone is going to hit a major revision with new hardware, and BlackBerry will remain strong too. It will be fascinating to watch.

Competition is great! Given the second revision of the G1 hitting later in the year, several million more units is pretty easy to achieve.

Comment by Bruce Eric Montgomery on May 13, 2009 at 10:38am

Google Android Will Grow 900 Percent in 2009, Analysts Say

Google’s Android mobile OS is expected see a growth rate of 900 percent in 2009, Strategy Analytics is predicting in a new report. The Apple iPhone OS will follow behind it, as the second fastest-growing smartphone OS, and the RIM BlackBerry is also in good shape, as the second-largest overall smartphone OS in the U.S. in 2008.

Google’s Android operating system is expected to grow by 900 percent in 2009, encouraged by vendors, developers and operators, a May 11 report from research firm Strategy Analytics is predicting.

The report, “Global Smartphone Vendor Market Share by Region: 2008,” breaks down smartphone market growth by region and operating system.

“The Android mobile operating system from Google gained early traction in the United States in the second half of 2008 and it is gradually spreading its presence into Europe and Asia during 2009,” wrote Tom Kang, the author of the report, in a statement.

Kang additionally expects the iPhone OS to grow 79 percent in 2009—outpaced only by Android, which is expanding from a lower user base.

Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics, also remarked in the statement that Android’s “relatively low-cost licensing model, its semi-open-source structure and Google’s support for cloud services have encouraged companies such as HTC, Motorola, Samsung, T-Mobile, Vodafone and others to support the Android operating system. Android is now in a good position to become a top-tier player in smartphones over the next two to three years.”

Despite the global economic climate, global smartphone shipments reached 152 million units in 2008, and Kang’s report states Asia Pacific is still the biggest market for smartphones, followed by North America and then Western Europe.

Core markets for Symbian have been sluggish Kang additionally writes, but the RIM BlackBerry has also seen success, pulling ahead of Microsoft Windows Mobile to become the second largest smartphone OS in 2008.


Bruce Montgomery
Montgomery & Company
Technology | Innovation | Commerce
773-410-0608
onepresence@yahoo.com

Comment by Bruce Eric Montgomery on April 29, 2009 at 5:09pm

Palm Extends webOS Early Access Program for Developers

Company Reveals Expanded SDK Program, Plans for Integrated Cloud Services, and Palm OS Emulator Application from MotionApps at Web 2.0 Expo


SAN FRANCISCO----Here at the Web 2.0 Expo, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today revealed additional details regarding its developer program for the new Palm® webOS™ platform. In a keynote address, Palm’s senior vice president of Application Software and Services, Michael Abbott, said that Palm is expanding its early access program for the Palm Mojo Software Development Kit (SDK), and discussed the company’s plans for integrating cloud services into the new platform. Palm also today announced an application from MotionApps that will allow legacy Palm OS® applications to run on webOS devices.

The Mojo SDK, previously available only to a select group of partners, will be provided to a broader set of interested developers that apply for access to the program at the Palm Developer Network website (http://developer.palm.com). Access to the program initially will be limited as the tools and systems continue to be refined and improved, with general availability scheduled for later this year.

“Developers are an incredibly important part of the webOS ecosystem, and we’re eager to get the SDK into their hands,” said Michael Abbott, senior vice president, Application Software and Services, Palm, Inc. “Now that the SDK will be available to a broader base of developers, we think the enthusiasm for webOS will only grow and accelerate. We’re very excited to work with developers to make this unique development environment even better.”

With Mojo, developers have the ability to integrate their applications into core webOS functionality, such as linked contacts, layered calendars, multitasking, notifications and GPS capabilities.(1) webOS applications run natively on the device. They don’t depend on any server connection to run and can cache data locally. Providing developers with the freedom to integrate unique webOS functionality and services into their applications paves the way for a rich catalog of innovative offerings for webOS users.

Palm webOS is a new kind of mobile platform. Standard web technologies, such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS, are deeply integrated into the webOS architecture, enabling a much broader developer community to easily create compelling applications. The ability to customize webOS applications will appeal to developers and ultimately benefit consumers with a unique and differentiated user experience.

“webOS makes mobile application development incredibly easy – we were able to get a version of Pandora running in no time,” said Tom Conrad, chief technology officer, Pandora. “And because webOS has true multitasking capabilities, Pandora runs elegantly in the background while you’re using other applications. The unobtrusive notification bar lets you know what’s currently playing, and allows you to pause and play without having to go back into the application. It’s an incredibly powerful and flexible platform.”

“The webOS functionality and integration opportunities provide a richer experience for moviegoers on the go,” said Ted Hong, chief marketing officer for Fandango. “With Fandango’s webOS application, you can watch trailers and buy tickets, pick your showtime, which is automatically added to your calendar, then get directions to the theatre, and easily forward the showtime to friends or family. You can even create a reminder to let you know when a specific movie is opening so that you can buy tickets in advance on Fandango. The webOS technology helps further our goal of making moviegoing experience as convenient as possible.”(1)

Integrated Cloud Services

Palm also announced that it would deploy its first Palm branded cloud service. Cloud services are software resources provided over the Internet. These services can deliver direct benefits to the end user, such as giving them access to their favorite web applications, or can be incorporated by developers into their applications to enhance the end-user experience.

When the Mojo SDK is broadly released later this year, it will include a developer-facing offering called the Mojo Messaging Service, an XMPP publish/subscribe service. The Mojo Messaging Service is an elegant, standards-based way to exchange information over the Internet. When new information is available, it is “published” to the cloud and all interested parties who are subscribers are notified that new information is available. This will allow developers to push live content to their applications or services. The Mojo Messaging Service initially will have a limited feature set and service level that will evolve over time.

Palm OS Emulator Application

Palm also announced that MotionApps (www.motionapps.com) is creating an emulator application that will allow most Palm OS applications to run on webOS devices. The application, called “Classic,” will be available for purchase when the Palm Pre™ phone becomes available from Sprint in the first half of 2009, and gives users peace of mind as they transition to Palm’s new webOS.

Since Palm OS applications running in Classic won’t be able to leverage core webOS functionality, Palm is working with partners to ensure that popular Palm OS applications are made available on the webOS platform and are optimized to take advantage of everything it has to offer. In the meantime, the MotionApps Classic application will allow customers who have invested in the Palm OS platform to use Palm OS applications they’ve grown to love and depend upon on their new webOS devices.

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com.

Bruce Montgomery
773-410-0608
http://twitter.com/onepresence

Comment by Nicholas Paredes on April 26, 2009 at 11:35am

Don’t miss Mobile Monday tomorrow night! We will be discussing Cupcake and iPhone 3.0. Information is available here.

Comment by Nicholas Paredes on April 21, 2009 at 4:05pm

Check out this review of the Palm WebOS. Interesting stuff…

Comment by Nicholas Paredes on April 21, 2009 at 3:59pm

Tim, the first meeting for Mobile Monday this year was at Sears discussing the mobile applications. Very interesting, particularly the purchase patterns. Who knew there was a drunk dialing version to buy via mobile?!

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