TextMovers

Happy Valentines Day from TextMovers!!!

2009-02-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

Are you smarter than a fourth grader?

2009-02-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

Can you remember what you were doing when you were nine years old? I recall playing baseball in the church parking lot and reenacting WWF wrestling matches in our front yard. Today's youth are most likely spending their time playing baseball or wrestling on the Xbox, Playstation, or Wii. These types of activities are certainly normal in comparison to the average nine year old, but wait until you hear how Lim Ding Wen from Singapore spends his spare time. Lim writes applications for Apple's iPhone, having recently finished a drawing program that has been downloaded over 4,000 times from the iTune's store.

Lim, now in the fourth grade, has been computing since he was two years old. He is affluent in six different programming languages and has completed over twenty different programming projects. Its not hard to tell where he gets his programming impetus. His father is a chief technology office at a local technology firm and the two often review their statistics in the evening to see who's iPhone application was downloaded more times.

Lim Ding Wen is truly a little genius. Are you smarter than this fourth grader?

Want to Know A Little Mobile Marketing?

2009-01-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

Check out this article about mobile marketing. Its a quick overview.

Say More With Less Characters!

2009-01-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

Everyone runs into problems saying everything you need to say within a 160 character SMS/text messaging character limitation, so maybe this is the product for you. Check out Textapedia.

Text Messages Surpass Phone Calls in US

2009-01-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

Do you still blush when you are stumbling through a crowded store texting your friends or family? Well, don't worry so much anymore because its likely the people around you are doing the same. According to a new report published by Nielsen, the average mobile user now sends more text messages per month than 'sends' or 'receives' voice calls. Here is an excerpt from the article:

As of Q2 2008, a typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends or receives 357 text messages per month, compared to placing or receiving 204 phone calls. Though the number of calls has remained relatively steady, the number of text messages is up 450% from just two years prior. Q2 2008 was the second consecutive quarter in which the average number of text messages sent was significantly higher than the average number of phone calls placed.

We're not exactly sure what this says about the culture here in the US... either text messaging continues to boom because of an inherenet convenience factor or simply we do not want to chat any more. What are your thoughts?

You can read the full article here.

Fastest Download You've Ever Seen

2008-12-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

We came across an article on the mobile marketing watch website today that says the "theoretical" nature of the 4G is going to be fast, very fast. Download speeds are said to hit 100Mbps with 50Mbps uploads. The fastest rates current phones transfer are only at 7.6Mbps. To put this speed into perspective, the speeds will be faster than the current generation of typical home wireless networking technology and comparable to the emerging 802.11n standard.

The keyword here is "theoretical". I believe we can and will achieve these high speeds. But the question is whether or not the US operator platforms will be properly equipped for the new 4G technology. Also, whether or not the appropriate electromagnetic spectrum is going to be available for such use. One of the reasons all television broadcasts are switching from analog to digital is to free up a large chunk of the spectrum. Digital occupies approximately 25% less space on the spectrum than analog. The freed up space will belong to the government who will in turn auction it off to the highest bidders.

Some studies have been conducted whereas they suggest the majority of future Internet connectivity will be done through a mobile device.

See the full article here.

Phoneflix - Netflix Phone Management

2008-12-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Recently we wrote a story about the latest OnDemand movie rental product, Blockbuster's 2Wire set-top box service. 2wire appeared to be another punch in the fierce battle between the two movie rental powerhouses, Blockbuster and Netflix. The two companies originally had very different business models, but since Blockbuster released its mail rental program they are both competing head to head.

The latest tech launch from Netflix is their mobile phone management application called Phoneflix. The application allows a user to easily make updates to their account or queue while on the go from their mobile phone. We see the major advantage of the application being the ability to quickly search and add a movie title to your queue. How many times have you been somewhere away from your computer discussing various movies with friends when you told yourself you'd add it to the queue when you got home. Several online reviewers stated the biggest drawback was the inability to tell if a movie is already in your queue while searching for movies via the mobile search.

All in all we recommend the application based on our review. The ability to successfully add movies to your queue definitely outweighs any disadvantages we have come across. Plus the application is free for blackberry and android users.

Gmail adds SMS

2008-12-11T19:47:00.000-08:00

Application developers are still finding new and creative ways to integrate SMS into their software. Gmail users can now use a text messaging widget from their Gmail account alongside the chat feature.

As XMPP and SMS continue to grow in popularity, you can rest assured that there will be increasingly clever applications for text. We have a lot of creative ideas forthcoming at TextMovers too. Stay tuned!

Blockbuster Goes Set-Top Box

2008-12-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

Blockbuster, Inc. has introduced a new set-top box that brings the movie rentals directly to your television set. The new device works similarly to the way that cable television set-top boxes currently provide on-demand services. "Eventually, we'll give customers instant access to any movie on any device with an Internet connection and a screen," said Keith Morrow, Blockbuster's chief information officer.

We love the idea of Blockbuster entering into this market. In reality, they are sort of catching up at this point but we are hopeful they take it much further by offering a variety of new features. The company teamed up with Microsoft and is using the Live Mesh platform to provide the rental services.

Its another step in the right direction for the movie rental market and the competition should further boost the technology and pricing models. The mail order program that Blockbuster introduced a few years ago to compete with Netflix offered some major advantages over its rival. The ability to turn in the movies to a nearby store location in exchange for another rental had many people running back to Blockbuster.

We want to know how the new set-top box is going to compete with their current mail rental business? What would be the cost per movie or how many do you get per month for the subscription price? If each movie rental is similar to the price of an in-store rental, I could see a slow adoption rate among the members of the mail rental program. Someone using the mail rental program to its fullest potential could see 20 or movies per month for a little over $20.00.

Play Mobile Demos in Facebook

2008-12-09T06:29:00.001-08:00

A new gaming application, Mobile Arcade, has been released on Facebook by MPowerPlayer, Inc. (mplayit.com). The application allows you to play demo versions of popular mobile phone games, such as Guitar Hero and Spore Origins, inside of Facebook. You no longer have to waste any of that precious dough on a game that you end up hating. Of course if you must have the full version you can purchase the games too.

This new app has a ton of utility compared to most of the other Facebook apps out there. We've always enjoyed playing games over sending virtual drinks to our friends list. Let us know your thoughts on the application.

Holiday Shopping Goes Mobile

2008-12-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

First there was Black Friday, the dreaded over-crowded shopping day when people literally trample each other. Then came Cyber Monday, an online shopping day filled with amazing Internet specials. And now comes Mobile Tuesday, the newest marketing campaign designed to grab your consumer dollars in the days following Thanksgiving.

Mobigosee started the campaign to try and beef up sales on the very slow Tuesday after Thanksgiving. We're not exactly sure of all the details regarding the program, but special offers are sent to users that have signed up or opted-in to the Mobile Tuesday campaign. More than 18,000 people were signed up prior to the event. Personally, I think there are some inherent problems in such a campaign. Such as how many coupons would actually be sent to your phone in that one day? Or what time of day will I receive all my coupons?

Overall, I think it is a great idea and it would be a tremendous success if they have solved these issues. We'll keep you posted if we receive any additional news and whether it was considered success.

TV is becoming more portable than ever!

2008-12-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

If you think your G3 phone is "all that and more", then just wait until the next phase of mobile television broadcasting. Sure, you can probably watch some streaming live video now, but that is all approved content provided to you through your cellular carriers.

The Advanced Televisions Systems Committee has recently approved a proposed standard specification, called Mobile DTV, which will extend the range of U.S. television broadcasters. In other words, this technology would allow television broadcasters to create mobile channels that are sent directly to your phone, laptops, or other portable devices. However, the cellular carriers would need to sell phones that are equipped to handle these specifications. Getting them on board may be the catch. Traditionally, the cellular carriers have not allowed devices capable of carrying content in which they are not controlling, or selling.

Mobile DTV would likely be subsidized by providing mobile-directed advertising in the programs. For example, a subway commercial may ask you to text SUBWAY to a short code number to get a special coupon. The advertising could also be location based as the user would be identified via GPS.

Staggering Numbers - Text Messaging Explosion Worldwide

2008-11-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

According to a September 2007 article (click here for the article), there were 8 billion text messages being sent every day worldwide. That is the equivalent of 92,000 messages per second. Another report released by the CTIA, the wireless industries trade association, stated that Americans sent approximately 75 billion text messages for the month of June 2008, roughly 2.5 billion per day. Those numbers are staggering and really illustrate the explosion in the mobile phone communication feature, especially compared to only 17 billion being sent worldwide in 2000.

How many messages in a day do you send?

TextMovers.com

Texting and Thanksgiving Etiquette

2008-11-26T05:23:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving! Another holiday upon us. Another opportunity to stuff our faces with a seemingly viable excuse why we completely discard the rules of our diet. Its also another day to gather with family and friends and give thanks.

But the holiday also brings out the texters in many us. Many of us texters are pounding the tiny keys from morning to night. Telling everyone we can possibly think of "Happy Thanksgiving!" "Happy Turkey Day!" "Happy Tday!" and "Gobble Gobble". This will inevitably lead to further chatter and distraction. So, whats the problem with this? Being fans of "text messaging", what is the proper etiquette. We thought about it for, a second, and here is what we came up with. DO NOT text while...

1. Eating your Turkey Dinner. (We wouldn't want you to get turkey grease on the keys, its hard enough to push the keys as it is.)
2. Having a conversation with [insert relative here].
3. Driving your vehicle. (Many free-range turkeys were already killed for this holiday.)
4. Carving the Turkey. (Safety first stubby.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM TEXTMOVERS.COM

If postal is snail, what is email?

2008-11-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

The most popular forms of computer-mediated communication are SMS (text messaging), instant messaging and email. Our postal mail has long been considered snail mail, so what descriptive term should we have for email compared to SMS and instant messaging? In relative terms to transportation, I see postal mail as driving a car across the US; email as flying in an airplane (its pretty fast but you have delays); and SMS and instant messaging as traveling in the fastest military jet available (no delays and top speed direct to your destination).

OK. So this may not be the best comparison, but what I am trying to say is that SMS and instant messaging are becoming the most popular forms of communication. But why? Because we want information instantly. It has its place in the business world, translating to higher productivity and customer service. It has its place in the consumer market, getting in touch with your friends, receiving product info, and signing up for subscription alert services.

Bottom line: "We want our communication and we want it now."

We'd love to hear about any creative services you use your phone's SMS/instant messaging capabilities for.

TextMovers.com

Space Text -- Using SMS text messaging in the classroom

2008-11-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

Space Text is a free service enabling amateur astronomers and casual sky watchers to keep current on celestial events with timely alerts sent directly to their mobile phone.

A major target audience for Space Text is science teachers and students. Keeping students engaged in science and astronomy can be challenging. With Space Text, teachers and students alike can have astronomy news and events sent directly to their mobile phone via SMS. This use of contemporary technology in the classroom will impress students and enhance the overall learning experience.

Who watched the spectacular meteor shower last night? Did anyone else watch the lunar eclipse last night? Our SMS alerts will encourage students to participate by reminding them in advance of such events.

In addition to timely alerts, Space Text also provides trivia, quotes and tidbits that can make for great conversation starters during periods of sparse celestial activity.

Did you know the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will merge in 2.5+ billion years?

Our belief is that such educational mobile alerts will become commonplace for teachers looking to improve the interactive nature of their classroom.

TextMovers is always interested to hear ways we can improve our mobile content and services for students and educators. If you have an idea that you would like to see developed, drop us a line.

Changing Lives? Really?

2008-11-21T11:51:00.001-08:00

TextMovers has a grand plan to make a positive impact in the world!

Each and everyone of us lives a life that is overflowing with events, to-dos, hobbies, interests, needs, wants, problems and much much more. We run through each day without stopping for a breather. So, how in the world can we find even more time to get educated or updated on stuff we really want to know about? Its simple. Let the information come to you through your mobile phone.

TextMovers was founded by a group of passionate mobile phone users who wanted to solve this problem. We realized that text messaging was the fastest growing feature on the mobile phone, so we decided to put the information into the hands, literally, of the people who want it. We have a selection of services with topics ranging from wedding, maternity, baby development, money, and positive thinking to services for space enthusiasts and pet lovers. We even have an anonymous service that lets you free your mind of any negative thoughts or bottled up emotions.

Can TextMovers really changes lives? Absolutely! Our messages entertain, inform, and brighten up lives. The best part is that our services are FREE (standard text messaging rates apply).

TextMovers.com

Promo Video - TextMovers.com

2008-10-26T07:35:00.001-07:00

Check out our promo video!

We are currently in beta test mode but will be launching very soon! Keep up to date with the latest news and features by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace or Blogger.

TextMovers.com