Google shutters Dodgeball, an SMS-based, location-capable effort

Search giant quits work on the mobile social network

January 15 2009 – 1:24 pm ET | Colin Gibbs | RCR Wireless News

Comment on this story

Google Inc. will pull the plug on Dodgeball, cease development of its microblogging service Jaiku and slash roughly 100 jobs as it streamlines its operations in a struggling economy.

An SMS-based, location-based service, Dodgeball gained traction in the early days of mobile social networks and was acquired for an undisclosed sum in 2005. But co-founders Dennis Crowley and Alex Rainert left Google in 2007, citing the parent company’s lack of support for the service, and onlookers have long expected Google to kill the service entirely.

“We have decided to discontinue Dodgeball.com in the next couple of months, after which the service will no longer be available,” Vic Gundotra, VP of engineering, wrote on Google’s blog. “We will communicate the exact timeframe shortly.” (more)

Won’t be the last mobile social network to see development cancelled in this economic climate.

Volunteers willing to test iPhone apps to help make the (iphone) world a better place.

iBetaTest is an iPhone Beta Tester Community and an Application Store!

Here’s what we are about:

We want to bridge the gap between developers and end-users before the apps are even launched.
(we all know how many sucky/buggy apps are already available for download)

We want to provide iPhone developers with a community dedicated to quality control.
(developers can rate beta testers so other developers know which to accept and which not to accept)

We want to provide Beta Testers with what they crave the most: exclusive access / first look to the apps not yet seen (maybe even some cash).
(developers can even pay testers for their participation)

And equally important:
Provide iPhone developers whose apps are not allowed in the iTunes App Store with ability to sell their apps in our store.
(up to 100 can be sold, as per Apple’s limit on how many iPhones can be provisioned for beta testing)

Sign up for beta Sneak peak!

Sign up and be notified as soon as we launch the beta!
(the above info is just a scratch on the surface on what’s coming

Follow us @iBetaTest on Twitter or via our Blog!

Description:
mobiSiteGalore is a FREE mobile website builder that allows you to easily build, publish & share a full-fledged mobile website that is guaranteed to work fine on any mobile phone.

Companies that are using it to run private WAP portals are: dotmobi, Bango, Strato, General Electric (GE), Borland, Cisco, Wells Fargo, Pfizer, The American Red Cross, Merrill Lynch, Vodafone, Berkeley National Laboratories, Philips Electronics Company Netherland, JP Morgan, Copernicus Business Systems, AstraZeneca

Laurel says: it’s a white label (hosted) version of WAP portals for everyone. I created a site but am having trouble having the  final page load – slooooowwwwwww.  I think it is like FileMobile but without the full community toolset?  See my site SilkCharm

Mobile Social Networking

Gold Rush, Goldmine, or Minefield?

The mobile social networking market is best described as emerging. With a very large number of startups and unformed business models shaped loosely around Internet-based equivalents, the mobile social networking industry has a long way to go before it reaches maturity and mass adoption. Nonetheless, mobile social networks are garnering a great deal of interest from mobile operators, hardware vendors, ISPs, and major brands, as a means of connecting users, reducing churn, enabling advertising revenues, and facilitating access to other forms of mobile content. This report aims to demystify some of the key issues around mobile social networking, through a combination of up-to-the-minute analysis of the major stakeholders in the mobile social networking value chain, interviews with providers of social networking and mobile operators, an in-depth survey of end-users’ perceptions of mobile social networking, and forecasting of mobile social networking uptake in terms of subscribers and revenues.

Oh I would say it has emerged. But still, a report for you

Description:

Listen to CNN and other mini podcasts regularly downloaded for you.

How do I listen to my playlist on the phone?

Just call 415-692-4933 from the same phone you subscribed with. Lexy will automatically play your quikcasts, starting with the most recently updated one. While you’re listening, if you need anything, just say Lexy. She will be happy to assist you.
How do I share from my phone?

There are two easy ways to share while listening to a quikcast. You can use the voice command “share this” then follow Lexy’s instructions. Or just press star* followed by your friend’s 10-digit phone number. That’s it, it’s that simple!

Lexy’s phone-to-phone audio program sharing technology is patent pending.
How do I listen to my playlist on the web?

It’s easy. Just register for a Lexy account, and you’ll get access to the same playlist on the web.

Laurel says: I think this is what iTunes wouldn’t do at first – let you update your ipod with subscribed podcasts easily – Lexy does it to your phone.

Description: tagline says it all – free SMS tools for web app developers. Revenue model is placing ads in SMS messages – pays for gateway I guess.

We use our shortcode – 88147 – to send and receive SMS messages on behalf of websites that use our API. When a website wants to send a message to a subscriber’s mobile device, it lets our servers know via the API. We pass that message onto mobile carriers which then route it to the intended user’s mobile device. The process works the same way, but in reverse, when a user wants to send a message to a website.

Laurel: It should open up communication from social networks/blogs to mobiles by providing a free (albeit adertising) SMS solution. Article on ReadWriteWeb.

Laurel says: mobiles social networks page here.

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Cute widget – get THIS blog SMS to you. This widget will allow your visitors to enter in their mobile phone number and be sent an SMS message from MoFuse with your mobile site URL. This service is currently only available in the United States. boohoo

I thought I would show you the part about challenges:

Table 3: Key Challenges for Mobile Web 2.0 Applications

Technology Fragmentation

Variations in device capability are an intrinsic characteristic of the mobile Web environment and there are thousands of different models of mobile devices in the market based on various implementations of operating systems. This makes it extremely difficult for developers to create an application that can execute a task in the same way on different devices with different navigation flows and approaches to displaying information.

Privacy & Regulation

Personal information is critical to the business models being adopted by many Web & Mobile Web 2.0 providers. Social Networking & UCG, in particular, are said to be where ‘the rubble hits the road’ in terms of legal issues. In many countries, there are strict regulations in place that control how and when personal data can be released. If MNOs are to be an intermediary between the user and the
application they need to be able to understand who the user is, what the user wants to do and what they should be able to do, in respect of local laws and regulation. In some countries, there are also fears that the MNOs’ ability to hold personal data and track a subscriber’s movements could be used for ulterior motives – i.e. is the network doubling as a ‘big brother surveillance tool’.

Adjusting to New Partnerships & Business Models

Business models remain in a state of flux. Traditional carrier models are not designed to accommodate Web-centric aspects such as monetising traffic via advertising, while the limited success of mobile portals thus far, demonstrates that operators do not necessarily make successful media providers. On the Web, newcomers and start-ups offering Mobile Web 2.0 applications are currently focused on building their user base and have yet to adopt firm strategies for future revenue generation. Even Web players that have gained an established audience (Facebook, MySpace etc.) are still experimenting with different business models.

Channel Dominance

In the Mobile Web 2.0 environment, it is necessary to connect the world of Web 2.0 applications (chat, IM, presence and communities) with the mobile operator’s assets (BSS/OSS, CRM, network etc.) without any party controlling the end-to-end experience. Yet MNOs and device OEMs still control the distribution channels, making it difficult for independent players to survive without partnering with them. However, mobile developers and publishers are moving down the off-portal/D2C (Direct-To-Consumer) route in a bid to bypass the MNOs’ stranglehold.

Cost of Mobile Data Services

Despite the fact that flat-rate data plans are gradually being introduced in some markets, the cost of mobile data remains a significant barrier to adoption, as does lack of transparency in terms of service pricing. Historically, pricing of data was complex and confusing for consumers, while the high cost per MB (particularly for prepaid customers) clearly acted as a disincentive to usage. This was partly attributable to operators’ desires to maintain control of the content market by means of a ‘walled garden’ approach, although consumer and regulatory pressure, and increasing competition, have led MNOs to reduce their data charges.

Enterprise Sector

Mobile Web 2.0 is at an embryonic stage in the enterprise space. Mobile applications have typically been deployed as customised solutions and are often provided on a licensed basis from specialists. For most enterprises however, both Web 2.0 and Mobile Web 2.0 pose a serious dichotomy: on the one hand, they provide a means to innovate; on the other, they are viewed as presenting a significant security threat. That said, there are some examples of Web 2.0 applications being deployed (mobile IM and Wikis, for example).

Increasing Mobile and 3G Penetration

A major driver for the adoption of mobile Web services is the continued growth in the mobile subscriber base, particularly in developing markets. Of equal importance to the growth of the overall subscriber base is the increasing penetration of 3G technology, which provides greater delivery speeds for data.

Fear of Bit Pipe Scenario

The introduction of flat-rate data pricing means that MNO service revenues could be under threat from low-cost/free applications (e.g. IM and VoIP) if Mobile Web portals are opened up to competitors. The fear of being relegated to a ‘bit-pipe’ where data access is commoditised (i.e. higher volumes but tighter margins) has manifested in MNO’s reluctance to move from the ‘walled’ to ‘open garden’ approach.

Industry Structure

Current mobile industry dynamics are said to make it impossible for small, entrepreneurial start-ups and developers to go after larger brands and licenced content. Meanwhile, branded content owners are not sure whether they actually want their content to be made available on mobile.

Security

As use of Mobile Web grows, and device capabilities become more sophisticated, so the security threat posed by mobile viruses, malware, inappropriate content, unsolicited communications and spam increases – at both a corporate and consumer level:
• Viruses – could spread through mobile devices and MNO networks
• Malware – rogue applications have the potential to bring down certain parts of the cellular network
• WORMs (Write Once, Read Many) – have targeted UGC communities

Spectre of a global down-turn in economic growth

The consequences of reduced consumer spending could well have a detrimental
effect on mobile advertising revenues.

Lack of Metrics

Growth in mobile advertising will hinge on increasing inventory, stability and clarity (in terms of cost), and more importantly, the ability to provide advertisers with detailed performance analytics. The lack of such metrics has been a major hurdle to growth, although a number of third-party providers, such as AdMob and Bango, now offer their own solutions. There are also efforts to create standard metrics, and these are being led by industry bodies such as the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association) and the GSM Association.

Heres’ the link to the PDF. M:Metrics (commscore) and Amethon also have Mobile Marketing Metrics and Analystic tools.

Description: send photos to Twitter (chat), Facebook (distribution), Picasa (photo), Flickr (photo). Java and Windows mobile.  “an application that lets you upload photos from your mobile devices, such as iPhone or Nokia, directly onto your favourite photo online sharing site. Check out the latest version of Twitxr with further improvements for mobiles using Java and Windows Mobile and start sharing your photos directly from your handset!”

Widget: yes

Laurel says: My SilkCharm account. It seems very similar to BrightKite to me. But from a fave company of mine, Fon. (Foneros, social telecommunications company).

The iPhone Application.

Description:

What is TwitPic?

How do I use TwitPic?