Its location based services everywhere

Looks like this year is going to be hot for Location based services and apps. Earlier it used to be small startups working on Location based mobile apps. That’s no more the case. Lot of big companies are trying to solve the Location mystery with each coming up with their own niche. Twitter just announced their location based service called Places . Facebook has plans to launch its own location based service. What’s interesting about this service is that it complements some of the existing services like Foursquare, Gowalla etc. Twitter is getting into Location big time.They already have a partnership agreement with TomTom and Localeze. In addition, they acquired MixerLabs, Creator of GeoApi startup last year.


The new feature helps discover more places (Point of Interest) and tweets based on User location. Users will be able to select places from a list in their areas based on the tweet posted from twitter home page or mobile site. Soon the service will be extended to Mobile clients. The tweets are not only limited to twitter, users can also see Check-Ins from Foursquare and Gowalla. With the vast user base that twitter has, what I would love to see is an open database of Point Of Interest that is powered by both users and existing data.

Several other features of this launch include:

• Foursquare and Gowalla integration: Many Foursquare and Gowalla users publish check-ins to Twitter. Location is a key component of these Tweets, so we worked closely with both companies to associate a Twitter Place with Tweets generated by these services. This means that if you click on a Twitter Place, such as "Ritual Roasters," you will see standard Tweets and check-ins from Foursquare and Gowalla.
• API: We are releasing API functionality that lets developers integrate Twitter Places into their applications.
• Support for more browsers: Now, you can add location to your Tweets from any browser—Safari and Internet Explorer, in addition to Chrome or Firefox.

Twitter plans to roll out this feature to users in 65 countries around the world. So have fun exploring new interesting places and tweets.

Verizon Launches Group Communication for Family,Friends and Business

Iam so thrilled to write about this news. Why? Because this news is very special to me and I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I have been blogging for couple of years now and this is the first time iam talking about my company ( Kodiak Networks) and the product, which I have been working on for many years.

Today Verizon Wireless announced Group Communications features, which is powered by Kodiak Networks, a leading provider of innovative mobile applications including Conferencing, Messaging, Presence and Contact Management, and Push to Talk (PTT).
The details of the product is in the press release. I have always shied away from writing about my company. This is a proud moment for our startup and I wanted to share this news with my readers of this blog. So if you are a Verizon subscriber, don’t miss the opportunity to try out one of the best and a unique Group Communication service in the market. Trust me you won’t be disappointed. Check out the Link for more information.

I will write a separate article on how Mobile Group Communication could become one of the Killer Mobile service. There is lot of potential in services like this. Remember what we saw in D8 conference where facebook revealed via Marks hoodie that they want to become the global platform for sharing data. What is often ignored is the vast Mobile Social Graph Data that operators own, and how that is far more valuable than the Social Networking Social Data Graph. So Kodiak is providing utilities to unravel the potential of Operators Social Data Graph and yes this is the beginning of a new era in Group communication and Sharing.

Please find the press release below:

ONE NUMBER, MANY CONTACTS: STAY CONNECTED WITH GROUP COMMUNICATION, ONLY FROM VERIZON WIRELESS

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless is making it easier for customers to call, text or send voice messages to their friends, family and colleagues with an exclusive new product called Group Communication. Equally valuable for both customers and small businesses, Group Communication can help families plan where to meet for dinner, coaches schedule a baseball or soccer practice or business owners contact their employees quickly. Group Communication enables simple, collaborative calling without the hassle of multiple numbers or conference bridges.
“For years, wireless phones have helped people stay in touch wherever they are. Verizon Wireless is taking the next step by offering Group Communication, a service that lets people use one number to connect with all those people at the same time,” said John Stratton, executive vice-president and chief marketing officer at Verizon Wireless. “Group Communication offers a new way to share information, make plans and run businesses more efficiently, all managed online in your Verizon Wireless account.”

Customers have two choices on how to set up Group Communication:
Family Group Contact provides a toll-free number – 888-VZ-GROUP (888-894-7687) – that automatically connects up to 20 members of an account with a call, text or voice message. Businesses that have more than 20 lines can select up to 20 account contacts and connect with them using the toll-free number. Members of a Family Group may include anyone on an account, plus one non-Verizon Wireless number or any wireline number not associated with that account. Family Group Contact is $4.99 per month per account, and once subscribed, any member of the group with a Verizon Wireless number has the ability to initiate communication with the others.
Group Contact allows a customer to create up to seven customized groups, each with up to 20 different wireline, wireless or international phone numbers. Group owners can initiate communication with a call, text or voice message by dialing a unique phone number assigned to the group when it is created. Group Contact is $6.99 per month per line and includes Quick Contact, which allows users to ring all members of a Quick Contact group simultaneously. When the first line answers, all others are disconnected, making Quick Contact perfect for those looking to connect with hard-to-reach individuals.

Customers can create and set up groups by logging into their accounts on either My Verizon or My Business. Managing groups, including adding or deleting members, involves just a few clicks, and changes take effect immediately.
Group Communication from Verizon Wireless is powered by technology from Kodiak Networks. For more information on Group Communication, go to www.verizonwireless.com/groupcomm, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store or call 1-800-2 JOIN IN.
Group Communication is not available in all areas and is subject to specific terms of use.

# # #

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving nearly 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 81,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

Most popular apps on Smartphone

With thousands of apps listed in app stores of handset vendors, you may be wondering which are the most popular apps or the apps that are used everyday. According to Nielsen, some of the most popular Smartphone apps are Facebook, Google Maps, Pandora, weather channel, YouTube and ESPN. Iam not surprised by these apps making to the top list. I use most of these apps myself on iPhone. One of the apps that is missing in the list is twitter client. Games are the most downloaded apps on all platforms. We don’t need Nielsen data to know this one. It’s obvious. iPhone users download more apps than other Smartphone users.


Here are some other interesting facts:
• Games are the most downloaded – both free and paid
• Facebook, Google Maps and Weather Channel are the most popular apps across smartphones
o iPhones: Facebook (58%), iTunes (48%), Google Maps (47%)
o Android: Google Maps (67%), Facebook (50%), Weather Channel (38%)
o Blackberry: Facebook (51%), Google Maps(34%), Weather Channel (28%)
• Social Networking: Facebook clearly favorite app, but MySpace is hugely popular among teens; LinkedIn attracts adults 25-44
• News/weather: Weather Channel was used by 58%; age distribution across sites was similar, save for Time Mobile and Thomson Reuters
• Shopping: Amazon and eBay lead (57% and 41%)
• Search/Map: skew male, particularly Instamapper (80/20)
• Video/Movie: skewed towards males; Imeem and Moviefone show a higher proportion of young users
• Music: iTunes, Pandora, Sirius XM appeal more to males, while Yahoo Music almost evenly split

Iam sure you guys must be wondering why iPad apps details are missing. Maybe in future, Nielsen will come up with another category of apps analysis for tablets, and iam sure iPad will rule the list.

Skype 2.0: Voice Calls over 3G

Today Skype finally launched the long awaited 3G Voice calling client. What this means is that consumers can make calls via iPhone using the AT&T 3G data network instead of relying on Wi-Fi. After AT&T approved Voice calling via 3G, many VoIP apps already support Voice over 3G networks. Skype was a little late to the party. The service is free until August 2010, after that Skype is planning to charge users for the service. I’m a little confused here, why the hell should I pay Skype for making calls on AT&T 3G network. I’m already paying $30 for unlimited data plan and Skype uses the same data network for voice calls. So this logic sounds ridiculous to me. Another possibility could be that there is a revenue sharing between Skype and AT&T for carrying Voice over 3G network.

Here is the FAQ published in the iPhone App:

What does the “free Skype trial” mean?

You can now make and receive Skype-to-Skype calls and call phones over 3G from your iPhone.

To get you started, we’re offering you free Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G until at least the end of August 2010. After that there’ll be a small monthly fee.

Remember, you can always make free Skype-to-Skype calls from a WiFi hotspot.

The client monitors the 3G bandwidth and displays warning if the required bandwidth is not available for the call. I tried couple of calls and the quality was really bad. I noticed a small warning screen mentioning the bandwidth is average and will affect call quality.

Jack Dorsey: 3 Keys to Success

Very interesting talk from Jack Dorsey (creator of Twitter and Square) at the 99% conference about how twitter, square idea was conceptualized. Some great points for wannabe entrepreneurs. He also talks about his new brain child Square, an iPhone/iPod payment system. If you guys have 16 minutes of time, this is definitely a must watch video.

Some highlights of the talk:
• Draw your thoughts and ideas on a piece of paper
• Luck and Right Timing
• Iterating like mad
• Ideas: When to draw the line and move on with a different one.

Skype Group Video Calling is Available

As I mentioned earlier , Skype launched a preview version of Group Video calling today. You can download the beta version here. Using the new client users can make group video call with upto 5 people. The new client is only available for Windows. So the people you are calling should also need to be running the same version of client. Sorry Mac folks, it sucks. (I just bought my new Mac last week. It’s awesome and very sleek)



The beta version of Group Video calling is free. However, Skype is not gone give this premium feature for free in future. So go head and download the client and enjoy the Group Video calling before Skype starts charging for the service. I’m not sure if consumers are gone pay for the service. Maybe enterprise would.

The below statement confirms Skype’s intention to charge the feature:

Group video calling is just one in a set of new premium features you’ll see us roll out during 2010. We haven’t set prices for these premium features yet, but rest assured that we’re still absolutely committed to bringing you free voice and two-way video calling.

Surprise! Samsung No. 1 US Mobile Phone maker, Apple No. 6

According to the report from ComScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, the key trends in the U.S mobile phone industry during the three month period ending March 2010 is that Samsung and Verizon are ruling the roost when it comes to OEM and Mobile Operator arena. I was surprised to see Apple at the bottom No. 6 with a mere 5 %. Looks like Motorola had a good run with its Droid, it comes second with a mere fraction of a percentage difference with Samsung.

Here are the statistics of the study:

OEM Market Share:
In the 3 month average ending in March, 234 million Americans age 13 and older were mobile subscribers, with device manufacturer Samsung ranking as the top OEM at a 21.9 percent share of U.S. mobile subscribers, inching out Motorola by a fraction of a percent. LG (21.8 percent share) ranked closely behind them, with RIM (8.3 percent share) and Nokia (8.3 percent share) rounding out the top five.

Mobile Operator Market Share:
In a ranking of the top mobile operators in the U.S. during the 3 month average ending in March, Verizon led the market with 31.1 percent of mobile subscribers. AT&T ranked second with 25.2 percent market share, up 0.2 percentage points from the period ending December 2009. Sprint narrowly grabbed the #3 position with 12.0 percent market share, closely trailed by T-Mobile (12.0 percent), while Tracfone gained 0.3 points to capture 5.1 percent of the market.

Mobile Content Usage:
In an average month during the January through March 2010 time period, 63.7 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device, up 0.6 percentage points versus three months prior. Browsers were used by 30.1 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 2.6 percentage points), while subscribers who used downloaded applications made up 28.6 percent of the mobile audience (up 2.6 percentage points). Access of social networking sites or blogs continued to increase, posting gains of 2.8 percentage points to 18.7 percent of mobile subscribers.

Sorry Verizon Subscribers, no iPhone this year

The rumored launch of CDMA version of iPhone for Verizon may not see the light. According to Computer World , AT&T and Apple probably have a quid pro quo in place that has extended the exclusive deal with the iPhone in exchange for a heavy bargain with iPad data plans. So after all the excitement for Verizon customers is short lived. Go have a beer or switch to AT&T. Switching to AT&T, you can get an iPhone and -- More dropped calls, no voicemail and sometimes no missed call notification.

"AT&T had to do something dramatic to get the iPad," said Brian Marshall, a Wall Street analyst at BroadPoint AmTech. AT&T's move was to discount their normal wireless data plans by 50% to iPad customers.”

The exclusive deal with AT&T was to expire this June, and this had prompted lot of analyst to predict that Apple might switch gears with Verizon. Also analyst point out to the failed attempt by Verizon to get iPad exclusivity. The mere mention of iPhone coming to Verizon drove the stock price of Verizon. There is still some hope; some folks predict that the Verizon might get iPhone sometime next year first quarter.

I’m sure AT&T did lot more to make sure the iPhone exclusivity was extended for some more time. No wonder the data plans for iPad are really great and without contract. That’s a bonus. It clearly shows that Apple was in the driver seat during negotiation.

Skype to launch Group Video Chat

Skype is planning to launch one of the most requested feature , Group Video Chat sometime next week. Skype already supports one-to-one Video Chat. The group video chat is limited to 5 people. The feature will be initially free and Skype plans to charge for the service later in future. Video conferencing is finally gaining momentum. There are rumors of apple supporting Video chat application as part of iPhone. Also, the stolen iPhone 4 shows both front and back camera. Some folks say the new iPhone might support recording 720p HD video. The next logical step for Skype would be to support Mobile Video Chat. How about creating a mobile Chatroulette? Its worthy of note that some of the new TV’s come with Skype inbuilt. So think of a Multi Party Video conference using your big HD TV. Initially the Multi Video chat will be supported for Windows and Mac comes later. Sorry Mac.


Skype is still viewed as a Consumer VoIP product. However it is making steady progress in the enterprise space. I think Multi Party Video chat is a good tool for enterprise communication. They may probably remove the limitation of 5 users and support more users for enterprise. Watch out Cisco, Tanderberg, and Lifesize.

Webby Awards winners announced

Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet announced 14th annual Webby Awards. Some of the winners include Foursquare,Twitter, Mashable etc. The Webby Awards winners were chosen by Academy judges like Martha Stewart, Matt Groening, and Arianna Huffington, while people around the world chose the winners of The Webby People’s Awards.

Please find the press release below:

New York, NY (May 4, 2010) –Foursquare, Twitter, Jim Carrey, Darryl Hall, and The Muppets are just some of the Webby winners who will be saluted alongside special achievement honorees Roger Ebert, OK Go, Amy Poehler, and Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf at the 14th Annual Webby Awards, organizers announced today.

Academy judges like Martha Stewart, Matt Groening, and Arianna Huffington selected Webby Awards winners, while people around the world chose the winners of The Webby People’s Awards. Setting a new Webby record, nearly one million votes were cast in a spirited competition that saw upstarts like Next New Network’s Reel Good Show (Variety Video), Texts from Last Night (Mobile Entertainment), and College Humor’s Amir Blumenfeld (Individual Performance) emerge victorious over more powerful finalists.

Organizers also announced its initial list of Internet innovators who will be recognized with Webby Special Achievement Awards. Joining the ranks of such past recipients as Al Gore, David Bowie, and Prince, they are:

• Webby Person of the Year: Roger Ebert has raised the bar for online journalism and writing through his poignant and wildly popular blog, Roger Ebert’s Journal (http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/). Using his blog as a platform for thoughtful discussion on film, media, politics, and life itself, Ebert has found a powerful new voice and attracted an audience that thrives on vigorous debate and conversation.

• Webby Film & Video Artist of the Year: OK Go has rewritten the rock & roll rule book by harnessing the creative and viral power of Internet video to reach new audiences and achieve critical acclaim. Their iconic treadmill video for “Here It Goes Again” has been viewed more than 50 million times, while its Rube Goldberg video homage – “This Too Shall Pass” - has surpassed 12 million views in just two months.

• Best Actress: In her groundbreaking online series, “Smart Girls at the Party,” Amy Poehler has taken a simple concept – interviews with ambitious young girls – to unexpectedly entertaining new heights. Thanks to Poehler’s sweet, wry, and subtle humor, the series demonstrates the Internet’s ability to engage and empower a young audience.

• Webby Lifetime Achievement Award: Widely respected as the co-inventor of the Internet, Vinton Cerf designed the TCP/IP protocols and basic architecture that laid the groundwork for the creation of the Internet. From his pioneering work at Stanford University in the 1970s to his current role as Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, Cerf continues to shape Internet commerce, communication and culture.

“It’s exciting to honor breakouts like foursquare, Tumblr, and Twitter alongside the man who helped invent the Internet, Vint Cerf,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director, The Webby Awards. “That’s what makes the Webby Awards and the Internet so special. It’s a place where both newcomers like Evernote and Auto-Tune the News and veterans like The New York Times and Isabella Rossellini can experiment, take risks, and push the medium in new directions.”

Hosted by B.J. Novak of NBC’s The Office, the 14th Annual Webby Awards ceremony will feature winners and honorees delivering five-word speeches in the tradition of past Webby victors like Beastie Boys (“Can anyone fix my computer?”) and Jimmy Fallon (“Thank God Conan got promoted”). Speeches and ceremony highlights will be broadcast on the Webby Awards YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/TheWebbyAwards). The ceremony will also mark the culmination of Internet Week New York 2010, a weeklong festival celebrating digital culture that’s expected to draw 20,000 people to over 100 events throughout New York City.

Highlights of the 14th Annual Webby Awards winners include:

• Multiple winners are: College Humor (5); New York Times (5); The Muppets Studio (4); National Geographic (4); CBS Interactive (4); Sundance Channel (4); HBO (4); Twitter (3); Next New Networks (3); TED.com (3); VBS.tv (3); AOL (3); and Mashable (3).

• Winners boasting star-power include: JimCarrey.com (Celebrity/Fan), Lisa Kudrow in “Web Therapy” (Comedy Series); Isabella Rosselini in “Green Porno” (Individual Performance, Experimental & Weird); Brad Pitt’s Make It Right (Activism), Daryl Hall’s “Live from Daryl’s House” (Variety Video), DavidLynch.com’s Interview Project (Documentary Series), Colbert Nation (Television); and Jaime Pressley in Axe’s “Clean Your Balls” (Viral Marketing).

• Achieving both critical and popular consensus, 38 works won both a Webby Award and a People’s Voice Award including: Auto-Tune the News (Video Remixes/Mash-ups); Colbert Nation (Television); Evernote (Mobile Applications); Mint.com (Financial Service); Pandora(Music); Flickr (Community); foursquare (Mobile Social Networking); Hulu (Broadband); Jim Carrey (Celebrity/Fan); The Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody (Viral Video, Music Video) ; Twitter (Social Networking); and DavidLynch.com Interview Project (Documentary Series).

• The judges and public parted ways in several popular categories: For Best Weird, the Academy chose Selleck Waterfall Sandwich, while fans selected FAIL Blog. For Best Political Blog, judges embraced Truthdig, while the public voted for Huffington Post. For Personal Blog, Broken Secrets earned the public’s top votes, while Indexed was selected by the judges.

A list of winners in notable categories follows:

Viral Video
The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY (Webby and People’s Voice)

Video Remixes/Mashups
Auto-Tune the News - http://www.barelypolitical.com/remix/episode/BP_20090903/auto-tune-the-news-8-with-t-pain (Webby and People’s Voice)

Individual Performance
Isabella Rossellini in Green Porno - http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno (Webby)
Amir Blumenfeld http://www.collegehumor.com/jakeandamir (People’s Voice)

Celebrity/Fan
Jim Carrey Official Site http://www.jimcarrey.com (Webby and People’s Voice)

Documentary Series
Davidlynch.Com Presents Interview Project http://interviewproject.davidlynch.com (Webby and People’s Voice)

Variety Video
Live From Daryl’s House http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/ (Webby)
Reel Good Show http://www.indymogul.com/reelgood (People’s Voice)

Comedy: Individual Short or Episode
The Onion - http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of (Webby)
Web Site Story http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1913584 (People’s Voice)

Comedy: Long Form or Series
Web Therapy II - http://www.lstudio.com (Webby)
Jake and Amir http://www.collegehumor.com/jakeandamir (People’s Voice)

Viral Marketing
Evian Rollerbabies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs (Webby)
Axe “Clean Your Balls” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bevJr3Ra84Q (People’s Voice)

Activism
Make it Right http://makeitrightnola.org/ (Webby)
Renew the world http://www.stemcellfoundation.ca (People’s Voice)

Best Practices
Twitter - http://twitter.com (Webby)
NPR – http://www.npr.org (People’s Voice)

Mobile Social Networking
Foursquare - http://foursquare.com (Webby and People’s Voice)

Mobile Application
Evernote – http://www.evernote.com (Webby and People’s Voice)

Weird
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich - http://www.selleckwaterfallsandwich.tumblr.com (Webby)
FAIL Blog http://www.failblog.org (People’s Voice)

Personal Blog/Website
Indexed - http://www.thisisindexed.com (Webby)
Broken Secrets http://brokensecrets.com/ (People’s Voice)

Humor
The Onion - http://www.theonion.com (Webby and People’s Voice)

Broadband
Hulu - http://www.hulu.com (Webby and People’s Voice)

Television
Colbert Nation - http://www.colbertnation.com (Webby and People’s Voice)

Best Web Service and Application
Tumblr - http://tumblr.com (Webby)
99designs.com http://99designs.com (People’s Voice)

For information on nominees in Webby Awards categories honoring interactive advertising and mobile content, visitwww.webbyawards.com/press/press-releases.php.

About the Webby Awards
Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 13th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Microsoft Expression; Aol; YouTube; Pepsi; Aquent; Yahoo!; HP; Corbis Images; Tribal DDB Worldwide; East Media; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail; Museum of the Moving Image; Behance; Business Insider; Time Out New York; paidContent and The Guardian.