How to start up mobile service.
So, you want to create a mobile service. And you have little or no idea how to do that. Well, this post might give you some information how to start and what to look for in this mobile game.
Mobilization is high as ever nowadays, you hear that everywhere and this might be the reason you decided to go mobile. Nevertheless, there are one or two things to consider before jumping on the bandwagon. Creating mobile service is a process of several steps and if correctly executed it can be a great way to advertise your current business or it can be a successful business in itself.
First of all, research market and look for similar services, i.e. competitors. How many of them are successful? What exactly makes them successful? Do you think you can offer something new or improve on existing ones? At last, is there any demand for your service?
Target audience defines technology you choose to run your service on. Technologies at your disposal:
• SMS
• USSD
• WAP
• Java
• WEB
The best way is to research the target market and choose the appropriate. Creating web site is the easiest way as you bypass carriers and simply make it at home. However, the primary audience for web sites is smart phones. You should also examine different smart phones, for example smart phones with touch screen. This means web site have to be adjusted for different devices. Significant advantage of web is that service can be accessed from any carrier.
WAP is another option where carrier is not involved and which can be accessed worldwide. It can’t provide decent, let alone great user experience, though. Few people know how to set up it on mobile phones and you need to consider its low popularity.
SMS/USSD combination is the best combination for setting up a mobile service. It gives the best user experience which is one of the key factors of service success. Remember, though, if you want to concentrate on particular local area, remember that people have different carriers. It means you literally have to start service several times. Multiply costs too.
When everything is ready and you came up with business strategy the next step is to launch service. This is where you go to aggregators. Aggregators are companies that operate independently from mobile operators and serve as intermediary. They are your destination as it’s not always easy to reach operators. Aggregators naturally want (surprise) share in your income. You don’t have to deal with operators as aggregators make contract with them and handle all issues for you.
If your service is SMS/USSD based you should get short code. Aggregators usually already have a number of such codes (CSC) for use. However, if they don’t have any or you are dealing directly with operator, obtaining CSC takes about two months. Costs may vary from country to country, typical US costs:
• One-time operator setup – $1,000 to $2,000
• Random number – $500
• Aggregator fees – $1,000 to $2,000
It takes about six weeks after submitting short code to carriers to get an approval. Service should meet carrier’s marketing strategy as users will recognize it as if its operator’s.
Don’t forget about law if you make a worldwide service. Law is different around the world so make research. For example, in some countries there is a ban of dating services, so setting one up is penal action.
Creating service is complicated thing so we’ll come back later and look more deeply at how to make it properly. Stay tuned.
The importance of being accessible.
In the previous po
st we touched the subject of how complexity and inaccessibility for ordinary people impede progress of mobile advertising.
If something is simple and catchy like top 50 chart song, it is bound for mass success.If there is one company who knows that, it is Google. They made it simple with AdWords and now they open up new lands called mobile industry. Doing it Bill Gates style, they acquired mobile ad network, AdMob, and now they are pushing the open mobile platform Android to set the global dominance and conquer the whole galaxy.
They made Android bearing in mind that time, money and simplicity are the key factors which attract developers. In 2007 the Android release statement said: “Through Android, developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers will be better positioned to bring to market innovative new products faster and at a much lower cost. The Android platform will be made available under one of the most progressive, developer-friendly open-source licenses, which gives mobile operators and device manufacturers significant freedom and flexibility to design products.” In the first quarter of 2010 Android OS based phones ranked second among smartphone OS handsets sold in the U.S. It took Google just three years to take Android where it is now.
Android App Inventor which was released recently is a natural step for Google to attain a wider audience. Now not only a developer but any person with an Android phone can create apps using simple drag and drop blocks of code. No skills are required apart from knowing how to press buttons on a phone. Of course the end result is simple programs; you can’t make Office 2011 by putting two graphic blocks together, but still it can attract more consumers and it is something that can help Google in the war against Apple.
Now, Eyeline is following the same trend of simplicity and has something unique to offer for people who want to make money in mobile industry. Now virtually everybody with some knowledge of HTML can make their own mobile service. Granted, it is not as simple as Android App Inventor but it is something developers can use to create service of any complexity using our API. Here is the most important part of the offer: Eyeline Mobilizer (SADS) allows you to fully focus on creating and implementing ideas of your service, avoiding the need to go to operators and solve paper issues. Service can be accessed by USSD, WAP and Java.
Keep it simple, learn more about it here. And then contact us at info@eyeline.mobi.
[photo: flickr/laihiu]
User experience for the win.
Just a quick post for service creators who are looking for a quick tip. If you’ve been reading our blog for some time you’ve probably noticed that we stress the importance of user experience. In fact, you can be rest assured that it is the first thing that makes or breaks a service, or far that matter, any product.
The goal is to reach the widest possible audience and that can be done by simplifying and removing all the unnecessary functions and features. Although, you may come up with really brilliant idea, if the user needs to sift through a ten-page manual to enjoy it, you’d better not implement it. Everything should be done to ensure that a user won’t have to waste five minutes to get through the list of menus in order to quit an application.
Lets look at Apple. Imagine a company who decided to produce a computer without a cd-rom. They were the first to do it and seems like they had success with MacBook Air. Now they are having success with iPads and iPhones, which don’t support Flash and don’t have multitasking. Flash is used by millions of website, by the way. As Macquarie Group Ltd says iPad sales may reach 5.5 million units worldwide this year and 13 million next year on higher-than-estimated demand. This basically means that people care about simplicity and design more than anything, and Apple hits the mark yet again.
When creating a product, leave out all the minor details and instead, stick with fundamental. Avoid unnecessary complications if you want your product to be successful worldwide. Think about the millions of people of different ages and nationalities who will use your service and what their needs and wants are. Start with something simple, and if it attracts people then add something more. Hope that helps. Stay tuned.
IMs Take Over SMS/MMS?
To the developers of GoTalkMobile:
“Recent research by Orange has indicated that texting could soon become a thing of the past. Research by TNS of 17,000 people in 30 countries revealed that once users adopt mobile instant messaging services such as AIM and MSN Messenger on their mobile phones, they reduce their use of text messages.” Source: www.utalkmarketing.com
Although I am personally concerned about battery life when using IMs, once you are into them, it is hard to return back home to the ole good SMS…
Twitter: Cool but Unreliable?
From the dialogue between two Norse ‘linguists’ on the language of the Bjarmaland people, Örvar-Odds Saga, ca. 13th century:
‘Skilr þú hér nokkut mál manna?’ sagði Oddr. ‘Eigi heldr en fuglaklið,’ sagði Ásmundr.
‘Do you know anything about the language of these people?’ asked Oddr. ‘No more than the twittering of birds,’ said Ásmundr.
Twitter is pretty hot: TIME magazine, as reported on their site, said: “Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app.”
Mobile Public Services in Russia – mGovernment?
Source: http://www.comnews.ru/, 25 Mar 2008
First portal featuring Mobile Public Services was launched in Zelenograd, Russia. The portal offers 10 public services. Soon this list will be significantly expanded.
The portal is next step of Mobile County Project initiated in October 2007. The project integrates SMS and WAP services with the existing document workflow and geographic information system “Zelenograd”. According to Prefect of Zelenograd (Administrative Division of Moscow), Anatolyi Smirnov, the project is a part of electronic services initiative being realized in Zelenograd. Read more
Skype Simultaneous Online Stats
Sell Your Application on InsideFacebook
August 1st, 2007
InsideFacebook will now be accepting FREE listings for Facebook applications for sale by developers!
With Facebook application acquisitions already happening at a rapid pace (many more have not been announced), my intention with this service is to enable a broader marketplace that will help the hundreds (now thousands) of Facebook application developers gain access to a larger community of investors and entrepreneurs, and help investors gain access to a larger group of developers and opportunities.
By listing their applications for sale using the instructions on our Sell Your App page, developers will be able to solicit offers from interested parties.
White Label Social Networking Platforms: Comparison
From techcrunch.com review
we found that Ning provides the best platform for getting up good-looking, sophisticated social networks with minimal effort.
KickApps provides the best platform for integrating social networking components into existing websites.
CrowdVine and Haystack are viable options for organizations that are looking for simple social networks to improve personalized communication online.
CollectiveX is most suitable for existing groups that want to collaborate online.
And GoingOn provides a promising hybrid solution with capabilities shared by both Ning and KickApps.
More details on each are below.
Facebook introduces interface for iPhone
“Facebook launches portal for iPhone…
Offering quick access to key Facebook areas and tools, the entire UI is built to mimic the increasingly popular iPod/iPhone ’slide right’ approach whenever you drill down into portions of the site. While it seems very usable, even over EDGE, I am still a bit disappointed about some missing features. The ability to join a group, for example, is restricted to desktop computers; you can’t join a group you saw some friends join on your iPhone.”
