Why is this man smiling? Because Verizon today announced it will be selling a service from Plaxo that allows its wireless customers to automagically sync up their contacts between their computers and mobile devices, over the air.
The Java BREW application is compatible with most current Verizon handsets and costs $4.49 a month. While we’d rather see this as a one-time fee-for-service charge, Verizon and Plaxo seem to think that its customers update their phonebooks a lot, when really, short of getting a new handset, users don’t. But if you’re a new customer or getting an upgraded phone, using the service for one month might not be a bad idea, though it can usually do it at any of its retail stores for a small fee. It still can’t stop you from drunk dialing you-know-who.
Your assumption is that import is the real value, but that is not at all the case. Plaxo Mobile Plus creates a “living bridge” between the mobile phone and your computer (and, indeed, the other communication services that you use). The result is that you end up with a single address book that you can use virtually anywhere. Oh, yeah, and with respect to that portion of your address book that is comprised of other Plaxo members, the info is “self-updating,” which is to say that you don’t have to muck with it.
This is a service that I’ve been seeking for a long time. Keeping contacts synched between my Laptop, MobilePhone/PDA, and backed up on the Web is well worth $60 per year. Avoids the need for an exchange server & Blackberry or Treo to do this.
Right now I’ve rigged up a system to do this using Plaxo, but this will be cleaner.
I wonder how the patent infringement lawsuit that Reunion.com filed against Plaxo is going to affect this deal? I don’t know if I’d be signing up for a service that could potentially be canceled in the near term.
.. nahh too few supported phones and availaibility options, I prefer open standards with fewer strings attached. I am on ZYB for a while, as it offers a wide support – phone as well as location wise and free! A less complex option if you know what I mean.
What is a “Java BREW” application? Is it Java or is it BREW?