by Peter Suciu on May 25, 2007
“What was it I suppose to remember to do?” If I had Twitter I probably wouldn’t be forgetting right now. I could use the Twitter bot, which they’re calling “timer” to send me a reminder.
The way this works is that you send a message and you’ll be send a reminder at the time you desire. This uses SMS to remind you of important upcoming events, such as checking the laundry or feeding the parking meter. By sending a message such as ‘d timer 60 dryer’ you’ll get a reminder SMS in 60 minutes. Right the clothes are ready! Gotta dash.
Verizon Wireless is offering some aid to travelers this summer. Verizon is offering several add-on options to ease your summer travel plans when you hit the road, including the VZ Navigator, a GPS-enabled Get It Now app that transforms the handset into a navigation device. VZ Navigator is available for $9.99 for unlimited monthly access or $2.99 for one-day use on select Get It Not-enabled phones. Roadside Assistance service is also available for $3.00 per month, with emergency help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And this help includes towing, lockout services, fuel delivery, and tire service. 
This Friday, May 25, is National Missing Children’s Day, and the wireless industry, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the U.S. Department of Justice, is reminding consumers of the role that they can help play to aid in the recovery of abducted children, by signing up to receive free Wireless AMBER Alerts.
So how many eyeballs are actually tuning in to the TV on their mobile devices? Rentrak has signed a deal with mobile TV provider Hiwire to find out reports mocoNews. According today’s post, Rentrak, a company that specializes in measuring TV viewing, will provide Hiwire with figures on just how many viewers of video programming and of video ads there are on mobile handsets today. Hiwire is a subsidiary of Aloha Partners, a company that is the largest owner of the 700 MHz spectrum in the U.S. The story adds that this information could help provide the U.S. TV networks with the data they need as they look at advertising possibilities on the mobile phone platform. This summer will see a trial launch of the service in Las Vegas, which Hiwire aims will allow for tracking of mobile TV viewership. 
Are we seeing an effort from Motorola to take on the upcoming iPhone? The Napster on demand music subscription service will soon be heading to mobile phones according to PhoneContent.com. The site is reporting that Napster and Motorola have announced a marketing agreement that will provide easy access to Napster’s music library and other content through Motorola’s line of portable subscription-enabled devices. The two companies are developing promotional efforts for North America, the UK and Germany to provide the Napster music experience for a range of Motorola music-enable handsets, including the ROKR Z6 and Z6m phones. 
Advertising dollars aren’t flowing on the mobile Web in a significant way reports ClickZ News. And the reason could be the barriers put in place by US carriers. This was one of the opinions stressed at this week’s “Goin’ Mobile,” a Yahoo Summit Series event held in New York. European service provider Vodafone is embracing a “de-walled” strategy, and this includes embracing mobile and PC services that let the user decide mobile preferences through a Web-based dashboard. This could led to advertising opportunities with applications including TV, video, music and games, as well as services such as SMS and MMS messaging. This advertising component, says ClickZ, would serve to control the pricing charged to consumers and provide an additional revenue stream.
Will mid-sized rural carriers be on the block for sale? That’s the speculation after the $27.5 billion acquisition of Alltel Corp., the fifth largest wireless provider in the United States, by two private equity firms. Telecommunications Industry News is reporting that this buyout is giving rise to speculation that other regional mobile carriers could be bought up as well. The article suggests that a buyout of a nationwide carrier, such as Sprint Nextel is far less likely but remains a possibility as well. In the meantime the industry looks to be poised for a buyer’s market, with a variety of mid-sized carriers, including Dobson Communications and Rural Cellular Corp, among potential candidates for future private equity purchases. 
California’s oldest bank operating under its original charter is also a leader in banking technology innovation. The Bank of Stockton has announced that it will work with ClairMail, Inc., a provider of 2-way mobile phone-based customer interaction. Customers of the Bank of Stockton will be able to use their mobile phones to check balances, view account history and even conduct transactions such as fund transfers, while also being altered to low balances or check overdrafts. Mobile payments can be paid by mobile devices, and customers can even get into the call center queue without waiting on hold by messaging their bank. About the only thing it doesn’t seem able to do is get quarters for laundry day!
Calling London or just about anywhere else internationally has always been pretty expensive. VoIP services, including Skype, have helped ease the pain of those massive ultra-long distance bills, but this just meant you were tethered to a computer. EQO Mobile could be the answer to affordable international long distance. This new service promises to reduce the costs of international calls by up to 95%, while also offering free voice calls, as well as “texting,” with other EQO users. 
Have you found a mobile-friendly site that you’d like to share with others? One site that will let you find new sites is Tappity.com, a user driven Web site that lets you submit, rate and even discover Web pages that are formatted for viewing on cellular phones and PDAs. The site also offers a preview window that displays what a site will look on the mobile device. Users can create customized homepages for their mobile handset, and the site even provides an RSS feed, with alerts for other user-submitted sites. 
What do you do when you hear a song you like, but have no idea who it is by? Well, the old school way was to sing it at the record store, but that is as sorry as trying out for American Idol. In the 21st century you have ways to name that tune without having to belt into song. The Verizon Wireless V CAST Song ID will allow you hear a song, hold the phone toward the music and then capture a sample of the music. From this V Cast Song ID will identify the music and even allow you to purchase a matching full-track song, ringtone or ringback tone. So next time you’re in a club or just listening to the radio you can use this feature to name the song, which sure beats asking someone, “do you know who this is?” 
Award-winning mobile 3G technology and applications provider Artificial Life has formed a partnership with Jamba. This will make the Hong Kong based Artificial Life branded games available to Jamba and Jamster users in North America, South America and Europe. Among the first titles to arrive from the Far East will be V-Girl and V-Boyfriend. 
Citizens of France won’t be won’t be watching TV from DVB-H on their mobile phones this fall. While the launch of broadcast mobile TV was planned to kick off this autumn in time for the Rugby World Cup, a conflict between French mobile operators and broadcasters has led to a delay. Recent complications, which have resulted in a stand still over the business model will likely push back the launch of DVB-H services in France until at least next summer. Broadcasters seem to want an advertising funded free-to-air service, while mobile operators were looking at a paid service, and so far both sides have been unwilling to budge. Until this is resolved mobile TV from DVB-H will remain off the air in France. 
The commercial with the hook from that Oasis song says AT&T is the new Cingular, or Cingular is the new AT&T? It is hard to keep track. But it is more or less a moot point, because as our sister site at Crunchgear is reporting, 
They say lightning never strikes twice in the same spot, and even that were true it’s only going to keep you safe if you knew where lightning actually hit. A better way of playing it safe when you’re outdoors on the golf course and caught in a sudden thunderstorm is to know when lightning is heading your way. Nokia has proposed a warning system that could alert you to take cover. 