textually.org tag:www.textually.org,2010-06-14://1 2012-02-09T07:55:14Z Movable Type 4.31-en Buddhist temple offers a service of blessings by SMS tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30238 2012-02-09T07:42:44Z 2012-02-09T07:55:14Z A famous Buddhist temple in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, encourages people to send text messages rather than burn incense to say their prayers. China Daily reports. This go-green initiative is the first of its kind among Buddhist temples in China. It helps reduce the size of crowds during peak seasons and lowers the risk of stampedes and fires," said Han Xue, a lay Buddhist who works at Guiyuan Temple in Wuhan, which has hundreds of thousands of visitors during Spring Festival. ... The temple, in cooperation with the Hubei branch of China Mobile, a leading Chinese telecom operator, offers a service of blessings sent by text messaging. A message with eight or fewer characters costs 3 yuan, and longer ones of up to 20 characters cost 10 yuan. Normally, text messages cost no more than 0.15 yuan. The sender writes the text of the blessing and includes the cell phone number of the receiver. China Mobile forwards the blessing to the receiver. From 8 am to 5 pm, the messages are shown on an LED board at the southwest corner of the temple. Monks later chant prayers for the senders and receivers. More than 30,000 people have already tried the service - they have to be China Mobile subscribers with phone numbers in Hubei province. Read full article. 0013729e4771109d58aa19.jpeg A famous Buddhist temple in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, encourages people to send text messages rather than burn incense to say their prayers. China Daily reports.

quotemarksright.jpgThis go-green initiative is the first of its kind among Buddhist temples in China. It helps reduce the size of crowds during peak seasons and lowers the risk of stampedes and fires," said Han Xue, a lay Buddhist who works at Guiyuan Temple in Wuhan, which has hundreds of thousands of visitors during Spring Festival.

... The temple, in cooperation with the Hubei branch of China Mobile, a leading Chinese telecom operator, offers a service of blessings sent by text messaging.

A message with eight or fewer characters costs 3 yuan, and longer ones of up to 20 characters cost 10 yuan. Normally, text messages cost no more than 0.15 yuan.

The sender writes the text of the blessing and includes the cell phone number of the receiver. China Mobile forwards the blessing to the receiver.

From 8 am to 5 pm, the messages are shown on an LED board at the southwest corner of the temple. Monks later chant prayers for the senders and receivers.

More than 30,000 people have already tried the service - they have to be China Mobile subscribers with phone numbers in Hubei province.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> Cheaper and Easier Remittances in the Americas thanks to Boom Mobile Banking tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30237 2012-02-08T19:12:29Z 2012-02-08T19:25:44Z MobileActive reviews Boom, a new mobile banking service that allows people in the U.S., Mexico, Haiti, and Guatemala to create bank accounts, and send and access money via a basic mobile phone. Traditionally, remittances - payments from diaspora back to the home country - are often made via wire transfer, check cashing, or payday loan services, all of which incur additional fees for the sender. Boom enables people in the U.S. to send any increment of money via a mobile phone. It lowers the cost of sending money between immigrants and their families, and it improves their safety by reducing the risks of handling cash. It also creates new commerce capabilities, as users can receive payment for signing up others for the service. To use Boom in the U.S., you can purchase a membership kit at participating 7-Eleven stores or by calling Boom customer service. To activate your account, you load money at the same stores, and then call Boom with the load receipt, an ID, and the membership kit. Read full article. Other mobile remittance services: -- In Haiti, Cell Phones Serve As Debit Cards - Haiti is setting up "mobile money" networks to allow cell phones to serve as debit cards. The systems have the potential to allow Haitians to receive remittances from abroad, send cash to relatives across town or across the country, buy groceries and even pay for a bus ride all with a few taps on their cell phones. -- Food vouchers on Cell Phones for Syrian refugees - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an electronic food voucher pilot project to aid 1,000 Iraqi refugee families in Syria. -- Mama Mikes, offers mobile vouchers to Kenyans and Ugandans - Mama Mikes is an online store catering to Africans who live abroad. The virtual online store allows them to purchase gifts (chocolates, flowers, text books, electronics...), vouchers (food, electricity), and services (airtime, tuition) for their family, friends and loved ones based at home. -- Buying rice with your cell phone - Mercy Corps, is providing food for people in St.-Marc Haiti who have taken in earthquake survivors. The US government-financed program will be pushing a button once a month, and $40 will automatically go into each person’s cellphone savings account — redeemable at local merchants for rice, corn flour, beans or cooking oil. BoomLogo.jpeg MobileActive reviews Boom, a new mobile banking service that allows people in the U.S., Mexico, Haiti, and Guatemala to create bank accounts, and send and access money via a basic mobile phone.

quotemarksright.jpgTraditionally, remittances - payments from diaspora back to the home country - are often made via wire transfer, check cashing, or payday loan services, all of which incur additional fees for the sender. Boom enables people in the U.S. to send any increment of money via a mobile phone.

It lowers the cost of sending money between immigrants and their families, and it improves their safety by reducing the risks of handling cash. It also creates new commerce capabilities, as users can receive payment for signing up others for the service.

To use Boom in the U.S., you can purchase a membership kit at participating 7-Eleven stores or by calling Boom customer service. To activate your account, you load money at the same stores, and then call Boom with the load receipt, an ID, and the membership kit.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

Other mobile remittance systems:

-- In Haiti, Cell Phones Serve As Debit Cards - Haiti is setting up "mobile money" networks to allow cell phones to serve as debit cards. The systems have the potential to allow Haitians to receive remittances from abroad, send cash to relatives across town or across the country, buy groceries and even pay for a bus ride all with a few taps on their cell phones.

-- Food vouchers on Cell Phones for Syrian refugees - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an electronic food voucher pilot project to aid 1,000 Iraqi refugee families in Syria.

-- Mama Mikes, offers mobile vouchers to Kenyans and Ugandans - Mama Mikes is an online store catering to Africans who live abroad. The virtual online store allows them to purchase gifts (chocolates, flowers, text books, electronics...), vouchers (food, electricity), and services (airtime, tuition) for their family, friends and loved ones based at home.

-- Buying rice with your cell phone - Mercy Corps, is providing food for people in St.-Marc Haiti who have taken in earthquake survivors. The US government-financed program will be pushing a button once a month, and $40 will automatically go into each person’s cellphone savings account — redeemable at local merchants for rice, corn flour, beans or cooking oil.

]]> Anti-stalking App launches n the UK tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30236 2012-02-08T10:48:27Z 2012-02-08T10:55:14Z Mobile Marketing reports on an interesting new app launched in the UK called PanicGuard, aimed at those who fear they are being stalked. The app works as a gateway to a security service and, once activated, makes use of handsets' GPS and video recording capabilities to alert pre-set emergency contacts. PanicGuard was developed by entrepreneur Mikkel Dissing. “Everyone has a right to feel safe on the streets and in their own homes, but sadly that is not always the case,” says Dissing. “Our goal is to empower our users to feel more confident, knowing that without doing anything more than shaking their phone, they can instantly alert friends and family who can call the police to come to their aid and they will have the evidence to help them catch the criminal.” It is estimated that over 120,000 people a year are victims of stalking in the UK. The app is intended to help the police gather evidence, which is streamed to a secure server rather than being stored on the handset. Read full article. Panicguar.png Mobile Marketing reports on an interesting new app launched in the UK called PanicGuard, aimed at those who fear they are being stalked. The app works as a gateway to a security service and, once activated, makes use of handsets' GPS and video recording capabilities to alert pre-set emergency contacts.

quotemarksright.jpgPanicGuard was developed by entrepreneur Mikkel Dissing. “Everyone has a right to feel safe on the streets and in their own homes, but sadly that is not always the case,” says Dissing. “Our goal is to empower our users to feel more confident, knowing that without doing anything more than shaking their phone, they can instantly alert friends and family who can call the police to come to their aid and they will have the evidence to help them catch the criminal.”

It is estimated that over 120,000 people a year are victims of stalking in the UK. The app is intended to help the police gather evidence, which is streamed to a secure server rather than being stored on the handset.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> New FDA regulations could be death blow to smartphone medical apps tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30235 2012-02-08T07:48:34Z 2012-02-08T07:58:16Z Medical mobile apps can be be very useful in health care, but if the FDA gets involved and demands approval before they launch — it takes a medical device about three years to get approval — developers might just give up on them. The Washington Times reports. ...For example, a drug manufacturer makes a mobile app to remind patients when to take their medications and as a monitoring device for blood glucose levels for diabetics. A pharmacy benefit manager makes a mobile app to remind patients of prescription refills. These apps are convenient and provide valuable services to patients who seek to better manage their health. Importantly, the apps are cheap or free for consumers, and cost little to develop and distribute. A win for everyone, right? Not if the FDA gets involved. The average time to approve a medical device is about three years and can cost upward of $75 million. In the software market, that is a lifetime. Additionally, if mobile apps are regulated as medical devices, they will be subject to the health care reform law’s 2.3 percent medical-device tax, raising prices as taxes are passed on to consumers. Free apps may no longer be free. Constraints on speed to market and increased regulatory costs combined with tax-driven price increases may cause developers to move on to other, less burdensome endeavors. Read full article. 1bwhitelg_s160x271.gif Medical mobile apps can be be very useful in health care, but if the FDA gets involved and demands approval before they launch — it takes a medical device about three years to get approval — developers might just give up on them. The Washington Times reports.

quotemarksright.jpg...For example, a drug manufacturer makes a mobile app to remind patients when to take their medications and as a monitoring device for blood glucose levels for diabetics. A pharmacy benefit manager makes a mobile app to remind patients of prescription refills. These apps are convenient and provide valuable services to patients who seek to better manage their health. Importantly, the apps are cheap or free for consumers, and cost little to develop and distribute. A win for everyone, right?

Not if the FDA gets involved. The average time to approve a medical device is about three years and can cost upward of $75 million. In the software market, that is a lifetime. Additionally, if mobile apps are regulated as medical devices, they will be subject to the health care reform law’s 2.3 percent medical-device tax, raising prices as taxes are passed on to consumers. Free apps may no longer be free.

Constraints on speed to market and increased regulatory costs combined with tax-driven price increases may cause developers to move on to other, less burdensome endeavors.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> Are mobile solutions overhyped? tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30234 2012-02-07T19:53:39Z 2012-02-07T20:07:26Z This post is part of the Global Innovation Showcase created by the New America Foundation and Global Public Square. In the developing world, where landlines are especially scarce in rural areas, mobiles have been used for governance, banking, agriculture, education, health, commerce, reporting news, political participation, and reducing corruption. But the ubiquity of the mobile phone - and its application to a diverse and growing set of development goals - doesn?t guarantee economic or social progress. Are mobiles just another high-tech solution to what are essentially systemic and deeply rooted problems? Are mobile solutions for combating global poverty overhyped? CNN asks Kentaro Toyama, Researcher at the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley. Yes, mobile solutions are overhyped. At the moment, there is tremendous excitement around using mobile phones to address illness, ignorance, oppression, and other socio-economic challenges of the developing world. Within a decade, though, I expect that we?ll look back and see mobile development just as we view 1960s attempts to tackle the same problems with television ? the technology has great potential, but overall it?s just an unproductive diversion. Cheerleaders for mobile development point out that there are nearly six billion active mobile accounts in the world, and that mobile phones are increasingly used by the remotest rural villagers. It?s hard, indeed, to overhype the business success or the consumer appeal of mobile phones. Market penetration, however, is not the same as meaningful impact. Technology amplifies human intent and capacity, but technology by itself doesn?t fix challenges of intent or capacity. What?s overhyped is a belief that mobile-centric programs are a cost-effective means to combat disease, improve education, or alleviate poverty, as if mobile or not were the essential question. What?s overhyped is technological innovation as a primary solution to complex social problems, at the expense of tested-and-true interventions that nurture people and institutions. Read full article. are-d.jpeg This post is part of the Global Innovation Showcase created by the New America Foundation and Global Public Square.

quotemarksright.jpgIn the developing world, where landlines are especially scarce in rural areas, mobiles have been used for governance, banking, agriculture, education, health, commerce, reporting news, political participation, and reducing corruption.

But the ubiquity of the mobile phone - and its application to a diverse and growing set of development goals - doesn?t guarantee economic or social progress.

Are mobiles just another high-tech solution to what are essentially systemic and deeply rooted problems? Are mobile solutions for combating global poverty overhyped?quotesmarksleft.jpg

CNN asks Kentaro Toyama, Researcher at the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley.

quotemarksright.jpgYes, mobile solutions are overhyped. At the moment, there is tremendous excitement around using mobile phones to address illness, ignorance, oppression, and other socio-economic challenges of the developing world. Within a decade, though, I expect that we?ll look back and see mobile development just as we view 1960s attempts to tackle the same problems with television ? the technology has great potential, but overall it?s just an unproductive diversion.

Cheerleaders for mobile development point out that there are nearly six billion active mobile accounts in the world, and that mobile phones are increasingly used by the remotest rural villagers. It?s hard, indeed, to overhype the business success or the consumer appeal of mobile phones.

Market penetration, however, is not the same as meaningful impact.

Technology amplifies human intent and capacity, but technology by itself doesn?t fix challenges of intent or capacity. What?s overhyped is a belief that mobile-centric programs are a cost-effective means to combat disease, improve education, or alleviate poverty, as if mobile or not were the essential question. What?s overhyped is technological innovation as a primary solution to complex social problems, at the expense of tested-and-true interventions that nurture people and institutions.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> Study: ‘App Economy’ has created 466,000 U.S. jobs tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30233 2012-02-07T19:44:22Z 2012-02-07T19:52:33Z A new study out today documents the impact of apps on the U.S. economy, concluding that 466,000 jobs have been created by the “App Economy” since 2007 — including programmers, marketers, interface designers, managers and support staff working on apps and infrastructure for platforms including Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry, Facebook and Windows Phone. CNet reports via GeekWire. The New York Metro area has the largest proportion of jobs in the sector, at 9.2 percent. The Seattle region is fourth, at 5.7 percent, behind San Francisco and San Jose. ... The research was conducted by economist Michael Mandel for industry group TechNet based on trends in help-wanted ads, in addition to other economic data. A summary of the findings is available here. Read more. AppEconomy.jpg

A new study out today documents the impact of apps on the U.S. economy, concluding that 466,000 jobs have been created by the “App Economy” since 2007 — including programmers, marketers, interface designers, managers and support staff working on apps and infrastructure for platforms including Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry, Facebook and Windows Phone. CNet reports via GeekWire.

quotemarksright.jpgThe New York Metro area has the largest proportion of jobs in the sector, at 9.2 percent. The Seattle region is fourth, at 5.7 percent, behind San Francisco and San Jose.

... The research was conducted by economist Michael Mandel for industry group TechNet based on trends in help-wanted ads, in addition to other economic data. A summary of the findings is available here.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read more.

]]> Using cell phones to conduct a census of refugees and asylum-seekers in the Dominican Republic tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30232 2012-02-07T19:12:46Z 2012-02-07T19:19:22Z From a UNHCR article via @mobileactive The UN refugee agency and its partner organization Pastoral Haitiana have launched an unprecedented census aimed at improving the lives of hundreds of refugees and asylum-seekers in the Dominican Republic. ... UNHCR, for the first time, is using mobile phones rather than pen and paper to record and digitalize this information, saving valuable time and resources. This equipment will also enable UNHCR-trained and supported census staff to take pictures and include satellite navigation data [GPS] as part of the registration process. The exercise will continue into March. ... The census will also provide an overview of the documentation status of this population. Most refugees in the Dominican Republic were recognized as such in the mid 1990s, but were never able to obtain legal residence in the country. Asylum-seekers have been waiting in some cases for more than 10 years for their claims to be decided, holding state-issued certificates which need to be renewed every three months and do not allow them to work. Read full article. UNHCR.jpg From a UNHCR article via @mobileactive

quotemarksright.jpg The UN refugee agency and its partner organization Pastoral Haitiana have launched an unprecedented census aimed at improving the lives of hundreds of refugees and asylum-seekers in the Dominican Republic.

... UNHCR, for the first time, is using mobile phones rather than pen and paper to record and digitalize this information, saving valuable time and resources. This equipment will also enable UNHCR-trained and supported census staff to take pictures and include satellite navigation data [GPS] as part of the registration process. The exercise will continue into March.

... The census will also provide an overview of the documentation status of this population. Most refugees in the Dominican Republic were recognized as such in the mid 1990s, but were never able to obtain legal residence in the country. Asylum-seekers have been waiting in some cases for more than 10 years for their claims to be decided, holding state-issued certificates which need to be renewed every three months and do not allow them to work.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> Few SMS health applications have been evaluated tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30231 2012-02-07T18:14:08Z 2012-02-07T18:20:37Z The Journal of Medical Internet Research recently published a research paper called, SMS Applications for Disease Prevention in Developing Countries, that found while there have been many text message-powered health initiatives, very few of them have been sufficiently evaluated. Mobilehealthnews reports via @jranck. ... The study reviewed 34 SMS applications (excluding those not launched in developing markets or that focused on disease prevention) but only five had made available evaluation study findings. The researchers stated that most of the applications they reviewed were pilot projects “in various levels of sophistication” with “modes of intervention varying between one-way or two-way communication, with or without incentives, and with educative games.” Of those five SMS applications that did have evaluation findings available, the researchers said that the “primary barriers identified were language, timing of messages, mobile network fluctuations, lack of financial incentives, data privacy, and mobile phone turnover.” Efficacy studies for all mobile health services — not just those for developing markets — is shaping up to be one of the big trends of 2012. Read full article. freedomfromaidsgameapp.jpg The Journal of Medical Internet Research recently published a research paper called, SMS Applications for Disease Prevention in Developing Countries, that found while there have been many text message-powered health initiatives, very few of them have been sufficiently evaluated. Mobilehealthnews reports via @jranck.

quotemarksright.jpg... The study reviewed 34 SMS applications (excluding those not launched in developing markets or that focused on disease prevention) but only five had made available evaluation study findings.

The researchers stated that most of the applications they reviewed were pilot projects “in various levels of sophistication” with “modes of intervention varying between one-way or two-way communication, with or without incentives, and with educative games.”

Of those five SMS applications that did have evaluation findings available, the researchers said that the “primary barriers identified were language, timing of messages, mobile network fluctuations, lack of financial incentives, data privacy, and mobile phone turnover.”

Efficacy studies for all mobile health services — not just those for developing markets — is shaping up to be one of the big trends of 2012.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> Talking with Texts: How Cellphones Empower Deaf Children in Uganda tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30230 2012-02-07T15:14:23Z 2012-02-07T15:25:19Z A wonderful article on how SMS is being used to help deaf children in Uganda. By Ken Banks for National Geographic. Kids text all the time – at school, on the bus, even when you’re trying to talk to them. It can be annoying. But imagine if a child couldn’t communicate at all – that’s when a mobile can become a lifeline. In some developing countries, children who are deaf don’t have access to special education, technology or even sign language teaching. ... Their disability is seen as a curse on the family. Others are locked up in back rooms to hide the family shame. Those that make it to a school setting are the lucky ones. In this edition of “Mobile Message”, Cambridge to Africa’s Sacha DeVelle, explains how her organisation has been using mobile phones in specially designed education programmes to help deaf children in Uganda communicate. By getting everyone in their schools to help out, the projects also happen to be making them the coolest kids in school. Read full article. MobileMessage.jpg A wonderful article on how SMS is being used to help deaf children in Uganda. By Ken Banks for National Geographic.

quotemarksright.jpg Kids text all the time – at school, on the bus, even when you’re trying to talk to them. It can be annoying. But imagine if a child couldn’t communicate at all – that’s when a mobile can become a lifeline. In some developing countries, children who are deaf don’t have access to special education, technology or even sign language teaching. ... Their disability is seen as a curse on the family. Others are locked up in back rooms to hide the family shame. Those that make it to a school setting are the lucky ones.

In this edition of “Mobile Message”, Cambridge to Africa’s Sacha DeVelle, explains how her organisation has been using mobile phones in specially designed education programmes to help deaf children in Uganda communicate. By getting everyone in their schools to help out, the projects also happen to be making them the coolest kids in school.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> The average person looks at their phone 150 times a day tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30229 2012-02-06T20:04:57Z 2012-02-06T20:12:17Z Excerpts from Tomi Ahonen talk at the Mobile Web Africa conference in Johannesburg last Thursday via TechCentral. -- Mobile is a far speedier way to reach consumers than other digital channels. A study conducted in New Zealand found that the average e-mail is read 48 hours after it is sent, while the average SMS is read in four minutes. “SMS is literally 720 times faster than e-mail in message-opening throughput.” -- Also, mobile device users are addicted to their devices. Nokia reported at MindTrek 2010 that the average person looks at their phone 150 times a day, or once every six-and-a-half minutes of every waking hour. -- In Africa, it’s 82 times a day, according to Young and Rubicam in its Mobile Mania Report published in April 2011 — thus, even, in Africa mobile users check their devices on average every 12 minutes. -- “US jewellers Tiffany’s e-commerce website wasn’t optimised for mobile. After optimising it, sales grew 125% from the website,” says Ahonen. He says this proves there isn’t going to be “one Internet”. -- In China mobile newspapers have converted 39% of their readers to pay for MMS news headlines. “’Tomorrow’s headlines today’ is the selling point.” China Mobile has 40m paying users on SMS- and MMS-based twice-daily headline services of branded newspapers’ headlines. -- "Mobile is the fastest growing industry ever,” Ahonen adds. “It went from naught to $1 trillion in 2010, and is set to double by 2020.” Read full article. Toni-Ahonen.jpeg Excerpts from Tomi Ahonen talk at the Mobile Web Africa conference in Johannesburg last Thursday via TechCentral.

quotemarksright.jpg-- Mobile is a far speedier way to reach consumers than other digital channels. A study conducted in New Zealand found that the average e-mail is read 48 hours after it is sent, while the average SMS is read in four minutes. “SMS is literally 720 times faster than e-mail in message-opening throughput.”

-- Also, mobile device users are addicted to their devices. Nokia reported at MindTrek 2010 that the average person looks at their phone 150 times a day, or once every six-and-a-half minutes of every waking hour.

-- In Africa, it’s 82 times a day, according to Young and Rubicam in its Mobile Mania Report published in April 2011 — thus, even, in Africa mobile users check their devices on average every 12 minutes.

-- “US jewellers Tiffany’s e-commerce website wasn’t optimised for mobile. After optimising it, sales grew 125% from the website,” says Ahonen. He says this proves there isn’t going to be “one Internet”.

-- In China mobile newspapers have converted 39% of their readers to pay for MMS news headlines. “’Tomorrow’s headlines today’ is the selling point.” China Mobile has 40m paying users on SMS- and MMS-based twice-daily headline services of branded newspapers’ headlines.

-- "Mobile is the fastest growing industry ever,” Ahonen adds. “It went from naught to $1 trillion in 2010, and is set to double by 2020.”quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> Twitter is harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, study finds tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30228 2012-02-06T18:13:26Z 2012-02-06T18:20:00Z Tweeting or checking emails may be harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, according to researchers who tried to measure how well people could resist their desires., reports The Guardian. They even claim that while sleep and sex may be stronger urges, people are more likely to give in to longings or cravings to use social and other media. A team headed by Wilhelm Hofmann of Chicago University's Booth Business School say their experiment, using BlackBerrys, to gauge the willpower of 205 people aged between 18 and 85 in and around the German city of Würtzburg is the first to monitor such responses "in the wild" outside a laboratory. ... Hofmann told the Guardian: "Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not 'cost much' to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist. "With cigarettes and alcohol there are more costs – long-term as well as monetary – and the opportunity may not always be the right one. So, even though giving in to media desires is certainly less consequential, the frequent use may still 'steal' a lot of people's time.". The results will soon be published in the journal Psychological Science. Read full article. Tweeting or checking emails may be harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, according to researchers who tried to measure how well people could resist their desires., reports The Guardian.

quotemarksright.jpgThey even claim that while sleep and sex may be stronger urges, people are more likely to give in to longings or cravings to use social and other media.

A team headed by Wilhelm Hofmann of Chicago University's Booth Business School say their experiment, using BlackBerrys, to gauge the willpower of 205 people aged between 18 and 85 in and around the German city of Würtzburg is the first to monitor such responses "in the wild" outside a laboratory.

... Hofmann told the Guardian: "Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not 'cost much' to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist.

"With cigarettes and alcohol there are more costs – long-term as well as monetary – and the opportunity may not always be the right one. So, even though giving in to media desires is certainly less consequential, the frequent use may still 'steal' a lot of people's time.".

The results will soon be published in the journal Psychological Science.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> How Siri, if opened up to third-party apps, could enhance news consumption tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30226 2012-02-06T17:35:00Z 2012-02-06T17:45:03Z As tech writers predict that Apple will open up Siri to third-party apps as early as this summer Poynter.org reports on how voice recognition technology could change the way we consume news. ... Users, for instance, could ask Siri to read the main story in The Economist aloud. Or they could ask, “What are the latest headlines from The Economist?” and have Siri read off the latest news. Users could then ask Siri to open up a particular story that they’re interested in. Voice technology, Oscar Grut, managing director of digital editions at The Economist., could also make it easier for users to leave comments on The Economist’s website while on the go. Raluca Budiu, user experience specialist at the Nielsen Norman Group, said voice technology makes it easier to input information, which is important on mobile. "Mobile devices are used in a variety of contexts, and it’s often easier to speak than to type,” she said via email. “Plus, typing on the small screen is tedious and error-prone." Read full articles. apple-siri-app-icon-thumb.jpeg As tech writers predict that Apple will open up Siri to third-party apps as early as this summer Poynter.org reports on how voice recognition technology could change the way we consume news.

quotemarksright.jpg... Users, for instance, could ask Siri to read the main story in The Economist aloud. Or they could ask, “What are the latest headlines from The Economist?” and have Siri read off the latest news. Users could then ask Siri to open up a particular story that they’re interested in. Voice technology, Oscar Grut, managing director of digital editions at The Economist., could also make it easier for users to leave comments on The Economist’s website while on the go.

Raluca Budiu, user experience specialist at the Nielsen Norman Group, said voice technology makes it easier to input information, which is important on mobile.

"Mobile devices are used in a variety of contexts, and it’s often easier to speak than to type,” she said via email. “Plus, typing on the small screen is tedious and error-prone."quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full articles.

]]> Facebook to Launch 'Featured Story' Ads on Mobile, says FT tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30224 2012-02-06T11:59:36Z 2012-02-06T12:01:31Z Facebook is introducing feature adverts on mobile devices as part of its offering to marketers and advertisers, according to The Financial Times. Taking the form of 'featured stories' appearing in users' news feeds, these ads are expected to be rolled out in March. The advertising format is an alternative to more traditional banner ads and, according to The Financial Times, is likely to be followed by rich media and location-based advertising. Read more. Facebook is introducing feature adverts on mobile devices as part of its offering to marketers and advertisers, according to The Financial Times. Taking the form of 'featured stories' appearing in users' news feeds, these ads are expected to be rolled out in March.

quotemarksright.jpgThe advertising format is an alternative to more traditional banner ads and, according to The Financial Times, is likely to be followed by rich media and location-based advertising. quotesmarksleft.jpg

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]]> Learning from Kenya: Mobile money transfer and co-working spaces tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30223 2012-02-06T09:05:21Z 2012-02-06T09:17:04Z TheNetWeb on M-Pesa in Africa and how the heads of Visa, MasterCard and American Express could learn from it. Launched as a pilot project in March 2007 (with help from a Vodafone investment and aid from the Danish government), M-Pesa already has more than 15 million users, 80% of Safaricom’s customers. The company now controls 75% of Kenya’s mobile phone market. “The funds transferred by M-Pesa are equal to 25% of the country’s GNP,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, an economist at the company. It’s even more remarkable when you consider that most of the transactions are for fifty cents (U.S.) or less. Kenyans use the service today to pay for water and electric and cable bills, as well as for their children’s schools. They can use it to make purchases at certain stores, even mom-and-pop shops. They can withdraw or deposit their money through a network of more than 2,000 sales points throughout the country, where they can buy the scratch cards containing the codes needed to fill their account. “M-Pesa makes people’s lives easier and helps them save money while traveling,” Waceke Mbugua, director of marketing and communication at Sararicom, explained. Read full article. mpesa-shop-640x290.jpeg TheNetWeb on M-Pesa in Africa and how the heads of Visa, MasterCard and American Express could learn from it.

quotemarksright.jpgLaunched as a pilot project in March 2007 (with help from a Vodafone investment and aid from the Danish government), M-Pesa already has more than 15 million users, 80% of Safaricom’s customers. The company now controls 75% of Kenya’s mobile phone market.

“The funds transferred by M-Pesa are equal to 25% of the country’s GNP,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, an economist at the company. It’s even more remarkable when you consider that most of the transactions are for fifty cents (U.S.) or less.

Kenyans use the service today to pay for water and electric and cable bills, as well as for their children’s schools. They can use it to make purchases at certain stores, even mom-and-pop shops.

They can withdraw or deposit their money through a network of more than 2,000 sales points throughout the country, where they can buy the scratch cards containing the codes needed to fill their account.

“M-Pesa makes people’s lives easier and helps them save money while traveling,” Waceke Mbugua, director of marketing and communication at Sararicom, explained. quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

]]> Facebook’s Mobility Challenge tag:www.textually.org,2012://1.30221 2012-02-06T08:43:18Z 2012-02-06T08:46:54Z Although more than half of its 845 million members log into Facebook on a mobile device, the company has not yet found a way to make real money from that use. The New York Times reports. Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook plan to experiment with mobile advertising, including inserting so-called sponsored stories into users' update streams. Facebook is not the only company struggling to translate the success of its Web site to mobile devices, where screen space is at a premium and people have little patience for clutter or slow loading times. It is a problem that plagues companies as diverse as news publishers and the streaming radio service Pandora, and it is likely to loom larger. There were more global shipments of smartphones than of personal computers in 2011, according to a recent report from Canalys, a research firm. ... Overall spending on mobile advertising in the United States is expected to reach $2.6 billion this year, up 80 percent from $1.45 billion in 2011, according to research by eMarketer. Read full article. Although more than half of its 845 million members log into Facebook on a mobile device, the company has not yet found a way to make real money from that use. The New York Times reports.

quotemarksright.jpgMark Zuckerberg and Facebook plan to experiment with mobile advertising, including inserting so-called sponsored stories into users' update streams.

Facebook is not the only company struggling to translate the success of its Web site to mobile devices, where screen space is at a premium and people have little patience for clutter or slow loading times. It is a problem that plagues companies as diverse as news publishers and the streaming radio service Pandora, and it is likely to loom larger. There were more global shipments of smartphones than of personal computers in 2011, according to a recent report from Canalys, a research firm.

... Overall spending on mobile advertising in the United States is expected to reach $2.6 billion this year, up 80 percent from $1.45 billion in 2011, according to research by eMarketer.quotesmarksleft.jpg

Read full article.

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