Christie's Sends Art Auction Alerts

Art auctioneers Christies is using Clickatell's SMS platform to inform customers about soon to be released auction items of interest-such as masterpieces by Picasso and Van Gogh-and pricing updates prior to and during auctions.

Clients can track specific lots that they are interested in, and receive email or text alerts before those items come up for auction, so that they can bid.

[via 160characters.org]

Inazip targets mobile marketing to restaurants

Inazip.com offers affordable, easy-to-use mobile marketing software that helps businesses increase campaign response and effectiveness.

They mostly target mobile marketing solutions to restaurants. Letting them send VIP offers to their clients, letting patrons use their phone to be notified when their table is ready, or to instantly check how long UNTIL the table is ready, etc.

From one of their clients: We sent 431 people a text message on Tuesday, January 29th and had a total sales day of $3,500.00. The week before, our sales were only $1,500 for the day. Unbelievable!!!" - Mike Cheves, Owner, Kristies Bar and Gril

Penguins Sell Tickets via Cellphone Alerts

Several major marketers have found themselves stonewalled when it comes to measurable and effective uses for mobile technology, but . Advertising Age reports.

"Faced with persistently unsold tickets and a bevy of would-be attendees priced out of the action at area colleges, B>the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006 started sending news of available, severely discounted seats to college kids on the mornings of home games.

The messages noted how many tickets were unsold, letting students know if they needed to camp out all day to get one of a few available, or if tickets were ample enough that they'd be available at the booth just before the puck was dropped.

... Messages went out to 2,000 subscribers, and 1,800 replied for a shot at the signed puck within the first hour. "That response shows that we're tapping a fan base that's just rabid," said Michael Cahan, Vibes' director-sports and media.

Avis incorporates SMS technology into rental process

As of this summer, Avis customers will be able to add mobile internet access to their rental, as well as a GPS navigation device, without ever having to speak with an Avis agent.

And Avis will be sending renters a quick SMS while in the road, to get heir feedback and comments.

[via Carrentals.co.uk]

'Tokyo Girls' match cellphones with fashion

The biannual Tokyo Girls Collection show, the brainchild of Tokyo start-up Xavel, targets both the popularity of mobile devices and the fashion frenzy of this nation's trendy youngsters. USA Today reports.

"Xavel runs Girlswalker.com and fashionwalker.com, sites designed to be accessed from mobile phones as well as personal computers. And it welcomes retailers to sell their wares through the sites. About 200 companies, mostly smaller local brands, sell through fashionwalker.com.

Some 7 million people regularly read the Girlswalker.com magazine site, while 3 million shop at fashionwalker.com each month, according to Xavel.

Xavel won't disclose its sales commissions or the fee for taking part in the Tokyo Girls Collection show. But its 2007 revenue was $130 million, mostly from advertising and direct sales. Sales at this month's one-day show in Tokyo totaled about $350,000, Xavel officials said.

Xavel's success grows from marketing what it has dubbed "real clothes" — functional, everyday apparel — through cellphone communication and the fashion show, in contrast to the more arty design statements that make up the conventional fashion world's shows, said Ayako Nagaya, chief producer of Tokyo Girls Collection.

Xavel peddles off-the-rack women's wear for the season in progress, carefully selecting affordable brands like Japan's new Titty & Co. and Spiral Girl. Most items cost $50 to $100, though some are pricier."

New York Times Mobile Real Estate Listings

The New York Times has made it easy to get information about properties on your mobile device, regardless of whether you are looking in the newspaper, on the Web site or searching directly from a mobile device.

From the newspaper: To get more information about a print ad, text the property ID from a real estate classified to a mobile device.

From the Web site: To send a listing from www.nytimes.com/realestate to yourself or someone else for offline viewing, just click on the mobile icon in the "listing tools" area of a property.

From your mobile device: To search for properties directly from your mobile device, go to m.nytimes.com/re and enter your property criteria (such as location and price) or find a specific property by listing ID.

Sending gifts via text message helps break down social barriers

Sending gift coupons via text messages has become a multi-million-dollar business for South Korea's largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom, since its launch in December 2006, reports dpa, seeing year-over-year growth of 700% from 2006 to 2007 according to Web2.0 Asia.

" Kim Mi-ran, a 20-year-old co-ed, smiles at a text message that she has just received on her mobile phone. It says, "Enjoy an Ice Caramel Macchiato coffee at Starbucks." It was from a male student whom she had met socially, but seldom talks to her.

"I like this way of letting her know my interest in her," grins the male student who sent the gift coupon by phone."I would be a little too nervous to call her and say 'hi," he adds.

SK Telecom says that the carrier has almost 300,000 young users a month sending about 1 million dollars' worth of the "gifticon" brand coupons, which are good for sending small gifts like coffee and ice cream via their friends' cellphones.

The service is meant to nurture human relationships, explains Kim Hye-Jin, a spokeswoman for SK Telecom.

... Small sum gift items top the list of more than 100 gifticon items offered by about 40 franchisers, including Mr Pizza, Baskin Robbins ice cream, Burger King hamburgers and many Korean-branded snacks".

TimesJobs.com launches SMS Xpress Hire

n the pursuit to provide the best and the most efficient recruitment solutions to its clients, TimesJobs.com presents XpressHire. A service that enables recruiters to send SMS to targeted or even multiple candidates at a single click and receive their responses and applications.

Using XpressHire recruiters can send SMS to selected multiple candidates with a single click through TimesJobs.com. The recruiter can also send SMS to candidates from their own databases i.e., even to non-TimesJobs.com registered users.

[Press release]

Dutch supermarkets trials grocery shopping by cell phone

The Netherlands will be the first European city to try out grocery shopping via cell phones. Pocket Picks reports.

"The six-month pilot, run by LogicaCMG at a branch of Dutch chain C1000, involves 100 customers paying for their shopping on their mobiles, using an existing online PIN payment system. Each customer has an online account with Rabobank.

The users’ phones are equipped with technology supporting wireless information exchange – e.g. payments – over a short distance. The phone is held next to a reader at the checkout and after the customer enters their PIN, a chip in the phone transmits a unique ID linked to the shopper’s bank account. Hence they pay with their bank account, not their mobile phone bill."

Markets: Rumour SMS creates panic

Thursday an SMS went out to thousands of market players across India. It said that the left had withdrawn support from the government and the news will hit the headlines in 45 minutes.

It immediately sent the Sensex into a nosedive and in just seven minutes the index lost about 160 points slipping deep into the red. Buying came in immediately and within another four minutes the Sensex regained about 170 points.

[via NDTV Profit]

PayPal launches mobile-checkout service

Eyeing the small but growing number of consumers using their cell phones to make purchases, Paypal has launched Mobile Checkout, writes DMNews.

"The new service from the ebay division enables consumers in the US, UK and Canada to visit a merchant’s Web site and purchase items by clicking on the PayPal button, all from their mobile device.

The mobile Web service joins a text-message-based payment service that PayPal introduced in April 2006, which allows consumers to buy, donate or send money using a text-message-based service from their mobile devices."

Workers Use Cell Phones to Submit Data

Paperless data exchange between field workers and their offices is not new. But Florida startup JumpStart Wireless is bringing it to regular cell phones with software that bridges incompatibilities among handsets. The AP reports.

"Using artificial intelligence, the Delray Beach-based company's application fits most business software, and works with nearly every cell phone brand.

"Any phone you can play a game on, you can run our software on," said Jeff Bonar, who started JumpStart in 2000.

... Companies customize forms that organize the information they want sent to a field worker. Data bounce from the office to JumpStart's servers to the worker's phone and back.

It helps eliminate paperwork and reduces the need for employees to perform data entry for client billing and in-house accounting. It can help speed up billing and track staff productivity."

Business Model Innovation

Is it possible to profitably provide consumers with cellular connectivity for 2 or 3 dollars a month? Everyon'es favorite Jan Chipchase describes one way on future perfect.

"WIreless Village takes an existing and well known service setup - providing cellular connectivity and re-designs the task process signing-up customers, billing, invoicing, service support to suit local conditions.

If, as expected the trial benefits all the parties involved (consumers, local entrepreneurs, micro-finance organisations, operators, my employer) this could have significant impact in connecting the next billion."

And why the photo of a tree? The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted the extended cell phone antenna between the branches - Jan Chipchase

Vet students trial mobile technology

Students at UK's Royal Veterinary College are using smartphones to take video, view diagnostic images and access research while in the field as part of a new project called MyPad. IT Pro reports.

"The pilot project, sponsored by Orange, which began in November 2006, has 30 students trialling M3100 SPV and 15 M500 SPV smartphones and a bespoke database platform, designed to help record and process information from their hands-on training.

...The internet-enabled phones also allow students to cross-reference their notes and check research right away while working with animals."

Bluetooth Test Marketing in Supermarket

Adverblog describes an Asian food brand called " Go-Tan" which is testing a Bluetooth marketing campaign in a Dutch supermarket.

"Custumers shopping in the supermarket (and anyone walking within a 100m distance) who has an open Bluetooth connection, receive a message indicating the discounted Go-Tan products available in the store.

The action will last until the end of the week, and it's still too early to look at the results.

... According to the Emerce article wehre the story initially appeared, over 25 percent of Dutch mobile users leave their Bluetooth with an open connection".

SMS As Business Tool on the Rise in South Africa

The use of SMS for business purposes shows widespread adoption within the South African market, according to a new study, reports Cellular News.

"95% of respondents reported receiving business communications via SMS while 75% received email communications for business purposes. The study compared the experiences of Internet savvy South African consumers who are also mobile phone users. The study was conducted by Webchek using their SMS channel to conduct the research."

Who's Who in mobile

Ewan MacLeod over at SMS Text News has put together a Who's Who in mobile. It's meant to be an easily accessible, searchable and comprehensive list of people and their companies.

Who's Who Categories:

* Bloggers
* Consultants
* Country Managers
* CTOs
* Developers
* Entrepreneurs
* Founders and Co-Founders
* Investors
* Managing Directors
* Mobile Communities
* Visionaries

If you'd like to be in the Who's Who, fill in the add-me request form. Anyone can be added -- as long as they're related to mobile. Your request will be reviewed and up online generally within 24 hours.

Mobile loan sharks start to bite Nordic youth

This is wild. Reuters reports that loan sharks in Finland and other Nordic countries are targeting ads to young people asking them if they need cash to pay their next bill and to send them a text message. They promise to send the money in just a few minutes. And there's barely a mention of the annual lending rates of up to 1,000 percent involved.

"Dozens of companies have started to offer short-term loans for up to a few hundred euros each through text messages in Finland, and similar offers are cropping up in Sweden, Norway and the Czech Republic in central Europe.

The most active Finnish text message lenders give out several thousands of euros in loans each month, with most going to people in their 20s, the survey showed."

Orbitz introduces mobile service

Orbitz has recently launched OrbitzTLC Mobile Access. Users will be able to check Orbitz travel itineraries, any flight status and real-time, last-minute hotel availability in 20 US markets from their mobile phone or other wireless device, informs Eyefortravel.

"The service is available 24/7 and free so it is accessible to anyone with the ability to search the Web via their mobile device (standard service provider fees may apply).

Randy Wagner, chief marketing officer, Orbitz said, “Wireless is today’s lifeline for leisure and business travelers, so we conceived OrbitzTLC Mobile Access to work with existing mobile browsers, adding one more extra that people get automatically when they book with Orbitz.com.”

Filipino workers abroad can SOS by SMS

Filipinos working abroad and who are poorly treated, can now send an SOS to their government by text messaging, according to SPAN.

"Government agencies and NGOs are now able to respond and/or intervene, in a timely, adequate and efficient manner, particularly where either the OFW’s life, safety or well being is a critical consideration."

High court daily list through SMS

A new SMS service helps Indian lawyers keep track of their clients' cases, reports The Hindu

"The Madras High Court Madurai Bench Advocates Association using the SMS facility on mobile telephones to inform lawyers regarding the "cause list", the daily schedule of cases in the respective courts.

Under the system, the mobile numbers of the lawyers of the association have been stored in a computer network available with the association. Once the cause list for subsequent day was made available by the registry, the association staff feed the details into the computer.

The software then would match the names of advocates on its rolls against the names in the cause list and would send an SMS to the concerned lawyers. "

Related:

-- Text messaging to cut witness time at court in Lincolnshire

-- Texting to get police back on the beat

-- Delhi State to offer court SMS services

Gas and Electricity Meter-Readings By SMS

Consumers in the UK will soon be able to text their gas and electricity meter reading(s) from their mobile phone, reports Mike Grenville for 160characters.org

... "After submitting their reading(s), the consumer receives confirmation by text message or details of where a mistake has been made. The service offers an alternative to the traditional methods of post or IVR when Dataserve’s meter-reading operative is unable to gain access to the property."

... In the Czech Republic gas company STP also offers customers the option to submit readings by SMS as well as email."

Related:

-- Bluetooth Solution for Utility Remote Meter Reading - Based on a single-chip Bluetooth device, consumers with Bluetooth mobile phones, laptops or PDAs would have the option of taking meter readings themselves and communicating them to the utility company over the Internet or GSM.

NCDEX launches SMS alert service

The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), India , has just launched SMS alert service, which will be useful for members, traders, investors and farmers to monitor market prices of commodities. [via Financial Express]

"Spot prices on commodities at various markets will help traders and farmers to appropriately adjust their prices. For instance, jewellers across the country may sell gold at the current market price."

Related:

-- Real time stock information by SMS The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), Bangladesh, has signed a memorandum of understanding with two leading mobile phone service providing operators to extend real-time stock information through text messaging.

-- SMS quotes from ADVFN. Online financial information provider Advance Financial Network (ADVFN) has launched an SMS text service for private investors. The new service will enable mobile phone users to receive price information for their chosen stocks by sending an SMS including the stock symbol to ADVFN.

-- Stock Quotes & News Alerts by SMS - A new stock quote service called mobiquote that has taken two years to develop delivers key financial data and business news to mobile phones. News headlines and price quotes are supplied by Reutuers from stock exchanges and business correspondents around the world

Mobile disease alerts for cabage growers

Brassica growers, (farmers who grow plants which include broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage), will be able to sign up for free SMS alerts of high disease pressurethis season, following the launch of a free service from Syngenta Crop Protection.

"The Brassica Disease Warning System uses spore trapping and disease monitoring information combined with in-field weather data. It will provide a risk assessment for Alternaria, White Blister and Ringspot, based on field traps across Lincolnshire, the northeast and south east,"

|via Farmers Weekly Interactive]

Coaches turn to text messaging to woo recruits

Buoyed by an NCAA rule change, more football and basketball coaches are text messaging recruits, reports FOX Sports.

"Coaches still send letters and make phone calls, but some say the short messages transmitted from a cell phone or handheld device are more effective than traditional recruiting tools in communicating with prized prospects."

Friendly texting helps collection agency

icLiverpool reports that a debt collection agency has seen a four-fold increase in responses from debtors after using text messages to contact them.

Agilisys Contact Services substituted stern letters and curt phone calls to people who had fallen behind on repayments with friendly text messages asking them to call and discuss an issue with their account.

Within two hours of texting 1,000 people, 40% of them had responded to the message and contacted the group. This compared with a 9% success rate from spending two hours telephoning people, or a 35% success rate if the whole day was spent making face-to-face calls.

Mike McGuckin, managing director of Agilisys Contact Services, said: "Texts are less threatening and more effective because they put individuals back in control of their finances, without being put on the spot or made to feel embarrassed."

Housing loans in Bahrain via sms

This is different.

According to Al Bawaba, the beneficiaries of this year’s housing loans in Bahrain would be announced Thursday or Friday by text messaging. The new service is part of a plan to upgrade the facilities at the Ministry of Works and Housing.

Topshop debuts SMS style guide through Skywire

Topshop is tapping into the youth market's obsession with text and picture messaging with the launch of a mobile phone style advice service, reports DigitalBulletin.

"The mobile service, which is an extension of Topshop's existing in-store style advice service, has been developed by luxury and lifestyle interactive marketing specialist Skywire.

The mobile technology enables Topshop customers to interact with the retailer's style advisers. Using their mobile phones, the fashion conscious can book appointments with advisers, receive advice, reserve items and receive picture messages of recommended clothing."

Clickatell Saves Customers up to 20%

Clickatell, world leaders in global messaging enablement, today announced that increased messaging volumes has allowed it to reduce its prices to global destinations by up to 20%, reports Wireless Developer Network .

Clickatell's customers range from mobile operators, Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, banks and government agencies to mobile content providers, SMEs, start-ups and consumers.

Routes affected by the recent price decrease include: Australia, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, the Netherlands and Qatar.

For more information please go to: http://www.clickatell.com/central/campaigns/redir.php?cid=1059.

On a personal note, I'd like to ad that I've had a long term relationship with Clickatell, reporting on their wonderful services, providing them with content and now Clickatell is an advertiser on Textually. You can't find finer people to work with!

Dial 411 for Bankruptcy?

For some IT managers, mobile phone charges have become a major cost center, ranking second or third behind long distance phone charges, according to TechWeb.

"Chief among these charges is the cost of calling 411. One telecom manager at a Fortune 500 company has gone as far as to ban 411 calls from mobile phones after discovering that the company was spending $5,300 per month alone on directory assistance calls.

The best way to do something about those sorts of charges, he says, is to establish a telecom certification group responsible for tracking phone charges and expenses. Every mobile phone should be tied to a user with an individual employee ID number, location, and department. That way IT can establish direct accountability to charge back mobile costs to their rightful owners."