Caught this fun little article in Time Out magazine this past weekend. Its about how guys are using some interesting tactics to con girls into their cell phone numbers before even “picking them up.”
It goes something like this:
Sleazy Guy: Your phone’s cool. Can I see it?
Girl: Sure.
[Sleazy Guy, pretending to explore the phones “applications” the calls himself. Boom, he has your number. ]
Apparently, the trick has some mixed results.
“I was just annoyed,” says Sherry (a 24 year old administrative assistant). “When he called the next day, I told him ‘ I don’t appreciate what you did; its pathetic and intrusive.”
But their is always the guy or girl that likes this kind of alpha-male behavior.
“I appreciated his spunk,” says Andrew, a 33 year old guy in finance.”
The article points out that one of the reasons why more and more guys may be trying this technique is because it creates a “rejection-free scenario - even if it ultimately limits my chance of ending up with the person.”
Apparently there is a celebrity that also uses this “Oh, I lost my cell can I use yours to call it,” song and dance.
So, a warning to the ladies if you do not want him to have your digits, leave you cell phone at home… just kidding
So, a while ago I got this email telling me about a product called Pinger a new mobile messaging service that launched last month at DEMO. The email told me that Pinger combines the convenience of SMS and the immediacy of voice while offering several powerful group messaging and message management options that aren’t available in existing mobile messaging methods. Huh?
A few moments later I received my first “Pinger” from the same person and it immediately became apparent what Pinger is all about. Simply put Pinger is instant voice messaging for your mobile phone. With Pinger you send voice messages directly to someone instantly and by that I mean (and by someone I mean someone’s email).
So its simple. You register with Pinger and upload your contacts. Then every-time you call the Pinger number a girl with a cute voice asks you who you want to send a message to. When you say “David Stein” it looks up the email of David Stein, you record your message and off to David it goes. David can then open his email and play the sound file.
Why would you want to do this? Pinger explains
You’re out and about and you need to get a message to someone. Is he sleeping? Is she with her boyfriend? You don’t want to interrupt—you just need to get the message out. Pinger lets you say it right now without ringing their phone, but with the speed, personality and emotion of your voice. You can even send to multiple people at once with one phone call!
Pinger even lets Myspace users send a Myspace comment from a mobile phone. First add your Myspace buddies. Simply say “MySpace Julie” (or whatever your friend’s name is) and talk. Your voice message gets posted on Julie’s page. Neither you nor your friends even have to copy and paste HTML into your site.
I must admit. My first reaction (beyond the Myspace usage, but I am not a heavy Myspace user) was that this was junk. I put the emails in “to look at later” been and put it out of my mind.
Then, one day, I was walking down the streets of New York and a whole bunch of emails and messages I wanted to send came to mind. I did not want to start emailing from my phone and did not want to call all this people. I immediately thought of Pinger. Sending a quick voice email to all the people I needed to contact with “idea’s” important info etc etc would have been ideal.
It just seemed to fill a need that for some reason or not was there… who knew.
When I got back home I signed on to Pinger and tried it out. Pretty nifty. I have been using it on and off since. This really is a technology that carriers should consider building into their back haul. This is also lends itself to some pretty interesting marketing opportunities. It also serves as an interesting platform for viral messaging and is a pretty interesting alternative to Robocalling.
A couple things to consider. You of course cannot send a message directly into someone’s actual voicemail. Also I am not sure how this will work for people that check their mail on their phones such as Blackberries, Treo’s Nokia’s etc… the question is, will the message also play on phone emails. If it does that would be pretty damn cool.
Pinger should also consider having Pinger work with a Blog’s API to initiate voice blog posts.
Anyways, try out Pinger for yourself and see if its for you. I am still deciding but so far I am pretty sure there is a place somewhere in the mobile world for Pinger, especially since its a technology that takes advantage of what the cell phone was originally built for… the often over looked cell phone feature of voice.
Oliver had a great post on MobileCrunch about YouMail, an application soon to be launched on Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile all at once. Simply put YouMail your outgoing voice mail message so that it is different - and personalized - for each different caller. So your crazy sick humored best friend will get a different voice mail message then say your mother and your boss.
Youmail even has a feature called “Ditch Mail” which plays a message and then hangs up, not allowing the designated person to leave a message. Great for ex-girlfriends.
My only question is… why was this not already made available by the carriers.
The Urban Kunoichi always has these interesting “hacks.” I have discussed two cell phone related ones on MOpocket already (1,2). Now the Urban Kunoichi has an interesting article on how you use everyday mobile technology for your eavesdropping purposes.
While Nokia “spy phones” have already infiltrated the market… The Urban Kunoichi explores how to do similar spying activity with your own mobile phone. The ranges go from extremely simple to “must have a little tech experience.”
Oh, and before you go any further… please be aware that neither I or MOPocket will be held responsible for any damage you may inflict on your handset, nor any consequences which result from you implementing the techniques you read here. Please be aware that in many countries, the use of covert surveillance devices is illegal. You must check the legality of your proposed actions before you implement them!!!
The methods talked about pretty much take advantage of a phones automatic answer feature (and teaches you how to make that possible in older Nokia Phones that don’t have that.. which requires you shorting something).
The Urban Kunochi recommends using it as a baby monitor :-). Which, by the way, should give you entrepreneurs out there an interesting mobile application idea… Cell phone baby monitors. Not only does it start the baby off with a cell phone plan early in his life (thus increasing his chance of brand carrier loyalty) but it also gives some feeling of security to parents while they are away.
Oh, I always give away my best ideas… (someone hire me).
Oliver over at Mobile Crunch wrote up a post on Pheeder. Seemed pretty cool so I went on over to the site to check it out. Its really really cool. Their are lots of way to explain what Pheeder does. Here is the way I explained it to my Grandfather:
Imagine if their was a number I could call and leave a message on an answering machine. Now imagine that once I am done the machine calls anyone who signed up to receive messages from me and plays the recording.
Magic. That is what Pheeder does. From the website: Just call Pheeder, leave a message, hang up, and seconds later all of your friends receive the message at the very same instant on their phones. Then, if they want, they can reply to your message, or forward your message on to their friends.
The power of word of mouth at its viralist
I have created a MOpocket Pheeder feed here where you can sign up and receive live cell phone news as if Mopocket was calling you itself.
But of course, such a service has a plethora of uses. I plan on creating an Oberman Family feed as well as a feed to get important messages out to the debate team I coach about meetings, assignments etc… There are a plethora of uses and I can think of some political ones myself ;-).
Pheeder is pretty smartmobby.
Right now, however, the service seems to be locked down to one cell phone number equals one feed scenario.. but I can imagine that changing soon.
The service is free, with the exception of the amount of minutes you use up listening or recording a message.
There was a service like this that I blogged about in an article on how to create your own ringtones called WapDial (which now appears to be down) which ran a similar service except that WAPDIAL also turned your recording into an AMR (for ringtones), WAV and MP3 file (all of which could also be syndicated). I would love to see that added as a feature on Pheeder.
WapDial was also a 212 number… I wonder if its the same people? Anyways, Oliver says:
This is one of those technologies that I think could go either way. It could become wildely popular and ultimately be so regularly used by so many people that we wonder how we lived without it or it could be a novelty that’s fun for a while but never really gets the critical mass that it requires for any of the technologies we’re seeing now to jump the shark and become a mainstream - we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
For those of you that don’t know, Frucall is a company that allows you to call into a number to hear prices on products directly over the phone, no matter where you are. All one must simply do is call 1-888-DO-FRUCALL (1-888-363-7822) and enter the product barcode. Its free and registration is optional so it does not hurt to try.
But registering does have its perks as Frucall continues to expand and enhance its audio-based, mobile comparison shopping services with the release of new features and system enhancements. In addition to providing up-to-the-minute online pricing and product ratings for millions of items, Frucall now offers users the convenience of making instant purchases at online prices from any phone. Just in time for memorial day shopping as well
Registered Frucall users can now order items directly on the phone from Amazon’s authorized merchants. Just select the “Buy this item†option after you have listened to the items current online prices. Users are guided through a simple process to confirm payment and delivery details. Once a User Profile is updated with credit card purchasing information on Frucall’s secure server, users can use this feature.
Frucall Also Now Comes With SMS. In addition to hearing online prices, merchants and other details on a mobile phone, registered users can choose to receive the same information as a text message with Frucall PriceTextSM. No need to write information down or remember it, just press the number associated with PriceTextSM and an SMS message will be immediately sent to the Frucall user’s mobile phone.
And they have gone Social Networking crazy as well… but then again what is more social networky than shopping? Registered Frucall users can send Voice and Text Messages to friends, families and groups in their Buddy List. Just login to your My Frucall page, go to the Messaging with Friends section and list the phone numbers of the friends you want to include. The next time you want to send your Buddy List a recorded voice or text message you can do so easily, anywhere or anytime! The feature is free Normal carrier charges apply to receiving text messages, of course but what a great way to send shopping tips and info.
What’s next, a Frucall registry?
What I find interesting about Frucall is that it is a voice and listening featured application reminding us, yet again, what the mobile phone was originally made for and the power of the human vox.
San Diegoites have a new cool service that allows them to use the internet and their phone to pre order a meal from their favorite participating restaurant and cut the lines. Simply put SpeedEOrder allows you to order food directly from the phone, web or mobile interface. “Why have coupons when you can just make your order right on your mobile while you drive over to pick it up?” says Sander Van Zoest who is helping program the project. The service can remember your favorites and allows you to set default settings for such things like “no mustard” or mayo. You can also use your Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card to pay for your orders. You can either charge just enough to cover your current order, or you can add funds to your SpeedEOrder account in $20 increments, saving time for future orders.
In SpeedEorder you actually get to see the full menu and configure it via touchtone, voice (VoiceXML by dialing 1-800-SpeedEOrder) or in the near future mobile apps (as per now the service supports physical coupons,delivered by web, email and SMS but its not in play yet).
Right now “we consider mobile phones to be another method to use our service,” says Van Zoest. “Most people seem to use our service from the web right now. No numbers to remember, just a URL.” But all that will be changing soon he assures me.
Nevertheless, I always find it interesting when I find a voice featured mobile application and service… reminding us just what it was a cell phone was originally intended to do and reminding us of the power of the voca.
SpeedEOrder is currently in a beta launch in the San Diego, CA area.
My college philosophy professor (I have a masters degree in philosophy) always said that a true philosopher understands what it means to wait on a line. By this he was referring to the platonic notion of a true philosophers immanent ability for patience and the understanding of the ethical obligation of what it means to wait and not try to deceive anyone in cutting the line. The philosopher, I remember him saying, is content and even happy waiting online cause he does so in the grasp of a love for wisdom.
Jump now 8 or so years later. I have longed since put down my philosophy books. Now the only thing that keeps me content waiting online is the fact that I have my mobile phone (I am sorry Nokia, my mobile media computer) with me of which I can send an email or SMS, make a comic, play a game, listen to music, learn a thing or two, watch television and yes even talk to a friend.
For those of you that love thinking about the ways in which these mobile applications are changing our society and they we we interact with it one of the interesting issues to think about is the way in which mobile is changing our social coordination in the areas of waiting… and Lee Humphreys has a great little ditty on it in Vodafones online publication Receiver.
This waiting, however, also provided a moment to reflect on how mobile communication technology has become integrated into social interaction processes. Not only do we use mobile phones to say we’re running late, but we also use them to coordinate ourselves in space and time. In order for my colleagues and me to have dinner together, we had to coordinate beforehand the when and the where to meet. In a densely populated urban environment, the chances of running into one another at the corner bar is not likely when there are so many venue options within a particular neighborhood. Therefore, communicating the where and the when of the meeting becomes an important factor in social coordination for urbanites. But mobile social interaction is not nearly so blunt as just when and where. Particularly for small groups of colleagues or friends, coordinating who will (and will not) be there can also become an important negotiation. Mobile technology is beginning to play an evermore important role in this social coordination.
In lieu of last weeks Snakes On Your Cell Phone post I wanted to bring to your attention another calling service being provided, only this time its for when you can’t find a friend to help you look good or get out of a hole.
The Popularity Dialer is a service that lets you schedule an automated call to your phone at a specific time and date.
Have you ever been in a situation where you wished your cell phone would ring? Maybe you wanted to look extra important or popular on that hot date. Or maybe you just needed an excuse to escape from an unpleasant meeting.
With “The Popularity Dialer”, you can plan ahead. Via a web interface, you can choose to have your phone called at a particular time (or several times). At the elected time, your phone will be dialed and you will hear a prerecorded message that’s one half of a conversation. Thus, you will be prompted to have a fake conversation and will easily fool those around you.
Caught this fun little article in Time Out magazine this past weekend. Its about how guys are using some interesting tactics to con girls into their cell phone numbers before even “picking them up.”
