Earlier this week, I attended a seminar sponsored by Democrats Abroad in Stockholm which provided a helpful overview both of how President Obama leveraged technology to win the election as well as how he will use it during his presidency.
In addition to using the traditional community meetings, handshakes and phone calls, Obamba and his team also reached out to the younger voters via Facebook, YouTube, his campaign site, Change.gov, and similar. Needless to say, the effort was effective.
During the Obama administration, he has pledged to open up electronic communication channels via the White House site, as well as through blogs, etc.
Of particular note, Obama will be the first US President to use email - and most notably email on a Blackberry. His dependence and efforts to keep his Blackberry have been well documented.
The question on our minds is: How much will Obama's reliance on his Blackberry increase interest in mobile email generally... and how much of that interest will expand into the consumer space? One would expect quite a bit.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The challenge with Java applications
Recently, I tried to use both the Gmail and Shozu applications to compare how they are to Momail's basic email service and its Flickr integration.
On my SonyEricsson 880i, my experience was poor. Both products have large fan-bases, so I was actually quite surprised. A few issues to highlight:
Gmail mobile:
1. An update had been done, so I needed download the newest version. Easy, but annoying.
2. As I live in Sweden, the application automatically chose Swedish as the default language. The problem is that I am not a native speaker, and would prefer it to be in English. Can't figure out where to change the language.
3. I'm unable to forward HTML mails. The forwarded mail appears blank. Addressing a forwarded mail is not easy either.
Shozu:
1. I have to admit, but biggest challenge with Shozu is that I am still unable to use it (after a few tries). I've registered my Flickr and Blogger accounts in order to upload using Shozu, but the application just keeps "transferring". Neither account is that large, so I am surprised it takes so long. In the meantime, I'm unable to do anything with the service. Any suggestions would be helpful.
How Momail improves upon these issues:
1. Momail is a server side solution. Therefore, any updates are invisible to the consumer, and thus do not require another download to update.
2. As Momail is integrated into your native handset platform, the language used for the service is the same one has you choose for your handset.
3. Granted, some HTML mails are a bit long to forward with Momail. However, the text does show in the mail, and addressing from your handset's contact list is simple.
4. Uploading and downloading photos with Momail is quick and easy. Just send an email to your favorite platform and go. Also, Momail saves up to 99% of data, so downloading your favorite photos is also quick and inexpensive.
On my SonyEricsson 880i, my experience was poor. Both products have large fan-bases, so I was actually quite surprised. A few issues to highlight:
Gmail mobile:
1. An update had been done, so I needed download the newest version. Easy, but annoying.
2. As I live in Sweden, the application automatically chose Swedish as the default language. The problem is that I am not a native speaker, and would prefer it to be in English. Can't figure out where to change the language.
3. I'm unable to forward HTML mails. The forwarded mail appears blank. Addressing a forwarded mail is not easy either.
Shozu:
1. I have to admit, but biggest challenge with Shozu is that I am still unable to use it (after a few tries). I've registered my Flickr and Blogger accounts in order to upload using Shozu, but the application just keeps "transferring". Neither account is that large, so I am surprised it takes so long. In the meantime, I'm unable to do anything with the service. Any suggestions would be helpful.
How Momail improves upon these issues:
1. Momail is a server side solution. Therefore, any updates are invisible to the consumer, and thus do not require another download to update.
2. As Momail is integrated into your native handset platform, the language used for the service is the same one has you choose for your handset.
3. Granted, some HTML mails are a bit long to forward with Momail. However, the text does show in the mail, and addressing from your handset's contact list is simple.
4. Uploading and downloading photos with Momail is quick and easy. Just send an email to your favorite platform and go. Also, Momail saves up to 99% of data, so downloading your favorite photos is also quick and inexpensive.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Great Feedback from a Momail user
Below is an excerpt from an actual response from a Momail user highlighting the real-world benefits from using our service:
"I spent 2 weeks travelling around Kenya in October and used my trusty old Nokia E61 to check my emails. I would then spend an hour or two in the evenings writing emails on the phone to my business partners and customers. When I first arrived in Nairobi I went to the nearest Safaricom shop and bought a pre-paid SIM card for 30 Euros. I was fully expecting to have to purchase more minutes as the two weeks progressed, however as I was not sure how the system would work I did not want to invest too much up-front.
In reality, after 2 weeks I still had 18 Euros left on the card! In Kenya you pay 8c per Mb and with the massive compression of my emails using Momail I only used 12 Euros in 2 weeks. This with VERY heavy usage. I was totally amazed. I even did some web browsing which probably ate up most of the 12 Euros..
I can recommend using Momail to anyone! I would also advise users to investigate using pre-paid SIM cards. I have several SIM cards for different countries now and simply swap them out in my phone. I am saving an absolute fortune! In some countries you can get a SIM card that will give you a maximum data price per day of 1 Euro.
This of course means having a separate phone for phone calls.. But good phones with a long battery life are very cheap."
"I spent 2 weeks travelling around Kenya in October and used my trusty old Nokia E61 to check my emails. I would then spend an hour or two in the evenings writing emails on the phone to my business partners and customers. When I first arrived in Nairobi I went to the nearest Safaricom shop and bought a pre-paid SIM card for 30 Euros. I was fully expecting to have to purchase more minutes as the two weeks progressed, however as I was not sure how the system would work I did not want to invest too much up-front.
In reality, after 2 weeks I still had 18 Euros left on the card! In Kenya you pay 8c per Mb and with the massive compression of my emails using Momail I only used 12 Euros in 2 weeks. This with VERY heavy usage. I was totally amazed. I even did some web browsing which probably ate up most of the 12 Euros..
I can recommend using Momail to anyone! I would also advise users to investigate using pre-paid SIM cards. I have several SIM cards for different countries now and simply swap them out in my phone. I am saving an absolute fortune! In some countries you can get a SIM card that will give you a maximum data price per day of 1 Euro.
This of course means having a separate phone for phone calls.. But good phones with a long battery life are very cheap."
Momail named Red Herring Global 100 Finalist!
Winning Red Herring Europe 100 last year represented a great recognition of the work the Momail team has done in developing the Momail service and gaining users throughout Europe.
This year, we're even more honored to be included as a Red Herring Global 100 Finalist! As this list is compiled from the previous winners from North America, Asia and Europe, we're excited to be in such exclusive company.
Winners will be announced during the Red Herring conference in San Diego, 14-16 January 2009.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Wireless Email study from Radicati Group
A new study by The Radicati Group forecasts that the worldwide Wireless Email installed base is growing at an annual rate of 93%.
Palo Alto, CA – September 15, 2008 – The latest study by The Radicati Group, Inc., “Wireless Email Market, 2008-2012,” offers an in-depth analysis of the worldwide market for Wireless Email and includes market size, market share and revenue by vendor, four-year forecasts, and breakouts by region, business size and industry.
The study focuses on three segments of the Wireless Email Market: Wireless Email Solutions, Wireless OS Platforms and Wireless Email Devices. The study also takes a look at the ISP/Webmail Wireless Email market.
Today, only 2% of worldwide active email mailboxes are accessed with a wireless email solution. Explosive growth is expected and it is projected that 22% of active mailboxes will be accessed with a wireless email solution by year-end 2012.
Fierce competition between vendors and device manufacturers will continue to drive prices down and make wireless email solutions and devices a more affordable and logical choice for employees that need to stay connected and work while away from the office.
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