Category: mobile

mobile

A campaign poster courtesy of Rick Gaston

So a couple years ago I looked into a company called Dash which was/is providing a GPS product that incorporates user-generated content (UGC) which helps the driver decide on the best route to take from A to B. The problem with UGC products like these is that you need a certain amount of users to really gather good data. And with Dash’s product costing more than I was willing to spend, I decided not to go ahead with the purchase. Oh, and I didn’t own a car
Fast forward to today and I now have a car and also a commute that takes about an hour if there’s no traffic. After the big rainstorm that we had in SF and the ensuing problems with flooding, accidents, and traffic, I decided to take a look  into what’s out there. Before embarking on my journey to SFO to drop off a friend, I scoured the twitter feeds to see what areas were closed, where there was accidents… Although it gave me information, I had to search beforehand and plot out my course. Enter Waze. I’m hoping that this FREE application that I downloaded onto my iphone will help me plot the quickest and easiest way when I drive around. I haven’t tested it out and I’m guessing that initially it won’t be helping me out too much as it’s a new app and there needs to be more traction before I get any good information. I’ll fill you in once I’ve used it for a couple of months. I’m also intrigued by their business model which allows people to use the app for free and once Waze has gotten a good amount of data, then they will be able to license the data to other bigger mapping companies. Here’s a TechCrunch article I read about the company and also here’s a demo:

As many of you know I have use a service where personalized voicemails are provided. This has caused some confusion with friends and family as they think I’m talking to them when and they proceed to talk to my answering machine… Here’s a cute example in which my niece, Momo, wonders why I won’t talk back. VM From Momo

Here’s a VM that my buddy Chris left me. Friends looking out for me as Ironman events tend to sell out within hours. By the way, I signed up in time… thanks to another friend, Yi, registering me. IM Canada Chris

And this one is another adorable VM where Kai and Jana wish me a good night. Good night from Kai and Jana

So most of you know I’ve checked out a couple of online dating sites but have done it more in the name of research as opposed to searching for somebody to date. This is evident in the fact that I won’t pay for the services. I’m mostly interested in the different UIs, the algorithms for setting ppl up, the business models and the mobile apps. Apparently yesterday an app launched at DEMOfall 09 which gives a person the ability to look up people that they will possibly date. Although the app is free but you have to pay extra (I hope it’s written clearly how much and at what point) for information regarding criminal records, social networking info… This is an app I will not be purchasing. When looking at companies or services, I usually research the management and it appears that this one has a sketchy history. Kinda funny if you think about it since they probably wouldn’t want allegations of fraud to be brought up when requesting funding or trying to get a date but with their app, it’s possible.

Where I was going with this is that yes, I sometimes google people that I’ll be meeting up with or going on a date with but in the end, I look forward to getting to know the person by actually talking to them as opposed to researching everything about them first. Unless of course you’re an ax murderer…

After 2 years of my Match.com profile being set on ‘invisible’ I decided to take a look at it and make some updates. I got interested in different dating sites due to various iphone apps for meeting people. My intentions weren’t/aren’t to meet the one but more to check out the UI’s and different functions available within the iphone apps. While I’m open to online dating, I’ve found that there’s a couple of barriers for me that hinder meeting someone. First reason I’m not completely sold on online dating is that I’m still being introduced to ladies through friends and social groups who know me quite well. Secondly, I don’t like the business models.

I guess part of it is that I’m still quite happy meeting people through friends which makes me lazy when it comes to putting in real time and effort into meeting a woman via the internet. That being said, I do enjoy checking out the match.com iphone app and who knows, maybe I’ll meet somebody. There really are a ton of people using it. Now comes the business model issue that I referred to: I’m what I consider a “casual online dating site checker” I look at who’s viewed me, winked… every once in a while but I still am very much meeting people through other avenues. So I’m not willing to pay a monthly subscription to communicate with somebody or see who’s emailed me… thus far, the emails have been from people who don’t have profile pics up and yes, that’s a deal-breaker for me. I would be more interested in Match.com if they started offering a micro-transaction type model for those of us who every once in a while want to email/ wink… then we could be charged per wink or per email. How about charging me a dollar for every email and $.25 per wink? That would definitely make people think longer before winking at every Joe Schmo they see. And if you’re wondering if this type of model is profitable, I’d say it is. Just look at the revenues that gaming/virtual worlds are pulling in via micro-transaction models.

I chose Match.com as an example because I haven’t bothered using any other sites and with dating sites, there needs to be a large pool of people using the site and they seem to be the biggest.

*Disclaimer: I don’t work for any dating sites. I’m actually happily single and blessed/humbled to have wonderful friends who feel I’m a good enough guy to introduce to their other friends

**Just a note: This isn’t going to become a blog about dating as I don’t write about my personal relationships. My Facebook status will not be showing single, complicate, dating… nor will ever unless I start dating Jessica Alba.

Writing blog posts from my phone makes me feel very Japanese. In Japan, short stories or novels written via mobile phones have gained popularity over the past couple years. Not sure how they do it as my thumb is all ready tired.

I’m not sure if it bothers you but when you leave a message for somebody, you’re always left waiting for that stupid beep before you’re able to talk. David Pogue, NY Times Columnist who focuses on tech, has decided enough is enough and that the extra long message forced upon us by the carriers so that they can make more money has to go. Here’s a quote by him.

“Suppose you call my cell to leave me a message. First you hear my own voice: “Hi, it’s David Pogue. Leave a message, and I’ll get back to you” — and THEN you hear a 15-second canned carrier message. … These messages are outrageous for two reasons. First, they waste your time. Good heavens: it’s 2009. WE KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THE BEEP. … Second, we’re PAYING for these messages. These little 15-second waits add up — bigtime. If Verizon’s 70 million customers leave or check messages twice a weekday, Verizon rakes in about $620 million a year. That’s your money.”

— NYT columnist David Pogue mobilizes a “Take Back the Beep” campaign to press cell-phone carriers to get rid of the superfluous voicemail instructions that play before a caller is allowed to leave a message.

Rahim is a Jedi and I’m merely a Padwan when it comes to SEO/ back-end/ front-end. After a long day at work enjoying a tall glass of murphys stout at a bar where everybody knows my name… well at least Tara does.