Germany based mobile web portal offers free text message service

If you are one of those people who are still wondering if the whole concept of ‘offering free mobile content supported by ads’ is good or bad, here is some news for you. A German company has recently come up with an idea that is so good that even the harshest critic of mobile advertising will find it hard to argue against.

Mjoy.com, a Germany based mobile web portal, offers free SMS (text message) service for its registered users all around the world. The service is simple – as a registered user, you will be able to send text messages to any phone, any network, anywhere in the world – for free. How does it sound?

This is usually the point at which the question ‘how can they afford to do so?’ comes up. The answer to that question is something you are already familiar with, if you have been following this blog. It is mobile advertising.

This free service is supported by advertising banners in the portal. Mjoy has officially stated that these mobile ads will not be a hindrance for users as they will be placed in such a manner that they do not disturb the user experience by any means. On top of that, the company has also promised that the users will not be sent any sort of commercial text messages at any time in the future.

Even at the risk of making this blog post sound like a sponsored piece, I have to tell you something about the cool features of this service.

1. There are no character limits for the text messages that you send.

2. The text messages you send and receive will be stored in chat mode in your Mjoy inbox.

3. As a registered user, you can sync your mobile phone contacts with the Mjoy network if you want to.

4. You can also access a variety of mobile content like videos, widgets, pictures, sounds, and much more in Mjoy portal.

Already, we have seen a success story in Blyk, which has now become synonymous with ad supported mobile content. Is Mjoy another success story in the making? Only time will tell. What do you think?

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Mobile Web.

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What does Yahoo - Microsoft deal mean for Google?

By now, I think everyone and their mother knows about Microsoft’s proposed buyout of Yahoo! And you should, because if it were to happen, it would be undoubtedly the biggest and the most important acquisition ever made in the industry. Now, what does this deal mean for mobile industry? A lot.

Firstly, we all know that Yahoo Go Mobile is a huge success and it’s really a brilliant interface which offers you the best of browsing experiences and the best of applications. Now, if Microsoft were to integrate Yahoo Go Mobile in its Windows Mobile, it could be huge. Though you can already download Yahoo Go Mobile on Windows Mobile, hardly anyone does. By integrating it into Windows Mobile, Microsoft could simply rejuvenate its Windows Mobile market and Yahoo could reach millions and millions of users effectively.

Yahoo Maps, as we know, is the market leader and when combined with Windows Mobile, it could be a potent rival to Google Maps.

Yahoo Mail, undoubtedly, is way better than Microsoft’s mail service and if integrated into Windows Mobile, could be a huge success. Already, Yahoo Mail is used widely on the iPhone.

When it comes to Instant Messaging, both Yahoo and Microsoft have winners in Instant Messenger and Windows Live Messenger respectively. When these two merge, they could cater to a huge market and be far more effective.

Yahoo already provides the widgets for iPhone and it has been popular with users. If Microsoft could use these widgets on its Windows Mobile devices, it would make them even more compelling for the users. Most importantly, Microsoft will be in a position to tackle the iPhone competition, which already uses Yahoo widgets.

Photos and Sharing would become far more comfortable and easier for the users, as they will be able to access Flickr and Windows Live Spaces, both of which are extremely popular.

Last but not least, if Yahoo and Microsoft did come together, the search app would become far more powerful and could pose a serious threat to Google’s dominancy in the search market.

So, a lot is being speculated on this proposed buyout and it would be interesting to see the developments from now on. It will also be interesting to see what Google does to face this giant of a competition. Interesting times ahead people, watch this space closely.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Yahoo, Microsoft.

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