The frontiers of mobile payment and promotion continue to expand. As examples, see this piece about a new study showing that many consumers with web-enabled cell phones have an interest in scannable mobile coupons. Digital coupons are sent to cell phones upon consumer request and redeemed by a retail cashier that scans the cell phone display screen, which holds product unique barcode information. Since this concept can easily be married to true mobile payment it’s easy to see how creative marketers can be. Another innovative promotion: HarperCollins is using bar codes on the back of book jackets, to enable consumers to scan them with mobile device cameras and connect directly to supplementary Internet content about the book they’ve just bought, including video interviews with the authors.
June 22nd, 2009
Marin Perez at InformationWeek reports that MasterCard has rolled out in the United States a payment service that enables users to do person-to-person transfers with their cell phones or smartphones. The service, called MoneySend, is a technology collaboration with Obopay, and it lets customers send and receive funds through text messages, mobile browsers, dedicated mobile applications, and a desktop PC. The company said this service is a flexible solution that has multiple real-life applications. One example is that parents could use it to send money to college kids, and it could potentially be used for virtual goods in social networks as well.
June 17th, 2009
Over at Techcrunch they love the idea of all the cool things you can do on your Blackberry, including Obopay. Check out their write-up on BerryStore — the online source is offering a bunch of FREE apps to add great functionality to your Smartphone.
What’s not to love about BerryStore? “What makes it better than the official BlackBerry App Center (besides the name), is that apps in the BerryStore work across both old and new BlackBerries alike (not just the upcoming BlackBerry Storm), and across carriers.”
Obopay’s app fits that bill perfectly. You can transfer money safely and securely on your Blackberry, even to someone who isn’t registered with Obopay. Visit m.obopay.com from your phone’s browser or our Blackberry page to get started online.
Already using Obopay on Blackberry? Let me know how you like it in comments.
Technorati Tags: obopay, berrystore, mobile, app, blackberry
November 13th, 2008
iPhone 3g owners received the preceding sms message yesterday afternoon. Turns out “that under certain conditions the new ultracompact Apple USB power adapter’s metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating a risk of electric shock.” Apple is offering replacement via orders on their website at http://www.apple.com/support/usbadapter/exchangeprogram/ or through their retail stores starting Oct. 10.
Technorati Tags: apple, apple iphone, iphone, iphone 3g, mobile
September 23rd, 2008
Last Friday, Virgin Mobile announced their intentions to buy off Helio, the mobile handset provider, from SK Telecom for 13 million shares in Virgin Mobile USA class A stock, the equivalent of about $39 million. This, combined with their launch of an $80 unlimited flat rate calling plan with no contract, shows the company setting its sights on a more professional class of consumers, a clear contrast from their current youthful customer base.
In acquiring Helio, Virgin Mobile USA will not only get over 170,000 subscribers (who spend more that 3 times more per month than the average Virgin subscriber), but will also get Helio’s stylish handsets and access into the emerging 3G market. Cellular-News reports that the typical Virgin customer spends only about $20 a month on pre-paid plans, but the purchase of Helio will allow the company to target consumers who spend between $40 and $70 a month.
Hopefully this step towards a new market will pay off and Virgin Mobile will be able to capture more US customers. The acquisition of Helio will most definitely be a step in the right direction, but the risk remains very high, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to steal market share from such dominant national carriers in the US. Either way, more competition in our mobile service can’t hurt right?
Technorati Tags: Virgin Mobile, Virgin Mobile USA, SK Telecom, Helio, acquisition, mobile, 3G, unlimited plan, handset
June 30th, 2008
A lot people have been coming to our blog looking for info on the Blackberry Thunder. With the new iPhone 3G being just around the corner, I have been wanting to do a iphone 3G vs. Blackberry Thunder comparison for a while. Unfortunately, the data (especially for the Blackberry Thunder) is rather limited. This is what we know so far.
- The Blackberry Thunder is running on Verizon in the US. The iPhone 3G is for AT&T of course.
- Both have a full touch screen.
- Both support mp3s.
- Hmm… both of them are black?
See, that’s how little info we have on the Blackberry Thunder. But we do have a possible picture of the Blackberry Thunder / Verizon Thunder / Vodafone Thunder / Blackberry 9500 / or Blackberry Storm (the old nickname before Blackberry said that it’s not true). Again, all the pictures of the Thunder were made by BoyGeniusReport. Click here to read all the background info here:
Now take a look at the iPhone 3G. Click on the image to see the specs on Apple:
So what’s the conclusion? I have no idea. I think it’s too early to tell what the Thunder has so far. Maybe we can get a better comparision once Blackberry releases more data on the phone.
Technorati Tags: iphone, iphone 3g, cell phone, blackberry, blackberry thunder, pictures, images, apple iphone, blackberry 9500, verizon
June 26th, 2008
I was out at lunch today and saw that another sign that mobile payments is becoming more popular, which is great since mobile payment is obviously the core of Obopay. Anyway, I took a picture of it:
I am surprised that paying for parking with your phone is not a bigger deal here in the Bay Area. I mean, if you have been to (or live in) the Bay Area should know how much we end up spending on parking meters, especially in San Francisco. It’s such a hassle finding coins to feed the meter too.
This paying by phone thing is great. I read somewhere a while back that they were trying to implement this for BART too. Not sure how that’s going, but can you imagine if you can just swipe your phone across the subway in New York? That’d be awesome!
Technorati Tags: cell phone, payment, bay area, san francisco, obopay, mobile payment, hassle
June 17th, 2008
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