“What was it I suppose to remember to do?” If I had Twitter I probably wouldn’t be forgetting right now. I could use the Twitter bot, which they’re calling “timer” to send me a reminder.
The way this works is that you send a message and you’ll be send a reminder at the time you desire. This uses SMS to remind you of important upcoming events, such as checking the laundry or feeding the parking meter. By sending a message such as ‘d timer 60 dryer’ you’ll get a reminder SMS in 60 minutes. Right the clothes are ready! Gotta dash.
Verizon Wireless is offering some aid to travelers this summer. Verizon is offering several add-on options to ease your summer travel plans when you hit the road, including the VZ Navigator, a GPS-enabled Get It Now app that transforms the handset into a navigation device. VZ Navigator is available for $9.99 for unlimited monthly access or $2.99 for one-day use on select Get It Not-enabled phones. Roadside Assistance service is also available for $3.00 per month, with emergency help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And this help includes towing, lockout services, fuel delivery, and tire service. 
This Friday, May 25, is National Missing Children’s Day, and the wireless industry, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the U.S. Department of Justice, is reminding consumers of the role that they can help play to aid in the recovery of abducted children, by signing up to receive free Wireless AMBER Alerts.
So how many eyeballs are actually tuning in to the TV on their mobile devices? Rentrak has signed a deal with mobile TV provider Hiwire to find out reports mocoNews. According today’s post, Rentrak, a company that specializes in measuring TV viewing, will provide Hiwire with figures on just how many viewers of video programming and of video ads there are on mobile handsets today. Hiwire is a subsidiary of Aloha Partners, a company that is the largest owner of the 700 MHz spectrum in the U.S. The story adds that this information could help provide the U.S. TV networks with the data they need as they look at advertising possibilities on the mobile phone platform. This summer will see a trial launch of the service in Las Vegas, which Hiwire aims will allow for tracking of mobile TV viewership. 
Are we seeing an effort from Motorola to take on the upcoming iPhone? The Napster on demand music subscription service will soon be heading to mobile phones according to PhoneContent.com. The site is reporting that Napster and Motorola have announced a marketing agreement that will provide easy access to Napster’s music library and other content through Motorola’s line of portable subscription-enabled devices. The two companies are developing promotional efforts for North America, the UK and Germany to provide the Napster music experience for a range of Motorola music-enable handsets, including the ROKR Z6 and Z6m phones. 
Advertising dollars aren’t flowing on the mobile Web in a significant way reports ClickZ News. And the reason could be the barriers put in place by US carriers. This was one of the opinions stressed at this week’s “Goin’ Mobile,” a Yahoo Summit Series event held in New York. European service provider Vodafone is embracing a “de-walled” strategy, and this includes embracing mobile and PC services that let the user decide mobile preferences through a Web-based dashboard. This could led to advertising opportunities with applications including TV, video, music and games, as well as services such as SMS and MMS messaging. This advertising component, says ClickZ, would serve to control the pricing charged to consumers and provide an additional revenue stream.
Will mid-sized rural carriers be on the block for sale? That’s the speculation after the $27.5 billion acquisition of Alltel Corp., the fifth largest wireless provider in the United States, by two private equity firms. Telecommunications Industry News is reporting that this buyout is giving rise to speculation that other regional mobile carriers could be bought up as well. The article suggests that a buyout of a nationwide carrier, such as Sprint Nextel is far less likely but remains a possibility as well. In the meantime the industry looks to be poised for a buyer’s market, with a variety of mid-sized carriers, including Dobson Communications and Rural Cellular Corp, among potential candidates for future private equity purchases. 
California’s oldest bank operating under its original charter is also a leader in banking technology innovation. The Bank of Stockton has announced that it will work with ClairMail, Inc., a provider of 2-way mobile phone-based customer interaction. Customers of the Bank of Stockton will be able to use their mobile phones to check balances, view account history and even conduct transactions such as fund transfers, while also being altered to low balances or check overdrafts. Mobile payments can be paid by mobile devices, and customers can even get into the call center queue without waiting on hold by messaging their bank. About the only thing it doesn’t seem able to do is get quarters for laundry day!
Calling London or just about anywhere else internationally has always been pretty expensive. VoIP services, including Skype, have helped ease the pain of those massive ultra-long distance bills, but this just meant you were tethered to a computer. EQO Mobile could be the answer to affordable international long distance. This new service promises to reduce the costs of international calls by up to 95%, while also offering free voice calls, as well as “texting,” with other EQO users. 
