If you use Motek’s Code Mucher, you may have noticed being asked to join AppFriendly. The network promotes the fact that AppFriendly gives app recommendations and when you accept the terms and conditions, it downloads an odd app to your device. The AppFriendly app doesn’t have an icon but it does sit on your device running some sort of system process, as seen in the app management settings.
From browsing the AppFriendly network, it looks like Motek is looking to build a social network with profiles, social integration, app ratings and recommendations. The service is obviously in Alpha stealth mode because none of the links work, but it still gives you an idea of how it works and the features it will have. Motek already has a community around their apps where they give users points that can be redeemed for digital goods, and it looks like AppFriendly is a way of extending this ecosystem to other developers. When asked about AppFriendly, Motek responded with: “It’s in Alpha mode right now so we can’t say too much at this point but definitely will share more with you when it’s ready.”
This may not be directly BlackBerry related but a lot of BlackBerry users probably have iPod Nanos for music. Even though you may have your music stored on your BlackBerry, you have to admit that it’s easier to jog and exercise with a Nano versus something like a Torch. Deckster is a really cool product we’ve come across that turns your iPod Nano into a watch that can play music, show the time, and do everything that an iPod Nano can do. The design is what really sets this device apart from the competition too. The Deckster is designed around a Pop+Lock™ System that is reminiscent of a cassette deck. The Deckster opens and closes in a smooth motion for easy insertion or removal of the Nano.
RIM is still killing it in Canada ahead of Apple and Google and with 42% of the smartphone market, ahead of Apple’s 31% and Android’s 12.2%. Nokia is barely a player with only 6.4% of the market and Windows has even less with 5.1% of the smartphone market. The data comes from a new report on the Canadian mobile industry from market research firm ComScore Inc. In terms of smartphone adoption in general, Canada is at 32.8%, which is a little higher than the US which is at 32.2%. Europe is doing really well with smartphone penetration with numbers such as United Kingdom (40.8%), Spain (40.2%) and Italy (38.3%) in terms of smartphone adoption. But then again, Europe is a Nokia-based society and nobody is really taking that company seriously as a smartphone. It’s more like a “semi-intelligent phone”.
It’s great to hear about Canadian companies raising funds as it seems Silicon Valley seems to be eating all the cash these days. Fixmo, a company that delves in both enterprise and consumer mobile solutions and is based in Toronto, Canada, has raised $6.5 million in financing. The Series B funding round was led by new investor Panorama Capital, with existing investors Rho Ventures Canada, iNovia Capital, Extreme Venture Partners and management participating. The funding is going to help grow Fixmo’s enterprise mobile management and protection solutions business which was all the rage at BlackBerry World this year.
The Fixmo solution provides device assurance, policy compliance, and device audit solutions, as well as tools that allow enterprises to manage their entire mobile infrastructure, end-to-end, through a single interface. It also probably helps that the Co-Founder and CEO Rick Segal is well versed in raising capital, as he used to be with the BlackBerry Partners Fund.
Williams comes from Moncton and was born in Canada. It must be interesting from someone of his age, having lived through World War II and seen the incredible technology advancements we’ve made in the past 70 years. Everything from the Atomic Bomb to the Internet has been invented in his time and the smartphone era is in some ways an equally big technology shift. There is a lot of potential in everyone carrying around a computer in their pocket, and we’ve just scratched the surface of what’s possible.
And how cool would it be to have him as a grandfather? While most of us struggle to get our grandparents to check out photos of the kids online, gramps over here is asking you to upload a 1080p copy of Inception in a torrent file and “quit leeching”.
Poynt has made an interesting and heart-warming announcement lately that it will develop and implement the first geo-relevant push alert system for the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC). The push alert system will be able to quickly notify Poynt users within a relevant, geo-targeted area with their Child Search Alerts on breaking developments of an active missing child investigation. The notification will include important information about the missing child’s active case such as last known location, physical description, photos and other pertinent details to help Poynt users in the area identify the missing child.
While there are other apps on the market meant to alert users of missing children, the difference is that Poynt is bringing its 7+ million users. Having a large install base is critical because the more eyes on the missing child the better. A good example of this is the Facebook partnership with the Justice Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to allow users to sign up to get Amber alert notifications of missing children.
