When we told you back in June that Whrrl had come to Blackberry, people were excited. It’s hard not to get excited over a LBS-based social networking application that combines mapping and micro-blogging technology for discovering and sharing local information on people, places, events and experiences. A few days ago software Developer Pelago announced BlackBerry Bold support for Whrrl, so make sure to check it out! Be forewarned however, Whrrl only works for now in the U.S. To download Whrrl, point your BlackBerry Browser to:
Tag: social-networkingPage 2 of 4
Welcome to the first installment of Nan the Power User. You’ll see me pop in from time to time with reviews, tips, tricks and ideas with a business twist. I’m the Chief Inspiration Officer at Salesby5, a marketing and consulting group in San Antonio, TX, where we dramatically increase sales for companies and organizations. Additionally, I am quite the BlackBerry fanboy/evangelist. I’ll welcome feedback and new ideas; I always like to try new things! One of my weapons of choice in connecting with others is to use Twitter.
Twitter: Connecting with People
A few months ago we started a BlackBerry Cool group on LinkedIn, to connect BlackBerry power users with colleagues in the wireless industry. We then promptly forgot about it. Despite our total disregard, however, the BlackBerry Cool LinkedIn Group has slowly gained a larger membership, passing the 500 user milestone earlier this week.
We thought it was time to remind everyone about the group and to promise some interesting things to come in the near future, thanks to new LinkedIn features. Let’s fill ‘er up to 1000!
For those of you who enjoy social networks of a different sort, make sure to also check out our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Join the BlackBerry Cool LinkedIn Group
Join the BlackBerry Cool Facebook Group
Follow BlackBerry Cool on Twitter
Recently, you may have heard about Vayyoo and their vPost solution, which enables BlackBerry users to capture pictures, voice, text, and location (via GPS) through one single user interface. Our sister site QuicklyBored has been displaying it’s potential as both a restaurant review device and blogging tool. We were so enamored with Vayyoo’s solution that we signed an exclusive agreement to use vPosting for the majority of our CTIA coverage (sorry Ronen).
However, vPosting is much more than a simple consumer application, it’s a new medium for mobile communication. Before we start vPosting like crazy all over CTIA, we thought we should take the time to fully explain what Vayyoo can do.
Click here to learn more about Vayyoo’s vPost
Considering that RIM has pimped out their Facebook application across all carriers in North America, it’s likely that you’ve accessed a social network via your BlackBerry (although we prefer m.linkedin.com, and are patiently waiting for a native BlackBerry app). Analyst ABI Research speculated earlier this week that by 2013, there will be more than 140 million mobile social network subscribers worldwide, and generating subscription revenues in excess of $410 million. To put these numbers in perspective, that’s more than the current worldwide unique visitor numbers of either MySpace or Facebook, which hover somewhere around 115 million.
The question to be asked is where all that money will come from — both MySpace and Facebook currently have mobile web-accessible versions of their sites, and the aforementioned BlackBerry Facebook app costs you nothing but time and data. ABI Research speculates that the revenue come not via advertising, but through a subscription model for social network access, likely in the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
Here’s a question (or two): how much would you pay to use a BlackBerry Facebook app per month? How much for a LinkedIn app?
(via CN)
It’s been a pretty busy week so far, so some cool apps slipped under our radar. No fear, here are a bunch of recent BlackBerry software updates and launches that you might be interested in checking out.
- GPSed updated to 0.999: Now with social track sharing on Facebook, MySpace, twitter, and Blogger.
- Tiggit launched: An alternative e-mail client that lets you access IMAP, POP3 and SMTP e-mail.
- Vlingo updated to 1.1: Now featuring e-mail replying and forwarding, along with connection improvements. Works with OS 4.5!
- MyCaption launched: Transcribes your e-mail to text – just start talking.
- PictureDial launched: Browse the web and your address book with pictures rather than lists.
SameCell has a had a significant upgrade today, now packing tabbed browsing, event and location features, and including some extra functions if you happen to have GPS. Of course, the SameCell’s really great if you don’t have GPS, since its location-based services are all based on cell tower recognition. In fact, SameCell was the very first app I saw that use the technique, and since then Google Maps and even the BlackBerry Bold has started doing the same thing. They’ve also got a cool program where you get paid for discovering new cell towers not in their database. The core functionality of being alerted of buddy proximity remains – the only trick is getting your friends to install the app on their BlackBerrys. Go ahead and check out the new features or head on over to www.samecell.com/setup on your Browser to get started.
Mig33, a social network built on the mobile mentality, announced today that they’re going to be providing wallpapers and ringtones in their online store. These are some no-brainer additions to their already solid picture sharing and VoIP services, and they’re looking to add a lot more mobile-centric content. Facebook’s obviously the default for most of your social networking, and has a pretty good presence on BlackBerry, but it’s interesting to see how another network evolves from the ground up with the mobile lifestyle in mind. You can nab mig33 for BlackBerry here.
SpotJots just launched their BlackBerry app today, offering location-based social networking that includes voice, picture, music, video and text sharing. It’s a pretty cool app, plugging into the Google Maps and letting you explore all of the jots folks around the world are posting. If you’re already locked into Facebook, you can not only post your jots there, but also to Blogger or Typepad accounts… oi, no WordPress? C’mon, now. The mobile app also lets you keep tabs on buddies and the jots they’ve been making recently. It’s like a personal, GPS-powered social radar. Hip stuff, now you just have to convince your friends to try it.
BBCool is all about the Web 2.0 bandwagons, and LinkedIn is no exception. For those who haven’t heard, it’s a place where professionals can network, list qualifications, get recommendations, and generally get all the jollies of Facebook while still pretending to work. We’ve got a BBCool group set up so you can get in touch with all the other hep industry types that read BBCool. Of course, you can still hook up with other readers through our Facebook fan page.
