Disqus - Latest Comments for steveprocter

Re: ArrivedOK tells your friends/family when you… arrived OK

steveprocter — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:04:55 -0000

Oh for goodness sake, this is a frighteningly stupid and pointless application!! Yet another reason why in 20 years time we will all walk around like mutes; unable to communicate by verbal means or have any social skills. I utterly detest this direction that technology being used to take us. Great technology looking for an application regardless of whether it is needed or not.

How about next time you go away you call your mum to tell her you arrived. Use it as a chance to say hi. Or perhaps you don't want her to know just yet and would rather wait a little while so you can settle in and check out the resort so you have something to tell her. Rather than her (and the Government once they decide that they need to see the info too!!) call to say "ooh I see you've arrived then, so tell me what the weather is like" when you are still stood next to the baggage carousel looking for a missing bag with 3 kids running around screaming and a wife getting stroppy because you're answering your phone instead of calming the kids.....

And lets not even go there about privacy or even the idea of the boss using it to track where we are...

Re: Will SMS ever become mainstream for small business?

steveprocter — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:50:22 -0000

Companies like iTAGG are pushing this hard. We get new signups every day from the likes of dentists, and our control panel makes it a lot easier to manage both sending and a reply path. But yeah between us and our competitors I reckon we still only have a fraction of the UK businesses out there. An awful lot more to go yet before all those poor receptionists can rest their little texting fingers!

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

steveprocter — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:10:26 -0000

yeah that seems about right to me too. Trouble is, many of us are in this industry as a business not a hobby; and we came to rely on this hobbyist blog as a proper business tool. I guess that was our mistake and it will teach us a few things about choosing our business/marketing/pr tools in future.

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

steveprocter — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:40:21 -0000

Dear fellow MIR readers,

On behalf of all of us, good luck to Ewan as he embarks on his new venture.

In less than 10 days time there will be no way for any of us to stay in contact, to continue discussing the mobile industry or cross-promote each others services and products. As Ewan and his new paymaster don't seem to have any desire or need to keep this group of readers together, it seems we need to say a final goodbye,... or find an alternative means of communicating and networking.

Initially we have 9 days so need something temporary to group all our names and contact details together. Going forward maybe there is something fancier we can do.

I am not going to put forward a mechanism yet as I would like to see if there are any backers and also to get a response from Ewan on such a concept.

steve/iTAGG

Re: Mobile Industry Review goes subscription-only from 30th March

steveprocter — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:19:15 -0000

I still think this is part April fool and part you gauging the mood with a view to changing the model (but keeping something for the mass of readers). So either way I want to add my name to the growing list who need to tell you how important this professional "it's not a blog" resource has become to the many readers making our bread and butter in this industry.
-------------------------
Good luck in the future with your endeavours Ewan. You have entertained and educated us and totally deserve to go down whatever route you desire, and to seek out the money if you so wish!! Good luck!

But...

It was of course rather silly of the thousands of us who saw this site as a professional permanent resource rather than what it now just turns out to be - a hobby site run by a fantastic bunch of enthusiasts. As a long standing reader/contributor I feel a bit let down even though I truly mean what I say above. This blog has grown to be bigger than "just a blog", we all feel like we are a part of a proper professional news and views resource for the mobile industry. It feels like the ownership has become a collective. And there you were just a few weeks ago carrying cameras around and interviewing seriously big top execs at 3GSM; standing shoulder to shoulder with "proper" news companies. And pow! It's all gone in the blink of an eye. To think I'm writing this but in 10 days time the space filled by these words will just be a vacant vacuum of outer space is very very weird. Especially as the collective have had absolutely no say in the decision.

It strikes me that there is a list of readers and a website/url that has a daily viewership/readership. Your new business clearly doesn't need or want them or even need the website/url. So I am a total loss as to why you aren't keeping this site in situ and looking for volunteers, ideas, etc? Ok it might turn out to be crap without your incredible energy and resources and ability to find the stories. But why can this site not continue under different management, while you do whatever it is your new paymaster wants elsewhere?

And if that isn't possible, can you tell us (seriously!) how much you want for the list of readers and for the domain name?

steve/iTAGG

Re: Orange and Barclaycard introducing mobile payments

steveprocter — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:35:53 -0000

I just got an sms from Luup (remember them?) telling me that they are closing down in the UK. So as one "mobile payment provider" starts up, another dies.

Re: Mobile Network App Stores: Utter, utter rubbish today

steveprocter — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:14:01 -0000

Yes I'd like to see the results these days. Back about 5 years ago we built a few java apps, including a London Underground one, and put it on a major UK operators portal. The downloads over an entire year were in the hundreds ;-( Oh and yes, it took about 4 months of negotiations and contract signing before we got there. So how is 2009, have things got better?

Re: Mobile Network App Stores: Utter, utter rubbish today

steveprocter — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:09:17 -0000

I've exclusively been able to do a deal with Trevor le Chateau, vice president of partner promotions & baked beans, so that all java app developers can stick a poster on the wall of his cafe, promoting their app to the potential 6 million customers.....

Re: Mobile Network App Stores: Utter, utter rubbish today

steveprocter — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:50:10 -0000

Oh dear, are people still doing the "we have 50 million customers" pitch.

The little cafe down my street "has a potential market of 6 million customers from all across London". So bloody what!

regards
Steve, iTAGG "the sms provider that can help you reach 3 billion mobiles worldwide"

Re: Orange and Barclaycard introducing mobile payments

steveprocter — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:34:05 -0000

Cor blimey! could be earth-shattering news Ewan!!! Keep us all informed as this could be mega. Well it will be once all Operators offer it; and reseller options are available for the likes of us.....which offer us more than 3p in the pound revenue-share!!!

As always with mobile/payment solutions, any fool can announce it (and get a single column on page 5 of a single paper), but it will all be in the execution, and like a million other mobile professionals out there please excuse us if we don't hold our breath as we've seen it all come and go before ;-)

Re: Google integrates send-to-SMS function in Toolbar 4 Beta

steveprocter — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:01:41 -0000

iTAGG have had a free Windows app called Mobyclip out for years that lets you highlight any text in any app on your PC, press your pre-defined hotkey to paste it into a send window and then just press Send to sms it to your mobile.

Can be installed for free from http://www.itagg.com/downloads/Mobyclip-1p0.exe

If you don't have an account with iTAGG then please ask me and I'll set you up with a free demo account with a few texts in the wallet to try this out - just quote "MIR MOBYCLIP".

steve/iTAGG

Re: Twitter beats Reuters, AP, CNN and Sky News on Turkish Jet crash

steveprocter — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:36:47 -0000

This is such an interesting study of society and the way we interact and learn about the world. The way it is constantly shifting is fascinating.

Call me old fashioned but I am glad that I didn't know about the crash within 3 seconds of it happening. I feel that to be constantly interrupted by news flashes is a very disruptive way to live ones life.

And it doesn't really matter whether it is a big and sad story like the crash, or finding out that someone is currently deciding between buying the brown leather gloves or the striped wollen ones.....actually it does matter, this total and desperate need to share the miniture of one's day to day life is very very sad; so I never want to know about that.

I think it is an interesting step that anyone can be a journalist, but I will remain convinced for a very long time that the best thing they can do with their news is to pass it to a professional who will disect it, chop it and filter it, before finding a slot for it in daily publication or scheduled tv news programme.

I guess I like to be in charge of my over-scheduled life and would rather pull stuff as and when I want it rather than this force-fed pushed world we are moving to.

just my 2 pennies worth...

steve

Re: iTAGG’s numbers now earn 0.5 pence on inbound texts

steveprocter — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:35:54 -0000

Chris

Users are charged standard rate from all UK operators except T-Mobile who will charge it as an international text. Of course this may not suit all application providers, but in many years of offering these numbers to quite a number of clients we've not had any end-user issues with it. Compare that to premium rate sms which is never out of the news!! It does often seem that such issues are hotly debated by the industry glitterati but rarely by the people that count - the end users. Of course, iTAGG will continue to do all it can to lobby Jersey and T Mobile to change this.

Now that we can provide a continuing revenue to clients the dedicated virtual numbers look to be quite a success - less than a day after the announcement we've had almost 500 existing iTAGG clients confirm they will run with them!

steve/iTAGG

Re: Jonathan Jensen on Thursday – Too many numbers

steveprocter — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:10:48 -0000

http://www.itagg.com

Re: Jonathan Jensen on Thursday – Too many numbers

steveprocter — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:32:02 -0000

Hi Andreas

You mean a bit like "text STEVE to 60300" here in the UK - go on, try it out (stnd rate). This is exactly what half our 5,000 clients do with their keyword, simply return their current contact details, which can be updated in about 5 seconds any time you like.

This service has been around 8 years, so not quite sure what extra .tel really offers!?

Re: Gmail let’s you put your current location on your email footer

steveprocter — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:27:09 -0000

Nope you got me there. Are you saying that when I read my old emails I need to be reminded where I was when I wrote them!?

I have over 1 million emails in my archive folders and have been looking back on them for yonks. But not once have I asked myself "gosh I wonder where I was when I wrote that".

Re: MIR Developers: Masabi Part 2

steveprocter — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:44:29 -0000

Cool looking app!

1. Does each service have their own app. So if I want to buy a ticket for parking my car, the heathrow express, easyjet, entering a club then I need 4 different apps on my phone? Just calculated that I probably use 20 different e-commerce sites on the web, and I consider myself to be a lite user in that respect. Would I really need to download 20 or more apps on my handset?

2. How do I get it on my handset in the first place? Presume a 'text KEYWORD to 60300' solution?

Steve

Re: Gmail let’s you put your current location on your email footer

steveprocter — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:13:23 -0000

All this "we can so we will" technology is rather fun for about 5 minutes. But please tell me where the real benefit is for real people in any of this silly stuff.

regards
Steve
Sent from: a PC on my desk in front of me

Re: 2Ergo fined Â£50k, regulator ‘concerned’ by their breach history

steveprocter — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:09:44 -0000

Smith - that's an interesting and wide sweeping statement. Love to know what you're basing it on?

cheers
Steve

Re: Google Latitude arrives to rip the arse out of mobile location services

steveprocter — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:17:52 -0000

as an aside, I heard that Google are about to launch Google Brother 1.0, a new suite of applications for your mobile phone. Apparently the first application is called Thinkpol and it permanently open up the mobile's microphone to be in stealth listening mode. It can then for example send an sms to the authorities if it picks up any Carol Thatcher style mutterings about anything it deems to be potitically incorrect. My sources tell me that the BBC are being considered for running the new Thinkpol department.

They will then be combining Google Brother applications to get real added value. So Thinkpol and Latitude will allow you to say "ooh you are sexy" when you are found to be in the general vicinity of your home and your wife's googlebrother phone is within 20 yards of yours. But if you are in the Soho area of London it will again send a warning sms to Thinkpol.

All clever stuff hey ;-)

Re: Google Latitude arrives to rip the arse out of mobile location services

steveprocter — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:00:38 -0000

So will this allow employers to discover that all their employees aren't actually at home due to difficulty getting in to work because of snow; but are actually moving at speed down the side of the snow covered hill 2 miles from their home ;-)

Re: TheTrainLine’s SMS service: Nuclear Flucking FAIL

steveprocter — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:15:09 -0000

"A decent rate for a decent route".....

Why am I not surprised at all by Mike's finding.

I know from iTAGG's perspective, in amongst the clients we take on, there are a lot of sales leads that turn to nothing because the company has had some spam offering sms for less than 1 eurocent and therefore thinks that our rates are too high.

And it is always the bigger companies that seem reluctant to pay a decent rate for a decent route. We have thousands of very small businesses who have happily paid our worst rate of 6p to buy £6's worth. But when it comes to big companies even our wholesale rates of 2.9p doesn't make them smile. In fact, just the other day we had a very large travel company moan at our 2p January sale price - "I know you say it is high grade and direct but why can I go overseas and buy sms for uk delivery for 1p?". I think it was at that point the battery in my headset sadly died ;-)

Re: And that’s the Mobile World Congress silly season off again

steveprocter — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:25:23 -0000

I have a home in Barcelona but still won't be attending Mobile World Congress. Call me cynical but this event is geared up for a lot of industry back clapping and not much meeting real get-their-hands-in-their-wallet clients. iTAGG's clients are too busy running companies to jet off to Barca for the week with their PR people (read into that what you like!!).

I am sure the exhibition organisers reading this will shoot me down and quote me all sorts of stats "123,000,000 billion ABC1 marketing managers with budgets of $12 trillion each and living within 6 yards of your business will be attending". Sorry, but I don't need to hand over a wedge of my wallet to go and stand in a packed conference hall in order to chat with my clients. But then again, if anyone is bored of being sold at by over-enthusiastic PR people who are on a freebie trip then I know some good bars.....

Oh and for those who still haven't got any accomodation sorted out, my spare room is for hire - $400/person per night, sleeps 6 ;-)

steve/itagg

Re: 115,000 Brits text [Mid-East] CEASEFIRE in 3 days

steveprocter — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:14:13 -0000

It is great to see another charity "getting" sms. We've done similar for a few others and the penny is definitely dropping about how mobile can work for charities.

115,000 is great and a boost to the charity's campaign/petition, and I would recommend this kind of campaign over and over. But lets look at that number in comparison with the millions (literally many millions) who voted on X Factor in a short period of a few hours (which was stnd rate+£1 whereas this charity petition was just stnd rate). Prime time ITV certainly gets more viewers but these 3 leading daily newspapers have one hell of a readership.

So does this say something quite worrying about the British public and where our priorities are!?

cheers
steve/itagg.com

Re: Business update from Steve at iTAGG

steveprocter — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:27:56 -0000

Hi Anon

"oh yes it is"