New Zealand startup Mobile Data Now is placing its bets on SMS, email, and IM as the preferred methods of retrieving information while on the go, at least until tolerable mobile web browsers become more ubiquitous.
The company is using the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week to announce a product being described as Google SMS for businesses. With Google SMS, you can send Google a search query via text message and Google will send you search results back. This is particularly handy if you don’t have a smartphone, can’t make your way to a computer, and want to find out the number of a local pizza joint.
Mobile Data Now is an attempt to make it just as easy to retrieve information from corporate databases. The employees of businesses that install Mobile Data Now’s software could, for example, use SMS to retrieve information about a customer just before heading into a meeting with them. If their corporate databases also kept track of supply chain information, they could query that information when out of the office as well.
Businesses can also use Mobile Data Now to give consumers an easier way to retrieve information about their offerings. The company suggests that real estate agents could list phone numbers and text codes on signs placed in the front yards of houses for sale. People passing by could then instantly find out more information about these houses by texting in their respective codes.
The general idea here is to take technologies ordinarily intended for person-to-person communication and rework them for person-to-machine communication. This makes sense as long as more effective person-to-machine communication methods, such as HTTP, are not available. Since many phones don’t yet support adequate web browsing, I can see Mobile Data Now satisfying a need in the short term. But as handheld devices evolve – and they appear to be doing so quite rapidly these days – software like Mobile Data Now (and Google SMS for that matter) will simply be rendered obsolete in time.
Great idea – albeit 5 to 7 years to late. Can see any reason why a business would implement this solution now given the present adoption rate of mobile internet usage.
SMS isn’t going anywhere. Lightweight asynchronous communication at its best. And as a sidenote, 4INFO has been doing this for four years now.
SMS will be somewhere. It’s just that these “artists” that thought of these great ideas years ago were way ahead of their time. Now they don’t integrate with the young people, so they don’t have an understanding.
It’s all about timing. Isn’t it?
Thanks for the write up Mark.
@2 Shane, We’re a bit different from 4INFO in that we’re more focused on business databases where the end user is authenticated before info is sent (although as the picture in the article illustrates, it does have a public access option).
Additionally, this is a quick way to mobilize a business, and typically only takes 10-20 minutes to setup since there’s no custom development or need to write a client side app since it just uses the messaging app on a mobile device (email, sms, or instant messaging). So it works on any mobile device without a lot of effort.
SMS will die soon, when there are a lot of good, cheap smart-phones, and push email is more broadly implemented.
Sure, kids like SMS – they run around all day, and their mobile email options have been limited. But give them one:many sending with easy photo attachments, mix in the fickleness of youth, and boom! – the ’s’ of SMS will stand for “sayonara”
qtags is already doing this here in the United States and has been in business for 3+ years now. Text messaging is still growing at a rapid pace and I’m sure many more corporations will start using it.
I think SMS has it’s place, and is still very popular everywhere since all you need to know is the receivers phone number – that’s attractive, with email you also need to know their email address so it’s not quite as simple. But after using a Blackberry with the email with Mobile Data Now, I find sms quite cumbersome.
I don’t see SMS going anywhere until all mobile devices are fully web enabled. Even after that, it seems like shooting a text over to someone is easier and more likely to be responded to then an email would be. This service is interesting and could become something I would use for my business. We’ll see how it goes.
This service is awesome. Exactly what we need for sms query for public sector geo-based services. I agree that this market will be obsolete in the end, but until it does, the majority of lower income individuals can now access web results through this service. Check out the ease of use for the database connector/query process…anyone with an access based level of knowledge can whip this up. Best of all, they offer it free for nonprofits!
The problem I see with SMS is that I have to pay for it, whereas an e-mail or web info system I can access for free.
Thanks Dan, we’ve tried to make it as simple as possible to setup and deploy. Check out the query builder as well, what is normally difficult becomes a no-brainer.
While I see plenty of thick clients coming out in the market place, I still think messaging is where it’s at. Everyone knows how to send a message, so they don’t need to learn anything new. If I asked any of my non-tech friends to install something on their mobile phone, I’d get a black stare, but they can certainly send a message.
I agree that more complex cases such as geo-based services will be better served by a thick client but it better be installed on the phone first.
Correct Mathew, sms is not free (although it hasn’t stopped it’s uptake) but we also offer email and Instant messaging as alternate ways to access data. It works great on a blackberry with push email.
I’m a little surprised that Techcrunch is reporting on this. This is usually a place to hear about great new things related to technology (like our new Mobile Website Analytics Service @ http://www.mobilytics.net)
While this is an interesting application that connects a cell phone modem to a database, companies like Mobivity have been doing this for over 18 months, offering access over 5 digit short codes, with no software to install at all.
We have many clients using it to access data via SMS. These businesses do not want to install software on servers and get mobile phone modems. They want to write a simple web service that interfaces with a 2-way sms service and their database.
MobileDataNow does look interesting (and different) in that it connects directly to a database, but to me that’s a feature not a product. I can’t tell, but it would be really useful if you could write the queries on the fly via SMS and not pre-build them.
Definitely worth checking out.
Best of luck Nick!
Greg Harris
SMS will be around for years. Somebody needs to start an Ad firm and resell this service. Imagine how many times you’ve sat on the subway staring at an advertisment thinking to yourself “I need to remember that website address…”
Thanks Greg, I think Mobile Data Now is more designed for customers who already have a database and want more than a static query, so installing something which lets them take it mobile should not be too difficult.
We’re currently looking for an sms aggregator so users don’t need to use an sms modem.
I think it’s really really AMAZING how the USA are so FARRR behind when it comes to Mobile. This type of service has been going on for years in Europe and just now your catching on?
It makes me laugh even more when you say SMS will die just because your poncy cellphone companies charge you the just to receive text messages! Now that my friend is just hilarious I feel sorry for ya.
And what’s up with your ugly handsets, 90% most of them look like startac’s. And give up the retractable aerials, it’s so 90’s.
Although not so eloquent, I totally agree with Jonathan above. Americans are stuck in their email/Blackberry frame of mind while kids in Bangladesh and the Sudan exploit mobile technologies. Just as Americans thought email would make printers and postage obsolete, the same rule applies to sms. The more people that go mobile the more mobile communications will grow. SMS/Shortcode is simple and can generate money on an independent platform. There is also an untapped market in the US of people who will never go the email route but will go the sms route. Just imagine all those people who do not have office jobs — these people stay in touch with their phones and don’t want to write any long messages. SMS is their medium.
Nick,
We can help you with that here in the U.S., or you can go directly to one of the aggregators and get your own short code. I think your system would be much more “turnkey” if it interfaced with a short code rather than a cellular modem.
It’s easy for them to connect email and IM, but dealing with cellular modems is a pain, especially here in the US. Many companies have their servers outsourced in data centers and can’t maintain a modem remotely.
Let me know if you want to do some short code testing. That’s what our customers like about us. You can be up in a few minutes on a real short code with a 2-way sms api.
I look forward to checking out your software.
Oh, and Jonathan, we may be FARRRRR behind you in the adaption of SMS and mobile, but I believe our technology has helped more than a few Europeans over the last 100 years. The only reason the rest of the world is so far ahead in mobile, is because your regular phone systems are so awful.
Hey, wasn’t it us that invented the telephone?
That mus be why our phone numbers start with the number 1!
Whichever dickheads above think that SMS is dead – are obviously not in the mobile industry at all. SMS is increasing by 20% each year – not decreasing you morons. Why ? Simple.
1. You dont have to be “online” or “near your mobile” to use it (as you do with IM)
2. It takes 1 sec to send an SMS – and friend can receive it in 1 sec.
3. Limited character set to say what you want.
The whole point is that not one service will “die” – but be used complementary. Do you honestly think that “everyone” will want IM, and that “everyone” will want internet on their mobiles.
Most ppl will use IM, SMS and Email on their mobiles. All are important – none will die.
Well I think this is a great idea however the real estate example is not necessarily a the best use case for this type of technology.
I disagree with Gregg and I feel a GSM modem would be the best course of because it does not require a server or internet connection and it is not dependant on any provider for connectivity. Continuing with a GSM modem is the best option because it is immediately available, PRIVATE and possible to eventually evolve to MMS.
I can see something like this in for example a public library where you can find out your books due date or reserve a book via SMS. I can see a restaurant use this for reservations or reminders. I can see this as a query tool to find out product shipping status for business orders.
When MMS is available, you could obtain a confidential PDF price sheet or PowerPoint presentation from the company database securely with a simple keyword SMS query.
Great idea, but what a ridiculous illustrations.
Why on earth would I want to text a number to get a house description when all the agent needed to do is to install a PROPER YARD SIGN!
how is sms dead or dying you spastic, its more or less free on most monthly tariffs in the UK and everyone does it here and its picking up in the states. i should slap your mum
Good to see that some people recognise the continuing place for messaging in the array of data services, but I agree that this isn’t really anything new except possibly in NZ. We’ve been doing it for ages in the UK!
Sure Jeff, these SMS public messaging types of services have been around for ages – even in NZ. We’re different in that we offer email, sms or im as messaging options and users are authenticated before data is sent back (although we offer a public type of service such as this article describes). Plus there’s no development required, it takes around 10-15 minutes to setup.
getting quicker everytime!
Good stuff! Greetings from Finland. Nokia introduced smart messaging platform in 1997 and you were able to do this kind of services just configuring that platform in 30 minutes. And at the same timea few smaller companies build their platforms. And WapIT also provided some stuff open source. So the technology has been there for ages. Same thing with premium SMS billing.
SMS is not dying, but doing SMS value added services since 1997, the big question has always been: “Would your customers use it?” and “Show me the money!” With custom ringtones we proved the business case in 1998 and the rest is history. But with +2000 other SMS based services we did not. End-user experience is so poor or the value compared to the price is too low.
And the last but not the least: “How will users find the service?” It is hard to remember key words and short codes etc. You must advertise a service too much and that can ruin your business model in the consumer space.
This service provides value and I wish all good for the company. I hope you will find the right way and the value proposition to sell this to your customers and your business model will be vital. Scaling the business model and sales will be a challenge.
I’m happy to see that people are still pushing SMS to it’s limits. My rule of thumb has always been: “Keep it simple!”. SMS is simple and a good platform to build on. But at the end of the day your customers will show how successful you have been. Good luck!
VESKU
sachin37460@rediffmail.com
Why use SMS vs Email? 95% of text messages are received and viewed, whereas, emails are filtered by spam folders or just plain ignored by the receiver for fear of junk mail.
max your a twit, whether or not a real estate agent installs, as you say, a proper yard sign the yard sign only gives limited info. But if your interested in a house and youre able to receive text information about Square footage, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, pool, spa, and pictures. It is extremely helpful in knowing if you want to look into the house further. If nothing else it helps agents get more qualified leads from people who know more about the property and call for a showing vs someone viewing the home and not liking the fact that it has a pool or spa or ugly interior. I guess you’d have to have a realtors license or an IQ to realize an opportunity when you see it.