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Snaptu is taking advantage of the growing trend towards the use of mobile applications (as opposed to just mobile websites) and has delivered a fairly impressive product.
The Java application lets you view RSS feeds, send messages to contacts, view your Google Calendar, update Facebook, or upload pictures to Picasa, all from your mobile phone. You may download the application to your phone via SMS or through your mobile browser.
Google open sourced their Android mobile platform yesterday, and despite the stock market tanking yet again today, the mobile world is abuzz over Android. So, if you haven’t gotten around to writing that mobile multi-player action game for the Android platform just yet, get your feet wet first by checking out Google’s Android resources we’ve collected below.
(Did you notice how many different Android sites Google itself is hosting? Would you believe it’s 100??)
Well, it’s not quite 100 - yet. But here are the first several they have started:
Android SDK Site
This Google site provides educational information about the mobile operating system, including plenty of videos, and links to FAQs, documentation, and of course, the SDK itself.
There are two important sections within this site to point out. First, this Android overview is a great starting place to understand the platform. The second section of note is the one covering the Android emulator. A solid, working emulator is critical to Android application development and testing.
Android Market
Just Open today! With roughly 50 Android applications currently available, that number is expected to skyrocket next week when Google starts allowing developers to upload their applications. There will be a one-time charge of $25 per person, which will provide clear ownership regarding of the submitted applications. Once that fee is paid, those individuals can upload as many applications as they want.
Android - The Open Source Project
Download the source code, read the docs, subscribe to mailing lists, contribute code, participate, and chug the Android Kool Aid.
I was interested to look into this mobile website that reports to provide a list of local cabs based on the metro area selected. In fact, here’s the text from their about page:
Taxicab.mobi allows you to search for a taxi or minicab service from your mobile phone.
You can get the name, address & telephone number of reputable cab services from almost all areas of the United Kingdom, USA & Canada. Just click the telephone number to call.
Technically, the site does indeed take you to a page that displays that information. So they are not lying. However, they do nothing to ensure that the listing is up to date, or that the cab services are, in their words, “reputable”. That’s because they forward the user off of their site altogether to a Google search results page.
So unless you like to view ads, their is very little, if any, value to this site. To get the exact same results, an alternative is to go to Google Local search for mobile, and search for the phrase “local taxis cityname”.
Go check it out for yourself and tell me if I’m crazy.
If you’re out and about in New York City and need to find a business listing, then this is one mobile website you may want to have in your phone. A brief gander at the Entertainment category provided 158 night clubs in NYC - not too shabby.
The listings appear to be in alphabetical order, with 1-2 paid placements at the top. More importantly, each listing includes the phone number, address, and links to a map. Check it out for yourself!
After counting and verifying the points about ten different times, here are the winners of our September contest:
Brian (aka, Psyphris): 80 points
iluvfreestuff: 45 points
And the runners up finishing at 35 points and below:
daniele91
Sherry
themelib
Vicenzo
Vicenzo
Wiehanne
And many more.
Brian wins the wicked-cool laser keyboard ($150 value), and iluvfreestuff wins the $100 cash straight to a paypal account. Congratulations to the winners!! (you will both be contacted within 24 hours with details about getting your prizes).
We must mention two contestants who clearly provided the most value in their comments. Brian, the winner, definitely provided value primarily in his initial comments.
The other was Dean Collins, which should not be a surprise to anyone that has read Dean’s input in the past. He is a frequent visitor and always contributes excellent insight into mobile technology. Be sure to check out Dean’s company here.
Thanks again all and stay tune for our next contest. Again you can get an early notice of it by following us on Twitter here.
We missed profiling a mobile website yesterday, so we’re making up for it with two today. And because the markets continue to depress, we will focus on fun sites that will get you ready for the ski season!
The first mobile website is an InfoSpace site that provides updated ski conditions from all the major resorts in not only North America, but around the world. I did a quick check on Bridger Bowl resort in Bozeman, Montana, and alas, it is a tad early for snow. Someone check in three weeks and give us an update!
For the second mobile site of the day, we go cross country to one of the best ski resorts in New England, Killington Resort in Vermont. Killington’s mobile website offers a current snow report, upcoming events at the resort, text message alerts, and a few mobile wallpapers if you need to see an image of the slopes at all times. While it’s too early for snow there as well, it is peak season to view the fall foliage.
So if you’re a ski freak, add these mobile websites to your mobile browser favorites now, before you need them.
Rather then profiling another financial industry mobile site that will just get you more depressed as the Dow continues to sink, we thought we’d get take it up a notch to cover general news from around the country and around the world.
Today’s mobile website is from CNN, the self-proclaimed “most trusted name in news.” While that claim is certainly debatable, at least the content is mobile-friendly!
Browse the latest stories from world affairs, politics, entertainment, technology, sports, weather, crime, and of course, money. CNN Mobile also provides breaking news alerts via mobile phone for those who wish to sign up. To sign up, simply, text the word ALERTS to shortcode 26688.
Enjoy, and remember it’s OK to skip past the money section until 2009.
Business social networking site LinkedIn launched a mobile version of its service earlier this year. The mobile version will be best used while at a conference or in any networking environment.
After much resistance and many headaches with our rather inexpensive hosting provider, we have decided to open up applications for advertising on MobileMammoth.com.
For our readers, we take your loyalty seriously, and will maintain a policy of ensuring the ads are relevant, appropriate, and hopefully interesting. We welcome any feedback you have going forward.
For the many interested sponsors we have turned away previously, we’re now open for business. For more information, see our advertising page. That’s it.
Thank you again readers, and please continue to provide any and all feedback!
If you are a frequent traveler and use a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device, then you’ll want to check out today’s mobile application.
“Wait a minute!”, you might be thinking. “Didn’t you just profile a mobile website that essentially does the same thing?” The answer is yes, we did. About two weeks ago, we profiled TripIt Mobile. And since some people much prefer mobile apps they can download once and run anytime, we’re showing you this one too.
Today’s mobile application is called WorldMate, which is much like having a travel agent on your phone, without the steep commissions. Once you install the mobile app, you can plan, manage, and book travel from wherever you are.
The most intriguing feature is the ability to take a flight confirmation email, forward it to a worldmate address, and it automatically generates an itinerary for you. WorldMate also lets you share your travel plans with your contacts, and provides alerts when something changes.
There is a free version as well as a premium version of WorldMate. Have a go at it!
