Mobile Industry Review: 7 Reader Application Favourites

Last week I emailed the readers of The Application Review newsletter. I asked them to tell me the best app they’d purchased/downloaded recently. I had 153 responses in 24 hours. That’s pretty good going. I thought you might like to read a few:

Alistair wrote about Gwabbit on the BlackBerry: “A fantastic app that automatically scrapes the contact details of all new emails that are read on my BlackBerry. The app runs in the background and gives me the option to save or discard contact information for everyone that I have had an email exchange with – A great way of adding information to my phonebook, never know when you’ll need to make that important call.”

Ana really likes Time Out London iPhone app: “It recognizes my position and tell what’s going on nearby, from movies to events and nice restaurants, everything separated under categories. It also shows the top10 events and has the Inspire Me section, quite similar to UrbanSpoon, you just shake it and have a couple of random suggestions in hand.”

Candace loves Taxi Magic for her iPhone: “Total utility, free, and it works in a pinch. This is great since cab service in SF really sucks. I have heard of the app from many friends so this is a word of mouth referral.”

Chris rates Sipdroid VoIP for Android: “An open standards opensource SIP client for Android. What’s not to like?!”

Jason is loving Ballix on Nokia: “Ballix is a really fun puzzle game for use on Nokia’s touch-enabled devices (I’ve been playing it on the Nokia N97 mini). It requires quick fingers, and quick decision-making to get it right. And, the game offers 42 levels of play – each one more challenging than the last! I found the app in Ovi Store by Nokia.”

John wrote in about Logitech Touch Mouse for iPhone: “Referred by a friend. Free app which allows you to control your Mac/PC using your iPhone touch screen as a mouse. Simple idea, but functional and easy to use“
Mobile Industry Review

Mobile Industry Review : Rogers Canada sued for $600k after billing practices revealed woman’s affair

Oh dear.

A Toronto woman says the billing practices of Rogers Wireless Inc. led to her husband discovering her extramarital affair.

Now the woman, whose husband walked out, is suing the communications giant for $600,000 for alleged invasion of privacy and breach of contract, the results of which she says have ruined her life.

In 2007, Gabriella Nagy had a cellphone account with Rogers which sent the monthly bill to her home address in her maiden name. Her husband was the account holder for the family’s cable TV service at the same address. Around June 4, 2007, he called Rogers to add internet and home phone.

The following month, Rogers mailed a “global” invoice for all of its services to the matrimonial home that included an itemized bill for Nagy’s cellular service, according to the statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

TheStar has the news.

Shocking.

It wasn’t Rogers that encouraged the woman and her lover to have an affair… Mobile Industry Review

Mobile Industry Review: Wednesday Night in London: Come along to the Frontline Club’s event

I’m heading out to the Frontline Club tomorrow night in London to feature on the panel discussion. It’s topic: Will Apple save the news business? Apps, iPads, paywalls and how to make money from news.

Here’s the overview of the event:

There’s no shortage of news around at the moment, but is anyone making anyone any money from it?

As the print-based media come to terms with a shrinking advertising market and a promiscuous digital audience, many are looking to high-end devices such as Apple’s iPhone and iPad, which touches down in Britain on May 28, as a way to charge readers.

But is Apple’s tightly controlled app economy really the great hope that newspaper and magazine publishers hope it is, or just another false dawn?

At the same time, Rupert Murdoch’s Times and Sunday Times are about to launch paid-for premium websites featuring exclusive text and video content any day now — yet consumer research has consistently shown that readers are reluctant to cough up for web news. Will Murdoch have the last laugh?

With an expert panel we investigate the prospects for news publishers to recoup revenue lost to the digital revolution. Panelists include:

* Special guest Gurtej Sandhu, digital director of The Times, which this month will (re)launch two paid-for, paywalled sites, thetimes.co.uk and thesundaytimes.co.uk.
* Douglas McCabe from Enders Analysis, an expert in online publishing, new media business models and the impact of new media on existing markets,
* Ewan MacLeod, founder and editor of Mobile Industry Review and entrepreneur
* Marybeth Christie, head of product management at FT.com,
* Chaired by Steve Hewlett, journalist, consultant and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Media Show

This event is in partnership with the BBC College of Journalism.

Tickets are a positively welcoming £10 each — and the event is being held at the Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, London W2 1QJ.

Come along!

I will need to remember to bring my iPad…Mobile Industry Review

Mobile Industry Review: Video: BlackBerry OS 6.0 sneak peak

I have to say that the all new BlackBerry OS 6.0 is looking rather nice. I’m looking forward to seeing how it actually works in the real world. Meantime, here’s a sneak peak video from today’s WES2010 event:


Mobile Industry Review