12/23/08 | No Comments »
Friends can pay eachother with their iPhone. Rabobank, who launched the mobile Java application for SMS Payments in June has just announced the application for the Apple phone. Both apps are created and hosted by Service2Media.
ImageThe day after Christmas the free download of Rabo SMS Payments for the iPhone will appear in the App Store. Users of the mobile payments service can transfer money just by choosing the receipient in their phone addressbook.
The application will also show the user where the nearest ATMs of Rabobank are on Google Maps.
Screenshots and early reviews are online in weblog iPhoneclub.nl concluding with a high score for the app.
12/02/08 | No Comments »
Today the popular social networking site Hyves has published its first mobile application, a software download for Apple’s iPhone, developed by Service2Media. Raymond Spanjar, co-founder of Hyves, expects 50,000 iPhone customers by end March 2009.
The program includes an address book with the contact details of all Hyves friends. With the click of a button, the iPhone user’s can call, email, SMS or ‘scrap’ friends or send them private messages. In addition, photos taken with the phone can easily be uploaded to the Hyves page and Hyves pictures can be viewed on the iPhone.
A novelty is that photos can be geotagged with the location of the user, determined via GPS or Cell-ID. The location of the user is also used when filling in a so-called WieWatWaar (‘Who What Where’) to show the nearest hangouts (spots). In the next version these spots are shown on a map, so you can see who is there and what is going on.
Weblog iPhoneclub.nl (in Dutch) got an exclusive preview of the Hyves’ iPhone software, and published 25 screenshots.
Together with Hyves, Service2Media also developed a Java client for more devices to be released before the end of the year. Hyves expects around 100,000 downloads of this application in three months. ‘Social networking on mobile platforms. When it comes to new media, is the most important development for next year’, believes Raymond Spanjar. ‘A social network has most value as soon as you always have it with you and especially if you are not behind your PC.’
11/27/08 | No Comments »
Since today verteleens.nl, the interactive multimedia site for writing personal life stories is live. The site is an initiative of Elma van Vliet, author of the Vertel ‘s books and is developed by Service2Media. Users can write their life stories online, supplement these with pictures and sound and have them printed as a personal book.
Filling the Vertel ‘s books using the computer was a need expressed by users of the book series. This fact and the desire of other users to be able to add multi-media elements to the books have led to the development of verteleens.nl. Users of the site can buy a passcode in the bookstore or through the site and after entry start making their life document.
On the site – developed by Service2Media – the writers can add personal photos, movies and music, invite others to write, modify and delete texts and invite people worldwide to read the book. Of course you can have the e-book version professionally printed as a book on 120 gram paper. Service2Media’s online printing partner Webprint ensures that the books will be delivered within a maximum of 10 days at the user’s home.
Elma’s first book, “Mam, Vertel ‘s!” (“The Mothers Book”) appeared in November 2004. After Elma van Vliet had been told that her mother was seriously ill, she realized that there were so many things that she would like know from her mother. From this emotional experience, the idea for Mam, Vertel ‘s! came about. The Vertel ‘s! Series has been an unprecedented phenomenon. From November 2004, over 325,000 people in the Netherlands alone have bought the books and given them as a gifts The series has also been published in England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Australia and will be published in 2009 in Canada.
Following the launch of the new site Vertel ‘s! examined if Dutch people think they know enough of what was important in the lives of their parents. The investigation showed among others that:
- 30% of Dutch people feel that there is too little talk with parents about things that matter.
- More than 36% are afraid that their parents will die without having asked them everything.
- Almost 30% of the Dutch people believe that they would better understand their parents when they would know more about the youth or the past of their parents.
- Over 38% of Dutch people would like their parents to write about facts and feelings about their lives so they can read and store them.
- 75% of Dutch people feel that talks with their parents are too often about everyday things.
10/09/08 | No Comments »
Hi, KPN’s consumer brand , has launched a beta version of “WaarZitWie”, a service that locates friends using the location of GSM cells. The service is developed and managed by Service2Media. The beta will help getting customer feedback from the Hi Society before launching the consumer version early 2009.
Hi customers have indicated that they would like a service that allows them to meet friends easily. For this purpose KPN and Service2Media have developed a service on the mobile phone that allows friends to locate eachother in real time. The location is retrieved from the GSM network. The advantage compared to services that work with GPS or Cell ID on the device is that everyone can use it regardless of the type of device. Another advantage is that the service can continue to operate without the phone updating the position and draining the battery.
The service makes it easier for everyone to spontaneously meet face-to-face with friends. It shows the current location of friends via a map on the mobile phone or on the Hi website. Users can set to receive an SMS message when a friend is nearby. They can also leave a tag at a specific location with a message for their friends to be received when they pass that location.
Users with mobile phones that support Java can use the service by downloading the application. Without Java support, the service can be used via mobile internet browser on the phone and/or on the website. Next to these interfaces Service2Media has also implemented the intelligent notification mechanism that optimises the user experience. It keeps alerts meaningful by filtering out ‘obvious’ encounters with friends at particular places that happen too regularly.
09/26/08 | No Comments »
Service2Media has been declared winner of the Rising Star Award 2008. The Rising Star election is part of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and is specially set up for companies younger than five years. Ten organizations were nominated and did an elevator pitch during the Rising Star Event on Sept. 25 in Maarssen.
Thursday, September 25, the directors of the nominated companies made clear why they are the most likely winner of the Rising Star on the basis of a three-minute presentation. After their presentation the candidates had to answer a number of sharp questions about choosing their vision, growth strategy and prospects. The jury, composed of Michael Schipperus (ISM eCompany), Elderd Country (GIMV), Rhett Oudkerk Pool (Kahuna) and Wim Hulsink (RSM), had the task to designate a winner.
Daan Witteveen, partner at Deloitte: “It was a difficult decision for the jury. The nominees were very daring to each other. Eventually three criteria were determining: the scalability, experience and expertise of the management team and sales potential. Geert Kolthof, director of Service2Media, showed very pleased with the price. “We are proud that we are winner of the Rising Star Award. This award is a team performance, and we see it as a recognition for our activities in recent years. It shows that we are on the right path and are ready for international growth. ”
The Fast 50 is an annual election of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the Netherlands. The selection will be based on the percentage revenue growth over the past five years (2003 to 2007). Participants may come from the public and private sector technology and include all segments including software, Internet, biotech / life sciences, computers / peripherals, semiconductors, communications / networking and media / entertainment.
09/02/08 | No Comments »
Increasingly, mobile services take into account the situation in which the user is located. Service2Media now offers in exclusive collaboration with Telematica Instituut an alternative to relatively expensive and time consuming ways to determine the location of the user on the basis of Cell ID.
By using the Cell ID database of Telematica Instituut, the precise location of the mobile phone can be determined without the use of GPS or contractual agreements with mobile operators. That saves time and money. The Cell ID service includes at this time the geographical coverage of most GSM cells in the Netherlands, and a growing number abroad.
With this initiative Service2Media fills a gap in the market between the use of GPS, that is available on just a small number of phones, and that only works in the sight of satellites, and CellID provided by operators, a technology that is currently not offered to third parties. The service is deployed in location based mobile applications such as local search with ilocal and automatically filling out where you are in Hyves. Such applications read the Cell ID of the nearest GSM pole on the device and determine the corresponding location. By applying the various positioning methods, GPS and Cell ID, in hybrid form Service2Media ensures that as many mobile users as possible have access to location-based services.
Telematica Instituut has build a lot of knowledge the last decade in the field of efficient methods for positioning and otherwise adaptive mobile applications, both inside and outside the door. Service2Media builds intelligent mobile applications for different clients, that combine new internet technology and features of the phones optimally. Through this cooperation the consumer will benefit from faster introduction of new generations of mobile applications, which will automatically adjust to the context in which the user is located.
07/03/08 | No Comments »
Today Heineken opened its brandstore “Heineken the City” in Amsterdam. As part of the experience Heineken the City helps visitors make their day even more fun with the Mobile City Guide, developed by Service2Media.
Herwin van den Berg, director marketing, initiator of the Heineken The City concept and marketeer of the year 2007, call the Mobile City Guide the coolest item in the store: “The city guide is a city tour of 8.95 that you can download on your mobile and that leads you among others to our pubs.”
With the City Guide on your mobile phone you can watch the city through refreshing Heineken glasses. Opt for the Fashion Tour, the Authentic Tour or the Heineken Refreshing Sounds Tour to see the city as you never saw it before. En route you can count on funny extra’s or discounts along the route, two beers for the price of one, for example, or a nice Heineken gadget.
Heineken authentic Tour:
You visit all sites which have played an important role in the history of Heineken. As the old brewery, stables and one of the oldest cafes of the city.
Heineken Refreshing Sounds Tour:
Explore the city where it swings the most. Where old music heroes are memorated. And where new heroes are born.
Heineken Fashion Tour:
Discover all the fashion hotspots. Go shopping in the trendy shops of Amsterdam. And enjoy a drink among the trendsetters of the city.
06/26/08 | No Comments »
From now on all citizens of the Netherlands can pay with SMS, independent of their bank or mobile operator. To transfer money, users need to send an SMS to the Rabobank with the phone number of the recipient and the amount. The bank then sends a code that the user needs to confirm. The recipient receives the money in his or her ‘mobile wallet’.
The system replaces cash and is convenient for example in case you want to share a bill for a restaurant or taxi. In order to load the mobile wallet and to subtract money to their own account, users need to use the internet. The user can also choose to top-up automatically when the account reaches a limit.
Service2Media developed the mobile client application for Rabo Mobiel to make the use of Rabo SMS Betalen easier. Users do not need to remember the SMS syntax; they just navigate, select and type information in clearly defined fields. The application uses the addressbook on the phone, i.e. no need to enter the entire phone number of the recipient. The application can be downloaded after registration with SMS Betalen and is supported on more than 130 mobile devices.
Next to transferring money to another mobile, the application also allows users to shop for entry tickets for theme parks or cinema’s and transfer money to charities, such as World Wildlife Fund or War Child. An overview of past transactions and balance is now always at hand, even in a graphical representation.
04/04/08 | No Comments »
De Telegraaf is launching its redesigned mobile site. Starting today, users can visit the new mobile internet site via the url telegraaf.nl. The site was built by Service2Media.
The premise of the new site is that users have always and everywhere access to the distinctive, relevant and latest news of De Telegraaf. In addition, visitors can visit it for the weather, traffic and the rates on the financial markets. For sports fans, there are results and standings for a large number of sports.
Patrick Loppé, Channel Mobile Manager at De Telegraaf: “The new site is part of our ambition to play a meaningful role in the field of mobile internet. It has become a real Telegraaf site in which our news is well presented. Moreover, we are able to better respond to major events such as the American elections and the European Championships. In the coming months we will expand the site with sections as DigiTaal and Wife. ”
In 2007, the mobile site of De Telegraaf has experienced fast growth: 35% more users and 100% more page views. In 2008 an even higher growth is expected because of the better devices on the market, higher speeds and an increase in flat-fee subscriptions.
Geert Kolthof, Managing Director of Service2Media: “We are pleased that in addition to CNN also Telegraaf, the largest news publisher in the Netherlands, decided to let ServiceMedia develop and manage the mobile internet service. A publisher such as De Telegraaf needs a professional mobile site nowadays.”
03/11/08 | No Comments »
ilocal introduces the mobile variant; ilocal Mobile.
The expectation is that mobile internet in 2008 definitively breaks through. Using ilocal Mobile as of today shops, practitioners, products and brands can be found easily.
Service2Media has designed and developed the ilocal Mobile application and is responsible for its operations as a managed service.
ilocal Mobile uses GPS or the cells of the operators for automatic location determination, so users will always receive the best information that is tailored to the location where they are at that time. ilocal Mobile is available on a large number of mobile devices.
Like on www.ilocal.nl, ilocal Mobile has not only heading and place to be searched, but also shops, professionals, brands and products.
Within the search one can refine the search to, among others districts, streets, brands, products and specialties to achieve an even better result. Looking for sportswear in Rotterdam for example, you can refine the Adidas brand in the district Charlois. The user receives only the results within the search area, and where relevant sorted by distance.
On ilocal.nl it had been possible to search by zip code, street, neighborhood or even special locations such as Madurodam or the Rijksmuseum. With ilocal Mobile, the user can now automatically determine the exact location where he is currently located and determine the distance to the subject of the search. An increasing number of devices on the market will be equipped with GPS. For other devices ilocal uses the coordinates of the base station of the operators.
Sr. Product Manager Mobile Addy van Schie: “It happens often enough that you want to reserve that favorite tapas restaurant and you lost the name. Or, in a “foreign” city you want to know where the nearest store is that sells your favorite fashion brand. ilocal has all this extensive information on its website and now we have also made it mobile available, so that you, aided by your position, in no time have found what you were looking for. And are your friends not able to find the way to the restaurant? Then send them the data from ilocal Mobile including map for free. ”
Availability ilocal Mobile is easy to download. If you are interested send an SMS with the word “ilocal” to 5522 or go to www.ilocal.nl/ilocalmobile.They will then receive a free SMS with a link to ilocal Mobile. Depending on the equipment you download a piece of software on your telephone or go to the mobile version of the site.
