Communications Technology

Technology and people power will take on the mobile speed cameras when they launch on July 19, with drivers embracing social networking to identify their locations.

More than 85,000 people have joined a Facebook group called “Drivers who flash their lights to warn you of coppers are true Australians”, but that pales in comparison to the 6.5 million iPhone users worldwide who have installed the Trapster application.

Trapster is free GPS-based software designed to warn subscribers of police, speed cameras or traffic issues. Users notify each other of police activity by reporting areas as they pass through them.

Ian Mills, a computer engineer from Gerroa , said he would be using the technology to warn others. “I travel 250 kilometres a day back and forth from home,” Mr Mills said.

Prospect resident Kunal Singh said drivers would keep an eye out for each other. “The new cameras can be anywhere, but with Trapster you can get notifications of them,” he said. “People are quite proactive in how they report speed traps.”

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Alternative payment methods enable developers to monetize significantly larger portions of their user base, according to a study released Wednesday.

Fifty-three percent of social gamers surveyed for the study, overseen by ComScore and Offerpal Media, said they are enthusiastic about alternative, or indirect, payment methods as a way to earn virtual currency for free, rather than having to pay for it directly.

These alternative forms of payment take many forms, including filling out a survey, watching a video, shopping at online retailers, or signing up for a subscription in order to get points for the games they play on leading social networks.

According to the survey, the top preferred marketing actions, in order of preference, are as such:

1. Completing a free survey
2. Watching a video
3. Completing tasks such as tagging a photo or proofreading a document
4. Shopping for clothes or other goods online
5. Subscribing to a magazine
6. Subscribing to a movie rental program

Offers and surveys have proven to be viable revenue sources for social games, but they are not without problems. Offerpal itself allegedly participated in a variety of programs that were little more than scams. And while scams are obviously bad, the theory behind the programs does make sense.

The statistics show that users want virtual points and goods for free (surprised?)

* 53.3 percent of the total respondents reported that they would be “very likely” to complete a marketing action.
* 22.8 percent of the respondents reported that they would be willing and are able to buy the points using cash payment methods such as credit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, or mobile billing.
* 29.7 percent of social gamers do not have the ability or the means to pay for virtual currency with cash options.
* 34.9 percent say they are “very unlikely” to part with their money in order to purchase points.

As social media matures, and more forms of monetization start to come to light, there is little doubt that we’ll see new forms of offers, both legitimate and questionable. What remains to be seen is how revenue goals can be consistently targeted and achieved.

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Peek, the maker of the award-winning Peek email and texting device, debuts the world’s first Twitter mobile device today exclusively on Amazon.com. TwitterPeek promises to unleash the thrill of Twitter on-the-go by enabling millions to tweet interesting news, stories, and ideas as soon as they happen – in real time – without an expensive smartphone or data plan.

Twitter has become a worldwide phenomenon, but - until now – the millions of Twitter users without a smartphone haven’t been able to fully experience the fun of Twitter on-the-go. “TwitterPeek will make it easy and affordable for everyone who doesn’t have a smartphone to really enjoy Twitter on–the-go,” said Peekster-in-Chief Amol Sarva.

TwitterPeek delivers the world of Twitter in a sleek, palm-sized gadget sure to top this year’s holiday gift list. “Twitter die-hards will appreciate its ‘always-on’ instant tweet delivery and newbies will finally ‘get Twitter’ once they have TwitterPeek in hand,” continued Sarva. “Even businesses that Twitter will dig TwitterPeek as a convenient way to stay connected with their customers.”

At $99 including unlimited nationwide service, TwitterPeek offers affordability no smartphone can match and a user experience far superior to SMS text messaging Twitter with a traditional cell phone.

Key features of TwitterPeek are:

• Unlimited tweets and direct messages

• Always-on instant tweet delivery

• Views links (as plain text) and Twitpic images

• Nationwide coverage. No wi-fi signal necessary.

• Full QWERTY keyboard, color screen, click scroll wheel

• 30-day money back guarantee

• 1-year manufacturers warranty

Availability:

• TwitterPeek is available exclusively on Amazon.com and TwitterPeek.com from November 3, 2009.

• The original Peek Classic and Peek Pronto email and texting mobile devices are available at Amazon.com, GetPeek.com, Costco.com, and select Blockbuster and RadioShack stores.

Cost: TwitterPeek

$99 includes device plus 6 months of unlimited Twitter service ($7.95 per month for service thereafter)

$199 includes unlimited Twitter service for lifetime of device

• No contracts

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