Nick Kewney

In August 2008, it was announced that Twitter would stop sending SMS updates free outside the USA.

"Even with a limit of 250 messages received per week, it could cost Twitter about $1,000 per user, per year to send SMS outside of Canada, India, or the US."

Today, it is reported that Twitter are re-introducing this service on a second UK network after a deal was signed with Vodafone earlier this year.

From today, O2 customers will be able to both send and receive updates from Twitter with only standard text messaging rates applying.

If you’re an O2 customer looking to enable the feature, Twitter tells you how on their blog:

“To Twitter over SMS with your iPhone or any other mobile, head over to your account settings and activate your device. The Twitter shortcode in the UK is 86444 if you want to save it in your address book.”

With the number of subscribers using smart phones, how widely used are SMS updates these days anyway? I wonder...
 

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There have been rumours that a "Microsoft Smartphone" could be on the market by the end of 2009.

With Microsoft planning to open retail stores around the UK, and with SkyBox and SkyMarket (MobileME and iTunes equivilents) on the horizon, you would be forgiven for thinking Microsoft is taking a bite from the Apple book of branding.

It was speculated that the rumoured smartphone would manifest itself as a GSM-enabled version of the Zune, Microsoft's music player. However, it seems very unlikely that Microsoft would want to enter into the low-margin, high cost manufacturing business, especially in times like these.

Instead, it is rumoured that Microsoft is working on a platform to encourage hardware builders to follow a set of guidelines when creating products.  According to CNET, "Microsoft is developing some smartphone reference implementations for various types of devices."  This won't be the first time that Microsoft has done something like this. Think back a few years to 2006 when hardware manufacturers were busy making Ultra Mobile PC units.

With Windows Mobile 7 due to be released to developers for tesitng as early as November 2009, it's more likely that this platform will act as an environment for SkyBox, SkyMarket and an implementation of the Zune for Mobiles instead of releasing one "Smartphone".

I may have to delete this article in a year's time as a nice shiny "msPhone" appears on the market, but from where we are just now, it looks more likely that Microsoft won't make its own handsets.

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Twitter recently announced that they are to stop sending SMS updates free outside the USA. I'm not really bothered about this as I use Twitterific for the iPhone, but what confuses me is why they don't seem to want your money. Let's consider the following quote from the Twitter blog post:

Even with a limit of 250 messages received per week, it could cost Twitter about $1,000 per user, per year to send SMS outside of Canada, India, or the US.

What would you do?

1. Shut down this major feature giving no notice to users and announcing it with a post on your company's blog.
2. Tell your users about the problem and give them the option to pay for SMS updates if they want. Maybe even make a few pennies out of it in the process?

I guess if you went for option #2, you'd only get a few users to pay for the service but it's the principle. My only guess is that Twitter's shareholders have a long term goal and are thinking about the end game rather than making short term profits.

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Do you buy DVDs, Blu-Ray discs or download movies? Whatever your preferred format, you can now buy direct from the studio through a network of hi-tech vending machines to be sited at shopping malls, airports, retail shops and rail stations around the country. If you haven't seen one of these yet, it's only a matter of time: Photo: DVD Vending Machine at Homebase, Falkirk Boasting a 32" touch screen, you can watch trailers, read the covers and purchase on the spot. You'll receive the full retail product instantly after a secure chip and pin transaction. The machines are currently sited at 20 locations around the UK and stock the top titles by Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

• Argos, Glasgow (Stockwell Street)
• Argos, Sheffield
• Argos, Gateshead (Metro Centre)
• Argos, Wood Green (London)
• Empire Cinema, Basildon
• Homebase, Falkirk
• Odeon, Manchester (Trafford Centre)
• Odeon, Brighton
• Odeon, Southampton
• Odeon, Gateshead (Metro Centre)

You'll find discount codes here from time to time for machines around the country, so stay tuned!

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Just when we thought it couldn't get more irritating than blogging, we can now share our tiniest thoughts throughout the day with Twitter. I just started Twittering.

Not because I want to, but because someone started a viral marketing campaign to make me think it's a good idea to share the things I would usually discard without a thought or keep to myself with you... my readers.

Depending on your desire to irritate, you can either enter your 'twitter' from the website, or from your mobile via a text message. Twitter is a sure fire way to reduce your mobile phone bills as the more you use it, the more you'll want to break your phone into tiny pieces and then set it on fire just to be sure you don't receive any more inate messages.

If you need to use your phone or don't have insurance, you can also text 'STOP. For the love of God STOP.' to 07624 801423. I think I hate it... but I'm going to do it anyway, and I think you should too. You can view my Twitter here or on the right hand panel of my blog... or not bother.

Seriously, I don't mind.

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Do you think Scotland needs it's own top-level domain extension? Scottish visitors should check out this page for an outline of the proposal on Wikipedia Scotland.

Everyone else should visit dotSCO, the campaign site for the .sco gTLD. Their plan is to submit a proposal to ICANN later in the year. You can support the cause by signing the e-petition to be presented to the Scottish Parliament. As John said, "dot scot" (.scot) rolls off the tongue slightly easier... but I guess it's the concept that counts!

Wishing them all the best! Sign today...

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Let me start from the beginning...  Prior to the formation of ICANN in 1998, Network Solutions (owned by VeriSign) was the place to purchase top level domains. These days, the industry is open to competition, with players like GoDaddy and eNom blasting them out of the market in terms of quanity of domains on their platform. This seems to have resulted in Network Solutions resorting to questionable business practices to acquire new registrations in this fiercely competative market. So I'd never heard of 'Domain name front running' until today. Let me explain with an example...

18:03: I search for 'Domain Name Registration' in Google and find a link to Network Solutions' site

18:05: I search for 'questionable-business-practices.com' on the Network Solutions site

18:06: I see the domain name is available... 

Great, I think to myself. Now let me just check I can't get it cheaper anywhere else... so I head over to another domain name registration company and search for the exact same domain name. Here's what I get: 

Strange, very strange, I think to myself.  I just looked this up two minutes ago and it was available

18:09: I head back to Network Solutions and search for the domain again... surely somebody couldn't have registered it that quickly.

18:10: Surely enough, the domain is still available... but for $34.99 per year! Wow that's expensive... I'm sure I can get it for like $8.95 a year on GoDaddy. Let me just go to checkout so you know I'm not making this up... 

Normally I wouldn't bother about something like this, but having had first hand experience in the domain name and hosting industry, I couldn't let this one go... Yes, it's a competative industry and margins on domain name registrations for resellers are low, which is why I thought Network Solutions would have known better than to employ a technique like this. Having been a customer of them in the past, I am thourghly disappointed.  Illegal? Maybe, but despite this article at The Register published Feb 26th, they are still doing it...

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