The Mobile Marketing Blog - TellMyCell

SMS & the Fight Against Ebola

 

Mobile communication is capable of reaching people in the furthest flung corners of the planet. Many parts of the African continent are benefitting from SMS messaging, which is doing everything from facilitating cash transfers to Rwandan refugees to sending weather forecasts to Malawian farmers.

In Sierra Leone, SMS messaging is being used to tackle Ebola. The SMS Voice project (follow the link to donate) was set up by Christian Aid. It enlists ‘volunteer citizen reporters’ to share vital information about the virus and which regions are the most badly affected by sending text message alerts.

Raising awareness is the most effective strategy for combating Ebola. Why? Because it’s not all that easy to contract. The virus has a reproduction number - or R0 - of 2, which means the average number of people who catch the disease from one person is two. By way of comparison, HIV has an R0 of 4, measles has an R0 of 18 (assuming nobody in the population is vaccinated). For Ebola to spread, it required close contact with bodily fluid like blood or vomit. 

With such a low susceptibility risk, the answer to the recent outbreaks in West Africa comes down to a lack of education about how Ebola spreads. Every culture has an instinctive tendency to increase human contact whilst caring for the sick. Misinformation and basic lack of information is responsible for the ongoing epidemic.

Which is where programs like the SMS Voice project come in. Even in the poorest areas of Sierra Leone, basic feature phone ownership is high but far fewer people have access to the internet. SMS messaging is the most reliable way of exchanging the spread of Ebola for the spread of information capable of halting the disease.

SMS Voices isn’t just dealing with healthcare. Social ills are being addressed by the program, which enables the ‘citizen reporters’ to raise concerns with local councilors via anonymous ‘microreports.’ Fitting inside the 160 character limit of a standard text message, each report contains crowdsourced information regarding youth, governance, access to services, gender and justice and security. 

Issues raised via text message alerts include the scarcity of teaching resources in school, poorly maintained roads, bridges and other infrastructural components, and conflicts between local interest groups. The project is also tackling clean water, FGM, domestic violence and teen pregnancy. 

The SMS Voice project is not alone in facilitating text message alerts for health and social crises. Similar programs, backed by charities, businesses, governments or a combination of all three, are connecting people in some of the most deprived parts of the world in the only way possible: by SMS messaging.

 

What’s Next for Samsung?

 

Samsung’s chief of mobile marketing, Kim Seok-pil, recently resigned due to health reasons at what many consider a critical time for the company. Mobile division struggles have resulted in the technology juggernaut announcing its plan to cut smartphone production by up to a third in 2015, leaving critics and fans alike asking, “What will become of Samsung?”  

While still a powerful force in the mobile industry, Samsung isn’t doing very well in China, one of its key markets. The South Korean company is being eclipsed by main competitor Xiaomi, a company that has made a point of offering higher-end devices for budget-conscious prices. Additionally, Apple is offering smartphones with larger screens, namely the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, something Samsung had previously cornered the market on. Fellow competitors Lenovo and Huawei are experiencing rises in product popularity as well. This rise in competition is merely one reason Samsung is cutting smartphone production. 

At the end of October of 2014, Samsung reported its operating profits were the lowest they’ve been since 2011. They captured 28% of the mobile market share last year, compared to 32.5% in 2013. That number is expected to be around 26.6% this year.  

Strained margins in marketing costs are harming the company as well. In the third quarter, Samsung generated 7% margins on smartphones, which is down 15% from previous years.  

Despite these setbacks, Samsung is hoping to focus on a “core set” of devices in 2015, and is preparing to launch new products on March 1 at their Unpacked event in Barcelona, Spain, the site of the Mobile World Congress trade show. The company is expected to unveil its Galaxy S6 smartphone at this event, which is rumored to be a “curved” device. Samsung representatives note the tech giant is looking to “fundamentally reform” their product line.  

Samsung also appointed Lee Sang-chul as their new mobile marketing chief. Sang-chul is the former head of the company’s Russian operations, and also reportedly served as the head of Samsung’s Latin American division. 

With this appointment and the streamlining of company “offerings,” Samsung can reduce overall costs and improve production efficiency. The company is looking to use the same components in numerous products as another method of cutting costs.

It will be up to Sang-chul to promote the new Galaxy S among other Samsung devices, and save the company’s “troubled” mobile division. The new year will tell whether the mobile giant will bounce back to previous numbers or continue a gradual decline.

 

AT&T’s Text Message Alerts are Too Easy to Mimic

 

AT&T Text Messages are a simple way for AT&T to communicate with its customers. The texts, however, are much too simple and easily duplicated, which presents a big problem for AT&T customers.  

Due to the simple technology of text messages, there is no way to authenticate the identity of the sender. Also, the body of these text messages contains only a brief message that can be mimicked by hackers and scammers. Consumers could be receiving bogus text messages that have links leading to dummy websites, which then steal the customers’ information. 

Essentially, it’s a classic phishing scheme akin to the ones we’ve seen in our email inboxes.

Computer programmer Dani Grant discovered the breach of security when she received a text message from AT&T. “If the official texts look like phishing, it’s impossible for the customer to distinguish between what’s phishing and what’s not,” she said in a recent interview with CNN Money.

Because AT&T’s text messages originate from a “short code” rather than a verifiable phone number, customers have no way of knowing exactly who is trying to alert them. Short codes are four or five digit numbers that can send and receive texts, and can be acquired by anyone – not just cell phone companies.

Furthermore, the links within these text messages are not always obvious links to AT&T’s official site. While AT&T will sometimes use the link “att.com” – clearly a link to their official website – sometimes they will use the URL “dl.mymobilelocate.com.” This creates confusion for the consumer: how is a customer to know if a strange URL will lead back to AT&T’s website, or some dummy site that a hacker created?

Dani Grant went ahead and created her own false website, as well as a fake text message to see if these official AT&T texts could be duplicated. As it turns out, her text message is identical to AT&T’s official alert. Grant then reported this error to AT&T as a security flaw, though they have declined to comment on the matter.

There is no easy solution to this problem. Cell phone companies prefer to use SMS for their alerts because it is inexpensive and has a broad scope in terms of reaching their customers. Clearly, this method of texting is open to security threats, though, so consumers should insist on greater security measures to be taken by their mobile carriers.

Remember, don’t be fooled by all “official” text messages from your service provider, because these messages could be coming from a clandestine source. Carefully monitor messages, and delete when it seems “phishy.” By practicing prudence when interacting over SMS, you can protect yourself from scammers.    

 

Single App Voice & Text Messaging Just Got a Bit Better

 

The Consumer Electronics Show took place in Las Vegas earlier this month. Scores of innovations, from smart homes to smart phones, were unveiled by designers from around the world. 

Text messaging took center stage. Six15 demonstrated their SMS glasses, which transmit text messages from your mobile device straight to the lens, without the need for using hands.  

But perhaps the most exciting new text message-related product was a new dual-purpose messaging app for both Android and iOS devices. UbiSpeak was developed by Unified Computer Intelligence Corporation (UCIC), the people behind The Ubi, a voice-controlled computer.

Using voice recognition software, it generates both a voice message and a text message. If the recipient also has the app, they’ll get both versions of the message; if they don’t have the app, they’ll get the SMS along with a link to the audio version. 

UbiSpeak isn’t the first of its kind - both Android and Apple have their own versions of something similar - but it is faster and more reliable. The makers say two mediums transmitting the same content gives users ‘a lot more confidence when… sending a quick message.’ 

Like a number of messaging apps, it automatically populates your contact list with the people who you text most often. Other features include a VIP contact option, which will automatically play messages from people you designate - even if the phone is locked.

The app marks a new chapter for UCIC. The Toronto-based startup made their name with The Ubi, a WiFi connected, voice operated computer that uses Android to process spoken commands. You can operate your lighting, for instance, so you can always get that basement light to go on when you’ve got your arms full. Their technology is pretty smart - and it gets better at understanding you over time. 

UbiSpeak (and it’s forbear) is far from perfect, because speech recognition technology is proving one of the hardest nuts to crack. Progress is slow, and it may be decades before truly accurate voice recognition hardware is available. But that’s why it’s even more important that pioneers like UCIC keep pushing boundaries. The more consumers use voice recognition apps and home computers, the more data we can draw on to find out how people use them. In the long run, that will expedite the slow progression towards flawless, 100% accurate voice recognition technology.

 

The Best LTE Phones on the Market

In the cell phone world, ‘LTE’ refers to Long Term Evolution, and is widely considered the heir to the current “generation” of UMTS 3G technology, based on WCDMA, HSDPA, HSUPA, and HSPA. 4G LTE is essentially the smartphone standard, but which LTE phones are the best? Let’s check out a few of today’s frontrunners: 

Samsung Galaxy S4

A very popular device following its launch, the Samsung Galaxy S4 remains a top LTE choice. While not as fast as other models, its speed is still comparable, and it also supports HD voice. HD voice is carried over 3G/4G networks depending on your provider, meaning you’ll always enjoy the best clarity. 

Moto X

Advertised with 4G LTE, the Moto X features a variety of “clever” Motorola apps and enhancements, as well as all day battery and stock Android experience. However, its camera has been reviewed as “inconsistent,” and the phone does not include a 64GB option or removable storage. Several updates have improved the phone’s speed among other things. 

iPhone 5S

A fast phone with a fingertip reader and a new camera, additional features include 10-hour battery talk time, excellent screen resolution, 64 GB built-in memory, and dual-core. An expensive smartphone, the battery has been described as occasionally “suspect.” 

Motorola Droid Maxx

The Motorola Droid Maxx features efficient connectivity, as Verizon 4G LTE speeds are “pretty decent.” Celebrated for its “huge” battery, the smartphone also includes touchless control and hands-free features. The display isn’t terribly sharp, however, and the phone only works through Verizon.  

Nokia Lumia 1020 

Known for its sizable 41MP shooter, the Nokia Lumia 1020’s LTE speeds are decent, which includes browsing the web. The device supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC and LTE bands 2, 4, 5 and 17, and the camera is utterly fantastic. 

HTC Droid DNA

Another smartphone exclusive to Verizon Wireless, the HTC Droid DNA features a sharp screen reviewed as the “perfect complement” to Verizon’s lightning-quick LTE network. Download speeds are crazy-fast, as are upload speeds. It’s also a good price and includes an ah-mazing camera. 

iPhone 5 

The iPhone 5 LTE from AT&T is as “fast as advertised,” with downloads described as “blazingly” quick. Believed to be the best iPhone so far, it features a high-quality camera and interesting UI features. It’s also quite expensive and includes an aging OS. 

Blackberry Z10 

The Blackberry Z10’s “modest” 4.2-inch display makes it one of the more portable modern smartphones, and it includes NFC features, which makes it easy to wirelessly transfer content between handsets and other enabled devices without the need for a network connection.

How to Text Audio Clips on Android

 

If you’ve ever wanted to say more than a text but less than a call, you’re hardly alone. Luckily it’s now possible to send audio clips through Android phones, allowing you to say what you need to say without typing it out or ending up on the phone for hours.  

Android has made the process quite straightforward, as you either install a third-party app or perform the needed steps through the default Messaging app, with the latter capable of sending and receiving audio clips. 

Let’s take a look at how to text audio clips on Android.

 

Reset

Should Google Hangouts function as your SMS client, you’ll need to reset your Android device to default. Simply open Google Hangouts on your device, swipe right from the left edge on the main window to open the sidebar, and tap Settings. Next tap SMS, then SMS enabled, and finally the Default SMS app. Select Messaging from the clips, and voila! You’re now ready to send audio clips. 

Attach

Attaching audio clips varies a wee bit depending on your device, the Android version you’re using, and which third-party audio recording apps you’ve installed. However, the process is essentially the same. First you’ll open Messaging, then create a new message to a contact. Tap the Paperclip icon, then Record audio (which may say ‘Record voice’ depending on your device), and tap the Record button to record your message. Hit the Stop button when you’ve finished recording your message. 

What happens next, again, depends on your device. For example, the Moto X requires tapping ‘Done’ so the voice message is automatically attached to the SMS message. If using another device, such as the LG G3, you’ll see a list of all the messages you’ve recorded. Select the recording you want to add to your message, then tap the Paperclip button, found to the right of the Play button. This attaches your message. Tap the Send button to send your message on its merry way. 

Wrap-Up

Audio clips are ideal for whenever you want to send a little more than a standard text message but don’t have time for an actual phone call. Simply attach an audio clip to an SMS message, but remember how draining recordings are on your data. If you find your audio clip is really long, do the old-fashioned phone call thing.

How to Prevent Apple Devices Sharing Everything

 

So you’re running the new iOS 8 on your iPhone. You’ve also got an iPad and an iPod touch, plus a Mac installed with Yosemite. You like the fact that each device can communicate – especially the fact you can let your iPhone ring through to other devices. Or at least, you liked it. Until the various ringtones going off on each device started to drive you crazy.

Luckily there are ways to stop such incessant device shaking and bleeping. If you want to stop your Apple devices from forwarding calls entirely, simply tap ‘Settings’ on the phone, then ‘FaceTime’ and flick the iPhone Cellular Calls to ‘off’. Should you change your mind later you can always enable it again in the same way.

Just want to disable the capability on one specific device? Simple. In order to prevent a call being passed to another iOS device, pick the device up, tap ‘Settings’ > ‘FaceTime’ and disable the switch next to the iPhone Cellular Calls entry. This will prevent that device from receiving calls picked up by your iPhone (as well as stopping you from making calls from that device via your phone).

Stopping call sharing is just as straightforward on Apple’s desktop devices. On the Mac, launch FaceTime and open the preferences. In the ‘Settings’ tab, disable the iPhone Cellular Calls option. As with an iOS device, this will prevent your Mac from making and receiving calls.

So how about Text Message Forwarding? It’s annoying when SMS messages get shunted from phone to laptop too right? This is the feature on iOS 8.1 that lets text messages received on your iPhone be passed to another Apple device. This particular feature is more configurable than iPhone call forwarding. To configure it, tap ‘Settings’ on your iPhone and then hit ‘Messages’. Next, tap the Text Message Forwarding icon and you should be able to see a list of devices linked to your Apple ID. Every device capable of receiving forwarded messages will be listed here. Simply enable the switch next to each device that you want to share SMS messages with – and disable those you do not.

Majority of Cellphones Will Cost Less than $100 by 2020

 

Experts predict the majority of smartphones purchased in 2020 will cost less than $100. Analyst firm Gartner says about 78 percent of global smartphone sales will come from developing countries in 2018, therefore aiding the possibility of smartphones costing less than “one bill” in the next few years.

Vendors have starting latching on to this trend via initiatives such as Google’s Android One. The company has also formed a partnership with Indian handset brands, like Karbonn, in order to create sub-$100 devices using Android reference designs.

Microsoft is trying to get Windows Phone 8 devices closer to the $100 price, and is also offering free versions of Windows to device manufacturers in emerging markets. Mozilla is working on their “ultra-budget” Firefox OS smartphones, while Samsung is tinkering with the launch of Tizen, a line of low-cost smartphones. Cyanogen Inc. has jumped on the bandwagon as well, having distributed its Android ROM on Micromax's new Yu line of smartphones for Indian consumers. India has become the third-largest smartphone market behind China and the United States as of this year’s third quarter, and Strategy Analytics predicts the country’s economic growth will be due to lower-priced smartphones.

China has emerged as the leading LTE handset market in the world, eclipsing the U.S. for the first time in regards to “long-term evolution.”

Network equipment vendor Ericsson foresees considerable smartphone growth by 2020, predicting smartphone subscriptions will reach the 6.1 billion mark—this is compared to today’s 2.7 billion. Smartphone subscriptions are also expected to surpass basic phone subscriptions as of 2016.

As user base in developing markets that want a smartphone and data package continues to grow, Gartner believes high-end shipments to these markets will slow down, since users are likely seeing little value in features offered. 

Increases in subsidies and sponsorships are also predicted, including programs similar to those offered by Opera, a company that provides carriers the opportunity to sell targeted advertising to end-users in exchange for mobile data.

The combination of smartphone growth in developing countries and saturation in developed countries has Gartner estimating that the tablet or smartphone will be the go-to device for all online activities by 2018. 

"The use pattern that has emerged for nearly all consumers, based on device accessibility, is the smartphone first as a device that is carried when mobile, followed by the tablet that is used for longer sessions, with the PC increasingly reserved for more-complex tasks," Van Baker, Gartner research vice president, said in a statement. 

“This behavior will adapt to incorporate wearables as they become widely available for users,” he added. “As voice, gesture and other modalities grow in popularity with consumers, and as content consumption tasks outweigh content creation tasks, this will further move users away from the PC.”

Versatility, easy-of-use, and cost will all factor into the growing mobile market in the next 5 years.

 

The Lamborghini of Smartphones... by Lamborghini

 

Lamborghini has expanded its role in the world of tech with...a new smartphone? Believe it or not, the legendary luxury car company has created the Tonino Lamborghini Tauri 88, a smartphone with the premium materials, excellent specifications and Italian design synonymous with the Lamborghini brand. 

Steel and Leather

The Lamborghini smartphone is comprised of steel and leather, with choices including gold, black and plain, and blue, black, orange and brown, respectively. This mix of leather and steel is meant to pay homage to the luxury brand’s automobile origins. Designed in Italy (naturally), the leather includes beautiful stitching and the iconic raging bull logo, which was inspired by the Taurus constellation.

 

Tech Stuff

The phone’s technical specifications include a 5" screen with 1080p resolution, 64GB of built-in expandable storage, a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 3GB of RAM, and a 3,400mAh battery featuring some 35 hours of 3G talk time. The back of the Tauri features a 20MP camera, while the front includes an 8MP camera. In other words, the possibility for selfies is endless—there’s even the opportunity of posting on Instagram using the hashtag #TheLavishSelfie.

 

The Price

Lamborghini is planning to manufacture a mere 1,947 phones as a tribute to Antonio "Tonino" Lamborghini, the son of Lamborghini’s founder, who was born in 1947. Each phone costs $6,000, making it just a tad more expensive than other smartphone options.

 

Is It Worth It?

The Tauri is indeed a luxurious smartphone with a number of fantastic features in addition to the overall design. Yet as with most luxury brands, owning the phone is more about the name than anything else. Whether the phone will live up to its technological promises is yet to be seen, but at $6K a pop, it had better do all that and more. Indeed, Lamborghini is leading the way in terms of luxury smartphones, which used to be more about brand and appearance than what features the phone actually had. 

Sales begin late December 2014, just in time for last minute Christmas shopping. Gifting the Tonino Lamborghini Tauri 88 is one heck of a “last minute” gift, and one that many would be thrilled to take with them into the New Year.

Will the Tonino Lamborghini Tauri 88 appeal to consumers on both aesthetic and technological levels? Is it truly worth the hefty price tag? Time (and the holiday season) will tell.

Forwarding Text Messages from iPhone to iPad

 

OS X Yosemite isn’t a new-fangled name for Yosemite National Park, but rather the newest version of Mac’s operating system. Besides featuring a new look, the system offers a plethora of special features, including iCloud Drive file storage, streamlined design for Safari, an expanded notification system with widgets, mail and message enhancements, and more. Immediately available to all Mac users for no cost as of October 16, 2014, Apple is improving continuity between devices with this new system (although not, as a number of defectors have discovered, between Apple and Android devices...)

The new set of continuity features connect iOS devices to the Mac several ways, including allowing users to make and answer calls with Macs and iPads when such devices are forwarded through their iPhones. Macs and iPads are now able to receive SMS messages, including those sent from non-iOS devices. Before OS X Yosemite and iOS 8.1 launched, iPads and Macs could only receive iMessages, which are part of the company’s proprietary messaging system designed for the iPad, iPhone and Mac.

SMS messages, usually intended for mobile phone communications only, are getting their turn thanks to OS X Yosemite, as users can send texts to any device via Macs and iPads. Now known as “Text Message Forwarding” in the Settings app, it was originally called “SMS Relay” before the launch of iOS 8.1. Being able to answer SMS messages and calls on a Mac is highly convenient, especially when a phone is charging or otherwise unavailable. 

iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite is required to forward messages and phone calls from an iPhone to a Mac or iPad. The Mac and iPhone also must be logged into the same iCloud account, and the WiFi feature needs to be off to allow for call forwarding.

Separate steps are (obviously) required to enable text message and phone call forwarding. For text message forwarding, users must turn on their Mac and iPhone’s WiFi. Note that SMS forwarding works even if each device is logged into a different WiFi system. The next step is to open the Messages app on the Mac and scroll to Menu Bar -> Messages -> Preferences -> Accounts -> Click on iMessage account -> and then check the boxes next to phone and email. If the email is not already listed, the user needs to click Add Email and enter an address. 

The email address is subsequently added to iMessage on the iPhone via Settings -> Messages -> Send & Receive. Note a registered email is necessary for enabling text message forwarding. To turn on Text Message Forwarding on the iPhone, the user needs to go to  Settings -> Messages -> Text Message Forwarding -> Turn Text Message Forwarding On. This results in a prompt requesting an activation code, which will appear in the Mac’s Messages app. The code is entered into the iPhone, and is required for every device the user wants included in the messaging service.

Any incoming message can now be answered on the Mac, and iPhone will automatically appear as a push notification on the Mac in the upper-right corner. Click ‘reply’ to answer a text, with messages also appearing in the Mac’s Messages app.