Twitter working with startup to offer service offline in emerging markets

Twitter is said to be working with a startup in Singapore to offer their service offline, according to a report by Reuters. The offline access is targeted at emerging markets, where a data connection is not always available or necessary. The company, U2opia Mobile, currently works with Facebook for similar functionality.

The service offers users who enter a code to get Twitter information from nearby twitters using location sharing. It will populate the Twitter feed with popular and trending tweets from others in the area, but won’t allow for viewing of pictures, videos, or other media. More than 11 million users currently take advantage of U2opia’s service for Facebook and the expiring Google Talk.

U2opia uses Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, or USSD. That protocol is for text only, which is what makes it impossible to view pictures and video. In those areas where U2opia is utilized, 80% of people still don’t access data on their mobile phones. CEO Sumesh Menon says their work with Twitter is “hand in glove because Twitter has by design a character limit, it’s a very text-driven social network”.

U2opia’s main customer base remains outside of the US, in emerging markets like South America and Africa. They work with local carriers like Vodafone to supply the service, and get a 30-40% cut from the carrier for access to the service. For Twitter, it’s a war ro grow a service that needs attention to move forward after an IPO that valued them at $25 billion. For consumers, it’s a new way to communicate with the increasingly shrinking digital world.

Chromecast: Presentation of the new Google streaming service

By Jean-Louis Petrod on July 25, 2013

The company ended the Conference, we had the presentation of the new Nexus-7. Otherwise, can Google confirmed the arrival of his Chromecast services, that streaming of various multimedia content between mobile devices (smartphones and Tablet PCs) as well as our current TVs.

Available in the form of a dongle HDMI, suffice it that connect device to the Wi-Fi , you use the streaming features in the material embedded and the devices connected to a real multimedia remote control!

Chromecast as HDMI dongle for multimedia streaming

So to speak, the Chromecast service allows (streaming) media content to share, either in the form of videos, music or photos and check on your devices.

On your Android phone you have for example the possibility at any time look at a video on YouTube and send it directly to the screen of your TV for better visual comfort. Furthermore, move from one device to another control of the current media make possible is (from a Smartphone on a Tablet).

Also, note that if some of your contacts at the same time connect the service allows the creation of playlists in groups to share . At the level of the images finally can easily see slideshows, 'cast' of images from Google images from your PC to your TV, and have a real multimedia network at home.

On the side of the developers you may your applications on the service to adjust with the SDK for Google-cast. Then, we should see soon numerous Chromecast-compatible applications.

Before graduating, We let you in pictures to discover the service with this short video presentation :

This dongle will very soon with the area of French for an affordable $ 35 from your usual dealer.

The good thing is the TV is to use the interface of the connected device. Therefore, the service is compatible with PC and Mac, as well as all smartphones and tablets, each brand has.

Then you excels in this new streaming service? Would you buy using this small dongle and (s) and (s), would you be interested in?

New O2 Refresh plans decouple phone and service costs

O2 UK has announced the launch of "O2 Refresh," a new kind of price plan designed to disconnect the cost of smartphones from the cost of service plans. On O2 Refresh, customers effectively pay a separate service charge and monthly installments towards the cost of the phone.

That means O2 customers wanting to upgrade early can simply pay off the remaining amount on their phone plan and start a new one, with no changes to the service plan. Naturally, if you're upgrading O2 encourages you use its O2 Recycle service to cash in on the value of your old phone, up to £260. Alternatively, if customers fully pay off their phone plan they'll then only pay the service fee each month.

O2 refresh service plans range from £12 per month for 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 750MB up to £22 p.m. for unlimited minutes and texts, and 2GB. From Apr. 16 O2 Refresh will be available with the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z, Blackberry Z10, Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5, with the option of making an up-front payment towards the cost of the phone.

In today's press statement O2 points out that many smartphone owners want to upgrade more than once every two years. O2 Recycle allows them to do just that, in a more economical way, while cleverly renewing their commitment to O2 in the process. (After all, phones purchased through O2 will be locked to the network.) The network also cites its push towards 4G LTE this summer as a reason for making it easier for customers to pick up new 4G-capable handsets.

On the other side of the Atlantic T-Mobile USA has been switching to a similar system, with separate service fees and installments towards buying your phone, as well as the option to pay off the remaining cost of your device at any time.

Brits, hit the comments below and let us know if you'd switch to O2 for this kind of deal.

Source: O2