Since the launch of the iPhone 3G, the past couple of weeks have been prime time for companies to launch new mobile sites. Digg is taking advantage of the new surge of interest in mobile applications to reveal its upgraded mobile version of Digg. If you don’t have the new iPhone, it’s all good.
The new Digg mobile site isn’t necessarily an iPhone app–it just looks cooler on the iPhone than the Blackberry. Upgraded features for Digg’s new mobile version include multiple views of popular stories, improved usability for surfing between stories, and faster page loads. You can also add stories to your Favorites while logged in. This new mobile version is designed to operate more like the Web version of Digg, so navigation overall has been improved, specifically the ability to tab between topics and consume more content throughout the site.
The release of the new mobile version also coincides with Digg’s reported traffic increases due to its new recommendation engine. It’s clear that Digg Founder Kevin Rose looks to mobile as the future of media consumption. Ensuring that Digg’s own mobile version is as easy to navigate and interact with as its Web version is important in the grand scheme of things.
—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Better Digg Access from your MobileDigg Finalizes Comments UpgradesDigg Needs Your Comments About its Upgraded Comment SystemLinkedIn Launches MobileYouTube Mobile Site LaunchesReddit River - A Lighter Version of Reddit for MobilesDigg Adds New Features to API
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AirBed & Breakfast made its debut earlier this spring when it introduced itself as a service that connects spare rooms with people in need of a place to sleep. With an event as large as SXSW, hotel prices often skyrocket and are usually sold out as the event approaches. AirBed & Breakfast had a great idea in matching people with spare rooms in their homes with those out-of-towners in need of an affordable alternative to pricey hotels.
When I first reviewed the site, I mentioned that its niche could easily be expanded (even beyond events), but AirBed & Breakfast is remaining event-specific for now. The latest housing project the service plans to tackle is the Obama nomination speech at the Democratic Convention next month. Lucky for AirBed & Breakfast, it had plenty of practice with SXSW and has an early start for the upcoming convention. There will be an expected 75,000 people in attendance, and so far AirBed & Breakfast has 328 people with available rooms, ready and waiting for Obama supporters.
I still hope to see some deeper integration with other travel planning services and social networks, but AirBed & Breakfast is doing well to help establish a niche marketplace that empowers individuals and is contributing to the larger movement of a consumer-driven market, currently only supported via the Web.
—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:AirBedandBreakfast: Avoid Inflated Hotel Prices at SXSWObama on LinkedInMake Your Own Obama Logo, With Your FaceObama Does the TwitterGuiliani’s Own Daughter Shows Support for Obama on FacebookOn YouTube, YouChoose ObamaObama Plays to Start-Ups with LinkedIn’s Q&A Series
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earfl is like Twitter for phone calls. Instead of sending in an SMS update, you can just dial a number and say a little something. The recording will be linked to your account on the Web, and can then be shared with family and friends. Attach an image if you’d like–this makes audio recordings (especially those from the phone) more interesting.
Stories can be rated, commented upon, emailed out to friends, or embedded into other social networking profiles or websites. earfl also features groups, so you can connect with others regarding a particular topic of interest. Another useful feature is the ability to send a recording to another user and invite them to participate. For this option, earfl will actually grant them a redemption code that allows them to submit a recording without having to set up an account.
Each public story has a ShareThis button, so items can easily be spread to most major social media networks and bookmarking sites. And while ShareThis allows these stories to be sent to other microblogging tools like Twitter, an automated option for users would be helpful as well, especially if they’re looking to diversify their content for redistribution purposes.
Even though we’re seeing a lot of development in this industry, with BT acquiring Ribbit and a number of other applications finding ways to leverage vocal commands and conversions for multimedia purposes, earfl still fights an uphill battle, as there are a number of other services (besides Twitter) like Pownce and Utterz that are present in the microblogging domain and support multiple file types. To that end, having additional options like speech-to-text conversion and SMS and email distribution options could help earfl straddle more aspects of the microblogging market.
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So “soon” really did mean soon. Props to the Delicious crew for making it happen this time around.
There it is. The new Delicious. It looks good, huh? It shares some characteristics from the “heritage edition,” but it seems to carry a bit more in the way of currency. If you liked what came before, you’ll probably find the new one a nice fit. Kind of like buying a new pair of shoes that, by default, feel good. You still have some breaking-in to do, but the new style probably won’t slow you down much.
Delicious is promising three primary things with the 2.0 tag: more speed, overhauled search (also said to be a leadfoot), and, of course, a fresh design. As the company describes in its latest blog post:
…we’ve updated the user interface to improve usability and add a few often-requested features (such as selectable detail levels and alphabetical sorting of bookmarks). Our goal has been to keep the new design similar in spirit to the old one, so all of you veterans should be able to jump in without any confusion. At the same time, we’re hoping that newcomers to Delicious will find it easier to learn.
Delicious is welcoming feedback for the new version at the Delicious Discussion Forum. No special access key needed. As long as you have a valid account registered with the service, you can tell the gang what you love and what you don’t. Don’t ask for the dots back, though. That probably won’t happen.
—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Delicious Sidebar for IE is Here. Almost as Cool as Firefox.6 New Versions We’re Desperately Waiting ForCrazyEgg LaunchesNew Del.icio.us Add-on Released, Jives With Firefox 3Web 2.0 Invites for October 16th, 2007Web 2.0 Invites for October 22nd, 2007Web 2.0 Invites for September 18th, 2007
read full story of "Delicious Without the Dots. Version 2.0 Delivered."