Taylor Swift Joins the Mobile Roadie App Family
posted by Michael Arcand
She took the Grammys by storm and now it’s time for Taylor Swift to take over the iTunes store (again) and make her mark in Android. Starting today the much anticipated Taylor Swift app is now live and available for both iPhone and Android users.
The Taylor Swift app takes advantage of the versatility of the Mobile Roadie platform, creating an interactive experience for her fans. The application is enabled with push notification so that any time Taylor releases new music (both to sample and to purchase directly from within the app), videos or photos (and more), fans will be instantly updated directly on their iPhones. Fans can also see all of Taylor’s most up-to-date tour information, find and connect with other Taylor fans in their area as well as share their personal photos from Taylor shows with other fans in the application’s network.
Many of these features are easily configured by Taylor Swift and her team because they are using the Mobile Roadie content management system. Instead of requiring each and every change to go through a series of requests, designs, re-designs, etc., we provide a simple way for our customers to modify and organize their application’s functions and menus to their specifications. And with the Android platform now on board as well, it’s literally as easy as pie to keep your mobile app up-to-date with fresh material and to notify your fans or customers using push notifications.
Want it? Get it here.
Why Mobile Roadie? Ask Drew McLellan
posted by Michael ArcandWe like to hear good news, especially when it comes from our customers. We recently worked on an application for Drew McLellan, a 20 year marketing veteran who founded his own company, McLellan Marketing Group, in 1995. His list of achievements is long and his list of clients he’s worked with is almost like a listing of the Fortune 500, with names like Nabisco, IAMS, Kraft and John Deere. So when Drew got ready to launch out into the arena of smartphone apps, he decided to do his homework.
McLellan called up his mentor and coach to help him in the process, and together they evaluated four different application vendors that could provide an off the shelf system to meet Drew’s needs. His list of things he wanted was demanding: customization, easy to use content management system, multi-platform support (for Android), push functionality, customizable navigation folders, sharing with Facebook and Twitter; and the list goes on! It was a pretty tough list of requirements, but out of the four vendors he considered, Mobile Roadie was the only one to meet all of these requirements. When it came right down to it, his only sticking point was the price.
If you’ve done some shopping around, then let’s face it – Mobile Roadie isn’t the cheapest player in the ballpark. And there’s a reason for that. We believe in delivering a quality product with excellent support and enabling our users to take charge of their applications. In short, we believe you really do get what you pay for.
So what was the deciding factor for Drew? Here’s what he had to say on his blog regarding his decision to go with Mobile Roadie:
In the end, despite the higher cost — I decided on Mobile Roadie. They offered more customization and the ability for me to really include a wider variety of content in my app. But it was their content management system that really won me over.
So if you’re getting ready to partner up with a vendor to produce an application for your customer’s mobile experience, be sure you weigh all your options before you go with the cheapest name in the book.
It’s time to take mobile seriously
posted by Michael Schneider (Mobile Roadie CEO)I meet a lot of people every day in a wide variety of positions in companies. Some people get it, and some people don’t.
Morgan Stanley predicts that within five years, more people will connect to the internet via a mobile device than via desktop PCs. This is game changing for everyone.
Lack of mobile friendly shopping experiences
It’s unbelievable that big companies still don’t prioritize making a mobile version of their ecommerce site. Just do it, stop wondering if it’s worth it. I know several Fortune 500 companies that do tens of millions of dollars a year in ecommerce business that don’t even have it in their long term plan.
Carrier billing is a con
Carriers need to get over themselves. No one is going to give them 50% just to have the privilege of having the charge billed to the consumer’s cell phone bill. Apple and Google take 30% for purchases through their store. That’s a lot, but they’re also providing a lot of value. Carriers are providing less value and charging nearly double. If carriers got smart, they would reduce carrier billing to 5% and start taking business from credit card companies.
Your mobile strategy needs resources
Don’t get an app to just have an app. You’d never get a website and then not maintain it, right? Mobile is just as important if not more. Give your mobile customers exclusive content. Update the app and your mobile website often. Engage with customers where they are (huge advantage of mobile vs. desktop).
Flattening world
In many countries around the world, there are more people connecting to the web through mobile devices than desktops. This is mostly due to economic reasons – but is extremely powerful in reaching demographics you might never be able to reach if you just have a website.
Bottom line
Apps and mobile are here to stay, and the opportunity is real. Don’t slack. Grab the bull by its horns and go for it. You won’t regret it and frankly don’t have a choice (your competitors are making a move). It’s time to take mobile seriously.
Mobile Roadie Apps Hit Android
posted by Michael Arcand
You’ve been asking for it, and we’re ready to deliver. We’ve been planning on producing apps for Android users for some time, and now we can finally let the cat out of the bag. So who are the first users to have Mobile Roadie apps on both the iPhone and Android systems?
None other than Madonna, Ashton Kutcher and Dolly Parton (with Taylor Swift coming soon!). That’s right, four of the most recognizable names in the entertainment industry today are powering their online app presence on multiple platforms via Mobile Roadie.
You might say, “So what? What’s so special about that?” Here’s the big deal – Mobile Roadie is the first platform that allows anyone to create and manage their own Android App in minutes with no programming knowledge required. Additionally, customers will be able to use Mobile Roadie’s content management system (CMS) to simultaneously make updates to both their iPhone and Android Apps. This empowers our users to take control in a way never before imagined by everyday people, musicians and entertainers. Building a brand image on both platforms has never been easier, and now you don’t have to make a choice between one or the other.
So why does Dolly Parton use the Mobile Roadie platform? Parton has always been a pioneer in the music and entertainment industry, and she doesn’t want to get left behind now. In fact, she’s got fans ranging in age from under 20 to over 50 downloading her iPhone app. Who else can say that? Her plans for using the platform include sharing un-released photos and promoting her events if she decides to go back on tour.
In fact, here’s what Dolly Parton had to say about Mobile Roadie’s services:
My first phone was two tin cans tied together with string, and it worked pretty good. But now you can watch TV, download music and surf the web from your phone. Sure beats smoke signals. I never thought in my lifetime, that you’d be able to watch movies, read books and listen to music from a phone, but I guess the technology of tomorrow is here today. And to think that folks will be able to watch my Video Diaries and listen to my music on the go is just fantastic. I think it’s great that Mobile Roadie has made it so simple for my fans to keep up with everything I got going on, and who knows, I may even learn how to use it.
So what are you waiting for? Find out more about our multiple-platform services by taking our tour and view all of our live apps here. Don’t miss out on the easiest way to manage your brand image on both of the most popular smartphone systems around.
Mobile Roadie: Powering Conferences & Events
posted by Nicole Jordan
We’re seeing a big trend for 2010 over here. In addition to brands, artists, celebrities, and athletes signing up with Mobile Roadie, there’s significant interest in our platform from conferences, tradeshows and music
festivals.
Which makes a lot of sense. Mobile Roadie Apps unite a disparate audience and what’s more disparate than thousands of people converging on one location for a number of days? There’s bound to be people you’d love to
connect with — if you knew they were there. Or the desire to keep track of those impromptu meet-ups we’re prone to throwing.
Conference organizers and event promoters are increasingly turning to Mobile Roadie’s self-serve platform to quickly and easily build content-rich apps that promote their event, highlight speakers, connect attendees, incorporate the schedule, and sell tickets – among many other creative uses that are starting to emerge (hello video!)
Conference participants love being able to connect directly with the event and with each other as well as easily push Twitter and Facebook updates directly through the App using the viral tools.
LeWeb and Midem are great early adopter case studies that indicate the vast potential to use mobile to connect and communicate with a very targeted group of like-interested people. The LeWeb app marked the first time Ustream had been built into a third party application and was downloaded over 6,000 times, more than the total amount of attendees (check out TechCrunch’s interview.) The Midem app had equally strong adoption, also with over 6,000 downloads (see a demo of the app here.)
As a marketer, these are incredibly powerful statistics. If you’re a organizer or event promoter in this digital age you have to keep in mind the audience that is with you physically and the audience that is not but wishes it were. The ability to watch live streams on the desktop has become enough of a norm that we will also see this move to mobile. Imagine a population not attending the conference but walking around a different city and still
participating. It’s awesome.
Which leads to the inspiration for the post – The Future of Web Apps in Miami happening Monday, February 22nd – Wednesday 24th. This is a three-day event designed for forward-looking web application developers, entrepreneurs and leading industry figures. You better believe it when we say the standards for this group are pretty high. Which is why we were thrilled when they deemed Mobile Roadie the best and chose to build their App on our platform.
Anyone with an iPhone can download the app for free here. As for you Android users. It’s coming. Very soon.
Mobile Roadie Finalist for SXSWi’s BizSpark Accelerator
posted by Nicole Jordan
SXSW is just around the corner and we’re gearing up for an action packed 10 days. In addition to some partner events and other tricks we’re cooking up, we’ve been selected as a finalist for a coveted spot in the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator competition, taking place March 15-16th during the Interactive Festival. Out of hundreds of companies that submitted, only 32 made the cut across 4 categories: Innovative Web Technology, Entertainment, Business Social Media, and Personal Social Media.
The first round of Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator occurs on Monday, March 15 at the Hilton Austin Downtown. Eight companies within the each category will present in front of a live audience and panel of judges (and one Emcee) with their ideas, innovations, and product or service. At 6pm on Monday, March 15 in a finalist ceremony, three of those eight companies will be asked to return to the Hilton on Tuesday, March 16 to present to a new panel of judges and co-emcees. The new panel of judges will select the grand prize winner for each category at the end of the second day, Tuesday March 16 at 6pm.
Exciting stuff and we’re grateful to Microsoft and the judges for the opportunity to show the world what Mobile Roadie is all about.
To quote Michael, our CEO, “Microsoft has a history of helping young entrepreneurs succeed. We are honored to have been chosen as a finalist and look forward to showing off Mobile Roadie at SXSW.”
Mobile Roadie’s first presentation will take place in Salon F at 5:00pm on the 6th floor of the Hilton. Wish us luck!
For the complete list of finalists and descriptions please visit the site.
From Start to What’s Ahead with TechZulu
posted by Sean PercivalTechZulu recently caught up with Mobile Roadie CEO Michael Schneider in the below video interview. Learn about where Mobile Roadie has been and what’s on the horizon.
The Future is Here with the Apple iPad
posted by Michael Arcand
Apple’s big media event took place yesterday and put the rumors to rest once and for all … it is true, the Apple iPad tablet is here! This device is set to bridge the gap between a smart phone, like the iPhone, and laptop computers, like the MacBook. Steve Jobs made the presentation yesterday in his usual style and the crowd went wild. Demonstrations of several of the iPad features are very exciting for users and developers alike.
The higher level computing that is available with the iPad using the A4 chip (vs. the iPhone) will definitely raise the bar when it comes to what new native apps will be able to do on the iPad. And that is why Mobile Roadie is so excited about the iPad as well! We see this as an opportunity to help our customers take their online presence to the next level. Of course, all of the current apps available will be compatible with the iPad, but we will also be supporting native apps for the iPad as well.
Think of it this way: if you’ve been holding off on getting an app developed because you’ve been waiting for the next best thing … well, it’s here. Now what are you waiting for? Contact Mobile Roadie today to find out what you need to do to get your music, book, or business aligned with Apple’s newest and most revolutionary product, the iPad.
The Next Twiistup is Coming Soon, Get the App Here
posted by Michael Arcand
Twiistup has become not just another tech conference, but literally the hottest tech event in the Los Angeles area. It’s a great showcase for people with new ideas and entrepreneurial spirit as well as a great place to network with media and investors all under one roof. The next event kicks off on January 28th and will feature 10 startups showing off their demos featuring some of the top up-and-coming technology out there. Speakers run the gamut from CEOs, startup founders, new media managers and the people who fund such ideas, seed investors and capital investment managers.
So how will you ever keep up with all the happenings before, during and after this Twiistup event? It’s easier than ever before with the new Twiistup iPhone app from Mobile Roadie. The app features official news, official tweets, and other buzz from the Twitterverse about Twiistup. There’s a fan wall where app users can get together to discuss news and events, as well as a full list of all the sessions available during the event. Join the mailing list or browse through photos and videos, both of past events and as they are published during the upcoming event.
If you’re going to the event, this app will help keep you on schedule and network with others who are there. If you can’t make it to the event, this will literally be the next best thing. Get yours in the Apple Store today and don’t miss out on all the buzz surrounding Twiistup!
Mobile Roadie Welcomes Dan Pink
posted by Michael Arcand
Mobile Roadie recently completed an iPhone app for Dan Pink, a former vice-presidential speech writer, and author. As a free agent, Dan’s work has appeared in publications like The New York Times and Wired. He has also offered his expertise as a business trends analyst for major news networks such as CNBC, CNN, and NPR. As a speaker his schedule always seems to be booked, with notable appearances including his talk on drive during the TED conference.
So, it was a privilege when Dan contacted Mobile Roadie to do an iPhone app for him. The official Dan Pink app is now live in the iTunes App store and available free of charge. With his iPhone app, Dan shares a lot of information with his fans and followers, including excerpts from his four published books as well as his audiobooks. If you want to find out when Dan will be speaking at a venue near you, it’s easy. Just pull up his speaking schedule under Tour and click on the venue you want more information on. You can confirm you are attending as well as interact with other app users in the comments section. Watch the full length TED talk, or clips from other interviews and speeches given by Dan. Using push technology, you can even sign up for notifications direct to your iPhone with the latest news and information from Dan.
All in all it’s a great app for anyone who reads Dan’s books and follows his revolutionary ideas about what motivates and drives us as humans. Not to mention he’s happy with it. In fact, we’re so happy that he’s happy, that we are offering a promo to those reading his blog who decide to get an app from Mobile Roadie. Simply use code DANPINK during checkout and get 15% off.
