This is the first piece of ad supported software (also known as adware) to be made available for the Symbian platform. Symbian developers are finding application distribution and marketting to be the most difficult issue to face in the application development cycle. MobiMate is clearly looking to innovate in this area and gain a wider market share for its best selling product. MobiMate will then be able to use this customer base both as a revenue source (mobile advertising), but also for marketing base. It is likely they will offer pay-for updates (with a greater level of functionality) as well as cross selling other applications.
Adware has generates mixed feelings among users with some feel advertising is a fiar price to pay for free software, while other feel it is too intrusive. On the PC adware has a mixed reputation - adware application are often associated with spyware. However most Internet websites are based on the same principals as adware (see advertising in return for free content).
MobiMate expect to build a base of 10 million users in the next 18 months, that means they expect to be installed on 1 in 10 S60 phones.
Full Press Release:
Nice, France May 22, 2006 – MobiMate Ltd. announced today its co-operation with Amobee Inc. to create a free version of WorldMate®, MobiMate's best selling application, incorporating mobile advertising provided by Amobee Media System technology. WorldMate Free Edition was demonstrated at the Mobile Application Summit, hosted by Nokia. It will initially support Nokia S60 devices and will be distributed online, for free, to millions of S60-based Nokia device users.
WorldMate Free Edition will include a bundle of travel services including world clocks, weather forecasts, currency exchange rates and more. The application will include advertising in the form of "interstitials" shown during idle-time, for instance when the application is first loaded or when data updates occur. These ads will also enable users to respond immediately to advertisers' messages, for instance by browsing to an advertiser's WAP-site or by placing a call to its service line. Advertisements are served on-line using Amobee Media System technology and are rotated over time, just like banners or interstitials in a web-site.
“The mobile content industry needs a better business model", states Nadav Gur, MobiMate's CEO. "The Internet has taught end users to expect most content for free – courtesy of advertisers. By adopting similar business models we will be able to increase the reach and use of mobile services. Amobee provides us with the technology and eco-system that facilitate this. In the next 18 months, WorldMate is expected to reach over 10 million users, most of them business professionals. This provides advertisers with an extremely valuable medium for their messages."
“We are pleased to provide MobiMate with a new way to ad-fund its world class application and provide mobile business users with an opportunity to get more value and pay less" said Zohar Levkovitz, CEO of Amobee. "By launching an ad-funded service, MobiMate is establishing itself as a key pioneer in the mobile industry.”
For more information regarding WorldMate Free Edition, see http://www.mobimate.com/free .