StealthNET Ltd

Premium Rate Billing & Telephony + Mobile Products & SMS Services
Call us on 08444 150 763 Outside the UK +44 1493 334 830

News

Hound wins premium phone vote to dance again

Hound wins premium phone vote to dance again The second series of the BBC1 dance competition Let's Dance for Sport Relief launched with an explosive start, as comedian Rufus Hound won the premium phone vote sending him to the final.

After the success of last year's series, which saw Peep Show actor Robert Webb win the title for his Flashdance routine, the show returned on Saturday night (February 20th) to recreate the magic.

Winning the premium phone vote, from which proceeds will go to Sport Relief, was Rufus Hound, who performed a comedic routine of Cheryl Cole's Fight for This Love.

Judge Kimberly Walsh from Girls Aloud said of Hound's routine: "I cannot believe how perfect some of the moves were … I think Cheryl would have loved it too."

Also through to the final was comedian Katy Brand, who won the judge's vote after performing Beyonce's Single Ladies.

Since Sport Relief was created in 2002, more than £80 million has been raised for the charity.
ADNFCR-2081-ID-19628793-ADNFCR



Darius wins Operastar after premium phone vote

Darius wins Operastar after premium phone vote Darius Campbell, previously known as Darius Danesh, has won the crown for the Popstar to Operastar contest after gaining the most calls in a premium line phone vote.

He beat Nolans sister Bernie Nolan to the title on last Friday's (February 19th) show in an audience-only vote. Before the semi-final, the panel of judges, which includes Katherine Jenkins and rock star Meatloaf, made the final call on who left the show.

Mentor Rolando Villazon sang a duet with the popstar and in his second song, Campbell reprised his aria from the Marriage of Figaro, for which he earned praise in a previous show.

Campbell shot to fame by singing an unpopular rendition of Britney Spear's Hit Me Baby in the Pop Idol auditions, which saw fellow contestant Kym Marsh and presenter Myleene Klass go on to win the show.

Since then, Campbell has become a hit on the musical stage, having played Billy Flynn in Chicago among others.

By calling the 09 number throughout the ITV series, proceeds went to the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy charity.

ADNFCR-2081-ID-19628785-ADNFCR



Panel named for new BBC premium phone voting show

Panel named for new BBC premium phone voting show BBC talent search show Over the Rainbow, which will require viewers to vote for their favourite each week using a premium phone line, has announced a new line-up of judges.

Assisting Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber on the judging panel will be Charlotte Church, John Partridge and Sheila Hancock, who will scrutinise the contestants before viewers vote one out each week by calling a 25p-premium line.

Last year, 14p from each call went towards the BBC performing Arts Fund.

The show will go in search of a woman to play Dorothy in the revival of the Wizard of Oz on London's West End and will follow a similar format to previous musical shows How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do and last year's I'd Do Anything.

There has been some hostility with the choice of judges, as Denise Van Outen said that she felt "disappointed and let down" at not being chosen for the third year.

Graham Norton will host the show as in previous years.
ADNFCR-2081-ID-19626452-ADNFCR



Smartphone growth sees 'new possibilities' for mobile marketing

Smartphone growth sees 'new possibilities' for mobile marketing The rapid growth of smartphones in the past year has led to more options for mobile marketing, according to one industry expert.

Matt McNeil, founder of mobile marketing specialist Sign-Up.to, has said that businesses can market more specifically to customers, not only while they are away from their home or office PC but also in addition to it.

Smartphones allow users to access and receive their email on the move at all times, be it through push email or pull, "blurring" the two mediums. This service is in addition to SMS marketing which can be used for most mobile phones.

"It is still in the realm of early adoption but that's going to change quite rapidly. There is a very strong synergy between online and mobile but the lines are becoming increasingly blurred between the two."

Mr McNeil also said that the number of businesses using mobile marketing to target consumers with their products and services has grown significantly over the last 12 months.

ADNFCR-2081-ID-19626021-ADNFCR



Launch of survey software could increase mobile marketing

Launch of survey software could increase mobile marketing A new piece of software for mobile phones is to be unveiled which will allow users to fill out questionnaires and respond to incentives by businesses targeting specific customers, making a significant step towards easier mobile marketing communication.

Users will be able to receive targeted incentives and surveys by businesses from their mobiles, "taking advantage of individual downtime while also capturing opinions closest to 'the moment of truth'", creators Global Park has said in a statement.

Lorenz Graf, chief executive of Global Park said: "We look forward to sharing our vision of advanced and flexible mobile feedback solutions and providing the technology platform to help organizations engage with mobile audiences."

The software will be launched at the annual Mobile Research Conference in London on March 8th-9th by the company, which specialises in tracking customers' behaviour and feedback using panel, community and survey software.

ADNFCR-2081-ID-19625802-ADNFCR



GMTV launches premium phone competition worth £25k

GMTV launches premium phone competition worth £25k ITV morning show GMTV launched a premium phone line competition this week offering one winner "the ultimate energy efficiency package" worth £25,000.

Launched on Monday (February 15th), the draw will run until this coming Friday (February 19th).

One winner will receive a VW Golf BlueMotion, one of the most energy efficient cars on the market in the UK. The winner will also get a number of eco-friendly appliances for their home, including a Smeg fridge freezer and dishwasher, an LG washing machine, a Sony Bravia Eco TV and an Apple MacBook Air laptop.

Other appliances to reduce energy consumption in the home will also be given away, such as an electricity monitor and a standby saver.

Entrants must ring the premium phone line or text the SMS number with the answer to the question that is revealed throughout the show each day this week.

GMTV is presented by a host of well-known faces including Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway.
ADNFCR-2081-ID-19623834-ADNFCR



Internet micropayments rise as mobile shoppers reach 'critical mass'

Internet micropayments rise as mobile shoppers reach 'critical mass' People shopping on their mobile will spend $119 billion (£76 billion) in 2015 according to ABI Research, leading to the possible uptake of more internet micropayments particularly by young online gamers.

"Mobile online shopping is reaching critical mass," said Mark Beccue, senior analyst at the technology research firm.

"In the United States, mobile online shopping rose from $396 million in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009," he said.

However, its figures predict that the European market will overtake the US by the end of 2010.

Mr Beccue put the rise in the US down to the "sharp spike" of smartphone adoption, which provides users with much easier access to the internet while on the move.

With a rise in the number of mobile shoppers, an increase in internet micropayments could arise.

ABI found that trading in virtual goods such as online gaming had "seen a rapid uptake, as mobile payments are the best option for online purchases under about $20". This is particularly useful for young gamers without credit cards, the company said.
ADNFCR-2081-ID-19623820-ADNFCR



Europe market shows growth in mobile banking

Europe market shows growth in mobile banking The European mobile market has shown steady growth in banking subscriptions, according to research by ABI, which could in turn show a growth towards businesses using mobile marketing and micropayments.

ABI forecasted that 407 million people worldwide will use their mobiles for banking transactions by 2015, with the Asia-Pacific region showing the fastest expansion.

Senior analyst for the research company Mark Beccue said that growth in Europe was limited because banks only offered mobile services to online subscribers. He said that the region was "still a long way from what anyone would call a 'mass market' uptake of mobile banking, but those regions offer the best long-term conditions for that to occur".

This comes as research has shown that UK mobile users are using their handsets to conduct financial transactions by way of micropayments.

Mr Beccue also said that the US had launched SMS-based banking, expanding the number of devices having access to services as well as increasing the number of people targeted by mobile marketing.
ADNFCR-2081-ID-19623460-ADNFCR



Single micropayment model to be trialled

Single micropayment model to be trialled A new internet micropayment service is to be trialled, allowing one donation to access a number of websites.

Created by Peter Sunde, who made his name with the illegal hacker site Pirate Bay, the new model called Flattr will involve users to pay at one source and have access to sites that the user has specified.

Micropayments have proved to be a successful tool for companies. In 2009, 2.4million UK consumers spent around £117 per person on online games and £170 million on mobile games combined, from just small payments at a time.

The Flattr model would require a minimum donation of €2 (£1.73) per month to access the sites and this money can be redistributed to participating businesses.

Ben Camm-Jones, news editor of Web User magazine, said: "It could be a significant step towards helping publishers to make money from the web, but only if consumers can be persuaded to pay for content they've previously been able to access for nothing, whether that was legally or illegally."
ADNFCR-2081-ID-19621358-ADNFCR



Mobile marketing could become simpler with unified apps

Mobile marketing could become simpler with unified apps Mobile carriers announced this week at the Mobile World Congress that they are to create a Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), which could mean that businesses who use mobile marketing find it simpler to reach multiple users.

Creating the unified application store will be 24 different mobile carriers including Vodafone and device makers such as LG, Samsung and Sony Ericcsson.

Together, the community will have access to over three billion customers, allowing providers and third party businesses new access to countless users.

The companies' main aim is to provide a combined service of applications for users to download from one main source. It will also focus on combining the knowledge and resources of the organisations to compete with Apple's App Store.

In a statement on its website the WAC said: "A number of the world's leading telecommunications operators and device manufacturers are launching an open global alliance, that will establish a simple route to market for developers and provide access to the latest and widest range of innovative applications and services to as many customers as possible worldwide."
ADNFCR-2081-ID-19621342-ADNFCR



« 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 »