Bluetooth Everywhere

Alright folks, it’s time. If you’re interested in getting a free beta version of BlogRadio, then you need to act now.

So, it’s very easy to qualify for the beta test. First of all, we won’t require any personal information. All you need to do is write a comment in this blog posting that answers the following five (5) questions:

1. Why do want to try out BlogRadio? (Most people will use it while commuting, but we’re curious about if there are any other use cases that we haven’t explored)
2.  What mobile devices do you own that you can test with? (If you’re like me, then you have more than one mobile device)
3. BlogRadio currently reads blog items in English, but what other language(s) should we support?
4. Do you have a blog? (If the answer is “no”, that’s ok).
5. What are the top 3 blogs that you would use BlogRadio for?

We’re going to accept applications for the beta only for this week (Sunday May 17 - Saturday May 23). If you’re chosen for the beta test, then we’ll contact you via email about further instructions and how to get started.

Ok, let me give you a word of advice. If you’re planning on developing a mobile, wireless, or internet application, then the best way to deter users from using your product, game, or service is to force them them to sign-up or register. I know that it’s an industry standard to have all your users to sign-up or register, but believe me, today’s customers are tired of having to register just to use every new application or service that pops up.  Here’s some of the major reasons why people DON’T want to register:

1. The registration process could be time intensive
2. The user my be required to give personal information
3. The user my be required to give their email address (and you can spam them)
4. The user will have to try to remember yet another username and password pair
5. The user may have to read a long license, disclaimer, or privacy policy (which protects YOU, not them)

Currently, I’m at the point where I’m walking away from the sites where I have to sign up, unless it’s REALLY worth the hassle. And guess what? Your potential customers are doing the same thing.

So, what are we doing differently with BlogRadio (coming in June 2009 to the Ovi store)? Take a look at the beta version of the BlogRadio Desktop Manager, shown below:

The whole purpose of the Desktop Manager is to allow users to manage the list of blogs that they want to hear on the BlogRadio Mobile application. So, if we don’t force the user to sign up, the how can we determine the data coming from one copy of the Desktop Manager among the thousands of copies of the Desktop Manager?

Key codes.

If you look at the bottom-left section of the image above, you’ll see that we assigned a key code to this particular user. When the user initializes their mobile client for the first time, all they need to do is enter in the key code that’s clearly shown on their Desktop Manager. We now have everything that we need to send their personal blog list to their mobile client. And of course, the user is happy because they don’t have to register.

Ok folks, I can admit that it’s been a while since I made a blog posting. However, I want to assure you that I haven’t fallen off the edge of the planet. I’ve been working on an earth-shattering new mobile application that will completely change the way you use your mobile device. The application is named, BlogRadio, and it’s a very simple concept that will allow you to listen to your favorite blogs sites using a mobile device.

Now, if you’re like most internet users, then there are some blogs that you like to read. On the other hand, if you’re like me, then there are alot blogs that you like to read! So I created this application to allow anyone to listen to their favorite blogs while they’re on-the-go. I have alot more to announce about BlogRadio as we get ready to launch the application on the Ovi Store next month (including a free beta program), so stay tuned, an don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long for this app.