Edinburgh-based company Spraffl has launched a social media network app where users are anonymous and obviates the need to spend time on building networks.
Apparently in Scotland the word ‘spraff’ is a slang term for chit-chat and the geoloaction app is available on Android and the AppStore. It means ‘Spraffers’ can enter a conversation without the need to identify themselves to others on the network. Continue reading
Orange and Baidu have partnered on an enhanced browser for customers in Africa and the Middle East.
This is Baidu’s firs global operator deal to co-develop such a browser for emerging markets. It is available in Arabic and English with French in development and will be pre-installed on Android devices across Orange’s 24 AMEA territories.
The browser offers one-click access and its enhanced data compression of 90% means faster access for AMEA customers. Continue reading
The old joke says that when Elvis Presley was exhumed from his grave he didn’t sing much, but he hummed quite a lot.
In slightly better taste, Digital Giving has launched a music app called ‘Hum This’, an interactive game of charades that ‘challenges players to hum and guess song titles from an archive of thousands.
Supported by official partners HMV, O2 and Ticketmaster (!), a percentage of the profits will go towards supporting two chosen charities, Nordoff Robbins, which uses music therapy to transform lives, and War Child, which helps children in some of the world’s most dangerous countries.
The ‘Hum This!’ free app comes with 50 virtual notes with a paid-for app available for £1.49 with 1,600 virtual notes. Additional notes can be purchased in-app via the ‘Hum This!’ note store. The app is available to download now on iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android phones and tablets from the Apple app store or Google Play.
“From our inception, War Child has always pioneered using the power of music in innovative ways to raise funds for our vital work. We’re proud to partner Hum This! as it offers a fun new way for people to support charities,” said Ben Knowles, Director of Fundraising, War Child.
Similarly uplifting is seeing Ticketmaster doing something good for the world, instead of RIPPING US ALL OFF ON TICKET PRICE SURCHAGES. If he really was dug up, Elvis wouldn’t only hum a bit, he’d be spinning in his grave.
Melod.io, a mobile music messaging platform, has raised $300K to launch a service that lets users of social networks create and share personalised music and audio messages.
Using an onscreen slider, users can preview and download different music packs and search across genres for rhythms and vocal styles. They can create their own backing music using pre-loaded effects, loops and beats before recording their voice messages over the top of the backing track and sharing the track across social.
According to the company, social media users want to do more than send text-only communication because it doesn’t allow them to express themselves enough. It also suggest that music and audio messaging can be a new m-commerce platform that can lead to sell-through and retention. Time will tell… it might have a chance.
The service is available os a freemium no-ads model on the Apple iTunes Store and is ‘coming soon’ on the Google Play store for Android. The company will release a freemium version with ads and a premium model later this year.