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Services and applications

Submitted by amir on Mon, 09/08/2008 - 15:41.

Commercial services

These are companies that provide services such as bulk SMS messaging and short codes. Inclusion in this list should not be seen as an endorsement of the products or companies detailed.

Messaging systems used in NGO contexts

These are some messaging systems that have been used in interesting ways in the not for profit environment.

  • Kazi560 - Kenyan Job site with SMS alerts (established by OneWorld's Mobile4Good)
  • Rights Group: US Based Mobile Services & Tools for Cause-Related organisations
  • SafetyText: A text messaging system where users can send a text message with details about their surroundings, this gets delivered if the person isn't safe and unable to cancel it. The message is sent to a previously chosen contact, at a pre-defined time. SafetyText is managed by the Lucie Blackman Trust.
  • SW Radio Africa SMS Campaign: When Mugabe's started confiscating radios in an effort to clamp down even further on access to information, SW Radio Africa launched a program through which people could receive headlines by SMS.
  • Greenpeace Japan GMO Campaign: GP Japan developed a GMO-free shopping guide browsable on mobile web, which creates the opportunity for a shopper to check food products on the fly, while walking up and down the grocery store aisles. They can also read background information about the source company that produces that item and in particular, their customer feedback telephone number, so that companies can be asked questions directly from the public.
  • SMS Communities: Use by Wildlife conservation teams
  • One SMS to Save One Life in Darfur: Turkish NGO Kimse Yok Mu asks people to send an SMS message to a specific number, and part of the costs will be a donation for the Darfur food program.
  • Manobi: A Senegalese company operating online systems for businesses in the developing world. It launched the trading platform for farmers and fishermen in the west African nation, signing up 40,000 customers there. Teaming up with cell phone manufacturers, farmers can access the information on a web-based trading platform via Internet-enabled phones, or can request prices and make trades via SMS, or text message.

Voice

Some telephony and VOIP applications.

  • Grand Central: Hosted service providing a multitude of Feature options for your telephony
  • Celliax: A project which uses Asterisk to manage cell phones & Skype callsMedia:Example.ogg
  • Gizmo Project: SIP service with a client for a Java Mobile (especially useful with WiFi)
  • TruPhone: SIP service with a client for a Java Mobile (especially useful with WiFi)

Ringtones

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