iCabbi - The Taxi App

I was sent on details about a new iPhone App, iCabbi, and thought that it was definitely worth sharing. Essentially it is a virtual taxi dispatch that allows real-time booking of taxis directly from your iPhone. While many people may make regular taxi trips either personally or for work, and therefore use a regular taxi company, the real benefit, as far as I can see, with iCabbi is that whenever you are in a situation that you may not be 100% familiar with the area you are in, you can confidentially order a taxi without having to worry.

The app works by showing the 'iCabbi's on a map and letting you know exactly where they are. When we are fully national you will only need to press iCabbi on your smart phone to get a taxi wherever you are. While the system id currently only live in Dublin & Cork, they are aiming to have nationwide coverage by the end of 2011. Similarly, while iCabbi is only available on the iPhone at the moment, a Blackberry app is expected to be approved very shortly with a Nokia app coming in the next few months.

The company bills its biggest selling point as security for women. They say that the app will allow customers to always know who is coming to pick them up, as well as allowing easy record management of pick up & drop off locations and routes through emails sent to two accounts of your choosing.

About iCabbi
Quick & Efficient - iCabbi allows people to get the closest taxi to them at the touch of a mobile phone button & to track its progress in real time – no need to speak to anyone, no need to call directory enquiries for cab company numbers, for multiple calls on busy nights or to check when your car will arrive.

Safe & Secure - When you book an iCabbi the details of the car & driver coming to get you are sent directly to your mobile phone. Your journey is then recorded and emailed to two email addresses of your choosing, a particularly attractive feature to women. Giving you and your loved ones greater peace of mind when using taxis, particularly late at night & also makes finding lost items a little easier!

Environmentally Friendly – allocating the closest taxi to the fare makes sense from an environmental perspective as less fuel is being burned while going to the pick up location meaning lower CO2 emissions. In our test market of Cork City drivers reported an average saving of up to 20% when using iCabbi compared to the traditional radio model.

All Inclusive – people with hearing & speech difficulties can now book taxis wherever they are whenever they want without the need to seek assistance.

A Good News Story – iCabbi will create up to ten new positions in Ireland in year one alone with the huge export potential offering even more opprtunities for jobs in the future.

iCabbi also provides a lifeline to those with hearing and speech problems who may have had difficulties or even found it impossible to book a taxi at home or while on the move – now they can simply book an iCabbi at the touch of a mobile phone button.

For further information please contact:
Gavan Walsh on 086 839 6858, or, Bob Nixon on 086 604 3668
info@icabbi.com
www.icabbi.com

Guinness Rugby iPhone App

Over the weekend you may have noticed a lot of 'My Friend Finder Location' messages popping up in your Facebook Newsfeed. Basically last Friday saw the launch of the newly upgraded Guinness Rugby iPhone app. Guinness, who are a partner of Irish Rugby, updated their existing iPhone app to, what they describe as, "allow Irish rugby fans to be at the heart of the game".

The app, which was initially launched earlier this year and is a free download, is already a hit with a huge number of fans and was the number one free sports download in the App Store. Following its relaunch, in the space of 24 hours, the app ranked at number 5 in the same category.

The Guinness Rugby iPhone app features all the latest technology, providing information and news updates from the best sports sites with news stories from Irish Rugby, Munster and Leinster, Irish Times and Breaking News to name just a few. The app also pulls in regular updates from the Guinness Rugby Facebook team. Even though this results in a huge amount of information at your fingertips, you can easily toggle between sources to stay informed with up-to-the-minute news from inside the Irish camp with Jamie Heaslip, Tommy Bowe, Johnny Sexton, and John Muldoon.

Key Features of the Guinness Rugby iPhone app:

• Live feeds to Guinness Rugby Ireland's Facebook page which features regular updates from the Guinness Rugby team
• News updates from Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Munster Rugby, The Irish Times, Planet Rugby, Irish Examiner, Breaking News and the Irish Independent
• A unique and interactive Guinness Rugby Calendar, allowing user's access to the latest Guinness Area 22 Rugby Supporter Events, matches updates and key dates in the rugby international and domestic scene.
• Guinness Rugby Map. This uses Google maps to allow fans access Transport Services (Dart, train stations, LUAS), a pub finder including details on Guinness Area 22 Venues in the greater Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road and Ballsbridge neighbourhoods and Stadium Map for all relevant venues (Aviva, RDS, Thomond Park)
• A bespoke Guinness Friend Finder so fans can stay in touch with each other on match days. By selecting the friend finder option, fans can post their location on the Guinness Rugby map on match day and share their location with their Facebook friends.
• Further upgrades over the course of the rugby season, particularly ahead of the 2011 6 Nations.

For more info check out www.Guinness.com/rugby and
Guinness Rugby Facebook Page.

Meteor's Christmas

There is so much going on with Meteor at the moment I'm not even sure where to start. Not only have Meteor fully embraced their new mantra of "your social network" with vigour and enthusiasm through there impressive product range and new business focus on data packages, but the mobile network has also made some serious inroads into bringing their services to the heart of Facebook.

So first up I'd like to mention the two new services that Meteor have added to their Facebook Page; their Facebook Top-up Service and Online Store. Both services sit directly within Facebook and allow users to take care of their mobile needs directly within the social network. In themselves both services are great examples of development work but more so it is the customer service element that I think is most important. While other operators are concentrating on driving visitors to their own sites, Meteor have recognised a core service that users should be able to access where they want to.

Next up is the two new Meteor ads for Christmas. Meteor have moved completely away from last years very popular series of ads and characters, and made this years theme all about the 'power of suggestion'. The ads show two sides of the same story and link up to create a brilliant little narrative. If interested, I have the storyboards here and here, but the best thing to do is to just watch the two ads...

Once upon a time with LG Optimus

LG have just launched a brand new campaign to highlight their two new mobile phones, the LG Optimus One and LG Optimus 7. The campaign features a brilliantly animated ad that pays homage to a kaleidoscope of Hollywood blockbusters.

Check out the ad here...

The campaign also features a Facebook element, calling on fans to tell their own mobile stories - http://www.facebook.com/#!/LGMobileHQ

As for the phones themselves; For the Optimus 7, LG have partnered with Microsoft to create a windows powered mobile with an expansive 3.8 inch WVGA LCD display (800x480 pixels) and 16GB of internal memory. It also features an extra large 1500mAh battery for extended online and realtime activity. The Optimus One has been developed based on the consumer insight that first-time smartphone users have a strong want for advice and insight into the best apps to get. As a result, the LG Optimus One focuses on offering instant information search and versatile application packages such as the LG App Advisor, which recommends 10 highly rated applications every two weeks.

In other LG news I was lucky enough to recently get invited to an LG roadshow to view and demo their latest 3D TVs and home entertainment systems. Following this I was even more lucky to get asked if I would like to do a home demo of one of their systems. Needless to say I jumped at the chance. Stay tuned and I'll have a full insight for you into just what it's like to use a 3D entertainment system.

QuitWithHelp.ie

QuitWithHelp.ie, the online resource from Pfizer to help people quit smoking, has announced that for this week (Monday 8th - Friday 12th), smokers across Ireland have the opportunity to avail of an online GP ‘surgery’ for free. The GP surgery is open each day from 12.00-15.00 and 18.00-21.00, and is staffed by GPs to give instant professional advice on quitting smoking. During the online surgery, the GPs will answer all your questions via a private Instant Messaging service – no one else is able to view the exchange.

So basically it's like going to your GP except from the comfort of your own home/wherever you are online and, of course, it's free!

The campaign behind the online activity is fronted by former Munster and Irish International rugby player, Mick Galwey, and follows recent research commissioned by Pfizer which found that 90% of smokers believe they are addicted or would find it very hard to quit smoking. The research also found that smokers have actively tried to quit a number of times, with current smokers citing an average of almost four (3.95) quit attempts.

Mick said; “I never smoked and am very glad for that. As a sportsperson we are constantly reminded of the importance of health and fitness to reach your full potential. Smoking can really hold you back from achieving that potential; it affects your ability to be as good a sportsperson as you can be. If you smoke it’s never too early to stop to improve your health. This online surgery is a great idea as you can get the professional advice you need, in the comfort of your own home.”

Dr. Ronan Donohoe, one of the GPs involved in the online surgery, commented; “Many smokers recognise the harmful effects of smoking and want to stop, but stopping smoking is a very difficult thing to do and can often take several attempts. I urge people to avail of this free service and seek professional advice on how to quit, as it has been shown that getting help from a doctor or other healthcare professional can double a person’s chances of beating nicotine addiction.”

As well as the free online ‘surgery’, the site also allows visitors to follow the real life quit journey of Eddie, a member of the public who has successfully quit with the help and support of a GP. Eddie also features in the ‘Quit With Help’ public awareness campaign that is running on tv, radio and certain online media.

About Quit with Help
Quit with Help is a public awareness campaign developed and funded by Pfizer. The campaign aims to encourage smokers who are serious about stopping to seek help and support from a Doctor for any quit attempt.

In Ireland it is estimated that 7,000 people die from tobacco use every year costing millions of euro annually to the healthcare system for treating tobacco-related illnesses. Smokers have an increased risk of cancers, heart disease, strokes, low birth weight and many other diseases. Smoking is the single most important preventable cause of illness and death and can result in people losing an average of 10-15 years from their life expectancy.