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MobiMate Ltd. recently announced its co-operation with Amobee Inc. to create a free, ad supported, version of WorldMate. It will initially support Nokia S60 devices and will be distributed online, for free, to millions of S60-based Nokia device users.
WorldMate Free Edition will include a bundle of travel services including world clocks, weather forecasts, currency exchange rates and more. The application will include advertising in the form of “interstitials” shown during idle-time (i.e. when the application is first loaded or when data updates occur). These ads will also enable users to respond immediately to advertisers’ messages. Advertisements are served on-line using Amobee Media System technology and are rotated over time, just like banners or interstitials in a web-site.
As far as I know, this is the first free, ad supported, Symbian application. Are we about to enter the new age of mobile applications where we’ll have the fully functional free, ad supported, version and paid, ads free, version of the same software? It’s not that clear. Mobile bandwidth is still very expensive in many countries, making the ad serving expensive for the end user. Until that issue is settled and prices go way down, I don’t think this will be the case. Companies as Google, which already has its free online services and products, could drive this shift. Till then, we’ll have to pay for the software — as we’ve always did.
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
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