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A company called Mobile Thunder introduced iScratcher, a free application that turns an iPhone/iPod touch into a scratch-to-win game card. The main idea is in getting a portion of mobile marketing dollars. In that sense, the company applied for a patent in an effort to protect its unique idea/use for marketing purposes.
Here’s how it works (from the press release):
Advertisers sponsor scratch-off games that display on mobile device screens. Players “scratch off” a game card by wiping the screen with a finger to reveal sponsor brand images and potential prizes such as cash, products, coupons, promotional codes, lottery results, or content. Using GPS technology, iScratcher will provide location-specific game odds, prizes and — with another tap of the finger — a map with directions to nearby stores where prizes can be instantly redeemed.
At the moment this is the iPhone/iPod Touch thing only, but I’ve no doubts Mobile Thunder will port its technology to other platforms in no time — they even say Android and BlackBerry versions are in the queue.
I like the idea, as it promotes the win-win concept, with both advertisers and users getting something out of it. The only problem is whether it will reach the tipping point to scale. Without further benefits, I can’t see myself scratching for coupons on a daily basis. We’ll see. In the meantime, you can check out a dedicated website for more information.
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.
