An idea

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euanandrews

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#16532 14-Oct-2007 15:33

Could a website members profile be given its own phone number?

With voip technology as it is, could you setup and give members of your website a phone number each that could be called from anywhere...

This could be used so to enable that user to send sms, mms, photos, video...and more importantly, live streaming video from a cellphone....

I could 'video call' my website profile using the assigned phone number, and stream live from my cell to the web...
Send sms or mms that are automatically added to the profiles blog/multimedia diary/photo book/media album etc...

Simple blog text updates could be done by anyone with a cellphone, video and/or pictures with anyone with a camera cellphone...
By using a phone number, the simplicity of use would be a big selling point, not having to teach people how to use a service they already know how to use...no need to upgrade or modify cellphones or installed software, or access services through slow or hard to find features of the cellphone...

I could have scheduled 6pm live video event 'News with Euan'...
Report news or events live and unedited as they happen anywhere in the world (with cellphone coverage)
Hold a live meeting with those in the office behind a computer while I'm out in the field...
I could update my blog daily by the easy sending of 1 text...

Imagine the possibility's
Unlimited

freitasm

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#91001 14-Oct-2007 16:59

This could be an expesive membership only site. With VoIP or any other technology there are infrastructure requirements and these cost money.

Also tro access this service you still would need mobile phones - people still need to sign up for contracts and pay monthly fees or at least prepay with current operators, because your site wouldn't have real cell sites... So things start getting to the point of "why bother?" since people can use their current operators anyway?

There are lots of SMS, MMS and other solutions alreaydy.

euanandrews

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#91004 14-Oct-2007 17:44

Well of course people would still need cellphones, but they would not have to change from what they have now, thats the point...

I know its an expensive idea, as anything to do with video requires virtually unlimited bandwidth and thats where allot of the ongoing cost would be, but it is just that, an idea...and hey, youtube etc did it and have made their millions/billions...

I have been searching around, and have been researching the other services available, and yes you can upload videos etc from cellphones via sms and email, or using the built in browser...but most of the current solutions are not that user friendly nor do they deal with live video...

Having a number that can be used to send sms/mms/video calling to would just make it all so much simplier for the end-user...and thats what its all about.

Its not to say voip technology has to be used, just is there a technology that would allow assigning 'internet profile phone numbers' that could be used by cellphones to send sms/mms/video calling too...

And thats the big one I'm talking about...live video...
Not 1 website I can find, none of the dominant players, deal with live streaming video directly from a cellphone....
Webcams yes...but thats so old fashioned now, and people are not always at their pc to be able to use their webcam...
Almost everybody has a cellphone, mobile media is the future, the big sites already know it and are moving to provide solutions hence as your mentioned already, but they still fall short of live streaming video direct from cellphone, displayed on a website...

That would be a winner.
I can see many commercial uses...
I can see many consumer uses...

I'm not asking about the difficulties/logistics in setting up such a service or the costs, I'm asking, can it be done?

maninimepo

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#91037 14-Oct-2007 22:06

Isn't what you're talking about effectively Skype on a phone?

Essentially an iPhone?

freitasm

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#91049 14-Oct-2007 22:56

TheBartender: I'm not asking about the difficulties/logistics in setting up such a service or the costs, I'm asking, can it be done?

Everything you described can be done. The only question is if it's feasible in economical terms.

And no, this is not Skype or not even remotey the iPhone.

paradoxsm

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#91052 14-Oct-2007 23:34

I have the slingshot 2talk service running which in a kind of way supports call forwarding to another mobile free of charge. I could just assign it to any mobile of my choice and only give out my "028" number..
Of course the catch is that MMS and SMS are not supported but watch the space, I can only guess it's a development for the future.

I currently run all my email through a domain I registered where I can just assign myself disposable email addresses for everything and forward them all over the show but that's the closest..

Great idea Bartender... I might have to steal it tee hee hee, I'm currently studying hard on some AJAX to do this type of thing but the possibilities of me ever doing it are prety well zilch...., the main difficulties lie with getting the mobile operator to provide a "physical" connection to their switch and systems which are all prop systems.

Services which used this idea kind of was ratemypxt and aome other SMS ticker websites (I even developed a crude one myself) but these technologies are kind of dead and the novelty wore off.

GREAT thinking though dude!

euanandrews

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#91087 15-Oct-2007 10:28

freitasm:
TheBartender: I'm not asking about the difficulties/logistics in setting up such a service or the costs, I'm asking, can it be done?

Everything you described can be done. The only question is if it's feasible in economical terms.

Ok, so if I did ask what are the difficulties/logistics in setting up such a service, what would they be in your mind...roughly?

I suppose one could start with a test country (NZ), do a deal/partnership with Vodafone to allow access to network and have them set aside phone numbers....

Wow!

If I could use 'Best Mate' to update my website profile with live video (recorded on the site and able to be accessed later), video blogs, update the blog text via sms, pictures/video clips via mms etc....

$8 a month....I would sign up for that
Theres a selling point to Vodafone?