Social Networking

Screenshot courtesy of Google

Do you remember Google's social networking site that initially was an invitation-only? I certainly didn't. I thought it was shut down along with other Google projects like Jaiku and Lively. Well, many of us may have forgotten about orkut, but the Google Mobile group didn't...

Introducing the orkut Mobile App

You can find this free app for Java-enabled phones by pointing your phone's mobile browser at...

m.google.com/orkut

If you use orkut, could you let me know where it is popular and what people use it for?

Mobile social community MocoSpace has topped six-million registered users, just over three months after it reached the five-million-user milestone.

MocoSpace users can create profiles, upload and share pictures, chat, IM, blog and otherwise communicate from within the application. According to a recent report from Openwave on the North American mobile social network market, MocoSpace members spend an average 6.05 minutes per session - much longer than they spend with social network leaders MySpace and Facebook. The Openwave report found that MySpace mobile users average 3.79 minutes per session, while Facebook mobile users spend a mere 1.89 minutes.

The Boston-based MocoSpace credits word-of-mouth, with its current members inviting their friends to join, for much of its recent growth.

MySpace is finally launching a version for Windows Mobile phones. Due out this summer, the new MySpace for Windows Mobile app will include support for Microsoft's Silverlight platform, which means MySpace developers will be able to build and offer richer applications.

Microsoft and MySpace are hosting a session at the Web 2.0 Expo on Thursday to discuss how developers can build Silverlight apps for MySpace using the Open Source kit for Silverlight offered jointly by the two companies.

The new MySpace app will be available for download on Windows Mobile 6.1 phones later this summer, and will make its appearance on the Windows Marketplace for Mobile sometime in the fall. Additionally, LG plans to preload the app on its Windows Mobile phones starting in the second half of the year.

With more than 20 million mobile users worldwide, MySpace already has mobile versions available for the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Sidekick, Palm and Nokia platforms.

Mobixell, a provider of mobile multimedia messaging, mobile TV and mobile Advertising solutions, has unveiled a social media gateway. The new Social Media Gateway Solution is meant to enable operators to allow their subscribers to access user-generated content from their social networks on their phones without needing to install any proprietary software clients. Rather, consumers can get the Web-based content to their phones via SMS or MMS.

The solution supports the adaptation and streaming of video, audio and image content from social networks.

Mobile social network Limbo has added Facebook Connect to its iPhone application. Now, iPhone and iPod touch users can link their Limbo and Facebook accounts and share automatic status and activity updates between the two.

Other benefits of the integration include the ability for Limbo members to see their Facebook friends from their Limbo account - even if the friends aren't Limbo users, the ability to sign up for Facebook using their Limbo account and to see their Limbo friends within Facebook.

Limbo's location-aware functionality lets users find out where their friends are, making it easier to meet up with them "in the real world, not just online," says Limbo CEO Jonathan Linner. The integration extends that real-world connectability to Limbo users' Facebook friends as well.

TeliaSonera is making it easier for its Scandinavian subscribers to connect with their Facebook friends from their mobile phone. Fierce Wireless reports that the cellco is enabling Facebook users to update their status, send and receive messages and upload images to their Facebook profile via SMS or MMS.

It is an interesting way to introduce consumers to mobile social networking, particularly those whose phone doesn't have Internet access.

Since it's pretty easy to rack up the messaging fees, the first 20 messages will reportedly be free of charge.

Italian mobile content provider Buongiorno has updated its Blinko mobile social network, making it easier for friends to communicate and update their interests. The main new feature is "20 favorites," which lets users choose their 20 favorite friends to text with without having to open a browsing session.

Buongiorno added this feature so Blinko users can separate their friends from their "mere acquaintances" on the social network, Mobile Entertainment reports.

In addition to instantly chatting with their fave 20 friends, Blinko users can also share updates from the various Blinko channels with anyone on the list.

Xumii, whose free mobile social address book integrates all of your social network and instant messenger contacts into a single interface, has launched an iPhone version of its application.

The free app lets iPhone users see their iPhone, Facebook, MySpace, imeem, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, MSN and Flicker contacts in one place. Beyond that, users can see everyone's status and chat and share photos across different networks and services. Xumii iPhone also allows users to update their status for each network or create a single update and upload it to all their communities.

Xumii's application is already available for the BlackBerry as well as hundreds of phone models from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, Sanyo and others.

Check out a demo of the iPhone app in the video below.

AOL's Bebo social network has launched its Bebo Open Mobile program in Canada.

Available to all major carriers north of the border, Bebo Open Mobile provides operators, handset makers and software developers with a suite of tools so they can offer Bebo to their mobile customers.

Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless, Virgin Mobile Canada and Fido are all deploying Bebo Open Mobile Messaging, allowing users to get Bebo alerts and updates on their cell phones via the Bebo short code (2326). Customers of all the carriers can also use their mobiles to update their Bebo profiles, send virtual gifts and communicate with friends through the short code.

Bell and Virgin have also deployed the Bebo Open Mobile Internet platform, which provides tailored navigation and operator-specific customization options.
Bebo introduced Open Mobile in early February.

MySpace is coming out with a revamped mobile site this week that's much more similar to the online version. The new MySpace Mobile site (m.myspace.com, wap.myspace.com) boasts a new interface that's optimized for popular screen sizes, a sleeker interface and the ability to upload photos via e-mail.

The mobile version now supports 13 languages and is localized for 29 countries.

The company is also embracing more environments, with plans for fully integrated applications for the new Palm webOS and the Nokia S60 Web runtime environment.

MySpace expects half of its users to access the service via mobile within the next few years. By the end of 2009, MySpace will be on every major smartphone including iPhone, Android, RIM, Sidekick, and now, Palm and Nokia.