Mobile payments - what a great idea! If it works.

I took a look at 3 companies which offer mobile payments (transferring money between mobiles), KushCash, PayPal Mobile and Obopay and here is my take on mobile payments.

First up, I can see hundreds of uses for mobile payments.  Just take a look at any of these sites and they will tell you how it can be used.  But none of these companies have perfected the concept so far.

I will start with PayPal mobile as I feel they are lagging behind the rest of the pack.  With there service you can send and receive money (between PayPal members) but the service really stops there. I want to be able to actually but things with my mobile.  You can apply for a PayPal debit/ATM card but that is only available for Business and Premier accounts.  What about the average Joe? Plus the service is only available to US residents (isnt paypal meant to be a “Global Payment Solution”)

Next up is KushCash.  They seem to have the right idea but really fall short on some important features.  First of all the only way to fund your KushCash account is with a credit card. And once again its just for US residents.  However they will give you a debit card.  Although I like the idea its still in PayPals league.

Finally we come to Obopay.  These guys will also give you a debit card to spend your money.  What I liked about the service was its simplicity yet range of features.  You can even send money requests and whats more they will even give you $5 to sign up. And you guessed it - its only available to those in the states.

I would really like to get in touch with each of the companies and ask them how they plan to expand (if at all) in the future.

Zoho is continuing its fast growth we the announcement of a new feature Zoho Notebook.  As the name suggests, its a notebook which can have text, audio, video, images and more added to it.  Plus a browser plugin means copy and pasting content from any site a piece of cake.

Notebook is currently in Private Beta and I am looking forward to giving it a test run.  I will let the video do the rest of the explaining.

Complaining on forums and blogs in frowned upon, so where can you vent your anger and annoyance? The answer is simple - B*SH (www.ILoveToComplain.com).

The site allows you complain as much as you want on anything you want and at the same time let the masses of the internet  know how you feel.  This could potentially solve the issue of smashed keyboards!

I wasn’t moved or touched, reading through the complaints (apart from outburst of laughter) and I am sure you will have the same experience.

If you currently host a podcast you will know just how expensive it can be. Even if you host it free through a third party service you are restricted by space and bandwidth. Well not anymore. MyPodcast.com offers unlimited bandwidth and space free. As far as I am aware no one else does this.

Of course nothing is 100% free. They will insert ads into your podcast. But dont worry you will earn revenue as well. MyPodcast also offers templates for your podcast page and a podcast recorder.

Free Podcast

Now I know this isn’t directly related to web 2.0 but after reading this article I knew I had to mention it.

Downunder, here in Australia and number of dotcoms have turned out creating large signs in an attempt to be on Google Maps. This is the first time that the public has been aware of such an exercise (A Google plane flying at 600m).

Anyway take a look at the full story which also mentions the spoof dating site DarwinDating.com which is also got me chuckling.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/dotcoms-line-up-for-a-free-plug/2007/01/26/1169594482989.html

Now if you think that was good then you will love this article as well about an Australian IT worker who attempted to save his marriage  through the same technique.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/marriage-going-down-the-googler/2007/01/26/1169594473491.html

The Tap Bar is Tap Media’s very own toolbar.  We would like to think of it as the toolbar for web 2.0 addicts.  Here is what you get:

• Web 2.0 Aggregator - get breaking news from digg, techcrunch, Tailrank, this blog and more.
• Net TV - Never miss another episode of your favorite tech podcasts.
• Bookmark it - share what you find with other users through social bookmarking.  Works with all major social bookmarking sites.
• Search - now you can search Google, Flickr, YouTube and technorati, plus the dictionary, stocks, weather and more.
• Site Commenting - With one click you can comment on and discuss any site through Zpeech
• All the regulars - like pop-up blocker, email notifier, weather etc.

Get it now at www.theamazingtoolbar.com

I use flow charts all the time when designing websites, brainstorming articles and writing posts and more.  I use a desktop application, well I did until I came across Bubbl.us

Bubbl.us, a flash based (and therefore web based) application for creating good looking flow charts.  The great thing about Bubbe.us is its simplicity.  Like many web 2.0 apps, it requires no documentation and I created a chart in just seconds.

It comes with all the features you would expect - saving, printing and zooming and best of all its free.  The only thing I would like to see added are some sharing features.
This is another site that has taken, what could have been a complex solution and made it simple.  Top marks for Bubbl.us.

Visit www.bubbl.us

8apps.com aims to be a social network for “Productive People”.  It currently integrates 3 applications which are a social network, task list and brainstorming app.

Being integrated, you can meet someone in the social network and immediately start working with them in the other apps. I found the brainstorming app to be just perfect for my uses and I can see it becoming a invaluable tool when working with the other Tap staff.

The task list is also extremely valuable.  8apps has suceeded where others have failed by making the task list (Orchestrate) extremely quick and easy to add adn delete items. And of course this can be shared as well.

8apps is currently in Private Beta but looks extremly solid.  It would be interesting to see if additional features are added such as a calendar and rss feeds for the task lists.

Here is a screen capture of how I used the website:

Technorati Tags: 8apps, web 2.0, tasks

Note - This is a paid post.  By supporting our sponsors you are also supporting the Tap Network.

Are you looking to start a small business? Do you already own a business? Is so then im sure you will find the Small Business Blog to be an invaluable resource.

The blog which is run by IncParadise includes regulr content covering a wide range of business related topics.  Browsing through the categories you are sure to find a handy piece of information that could really profit your business. Posting also seems to be very regular meaning this blog will be a good one to add to your rss reader.

Design wise is is easy on the eye except for maybe the animated banners down the left sidebar, but that really is minimal.

So if your into business then make sure you ckeck out the Small business blog

Take a look at this story from Mashable.  It discusses how YouTube founder Chad Hurley hinted at the companies plan to share revenue with its users.

Will this be the death of Revver which is currently paying users?