The Mobile 30: directory and social

23 September 2009

Photo credit: Anthony Geernaert

Need to find it in a hurry? Want to know what everyone else thinks about it? These applications combine the crowdsourcing power of social networks with the location-based advantage of a mobile device with a built-in GPS device. With all this data at your fingertips immediately, you'll never be stuck for suggestions for a good night out.

Deck of Secrets

Melbourne, Vic. Staff: 1, with an army of freelancers and virtual contributors.

Michelle Matthews started Deck of Secrets in 1998, providing a guide to unique and interesting places to eat, drink or shop in various cities around Australia - and later the world. Buy the deck, pick a card at random, fun times guaranteed!

Following the launch of the iPhone, Deck of Secrets played a winning hand, developing mobile versions of nine of its bar, restaurant and shopping guides. Apple went nuts for these apps, using them in Apple Stores to demonstrate the iPhone and even including one in a TV commercial.

"The iTunes distribution and revenue model makes developing for the App Store viable for us since we are a small, non-technology company," says Matthews.

Next up for Deck of Secrets: New York City, Asia, South America and the Middle East. Bon voyage!

My247

Brisbane, Qld. Revenue: < $1 million. Staff: 5.

My247 is an online entertainment guide with bar, restaurant, movie and nightlife reviews for all of Australia's capital cities and about 10 other cities and regions. Co-founder and CEO Chris Kettle says it took about three weeks to develop a mobile version of the guide for the iPhone; but the quick and easy ability to find local attractions using GPS makes it a killer application that has improved business considerably.

"Giving a fast local experience improves the usability experience tenfold, with 10 times more page views, 10 times longer spent on the site and 10 times the users coming back every week," he says.

Tigerspike

Surry Hills, NSW, London and New York. Staff: 36.

Founded in 2003, digital marketing agency Tigerspike has developed mobile applications for brands including Fanta, Big Brother, Fosters, The Weather Zone, Telstra, Microsoft and Lynx.

Its V-Fest Buddy app for the V-Festival lets users choose their favourite acts and build a festival itinerary. The app provides a map to help find stages, refreshments and the all-important portaloos, according to managing director Alex Burke.

Yapp Mobile

St Leonards, NSW. Staff: 8 (on average)

Yapp Mobile developed Vodafone Compass, a navigation app combining a local business directory, restaurant reviews, petrol station finder, mapping and turn-by-turn directions, which Vodafone customers can download to their Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung or LG phones, and some BlackBerry models.

The application is currently available in Australia and New Zealand, with future releases planned for other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Peter Hojgaard-Olsen founded the company in 2007.

###