Don’t worry, roam happy
Congratulations go to Onavo, an Israeli startup that just received two awards at the Next Web Startup Rally in Amsterdam last week: the “public’s choice” and “best mobile company” prizes. Onavo makes a simple iPhone app that compresses the data – up to two to three times, according to company founder Guy Rosen – that’s sent from the phone to the cellular network. Smaller data means the iPhone owners pay less for their data package.
At the event, the press was all about how Onavo’s app can help reduce iPhone “roaming” costs when accessing email and the Internet abroad, away from one’s primary cellular provider, but the concept works just as well at home too.
A year ago, no one would have wanted a product like Onavo. That’s because most cellular companies offered “unlimited” data plans. That’s changed, however, and the “pay as you go” formula now dominates. So, if you can get more data for the same price, Onavo is the right app at the right time. So much so that the influential blog TechCrunch it as a “must download” according to a report in Ynet.
And did I mention, it’s free?
How about the cell companies – doesn’t this work against their interests by reducing their revenue? Onavo founder Rosen doesn’t think so. Citing the roaming advantage again, Rosen hopes that by making it cheaper to fire up your phone overseas, people will use it more. And back at home, the cellular providers are facing some serious network overload. Anything to help should be welcomed, Rosen explained.
I know that one of the most exciting features of smart phones for me is the ability to play Internet radio wherever I am not just on my home computer or in a WiFi zone. The death of the unlimited access packages made that less affordable. Onavo brings the option back.
Onavo beat out some 500 companies for its award at the Next Web conference a week ago.
Foto Friday – Free postcards – present and future
Filed under: Art, design, Entertainment, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, News, Pop Culture, Social Justice, Technology, Travel
One of the most fun parts of going to the restroom at many an Israeli cafe, pub or nightclub are the postcards. Not that you’re going to spend enough time in there to write one, but you do get the chance, while inside, to peruse a selection of unique, creative cards — advertisement and advertorial, often humorous, sometimes thought provoking — and generally courtesy of Shelly’s Postcards.
Shelley’s Postcards is Israel’s leading publisher of the format known as the Freecard. The company was founded in 1995 by Shelley Rokach who came across the format while traveling abroad. As activity grew, she was joined by her sister Lilach, who today serves as co-owner and co-manager. The company specializes in marketing, advertising and sales promotion at entertainment and leisure centers (cafes, bars, restaurants, etc.). It has 800 distribution centers across the country and a turnover of one million cards a month.
In addition to the usual Freecard client base of mobile phone companies, alcohol, cigarettes and fashion, the format has been used by clients as diverse as Pilates instructors…
to Israel’s National Insurance Institute, anxious to reach out to the under-25-year-old set and make sure they’re covered (hence the umbrella).
Last night, at Tel Aviv’s HaTachana, the Old Railway Station complex, Shelley’s Postcards hosted the gala opening of 10X15, an exhibition of international postcards, together with the launch of a new postcard campaign on behalf of the international HIV/AIDS Task Force. The event was attended by Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, and representatives of the International Freecard Alliance, a longtime sponsor of a global free postcards campaign for World Aids Day.
The occasion was also an opportunity for ad agency Shalmor, Avnon, Amichai / Y&R, who donated the creative resources behind the Israeli postcard series, to make a presentation of the future of postcards in the digital era. Long story short: the future is made up of QR codes and other types of barcodes that, when scanned with a smart mobile device, take users directly to a website that provides expanded information on the product or subject at hand.
So, for example, if you pick up these two postcards…
….line them up and scan the QR code…
…you’ll get to a movie about the consequences of having unprotected sex with strangers that will scare the living daylights out of you. Which is precisely the point.
Most of Shelley’s Postcards, however, are — as Mayor Huldai noted — of the sort that add a little color and fun to our lives. Even more colorful and fun is the company’s online gallery full of e-cards that you can send to friends. Well worth a visit, even if you don’t read Hebrew — the pictures say it all.
Cell phone symphony in Israel
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, General, Israeliness, Life, News, Technology
The Hebrew papers and TV news covered it this week like it was a major diplomatic development, analyzing it this way and that and providing pages and pages of insight. A breakthrough between the Israelis and the Palestinians?
Nope, just the announcement of the winners of a government tender for two companies to enter the lucrative cell phone market by establishing their own cellular phone infrastructure in 2012. The winners? Mirs Communications and Maraton Telecom’s Xfone 018.
It makes sense that it was covered with the fanfare of a peace treaty being signed. Israelis are cell-phone crazy, leading the world in per capita usage. According to Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon, the expansion of the cell phone market beyond Cellcom, Orange and Pelephone will mean a reduction in prices to us – the consumers.
“This will complete the reform in the communications market, which aims to increase competition in the cellular service branch. The tender’s results are expected to transform the cellular market in Israel. A more competitive market will reduce prices, improve consumers services and of course, will upgrade the technological innovation,” he said.
The new cellular service providers will be required to gradually set up their own networks, and their coverage is expected to reach 10% of the country by February 2012. The carriers will be able to use antennae belonging to existing carriers in regions where they have yet to establish infrastructure. The carriers are expected to provide coverage to 40% of the country in four years, and 90% in seven years.
Sounds like good news, especially for those of us who are currently puzzled by all the hidden charges we see in our monthly cell phone bills and the surly service we receive by the companies’ reps. Maybe the new companies will even make use of the technology of Israel’s Extreme Reality, which as reported by ISRAEL21c, lets you use your mobile phones with just a flick of the hand.
Maybe they could do the same thing with our cell phone bills – make them go away with the flick of a hand.
Meet Israel’s new super hero – the Iron Dome
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, News, Technology, War
IDF soldiers stand next to a launcher, part of the Iron Dome rocket shield system.
Described by an Ashkelon resident as something “straight out of a science fiction movie,” the counter-rocket defense system over the weekend intercepted 10 Katyusha and Kassam rockets fired by Hamas in the direction of Ashkelon and Beersheba, the two locations where batteries of the short-range missile defense system are stationed. The rockets were literally shot out of the air seconds after they were launched.
As a result of the heroics, the Iron Dome system is just revered and respected in Israel – it’s become a tourist attraction.
According to a story in Haaretz, local Ashkelon children have begun gathering at the battery site to take photos and wait to watch it do its magic.
“Some kid was here with his family and he told us,” says Kobi Buskila, who came to see the Iron Dome with his brothers and some friends. “That is how the word gets around.”
Some of the youths pulled out their cellular telephones and posed with the system, to show their classmates. Haim Gahasi came to see the anti-rocket system with his children. He says they wanted to see it. “It has a calming effect on the children, you would not believe,” he says smiling.
“We brought food and drink. We will stay here an hour, an hour and a half, or until they launch for the first time,” said Neta Kramer, 14. “I wish there was something now, I am dying to see it.”
Even though a tentative cease-fire is taking shape whereby Hamas has agreed to stop firing rockets on Israel and the IDF has agreed to stop air strikes on Gaza in retaliation, it stands to reason that Neta will get her wish sooner than later.
What time is it? Israel springs ahead
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, Technology
On Thursday night, Israel joined the US and Europe in implementing Daylight Savings Time. We turned clocks forward in a move that will last for 185 days and will end October 2, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The move to Daylight savings Time in Israel has long been accompanied by disputes between religious factions in the Knesset, hoping to shorten it in order to make it easier on the religious population to get up for prayers during the high holidays – secular parties, aiming to extend until November like in the US.
61 MKs have signed a petition to set a fixed date in the Gregorian calendar that would mark the end of Daylight savings Time instead of the annual push and pull dispute. But next year, chances are nothing will have changed and the clocks will go back to Winter Time before Yom Kippur.
In my household, whenever the clocks change, we have our own solution to the struggle between the hours – we keep both times.
Changing old-fashioned wall clocks is no problem, but microwaves, ovens, DVDs, car clocks and other devices sporting clocks can prove to be a challenge to technology-challenged families. So, I change what I can, and too lazy or inept to follow the instructions in the user manual, I leave some devices on the old time.
For instance, on our VCR (yes, we still have one), I know that the correct time is easily gotten by adding an hour and an addition al 12 minutes gained from previous ill-advised attempts at changing the clock.
And in the car, it’s a matter of doing the opposite – subtracting an hour minus five minutes for wear and tear.
So whether it’s Daylight Savings Time or Winter Time, in our household, the time is always right.
Subscribe
Subscribe to Israelity via email:
Social Media
Categories
- A New Reality
- Art
- Blogging
- Business
- coexistence
- Crime
- design
- education
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Food
- Foto Friday
- General
- health
- History and Culture
- Holidays
- Immigrant Moments
- Israeliness
- Life
- Medical Breakthroughs
- Movies
- Music
- News
- Nostalgia Sunday
- Picture of the Week
- Politics
- Pop Culture
- Profiles
- Religion
- Science
- Social Justice
- Sports
- Technology
- Travel
- tv
- War
The Face of Israel Today
-
About Israelity
Free newsletter
Stories from ISRAEL21c.orgPopular Posts