News! Or Should I Say NEWZ!

Well, in addition to landing an exciting new customer - I can't say who yet but it's a big one.  We're ready to go public on the Newz Reader and the Local Search App.  Both will be available for Windows Mobile 5.x/6.x and soon other platforms.

For now this is a free Beta so you can download and use the interface.  There's some features coming, including OPML import.  But you can use the interface to manage RSS feeds, Podcasts and Twitter with direct interaction between the web interface and the client.

We're also launching our Search app - a simple to use local search app.  Simply set your favorite searches up on the web and everytime you sync the client you are given the 4 or 8 closest hits to your location.

We're working on the iPhone, Android and Widget releases right now.

ViaNewz

ViaSearchz

Please give 'em a whirl.

Mix10 Appz: Day 4 - Beta/Alpha Delivery

I'll be the first to admit that this isn't 100% perfect.  Give us a break, we have only had a few days.  But here's the Mix10 app for Windows Mobile built on Viafo's technology after we decided to do this on Tuesday.

Key features and stuff we did get done:

• Windows Mobile 5.x, 6.x Touch and Non-Touch Support
• Integrated with the speaker profiles and schedule
• Maps coming over the weekend
• Integrates to your Twitter Account and provides a #mix10 Twitter feed
• Integrated Mix10 RSS feeds plus slots for 5 of your own relevant RSS feeds
• Follow Users for the Twitter #mix10 feed feature and Follow Speakers - where they've registered a twitter handle
• We might add local search for Las Vegas too... but that's the point at which the CTO starts kicking me...

There are a couple of things we've spotted which are Windows Mobile related.  If the device is low on system memory we've seen the initial, "large" sync failing - there's not a lot we can do about WinMo memory management but if you do get a "ViaStkz failed error" then try a reboot to clear the memory out and retry.  And whinge at somebody from WinMo when you see them at Mix ;)

Feedback will be useful, but remember this was a Quick and Dirty attempt to build a working and useful app from a set of backend data sources in a couple of days.  I hope you enjoy it!

Mix10 Appz: Day 3

Scene: INT - Seattle Coffee Shop - Day

CEO and CTO of exciting startup are sitting having a progress review over a pair of coffees.  The coffee shop is full of people in fleeces and outdoor wear and working on laptops.

CTO:  ... and you OFFERED X?

CEO: Yes, the code's written it's just cut and paste isn't it?

CTO Er... well... er... yes, sort of but not quite... I mean it will be but I needed to get X,Y,Z done first and rolled up into the main...

CEO's eyes are glazing over at this stage.

CEO: Ok, ok, just get through it quickly and then you can get onto the next client, which I know you want to.  

CTO: Except you just got that new project in and...

CEO waves hands...

CEO: Ok, ok...  fine, anyway I've a couple of busy weeks ahead and we need the demos, and then I'm off to CTIA for a week.

CTO: Great... with any luck you can stop adding new requirements....

SCENE

Well, it wasn't quite that bad.  But apparently we're getting close :)

Mix10 Appz: Day 2

Quick update on the Mix10 App we're building.  We've got the features agreed and we've pretty much sourced all the content to add.  The goal of our solution is to make building mobile applications like this, especially those for events, really easy.

The tricky part, at least for us, is all on the back end of the app.  So we've been locked down over the course of the day working out how we can extract the schedule and attendee data from the online side of things.  We've got that sorted today, so we should have the application built for tomorrow... and, I'll be honest, if we can show 48 hours from thinking about the mobile app, to the app being ready for download, complete with the web interface built... well... then I'll be a happy CEO.

I'll check in tomorrow to see if we've got everything done and a link to the app...  Shame we're not even going - but we have to pick our events carefully at the moment and we're already off to Vegas later in the month.

Maybe next year... especially if somebody at Microsoft pays.

The Bravado of the Start Up CEO

Coming from a BizDev background with just enough technical understanding to be dangerous gives me the fun without the object horror associated with having to do things...  at least until I have to micro-manage the deadline :)

Actually, I'm kidding a little.  But it does mean I get to have insane ideas and then act on them while dumping most of the hard work onto other people, and today I've had a good one.  It comes from a post from a friend who is one of the world's few remaining Windows Mobile users who notes that the apps for Mix seem to be iPhone focused.  Highly amusing when you read that one of the big things for Mix will be a phone to beat the iPhone.

Anyway, this got me thinking about a challenge for us.  There is a Mix App out there for the event on iPhone - why don't we see if we can put something our using our technology which matches some of the iPhone App functionality using our ViaEventz stuff and see if we can get it out there before the event and with some interactive and dazzling functionality...

I've not spoken to the CTO yet, but I know he loves a challenge...

I'll get back to you later...

Rushing to get the Public Launch Ready

Getting a product finished can be a right royal pain in the behind.  No matter how much fun the process is, it is constantly shocking me the number of things we keep finding that have slipped through the net.

We're getting close to the launch version for Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone of the public client, and, by extension the same product for the enterprise market.

Once that's complete we're going to be turning our attention to Android.

It's great to be in the final stretch but I'm sorry at how long this is taking over the original plan.  For those that have signed up for the beta program.  We are going to be getting to you shortly!

ViaFo Update

Getting a new solution to market is always an interesting experience and at the moment we're in the middle of a significant number of core engineering tasks and have started the work on our non-Windows Mobile clients.

So, I'm looking at a number of interesting options for both funding and our public beta launch.  It's not clear at the moment if we're going to do that in July or wait until the autumn - there's a significant strategy decision we have to take, so keep watching.

We can be followed on Twitter (ViaFoCEO) or you can follow my personal Twitter (daveon) where I discuss a lot of mobile and wireless issues.