— Connection: / x / Getting The Most Out Of Text Messaging (NAPSA)—Increasingly, Americans are getting the message—the text message, thatis. There are an estimated 200 million mobile subscribers in the United States who send an estimated 12.5 billion text messages each month. According to Mobile Accord, approximately 68 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds use text mes- saging. Yet this communication trend is not just limited to Generation Y; all age groups send text messages, including those over age 65 (14 percent). When text technology first showed up on mobile phones, it was generally used for basic information services, including weather, traffic and sports alerts. Now subscribers are becoming more sophisticated, demanding advanced mobile services such as location-based (finder) services and mobile bankingapplications. One company—OpenMarket— is paving the way for innovation in the mobile commerce market by making it easier for new content providers and media companies to break into the marketplace and bring exciting campaigns directly to consumers. Amongthe benefits: Text alerts—allows consumers to receive text message alerts for sports scores, weather information, news, stock quotes, ete. Games and contests—mobile games or contests related to popu- Today, people are using text messages for everything from communication to banking. lar TV programsthat utilize text message voting, sometimes to win prizes. Location-based finder services— services that allow consumers to locate a nearby restaurant or store by texting in yourzip code. Mobile banking—services that allow consumers to check their banking information such astheir account balance via their mobile phone. With the technology provided by OpenMarket, content providers are able to offer consumers new services such as finding the nearest coffee shop or ATM bytexting in their zip code, or getting account balance information by sending a text message to their bank. For additional information, visit www.openmarket.com.
