It works by 'packaging' popular interaction on websites into 'tasklets' that can be executed via SMS or interactive voice response (IVR). Amazon, for example, could package book-buying into a simple SMS message: 'buy harry potter 4'. Presumably you could call a number and speak the same command. These tasklets are easy to make and require no programming knowledge.
It's quite hard to get your head around -- and if you're a Westerner you're probably thinking 'why?' -- but bear in mind that only 50% of mobile handsets in India can surf the Web. In less-developed African and Asian countries I'm sure that percentage is much lower. Imagine the wealth of knowledge that could become available with a Wikipedia SiteonMobile tasklet. You could be tending to your crops in sub-Saharan Africa... and studying the impact of British colonialism via SMS. Very cool -- and to think, only a few days ago I was asking for more apps on dumbphones!
There's a video of the technology in action after the break.
HP Labs India creates Internet-via-SMS originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read�|�Read�|�Permalink�|�Email this�|�CommentsMalin Akerman
Mila Kunis
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