The MXit Blackberry application allows users to send messages at no cost over the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) network (Vodacom users). The application can be downloaded from the Blackberry app store or just point your Blackberry’s browser to MXit’s wap site www.mxit.com/wap.

Some the features include:

• Changing of language within the app
• Mood and presence is saved and is not lost when log out
• The chat screen displays the time
• A template farewell message is can be sent to the contacts you are chatting to when you log out
• SMS referrals (Your service provider will charge you standard SMS rates)

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MXit users can now make use of its services on a Mac and PC. A vast majority of its users make use of the service via mobile phones. MXit Lifestyle have released Adium and Pidgin plugins and can be downloaded. Adium and Pidgin are both multi-platform instant messenger clients. This means that you can chat using other instant messenger services while using MXit at the same time. I have been using the Adium version for the past week and am happy to say it has been working great. The Adium version does have limitations including:

• Transferring files between users
• Clickable links (when talking to services)
• Registering
• MultiMX
• HTTP protocol support

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MXit Lifestyle have released an iPhone version of its popular instant messenger application. MXit had previously only been available on Java enabled phones while a PC client is also available. iPhone users who would like to download the app can click here.

MXit claims to have a community of over 12 million users, about 17 million log-ons per day and over 250 million messages sent and receive per day. It was recenty revealed that MXit is teaming up with Nokia and the South African Department of Education to teach learners mathematics.

The app seems to be working fine except when closing the app, it exits to the iPhone’s menu as per normal. However, when I login again the app crashes. Only logging in after it has crashed does it start working again. The interface is what you would come to expect of an iPhone app. The scrolling of conversions is not as smooth as other iPhone messenger apps but not a major problem. Have a look below for screen shots of the app in portrait and landscape mode.

MXit Menu MXit Keyboard Layout

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In June 2008 Nokia bought out its partners in Symbian (mobile operating system) for $410 million and have decided to forfeit the $300 million in licensing revenue by going open source. Nokia have started the non-profit Symbian Foundation with around 40 companies joining and plan to release Symbian for free in the first half of 2009.

According to CEO Nigel Clifford they are hoping that the money that companies would normally spend on licences would now be spent to innovate on Symbian and is key to keeping Symbian competitive.

Symbian has lost market share to Apple and with Google releasing Andriod further loss in the market share seems inevitable. Symbian has seen their market share drop to 57% from 66% in the same period last year.

In order to stay ahead of competitors Nokia will have to continuously innovate. The have realised that they do not have the capabilities within the company to do this as it is impossible to employ the all the smartest people in the world. By opening up to a global audience they are now hoping that anybody with an idea will now develop it on the Symbian platform and help keep Symbian at the forefront.

A growing number of companies have realised the benefits of opening up and for some it is becoming a major factor in business strategy. These communities are drawing a vast array of people from all around the world with the Internet providing the platform for collaboration that is essential for innovation.

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The theme for Blog Action Day is poverty and the Grameen Foundation is an organisation making use of technology to enable the poor to create a world without poverty. The Mifos Initiative program is using open source software to create a service model that increases access to technology for microfinance institutions, allowing them to reach the worlds poor. Microfinance is a program whereby poor people are granted small loans (less than $200) to start and sustain small business like the Villiage Phone Program. This particular model has proven to be an effective strategy to fight poverty.

Microfinance institutions are finding it challenging to reach to reach over 400 million families in need of financial services due to the lack of cost-effective technology which is preventing them from expanding. Many are still using Excel or manual based systems with only half having automated systems. Mifos is a open source solution which allows microfinance institutions to to install the software at no cost. While there could be costs associated for installation, maintenance and training, this open source solution reduces costs which allows more people to be reached and helped create sustainable solutions to combat poverty.

The functionality of the product allows microfinance institutions to standardise common processes and cater for regional differences. The product makes use of a web interface and connected to a MySQL database which can process anywhere between 1000 – 1 million clients. To assist with deploying or developing the application join the community. Mifos is allowing microfinance institutions to serve the people effected by poverty by:

• lowering costs which could be spent elsewhere
• faster and more secure processing
• less paperwork which reduces human error
• reducing fraud

The Grameen Foundation have a number of programs making use of technology to enable people to empower themselves and create sustainable businesses. Instead of solely being dependant on aid, people who are effected by poverty are creating and defining their own futures and fighting their way out. Technology and free open source software (FOSS) in this case can play apart in empowering people to help themselves. With the use of technology opportunities are being presented to reduce poverty. The founder of Grameen Bank Muhammad Yunus explains the importance of information technology in the fight against poverty…

“An individual poor person is an isolated island by himself and herself. IT can end that isolation overnight”

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Open Source mobile web browser known under the code name “Fennec” from Mozilla will be available for Windows mobile in a couple of weeks. Mozilla developer Mark Finkle revealed that development for Windows Mobile version is heating up and and that a Linux version is in a alpha testing.

You can install it on a Nokia N8×0 and assist with testing. There are no plans yet for a Blackberry version and there was work happening porting it to Symbian but there has been no indication on the status.

With Google releasing a browser for Android in the future, which is a separate project from Chrome, the mobile browser marker is certainly heating up. The mobile web browser sector war is going to be an interesting one to watch in the near future. Have a look at the concept video for Firefox Mobile.

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