Cashing in on the social aspects of online interactivity as in Web 2.0, comes SMS 2.0.

Our favourite use of the mobile phone has not been spared the march of technology, so now Affle, a Britain-based mobile phone media innovations company, has redefined SMS (Short Message Service) as SMS (Short Message and Search).

But haven’t you heard the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”?

Indeed, why do we need this? Well, let’s face it, most of us already own a mobile phone, and often with the coolest-sounding functions like GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and Bluetooth. Exactly how many youths actually understand these terms, much less use them?

UrbanWire introduces you to SMS 2.0.

What does this SMS 2.0 do?

Imagine your mobile phone doubling up as a search engine. All you have to do is access the “New Message” option on it, type in the search terms and select your preferred search engine like Google or Yahoo. This will kick start your Internet browser, accessing the search results. Therefore, SMS 2.0 acts as a channel for you to access the otherwise inconvenient search function.

Besides the search function, information regarding the content of the message you sent will be shown onscreen after your message is sent. For example, you sent a message to your friend saying how great the movie Zodiac was and when the message is sent, information regarding the movie will be displayed onscreen as well.

Plus, these functions won’t require a lot of getting used to and can be done by an addition in the familiar SMS screen.

Mr Anuj Khanna, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Affle, calls it a “seamless integration” from the previous system. SMS 2.0 users will enjoy a new interface with a little teaser ‘scrollie’ at the bottom of the screen. On clicking the options key, the teaser blows up to full screen, providing more information. Should the advertisement capture your attention, you could choose to call the company directly or log on to their website via your mobile phone to find out more.

Mr Khanna added that the beauty of this new technology is that it is “non-intrusive” and is personalised by users’ preference. Users can opt for which category of news they prefer to be updated on. Much like how it is when a user signs up for an email account, he/she can select the type of news they will like to receive.

At time of release, SPH (Singapore Press Holdings) is the only local media content producer partnered with Affle to bring local content to the audience.

You’re telling me all of these won’t burn another hole in my pocket? I mean, I did pay an obscene amount for that phone…

This newfangled service is free, but only to a certain extent. The information on the teaser and the one after your message is sent is free but should you be interested in finding out more, logging on to the wireless system or calling up the company to find out more will incur data and dialing charges.

So it’s not free. Tell me all the bad news at one go.

For the Singapore trial, Affle collaborated with M1 and Nokia to provide 2,000 users with SMS 2.0. So in short, to use SMS 2.0 currently, you need to be both a Nokia user and a M1 subscriber. To make matters worse, not all Nokia phones are compatible with SMS 2.0. Mr Khanna said, “Only those with a Symbian operating system of 2.0 and forward are able to use this service.”

In our everyday language, it means SMS 2.0 is only applicable for users of the Nokia N Series and select models of the upcoming S60 series. Although, additional partnerships and plans are expected to be announced in the upcoming months, nothing has been confirmed yet.

For more information, please log on to http://sms2.sg