SIDEBAR: A “Genius-like” App for Picking Stuff You Like…
Posted by annie in Free for all, News You Can Use, What's New, tags: android, apps
Smartphones are hot and the mobile content that runs on them (i.e. apps, music downloads, podcasts, RSS feeds, video, wallpaper, and ringtones) is even hotter with new additions springing up daily. Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were an assistant for your smartphone that could screen mobile content and recommend to you which ones you should pay attention to? That’s the idea behind the FREE SIDEBAR app that is currently available for the Android platform with plans on rolling out for BlackBerry devices, the iPhone, and Windows Mobile smartphones.
In brief, SIDEBAR (www.sidebar.com) is a personal content recommendation and delivery engine that makes it easy for you to discover, access, and share “fun stuff.”
It utilizes a patent pending, highly attuned optimization engine that gets smarter the more you use it.
The company recently completed a highly successful consumer trial conducted with a Tier 1 carrier that validated Sidebar’s appeal and ability to stimulate content consumption and engagement. The trial included 5,000 smartphone users and, in a survey taken after its completion, they gave SIDEBAR high marks for being “easy to use” and “a fun way to get information.” Nearly half of the surveyed active users expressed that they were more likely to consume mobile content as a result of their use of SIDEBAR and 20 percent said that they shared, bought or downloaded a product or service that they discovered in SIDEBAR.
Privately held SIDEBAR is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif. The company is led by a highly accomplished team of executives with proven track records in the mobile, media and entertainment industries. The CEO, Patrick Kennedy worked with digital media companies to develop new content discovery, marketing and distribution opportunities. One of his previous positions was at Sony Pictures Digital, where he managed the day-to-day strategic operations of the Sony Digital Networks Division and oversaw Sony’s entry into mobile entertainment and the creation of Sony Pictures Mobile.
In a published statement announcing his arrival at SIDEBAR, Kennedy was quoted saying:
“Consumers are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of mobile content available and simply can’t keep up with the constantly growing library of smartphone apps and other mobile content that they would be interested in. SIDEBAR solves this dilemma by delivering content that is personalized to users’ likes and interests. We send it directly to their phones in an unobtrusive way. The engineering team, led by CTO Eric Wilson, has built a sophisticated application that will greatly improve the content discovery experience.”
A story appearing at TechCrunch described how it works.
“Once Sidebar figures out a rough sketch of who you are, the app will begin to recommend mobile content to you… Sidebar will recommend daily content to you within the app, including videos, games, music, apps, ringtones, podcasts, promotions, news articles. The app will load no more than 12 content recommendations per day, which will last for 24 hours until the next batch of recs are sent to you. Recommendations include a short synopsis of the app or content and a screenshot or image. If you like the rec, you can save it and and download or access it later.”
Highlights:
- The Gallery is where your customized content is delivered daily. Sidebar has a “What’s New” alert that will let you know when new stuff is waiting for you to see.
- Content is bundled with convenient action keys (Play, Web, Share)
It can handle QR codes. All you need to do is focus, click and scan to reveal product information, videos, etc.- What you decide to keep (i.e. QR codes, videos, coupons) can be saved and easily accessed in the Favorites section
- Super simple sharing process lets you send text messages to your friends with one click — whether they have SIDEBAR or not.
If you have an Android device, click here to get a hold of SIDEBAR. And to learn more, go to www.sidebar.com. The FAQ section is quite helpful.
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