Singapore’s Web 2.0 (Part 1)

WOW… I found 2 gems today that is Made In Singapore~! They got me excited enough to make me want to break away from my work and start to blog about them.

Widgeous

So it’s no secret that I maintain a Twitter microblog along side this main blog. The My idea of a microblog is to write about short snippets about my life and my daily observations. Usually these are just one-liner descriptions, not long enough to fill up an blog entry, but they are still considered important parts of me. But the urge to write a Twitter entry is usually spontaneous. I couldn’t possibly be booting my laptop on the train to blog about observing a office lady struggling with her white iPhone. I am not willing to be charged the cost of sending an overseas SMS to +447624801423 (this is the official Twitter SMS number). And by the time I am seated in front of my MacBook Pro, I have already forgotten what I wanted to write about.

Widgeous to the rescue.

Widgeous is a typical Web 2.0 platform which meshes up several online services for the convenience of the user. One function of Widgeous that attrated me is that it allows one to update one’s Twitter by simply sending a SMS to a local number (+6592721192). One can even receive updates from the people one follows in Twitter via SMS too~! Other than accessing Widgeous via SMS, Widgeous also allows Windows Live Messenger, email, Google Talk and others. Twitter is not the only service that it provides too. Widgeous enables checking of weather, dictionary and navigation guide. A very cool platform developed by our fellow Singaporeans.

Since this is rather a new service (I am one of only 48 users), let me walk through the setting-up process.

Set up SMS

1. Go to http://widgeo.us/register and register an account.
2. Login and click on Channels (http://widgeo.us/channel).
3. Click Add Channels and choose SMS. Enter your mobile phone number and click Add Channel.
4. Back on the All Channels tab, look for your mobile phone number and follow the instructions. It involves you sending a SMS to +6592721192.
5. You’d receive a acknowledgement SMS almost immediately. Refresh the All Channels page to see that your phone number is verified.

Set up Twitter

1. Now here comes the fun part. At the bottom left corner of the Widgeous page, you’d notice a tab named Widgeous Device. Click on it to reveal a simple text box.
2. Type “twitter register” and follow the instructions. It involves you providing your email address and Twitter password.

Twitter + SMS + Widgeous

1. Now from the phone, text “twitter update yourpersonalmessageforTwitter” and send the SMS to +6592721192.
2. You will receive the confirmation SMS almost immediately and you may check your Twitter home page to marvel at the convenience that Widgeous has brought for you.
3. To ensure that all future Twitter message updates from your friends are sent to you via SMS, go to http://widgeo.us/applications. Choose the SMS channel as your default channel for Twitter and you are good to go. In any event that you regret of your decision, SMS “twitter unregister”.
4. At any time that you forget the commands, you can SMS “twitter help”. But I don’t think you’d need this.

There are much room for improvements. For one, the SMS service does not support direct message on Twitter. And the incoming messages from Widgeous is limited to a single page of SMS too. This doesn’t affect service like Twitter so much. But it does cripple the capabilities such as gothere where there is simply not enough characters within a single SMS to describe the bus and/or MRT guide.

Otherwise this is a great service. Twitter suddenly seemed even more exciting.