There are some pretty amazing services available to cellphone users these days. I have already written enthusiastically about how cleverly radio has combined with cellphones and the Internet to create a new and interactive kind of media that is far more engaging than television in a lot of ways.
One of the services that sold me on this interactivity is MyBeat, which enables me to send an SMS to 33345 requesting the title of a song playing on 5FM. It`s a great service. It eases that terrible brain itch that you get when you hear a song and you know you know the artist`s name but it just eludes you at that point.
I probably use the service more than I should. Because I`m never sure if the DJ is going to give me the information I want after the song is finished, I have to use MyBeat while the song is playing.
I suspect there is some way that I can ask it what the previous song was, but I`m usually either driving, or walking through a shopping centre, and it`s the immediacy that`s appealing about using MyBeat.
Once I become a frequent user of a particular service, I tend to start noticing the chinks. Unfortunately, there are chinks in MyBeat. This Sunday, on my way to meet friends for breakfast, I heard a song I particularly liked on the radio.
Because my boyfriend was keen to get out of the car in a hurry, and didn`t want to wait for me to listen to the end to hear what the DJ had to say, I SMSed MyBeat.
Once I become a frequent user of a particular service, I tend to start noticing the chinks.
Georgina Guedes, Editor, ITWeb Brainstorm
My unbelievably cool new Nokia 6680 made its cute SMS delivery noise, and I opened the message. "Robbie Williams, Tripping". Now, while Robbie Williams is a man of great talent, I don`t believe that his vocal range peaks in the region of female folksy.
Stronger evidence that this was not the song currently playing was the fact that it was the song that played before. I gave MyBeat another 20 seconds to catch up and tried again. Same response.
I let a minute pass, after which I received the response "Coldplay, Speed of Sound", which I also know wasn`t the song that had caught my attention, because I`ve been listening to that for months now.
I want my money back! What`s the point of a service that doesn`t get it right, and can`t respond intelligently?
Although I still think it`s a great gimmick, I do find it frustrating when things like this don`t work. It`s for this reason that I don`t use those SMS confirmations for Internet banking. Imagine the frustration of trying to make an online payment and having your phone perpetually telling you about a deposit that took place last week.
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