A new mobile social software company: Protomobl, Inc

Bernardo sent me a link to a company (description below) he saw was at Supernova. The company had a video of the CEO’s slideware demo of their gearON service – call it a concept demo.

I don’t think anything supernova was really revealed (especially since there wasn’t anything working that I saw). Also, the ideas have been bouncing around for some time and in different forms.

The Good? The CEO is a designer and it seems that they are starting from the experience first and then designing the interaction and product. I like that approach. It seems to have a mobile-Web integration, favoring mobile, though. He calls it a ‘mobile lifestyle’ service – of course I like that, it says so much. And, it centers around the buddy-list, something I’ve been saying is under-appreciated in the mobile world (I wrote about this already back in 2001 in my first book).

The Bad? It centers around high-end phones, forgetting the other 2 billion (and growing) who use simpler mobile phones (see scathing commentary here). At least, that what it looks like, even though they call it cross-platform, whatever that means. It also depends on two key things that he mentions in the video – connections with others (duh, that’s the whole thing) and gearON content.

As with all social services, my litmus test for longevity is if the service allows me to bring my existing stuff to it. If I have to start all over again, just to test it, then it won’t happen. Well, Joi Ito did once comment that it’s the social network that folks follow, not their content, so this issue is not set in stone, for sure. But, baggage is still a major hurdle.

The other thing that is more worrisome is that it sounds like there will be specific gearON content – info, events, etc. I’d be interested in knowing really how much of this is created by the gearON service or brought in from the outside (and paid for by gearON). I am sure, though, that a lot of it will be created by the users.

What do you think of gearON? Do you think we need another mobile social service for high-end phones?*

Link: Protomobl, Inc.

PROTOMOBL is a software product company focused on building social networking services for mobile phones. Our first product gearON is a mobile user interface where the buddy-list is the entry point for the social sharing of photos, music, events and venue information. It is a mobile lifestyle service targeted directly at an active urban youth culture that fuels the passions of the mobile society from music to dating. gearON is cross platform, cross network; mobile first, web second. An integrated, compelling user experience. gearON be mobile be social.

*And don’t get me going about how he waves ‘hit engine’, the super-distribution of music, in front of everyone’s face. Sheesh. If that’s his biz model, he’s in trouble. And they are ex-Sony guys, so they should know better.