THE AGE — Aug 21 — Mobile carriers are scurrying to package up live chat and picture sharing services into subscription packages. Australia's slow entry into the 3G mobile market, and the prohibitive cost of mobile data downloads has meant that such services here remain thin on the ground. Hutchison's 3 service was first to enter the 3G market in Australia and offers subscription-based social networking service, Kink Kommunity (owned by Perth company, Loop Wireless which is now owned by Adultshop). New services that blend sophisticated multimedia and location-based services with social networking are beginning to make a mark in the US. Meetro allows people to find and and meet up with people located nearby and combes instant messaging, social networking and location based data. Rabble, combines mobile blogging with location data so subscribers in the area can check out restaurant or music reviews, and user generated photos and video. In Japan, a company called ImaHima has also broken new ground, with technology that can locate where friends are. FULL ARTICLE @ THE AGE
