Late last year, the iSkoot blog broke the news that Verizon had launched Social Beat as a virtual preload on their BlackBerry Curve 2 handsets. Virtual preloads are a pretty cool thing. BlackBerry Curve 2 prosumers literally woke up to find all-in-one social networking, email and IM capabilities had been added to their phones - for free.
And now, starting this week we’re pleased to announce that Verizon has added a load of new BlackBerry handsets to the Social Beat-enabled list. Social Beat is now preloaded for prosumer users on the Blackberry Tour, the Storm 1 & the Storm 2.
We’re really excited about this new launch, and we definitely aren’t the only ones taking notice. The BlackBerry community is already hailing it as “SocialScope meets Viigo and then a bit” and betting that “those looking for a “SocialScope on steroids” will find delight in Social Beat.”
As one BlackBerry blogger opines, “What’s so nice about this app is how it beautifully combines all these networks and news information on an easy to use interface…Social Beat is great for anyone who is always staying up to date with their social network and the news.”
We’re glad you guys think so too.
Thanks as always to our friends at Verizon for giving Social Beat this amazing opportunity. And thanks in advance to all you BlackBerry users out there who are giving Social Beat a try. Let us know what you think!
They say time flies when you’re having fun. That said, garden variety “fun” doesn’t hold a candle to being the #1 mobile social networking developer for the top two carriers in the US. 2009 didn’t just “fly” - it broke the sound barrier.
Let’s dial the clock back: In January of last year, we were roughly two days into a soft launch of our “Notifier” product, a mobile application that combines access to social networks and live news feeds, with AT&T Wireless. To the casual onlooker, it was a low-key affair; but for iSkoot it marked a major milestone - our first foray out of “mobile Skype” territory and into the uncharted domain of integrated mobile social networking.
In the spring, Notifier found an invaluable home in AT&T’s new initiative, the AT&T Apps Beta program. Notifier was made available to a growing group of AT&T Beta testers, and we were able to tweak the application to carrier-grade quality based on candid, detailed feedback from actual AT&T customers.
In July, our new, improved and freshly re-branded app became ready for prime time, and our fine partners at AT&T introduced AT&T Social Net, the first-ever AT&T-branded Facebook + MySpace + Twitter application, to the world for the low, low price of, well, free. A big day for “firsts,” if we do say so ourselves.
AT&T Social Net launched for AT&T’s coolest devices, like the LG Neon and the Samsung Impression. Since then we’ve had been adding more and more devices to the supported handsets list, and even got AT&T Social Net preloaded on the Samsung Mythic and the Samsung Flight!
Along the way, we’ve been continually grateful for and humbled by the tremendous level of support AT&T has shown AT&T Social Net, from cameos on the AT&T Wireless homepage…
…to uber-slick window displays….
…to prime-time TV spots featuring college basketball star-gone-pro Tyler Hansbrough:
Fairly awesome stuff.
The launch with AT&T was one of iSkoot’s biggest achievements to date. So when the opportunity to work with Verizon popped up right on its heels, we were warmed up and ready to swing for the fence. iSkoot partnered with Verizon to launch Social Beat, a mobile application featuring Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and news plus Gmail and Google Talk, in mid November. Like AT&T, Verizon also made the bold move of making the application available for free, and Verizon customers appeared to be pretty enthused with the offering, if word on Twitter is an indication:
After offering Social Beat for top Verizon devices like the LG EnV and the LG Chocolate 3, Verizon followed up with a little holiday treat for Verizon’s “Prosumer” contingent: Social Beat was offered as a virtual preload on the Verizon BlackBerry Curve 2.
And then, wouldn’t you know it? It’s 2010: a brand new year, and what seems like an awfully long way out from the days the company known for mobile VoIP had a two-day old soft launch on their hands. We’d like to personally thank every single person at AT&T and Verizon who made 2009 such a groundbreaking year for iSkoot - we’re immensely excited about products, the partnerships and the momentum we’ve built.
We look forward with great anticipation and equal motivation to an exciting new year ahead. Stay tuned: more exiting news is coming down the pike all the time.
Attention holiday shoppers: Black Friday draws near, and Verizon’s new BlackBerry Curve 2 just hit shelves nationwide. This new phone has quite the sell. It’s slick, it’s speedy, and it’s got iSkoot’s Social Beat preloaded on the device!
That’s right folks - the social media app known for promoting an “all phones created equal” world just made the leap to BlackBerry. Don’t worry, we’re still holding true to our smarter-phone philosophy. But we’re also betting that Social Beat’s integrated, all-in-one social media experience has plenty to offer a BlackBerry contingent that values simplicity, efficiency and of course, connectivity.
That’s why Social Beat is now exclusively Verizon’s BlackBerry Curve 2 users with the “Prosumer” package. Prosumers can find Social Beat preloaded in the BlackBerry’s Applications folder. Just click on the Social Beat icon to fire up installation and launch the app.
The new BlackBerry Curve 2 flavor of Social Beat comes with most of the usual bells and whistles, including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Google Talk and News feeds. Plus (because BlackBerry is swanky) you can move the Social Beat icon to your BlackBerry home screen for easier-than-ever access to all your favorite stuff.
More Verizon BlackBerrys will come equipped with Social Beat in the coming months, so be sure to check back here or tune in to the Social Beat Facebook fan page to stay on top of the latest news.
In the meantime, for you Black Friday veterans in search of the essential one-stop shopping solution, look no further than Social Beat on the new Verizon BlackBerry Curve 2.
