Pourquoi Tunz.com peut changer le monde

Posted by Brice Le Blevennec | Filed under Ideas, Thoughts

Tunz.com permet des paiements entre personne à distance. Il suffit que chacun possède un GSM et que le payeur ait un compte Tunz.com approvisionné. On pense immédiatement à la possibilité de partager une addition au restaurant, d’acheter des biens sur Internet ou de faire des micro-paiements pour du contenu sur un site, pas mal mais cela n’est pas ce qui va changer le monde…

Pourtant Tunz.com est une monnaie électronique différente : Tunz.com permet des transactions directes entre individus, instantanées, à distance, sans terminaux dédiés. Et des transactions dématérialisées permettent pleins de nouvelles applications, … révolutionnaires.

Par exemple Tunz.com permettrait d’acheter un objet virtuel a un joueur dans Word of Warcraft, dans Second life, ou de payer pour voir une vidéo dans PS3 Home. Sur n’importe quel système de chat/Webcam comme MSN Messenger, Skype, AIM/iChat, deux personnes peuvent s’échanger un paiement via leur GSM en échange d’un fichier, d’un service ou d’une information… même par email entre un acheteur et un vendeur sur un site d’enchère en ligne!

Dans la réalité (hors Internet) si un marchand affiche un code pour un produit dans un magazine, sur une affiche ou un écran, un membre de Tunz.com pourrait acheter ce produit n’importe ou. Dans son lit mais aussi dans la rue, a un concert, a un spectacle, a une convention, dans un métro… Imaginez d’acheter le MP3 d’un concert pendant que vous y assistez. Imaginez d’acheter la vidéo de la conférence que vous êtes en train de voir, ou un livre que l’auteur vous présente a un salon. Imaginez aussi simplement acheter un produit simplement en envoyant un payement avec le code nécessaire que vous voyez dans un publicité a la télévision, sur une affiche dans la rue ou entendez à la radio (si vous n’êtes pas au volant).

Au premier regard Tunz.com parait sympathique : c’est un porte-monnaie électronique mobile… Mais en y réfléchissant bien, son utilisation sans terminaux spécifiques, avec de simple GSM permet d’innombrables applications qui vont créer de nouvelles opportunités de commerce, permettre des transaction n’importe où, et a distance entre acheteur et vendeur. Telles les cartes de crédit ont rendu possible le commerce électronique sur le web, peut-être que Tunz.com changera radicalement notre économie. Et le monde ?

Read more | Comments (2) | May 17th, 2007

TUNZ.COM : Payez avec votre GSM !

Posted by Brice Le Blevennec | Filed under Ideas

Tunz.com a mis en ligne sa plateforme de paiement de personnes à personnes par GSM. Les paiements se font par l’envoi d’un simple SMS ou par le Web et prennent en moyenne 8 secondes. Les transactions sont gratuites par le Web. Par SMS 40 cents permettent de financer les notifications de paiement par SMS. Pour ouvrir un compte il suffit de recevoir un paiement par SMS d’un membre de Tunz.com ou de s’enregistrer sur le site et de faire un virement bancaire pour charger son compte.

Tunz.com lance aussi une première mondiale : TunzMe, un système de paiement par le Web idéal pour les bloggeurs qui leur permet de collecter des donations. Tunz.com prélève pour ce service 10 cents par opération (quel que soit le montant) et s’engage à reverser la moitié de cette commission à différentes ONG.

Enfin Tunz.com propose une série de solutions pour les marchands en ligne et commerçants. Les marchands affiliés auprès du payment provider leader en Belgique, Ogone, peuvent, ajouter un bouton de paiement Tunz sur leur
site d’un simple clic.

Une série de marchands viendront s’ajouter petit à petit à la plateforme Tunz.com. Dans une première phase, Tunz.com se concentre sur l’intégration de marchands proposant des services et produits de commodité du type parking, pompes à essence, restaurants, transports en commun, vending machines, cinémas, événements, spectacles,…

(Full disclosure : Je suis l’un des fondateurs de Tunz.com).

Read more | Comments (0) | May 16th, 2007

Will the web change ?

Posted by Brice Le Blevennec | Filed under General

With 10 other belgians, I was invited to Mix07 by Microsoft in Las Vegas. The sessions were really interesting, the people very nice and the location absolutely great.

Here is a good summary to what was launched by Microsoft during that huge event.

Silverlight (WPF/E), Expression Suite, Visual Studio ‘Orca’, Live services, free video hosting (WMV only), … a lot of things at once. Some said that the web would change forever.

As a geek I will of course test the DLR and try to code some ruby/python snippets generating Silverlight eye candy (as soon as we get some doc ;-) It’s all simple XML files, better than generating binary flash files… unless you get Flex (now open source version) or OpenLaszlo.

As head of R&D at Emakina I may launch a few “proof of concept” projects for daring customers or internal tests. We have a dozen of .net developpers that will love having the opportunity to code interfaces (they are jalous of our Action Script developpers in the studio) instead of boring reliable server side applications. We will probably develop a few intranet applications for our Windows only customers, aggregating RSS, Virtual Earth, or building beautifull charts and more…

I may even develop a Silverlight version of VW Escape TV just for fun. The Expression suite seems all very playfull and cool …

… but just as even MTV gave up with full flash sites and roll back to HTML, will the market adopt another multimedia delivery platform ? Which may lock them with Microsoft software to edit their web content (unless able to write XAML by hand).

Will web agencies forget soon about 30 years of war for getting at least a few working standard ?

Will the Unix world surrender and install Vista ?

Will Macintosh users with a PowerPC processor upgrade to an Intel Mac to visit Silverlight enhanced websites ?

Let me know your opinion in comments.

Read more | Comments (0) | May 9th, 2007

Have good ideas ? Win a million dollars now !

Posted by Brice Le Blevennec | Filed under General

Today Emakina is launching the first “meta campaign” as an interactive marketing campaign for Gottabet, a startup specialized in social betting. The “meta campaign” is a contest for viral and buzz campaigns. It is targeted especially to Emakina’ competition : interactive agencies and their creative teams from all over the world. And we have a real million dollars to give away!

So if you are a creative person, enjoy stunt, buzz, viral or guerilla marketing, win a MILLION DOLLARS now !

Read more | Comments (0) | May 3rd, 2007

Missing Apple Announcements

Posted by Brice Le Blevennec | Filed under Thoughts

Read more | Comments (0) | April 16th, 2007

New : Joost Version 0.9

Posted by Brice Le Blevennec | Filed under General

It’s showtime! The latest version of Joost is now available to download for you as a beta tester - and it’s our biggest release yet.

We’ve added a load of new content, so you now have many more channels from which to choose, including some of the biggest brands in entertainment.

You’ll notice one or two other changes too, including a new login procedure which will require a unique user name. As one of our early testers you have the opportunity to choose the name that you want - well ahead of the pack, so make sure you get a good one!

As always, we hope that you enjoy the Joost viewing experience. We look forward to your feedback.

The Joost Team

(edited)

Read more | Comments (0) | April 3rd, 2007

Why and how Joost will change the World!

Posted by Brice Le Blevennec | Filed under Ideas, Report, Thoughts

Joost™

I will not explain what is Joost, just google the web, visit the Joost website and blog.

But I’ll explain why, after only two weeks of Joost experience, I’m convinced that Joost will change the world.

Why ?

Because Joost will revolution television first, then slowly the audience habbits (personalized individual tv consumption), then the whole mass media segmentation system, then shift the power from the media moghuls that rules using their monopoly on frequencies, on satellite, cable, DSL channels to content creators.

Because Joost will change the business model of television, then destroy the advertising media agencies monopoly and their exclusive relation with advertisers, then turn whole advertising business sector (from ATL to Interactive) upside down - literally.

Because Joost will destroy the ambitions of most web video sharing websites (YouTube, Google Video, Daily Motion, and the numerous others) by cutting the bandwidth from the whole equation (thanks to peercasting) and adding advertising revenues (from day one) maybe subscriptions revenues and maybe pay-per-view revenues while respecting the whole rights system since day 1 (including territories distinction).

How is it possible ?

Joost can be viewed from any screen as long as you have broadband internet access and a Windows PC or a Mac. Watch it on a laptop over Wifi. Watch it on your desktop PC monitor or on a television (CRT, LCD, Plasma). No need for setop boxes, smart cards, satelite dishes. Watch it in your hotel room. Start watching a movie in the office, finish it in the living room. This is freedom of space! And freedom is a good reason to change your habbits.

Joost replicate the old plain TV experience (full screen) with a program (a playlist of shows). Don’t search snippets of video on the web, just trust a brand (channel), sit down, relax and watch. You just have access to a potentially infinite number of channels. You’ll never need to record a program again. Don’t invest in storage, recorders, tapes and EPG subscriptions. With Joost, you can navigate the channel playlist forward and skip a boring show or backward, to view an old show. This is freedom of time! And freedom is a good reason to change your habbits.

Joost has advertisement since day one. Both as sponsor of a channel (you watch an ad at the beginning of you program) or in the middle of your program (and to the contrary of television, you can’t zap). And you’ll watch those ads, as Joost will personalized them just for you. Joost know your name, your email, your email domain name, your location, your computer model and OS, your IP adress, your channel selection, your RSS feeds selection, so Joost know your profile. Joost will provide advertisers the GRAAAAL they have been searching forever : the emotional impact of television with the one-to-one personalisation possible with interactive media… And I bet Joost will provide advertiser a platform to buy ad space like you buy ad words in Google Ad sense program. Good bye media agencies…

Just like with Skype-out, soon Joost will ask your credit card number to allow you to subscribe to channels (great for porn), and buy pay-per-view movies. Even better a mobile payment system for teenagers like Tunz.com ;-) Then thanks to Joost integration of mozilla’ html rendering engine wich allow each channel to display an overlay with a mini website, you’ll be able to buy products from Joost in one click! Watch an TV ad, click. Done. Ho boy. That will be BIG.

In the near future bandwidth cost will drop and volume limits disappear. Even today in some market (eg: voo.be in belgium) broadband subscriptions have no volume limits, there Joost could also move from SD to HD in a codec snap and kill blue ray and HD DVD before birth.

Joost has the potential to change the media business, the advertising business, the e-commerce business, the interactive business. Soon the whole world.

Next episode : what are Joost’ threats.

Note : Like many others I thought I invented the peercasting in 1999 (see annex below). I remember an Apple Expo in Paris during which I had diner with my friend Martin and draw a QuickTime distributed streaming system on the napkin. By chance Frank Casanova, from Apple QuickTime team was in the restaurant, so I took my chance and gave him my little napkin drawing with an explanation. He gave me his email adress and asked me to send him my idea in writing. I never did. Ten years later Apple has AppleTV, FrontRow, iTunes, iPod, iPhone with Wifi, QuickTime Streaming Server and still no peercasting. So next time an idiot give you a napkin drawing, take him seriously.

Annex I : Other PeerCasting technologies :