More technological tools to defeat censorship: Heed it dictators!

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

More technological tools to defeat censorship: Heed it dictators!

Google, SayNow Launch Tweet-by-Phone for Egypt, World

January 31, 2011
By Mark Hachman
PC Magazine

Google and SayNow, a startup Google acquired last week, have teamed up to allow tweeting by phone, with an ear toward those on the ground in Egypt.

Users can dial one of three phone numbers: (650)419-4196, +390662207294, or +97316199855 to leave a voice mail message, which the SayNow voicemail servers will transcribe into a Twitter tweet, using the #Egypt hashtag. The idea is to allow those without Internet service, as in Egypt are, to be able to communicate.

People can also listen to the tweets by dialing the same numbers, Ujjwal Singh, cofounder of SayNow and AbdelKarim Mardini, a Google product manager for the Middle East and North Africa, wrote in a blog post.

"We hope that this will go some way to helping people in Egypt stay connected at this very difficult time," the two wrote. "Our thoughts are with everyone there."

Google quietly acquired SayNow last week, a company whose technology was one of the selling points of Soulja Boy's "Kiss Me Through the Phone," a 2008 hit that included the phone number (678) 999-8281, which connected to a SayNow server with voice mail and other message features. According to the company, Soulja Boy could also connect live to callers.

The SayNow technology was also used as part of a "wakeup call" sent to ESPN's 1.6 million Facebook fans.

Last Tuesday, company founders announced that the company had been acquired by Google for an undisclosed amount.

"We are thrilled to announce that we have been acquired by Google," co-founders Ujjwal Singh and Nikhyl Singhal wrote.

"Since 2005, we've explored fun and entertaining ways for people to talk with each other. Through the web, smartphones, and even land lines, our products brought communities together through the power of voice. And as Google has some of the best voice products in the world, we believe combining forces with the Google Voice team will let us innovate in new and unexplored areas."

The two SayNow co-founders declined to comment on the company's product plans.