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You probably have been reading before here and here - on MoSoSos.

Technically speaking, MoSoSo is radius and proximity based software. Untechnically speaking, it finds like-minded people around you instantly. The problem with MoSoSos is that they’re not really out there yet as they should. To get accurate location data, the preferred method is GPS -but concerns about privacy and costs have kept operators to give this sensible location information out hands to some possible competitors or adventurous third-party start-ups.

I thought it might be interesting to give an overview of the companies, projects and the applications in the Mobile Social Software (MoSoSo) area now that hybrid phones will hit the international markets soon.

© Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.

Currently most MoSoSo business models are based on SMS premium revenue income, others focus on different models such as premium subscription fees and local advertising, using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technology. Personally, I think that MoSoSos, using Wi-Fi technology, will emerge and widespread more rapidly among youth in urban network zones, the moment they can afford the cool new hybrid phones.

Most fun seems to come from the ones using Bluetooth technology like Nokia Sensor and the French Mobiluck. Another interesting project I found was Pantonic, which has been developed by Ian Curry from the NYC Interactive Telecommunications Program. These applications using Bluetooth are based on the principle that you receive a message or alert when someone with same tastes is near you. The disadvantage is that the Bluetooth short-range radius to sense proximity only works over a distance of about 30 feet or 10 meters. Fun for shy people!

Uk-based Playtxt and MamJam are targetting bars and clubs audiences using premium sms.

Some companies like phling and Alatto are trying to claim their technology and are patent pending - I always have to wonder what people are trying to patent? People socialising? Connecting people? Tribes from Alatto uses its own unique mobile browser to connect people.

Meanwhile in the US, some promising projects are just coming out of the Universities.

TXTmob was first developed by the Institute for Applied Autonomy for protestors at the Democratic National Convention in Boston and the Republican National Convention in New York. Tad Hirsch, a researcher in MIT’s Smart Cities Group continues to offer TXTmob as a free service to the general public, and is currently coordinating a major software upgrade.

PlaceSite grew out of a final Masters project undertaken at SIMS, University of California, Berkeley.

Cellphedia, another thesis project coming out the NYC Interactive Telecommunications Program was created by Limor Garcia. Based on ideas taken from Wikipedia and dodgeball, Cellphedia allows its members to broadcast questions to its community and receive answers, using SMS text messaging on cell phones. It’s a cell phone application that promotes the sharing of knowledge.

Wavemarket, with solid partners and financing behind, is focusing on developing real business applications using GPS technology to deliver comprehensive LBS solutions. “From tracking the location of a fleet of vehicles, to alerting parents of a child’s whereabouts or creating a social network that lets friends share location-tagged information right from their mobile devices.”

Dodgeball, bought by Google - and the first out of many MoSoSo projects coming from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program - is based on using text messages, but knowing about Google WiFi plans, it shouldn’t take long before they merged the two services available for the new generation of hybrid phones…

Other hyped projects using Wi-Fi are Jambo and Meetro. Meetro marries instant-messaging software with geo-proximity technology in the hopes of expanding people’s social circles.

Through Alex Kummerman’s blog I got into MOSOMUSO - stands for MObile SOcial MUsical SOftware, when you link MoSoSo with music sharing.

This accronym was invended by the great researcher Atau Tanaka at the Sony Computer Science Laboratory in Paris. Atau has since 2003 been working on Social Models for Ad-hoc Networks as well as on what he calls future music. I mentioned his research previously here.

Back to MoSoSo in Europe, Wanted Smiling, from the French Clicmobile, is about moving social networks from the desktop to the mobile phone - also patent pending! Their project called “AREYOUHERE?” is being launched in November 2005 in both France and Switzerland.

My personal favorite among the players described above is Plazes from Felix Petersen and Stefan Kellner.

Plazes is an easy to use web service that lets you articulate some basic info about internet access points — wired and wireless, public and private — in your area. Stefan and Felix were smart opening their API quickly integrating with new services such as Flickr, Skype, Jabber, TypePad, Yahoo, Google, Match.com, and Outlook.

To me it is clear that location-aware interaction companies will get great new opportunities with the introduction of the hybrid phones and the ongoing convergence of networks. How about you?

Tags: mososo LBS mobile social software proximity mosomuso mobsharing mobile music wifi bluetooth sensoring hybrid phones convergence