Keeping contacts synced between PCs and cell phones is
about to get a whole lot easier. Plaxo, a contact management tool that integrates with Microsoft
Outlook and Outlook Express announced two new services
that will unwire its contact synchronization service and
extend its e-commerce reach.
Plaxo Mobile Access allows for WAP-enabled
mobile devices to directly access Microsoft Outlook and Outlook
Express. With the new service Plaxo members will also be able to
dial Outlook contact information from their mobile devices.
Plaxo’s Send-to-Phone feature goes a step further and allows users to send via
SMS, contact to their mobile device. The service is being offered through
a partnership Plaxo has with Vazu.
“The way that works is that most cell phones today already support
vcards and if you SMS a vcard to a phone, it will most likely accept it,”
Rikk Carey, executive vice president of Engineering and Operations for
Plaxo told internetnews.com. “There are some tricks to that but
basically it’s an SMS gateway that sends a vcard to your phone.”
Beyond contact synchronization, Plaxo is also moving into e-commerce.
Plaxo users can create birthday and holiday lists from their contacts and
send merchandise including flowers, gifts and books to contacts, because of a series of
partnerships Plaxo has with online retailers, such as GrowerFlowers.com and Barnes & Noble.
The e-commerce component is intended to be a simple add on that will make the
fulfillment process easier, as well, since the contact information
is already all up to date.
“The whole point here is to make something that’s a bit of a pain —
sending birthday presents, gifts or cards — and make it simple and easy and
at the right place and time, ” explained Carey.
The new premium services are expected to generate revenues for Plaxo
that will help it to monetize its user base. The basic Plaxo product is
free and, according to Carey, will remain free.
