TxtMeApp Looks to Bridge the PC-Phone Gap
As smartphone owners learn fairly quickly when they get their first devices, there’s more than one way to get an app. When I got my Samsung Epic a few years ago, the Google Play store was a wonderful place full of mobile computing glory—but it didn’t take long for my brother to turn me onto the Amazon App Store, and soon after I expanded my horizons and began downloading applications from all over the web, app stores be damned. But sometimes I’ll be browsing the web on my PC, find a cool app, and then not want to go through the hassle of getting it onto my phone—and thus, the app is forgotten. That’s a scenario the people behind TxtMeApp want to try and fix.
According to the service’s website, applications who are partnered with TxtMeApp will present a screen to smartphone owners that’ll prompt them to type in their mobile number. From there, they’ll get a text and a link to download the app directly. If it works as advertised, it has the potential to really open up the market for app makers to bring their programs directly to consumers as they find them during web browsing.
Ariel Soudak, CEO of Say Media Group, the company behind TxtMeApp, offered up this statement in a press release about the service:
“We discovered a missing link between desktop and mobile use. TxtMeApp provides mobile app developers with a new distribution channel, online publishers with a new way to monetize their traffic, and solves the attribution gap in the web-to-mobile conversion funnel. With TxtMeApp, developers have a platform to get direct exposure for their app with highly engaged app users who can download the app right then and there.”
While it remains to be seen if TxtMeApp will actually change the face of the mobile app-making market, it does seem to have the potential to open plenty of doors for developers, publishers, and consumers alike. Having more ways to get apps onto phones is always a net positive, and bringing down the barriers between consumers and the programs they want will result in better mobile experiences in the future. I’m keeping my eyes on these folks…