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The HulloMail Team

Lost in translation!

As you know HulloMail is a global organisation however at times some things really do get lost in translation!
This was an email received by one of operations team earlier this week.
Have a good weekend.


Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:30:58 +0000
To: Dan Makin <dan.makin@hullomail.com>
Subject: RE: Update
Hello Dan:

Sorry for the delay in my response.

The outcome for the second visit was 2 bottoms that we have to press, to resolve the issue or the error.

We our engineer press these 2 bottoms the error was corrected. 

With this the issue was resolved.

Best Regards,

NEW for December 2010, Ad-supported and paid-for HulloMail Applications

You will have received an email this week announcing some slight changes to our HulloMail applications, so we thought we would take this opportunity to provide you with a little more information.
We're committed to providing a free service and to continue to do this, this week, we are introducing advertising to our popular Android, BlackBerry and iPhone applications.  The advertising is visual and not audio, and will be included in the central message list and the message detail screen on the Android and iPhone.  For the BlackBerry, the ads will only appear on the central message list due to the lack of a message detail screen.
We understand that not everyone wants advertising so we're also introducing ad-free, paid-for versions of all our apps. These apps will contain no advertising and will be the first in-line to receive new features planned for 2011 such as enhanced group messaging, further personalisation options and message management tools.
The price of the ad-free app is £3.99, $6.99 or €5.49 for the year depending on your country, which is the equivalent of just pence or cents per week!
This week the ads will be turned-on automatically so to keep using the free service you don't need to do anything.  If you have already decided that ads aren't for you then you need to delete the current version of the app from your phone, search for HulloMail Smart Voicemail in your app store, purchase it and install in the usual way -  signing in with your normal account details.  You will notice that the paid-for, ad-free versions of the applications have a different icon.

Any problem you can find the answer in the FAQ section of the website or contact support@hullomail.com who are always happy to help.

Cameron reveals Silicon Valley vision for the East London

I was flabbergasted yesterday by the revelation that Mr. Cameron has a start-up vision for this country, more specifically, this area of East London. I was eager to hear what he had to say. I even exchanged emails with Rory, from the BBC, in regard to his blog post on the subject. Rory's view was that we're all drinking 'skinny' cappuccinos in local cafes however, I soon pointed out he is more likely to find us drowning out our disappointments following VC meetings. 

I guess it's good to know that our man at the top, Mr. Cameron, speaks to the founders of Google and clearly listens to them. I am confused as to why they would have had a problem starting their business in the UK though. Copyright law? Hmm they seemed to be ok with YouTube having that problem? Come on guys, IP law in general, not just in the UK but also in the USA is completely out of date in its application to Software, the WEB and technology - invention is re-invention. We in start up world get patents to impress VC's and protect ourselves, so imagine that - you have an idea and you next protect yourself from it. I will let you into a secret, we need VC money to pay the Patent lawyer. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But I exaggerate to make a point.  

Mr. Cameron If you want to throw the cat amongst the pigeons make the UK IP indifferent. The innovation will be massive. We would have a Silicon Valley over night, the whole of the UK, indeed all those development agencies being shut down won't be necessary anyway so it was a good idea to close them - well done.  The Valley will run from Land's End to John O'Groats. Anyone with an idea will flock to the UK. 

But I deviate; I do not mean to get into a conversation about how silly IP law is. 

What I really wanted to say is Mr. Cameron you maybe be saving the UK from sinking under the weight of interest payments, but to help UK start-ups here in the East End or anywhere else in the UK you could ask us directly. I am sure you would hear "Give us a break on Employer NI contributions for a couple of years" or "Can you ask corporate UK to rethink draconian payment terms of 90 days that hard times seem to warrant. We don't have a problem if they do it between themselves but to start-up tech companies it’s very tough to make ends meet". If you ask us directly, I doubt you'll hear any problems arising from a lack of capability, passion, people, or come to that copyright infringement. 

What you'll hear loud and clear, in my opinion, is that to have a Silicon Valley outside of the USA you might need Silicon Valley VC's and culture which appears to be less risk-aversed, NOT large companies moving in and shooting the rents up. We are a community here that has spawned from Old Street roundabout. We are an organically evolving interesting local development. The reason we are here is a combination of rent, location, good pubs (I personally recommend the Fox), good clubs and no tourists asking you where Regents Park is when you nip out for your sandwich. Google have a nice office just off Victoria Station because they can afford the rent there. 

You have a point when you say we have a great entrepreneurial spirit but for some reason the support fabric, probably due in part to culture, is not quite there yet. Do something there if you want to help.  

Please tell the Google Founders we say Hullo! and ask them can they rethink their location as the rent here is reasonable at the moment....

Cheers

Andy

PS. I would be concerned that saddling UK students with more debt will mean we'll sadly see choices being made between - do I do my idea and create or do I get rid of this debt hanging over my head and get a job, pen pushing to pay off the debt? Contradiction maybe?

We took voicemail to facebook for Android now we've done it again with iPhone!

Just two weeks after launching the Facebook share feature on the Android app, we've today announced we've extended this new feature to the iPhone.

Our iPhone users can, for the first time, easily share voicemails directly onto their Facebook wall from within the app. The messages can either be a voicemail that has been received from a contact or a Hullo (an instant voice message), which can be recorded and immediately posted onto the popular social networking site for friends to hear. 

The Facebook Share feature is an extremely quick and easy way to share inbound and outbound voice messages with friends so they can hear an important update or a classic message.  It also offers a new way to keep in touch with friends online; now, instead of simply reading status updates, users can listen to what friends have to say and, in turn, hear their tone of voice, expression, humour, sarcasm etc. 

Andy Munarriz, our founder and CEO, said: “With the introduction of our Facebook Share feature for the iPhone app, we are offering a completely new way for users to share voicemails and voice messages with their Facebook friends. It adds a completely new and fun dimension to both voicemail and the social networking experience. Next time a priceless voicemail is received, both our iPhone and Android users now have the option to instantly share it on their Facebook page for their friends to enjoy. I believe that voicemail will never be the same again.”

The new facebook share feature is included in version 1.2, which is available to download now via iTunes today!

And We're Live!

We're pleased to announced the launch of HulloMail in Ireland. For the first time, smartphone users across Ireland can now download our free voicemail and voice messaging application that offers a modern replacement to network operator’s traditional voicemail service: We've launched our smart voicemail app for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices, providing a completely new approach to accessing, managing and sending voice messages, today!

“Have you ever been really frustrated with the standard voicemail offering from your Mobile Operator, or wished you could access your voicemails faster from your mobile, email or via the web? Well, HulloMail now allows Irish smartphone users a way to get more from both their phone and voicemail; it has all the features you would expect from a voicemail service plus so much more,” said Andy Munarriz, our founder and CEO, HulloMail. “Its great to be launching in Ireland and I encourage smartphone users to visit their app store today and download HulloMail for free.”

Recently, we've introduced Facebook Share to the Android app, this feature will also be able for the iPhone shortly. For the first time, Our users can now share voicemails and instant voice messages directly onto their Facebook wall at the press of a button from within the mobile app, creating an easy way to quickly share priceless messages with Facebook friends.
Concludes Andy, “After nearly 20 years of voicemail doing the same old job, we're pleased to be at the forefront of introducing something completely new for the 21st century. People have moved on and now expect voicemail to be as flexible as any other form of digital communications and that is exactly the experience that HulloMail provides to mobile users across the UK, USA and now Ireland.”
Our mobile apps are easy to install and work with your existing mobile phone number and operator, meaning there is no requirement to change numbers or be given another.
Think we might go and have a couple of pints of Guinness to celebrate!

And finally, a big thanks to all our testers in Ireland that provided us with some great feedback.

HulloMail now allows you to share voicemails and Hullos with your facebook friends!

We are please to announced the launch of version 3.0 of our Android application, which sees the introduction of a number of major new updates to this popular smart voicemail and instant voice messaging app.

For the first time, our users can now share voicemails and instant voice messages directly onto their Facebook wall from within the app at the press of a button. Friends can then listen to the message in a click on Facebook. This feature provides a more personal way to keep in contact with friends, by allowing them to hear tone of voice and real emotion instead of simply reading text-based posts.  Every had an hilarious voicemail you've wanted to share with friends?  Well, now you can.

Andy Munarriz, our founder and CEO, said: “We have made it really easy to share voicemails and voice messages directly with Facebook, adding a completely new dimension to voicemail and the social networking experience. Next time you get a priceless voicemail, you can share it with your Facebook wall immediately; I think we might even be the first on the planet to make it this easy! Voicemail will never be the same again. Our latest Android app is the first to have this ability; it has also been re-worked from the ground up and is now a faster and more polished experience.”

The ability to share on facebook is a configurable option, so you can turn this ON or OFF depending on your preference.

The HulloMail iPhone app will be the next to include the new Facebook Share feature – details will be announced soon.

To download HulloMail’s free Android app, version 3.0, and get sharing visit The Android Market on your mobile phone and search for HulloMail.