Pictures on mobile phones: changing the way things are sold.

If you've seen those ads on TV of a fellow taking a picture of a pancake that has a picture of Mom on it at a diner and thought, oh that's just so weird. Well, the potential of using that kind of MMS (Mobile Messaging Service) has been tapped into in the most innovative way in Scandanavia. Something many of us can learn from and model future applications on.

An article in the March 28th issue of The Feature profiles two Finnish companies that are using MMS in interesting ways. One, a real estate company, allows prospective buyers to dial in requests for images and information on specific properties. The service alerts buyers when new properties come on the market by shooting them details and images. This targeted and time sensitive way of delivering leads and opportunities could change the way real estate is sold. Agents in the field are equipped with digital cameras so they can photograph and upload pictures immediately. It could certainly make using the classifieds in print newspapers a tool for dinosaurs while giving the most cutting edge to the technically well-equipped elite.

Another company uses using MMS for car sales, alerting potential customers to new vehicles. The potential for this technology's use with auctions has yet to be explored. eBay, watch out!...