Happy 19th Birthday, Text Messaging!

It’s hard to believe, but it has been just over 19 years since the first text message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone, and 18 years since the first phones were produced that allowed people to send text messages to each other.  In 2011, over 8 trillion text messages were sent, and the average American thumbed out 357 text messages per month!  The numbers are incredible, and the reach is unbelievable.  Text messaging is changing the world – literally.  There are now over 4.2 billion texters worldwide – that’s more than 3 out of every 5 humans on the planet!  Cell phones and texting cut across all socio-economic and geographic boundaries.  Imagine having to charge your phone by using your car battery every night.  The fact is, more than 48 million cell phone users do just that, because they have no household electricity!  Even more astounding, worldwide there are 1.7 billion people who have cell phones, but have no bank account!

Given numbers like that, it’s easy to see that texting plays a prominent role in personal communications across the globe – but the one thing texting is missing is the context that video brings to the conversation.  We can e-mail a video, embed a video on a website and even play a video on demand on our smart phone – but our texting communications are generally limited to just characters and the occasional snapshot.  With texting today, I feel like I’m stuck in time playing Mario Cart, rather than mastering COD Modern Warfare.

It’s about time that texting grows up and joins the video sharing revolution.  I want to add life and motion to my text messages, to better express my thoughts and ideas without the hassle of sending data sucking video via e-mail or to a public social network.  This lit a fire in our belly and sparked a passion that led to the development and launch of Cinegif Video.  It’s the very first app that allows you add a video clip to any text message – up to 10 seconds in length.  Finally, you are able to add life, motion and context to the conversation!

Get the Cinegif Video App FREE in the iTunes app store here.  We hope you like it, and let us know by posting a review in iTunes.

What’s the first video clip that you plan to text, and to whom will it go?

American LeMans Series comes to Austin in 2013!

By now, it’s no secret to anyone who follows this blog that I’m an unrepentant speed junkie, completely hooked on going fast – and watching others go fast – on land, water or in the air.

American Lemans Series One

Video Courtesy of American LeMans Series – Copyright 2012

So you can imagine my delight at the recent press release announcing the agreement between Circuit Of The Americas management and the American LeMans Series for a race to be held at COTA in the Spring of 2013.

American LeMans Series Two

Video Courtesy of American LeMans Series – Copyright 2012

 

 

I’ll be able to sit on a grassy hill, not ten miles from my house, and watch the traveling road show that is  the American LeMans Series, right here in little ol’ Austin, Texas!

American LeMans Series Three

Video Courtesy of American LeMans Series – Copyright 2012

Now, Formula One is a tough act to follow, but the American Lemans Series will do quite nicely, thank you. Prototype Sports Racers, Multiple GT Classes, and International Factory Teams – Deep in the Heart! It doesn’t get much better than that.

It’s really been amazing, watching a world-class, purpose-built Formula One track rise out of the former pastures and mesquite-laden hills just minutes from Downtown Austin. We’re rapidly closing in on 150 days until race day, and the level of activity on the Circuit Of The Americas is truly impressive.  I can’t wait!

The three Cinegifs I’ve used to illustrate this blog are all well under one megabyte in size, which means that they’re portable enough to be used in emails, web pages, blogs (obviously) or newsletters as instant-open, instant-play attention-getters. So race over to our website, cinegif,com, and sign up for a free trial to create your own custom Cinegifs.  You’ll definitely come out way ahead of the competition!