Twitter and U2opia Mobile bring trending tweets and topics to dumb phones

We're spoiled here in the US. When we want to browse what's trending on Twitter, we just break out our smartphones, launch an app and we're perusing the latest tweets about Joan Didion and the war on Christmas in no time. Those in developing nations don't have that luxury. Twitter knows it needs to crack those markets to stay relevant and competitive, so it's reaching back to its text-based roots in a partnership with Singapore-based U2opia Mobile. Customers of the company's Fonetwish service just dial a special code, and a feed of trending tweets and topics is sent to their handset. The company already provides a similar service for Facebook and Google Talk (now, Hangouts) that delivers content in a text only format via USSD designed for handsets without an internet connection. Sure, it might not seem like an exciting to those of you toting a Nexus 5. But for many in these emerging markets, this will be their first taste of the world's most popular microblogging platform.

SOURCE Reuters