iPhone users like Hoiio

Users of the iPhone are rapidly taking to the Hoiio callback service. According to Teliwave, the Singapore company behind Hoiio, iPhone users are the third largest group of users making calls using the service. In terms of using SMS, the iPhone is ahead of all other mobile phone platforms. 

From Nov 1 to Dec 23, the iPhone platform was responsible for 9.1 percent of calls on Hoiio, behind the Symbian S60 (33.6 percent) and Jave J2ME (14.4 percent), according to Teliwave spokeman Made Adi.

During the same period, about 24 percent of Hoiio’s SMS users used an iPhone. This puts the iPhone ahead of all other mobile platforms, and makes it second only to the web (35.7 percent).

This achievement is even more striking when you consider that Hoiio’s iPhone app has only been available from November 13 (it has been downloaded about 1,200 times since). This means that the other platforms had an additional 12 days of usage over the iPhone during the period in question. 

Usage of Hoiio (phone calls)
Platform Percentage %
Symbian S60 33.63
Java J2ME 14.36
iPhone 9.11
Windows Mobile 7.65
Web 7.27
Blackberry 0.05
Others 27.92

Usage of Hoiio   (SMS)
Platform Percentage %
Web 35.67
iPhone 24.22
Symbian S60 13.97
Java J2ME 12.20
Windows Mobile 4.02
BlackBerry 0.02
Others 9.90

According to Made, the adoption rate by iPhone users has been faster compared to the other platforms that Hoiio supports. Made attributes the rapid penetration of the iPhone to three factors — the iPhone’s data capability, Apple’s App Store and the Hoiio interface.

“Data (GPRS) is not a fear factor for iPhone users. If I do a sales pitch to non-iPhone users, some people are turned off by the fact that Hoiio uses GPRS to initiate the call. I have to explain that we don't use a lot of data, only 2kb. However, as iPhones comes with a data plan and seamless transition from GPRS to WiFi, iPhone users are not so concerned about 2kb of data used to initiate a call.

Apple’s App Store also makes a big difference, he says. “Unlike other platforms which do not have such a dedicated channel, when we put our application in the Singapore App Store, we know that we are going to have access to more than 30,000 people to download our application. The App Store also allows users to easily install the application to their iPhone.”

It also helps that the interface for Hoiio’s app is the same as the native phone application on the iPhone. “Our iPhone users love Hoiio because they don't need to change the way they make calls, yet they can save on their communications cost.”

Hoiio's app is free on the App Store, but users have to register to use the service. They buy credits which are then drawn down as they are used.

Teliwave, the company behind the callback service, is a start-up based in Singapore. It is among the 200 finalists being considered for the Red Herring 100 Asia awards. Hoiio has about 8,500 registered users so far. Currently, Hoiio is only available in Singapore but the company is planning to offer the service to other markets next year. Hoiio’s mobile development lead is local iPhone developer Ong Jun Da, who is responsible for SG 4D, SG Pools and SG Toto. (See interview with Jun Da here.)