Whatever happened to ROKTalk?

ROKTalk is one of the best mobile applications I’ve ever seen. I’ve been waxing lyrical about it for ages. I’ve had the beta on my handset for yonks. I’ve been using it for hours and hours this year. It’s a mobile conferencing, done properly. The application sits in your S60 handset and reads your address book. Simply check off the people you want to get into a call and press ‘start’. The call is initiated. Genius.

If you drop off the call because of bad signal, you just dial the ROKTalk number. The system intelligently recognises you’re meant to be in a call and sticks you straight back in again. There was even a hint of presence management coming at some point.

I used the service all through the acquisition of one of my companies last year. Pure brilliance when you’re on and off the phone fifty times a day with lawyers and accountants and co-founders and last minute panics.

So when I got a release in the door from ROK Corporation this morning, I was reminded about ROKTalk. What the hell’s going on?

Way back when — I can’t quite remember everything exactly — I remember introducing Ed to ROK. Or suggesting he talk to ROK. Or something like that.

Ed’s company, Howler Tech (founded with two other smarties, Dan Lane and Jay Fenton), did a deal with ROK. That much I know. I suspect it must have been a joint venture. I suspect that the technology was provided by Howler and the dosh and the marketing might provided by ROK. Don’t quote me! What I do know is that ROKTalk got a deal with China Mobile for their MNO in Pakistan.

Here’s what I wrote back in February:

The champagne is, I suspect, briefly flowing at ROK Talk towers — they announced this morning that China Mobile, the 300 million+ subscriber behemoth, has signed an agreement to offer ROK Talk to subscribers of it’s wholly owned Pakistani mobile operator, CMPak. China Mobile were amongst the first in line for the service but if ROK Talk was a sweet shop, I reckon you’d see operators queuing out the door and around the block. It’s telling that the ROK Talk chaps aren’t bothering with Mobile World Congress. They’re far too busy deploying. So one glass of champagne each and back to to work!

I’ve got countless emails from people — serious people — wanting to test out ROKTalk. They’ve been in closed beta for ages and there’s no news. No news about it at all.

Now I know Ed pretty well. He is an excellent chap to go to dinner with. I know Dan and Jay too — Dan’s been contributing to the site off and on for a little while now and you can find him starring in our weekly podcast at the moment.

They’re a friendly bunch. Until you bring up the subject of ROKTalk. The warmth and passion disappears from their faces faster than an unlocked BMW left in a dodgy part of town.

Once or twice I’ve asked Dan about the service when we’ve been recording the podcast. It’s caused no amount of arse because we’ve had to cut those bits out.

“I can’t comment on that,” he tells me, “You need to speak to ROK.”

When I talk to Ed, he tells me the same thing.

Fair enough. I’ve dropped an email over to Bruce at ROK Corporation and asked for an update.

I’ve been moaning, you see, because I want to see ROKTalk out there. I want to see folk using it.

I’m concerned because I’ve not seen any new updates from ROKTalk. It’s all gone quiet. There’s probably a sensible reason. I should have an update soon.

Meantime if you’d like to try out ROKTalk, you can, I imagine, join the growing list of people waiting here.