'If only I could access BirdGuides' website while I'm out birding' was a comment we heard many times. We therefore launched a new service, Bird News Anywhere, that enables you to do just that.

Screenshots

Screenshots from Bird News Anywhere on typical phones. Note that these screenshots show only part of each page - much more information is available by scrolling up or down:

Home page with personal sites and links to more details (on Nokia 8310)	See full details of any report (Nokia 6210)
View reports within range of any site (Siemens SL45)	Access details of over 9000 birding sites (Ericsson R600)
Look back at past reports of any bird (Motorola Timeport 260)	View photos of most species (Siemens ME45)

(Screenshots from WAP emulators.)

Unretouched digital photographs of actual screens on Nokia 6630 Smartphone. Images are actually clearer than they appear here, but not all phones can view pictures successfully or at this resolution:

Initial reactions

We've already received some very encouraging feedback from early users of the service:

• "Your new trial Bird News Anywhere service is a stroke of absolute genius. Full access to all the information anywhere on my mobile phone?!?! My initial reaction is amazement at the obvious value."
• "...first impressions were good with very quick access and downloading."
• "Very impressed by the fact you can define a distance from a specified grid reference to filter sightings...I found the service easy and quick to set up..."
• "What an excellent service! I particularly liked the design of the menus. I could quickly get a view of the megas news very quickly, then the scarcer birds in southeast England and then down to the individual county. Well thought out...thanks for a great new addition to your services! Another winner."

More testimonials

Introducing Bird News Anywhere

Bird News Anywhere enables mobile phone users to browse any of the following:

• A constantly updated list of the latest sightings of 'megas' in Britain and Ireland
• A constantly updated list of all the latest British and Irish sightings
• A constantly updated list of the latest sightings in any county in Britain or Ireland
• A constantly updated list of the latest sightings in any location in Britain or Ireland
• A constantly updated list of the latest sightings within 30km of your home
• Photos of most British species (if your phone supports them)
• You'll be able to click on any sighting for further details (e.g. details of where to look) and a history of all previous reports of that bird (how long has it been there, how often is it seen?)
• You'll be able to look up any location to find out more about where it is (e.g. a grid reference)
• You'll be able to 'bookmark' any 'page' so in future you can go straight to the latest news at your favourite counties or locations.

In other words you can have unlimited access to all the bird news published via the BirdGuides website, including site details and the history of any bird, even when you are in the field.

To get this information you access a bookmark via your mobile phone and the lists will appear on your mobile phone screen. You will usually be charged by your network provider for access but if you have, for example, a 'free weekends' tariff or a monthly tariff that includes free calls, there will be times when you can get this information at no extra cost. (Some phones charge for access "per byte" rather then by the minute, but as the pages are generally small the charge should be low, and many such tariffs currently give you a certain number of free downloads per month anyway.)

Bird News Anywhere service is particularly useful in conjunction with our Bird Text Alert service. Bird Text Alert will ensure you are notified by SMS text message when there is news that is important to you; the Bird News Anywhere service enables you to look up ALL the news, from ANY county, at ANY time, from ANY place (assuming you can get a mobile reception).

A subscription to Bird News Anywhere costs £35 per year, or £5 per month, but if you've not previously tried the service you can register for a free 1-week trial (see below). Fifteen-minute (£1) and 24-hour (£3) Pay-as-you-Go options are also available. Please note that you will be charged by your mobile phone provider for connecting to Bird News Anywhere, at your standard data rate.

What do I do next?

• If you'd like to know more about Bird News Anywhere, or you're new to mobile Internet services, browse our list of Frequently Asked Questions.
  
• For a free trial of the service on your phone, go to http://www.birdguides.com/anywhere/setup (free registration required)

For the duration of your Bird News Anywhere subscription you will also enjoy free access to all the articles in the BirdGuides webzine.

More information

 Frequently Asked Questions
 Free Trial/refine your settings (subscribers only)
 SUBSCRIBE/RENEW

Other bird news services from BirdGuides

 Bird News Extra
 Email Alert
 Bird Text Alert

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