Filed under: Utilities, Web services, Beta, web 2.0, sxsw
SXSW 2009: Contxts lets you share contact details via SMS
Each year at SXSW, there's that one service that people go mad about. This year, most people seem to be loving foursquare - however one of the neatest services I discovered (perhaps unsurprisingly at one of the many parties) is Contxts. Currently in public 'alpha', the service lets you share contact details using just your mobile phone and an SMS. Once you've registered (for free) on the Contxts site, people will be able to request your details by simply sending your username to 50500. The service replies with the 140-character business card you set up - normally just a name, address and phone number. Another nice touch is that the Contxts website notes each request for your card - noting usernames if the requester's phone is already registered with the service - letting you keep track of who's getting your number. You can also beam your profile to any other phone number from your registered number by simply text 'send' followed by the recipient's number. Simple!
I've been using it a little over the last week in Austin, and whilst the service is handy it's still far to early to use everyday. The distribution of your contact details needs a little more control, and it'd be awesome if the service allowed you to both upload a vCard that you already have - and make it available to registered users via the website or email. That said, for grabbing people's phone numbers in passing at a party, it's a great little service - and hopefully one that'll soon become a little more feature-complete.
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
