Smub.it offers a drop-dead simple social sharing and bookmarking tool that proves especially useful for iPhone and other smart phone users.
Smub, which stands for “smart multi-use bookmarking,” requires only that users type “smub.it/” to the left of the URL they wish to bookmark or share. Then, whether it’s viewed on a mobile device or a computer, the browser goes to Smub’s ten-button interface where users are presented with a modest but functional selection of link-sharing options. The service effectively eliminates the need for copy/paste functions and takes a few steps out of iPhone users’ sharing process.
While the link-sharing part of the service doesn’t require a login, the bookmarking function does require users to register accounts. For unregistered users, Smub also currently doesn’t store login information for third-party web tools or allow for OAuth or Open Social authentication, requiring users to enter usernames and passwords each time they share a link.
Todd Montgomery, Smub’s Marketing and Business Development VP, spoke with us Sunday afternoon, saying, “I know particularly people who tweet do it frequently. Unless you’re registered on Smub, it still requires you to log in to third-party services each time you share a link. This is something we’re working on for the future.”
Other long-term plans include allowing users to define and add other sharing/bookmarking sites outside of the initial nine.
Montgomery and the rest of the Smub team don’t see the service as a stop-gap solution until smart phones get smarter, and they plan to add value across web and mobile interfaces. In addition to allowing users to export their content, he said, “We’re also coming up with a list function. Instead of having to bookmark each link, you can create a list. Now, your friends will only have to go to one destination to see all the associated links,” a function the Smub team thinks will be especially useful for academics and researchers.
Although their initial core focus is on the iPhone, Smub will be optimizing the user interface for Blackberries and other smart phones, as well.
