I’ve always known my kids use digital communications gear a lot. But my cellphone bill last month really grabbed my attention.
My son had racked up nearly 2,000 incoming text messages, and had sent nearly as many. That means he was having more than 60 two-way communications via text message every day. Of course, he was out of school for the summer and communicating more with friends from a distance. Nevertheless, I had to wonder how he found time to hold down a summer job and complete a college course in between all that typing with his thumb.
via For Teens, Has Texting Replaced Talking? – The Juggle – WSJ.
When it comes to developing mobile applications, one of the biggest problems developers have is collecting user feedback. Even the iPhone App Store, which features user reviews and star ratings, is often loaded with comments that skew either highly positive or negative, without much indication as to why a certain user liked or disliked the app, and next to no information on the users who leave responses.
via HaveASec: A Survey Platform Optimized For Mobile Devices.
Juniper Research has released its report, ‘Mobile Advertising Delivery Channels, Business Models & Forecasts 2009-2014 (Second Edition)’. The report predicts that advertising budgets for mobile channels will buck the downward trend and exhibit strong growth over the next five years, reaching $5.7 billion (£3.5 billion) by 2014.
The report finds that constraints on budgets, imposed in the wake of the global economic downturn, have resulted in an increasing migration of ad spend from above the line to below the line channels. It notes also that the need for engagement with the consumer, and a quantifiable ROI, has meant that mobile is increasingly being perceived as a key medium through which to pursue this strategy.
via Mobile Marketing Magazine: Report Puts Mobile Ad Growth in Context.
Mobile Commerce, which provides location-based services (LBS) and mobile content integration, has partnered with O2 to provide location-based search for O2 Money – the new business within O2 which will seek to advance the synergies between mobile and money. Mobile Commerce is providing an SMS ‘Find Nearest’ service, enabling O2 customers to find the nearest place to top up their ‘Load & Go’ card with cash.
Aimed at young people aged 13 and over, the card gives them the freedom and convenience of a Visa card, but within a safe framework. Load & Go is designed to help teenagers to learn about money management, as well as providing a safer way to carry around their pocket money.
via Mobile Marketing Magazine: Mobile Commerce Powers O2 Money’s ‘Find Nearest’ Service.
Berlin – September 7th, 2009 — The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) today released exclusive research, conducted by Lightspeed Research, ahead of its forthcoming Mobile Marketing Forum in Berlin, showing that marketing direct to mobile phones has led to almost €560 million in consumer expenditure in the German market over the last 12 months. With UK spend at nearly €450 million, the two markets combined have seen more than €1,000 million in consumer purchases as a result of mobile marketing in just the last year; demonstrating the considerable impact of the mobile device on brands’ ability to effectively communicate with the consumer and convert leads into sales.
via Mobile Marketing Puts More Than 550 Million Euros Back Into German Economy | Mobile Marketing Association.
GetFugu, a much anticipated mobile search startup we covered earlier this month, is gaining momentum as it receives more funding and prepares for the launch of its first two mobile apps.
via GetFugu’s Getting Serious, Launches iPhone/Android Apps : Mobile Marketing Watch – The Pulse Of The Mobile Marketing Community.
Voice and text broadcasting firm RelayStation is offering British MPs a way to slash the significant costs of communicating with their constituents and party members regularly on an opt-in basis. The company is urging them to scap the paper in favour of voice and SMS messaging communications.
RelayStation is also urging political parties to use its voice and text messaging broadcast services for polling purposes, replacing the high cost of pollsters knocking on voters doors or bothering them as they exit the supermarket during election periods to establish voting trends.
via Mobile Marketing Magazine: RelayStation Urges MPs to Turn to Mobile.
With all the iPhone leading the buzz about smartphone growth, it’s disheartening to learn that the Apple phone is the worst smartphone for mobile advertising. That is, at least according to a new report about mobile ad clickthrough rates by online ad network Chitika.
via How to Get iPhone Users to Click Your Mobile Ad? : Mobile Marketing Watch – The Pulse Of The Mobile Marketing Community.
New York, London, UK, Singapore, Sao Paulo and Toronto: September 15, 2009 – The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) today highlighted that the Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, has proclaimed Sept. 12-16 2009 MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK, featuring the first-annual Mobile Media World 09, an MMA-sponsored event for Canada’s mobile industry that brings together mobile and global thought leaders, developers, institutions and industry professionals. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK is officially recognized by the MMA and more than 14 other global mobile and digital media trade organizations, and is supported by more than 50 corporate sponsors, media partners and individual volunteers.
via Mobile Marketing Association Keynotes Today at Mobile Media World 09 | Mobile Marketing Association.
The magicians Penn & Teller have this card trick. Except it’s not really a card trick, it’s an iPhone app. You tell a friend that you know Penn & Teller and that they can guess cards remotely. To prove it you ask them to name a card, then you pull out your iPhone and tell your friend to send an SMS message to Penn (or sometimes it’s Teller). They always respond, because you are such good friends.
via TC50: Penn & Teller Show Off Their iPhone Magic Trick.
