Marketing Articles About Mobile Issues Search Results

1. An App for the Android? Your CFO Will Love You. It is becoming increasingly difficult for brands and marketers to break even - or make a dent in the mobile public's awareness - when developing an app for Apple. Not so with the Android, as the... (03/11/10 09:00 PM)

2. Industry Buzz & News: 3/11/10. Ad Technologies: YouTube pulls the trigger on mobile ads. Why ad blocking is devastating to the sites you love. Technical Innovation: Avatar director James Cameron: 3D promising, but caution... (03/11/10 09:00 AM)

3. Facebook Is Still Looking for Its "Iconic Game": Is Farmville the Halo of Facebook?.

   

   At San Francisco's Game Developer's Conference, Facebook's program manager for games put out the call for his platform's Halo or Mario, that iconic game that defines the platform. It's not hubris--Facebook, it turns out, is just as vital and vibrant a gaming community as Xbox Live, just different.

   Nearly 75% of Facebook's 400 million users participate in games ranging from traditional turn-based games like Scrabble to more complex strategy games like Farmville. And these social games aren't labors of love for their creators; social games have grown to a $1 billion industry, attracting users who would never consider themselves gamers.

   Farmville is at the forefront of this movement, with some at the festival naming the farm simulator as the closest thing Facebook has to an iconic game. Farmville has 80 million users monthly, which in console terms would be a monster hit, and represents many of the hallmarks of Facebook gaming. It's a slow-growing game in which you create your own avatar, interact with friends, family, and random Facebook users, and it can be played in short bursts rather than long periods of protracted gaming.

   But despite its success, Facebook developers see Farmville as the beginning, rather than the pinnacle. "We are going to see multiple games with more than 100 million people playing each one. That is as many people as watched the recent Super Bowl, the most watched TV program in American history," said Gareth Davis, the aforementioned Facebook games program manager. Facebook has the potential to be an entirely different games platform, in much the same way as Apple's App Store changed the way mobile games are played. Who knows when Facebook will get its Halo, or what it will look like--but Facebook's potential as a gaming platform is tremendous.

   [Via BBC]

   
   

   
   (03/11/10 09:00 AM)

4. Mobile Retail Expected to Top $12B in '14. The global mobile retail market is expected to top $12 billion by 2014, according to [pdf] a new study by Juniper Research. “Mobile Marketing & Retail Strategies: Advertising, Coupons & Smart Posters... (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

5. IBM's Hottest New Cell Phone Market: Senior Citizens (and the Illiterate).

   

   Among cell phone users in developed countries, IBM is betting the market with the biggest growth potential is...people over the age of 65?

   It makes more sense than you'd think. According to recent findings, most of them already own cell phones, so it's not as if they're adverse to the technology. But unlike younger generations, who are seemingly targeted with a new cell phone gimmick every week, they're largely ignored on the marketing front--excepting a few efforts from Nokia and Samsung, which makes the senior-friendly Jitterbug

   IBM's two-year research program, which also involves the National Institute of Design of India and Tokyo University, will explicitly focus on making cell phones easier to use, for both the elderly and the illiterate. Moreover, the software it develops will be open-source, so all governments and businesses can take advantage.

   "As the population in Europe and North America ages, the need for specialized mobile devices will become acute," Ben Wood, research director at British consultancy CCS Insight, told Reuters. "Phone makers will have to adapt if they want to appeal to a generation that has grown up with mobile devices, but can't use them in the ways they used to."

   In other words, the conventional "wisdom"--make the buttons bigger! make the ringtones louder!--is old news.

   [Story via Reuters; image via AARP]

   
   

   
   (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

6. New York Times Unbundles for Digital Editions. As newspaper publishers attempt to understand how their products fit into the new digital world, they are experimenting with different ways of offering content via handheld devices like mobile phones... (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

7. Crib Sheet: Padmasree Warrior, CTO of Cisco Systems.

   Cisco's big announcement recently about how its new product was going to change the Internet for the better got the tech community very excited--not to mention the financial world, as the company's share price rose to a 52-week high. And then, yesterday, they launched the thing--a datacenter-level router that should give mobile Internet a bit more "poke." But for some time, Fast Company has known that, for Cisco's shares to go through the proverbial roof, would be somehow to clone its CTO, the absolutely brilliant Padmasree Warrior, and make her available in every home.

   Ms. Warrior (who recently said on Twitter that if she'd had a choice in her own name, it would have been "The") truly is the future of the tech industry. Basically, she's the human face of all those big, swinging tech players who we all revere but somehow wonder just how normal they are. A working mother, she was born in India and moved to the U.S. after gaining a BS at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. Just 16 at the time, she describes it as the major transition of her life, "more than being CTO of Cisco or coming to the U.S., because I was very young."

   "I visualize work and family as incongruent and in conflict with each other. It's tough, but I try to maintain this seamless integration (of family, community, self and work.)" She's on the board of Chicago's Joffrey Ballet and the Museum of Science and Industry, and holds a bunch of directorships. She spends her free time (just how much has she got these days?) with her family and friends, and, given that's she's gone on record as saying she likes going to concerts, we thought we'd spice up her Crib Sheet with a bunch of lyrics. Extra points to commenters who can identify the artists.

   This is Major Tom to ground control, I'm stepping through the door, And I'm floating in in the most peculiar way: "I am still commuting back and forth, my family lives in Chicago. Hopefully I will get more proficient in going back and forth between the two cities." One thing that Cisco's teleconferencing tech can't solve, it seems.

   Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC, Didn't get to bed last night: Last month, Warrior was part of a U.S. delegation to Russia, alongside Ashton Kutcher and Jack Dorsey of Twitter, Rumors of Cisco Systems' acquisition of ChatRoulette have yet to be substantiated--although we could start the ball rolling right here.

   War, Hurghhh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothin' (say it again): "Biological warfare debases my concept of humanism."

   Three (Is the magic number): The most influential people in her life are her parents and her husband. "My Mom taught me the power of love. I learned to focus on the long-term big picture from my father. His sense of humor and light-hearted approach always make me smile. My husband is a pivotal anchor in my life. His influence encourages me to be independent and take risks."

   Years go by, I'm lookin' through a girly magazine, and there's my homeroom angel on the pages in between: "If I had to pick three of my favorite magazines they would be Fast Company, Silicon India, and Smithsonian.

   Got no butler, Got no maid, Still I think I've been overpaid: "I would have dinner with P.G. Wodehouse. I have read all of his books at least ten times over. I am a great fan of his character Jeeves, the English Gentleman's perfect valet. His intellectual brilliance and audacious sense of humor fascinate me. Dinner with P.G.W. sounds simply scrumptious."

   Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, Trash it, change it, mail - upgrade it: "Tech is all about building human connections."

   Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen, warm my mind near your gentle stove: "It seems in my home all important decisions are made in the kitchen:) Is the kitchen the center of gravity in your home?"

   On your video phone, make a cameo, tape me on your video phone, I can handle you: "I'm most excited by the evolution of entertainment and content over the next five years. In the past five years we saw it go from passive consumption to on demand, and going forward it's always on demand and that's where the mobile comes in. The screen is going to be with you, no matter where you are."

   Face to face my lovely foe, mouth to mouth, raining heaven's blows: "If we had our way, [a virtual World Economic Forum] would be a year or so [away.] But in some cases, you really do need to meet and talk."

   [Via ZDNet.com, Beet.tv, WITI, livemint.com. Photo via Twitpic]

   
   

   
   (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

8. iPhone Game Makes Two Brothers Millions. Mobile Crunch: Doodle Jump for the iPhone is something like a developer’s fairy tale: two brothers set out to make a game using only the talents they’ve got at hand, and end up striking gold. They keep pushing out minor updates, and the game just keeps selling. … At 99 cents a pop, this game has pulled in [...] (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

9. EA Sports Active 2.0 Will Measure Your Heartbeat, Share Your Data, and Work on Your iPhone.

   

   Given the roaring success of Wii-exclusive EA Sports Active, the hardcore workout video that masquerades as a video game, a sequel was pretty much inevitable. Thankfully, this one's more Dark Knight than Electric Boogaloo.

   The new, improved EA Sports Active will include a heartbeat monitor that straps around your arms and one of your thighs. But instead of just showing you how hard you're working--as if you need another numerical reminder while you're dripping in sweat--it senses your motions, and translates them into actions in the game. It's similar to Wii Sports, only you can use your whole body, not just a handheld remote, to jump and shoot hoops.

   There's also an online hub, where you can store fitness data and download new workouts. You can also use the site to share workout progress with your friends--instead of, say, posting rapidfire updates on Twitter and Facebook about how many calories you've burned or miles you've run. (I'm happy for you. We're all happy for you. Now stop making me feel so lazy!)

   EA Sports Active 2.0 hits stores this fall, with expanded versions for the PlayStation 3, iPod Touch, and iPhone. There's no word on how, exactly, the game's technology will integrate with the mobile platforms, but EA promises that it "will go with you wherever you are." Sounds awesome...and omnious.

   [Via GamesBeat]

   
   

   
   (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

10. Today in Most Innovative Companies.

    News of note from our Most Innovative Companies, including Apple, IBM, and Samsung.

    

    Apple: If the iPhone's market share wasn't enough, even Steve Jobs' legal team is scaring away potential competitors now. Since Apple filed suit against HTC over alleged patent-infringment, analysts say that "top-tier smartphone makers" are now revising plans for mobile devices, out of fear of potential lawsuits and memorandum-spewing iPads.

    IBM: More than 13 billion plastic bottles are disposed of each year, and while plastic is a big source of recycling, the material its made from is limited to "second generation reuse," meaning it can't be recycled repeatedly. Scientists at IBM and Stanford announced a breakthrough in green chemistry today though, pioneering a polymer that could create a new recycling process that would reduce waste. With every person in the U.S. disposing up to 63 pounds of plastic packaging annually, this discovery could go a long way toward reducing our carbon footprint.

    Samsung: Electronics juggernaut Samsung started selling 3D televisions this week in the U.S. along with Panasonic. For just $3,000, you get a 46-inch TV, a 3D-compatible Blu-ray player, the eagerness of waiting months for Avatar's release, and a whopping two pairs of 3D shades, which really seals the deal if you ask me. Panasonic on the other hand is hawking the same Blu-ray player and a 50-inch plasma for $2,900--don't be fooled by that larger screen though, since Panasonic only includes ONE PAIR of 3D glasses, which apparently accounts for the hundred dollar price difference. Totally a deal breaker--I can't watch reruns of Sportscenter 3D on Saturday nights alone--that would be so lame! Could you?

    
    

    
    (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

11. Google, Facebook Sued Over Social-Networking Patent (Update1). Google Inc., owner of the most-used Internet search engine, and Facebook Inc. were sued by a New York company over an invention related to software that lets people join social networks on their mobile phones. (03/10/10 09:00 AM)

12. Today in Most Innovative Companies.

    Daily news of note from our Most Innovative Companies, including Apple, Nokia, and Google.

    

    Apple: Most of you probably caught a glimpse during the Oscars of the dozen ways you can hold an iPad, and I'm sure many of you were excited to find out that the tablet will ship April 3, with pre-orders beginning March 12--but don't worry about getting in line too early. Analysts now estimate that Apple will build 5 million iPads in the first half of 2010--enough iPads for every citizen of Ireland. Wall Street had previously estimated that the iPad would sell between 1 to 5 million units its first year, but it looks like Steve Jobs wants to test those predictions to the max. What do you think? Is Steve overdoing it here? The iPhone only sold 5 million in its first year--do you think it can outmatch that pace?

    Nokia: The mobile device giant recently filed a patent for a kinetic energy-charging cell phone that uses an internal "piezoelectric energy harvester" to capture energy from a user's movements. No word on how much power this will generate, but unless you're constantly flailing the phone about, I can't imagine it will harvest too much energy.

    Google: The New York Times takes an inside look at Google Translate, learning that Sergey Brin pushed to start the service after receiving a message from a South Korean user that didn't translate well. The message read, "The sliced raw fish shoes it wishes. Google green onion thing!" Brin could take no more of this gibberish, and decided to pour tons of company resources into Google Translate, mainly so he could receive more accurate praise from adoring foreign fans. As with every automated translator, the NY Times discovers after putting the engines to the test that accuracy varies between its competitors, Babel Fish and Bing--though I do particularly love Babel's butchering of One Hundred Years of Solitude's famous first line ("Many years later, in front of the firing squad, colonel Aureliano Buendía had to remember that one behind schedule remote one in which to his he took it father to know the ice." Márquez at his finest.)

    
    

    
    (03/10/10 09:00 AM)

13. Former Sun Microsystems CEO: HTC Isn't the First Company to Face Legal Threats From Steve Jobs.

    

    Jonathan Schwartz, former CEO of Sun Microsystems, has stepped up to defend Google (in a roundabout way, via HTC) from the patent attacks recently levelled by Apple. If you want to be truly disturbed at how virulent the patent litigation scene is in the tech world, read on.

    Sun, which is perhaps best known for its creation of Java, OpenOffice, and its development of the UNIX core, apparently suffered a threat of patent litigation directly from Steve Jobs back in 2003. Schwartz explains that in the tech world, patents are used not just as defenses against intellectual property theft, but as offensive weapons that can eliminate competition if levelled correctly.

    In 2003, after I unveiled a prototype Linux desktop called Project Looking Glass, Steve [Jobs] called my office to let me know the graphical effects were "stepping all over Apple’s IP." (IP = Intellectual Property = patents, trademarks and copyrights.) If we moved forward to commercialize it,"I’ll just sue you."

    Schwartz managed to convince Jobs not to bother suing, as Sun held patents on several aspects of UNIX, on which Mac OS is built, that could be used to great effect in a countersuit. "Steve was silent," Schwartz writes.

    He even describes a similar instance to the altercation with Steve Jobs, in which Bill Gates attempted to induce a pricey settlement over patent violations--only to be again stymied when Sun revealed its stacked hand of patents, which would be used in a countersuit if the need arose.

    The post is framed as a motion of solidarity with Google, although interestingly, Schwartz seems to have completely bypassed the implications we'd all been feeling regarding that case. After all, Google isn't named in the suit at all, and HTC, which is, is by no means limited to Google software--HTC is an OEM which also creates branded hardware running Windows Mobile as well as Android. Of course, as HTC is a renowned Google partner for Android, creating the Nexus One (branded the "Google Phone") and the upcoming next generation of Android devices, the two are inextricably linked in the public's mind, to the point where suing HTC feels like suing Google.

    Schwartz's feelings on the Apple-HTC lawsuit are really fascinating, though it's important to remember that Schwartz has a vested interest as a major stockholder in making Sun seem spotless. But regardless, it's disheartening to hear about this kind of behind-closed-doors threat session.

    [Jonathan Schwartz via AppleInsider]

    
    

    
    (03/10/10 09:00 AM)

14. Is Streaming Music Service KKBox the Chinese Spotify?.

    Media companies worldwide are struggling with ad sales and budgets, desperately trying new business models like online pay walls to scrape by. But what if they moved into selling something other than journalism -- like, say, music?

    Enter China's KKBox, which takes the unique approach of working as a streaming music service that happens to give away music journalism as a bonus. It sort of flips the Spotify model on its head, too. The music streaming isn't free. Users pay about $4.50 a month to access to a huge, Spotify-style library of the latest songs, available on the computer and mobile devices like the iPhone and Android phones. As a bonus, they get an online music and entertainment magazine.

    KKBox has its own editorial staff of 30 or so editors, interviews Chinese pop stars, has columnists, hosts its own awards show and so on. Embedded in artist profiles and other places throughout the site is music, which listeners can preview a la Amazon's MP3 store or the iTunes preview feature or, presumably, go find and stream from KKBox's catalog if they're paid subscribers.

    In other words, they come for the music, stay for the music coverage, says Stanford-educated founder Chris Lin. He says the site has about 200,000 paid subscribers but 6 million non-paying visitors. "They're here because this is a fun music destination. We've grown into a very popular media outlet" outside of selling music, Lin says.KKBox is the largest digital music service in China--and it's profitable. Lin says there's no magic secret to profitability, just common sense. "Per-stream royalty costs is what's going to suck you dry. You're giving your best service out for free, then asking people to pay later. That's awkward. If you can get all the music for free with ads, the willingness to pay for it is not very high."Right now the service is mainly focused on Hong Kong and Taiwan, but later this year, KKBox plans to roll out a North American version, targeted at the 8 million ethnic Chinese living here. "They are hungry for information about artists and entertainment news from home," says Lin. "We want to be a sort of entertainment Chinatown for them." Lin expects the North American service to run a little more expensive than its Eastern brother, but says the price will definitely be less than $10 a month, depending on negotiations with the labels in Taiwan.After the North American rollout, Lin wants to move the company's efforts to greater China starting in 2011, when 3G is more widely spread. "Smartphones and 3G have helped us in converting visitors to paid users," he says.

    
    

    
    (03/10/10 09:00 AM)

15. Verizon Wireless to Show NFL Games on Phones. Verizon Wireless won an agreement to show live National Football League games on its mobile phones, expanding its video offerings to lure smartphone customers away from rivals. (03/09/10 09:00 PM)

16. SDI, LG Chem to Gain on Battery Sales, Korea Investment Says. South Korean rechargeable battery makers’ stocks will outperform the benchmark index on increased use in mobile devices, autos and electricity grids, according to Korea Investment Trust Management Co. (03/09/10 09:00 PM)

17. Deep Linking Auto cash content LM Bonus. http://canyoutraceaphonenumber.blog.friendster.com/2010/01/how-to-trace-a-mobil... (03/09/10 09:01 AM)

18. Goldman Sachs Slashes Nexus One Sales Forecast to Around 1 Million.

    

    An analyst at Goldman Sachs has thrown a wrench into the works of Google's smartphone by downgrading the sales forecast of the Nexus One. Initial expectations were high: analysts had said as many as 3.5 million units would be sold in the first year. But with just 80,000 sold in the first month, according to mobile analytic group Flurry, figures have now been revised down to around a million.

    Compare and contrast this with other handsets. The first iPhone took 74 days to hit a million in sales; version 2, in 2008, took just three days (by this time, however, it was available pretty much worldwide). The iPhone 3GS version hit 1.6 million within a week.

    Moving away from Apple, which--let's face it--currently has the smartphone market all sewn up, how are other Android phones faring? Well the Droid, Motorola's last-ditch attempt to keep its head above water, flogged 525,000 through Verizon in the same month that the Nexus One was released. 

    And maybe this is what the first bona-fide Google phone needs: a network. It's interesting to note that, on the Nexus One website, the T-Mobile version ($179) is sold out, while the contract-free version ($529) is yours for the taking. There's no doubt that Google fluffed the launch back in January. There was a little bit of fluttery hype, but no announcements, no big fanfare, it was just unveiled, like any other product, around the time of CES, the tail-end of a bunch of Android OS upgrades. And then there was the customer service--or lack of it.

    Goldman Sachs indulged in a bit of stern finger-wagging in its forecast note. "We assume that Google rolls out a second Nexus handset, markets it more agressively, and makes it available offline, and therefore forecast that Google sells two million handsets per year in 2011 and future years." If that's not a Must Try Harder report card, I don't know what is.

    One gets the feeling that even Larry and Sergei are over the gPhone. Last week John Herlihy, Google's top guy in Europe, said that data mining was where the sexy jobs were at in Mountain View, although he took the view that smartphones were an essential tool for Google. Just not their own-brand ones, it seems.

    [Via Electronista]

    
    

    
    (03/09/10 09:01 AM)

19. Mobile Facebook, Twitter Growth Explodes. Access to Facebook via mobile browser grew 112% in the past year, while mobile Twitter access experienced a 347% jump, according to a new study from comScore. Mobile Users Favor Facebook and Twitter... (03/08/10 09:00 PM)

20. Google Really Wants to Monitor Where You Are: May Link Buzz and Latitude.

    

    Google's Buzz has hit the tech headlines in good and bad ways, but it's totally swamped other Google offerings like Latitude. Google's not forgotten it of course, and has revealed it may well intertwine Buzz with Latitude. LBS social networking FTW?

    Google's mobile Buzz implementation has a location-based system built right in, which grabs your geocoordinates from the smartphone's AGPS system, whizzes it off to Google's cloud, and then drives location-sensitive data back to the app in the form of location aware Buzzes in the "nearby" view. As I noted before, this tech has the capacity to turn into something rather incredible (and slightly creepily unnerving) should Google take the concept to its natural extremes.

    But Google has another location-aware social network already, and has had since February 2009--Latitude. Google's not deprecating Latitude, since it's based around slightly different systems, and is more of a location-based friend discovery system as opposed to a chat-based social networking system. Still, many of Latitude's features are emulated, or improved upon (or can be in the near future) inside Buzz. And that's why Google is noting, in an interview with eWeek, that while it's going to continue investing in Latitude since it's "extremely important," it's conscious of the public buzz about Buzz, and will be investigating "points of integration between Buzz and Latitude." In particular, there may be apps Google can "build that have certain compelling use cases" which may be enhanced by location-awareness.

    This is fluffy, question-deflecting business talk, and it reminds us that Google truly is a giant organization pushing out innovative solutions in a thousand different directions all at once--sometimes without really thinking about the cross-product potential. But a liaison between Buzz and Latitude really does seem a smart idea, since the potential to enhance a friend-locator app with a sophisticated chat/info-sharing system has obvious benefits for the end users too.

    And, don't forget the real motivator behind this idea: Money. Google's skills at profiling you as a user are legendary, and sometimes worrisome, and there would clearly be a huge new array of attributes it could calculate about your habits if it integrated the always-on location sensitivity of Latitude with the info-rich chat streams inside Buzz. And then it can use that data to sell ad space to interested parties who'd like to advertise stuff to you based on your location, or when visiting certain places or talking about them with your pals.

    [Via eWeek]

    
    

    
    (03/08/10 09:00 PM)

21. Cell-Phone Tech Uses Accelerometer to Spy on Employees.

    

    Just occasionally, a bit of gear comes out that makes you wonder just whose side technology is on. And none more than this cell-phone idea from the R&D geeks at KDDI Corporation, one of Japan's biggest cell-phone makers. Spyware by any other name, the technology will enable bosses to use the accelerometer on their employees' phones to check up on whether they're working or not.

    The idea is simple: software is embedded into an employee's mobile that is connected to a server that analyzes their movements via the phone's accelerometer. At first, workers will have to input just what action they are performing into their mobiles so that their movements can be interpreted. The system becomes more accurate as time goes on, recognizing each individual's movements. So, if your boss has asked you to hoover up the nasal hair he clipped before nipping off to lunch with his secretary, he can make sure that you're performing the task he's set you, rather than sitting in front of his computer and checking up on your Facebook page--or his.

    The press release has a rather quaint term for it--"making central monitoring possible with workers at several different locations." I have another term for it, but sadly it's not repeatable here.

    [Via Asiajin]

    
    

    
    (03/08/10 09:00 PM)

22. Apple Debuts First iPad Ad During Oscars, Demonstrates a Dozen Ways to Hold the Thing.

    

    Apple debuted its very first iPad ad during the Oscars tonight, showing off the tablet's various functions (with an emphasis on reading) in signature style. Oh, and if you were wondering how to hold a giant slab of screen with no kickstand, the ad makes sure to demonstrate about a dozen options.

    It's a pretty typical modern Apple ad: soundtracked to inoffensive, perky indie rock, it shows the gadget's functions front and center, in this case committing to essentially a dead sprint through the iPad's uses. Newspapers, movies, calendar, maps, photos, email, iWork, and, of course, books are all given just enough time to register before the ad flashes on to the next one.

    The ad, then, is a continuation of the iPhone campaign, rather than the MacBook ads, which typically feature a narrator explaining whatever change Apple's made to the line to warrant a new product. It makes sense, since the iPad shares the OS, software, interface, and (some) accessories of the iPhone, and has almost nothing in common with Apple's computer line--but it just reinforces the idea that this product is little more than an oversized iPhone. Apple doesn't even need to explain what it is--you can watch 30 seconds of a demo and realize that if you can use an iPhone, you can use this. That, of course, is to both its strength and detriment, but time will tell if people embrace the jumbo-sized mobile or not. The iPad will be released on April 3rd.

    [YouTube via MacRumors]

    
    

    
    (03/08/10 09:00 AM)

23. No iPad Tethering, but Games for Days: Steve Jobs .

    

    It's just 25 days 'til iPad arrives on sale in some global locations, and the fever's mounting. To spur it on, Apple pushed its first ad during the Oscars, which Steve Jobs was at. He's also been emailing fans to confirm some details too.

    The Oscars

    The Oscars, like 'em or loathe 'em, count as one of the most viewed TV events around the World...making them an absolutely perfect platform for Apple to tease its upcoming tablet PC. The glamor, the glitz, the very media-centric nature of the show all tie in sweetly with the iPad phenomenon. And it all acts to accelerate the typical pre-launch hype Apple uses to get everyone excited in the several months between it launches a new product and it arriving on sale.

    iPad-to-iPhone Tethering

    When he launched the iPad back in January, Steve did a neat job of showing the World how cool the device is (without having to resort to his trademark "Boom!" either) but he also kept a lot of information back, leaving plenty of room for rumors. And for Apple to maybe add in some surprising "extra" features before it actually launches--just as it did for the iPhone.

    One of the key features that Jobs (and Apple, on the iPad Web page) omitted was details on iPad 3G tethering to supply mobile Net to a PC. We know the iPhone can do it (mine's happily connected up right now to write this piece in fact--but then I am not in the U.S. with your ever-so-friendly AT&T) and the assumption as soon as we learned the iPad ran iPhone OS was that it would be able to too. Sure enough, code fragments inside the SDK have revealed it to be true--and frankly, it's not surprising.

    But what we didn't know is if the iPad Wi-fi version could tether to a 3G iPhone. This concept also makes sense on a practical level, as who'd want to pay for two 3G connections if you're carrying both devices frequently. Well, we now know that lots of people will have to do this--Steve just did one of his famous short emails to a answer a question that a member of the public in Sweden put to him on this very matter. And all Steve said in response was "No," the iPad won't tether to an iPhone.

    It's a shame, but it's probably a feature of business negotiations with 3G carriers who are concerned about potential lost revenue and network over-loading. Will this news play into user's decisions on which iPad version to buy? It's definitely influenced mine.

    Battery Life

    Another little gem Steve revealed by email (from his iPad--neat!) answered a question concerning the claimed 10 hour life of the iPad. The figure seems phenomenal--and it's been used as part of the long running Flash fiasco--and it's a key statistic in the iPad's battle to steal some of the Amazon Kindle's market, with its huge battery life.

    So, when a skeptic quizzed Steve about the matter, he felt the need to step in: "... yes we are getting 10 hours in 1.5 pounds" of iPad weight. Of course, no one apart from Apple employees have really put the figure to the test yet, since nobody has gotten their hands on one for long enough. Only then will we see if the figures ring true. And for Apple's sake they better had, since all this hype will result in one or two (almost inevitable) class action law suits.

    Games

    As soon as the iPad's screen size was confirmed, it was clear that it'd be even more perfect as a gaming platform than the iPhone or iPod Touch--all that extra real-estate and resolution is just asking to be exploited. And now Secret Exit has revealed screenshots of its iPad version of the runaway iPhone success story Zen Bound, and they look utterly gorgeous. They're also the first big screenshots of an iPad-only game.

    

    Zen Bound 2 does lend itself perfectly to the touchscreen and accelerometers in the device, of course. And though it's beautiful, it's hardly graphically intense. So we've yet to see how the iPad's A4 processor copes with serious 3-D graphics. It won't be long though.

    To learn more about iPad as its launch date approaches, follow me, >Kit Eaton, on Twitter.

    
    

    
    (03/08/10 09:00 AM)

24. Mobile Marketing - The Future Of Making Money. Let me ask you a question: Why would you pay an arm and a leg paying for adwords when there's an alternative? A much cheaper alternative, which also just happens to be a much more efficient wa... (03/06/10 09:01 AM)

25. Poynt App Marries AR, Search, Local and Mobile. A new app for the iPhone is bringing together search, local and augmented realty: the aptly-named Poynt.  The app uses augmented reality for a real-time view of businesses, people, retailers and... (03/05/10 09:01 PM)

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27. What the iPad’s Lack of Flash Means to Marketers. By now it is clear - the iPad is coming and it is coming without Flash. For mobile ads this, it would seem, would be devastating. Or is it? For SEO, lack of flash is not a big problem, writes SEO... (03/04/10 09:00 PM)

28. Make Your Life Easy with Nokia N97-myluxphone. There have many recent Nokia mobiles which have created headlines due to having sold in fantastic numbers and also due to having been vested with features which are the latest ones to have come in the... (03/04/10 09:01 AM)

29. Women, Middle-aged Do Most Mobile Social Networking. Women and people between 35 and 54 are most apt to perform social networking activities via mobile device, according to data from The Nielsen Company. Mobile Social Networking Gender Gap A clear... (03/03/10 09:01 PM)

30. TargetSpot Streams Ads in Mobile Radio Applications. TargetSpot, the nation’s largest internet radio advertising network, has launched a mobile advertising platform that allows marketers to serve audio ads to mobile applications on various... (03/02/10 09:00 PM)

31. Embedded Mobile Traffic Rapidly Grows. Mobile data traffic from embedded computing devices is increasing so rapidly that if current trends continue, the total number of bytes sent each month in 2014 will equal the total equivalent traffic... (03/02/10 09:00 PM)

32. New Twitter Ads Linked to Search, Mobile. Twitter, which has studiously avoided offering ad options for its popular micro-blogging site, is getting ready to roll out such a vehicle for marketers. At the same time third party vendors are... (03/02/10 09:00 PM)

33. Telemundo Introduces Spanish Language News App. Telemundo is targeting a rich - and relatively underdeveloped - space with the rollout of a Spanish language app. Using software from LSN Mobile across is station group, it will deliver... (02/26/10 09:00 PM)

34. Mobile Location Based Services Ready to Move. A convergence of factors is setting up ideal conditions for the global mobile location based services (MLBS) market to boom by 2014, according to Juniper Research. Global market revenues for MLBS and... (02/24/10 09:01 PM)

35. Why Social, Mobile, and Email Are BFFs (Not Archenemies). The digital-marketing trifecta of social media, mobile, and email are fueling (not cannibalizing) one another. One clear example is the impact that smartphones are having on the use of email and social networking. (02/23/10 09:00 PM)

36. The North Face Sends Texts to Users Near Stores in Location-Based Campaign. The North Face is taking advantage of geo-targeting capabilities on mobile devices to send text messages to potential customers whenever they are near a store that carries North Face gear. The... (02/23/10 09:00 PM)

37. Mobile Device Popularity Surges. The popularity of smartphones, 3G devices and other advanced mobile applications surged in the US during 2009, according to comScore mobiLens data. Between December 2008 and December 2009, the... (02/19/10 09:00 PM)

38. Join the Mobile Webinar Win an HP iPAQ Glisten.

    Join the Mobile Webinar Win an HP iPAQ Glisten
    
    This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

    Join the Mobile Webinar Win an HP iPAQ GlistenThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Join me for a free web panel discussion – Mobile Marketing for Small Business – February 18th at Noon CST – Register here for Feb 18 Mobile Marketing Event As mobile devices evolve to powerful hand held computers, smart marketers are embracing [...] (02/17/10 09:01 PM)

39. Americans Spend Nearly 3 Hours on Mobile Internet Daily: Ruder Finn. Americans spend nearly 3 hours online via their mobile devices each day, according to a new study of mobile internet use by Ruder Finn. The study revealed that people in the U.S. spend 2.7 hours of... (02/17/10 09:01 PM)

40. . ( )

41. . ( )

42. Maximize Your Digital-Marketing Mix: 10 Ways to Integrate Social, Mobile, and Email. Cross-promotional efforts can help companies spread the word as new online-marketing platforms are launched, boosting follower interest and opt-in. The following are 10 popular strategies that companies use to maximize their digital-marketing mix. (02/16/10 09:01 PM)

43. Free Live Training Mobile Marketing for Small Business.

    Free Live Training Mobile Marketing for Small Business
    
    This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

    ShareFree Live Training Mobile Marketing for Small BusinessThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing You know mobile is the hottest marketing tactic going right now. Maybe you don’t feel it yet, maybe you’re not sure if it’s really time to get on board or not. Join me for a free web panel discussion – Mobile Marketing [...] (02/11/10 09:01 AM)

44. Five Reasons Why Mobile Marketing Is Prime for B2Bs?And Five Key Questions B2B Marketers Should Be Asking. In the B2C space there's a lot of buzz around mobile marketing, but in the B2B sector it's more likened to a whisper. B2Bs are missing out on super-sized opportunities for integrating a valuable new brand touch point for their customers and establishing a dynamic new communications channel with professional ... (01/26/10 09:00 PM)

45. Getting More From Your Google Maps Profile.

    Getting More From Your Google Maps Profile
    
    This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

    Getting More From Your Google Maps ProfileThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Mobile and desktop surfers alike are turning to Google Maps to find local and sometimes nearby businesses. Optimizing your web pages for local search has become an extremely important part of the local marketing mix. Claiming and building strong profiles in the local search directories [...] (01/11/10 09:00 PM)

46. What Small Business Needs to Do to Get Ready for Mobile Marketing Now.

    What Small Business Needs to Do to Get Ready for Mobile Marketing Now
    
    This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

    What Small Business Needs to Do to Get Ready for Mobile Marketing NowThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing We’ve been talking about the coming of mobile marketing for a long time now. I remember talking about it when I was doing work for one of first PCS carriers, Aerial Communications (now owned by T-Mobile), back in [...] (12/28/09 09:00 AM)

47. Yourl Very Own Branded Link Shortener.

    Yourl Very Own Branded Link Shortener
    
    This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

    Yourl Very Own Branded Link ShortenerThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Google and Facebook both announced link shortening services this week – Google’s – goog.gl and Facebook’s fb.me (mostly used in twitter and mobile shares, but fb.me/ducttapemarketing takes you to my Fan page.) Link shorteners have been around for years, but they are certainly getting hot right [...] (12/18/09 09:00 AM)

48. Mobile Coupons: Your Message on the Move. Ask most US consumers whether they want to receive mobile-marketing messages on their cell phones, and they will usually answer with a resounding "No." Consumers worry they'll start receiving unwanted Viagra ads and messages from a prince in Kenya. Nothing could be further from the truth. (11/17/09 09:00 PM)

49. Capital Factory Invests in Five Startups for 2009 Fund. As a co-founder and one of 20 mentors for Capital Factory, I'm proud and excited to get started our first year with 5 startups! Here's the release that we just put across the wire today! The program starts with these entrepreneurs May 22 going through August. And you can follow all 5 startups on Twitter! @CubitPlanning @FamiGoGames @Homstie @Hourville @PetzMD Capital Factory Invests in Five Startups for 2009 Fund Also Recognizes 5 Additional Finalists Austin, TX (PRWEB) April 22, 2009 -- Capital Factory, an early stage technology incubator in Austin, Texas, announced investments in five emerging technology startups selected to participate in its inaugural 2009 summer program. Each company will receive a cash investment of up to $20,000, more than $20,000 in free services, and mentorship from some of the top entrepreneurs in central Texas. The free services include office space, legal counsel from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosatti, public relations support from Porter Novelli, and accounting support from The Accounting Group and vCFO, among many other benefits. Investments: * Cubit Planning - Environmental reports at the click of a button * FamiGo - Mobile games that bring the family together * Homstie - Person-to-person marketplace for storage space * Hourville - A marketplace for services by the hour * petzMD - Website for Pet Health, from A to Z Capital Factory also recognizes five additional finalist startups that were top runners among the program applicants as well, including: * Infochimps - An open marketplace for data * Notesmart -... (04/22/09 09:00 AM)

50. What are your 2009 marketing predictions?.

    Welcome (almost) to the new calendar year! I hope that the buzz of Christmas is still with you!

    It's that time of year where we shift our focus (if we haven't already) to the possibilities of 2009. I'd like to kick that off by asking what your marketing predictions are for 2009? I've started a new site specifically for 2009 marketing predictions. It's at http://www.2009marketingpredictions.com.

    So, put on your Nostradamus hat and let me know where you see marketing and marketers heading for 2009 and beyond!

    Here are mine (all explained in greater detail here):

    1. Marketers apply lessons from the 2008 Presidential campaign.
    2. Marketers will measure absolutely everything.
    3. Insurgent marketers will win big market share.
    4. Customer data will be the most precious marketing resource.
    5. Everyone becomes a marketer.
    6. Marketers focus on targeting.
    7. Consumers expect feedback loops; companies respond.
    8. Mobile and location really begin to matter.
    9. Tactics will still lead before strategy.
    10. B2B Marketers will increasingly seek a 'thought leadership' based approach to marketing.

    Post yours here - What are your 2009 Marketing Predictions?

    
    
    (02/24/09 09:00 AM)

51. What are your 2009 marketing predictions?.

    Welcome (almost) to the new calendar year! I hope that the buzz of Christmas is still with you!

    It's that time of year where we shift our focus (if we haven't already) to the possibilities of 2009. I'd like to kick that off by asking what your marketing predictions are for 2009? I've started a new site specifically for 2009 marketing predictions. It's at http://www.2009marketingpredictions.com.

    So, put on your Nostradamus hat and let me know where you see marketing and marketers heading for 2009 and beyond!

    Here are mine (all explained in greater detail here):

    1. Marketers apply lessons from the 2008 Presidential campaign.
    2. Marketers will measure absolutely everything.
    3. Insurgent marketers will win big market share.
    4. Customer data will be the most precious marketing resource.
    5. Everyone becomes a marketer.
    6. Marketers focus on targeting.
    7. Consumers expect feedback loops; companies respond.
    8. Mobile and location really begin to matter.
    9. Tactics will still lead before strategy.
    10. B2B Marketers will increasingly seek a 'thought leadership' based approach to marketing.

    Post yours here - What are your 2009 Marketing Predictions?

    
    
    (12/28/08 09:00 PM)

52. Loving the AT&T wireless @ Sbux.

    I'm sitting in a Starbucks in Chicago working on the new AT&T wireless setup here...thanks, in part to the Starbucks Ideas, AT&T partnered with Starbucks (or, was that the other way around?) to offer 2 free hours of wifi per day with a registered sbux card (I'm sure that certain restrictions apply...). I've been a T-mobile customer for the past year, only because they had the relationship with Sbux... I'm going to drop T-mobile as soon as my agreement is up next month, as I now have no use for them whatsoever.

    I still remain a hardcore Boingo fan. The $21.95/month for Boingo has saved me hundreds in Wifi fees at hotels, coffee shops, airports and nearly everywhere else that you can use Boingo. It's really a shame that Boingo hasn't been able to get in cahoots with AT&T or T-mobile (at least not where I'm sitting... Boingo is not a roaming provider option).

    Actually, this whole post was prompted by the guy sitting next to me that was just checking in to see if the Wifi was working OK. He's a contractor responsible for shutting down and taking out the Tmobile equipment and finalizing the setup on the AT&T stuff. What a dude. Came by, made sure eveyrthing was cool, checked signal strength & everything (the AT&T stuff works better over the past few weeks than the Tmobile stuff ever has... They must be doing something right!)

    Thanks Starbucks & AT&T!

    
    (06/11/08 09:00 AM)

53. Brands taking advantage of 'twitternecking' behavior.

    For those of you on Twitter, you're now all too familiar with the "so and so is now following you on Twitter!" emails. I love these emails. Since I'm late to the game on Twitter, it's especially pleasing when I notice someone is following me on twitter.

    This is where it gets interesting. This Sunday, I received an email telling me that someone that I didn't know was following me on Twitter. So, my natural reaction was to check them out and return the favor by beginning to follow them. I know, over time, I'm sure that the reciprocal following will die down, especially among internet celebs with a high profile, as they simply won't want to follow everyone... However, Twitter phenomenon seems to be a lot like rubbernecking (you know, in traffic, it doesn't concern you, but you look on anyway). Or, what I'll call, Twitternecking. While rubber necking is "To look about or survey with unsophisticated wonderment or curiosity," Twitternecking is likely "to blindly follow another Twitter user for the simple reason that they began following you.

    Brands reaching out and banking on the twitternecking effect are smart, at least at this stage. If you avidly follow, say, 2000 people, and 500 of them twitterneck (I have no idea what the reciprocal follow rate is on Twitter...this is just a guess, but I'm following most everyone following me) you now have an audience of 500 people that are tuned in whenever you say something...for now...

    So, who is the company in question?

    Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rystique
    Website: http://www.rystique.com/

    Greater minds have already written lots about Twitter for marketing:
    What Web Marketers Should Know About Twitter by Jeremiah Owyang

    Starter Kit for Grassroots Campaigning: 5 Tactics to Improve Results With Web 2.0, Email & Mobile on MarketingSherpa

    
    (04/04/08 09:00 PM)

54. Dude, where's my phone?.

    As I sat down for my flight from Detroit to Green Bay last Friday night, I knew that instant that I'd left my cell phone on the seat next to me at the gate. It was very late (1045pm) so I figured that no one would have taken the phone, but to my surprise that phone as NOT on the seat as anticipated... So, I did a little more due diligence and found that the phone had slipped below the seats and nearly blended into the carpet below. Whew! Saved the phone (that would have been the 3rd phone (2 blackberries and one treo) that I'd lost in 2 years...not cool)

    However, if I'd had this little tool (and for those of you w/out land lines, this would be cool as well), I'd have been able to dial in perpetuity until I heard the phone ringing.

    http://www.wheresmycellphone.com/

    Of course, if you're web enabled, you could also Skype out to your mobile # and find it that way as well...

    
    (04/04/08 09:00 PM)

55. Prioritizing Marketers Top Priorities. This morning I got a research brief from Mediapost summarizing the findings from the Marketing Effectiveness Networking Group (MENG) and Anderson Aanlytics study. This study surveyed marketing executives to identify key trends and strategies of effective marketing. The subject line of the email said: "Marketing Execs Say Basics Are Most Important in 2008". By "basics" I thought they meant strategies such as becoming measurement-oriented, shifting ad portfolio, investing in email infrastructure, build operational data warehouse, and improve web site. However the 'basics' by definition from this study were more customer-centric and more concepts and objectives rather than strategies. And unfortunately for most companies, they're not all that 'basic' in achieving success. 60% of marketing executives said the following 'marketing basics' were important: Customer satisfaction Customer retention Segmentation Brand loyalty ROI I have a copy of the study. To be clear, the study asked marketing executives to choose from over 60 concepts or buzzwords (such as the 5 above) which were then categorized. Other categories, in order of votes, included: SEO (by itself) Personalization: concepts include Data mining, CRM, Lead Generation, Personalization, Ecommerce, Competitive Intelligence Green Marketing: Multicultural / Ethic issues. Breakdown of old media Innovative Branding Viral / WOM: concepts include viral, WOM, blogging New Media: concepts include Web 2.0, Mobile, CGM, Long Tail, Social Networking Macro Economics Tech Strategy Outsourcing Social Issues Other Now, as a marketer, if I participated in this study I may have answered the same way. After all, the 'marketing basics' are overarching objectives. What... (01/02/08 09:00 AM)

56. Future of Online Retailing -- Four Predictions. Forrester and Jupiter report that more than 70% of online shoppers seek out user reviews before making a purchase decision. MarketingSherpa reports that 84% of consumers prefer the opinion of other consumers vs. experts. Hundreds of retailers including WalMart, Best Buy, HP, and the Home Depot have followed Amazon’s lead by allowing their consumers to review products in the online channel. Consumers demand social commerce solutions and retailers are driving measurable results. As consumers are presented with increasing choices, channels, and messages, they will continue to turn to peers to discover, research, and make decisions about products and services. Retailers will need to utilize technology and best practices to provide authentic, relevant, and effective social commerce solutions to retain their customers into the future. 1) SOCIAL CONTENT IS GOING MULTI-CHANNEL The future of reviews and social content is going beyond the product page and into other channels such as mobile phones, kiosks, print collateral, online advertising, and social networks. It is clear that consumers rely on social content to make purchasing decision. They will expect to be able to access to this content regardless of channel in order to inform their purchasing process. The retailers that provide this multi-channel access will develop competitive advantages in their markets to attract and retain consumers. Additionally, more retailers will see the value of integrating social commerce with CRM and other “back-end” channels. Retailers will start to leverage social content as a key input into driving decisions in marketing, sales, advertising, customer support, and... (12/09/07 09:01 PM)

57. Glide Mobile Lets You Check Out PowerPoint Slide Shows on Your iPhone. While Google (GOOG) is still supposedly fooling with the finishing touches to its Web-based version of PowerPoint, one startup already has it working on a mobile phone. Transmedia out of New York City is finally bringing PowerPoint presentations to the iPhone and other mobile devices with it's Glide Mobile service. One of the sorely missed features of the Apple iPhone is full compatibility with Microsoft Office. Out of the box, you can read Word documents on it, but you can’t edit them. And don’t even think about running a PowerPoint slide show. But starting later today, Transmedia CEO Donald Leka tells me, Glide members will be able to go over to glidemobile.com on their iPhones (or Blackberries or Treos or Nokias) and show people slide shows that they’ve uploaded to Glide. They can even edit them or create new ones from their iPhone (assuming they have a lot of time on their hands). They can also type away on Word documents to their hearts content—a feature that was implemented a few days after the iPhone hit stores. If a small startup in New York City can make Word docs and PowerPoint slides work on the iPhone, why can’t Apple (AAPL) or Microsoft (MSFT)? (09/17/07 09:00 AM)

58. Disruptors Video: Inkless Printing (Zink). In this week's Disruptors episode, I visit Zink in Waltham, Mass. Zink is a spin-off from Polaroid that has developed an inkless printing technology. The ink is in the paper in the form of special dye crystals that turn different colors when heated. By getting rid of the ink cartridges and associated printer heads, this will allow for the creation of compact, mobile printers that can be embedded into digital cameras, laptops, and even cell phones. Watch the video. Subscribe to The New Disruptors Check out my weekly video series on CNNMoney and iTunes where I discover startups with the potential to overturn existing industries or open up new markets.... (08/23/07 09:00 AM)

59. Disruptors Cover Story. For the September cover story of Business 2.0, I put together our second annual list of some of the most disruptive startups on the planet. This really brings things full-circle for me. I started out with a Disruptors cover story last year, which led to a conference series, which spawned a Web video show, which (naturally) gave rise to this second magazine cover story. The companies that made it on this year's list are: 1. Blinkx (video search)2. Raydiance (ultra-short pulse lasers)3. Expensr (Web-based Quicken)4. Zipcar (car-sharing done right)5. MFG.com (an eBay for manufacturers)6. Virgin Charter (Expedia for air taxis)7. PatientsLikeMe (patient-to-patient intelligence)8. Bloom Energy (distributed power)9. Vanu (software-defined 10. Zink (inkless, mobile printing) And for good measure, I threw in five more: —A123Systems (hybrid-car batteries)—Renewable Energy Group (biodiesel)—Desktop Factory (3-D printing for the masses)—Cree (LED powerhouse)—One Laptop Per Child (the greenest, and cheapest, laptop on the planet)... (08/22/07 09:00 AM)

60. Links for 2007-08-02 [del.icio.us].
    • Google Pushes Tailored Phones To Win Lucrative Ad Market - WSJ.com
      Google Mobile is trying to spread on incumbent wireless networksat teh same time Google is thinking about bidding for tomorrow's 4G spectrum.
    (08/03/07 09:01 PM)

61. Google Should Take the Spectrum and Run. The Big Bang Originally uploaded by CrispyMo Yesterday, the FCC decided to abide by two very important open principles in the upcoming auctions for broadband wireless spectrum in the 700 MHz range. The rules will require that any auction winner build a wireless network that does not discriminate by device or application. In that sense, such a broadband wireless network would be more like the wired Internet than today's closed mobile networks. That's good news for any company or startup who may want to develop hardware or software for any such future network. They won't need the approval of the network operator to do so, just like they can build any Website or Web device today and be fairly sure that it will work for anyone with an Internet connection. Such open rules are good for competition and innovation. There is one caveat: these open-access rules will go into effect only if the FCC receives a minimum bid of $4.6 billion for use of the spectrum. It's a put-up or shut-up condition that the FCC is giving to the tech industry, and Google in particular.Even though Google didn't get all the rules it had asked for (such as requirements that any auction winner resell capacity to other companies on a wholesale basis and allow for open access points into their network), it should bid on the spectrum and put its ideas into action. If it wins the auction, there would be nothing stopping it from wholesaling the spectrum to other... (08/01/07 09:01 PM)

62. AT&T Launches Mobile Video Sharing Service For its (Non-iPhone) 3G Network. From the folks who brought you the Picturephone, ATT now lets some customers (those with 3G phones in one of 160 select markets) stream live video over their mobile phones. Want to show your friend in LA how funny your dog looks in sunglasses? Turn on the video cam. Startups like Kyte.tv already allow you to shoot and broadcast videos from your phone, but ATT now let's you do it live, while you are still talking on the phone. I admit that is pretty cool. But is it worth an extra $5 to $10 a month? We'll soon find out. ATT needs to give people a reason to upgrade to their 3G network, and they hope this is it. Today, a cell phone without a digital camera seems crippled. Video is the next logical step, especially as wireless networks become faster. The problem is that it doesn't work with the iPhone because that is not a 3G phone (and the iPhone only takes pictures, not videos). So all those folks who just shelled out $500, if you want this feature you will have to buy another ATT phone (or wait for the 3G iPhone to come out and pay another $500 for that). I'm scheduled to discuss this on CNBC tonight around 7:30 PM ET.... (07/23/07 09:01 PM)

63. Apple Takes Its Bite of iPhone Mobile Service Fees. iPod Originally uploaded by stublog In the competition to carry the iPhone in Europe, it looks like Vodafone (VOD) is balking at Apple's demands; The Guardian reports:Apple is understood to be demanding that its European mobile phone partners hand over a significant proportion of revenues generated by the iPhone and restrict the content that users can access.The portion of network revenues demanded by Apple is believed to have been behind Vodafone's decision not to sign up as the exclusive partner for the iPhone in the UK. ... The iPhone is expected to launch in November in the UK through O2, in France with Orange and in Germany with T-Mobile.So not only does Apple (AAPL) keep all the revenues from the $500 iPhones, but it gets a cut of the monthly service fees as well. I guess even (most) hard-nosed telecom execs have a hard time saying No to Steve Jobs. But if this report is true, good for Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin for sticking to his guns. Update: Another tidbit about the economics of the relationship between Apple and the mobile carriers. Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner models iPhone revenues for Apple to include the entire $500 average selling price plus a $100 bounty from ATT. (This is from a June 28 note of his). Gardner does not model in any cut of the monthly subscription revenues, however. (The $100 bounty would be more like a typical subsidy). So if Apple is also getting part of ATT's monthly fees, not to... (07/06/07 09:00 PM)

64. Web 2.0 Startups Bypass Restrictions on iPhone. The iPhone is barely a few days old and already some savvy startups are figuring out how to make their applications work on it—without cutting a separate deal with either Apple or ATT. All of the application widgets currently on the iPhone are strictly controlled by Apple (although Steve Jobs recently announced he is going to open up that process). Startups like Transmedia and Jajah, however, have found another way to get their Web-based applications on the coveted iPhone. What's the back door they are taking advantage? The Safari browser that comes with every iPhone. Transmedia's Glide Mobile service—which lets you upload to the Web music, photos, videos, Word docs and Excel spreadsheets and then access them from many smart phones—now works on the iPhone as well. That means using Glide, you can edit documents and spreadsheets you had previously uploaded to it. One of the drawbacks of the iPhone right now is that it only allows you to read such documents, not edit them, because Microsoft has not yet developed a version of Office for the iPhone. With Glide, you can also stream music or videos from your personal Glide jukebox on the Web without taking up memory on the device. Transmedia CEO Donald Leka says that he and his engineers bought a few iPhones when they went on sale over the weekend, trained his service to recognize requests coming from iPhones, and tested it to make sure Glide works on them. (Since the iPhone does not support Flash,... (07/02/07 09:01 PM)