Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

Yesterday Microsoft released an internal study that explains how people are increasingly using 'virtual' systems to get things done in the 'physical' world. Based on these results the company hopes to use Bing to improve this experience, helping people decide what to wear, where to eat, and what the safest medicine is to take. They plan to do this outside of the traditional keyword to URL search by connecting with services like their new Bing Maps.

To enable their new behavior-focused search everywhere, Microsoft also constructed a Bing app for Windows Mobile. The functions used to keep the designers on track included typing less, mapping your way, acting locally, and getting quick answers. While Bing is no threat to Google's search, we approve of their focus on user behavior in developing a better product.

• Microsoft's Bing adds Twitter search (update: Google will too) | Washington Post
  Search is becoming social, as the two most competitive of today's search engines, Bing and Google, have struck deals with Twitter. Both will start including tweets in their search results.
• Create and order personalized Nike sneakers straight from your iPhone | MobileCrunch
  Nike has released an innovative mobile extension to their NIKEiD sneaker customization program. Using an iPhone app users can purchase on-the-go, and even use captured images to select colors for personalized shoes.
• Dynario: Toshiba finally commercializes fuel cell for mobile devices | CrunchGear
  Using Toshiba's new refillable methanol fuel cell, Dynario, users will be able to recharge their mobile devices in remote locations.
• AppsFire Launches App Star Awards To Find The Next Great iPhone App | TechCrunch
  For developers looking to pitch their iPhone apps, AppsFire is accepting 30 second videos as part of a contest, in partnership with SFR/Applistore and LeWeb, applicants will be judged by an all star jury.
• Nokia is exploring 3D multi-touch interface | Unwired View
  Nokia's R&D department is experimenting with 3D multi-touch  interfaces that react not only to finger movements but also to pressure on the screen.
• Telenor Pakistan launches mobile banking service called “easypaisa” | IntoMobile
  Customers of Telenor in Pakistan can now perform banking functions while on-the-go with a new service called easypaisa. Around the world, providing access to mobile financial applications are presenting economic benefits.
• Comcast to enter 3G/4G cellular data market | Boy Genius Report
  The data business is booming, bringing Comcast into the 3G/4G market with mobile Internet services on America's East coast.
• Flickr Adds People Tagging à la Facebook | Lifehacker
  Popular photography website Flickr has added the ability to tag friends, a feature similar to Facebook's. By adding other Flickr members to photos, users can easily find pictures of specific individuals, making the site all the more social.
• Twitter Use Up Among Social Network, Mobile, and Younger Users | ReadWriteWeb
  With all the news around Twitter, it's not surprising that the service is showing increased usage. Mobile is to thank, along with an increasing number of the younger demographic diving in.
• Web 2.0 Panel: Humans as Sensors | ReadWriteWeb
  We've heard before about the developing Internet of things. At Web 2.0 Summit, panelists discussed how startups like Waze, Path Intelligence, and Mobilizy are using mobile and web technology to collect data, and in a sense, use humans as sensors.

• Vodafone 360: mobile provider launches new applications service | The Guardian
  Responding to the iPhone and other touchscreen devices, Vodafone is replacing Vodafone Live’s mobile and internet services with its release of “Vodafone 360.” The new service integrates social networks and offers an applications store, and allowing users to bill their purchases directly to their cell phone bills.

• Bing Keeps Gaining Ground | The Big Money
  In August, Microsoft’s Bing search engine gained a greater share of America’s search market (9.3% in August, up from 8.9% in July), stealing traffic from Google, whose market share dropped a tenth of a point to 65.6%.

• CBS Sports Streams SEC Games Free Online; Charges For Mobile | mocoNews
  After a trial run streaming March Madness, CBS Sports worked with MobiTV to develop a solution for fans who are stranded without access to TVs or computers. CBS Sports: College for iPhone and iTouch will offer live streaming video of all SEC football games on CBS, and some basketball games, along with in-game box scores and stats, polls, news headlines and standings.

• MLB.com CEO: Why Brands Need to Push Mobile Now | AdAge.com
  At the Apps for Brands event on Wednesday, Bob Bowman, president-CEO of MLB.com, issued a call-to-mobile for brands, comparing the challenges and necessities of the transition to those faced during the advent of cable TV 30 years ago.

• Apple Gets Green Light to Block Palm From iTunes | Bits Blog
  USB Implementers Forum responded in Apple’s favor to Palm’s complaint that the company was restraining trade by making iTunes accessible only to Apple devices. According to analyst Michael Gartenberg, the issue is greater than whether or not Palm devices can sync with iTunes; Palm is making a play for public sympathy by painting Apple as a “monolithic” corporation, unwilling to share software.

• Breaking News: Twitter to Raise $100 Million From Insight, T. Rowe Price, Other Investors | Wall Street Journal
  Twitter is reportedly closing a deal for $100 million of new funding from heavy hitters including asset management giant T. Rowe Price, private-equity firm Insight Venture Partners, and venture-capital firms Spark Capital and Institutional Venture Partners. Despite the fact that Twitter still has not generated revenue, investors are valuing it at about $1 billion.

• CONFIRMED: Justin Timberlake Cast in Movie About Facebook | Mashable
  Oh-Em-Gee. Justin Timberlake is to play Napster co-founder Sean Parker in David Fincher’s  film, “The Social Network.” Timberlake will be joined by Jesse Eisenberg, playing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Andrew Garfield, who will appear as Eduardo Saverin.
• Advertisers Lag Consumers in Mobile Adoption, For Now | ClickZ
  eMarketer found that spending on mobile advertising will account for only 2.2 percent, or  $416 million, of total online display ad spending in 2009. Their report suggests that despite the widespread adoption of mobile phones, advertisers have been impeded by the variety of hardware, the complexity of the platform, and the dearth of advertising options for less-sophisticated devices.

• Palm Kills WinMo as Pre Loses Momentum | GigaOm
  Trying to stay afloat in the smartphone market, Palm is ditching Windows Mobile and placing its bets on its own webOS. Windows Mobile has been losing market share, this move ends their five year long relationship.
• Memo to StartUps: Stick to solving problems | eConsultancy
  Techcrunch's Sarah Lacy contends that start-ups should seek to change the world. Patricio Robles offers a strong counterpoint that good entrepreneurs are problem-solvers, not megalomaniacs, and successful innovations often start with modest goals.

• Google's DoubleClick Launches New Marketplace For Display Ads | TechCrunch
  Google's new Ad Exchange creates an open, real-time marketplace making it easier for online publishers, ad networks, and agencies to buy and sell display advertising space. The system includes real-time allocation, greater control over where a display ad appears, new payment system and a revamped user interface.

• Bloomingdale's fall fashion campaign taps mobile to engage customers in-store | Mobile Marketer
  As part of the department store's fall campaign, "Lights, Camera, Fashion," mobile is being used to allow customers to vote on short films displayed in-store and online. It's both an attempt at collecting marketing data as well as offering something more than traditional print advertising.

• RealGames Announces Federation of Studios Mobile Porting Solution | Gamasutra
  RealNetworks has announced the Federation of Studios, an initiative that will allow mobile game developers to port their products across eight different operating systems and 130 different carriers. They propose to create a simple way to reach more than 2 billion customers worldwide.

• Report: Mobile Sites Are Not Improving | MediaPost
  While more and more people are using mobile websites, evaluations have shown that their quality is not improving. On a scale of 100, the average score was 52.

• Microsoft targets Google's mobile dream with Bing | The Register
  With predictions that mobile will one day surpass PCs in the search market, Microsoft is building Bing to present results suited for mobile phones. Tweaks such as location awareness are being included in search algorithms for a more relevant result.

• Windows Mobile 7 to emphasize social networking? | FierceMobileContent
  Adding to the speculation surrounding the next Windows Mobile update is a Microsoft job posting with tags "mobile phones" and "social networks." The description goes on to state their aim to build a "mobile social platform."

• Text-to-Speech Technology Reaches an Inflection Point | The New York Times
  For those with speech impairments, text-to-speech technology is to the point where it can aid in their communication. Software is now available for iPhones and netbooks to make this possibility more affordable.

• Google: Apple Totally Rejected Our Google Voice App | Mashable
  The last we heard was both Apple and AT&T flat out denying the rejection of Google's Voice application. Now Google picks up with the politics and accuses Apple of lying, stating that they actually did reject the app.

Samsung camera keeps vanity in focus [LA Times]
The DualView camera was created specifically with lifestreaming in mind. It features view screens on the front and back, meant to simplify taking self-portraits for social networking sites.

The Powerful and Mysterious Brain Circuitry That Makes us Love Google, Twitter, and Texting [Slate]
All our electronic communication devices—e-mail, Facebook feeds, texts, Twitter—are fueling our unquenchable, hard-wired drive to explore and discover. When we indulge, we stimulate our "pleasure center" and deliver dopamine to our systems, potentially causing obsessive behavior similar to lab rats and drug addicts.

Belarus Develops School Uniform That Makes Tin Foil Hats Obsolete [Net Effect]
A Belarus textile company has designed a school uniform that has a special pocket where kids can put their cell phone that protects them against electromagnetic radiation.

Making the Case For Search-Based Marketing [MarketingVOX]
Advertisers traditionally port creative to the web without much though towards search integration. Google and Bing want to improve on this with better use of location-based searches, as well as voice- and image-based search features to take advantage of the growing smartphone market.  This goes beyond a product-focused search to a service-based one, from things such as restaurant finders to repair services.

The Universal Phone For The Blind And Sighted [Yanko Design]
Created by Seunghan Song, the Universal phone is the first full touchscreen mobile for both blind and sighted people. Micro pins on the surface are raised so sighted people can feel whatever is written on the screen, and a button transforms the whole interface into braille for the blind.

Cell Phone TV Watching Prime Time is 1 to 2PM: Who Are These People? [MobileContentToday]
FLO TV has just released metrics showing that the majority of mobile TV viewers are watching between 1 and 2 PM. The data contrasts sharply with regular TV peak times, further highlighting the singular characteristics of mobile usage.

Red Cross reaffirms Faith in Mobile Fundraising [Mobile Marketer]
The Red Cross garners approximately 40% of all US mobile phone donations. Although the total amount is not comparable to other forms of donation, the organization considers the medium to be the future for charities.

$1.5 Million In Checks Deposited Via iPhone App In First Three Days [mocoNews]
Three days ago USAA launched an iPhone app that allowed its customers to just take a picture of check to deposit it. Since then, $1.5 million in checks via the app.

Biz Stone, Twitter founder, Talks About the Hack on Tavis Smiley [PBS]
Biz Stone talks about the denial of service attack that Twitter fell victim to last week. That type of attack is relatively common online and sites can only prepare for them not prevent.

Coming In For A Hard Landing [MediaPost]
Many marketers are making the same mistakes with mobile ads that they did with the web, from annoying banners to confusing campaigns. Advertisers need to take the medium seriously or else the consumer won't.

Twitter’s Internal Strategy Laid Bare: To Be “The Pulse Of The Planet” [TechCrunch]
The scandal on the blogosphere this week was the hacking of Twitter staff email and subsequent (and somewhat questionable) posting of secret internal documents on TechCrunch. These include:

- Final Tweet: The Twitter Reality TV Show Pitch
- Twitter’s Financial Forecast Shows First Revenue In Q3, 1 billion users in 2013
- Twitter’s Internal Strategy Laid Bare: To Be “The Pulse Of The Planet”

The Future of Search: Social Relevancy Rank [ReadWriteWeb]
As real-time search services like BingTweets, Collecta, and OneRiot continue to grow, a Social Relevancy Rank will emerge. Based on the same principle as Page Rank, this means that whenever you search streams of activity, the results will be ordered not chronologically but by how relevant each is to you based on your social graph.

Google: Browser is the Platform of the Future, Even on Mobiles [Mashable]
Google is investing a lot of resources into Chrome, which most likely will be released on mobile as well. The idea is that browsers will become the ultimate platform for devices, fitting into the emerging cloud computing model.

Google Looks to Campuses for 'Cloud' Converts [AdAge]
Meanwhile, Google is looking to breed a generation of workers comfortable with the concept of "cloud" computing, particularly their version of it in which Google provides free web-based services in exchange for advertising dollars. To do this, they are providing free hosting and services to colleges and universities, an attractive proposition given the economy, and Google is signing up new campuses at a rate of 70 to 75 a quarter.

Surprising Mobile Video Consumption Patterns in Japan [What Japan Thinks]
Some interesting findings on Japanese video mobile usage: 53.6% have watched a video on their mobile, and only 23.5% watched it on the move.

The GRID Introduces Location-Based Advertising [CScout]
The GRID, Vodacom’s location-based social network mobile phone Java app, has been around for a couple of years in South Africa, but now the network has grown in size, making it economically viable to test various ad-based revenue models.

Molson Coors Uses Adeye Mobile Marketing for Different World Drinks Brands [Adeye]
Molson Coors is rolling out a mobile marketing campaign to its specialty beers. Tickets to a boat launch event were sent out via SMS and recipients were directed to a site for more info on the beer and for a chance to win a meal for two. While at the event, Bluetooth was used to deliver an app that acted as a multimedia brochure.

Landshare Lets Communities Grow Their Veggies Together [TrendHunter]
A new initiative in England called Landshare is connecting local food growers to plot owners who want to share land. Through a dedicated site, users access a map of who is offering what around them.

Kenyan Mosque Jams Mobile Calls [BBC News]
In an effort to have prayers a little more focused on God (and less on text messages), a mosque in Kenya has installed a cell phone jammer. The move is actually leading other prayer centers to start considering cell phone disabling devices.

Ethnicity vs. Culture in Advertising [Advertising Age]
The evolution of race perception in the US has led new generations to enter into cultural mindsets that are somewhat unrelated to race. "Urban" for example, is moving away from a certain ethnicity, and now expresses a way of life.