Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

• When the Cloud Fails: T-Mobile, Microsoft Lose Sidekick Customer Data | GigaOm
  T-Mobile and Microsoft are experiencing a possible worse case scenario for the failure of cloud-based storage. All personal data stored on a Sidekick is now lost due to an accidental data wipe-out.
• Social networks most visited sites on mobile Web | Mobile Marketer
  A new study by Openwave has revealed that four of the top ten domains accessed on mobile devices are social networking sites.

• 14 million more people navigate with their mobiles | MobileMonday
  As more and more mobile devices include GPS in their offering, their use for navigation will grow tremendously. In the past year, the number of mobile subscribers downloading navigation instructions has doubled to about 28 million.
• Quick Search Box for Android: Search your phone and the web | Google Mobile Blog Google has announced its Quick Search Box, or QSB, which makes searching on an Android phone that much easier. It provides suggestions while typing and also includes the ability to search contacts using voice recognition.
• Nokia Working on Augmented Reality Language Translation via OCR Character Recognition | IntoMobile
  While still in alpha, Nokia is using augmented reality to translate written language by simply viewing text through a mobile camera.
• Tweetie iPhone Twitter client gets a sequel | Mobile Entertainment
  Heavy duty Twitter client for the iPhone, Tweetie, has updated to version 2.0 and adds the ability to handle multiple accounts, link Twitter contacts to the Address Book, and view information while offline.
• FCC To Probe Google Voice | The Washington Post
  Looks like Google is being treated like a traditional telecom company; the FCC requested an explanation for the illegal blocking of certain calls made in Google Voice.
• Assessing buying behavior triggered by mobile campaigns | Mobile Marketer
  A comprehensive post on just how trigger-based mobile advertising can be used not only for targeting but also for assessing and tracking campaigns, all of which can help boost ROI.
• Wireless Gadgets: Watchphones, Tiny TVs, and Other Shiny Objects at CTIA | Mashable
  CTIA delivered to us the news of the Barnes & Noble eReader along with a slew of smaller wireless gadgets. These include the K&S Phonewatch, FLO TV Personal Television, and Samsung Mondi.
• A Chink In Android's Armor | TechCrunch
  While open source is what fuels the growth of the Android OS, it also comes as a threat when developers begin to "splinter off into their own different world." J2ME should be a cautionary tale for Google.

Yesterday, AT&T announced the new and complete reversal of policy regarding VoIP and the iPhone. The move will allow applications like Skype's to be used over the provider's 3G networks. Stockholders fear that AT&T is becoming simply a "dumb pipe" has caused its stock to dip, but this decision opens doors that many may be grateful for further down the road.

Earlier this year we ran through the history of VoIP, which was largely led by Skype and its innovations in making international calls possible over the desktop. With its legacy and the software’s popularity, it only makes sense that Skype will also lead into the VoIP revolution on our mobile devices. These mobile devices that are now extremely compact and powerful computers.

With developers all over the iPhone, they have just received one more variable to play with: Voice. The barrier has been removed and increased innovation is likely through healthy capitalist competition. Truth is, with our inventory of screens fragmenting, so should the possibilities for making phone calls. Startups such as JaJah will be able to deconstruct, rethink, and develop what we know as the "phone" in ways we never imagined. Intuitive interfaces we never considered will be developed as startups like Tiny Chat and Facebook (new voice chat) move to mobile. Multiplayer mobile games could include voice chat and brands have a new touch point to build upon.

Sure, analysts are seeing disruptive forces at work in the telecom industry, but AT&T has made a brave move that ought to be praised. They noticed change and chose to embrace it. Perhaps they will now do the same with Google Voice .

Twitter Redesigns As Streaming Trends Site [ReadWriteWeb]
We've seen a number of real-time search engines built on Twitter (Collecta, OneRiot, Scoopler), and now Twitter itself has redesigned it's homepage with search and trending topics front and center.

Mobile Music for Teens Who Top Up [BBC News]
Orange, Universal, and Channel 4 are partnering to offer a music streaming service, which it hopes will combat piracy. Dubbed "Monkey," it's specifically aimed at teens--there's no data plan, smartphone, or payment plan required. Instead, Orange has teamed up with Blyk to send users free offers and promotions based on their tastes.

Can a 'URL Killer' Save Our Text-Weary Thumbs? [AdAge]
Garrick Schmidt contends that flurry of new QR code activity from cultural tastemakers and media platforms alike may finally push the barcode into the mainstream. But we wonder whether the OEMs need to preload handsets with a reader before these "URL killers" get true mass adoption.

Surge In Mobile, Online Banking Sparks Closures At BofA [mocoNews]
Bank of America is closing 10% of its U.S. branches because of mobile and online banking. Customers have been increasingly accessing and using the mobile service for more than just balance statements, reducing activity in many branches.

Power to the People Survey [Universal McCann]
Data from Universal McCann on how people use the Internet to share with others. Key stats: 76% of SNS users upload photos, 62.5% of all Internet users have created at least one profile on a social networking site, and mobile Internet usage has reached 1/5 of all Internet users.

Could Twitter Become a Commerce Pulse by 2012 [InfluxInsights]
Twitter's evolution is up in the air, but there is potential for the service to become an on-demand product and service provider. Tweet about needing a plane ticket? Get airlines to bid with their best prices.

How to Build Social Capital - Innovate Early and Often [The Steve Rubel Lifestream]
Brands are competing to develop a strong and respected online presence, but following what is being done will not put you ahead of the game. Acting, instead of reacting, is key to innovation for brands online.

Is Being In the Mobile Biz License to Ignore the Internet? [Searchblog]
With Apple banning two Google apps (Latitude and GVoice), the iPhone platform is still suffering from restrictions that prevent it from becoming the true link between mobile and the cloud.

AT&T Aims To Increase Data Usage With New ‘Social Net’ App [mocoNews]
AT&T has rolled out an app called "Social Net" that offers non-smartphone customers a solution for connecting to their favorite social networks.

Disney Takes Web Surfers to the Lab to See Which Ads Work [NYTimes]
By tracking eye movement, heart rate, skin temperature and facial expressions, researchers are attempting to decipher how people consume media on emerging platforms, including the web and mobile.

Text Mining Provides Marketers With the 'Why' Behind Demand [Ad Age]
In other consumer research news: 7-11 and other brands are turning to text mining of conversations on blogs, Twitter or other social-media sites in order to identify the emotional aspects and reasons--the "why"--behind consumer behavior.

The ‘Mayors’ of Manhattan Meet and Compete [NYTimes]
Demonstrating how passionate they are about the new location-based service, top Foursquare users ("Mayor" status in the game) staged a bar crawl meet-up across Manhattan bars they called the "Town Holler," inspiring other cities like San Francisco to do the same. Meanwhile, Mashable calls foursquare, who we interviewed back at SXSW, the next Twitter.

Booyah Will Capitalize On Giving iPhone Users Sense Of Achievement [moconews]
Like Foursquare, Booyah is a new example "prescriptive social software", i.e. an application that encourages certain user behavior and turns life into one big game. The app, (from the team behind World of Warcraft) rewards users for doing things like updating their status, which they hope to brand as a "Booyah Moment" (good luck with that.)

Nissan Unveils IT System, iPhone App for New Networked Car [GigaOM]
In a move towards the "car 2.0," Nissan has unveiled the ultimate "mobile" vehicle. The electric, fully networked car has an iPhone application and a system called EV-IT, which will connect the company’s upcoming plug-in vehicle to a global data center via mobile networks.

Sprint Buying Virgin Mobile USA For $483 Million To Boost Prepaid Offer [mocoNews]
A huge industry move today, as Sprint is buying Virgin Mobile to extend its prepaid offering and reach. Sprint hopes to cross-sell its products as well to the Virgin customer base.

Why is Apple Stifling Google Voice for iPhone? [Fast Company]
Third-party Google Voice apps have been removed from the App store, and Google's own GV app has been rejected by Apple. It seems that Apple/Google rivalry is to blame, but AT&T is probably defending its turf as well.

Stay Tuned for Bluetooth on Your TV [GigaOM]
The movement to put Bluetooth into television is gaining momentum. LG just announced a new line of Bluetooth-enabled TVsets, joining Sharp and Samsung. The technology gives consumers the ability to use their mobile phones as a remote control, connect wireless headsets to the TV, and stream music from an MP3 player to their TV, all without a wire.

Age Demographics of Top Social Networks [BitBriefs]
The age demographic data for 2008 clears some misconceptions about social networking sites. The most popular amongst 13-18: MySpace. 65+? Facebook.

Mobile Spam Very Discomforting for Three in Five Japanese [What Japan Thinks]
Data from Japan shows that 93% of Japanese hate mobile spam (wonder who that 7% is that like it). The data highlights the personal relation that users have with their cell and how intrusion creates a vivid response.

69% Of Adults Don't Know What Twitter Is [The Business Insider]
LinkedIn and Harris report that 69% of adults do not know what Twitter is. 12% of those surveyed also said that twitter was only for young people, and 50% of advertisers think it will grow (12% of consumers think that).

How a Year With the iPhone Changed My Life [AdAge]
A rare personal look at the bond between a man and his iPhone. They game together, read together, even watch baseball together...  Who needs friends anyway? Check out his annotated slideshow too.

Google Maps Markers Are Making Real World Appearances [TechCrunch]
To promote  their "Favorite Places on Google Maps" initiative (curated maps from well-known people), the company is placing statues of their upside down "drop" markers outside various endorsed locations. Great idea but would be cooler if they were interactive.

Verizon FiOS TV Integrates Facebook and Twitter [Mashable]
In a move to make TV watching more social, Verizon FiOS TV is adding Facebook and Twitter integration, as well as several other social media options, to its service. Viewers will be able to update their status when watching a show or event and see what friends and networks are saying about it.

Google to Monetize Voice via Ringback Advertising Auctions? [Unwired View]
Google is considering pushing for ringback ads on its Voice service. Users would be able to choose what type of ads they are interested in, indicate their location so the ads can target their needs, and then Google will auction the markets to various ad providers.

Skyecandy Aims to Revolutionize the Online Dating World [TrendHunter]
Skyecandy is launching a speed dating service via Skype. Leveraging the the power of webcams and accessibility, the service will connect potential dates in 5 minute webcam sessions.

Microsoft Integrates Twitter into BingTweets [Econsultancy]
Jumping into the emerging real-time search game, Microsoft launched BingTweets, which integrates classic web search from Bing with real-time search elements from Twitter.

O2 partners with Bank to Launch Mobile Money Service [FierceWireless]
Launching in the UK, NatWest Bank with O2 will link debit cards to cell phones so users can track their expenses in real-time. This is the first step in O2's strategy to make cell phones actual credit cards.

Don’t doubt iPhone users’ text messaging addiction [Mobile Marketer]
With advent of smartphones, many are predicting the decline of SMS, but new data shows that smartphone users text more than other phone users and respond more to SMS ads as well.

DoCoMo Denki Picture Frame for Instant Photo Sharing from Phone to Frame [CScout]
The picture frame developed by DoCoMo allows for PC or mobile upload via SMS. The idea is that the frame can keep family in touch because it is updates no matter where the user is.

Yahoo Lets Users Opt-Out Of Targeted Ads On Phones [mocoNews]
Targeted advertising will only work on mobile if the consumer is in control. Yahoo has thus enabled an opt-out process for mobile ads and smartly called it "interest-based" advertising instead. Of course the goal should be ads that are so targeted and thus relevant that consumers want to opt-IN for them.

The Tree Museum in the Bronx: The Talk of the Town [The New Yorker]
A public work of conceptual art in the Bronx called the Tree Museum consists of trees tagged with phone numbers. Call the number and get historic info about this tree, the neighborhood, and larger environmental issues related to the exhibition.

Smartphone Satisfaction Numbers [eMarketer]
The iPhone is leading the pack by all measures, but BlackBerry is putting up a fight. The two devices are way in front of other smartphones even in terms of usage numbers.

Download This [trendcentral]
TrendCentral picks out three popular apps for the iPhone 3GS:

>>iPhone 3GS Jailbreak: For those who want "more"
>>RunPee: Best times to go pee when watching a movie
>>12 Seconds: Think of it as twitter in a video format

Getting Noticed in Apple's iPhone App Store [WSJ]
A look at what it takes to actually succeed on the app store such as promoting your product through social networks and bloggers, understanding your market (in terms of age, and geography), and leveraging advertising power.

Meet the Mobile Phones of Tomorrow [PC World]
A compilation of innovation and patents that might affect the way phones evolve and their functionality. Top: Morph by Nokia, a nanotechnology based phone that actually cleans itself and can be reshaped at will.

Cross Reality: When Sensor Networks Meet Virtual Reality [ReadWriteWeb]
MIT expects that mobile devices will play an important role in future Cross Reality applications, think SecondLife -style virtual world layered on top of the real world.  The lab has already begun to experiment in this area, with a Star Trek-inspired device it calls a Tricorder and a newer device called the "Ubicorder" that provide a real time interface to sensor data.

Google Voice Goes Mobile [NYTimes]
The invite-only service from Google is offering a stand alone application for Android and BlackBerry users. The app allows calls directly from the phone as well as SMS and marks another milestone in the history of VoIP.

WhitePages.com Turns To Users To Build Up Listings; The Plan For A ‘Connectory’ [mocoNews]
WhitePages is opening up, allowing users to submit their personal info to their database. Already, the site lets people send text messages for free and those who create listings may soon have access to advanced voice mail accounts. Some additional functionality will be based on technology acquired via the company’s purchase of voice services startup Snapvine a year ago.

Obama’s Ghana Speech Highlights Delivered Live via SMS [Mobile Marketer]
Live speech highlights were sent via SMS to Africans and international/non-US residents in both French and English. Recipients could also respond with the chance of being featuring on the US government's site.

3,700 Tweets And 480,000 Characters Later, There Will Be An Original Novel On Twitter [TechCrunch]
Matt Stewart was unable to find a publisher for his " The French Revolution" novel, so he is now tweeting the book 140 characters at a time.

iPhone Musicians Invited to Perform Live with Indie Legends Good Night, States [engadget]
People who create beats with the Noise.io app, a synthesizer for iPhone, are invited to plug their iPhones/iPods into the sound system and jam with indie rockers Good Night, States at Mr. Small's in Pittsburgh this Friday.

Wow, the iPhone is Now the Most Popular Camera on Flickr [hey, it's noah]
According to Flicker's camera graph, the iPhone was momentarily the number one camera on Flickr, inching ahead of the Canon EOS. The sharp spike likely coincided with the launch of iPhone 3GS with its much-improved 3 megapixel camera.

It's Friday which can only mean one thing: We're sharing our staff members' favorite finds from the week...

Allison

Tattletexting
Ever go to a game and want to get certain drunk/obnoxious/offensive fans removed from the stadium? Now you can, with your phone. A company called In-Stadium Solutions (ISS) that specializes in benches and bleachers, now offers a mobile service for “tattletexting.” Just send a message to a designated number (513-381-JERK at Cincinnati Bengals games) with their seat number. The closed-circuit camera operators will check them out to see if they are boot-worthy.

According to CNet, 29 of the 32 NFL stadiums employ the service as do many Major League Baseball, NBA and even NCAA March Madness games.

Sam

Skype for the iPhone
Finally, one small step for man, one giant leap for VoIP. I can’t wait to make prank calls from my iPhone to Bratislava without the international charge! The big downside, though, is that it only works with WiFi. Why, Skype, why?

Laura

MagCloud
HP’s new brainchild is to aspiring magazine publishers what YouTube is to aspiring Beyonce backup dancers. It’s also an intriguing antidote to the collapse of print. A user uploads the pages of their masterpiece in .pdf and MagCloud handles the printing (20 cents per page), publication and distribution. Time will tell whether this catches on with the masses (it’s already proving a useful tool for college journalism students as the NY Times profiled here), but as a girl who spent endless hours locked in my bedroom cutting and pasting Laura Magazine together throughout the late ‘90s, this would have been a godsend. Laura might just be due for a comeback. No Smashing Pumpkins worship this time though. Promise.

Andrea D.

Obama gives Queen Elizabeth an iPod [LA Times]
The Obamas met Queen Elizabeth II this week in the UK and as customary between foreign leaders (if you can even call the Queen a foreign leader) the parties exchanged gifts with each other. The gifts given reflected the generational differences and signaled a new era of material pleasantries. The President and his First Lady presented the Queen with an iPod. And what about the Obama’s gift, you say? Well, the Queen graced them with a picture…of herself. Sigh, isn’t this why they keep Prince Harry and William around? No word yet on whether Obama’s mix featuring The Stones, Dylan and Miles Davis was included in the playlists.

Samantha

TXT’N’WALK
Have you ever bumped into a person or lamppost while engrossed in writing a text? Well, that would be a problem of the past thanks to TXT’N’WALK, which uses your phone’s camera to show you a picture-in-picture view of the street right in your text. This way you can see where you’re going while you’re typing on the go. Pocket-lint’s creation is actually just an April Fools’ Day joke, but it doesn’t have to be. App developers, are you listening?

Melvin

Twibble
I've been using Twitterrific, an iPhone/iPod touch app, for my mobile tweets and I'm really happy about the application. But, I also have a Nokia n85, and I've been looking for a similar Twitter application that I can tweet from. (Follow me @melvinkee)

I chanced across Twibble, which is designed for Java enabled smartphones including Nokia, Blackberry, and Sony Ericsson. Besides a really clean interface, it also supports photo sharing via TwitPic, which is very well integrated in the program. It isn't mega fancy, but it's a really smart application that has easy access to functions like re-tweeting, favoriting, etc. So, if you are a Twitter addict and you don't have an iPhone/iPod touch, stop tweeting from the mobile site and consider Twibble.

Vikram

BakerTweet
Everyone wants something baked fresh just for them. Krispy Kreme cashed in on this desire with their "Hot Doughnuts" sign, and people would stream in to get a doughnut straight from the fryer. Well, it's time to move the "Hot Doughnuts" sign to the internets with BakerTweet. BakerTweet is a simple device based on open source hardware that allows bakeries to tweet what's coming out of the oven right now. Say you have a penchant for olive loaf, just set your Tweetdeck to follow your bakeries feed, filter the results and you're ready to get the freshest loaf in town.