Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

We recently took time to sit down with Phil Thomas Di Giulio, co-founder of Pegshot. Pegshot is a mobile app for Android and Apple devices that lets users upload photos and video on-the-go, tagged with location and time.

In this episode of MobileBehavior TV:

• Phil uses Pegshot while stuck in a New York Times elevator with NBC's Ann Curry
• Discussion about Pegshot's future plans for development
• Demonstration of the iPhone application

MobileBehavior TV is a running video series where we meet and interview thought leaders and creators in the mobile community. Click here to view past episodes.

The Mobile Premier Awards event that takes place in Barcelona on February 15 has announced the 20 finalists to their Awards in Innovation. They were chosen by an international jury of the most recognized mobile industry experts and will pitch their idea on Feb. 15 in front of a group of investors, operators, media companies, peer entrepreneurs and influential bloggers.

This year’s finalists are considered the best overall startup innovation chosen by their peers in partnership with MobileMonday:

MobileMonday Austria - Mobilizy

• Mobilizy is leading the way for commercial augmented reality and is the creator of the WIKITUDE World Browser, which is one of the first practical augmented (AR) mobile applications available world-wide.

MobileMonday Barcelona - fonYou

• fonYou’s mission is to reinvent mobile telephone for the internet era. The company's business model, “Online Mobile Telephony,” allows users to configure their mobile telephone services online and gives them access to their call records, SMS and voicemails as if they were emails.

MobileMonday Berlin - spendino

• spendino provides an integrated mobile and internet fundraising solution, especially for around 230 leading Non-Profit-Organizations, but also for about 500,000 small charities in Germany which are not fundraising yet, due to initial setup an high processing costs.

MobileMonday Bogota - RedSalvavidas

• RedSalvavidas aims to save lives using mobile phones. Their mission is to prevent and respond to future natural disasters by providing a new platform for emergencies, starting with mobile technology, internet and social networks.

MobileMonday Chennai - mobiSiteGalore

• mobiSiteGalore allows anyone to easily build, publish and share full-fledged mobile websites just by using a basic mobile phone connected to the Internet.

MobileMonday Copenhagen - Cepa Mobility

• Cepa Mobility is engaged in user-centered IT development for people with motor disabilities.

MobileMonday Edinburgh - Mobile Acuity

• Mobile Acuity is a technology company enabling Mobile Visual Search applications for retailers and interactive campaigns using Visual Interactivity for brands and agencies.

MobileMonday Estonia - TaxiPal

• TaxiPal is the first multi-lingual taxi ordering and brokering service, running on all popular mobile device platforms, initially with EU coverage that will change how taxis are ordered.

MobileMonday Lithuania - SendFlow

• SendFlow is a web-based platform that lets you create, broadcast and manage interactive SMS text and Voice messages.

MobileMonday London - Audioboo

• Audioboo is a platform for the creation, management and sharing of "Boos" or short audio clips.

MobileMonday Milan - Soundtrckr

• Soundtrckr lets you discover new artists and meet new people based on where you are and what you're doing in the present moment.

MobileMonday Munich - Aloqa

• Aloqa is a mobile service that proactively notifies you of interesting places, events, and Facebook friends near you, without having to search.

MobileMonday New Delhi - Voicetap Technologies

• Voicetap is a startup in the Mobile Value Added Space. The company creates technical solutions which help people in their day-to-day lives.

MobileMonday New York - PercentMobile

• PercentMobile is a fully hosted mobile analytics service that measures and analyzes the mobile traffic to your Desktop or Mobile Web Site.

MobileMonday Oslo - Bipper Communication

• Bipper makes any mobile phone safer and better adapted to kids, and gives parents ease of mind.

MobileMonday Rest of EMEA - Layar

• The Layar Browser is a free application on your mobile phone which shows what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality through the camera of your mobile phone (iPhone 3GS or Android).

MobileMonday Silicon Valley - CloudMade

• CloudMade provides a commercial-grade mapping platform based on OpenStreetMap that enables developers and organizations to create innovative geo-enabled products.

MobileMonday Slovenia - Visionect

• Visionect developed a unique thin client handheld device that will work for months without recharging and can be used in any industry.

MobileMonday Stockholm - MoSync

• The vision for Mobile Sorcery with MoSync is to make it easy, fast and cost efficient to develop mobile applications over a broad range of devices and platforms. The company's goal is to enable developers to spend the majority of their time and effort to develop the actual applications.

MobileMonday Tel Aviv - waze

• Waze is a free mobile navigation application that allows drivers to build and use live maps, real-time traffic updates and turn-by-turn navigation to improve their daily commute.

• Ka-Boom! Marvel Plans to Release Motion Comics via iTunes [ReadWriteWeb] - You've maybe seen comics adapted for the iPhone - The Watchmen is a good example. (Download the Watchman app for some examples.) However, the planned Marvel "motion comics" will really be more of a midpoint between the very comic book-esque feel of The Watchmen download and a full-on cartoon. The really exciting part? Original art! No reinterpretations, though surely there will be additional input to make the idea work and move. My spidey senses are tingling!
• New AU mobile line-up goes high-tech niche [Trends in Japan] - Japan is ahead on the mobile curve. Whoa, stop the press - yes, earth-shattering news to anyone who vaguely follows mobile technology. So is South Korea, Singapore ... anyway, back to Japan. While most of us are still impressed daily by the wonderphones that do everything - iPhone, G1, assorted Samnsung and LG - Japanese company KDDI is both moving forward and getting back to basics by planning phones that do one thing really well. For example, a phone could have an awesome camera, a great sense of style, etc. For the rest of us, bring on the application avalanche. I want my BBC World News and a programmable fart machine.
• Social Media Stats: Your Significant Other is Shady [Mashable] - Mobile social network MocoSpace recently polled members and, at least among this crowd, cell phones are being used for everything from flirting to breaking up. Apparently 34 percent of those polled admitted to chatting up a different person while on a date with someone else. Though, if the cell phone is out during a date, honestly, how well could things be going?
• Mexico Gathers Mobile User Data To Fight Crime [mocoNews] - In an effort to fight kidnapping and other crimes, the Mexican government has passed a law which will require mobile phone companies to track their users, fingerprints and all. It seems that many ransom requests are made over prepaid cell phones and authorities are hoping this will lead to more success in fighting kidnapping and extortion.
• Cell Phone Reunion [College Humor] - What happens when cell phones stop being nice and start getting real?
• Cylon Detector iPhone app shows who you can trust [DVICE] - Hopefully you never have cause to scan your neighbor to find out if he's a cyborg. However, if you start to worry that your neighborhood is beginning to look like a Stepford Wives sequel, this handy application may be just what you need when you present evidence to the city police. Shout out to Rowdy Roddy Piper.
• Target Aims for Mobile [Media Bistro] - Target is jumping back into mobile - specifically, the iPhone - after their foray this past Christmas. With a selection interface reminiscent of Urban Spoon and the ability to choose the price range, gender and lifestyle of your recipient, this might be the easiest way to shop for that hard-to-please family member or loved one.
• Twitter to begin charging brands for commercial use [Marketing Magazine] - @eeki Twitter is continuing to move forward with plans to make that money. However, fear not tweeting denizens, it's going to be more in the vein of increased opportunity and tools. You won't have to pay money to tell the world how much you enjoyed your lunch.
• Rural India Snaps Up Mobile Phones [WSJ.com] - Cellphone sales may be down all over the world, but in India they're still conducting a brisk trade. In fact, India's rural communities are leading the trend that sees millions of new subscribers a month, according to the Wall Street Journal. What are they using them for? Farmer K.T. Srinivasa "uses it to decide when to plant and harvest by calling other farmers, to get the best prices for his rice, coconuts and jasmine by calling wholesalers, and to save hours of time waiting on the road for deliveries and pickups that rarely come on time." Case in point that the future of mobile communication extends far beyond the iPod App Store.
• Fast-food chain Subway launches mobile ordering system [Mobile Marketer] - Subway is now making it possible for you to get your five dollar foot long via shortcode. Text "Menu" to the designated code and then simply reply with the number of the desired sandwich. You can save your credit card information securely within the account, so there won't be anything between you and those delicious inches when you get there to pick up your order.
• Nearly Half of Mobile Phone Users Eschew Multimedia Features and Use Handsets Solely to Make Calls [The NPD Group] - According to a new report by The NPD Group, a leading market research company, 45 percent of U.S. mobile phone users prefer to use their mobile phones to make calls, and not for other available multimedia features. Only 20 percent of mobile phone users prefer to use their phones as an all-in-one multimedia device for music, videos, Web surfing, and other activities beyond making phone calls. NPD’s “Mobile Phone Usage Report” also reveals that among top wireless carriers, Verizon Wireless customers are least likely to embrace their phone as an all-in-one multimedia device.The adoption of advanced handset features shows a gap between the usage of these features and the increasing sell through of devices supporting these features.
• It's cooler than ever to be a tween, but is childhood lost? [USA Today] - The prepubescent children of days gone by have given way to a cooler kid — the tween — who aspires to teenhood but is not quite there yet. Tweens are in-between — generally the 8-to-12 set. The U.S. Census estimates that in 2009, tweens are about 20 million strong and projected to hit almost 23 million by 2020.
  Among them now are Malia Obama, at 10 already a tween, and sister Sasha, who turns 8 this year. With the Obama daughters in the White House, the nation's attention will focus even more on this emerging group — and the new "first tweens" will likely be high-profile representatives of their generation."

• Camera phones that don’t “click” when pictures are taken might be banned in the US [Unwired View] - Right now, there's a proposal in congress against camera phones that don't "click." The congresswoman who proposed the measure claims that it will prevent surreptitious picture taking, but you could probably launch an equally legitimate argument that it will assault collective sanity. Imagine Obama at the Youth Ball and the sound of hundreds of clicks, snaps, whistles and other equally obnoxious presets. She seems to have forgotten that people have at least two senses that can detect camera use, the other being the eyes. Will there be a mandate that click volume needs to be all the way up as well? That's great, because we love hearing blaring midi renditions of Rondo Alla Turca when someone not privy to ringtone adjustment gets a call.
• Nielsen: CBS, NBC Shows Resonate Via Handhelds [MediaWeek] - Who says mobile users will only watch 30 seconds of video on their phones? Sure, mobile is usually seen as a mediator of on-the-go consumption, but with phones becoming increasingly glued to our hips, we're now ready and willing to receive content from them anywhere, for longer durations of time. For example, of the 1.8 million downloads recently reported by NBC, 1.3 were full shows like Heroes and Lipstick Jungle. Of course, that doesn't mean there is less of an appetite for clips and this is just referring to NBC, whose bread and butter is full-form entertainment, but it is suggests a need for TV execs and content providers alike to be flexible in order to assuage consumer appetite.
• Smartphones Provide Extra Mana for Mobile Games Industry [Cellular News] - It shouldn't be surprising that the advent of ultra-consumer-friendly phones, such as the iPhone, were a huge boon to the gaming industry. According to comScore, the number of people downloading mobile games grew by 17 percent between Nov. '07 and Nov. '08. The game Light Bike by itself is proof that games rock harder on touchscreens. (No offense BlackBerry Bold because you're cool too.)
• SpeedDate iPhone app makes love search faster [CNET] - It seems like there's an iPhone app for almost everything these days. And speed dating is no longer an exception. It's pretty basic, but you can be sure the idea, if not this specific app, will be expanded upon. It just makes too much sense. You won't be able to do much at this point and, unless you love the "Poke" feature on Facebook, this might not really be your thing, but it is worthy of a moment's reflection ... or perhaps a lifetime of love?
• Dell Starts Offering Exclusive Discounts Through Twitter [Tech Crunch] - How do you get people to follow you on Twitter? Offer them something in return, of course. Assuming you can't offer a steady stream of insightful commentary and classic music videos, what's the next best thing? For Dell, it's a deal. Twitter.com/Direct2Dell is offering its followers exclusive deals via tweet. You can bet there will be more of this, and though the online giveaway concept isn't really new - doing it on Twitter, breathes new life.
• Nokia Wants to Track Your Location Everywhere [Fast Company] - Ever gotten lost indoors? Sure, apps like Loopt, Yelp, etc. are great for finding places, but what happens once you're inside? You're on your own, kid, but that may soon be changing. Nokia is working on a system that would use "existing infrastructure" to triangulate position inside places such as airports, shopping malls and more. Basically, you will get an indoor map - like the maps they hand out at Disneyland - only easier to use and more accurate.
• Sweetness: Jimmy Eat World Uses Twitter For Concert-Specific Chats [Tech Crunch] - One of the last few remaining bands that fit under the "Emo" flag before it stood for boys in skinny jeans  with shaggy haircuts, Jimmy Eat World, continues to prove how not-lame they are by bringing some Twitter magic to fans. Want to talk about the Jimmy Eat World concert taking place next week? "Tweet @jimmyeatworld #YYYYMMDD (where YYYYMMDD is the date of the show)." This will take you to a forum that corresponds to that specific show. Now go buy tickets!
• Toshiba TG01: Hands-on photo fest! [Electricpig] - Toshiba makes touchscreens? Televisions: yes. Camcorders: yes. Laptops: Yes. Smarthphones: huh? And yet here we have, not just some paper weight with a shiny screen, but a touchscreen smartphone looking hotter than a team mascot in Death Valley. Looks are one thing and function another, but one thing is for sure: this little beauty is turning some heads.
• Hi5 Launching Integrated Social Flash Games Today [Inside Social Games] - Hi5, the biggest social networking site you've probably never used (60 million strong) just announced "hi5 Games," an online arcade setup much like Shockwave or Coffee Break Arcade. What's unique is how the arcade is being integrated into the hi5 site and, in some ways, the simple fact that it is. You can play games on Facebook, but you have to find them if they're not being advertised. By creating a consolidated destination for gameplay, hi5 helps you along the path to (a) deciding you want to play a game and (b) finding one to play. And online gaming is big business - pogo.com gets almost 10 million visits a month! It's good for the tens of millions that call hi5 home, but it's also good for advertisers looking to reach them.